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Have you used an ECV or wheelchair at WDW, do you have any tips
or stories to put on this page? Email me
"I was injured about a year ago, and because of problems in my
bone marrow, I had a heck of a time walking. So when my mother
and I took our yearly trip to Disney, we decided to get a wheelchair.
It made everything so much easier for my mother and I. I guess
the only problem was that sometimes when I got a chair, it would
have a lean to it. So I wouldn't recommend getting a wheelchair
if you have to go solo. My mom doesn't ride rides, so I remember
parting at Buzz Lightyear and pushing myself alll the way to Splash
Mountain. So if you have a disability and need to get around, I
think an electric scooter is much better. However, there is a catch.
A kid like me can't rent one. I don't know about that policy. I
believe that if one has a driver's license, it should be acceptable.
At this point, one must be 18 or older to use a scooter.
And on hot days where you need to push yourself from Space Mountain
to Big thunder and back again, it's difficult, and I still have
the scars to prove it. However, all of the Cms were really kind
to me with everything. When I was in the chair, I was treated nicely,
and everyone was pretty cool with me since I was flying solo. Just
be aware that a wheelchair can cause some difficulty. You have
to be careful. While in line for Dinosaur, I had just finished
watching the movie segment and the doors had opened. Everyone was
waiting to go through to the next part of the line, but the CM
told us to wait a minute. A second later, the doors automatically
shut on my wheelchair and arms. Although very helpful, be careful
while using a chair!"
"My grandmother uses a wheelchair and we have always had a
wonderful experience as far as handicapped rooms and rides at Walt
Disney World. The cast members and characters go out of their way
to make her feel welcome and as if she is the only person in the
park. We have stayed at hotels in all 3 catergories with a handicapped
accessible room and loved them all."
"My mom has arthritis and could not even make it down Mainstreet
walking now. She also has great difficulty simply standing for any
period of time. We have been to WDW twice with a wheelchair. My
mom can walk short distances so we rented a wheelchair at each park.
With the new security system we found it best for either my brother
or I to give all bags to the other. The one without the bags took
my mom through the line for people without bags and got the wheelchair.
By the time the other got through with the bags we were ready to
hit the park.
Most cast members were really nice about getting us through lines,
mostly through the exit. In the middle of the day we were told at
Big Thunder Mountain that we had to get Fast Passes to take a wheelchair
on. Make sure to plan Fast Passes in advance. Needing someone to
run ahead for Fast Passes we found it nice to have small two way
radios to keep track of each other.
We found out that when you make reservations at resteraunts and
dinner shows to make sure they know that you have someone who is
disabled. Reitterate this several times untill you get confirmation.
We did the Hoop Dee Doo Review and when we got there found out we
were on the second floor, with out an elevator. They managed to
switch us to ground floor.
We found that the hardest park for a wheelchair is AK. The wlakways
can be very bumpy and difficult to push a wheelchair over. We almost
tipped over my mom a couple of times.
The hardest rides for my mom to get on were the constant loading
rides. My mom almost fell trying to get on Spaceship Earth with
the people mover floor. The constantly loading rides can become
frustrating for all during busy times. These rides would be best
saved for times when the rides aren't extremly busy."
"My mother had her arms and legs amputated January 2003 after
an adverse reaction to medication. She wanted to see her grandkids
at WDW - and we weren't about to say no. We were all very nervous
because we were very new to the needs of a handicapped individual.
She took her own wheelchair and we were amazed by the response of
the staff at the Magic Kingdom. There were not many rides she could
utilize, because she could not transfer from her chair (she did
not receive any prosthetics for another three months). Even though
that was disappointing, the Characters really went out of their
way to make her feel special. Mickey and Minnie stopped their greeting
line to take a picture with her, Gepetto kissed her cheek during
the light parade, and there were many more moments like that we
cherished. Getting on the monorail was difficult and the Family
Holiday Inn and Suites was a very tight fit (even though we received
a handicap accessible room). We found other guests to be unkind
at times, but as long as you are not expecting perfection...I think
you will be pleased. The vacation was a lot less stressful than
we had imagined it would be and I would recommend as much advanced
planning as possible." (3/04)
"Having just returned from WDW I must congratulate them on
their efficiency on the resort monorail system. I travel via ECV.
At every location a ramp was provided and there is some sort of
signal button they activate so that at my stop a ramp is waiting
by my car of the monorail.
