Originally posted by blackride
Why do wheel chair people get to go up front? I dont understand why this is different than anyone else. I can see if you have problems being in the sun too long though.....
Wheelchair users do not get to jump all the queues.
I do not have a wheelchair, but my mother does and I was the power source for the chair.
The majority of attractions will have wheelchair users in the same line as able bodied guests.
Very few attractions let wheelchair users "jump queue " or “part of the queue” - Splash Mountain where you leave the exterior queue at the foot of the steps and head through the exit area to off loading bay. Yes it's a few minutes quicker, but nothing dramatic.
Great Movie Ride – when you reach the cinema area of the queue you go to the front. If there is wheelchair room on the next vehicle it’s yours. If not you wait.
Big Thunder Mountain is the only one that gives a true queue jump where you go straight in through the exit door.
Rides that have exclusive Wheelchair loading areas - Kilimanjaro Safari - you queue in the same line as everyone else, but just before the main load bay you go straight ahead where there is a load bay devoted to wheelchairs. Here users can transefer at ease without holding up everyone else. The bay can also allow a single wheelchiar user who is unable to transfer to board the ride in their chair. However there are not many of the disabled vehicles so you can have a long wait for the next one to arrive.
The Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom has a similar setup where wheelchair users queue to the left of the regular queue. Again you can wait longer here for the special boat to arrive.
Some other examples –
Pirates: You go through the same queue and load at the same bay, putting the wheelchair in the back seat. When you get off there is a service elevator you use instead of the moving gangplank.
Buzz Lightyear: You wait in the same queue area, but when you get to the loading bay you have to go through a corridor to the exit bay. It is here that you board.
The Fantasyland dark rides – Wait in the same queue and board at the same place.
Space Ship Earth – You do not wait in the same queue, you go to what was “Global Neighbourhood” and wait there. When a number of parties are present they are lead up the exit ramp to board.
As mentioned before – Alien Encounter had you in the same line. In the theatre there were a couple of stations adapted for wheelchairs.
Animation tour at MGM. You queue with everyone else, but as this attraction has a small wheelchair capacity you end up waiting longer as by the time you get to the front of the queue you are told that all wheelchair places are taken up for that show.
The Haunted Mansion. You wait by the hearse outside. A CM will then collect you. If you can stand for the stretch rooms you are taken through a side door to the stretch room from which point you wait with everyone else. If you can’t stand for this period of time then the CM will lead you straight to the offload bay where you board, but it means you miss the Stretch Rooms.
All the 3D films – wait in the same queue. There is a door at the rear of each theatre for wheelchair parties to enter where there are gaps in the seating to park the chairs.
All the live & Audio Animatronics shows – No queue jumping again and there are bays for the chairs. Sometimes at the front, sometimes at the back.
Generally speaking, all the other attractions have wheelchair users treated the same as able-bodied guests.
There are special guide books available from Guest Relations that detail accessibility to all the attraction – how you board, whether you can stay in your chair or whether you have to transfer from a scooter.