Pirates of the Caribbean HA

KorbensMomma · Aug 30, 2016

i know you have to transfer from ECV to wheelchair to ride this ride. However we were too tired last time and just skipped it.
Is there a special boat you can ride in with out the big steps down (knee problem) ? We have used the IASW boat that had a ramp she could walk on. And also the JC had a similar boat. Does PotC?

SteveMouse · Aug 30, 2016

No, because of the drop in the ride. Sorry. (I feel your pain).

gap2368 · Aug 30, 2016

Steve Nouse is right there is not special boat you have to be able to stop down into the boat then up out of the boat when the ride is done.

KorbensMomma · Aug 30, 2016

Thank you, I have talked to my friend (we are 16 months out) I asked her to start doing 2-3 steps on the stairs everyday. Maybe she will be more confident and stable by then.

gap2368 · Aug 30, 2016

If this is a ride you really want to do go on it with out your friend she can meet you in the shop after how would you feel if she got hurt trying to get in or out of the boat. I am just saying this incase she is not ready

stitchlovestink · Aug 31, 2016

Instead of doing the one BIG step down, your friend can step on the seat and then down into the boat. I do the same to get out. There are also railings that you can use for support as well. and my family tends to offer a hand in getting out of.
Your friend has a lot of time to practice managing two steps!!

Betty Rohrer · Sep 1, 2016

I used a cane this past trip and I found it a lot easier to step down into and to step up out of the boats this trip. I did step on the seat both ways

FortForever · Sep 2, 2016

I swish they would make a roll-on boat for wheelchairs on this ride. Maybe pull them around to a special track to load, just as they do at Toy Story Mania. Of course they would need mounts to hold the wheelchairs in place, but I'm sure Disney could do it, if it were a priority for them. Hopefully one day ...

stitchlovestink · Sep 2, 2016

FortForever said:
I swish they would make a roll-on boat for wheelchairs on this ride. Maybe pull them around to a special track to load, just as they do at Toy Story Mania. Of course they would need mounts to hold the wheelchairs in place, but I'm sure Disney could do it, if it were a priority for them. Hopefully one day ...

I do not think that is a fair statement to say "Disney could do it, if it were a priority for them".
Please tell me one other ride Disney has that doesn't stay level that has a WC vehicle???
With the drop the boat makes it would NOT be safe for the occupant of the WC.

gap2368 · Sep 2, 2016

There is a park close to one of my family members they have a ride with one drop that has a wheel chair vehicle I can see Disney doing this but at the same time I can see them not. They all ready do some much for people with all kinds of disabilities

Paula Sedley-Burke · Sep 2, 2016

I can't get into the boat either from my wheelchair because my hips are fused. But my friend and wife said they are going to lift me in as a treat one time! I can't wait. I love the Jungle Cruise and IASW boats that you can fit the chair on but it can't be done on every ride I understand that. It has a drop like the new Frozen ride. I might push my luck and ask them to lift me into the Frozen boat too! I am not a very big lady.

Hiitsme · Sep 2, 2016

If I were in line near you, I'd help you in and out of any Disney ride. Sometimes cast can get a bit uneasy when "strangers" try to help.

stitchlovestink · Sep 3, 2016

Just because another park supposedly installed a WC compatible boat in a ride with a drop does not mean it was a smart or safe thing to do from a safety and design standpoint. And without being a ride designer and knowing the specifics of EACH ride, it is not possible to say you are comparing an apple to an apple. POTC may have a steeper drop. The track may not be accommodating enough. Ride designers would know the specifics. Lay people/guests can think two attractions are pretty much the same but from a functioning and operational stand point, they could be extremely different.
So just because another park supposedly did it, doesn't mean it is feasible for Disney.

gap2368 · Sep 4, 2016

The person that designed the ride also worked at Disney they left 10 ish years ago ( They started out fixing POTCB) and from what he said they were similar rides. ( I got to have lunch with him my family knows him).

SueM in MN · Sep 4, 2016

gap2368 said:
There is a park close to one of my family members they have a ride with one drop that has a wheel chair vehicle I can see Disney doing this but at the same time I can see them not. They all ready do some much for people with all kinds of disabilities

gap2368 said:
The person that designed the ride also worked at Disney they left 10 ish years ago ( They started out fixing POTCB) and from what he said they were similar rides. ( I got to have lunch with him my family knows him).

if you are going to put these types of vague things out as facts, you also need to give some information.
What park is it?
Where is it?
Has your family member actually ridden in this ride in a wheelchair or just heard rumors?

I know Disney has gone to great lengths to make accessible ride vehicles for many attractions, so I do think it's very likely they have looked into making Pirates accessible and were not able to.
Regarding Pirates:

Pirates has a relatively steep, fast drop with a sudden stop at the end. This is the reason I've been told there is no accessible boat.
After guests unload, the boats go thru on area just a tiny bit higher than the boats. That leads up and eventually gets the boats back up to the loading area (which is one flight up and in a different building than unload). That means IF they could build a wheelchair accessible boat, it could be no higher than the present boats.
Foldable wheelchairs could be taken all the way to boarding in the past; the CM then folded the wheelchair and put it in the last row of the boat. We did that multiple times.
Wheelchairs are no longer folded and put into the boats. That stopped quite a few years ago, for these reasons, according to CMs I corresponded with:

- the wheelchairs were heavy and there was concern for back injuries with CMs taking the wheelchairs in and out.
- a backstage path without stairs was created
- the new way allowed CMs to get the wheelchairs from boarding to the elevator down to unload area
- a wheelchair that had been placed in the back of the boat got bumped out during the drop.

I was corresponding with a CM who worked on the testing of the lift boat for Jungle Cruise, which was a very long process, with many failures. He reported that the first time they tried the lift, it put too much downward pressure and actually pushed the boat down, sinking the boat. From all the things he told me, I know Disney does go the extra mile to try to make things accessible if they can.

mamabunny · Sep 6, 2016

SueM in MN said:
...I was corresponding with a CM who worked on the testing of the lift boat for Jungle Cruise, which was a very long process, with many failures. He reported that the first time they tried the lift, it put too much downward pressure and actually pushed the boat down, sinking the boat. From all the things he told me, I know Disney does go the extra mile to try to make things accessible if they can.

Well, good grief! I have used that lift boat what seems like eleventy-gazillion times, and I never knew it SANK THE BOAT the first time they tried to use it! I'm so glad I read this AFTER we rode it last night, or I would have never gotten on it again! LOL

StitchesGr8Fan · Sep 6, 2016

gap2368 said:
There is a park close to one of my family members they have a ride with one drop that has a wheel chair vehicle I can see Disney doing this but at the same time I can see them not. They all ready do some much for people with all kinds of disabilities

Not only would the wheelchair have to be secured to the ride, but the person would have to be secured as well. Not all wheelchairs could safely be secured and withstand the forces of the drop and bumping boats without breaking.

Pirates of the Caribbean HA

KorbensMomma

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SteveMouse

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gap2368

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KorbensMomma

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gap2368

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stitchlovestink

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Betty Rohrer

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FortForever

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stitchlovestink

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gap2368

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Paula Sedley-Burke

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Hiitsme

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gap2368

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SueM in MN

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