The buses were also very well organized although a bit more difficult
to navigate once inside. The lifts worked well and the drivers were
wonderful. My difficulty came when I needed to "parallel park"
my scooter in the area provided; it took more than a few turns to
get it where it belonged." (1/04)
"My grandmother
has emphesema and we take her wheelchair any time it would require
extensive walking. Disney has been very wonderful in accomidating
her special need. She thought that she would never be able to do
Disney ever again due to her breathing, but we showed her that she
can! The cast members are always friendly, accomidating, and generally
pleased to help us with whatever we need. We truly feel like VIP's
at Disney, and that is exactly what my grandmother needs!! The only
complaint I have is that so many other park visitors get a perverse
pleasure out of trying to jump ahead and outrun the wheelchair.
I cannot tell you how many times I have experienced "wheelchair
rage" from people cutting us off (especially people with those darn
double-wide strollers who run everyone over). Its frustrating! But
we have found every time at the handicap sites for parades and other
shows that most wheelchair people are friendly and we almost bond,
sharing our woes of "wheelchair rage"! Also, one year we traveled
with our extended family and my aunt is paralyzed on the right side
of her body. She can walk, but for extensive walking we use her
wheelchair. We received the BEST treatment ever, with 2 chairs in
the family, the cast members went way out of their way to make us
feel special! It was EXCELLENT! I have not yet experienced this
mainstreaming that many of you commented about. However, last year
at Disney we were given poor treatment at the Peter Pan ride. The
cast member there gruffly gave us a fastpass without explaining
anything. We later found out it was because there were too many
handicap people on the ride and waiting for the ride, but a little
common courtesy would have been appreciated."
"The last
two trips to WDW we have traveled with someone using a wheelchair.
Three years ago my husband was in need of a wheelchair after just
finishing a chemo treatment. We were pleasantly surprised to find
our family was given the go ahead on almost all of the rides. Last
year again we traveled with my brother who was healing from a fractured
ankle. We were surprised to find that we were not given the go ahead
on the rides. We were told some law was being passed that those
not in wheelchairs were wanting equal rights with those that needed
wheelchairs. In other words there would be no more "cutting in line".
We had to scramble for fast passes and learn the ropes of where
to go first and what to see before each day. I was spending most
of my time walking ahead getting fast passes while the others in
the group watched a show or rode a ride. I just thought this might
be a tip for those families that have traveled to DW in the past
with disabled family members they might want the heads up on fast
passes and waiting lines." Marilyn Lewis
"My biggest
tip for using a wheelchair at the Magic Kingdom would be to stay
clear or the tram lines on Main Street...I got my wheels stuck,
no thanks to my little brother and was nearly mowed down by a horse
drawn cart!!!"
"I have just
returned from a 5 day stay in Orlando. We had the Florida Resident
Park Hopper Pass and visited each park. I rented the scooter ahead
of time from Care Medical which I found mentioned on the WDW website--
it was a fabulous experience. I was thrilled to find the scooter
waiting for me at the hotel upon check-in. It came with great written
instructions on the operation and disassembly of the scooter. Our
first night there we took the scooter to the outlet malls. It was
so great to be able to get around all of the malls with no problems.
( We do not have a large car either a Geo Metro and the scooter
was disassembled and we were able to transport it in our car.) WDW
was wonderful. The Magic Kingdom was very crowded and the only mobility
problem that I encountered was that of moving thru the crowd. You
do have to have sharp reflexes as people do jump in front of the
moving scooter etc. but I noticed that these same people jump in
front of people walking also, I think that it is just the excitment
of being at Disney. Everyhere that we went in the parks the cast
members were terrific we had only two incidents both happening at
Magic Kingdom, where we got less than excellent treatment by the
Disney staff. Those two incidents I have put off to the heat of
the day and the large crowds. I highly encourage anyone with any
type of mobility problem not to hesitate. You will be well recieved
at all WDW parks and the experience will have you planning your
next trip with delight." (11/02)
"My daughter
was born with spina bifidia and is paralized from the waist down
so she relies on a wheel chair full time. We visited DisneyWorld
in Dec. 2002 and had a fantastic trip. We stayed at the Contemporary
and the monorail running through the resort is a great way to get
to and from the parks it serves. The planning the resort has done,
the amenities they offer for people with disabilities, and most
of all the fantastic people they have working there enabled us to
have a truly w o nderful time. We are planning a return trip in
Nov. with high expectations of another great vacation." (8/02)
Read
Andrew Bichard's trip report, which gives
a very detailed review on using an electric wheelchair at WDW.
"I have rented
a scooter from Care Medical for $30. a day so that makes me feel
very secure. I also like the basket so you don't have to carry anything.
The last time we stayed at OKW and every bus was accessible for
my ECV." Doris
"I have a
son who has cerebral palsy and is totally blind. He can't see any
of the wonderful things at Disney. Needless to say, I was apprehensive
the first time we brought him. But, my fears were laid to rest the
very first day.
