2 Questions for a w/c "first timer"

[crazymomof4]

Mom will be using a w/c in WDW for the first time. I have some questions:

~ Are there w/c at Pop Century for guests to use getting to and from the rooms and the food court/bus stop?

~After exiting the parks are there w/c available to get from the exit to the place where you pick up the resort buses?

I'm sure I'll have more. Thanks in advance for any replies!

 

[mrmagicmph]

You've got several good questions, crazymomof4. I've not stayed at Pop Century, but, I can give you some "generic" answers.

First of all, some of the resorts do have a FEW wheelchairs that they loan out on a first-come-first-served basis. However, they often go pretty fast, depending on when you're going. Does your mom use a w/c regularly, or just going to need it for doing WDW? Is she going solo or with you, or some other group?

The reason that I'm asking is that you might want to consider EITHER renting a wheelchair from an off-site firm, or even consider renting an ECV. Pushing a wheelchair can be tougher at WDW than you think, you're not "aware" of the hills til you're trying to push up & down them, or until you're sitting riding them out.

By renting from offsite, you'll have it all the time you need it. You'll be able to get to/from the transportation, around the parks, etc. Also, you do at times have all of the w/c or especially the ECV's rented out at the parks, so you don't have to worry about running out. Offsite is often also cheaper than renting from WDW itself.

If you'd care to post a little more information, we'll see what we can do to help narrow things down a bit for you. Otherwise, good luck with whatever you decide!

Enjoy the Magic!

 

[crazymomof4]

Thank you for your reply. I will be going with mom and my DD6 and DS9. I will therefore be the only one able to push the w/c.
I would love to rent a ECV for her but mom will be terrified to use one and if I suggest it I know she will say, "Maybe I just ought to stay home". I had to talk her into this WDW trip- she didn't want to come and be a "burden". Once I have her there, if I find myself not able to push a w/c for all 6 days, I can suggest renting a Disney ECV instead. That's "plan B"- but first I have to get her there!
Mom has an arthritic hip bc. she was born with congenital hip displasia and one leg shorter than the other. She can walk for short distances at a time esp. if she is pushing something like a shopping cart or stroller and is doing a lot of stopping (like in a supermarket). She just cannot walk longer distances (like more than 50 yards) at a stretch w/o pain in her hip and having to stop. So there will be times when she will actually be walking and pushing her own w/c. This will give me a break from the pushing. Today we started a daily walking routine with her to try to build her stamina. She pushes my DD in a stroller and we only went around the block, stopping several times, but it's a start. I've also been walking farther distances on my own and lifting some weights to try to strengthen myself for pushing.

I am interested in renting a w/c from an off site company so that we could always have one.
We will not have a car in WDW. Would a w/c rental company be able to deliver a chair to Pop? Do you have an idea of how much would that cost?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Offsite rental companies will ABSOLUTELY deliver the wheelchair to your resort. Please see the disABILITIES FAQ thread on this forum for links to companies used by DISers and others. Some of 'em are Randy's, Walker's, and Care Medical. Rates vary.

 

[crazymomof4]

Offsite rental companies will ABSOLUTELY deliver the wheelchair to your resort. Please see the disABILITIES FAQ thread on this forum for links to companies used by DISers and others. Some of 'em are Randy's, Walker's, and Care Medical. Rates vary.

Thanks!
I hadn't noticed the FAQ thread. I just glanced at it and I'm sure I will be reading the entire thread!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

The 'most important' posts in the FAQ as far as you guys would be concerned would probably be #2 (rental information) and #4 (about buses).

It might be a bit of a sneaky way to go about things, but you could always rent an ECV without telling your mother. I don't for one minute propose lying to her, just let her know that you've rented a mobility device that you think would be ideal for her. The other alternative is to tell her that she'd be less of a 'burden' in an ECV as she'd be able to get herself around (and possibly carry one or two of the bags as well). Not to mention the facts that you'd be able to chat with one another more easily if you weren't behind her all the time, and that it would leave your hands free for your two kids.

Good luck!

 

[crazymomof4]

The other alternative is to tell her that she'd be less of a 'burden' in an ECV as she'd be able to get herself around (and possibly carry one or two of the bags as well). Not to mention the facts that you'd be able to chat with one another more easily if you weren't behind her all the time, and that it would leave your hands free for your two kids.

Good luck!

Good points here!
I'm going to see mom later this afternoon. I will try to find the right time to discuss this with her. Thanks to all of the posters for your help!

