Broken Leg- talk to me about protocol!

[madisonwi]

We have done Disney many times- but this will be our first trip with a 10 year old in a wheelchair with a broken leg. I've never paid much attention to what we need to do there- can most lines fit wheelchairs? Do I need to get a special medical pass? Thanks!

 

[SMD]

Most lines in DCA are accessible. Many at DL aren't or are only accessible to a point where they'll redirect you. All the info is on the park maps and on the DLR site. If a ride that isn't accessible is giving out wheelchair return passes, they'll scan the tickets of everyone in your party and you'll get one. Otherwise, they'll direct you to wait in the accessible line. You can currently only hold 1 return time unlike previously where they didn't scan tickets and you could get more than 1 return at a time. Can he bend his leg or bear weight at all? You may have issues transferring to some rides if his leg can't bend or if he can't get himself in and out of the vehicle. CMs cannot assist in transferring. You may want to look for a list of rides where he can stay in the wheelchair.

 

[Kindermouse]

I had my son in a wheelchair at DL in March and the gist was pretty much as SMD said but I wanted to warn you that some rides have a much much longer wait time if someone in your party is in a wheelchair (yeah space mountain im lookin at you ) so your best bet is to hit those first or forget about them. I spent 2 hours waiting for space when the standby time was 80 minutes. you got a return time alright, but that was just a return time to get in the handicapped line which took another 30-40 minutes. On the bright side there are benches to sit on in the post return time "line". Though not as bad I also waited longer for Indy.

The wait can be longer for these rides because you are waiting for a special accessible ride car. there might be others I am forgetting but those 2 stuck out at me the most.

Little mermaid and buzz also has special cars that you can roll in without getting out of the wheelchair but the wait time for those didn't seem to be any longer.


that being said things are much easier if you can get out of the chair as needed. however bringing crutches and trying to hang onto them all day is a big pain because they are cumbersome and one thing there isnt enough of in DL is space, may i suggest pushing the pin in so you can shrink them down to as small as possible then you can hang them from one of the handles.

one awesome thing is that you don't have to carry your stuff all day. amazon sells a bag that you can hang from the handles of the wheelchair and you can put all your stuff in there. feel free to bring 6 waters, a blanket for the parade, plenty of snacks and other miscellany without being encumbered. it can all be stored in the bag .

also a safety precaution. maneuvering through the worst of the post parade/woc/firework crowds is rough and people will push you from the back and try to dart in front of you and it is nearly impossible not to crash into them/have them c into the foot rests on the wheelchair. just wait for the crowd to disperse. its just not worth it. In the same vein, people pay no attention when they are walking even when it not over crowded and they will suddenly veer right into your kids foot rest. its best to have other people stand on the side of the chair to prevent this if you have the people to do so. think of it as a safety bubble. Also remind your son to keep his fingers off the wheels. one push from behind could by someone trying to push through the crowd could, and did my case, break your child finger.

lastly if you need to rent your wheelchair do so off site, DL charges too much. I rented mine from a med supply place where i live and I paid less for a months rental than i would have on site for 4 days (would have been 60 for 4 days).

 

[scrapperkimmydee]

Wheel chairs cost $32 to rent, but you get $20 back when you turn it in. So, $12/day - not too bad!
The only ride that seemed to be a problem was Matterhorn - long line with no shortened wait, even if you go through the single rider line.
Space Mountain gave us a time to come back. Big Thunder Mountain let us right on through the exit because we already had fast passes - otherwise they would have given us a time to come back.
The older rides - you enter through the exit.
Seems all of DCA rides you go in the regular queue.
Good seating for show, though!

 

[Malcon10t]

How long ago did your son break his leg? And how serious of a break was it? I ask because my daughter broke (well, shattered) her leg last summer (a year ago yesterday). We had trips planned so we went (with the idea she could do very little.) She is the one who rode BTMRR 10 times in 2 hours during its preview in 2014. She rode Star Tours preview when it reopened 8 times in a row. Now she is in a wheelchair, left leg is shattered and in a non walking cast. The right leg has torn ligaments and in a boot to be used only to pivot. She had surgery on June 22. Our trip was July 16-20. She tried riding Soarin', but became very sick from the lift. She did manage to ride Peter Pan when they had her transfer from the ECV to a wheelchair to get up the ramp to the ride and with help from her brother to get on the ride. She opted not to ride others because of the hassle, her pain level when the leg was jostled, or the nausea.

Be prepared to change plans based on how your son feels.

 

[Kindermouse]

Wheel chairs cost $32 to rent, but you get $20 back when you turn it in. So, $12/day - not too bad!
Good seating for show, though!

You're right, I was thinking it was 15 a day after the refundable deposit. Either way though i think i still recommend renting off site. That way you can use on the way back to your hotel.

 

[Nevada Jen]

Definately rent off site. Forget that it is cheaper. Off site chairs are a Zillion times easier to push. Kindermouse is spot on. The other thing is that fantasy land rides can only have a certain number of wheelchairs waiting. So you may end up with a much longer wait than the normal line. Toy Story is another. Remember you can still use fast pass also. Some rides are going to be impossible to get in with a cast. But it sounds like you know enough to identify these.