He was able to access a few rides with his w/c, but we are lucky
in the sense that he is still small(even though he is 14!) and we
could carry him on a lot of rides. The CM's are great to children
in w/c's. We were able to go in a different entrance than everyone
else so he wouldn't be in the sun for so long. And, our entire group
was allowed to go with him. There were six of us. Also, for the
rides he wasn't able to ride(ie: Space Moutain), we used baby swap.
This worked great! Once the first group back, whoever was with my
son immediately got on. The perk was that my other son was able
to stay on for both rides!!!!
My son enjoyed himself immensely. Disney and Nascar races are the
only vacations that he truly gets any pleasure from. Hats off to
Disney on a job well done!" Jghendrick24@aol.com (2/01)
"I just got
back from the Disneyworld parks on friday. I can only walk with
crutches and so I rented an electric scooter from Care Medical supplies
(in Orlando). The only park that I had to wait on a queue was Animal
Kingdom, and that was only for Dinosaur. Also, in Epcot, they wouldn't
put you ahead of people for TestTrack, but they gave me & my family
a fastpass long after they had stopped giving out fastpasses for
the day. Beside that I didn't wait on ANY lines at all in any of
the parks (I went to them all, with the exception of water parks).
I was truly surprised how easy it all was. Even for the parades
there was a special reserved spot up front. I stayed in All Star
Sports resort in Disney & was treated like gold from start to finish.
The biggest surprise was that every bus that came was scooter accessible!"
(2/01)
"Also, I'd like
to add that when I first was making my plans to go, I told the travel
agent of my situation and asked if I could get a room close to the
food courts, main pool, etc. as I won't have a wheel chair at the
resorts and walking a long distance, particularly at the end of
a long day at the parks, could be troublesome. She told me she could
only ASK but couldn't gaurantee it. Well, I called Disney myself,
made my own reservations, and they were VERY accomodating. The woman
at special requests knew what lupus is (a suprise...as you understand)
and told me I was gauranteed a room on the first floor, closest
to the food, etc. She also told me that I could go to a place in
each park designating me a special pass so that I wouldn't have
to wait outside in the sun and heat for a ride. My family and I
can be escorted INSIDE the ride area to wait, which is a tip I think
all lupies should know. Anyways, thank you again and thanks for
all the other disney info also. Your site has been a huge help to
me." Colleen Strom
-on my last trip I went
to guest services and asked for a special assistance pass so I didn't
have to wait in the sun. I got one, but never had to use it, although
it was good to know it was there if needed - Joanne
"I
have MS and am in a wheelchair, I have visited WDW and Florida 4
times and have been very impressed with the level of service offered.
The best equipped hotel for disabled guests we stayed in was Holiday
Inn, Int. Drive, Orlando. It offered a large bedroom with touch
lighting, bathroom with roll in shower, hand held shower, hand rails,
sink with knee room. The restaurant in the hotel had good access
although we only had breakfast in it twice as there were many restaurants
in close proximity. Parking was good and we were able to park outside
the room. We flew from Manchester (UK) to Orlando with Virgin Atlantic
and upgraded our seats to Premium Economy which were very comfortable.
The crew couldn't do enough for us they were more than helpful.
We were seated close to the toilets, I was able to take a few steps
to the toilets and I was delighted to see that there were hand rails
in the toilet. I would recommend a holiday to Florida to anyone
with a disability as I have never had any problems. I would be interested
in hearing about any hotels in the Internatinal Drive, Orlando area
who are fully equipped for disabled guests and who can provide hoists
(or a company where they can be hired from) in a bedroom."
Amanda Quigg clanconnel@yahoo.co.uk
"hi,
my name is stacie i was injured in 1990 at age 17, which left me
paralyzed. Now i have been to disney every year before this, since
i was 5 years old! my first year of my injury, my family( 7 of us)
decided to go to WDW......We called the parks before hand to ask
for a book on accessibility, which we received! we looked it over
and saw all the accessible rides in magic kingdom had a symbol of
a ''wheelchair'' next to them, with a description of "accessible''
we arrived at the parks, with our booklet to come to find out that
the booklet was written ''backwards" and every ride that was posted
''accessible" only meant that i could get my chair thru the lines
not on the ride!! WE were furious, having to pay full price for
myself to get in and only could ride "3" rides: "its a small world,
carosel of progress , and the old delta ride, which was broke".....THATS
IT FOR $40.00 Plus since im not able to push my chair or stay outside
of a ride, by myself, while the others went on, one of my family
members had to stay off the rides with me!! Now my complaint to
the park supervisor, after crying and being furious, was "Why cant
you just add an extra car to the rides, especially making millions
of dollars a day" I get on EVERY SINGLE ride but ONE in Universal
Studios with nooooo trouble and receive better treatment there as
a human and not just as a bother to their staff! And the same goes
for Epcot and Animal Kingdom and they get my 45.00 each park, every
year! BUT i go,pay & accept the fact i wont get on the rides, just
so my family does not have to suffer also!!! Bottom line : They
need to hire a disabled person in a chair to design, redesign or
advocate for their parks!!! Sincerely, Stacie WishSLM2@aol.com"
"We
are planning our 7th trip to Disney World in March - our last was
in Spring of '98. We took my own wheel chair that time (I have M.S.)