 

[SueM in MN]

If she is really afraid of it, she will be uncomfortable driving it. My FIL took a number of years to get to the point of driving one of the park ECVs before he finally took the plunge.
On our last trip with MIL and FIL, we thought we would do him a favor and rent an ECV to be delivered to the room. He wasn't mad about it, but there is no way he was going to drive it. He did rent one from the parks several times, but he never even sat on the one we rented. We rented from Randy's and they are very good for first time users because someone must be there when it is delivered. That allows you to ask questions and get things demonstrated.

If she drives a car, she might feel OK about the ECV once she actually drives one. You could try getting her to try one out at a store (like many grocery stores, Target and Walmart). Those are harder to drive than the ones you would find to the WDW parks and they are much harder than the ones you can rent from off-site. If she can drive one of those, driving one at WDW should be no problem.
Before venturing into the parks, she should practice at the resort (or in an out of the way place if you rent from the parks). Make sure she can go straight, stop, turn both directions, back up and pull into a spot (sort of like parallel parking). I'd also suggest the Epcot is the best park for a beginner. THere are lots of big, wide walkways and it is less crowded than the other parks. Even after using one for a few years, my FIL would not use one at MK because that park is the most congested and has the most small children to watch out for.

 

[crazymomof4]

Well, I think we will be renting a w/c from an offsite company.-- You would have to know my mom. She is a self described "big chicken".

This afternoon I explained to mom the advantages of an ECV and she still didn't want to do it. Her words, "I'll end up in the lake!" I'm still going to try going to Target w/ her and let her give one a try. Maybe she will find them easier than she thinks.

Thanks again for all of your advice. I've taken everything into consideration and it has been a big help!

 

[Earstou]

My dh pushed me for 2 days, and ended up with very sore sore shoulders and arms. It was from the 'pushing forward' motion, so doing an exercise where you push forward with your arms would be good preparation if you'll be pushing a wheelchair for a week!

 

[crazymomof4]

My dh pushed me for 2 days, and ended up with very sore sore shoulders and arms. It was from the 'pushing forward' motion, so doing an exercise where you push forward with your arms would be good preparation if you'll be pushing a wheelchair for a week!

I've been working with weights. In addition to other arm strengthening exercises, I lay on my back and push the weights forward off of my chest. DH has lifted since he was a teen (a looooooooongggg time ago! ) and is "coaching" me! Since we leave in only 2.5 weeks, I've been doing these daily. I've also been walking long distances daily. I'm sure I will still be somewhat sore half-way through the trip, but maybe less sore with this preparation. Mom and I will BOTH be popping Advil.

 

[hematite153]

Well, I think we will be renting a w/c from an offsite company.

If you are flying you may also wish to consider renting from somewhere at home. After endless hassles with disney chairs on our second last visit we decided to rent for our last trip. After checking out many options we discovered that renting from home cost less for a month than renting for a week in Orlando. Plus, we then had the chair during the travel portion of our trip so that energy was conserved for the fun stuff.

 

[crazymomof4]

Well, we are driving and since there will be 7 of us traveling down (3 are going to keep going to Key Largo for fishing) there will be no room for a w/c.

I just got back from a long walk. I plopped DD6 in her old stroller and further weighed it down by putting fieldstone from my yard in the basket. We live in at the bottom of a small hill so I was able to really get a workout pushing up the hill.

During this walk I came up w/ another question: Will I get blisters on my hands pushing the w/c. Should I pack gloves. If so, are cotton or fleece gloves better. Temps for our trip are predicted to be 55-75 degrees but my hands are always cold anyway.

 

[hematite153]

Will I get blisters on my hands pushing the w/c. Should I pack gloves. If so, are cotton or fleece gloves better. Temps for our trip are predicted to be 55-75 degrees but my hands are always cold anyway.

This depends a lot on your hands, the chair that you are pushing and the weather. I find that I get bruises on my palms after a few days of heavy pushing at wdw. Other people would likely get blisters instead.

I haven't tried gloves but it might be worth considering--thanks for the idea. However, both cotton and fleece are non-ideal in terms of getting blisters on one's feet so I'd probably look for something better in terms of gloves. Plus, I'd imagine you'd want a better grip than cotton.

What about cycling gloves? The open fingers would keep your hands from overheating, the palms are padded (and usually leather for a good grip) and the backs are usually made of a good wicking material. (I think I'm going to go repair my cycling gloves for my next trip--Thanks!)

 

[crazymomof4]

What about cycling gloves? The open fingers would keep your hands from overheating, the palms are padded (and usually leather for a good grip) and the backs are usually made of a good wicking material. (I think I'm going to go repair my cycling gloves for my next trip--Thanks!)

That is an excellent idea and one that I never would have thought of! Thanks so much. I'm putting cycling gloves on my list of stuff to buy before the trip.