Tips for mobility issues at Disneyland during busy time?

[nilseks]

I have searched around quite a bit but would love some more insights...

Our family of 4 is hitting DL the last week of March (yes, the peak of spring break) with my SIL and nephew. This trip was planned long before SIL started having back issues, and long story short, she just had back surgery 2 weeks ago. She's doing well in her recovery and feeling much better than before the surgery. With the trip still 3 weeks away, I assume she will recover even more, but I think she will be far from 100 percent.

Rescheduling is not an option--we are definitely going. So with that said, would love some tips for her and our group of 7. I have read about scooters and it seems like a real pain in high crowds. She is not used to using one and I can just see tons of people walking in front of her (I know I have probably done that at theme parks, ugh). Right now I'm thinking the easiest thing is to get her a wheelchair in the park if she needs one, and push her. We can probably maneuver her better and stick together more easily that way?

Also, can anyone give me definitive information about what to do with lines in a wheelchair? Is there a separate wheelchair entrance? I saw something about getting a number and coming back? I know she would like to do some of the low-impact rides with her son.

Thank you for any comments!

 

[Malcon10t]

Be forewarned, there are more "hills" in Disneyland that makes pushing a wheelchair a real pain. That said, on rides that are not wheelchair accessible, you will go to the entrance and look for where to enter. Many rides are wheelchair accessible. Sometimes it will be the exit, sometimes it is a separate area. There will be a cast member to direct you. For example, Buzz you just join the regular queue. Matterhorn, you use the regular queue. Jungle Cruise, you go to the exit. At the exit, they will scan everyone's tickets. They will tell you a time to return. When you come back, they will scan everyone's tickets out of the system. The time you come back is usually 10 mins shorter than the stand by line. This is due to now joining the HA line, which can be 10 mins or longer. It is the best system they have had! DCA is wheelchair accessible. Just join the lines.

IF she had back surgery only 2 weeks ago, make sure she is cautious which rides she chooses.

 

[SMD]

She can also push the wheelchair herself like a walker if she feels like she can do some of the bigger hills herself.

 

[Eeee-va]

My mom uses an ECV/scooter in the parks and I find that DCA is overall an easier park to get through. The walkways are wider, I think there are fewer curbs, and the lines in DCA are mainstreamed, so your SIL can go through them with her wheelchair (or ECV if she ends up with one). She even went through Single Rider on Radiator Springs Racers with her ECV! (It's up to your SIL and her doctor if she should ride that, of course, but that's an example.) Our most recent trip to Disneyland Resort was one day in the parks and we chose ONLY to go to DCA in part because of accessibility.

If you follow general crowd-avoidance advice about getting to the parks early and the like, that might help you navigate with her in either park.

Have a great trip!

 

[sirstude]

We had 8 in the Park last New Year’s (2014) including a 1 year old, and my sister-in-law with bad knees. She got a scooter from Deckerts. I arraigned for that rental from home before we left. They deliver to the hotel, and then pick it up for you at the end of the time. The rental from them is easier than trying to get a scooter from Disney. They are first come, first server from Disney, and cannot be taken out of the part. That was a life saver, and she had never driven a scooter before. Much easier than pushing the 1 year old around in his cart. Even with those huge crowds, she did not have any more problems getting around than the rest of us. Disney was very accommodating even though the rules had just changed for people in chairs.

 

[Cate2020]

I had to use a scooter my last trip and honestly, it was a lot of fun! It pretty much turned the park into one big ride! I had never used one before and it was REALLY easy.

The rides that aren't wheelchair accessible will just give you a time to come back. It's usually whatever the wait-time is plus an hour. So if you get to a ride at 2:15 and the wait time is an hour, they will give you a ticket to come back between 3:15 and 4:15. It was really convenient.

As far as navigating the crowds, it wasn't too bad. Times when the crowd got a little intense, one or 2 of my friends would just walk in front my scooter to kind of pave the way. Disneyland is definitely scooter friendly!