and found our treatment much better. I think many are in wheelchairs
that are using them as a convenience instead of a true need. How
I wish I could be guilty of that!!! Disney is very accomodating
and is a wonderful place to enjoy a variety of experiences without
being totally "handicapped" by the normal obstacles that life presents.
We believe Disney should require a handicap parking permit to acquire
a wheel chair. Enjoyed your page -We are in Billings, Montana USA"
"We
went to WDW in March and I rented an ECV for length of stay from
Walker Medical. I got what seemed like a new scooter and had absolutely
no problems with it. It didn't even have to be charged up every
day. I had never used one before, but had no problem getting the
hang of it. I have knees and one foot that aren't the best and knew
I would never be able to walk and keep up with the grandchildren
at the parks. In fact, I did not plan to go until I heard about
the ECV's.
At Animal Kingdom I
did not have to get off the ECV at Countdown to Extinction. I went
through the regular line and then they put me and my party and the
ECV on an elevator to get to ground level. I parked just a few feet
from the ride itself. then the elevator took us back up again. The
safari ride I went up the disabilities walkway and parked right
next to the loading dock. The CM's moved my scooter back a little
ways and I had to walk back to get it after getting off. If I would
not have been able to walk, one of my party would have been able
to go get it and bring it back to me.
I found the getting
around the parks was very easy with an ECV. I will be renting one
again when we go back in February."
"I
have holidayed at WDW five times, and part of the reason I keep
returning is because of the service I recieve as a disabled guest.
I have used both wheelchairs
and ECV's and have been fine with both. The only tip I can give
about the ECV's is to get to the parks early as they tend to have
run out of them by mid afternoon and if you can't push a wheelchair
on your own it's going to be difficult for you."
"Using
a wheelchair we noticed that there is a separate line on just about
every ride. The cast members were wonderful, but there sometimes was
a very long wait because they can only take a few disabled at a time
on the rides due to safety measures. At the hotel, you can get a wheelchair
to rent for the length of stay and they will also give you a WDW parking
pass for your window if you have a car/rental car. Not all of the
buses take wheelchairs, so sometimes there is a wait there."
"We
used a wheelchair for our daughter when we went in 1997, and it
was truly a blessing for us. She could not last on her feet, so
being able to bypass the long queues helped us see more and above
all allow HER to experience more. And, we know that when we go again
in the future, that at least the option will be there again if her
endurance level isn't up to it." A Disney fan.
"I
use a scooter (I have MS) when I vacation at WDW and am very disappointed
to hear about the new "mainstreaming" policy. My first experience
with this was last fall at Animal Kingdom. The guidebook proudly
declared this new policy and I experienced the problems with it
first hand while waiting for the Lion King show. We were all corraled
like cattle in a wide line and other guests actually jockeyed in
front of me to get ahead. My family had to literally form a human
chain to block off a path for me to steer the scooter through. I
can't tell you how many ankles I almost ran into. Scooters do not
stop the second you "tell" them to. They advance that extra inch
or two...just enough to hit someone darting out in front to beat
the scooter to the head of the line. I hated it and found it very
humiliating. I didn't experience that at any of the other 3 parks
(CM were extremely helpful in guiding me to special entrances) but
wonder now what I am in for when I go this November.!
I am actually afraid
to go now. I would be more than happy to show proof of my disability
if that were required in order to weed out those who have truly
ruined things for those of us who needed the extra space, time,
and privacy of the auxiliary entrances. I really hope WDW reconsiders
this horrible policy. I too wonder how guests using scooters and
are then required to transfer to a wheelchair will manage if they
do not have a person in their party to push them or if a larger
chair is not available to accomodate a larger sized guest. Disney
really needs to review this policy immediately." Jen :o)
"If
you have vision or other imparments, you can ask guest services
for a special card that you show the cast member when you get to
an attraction, so they will seat you up close so you can see."
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