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[lomillerin]

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[sadeeyore]

Hope you are feeling better soon.
You get a GAC from Guest relations at Disney parks. I have read that you are supposed to have a doctors letter to say you have a problem, but we have never been asked for one. Although when we go for our GAC our DS7 is with us (he has autism).
Hope everything goes well on your holiday and you have a good time.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would STRONGLY suggest that you rent an ECV from an off-site supplier rather than attempting to walk around at WDW. Also, make sure that someone OTHER THAN YOU is the one that does any assembly/disassembly and putting it into or out of a car's trunk.

A few years ago I had a kidney removed. My doctor said that I would go to DL/WDW but that for six months following the surgery any attractraction that warned people with either heart condition, bad backs, or being pregnant to avoid also applied to me.

Here is information about off-site ECV rentals:

Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com

Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/

RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html

I have used Walker a few times. They will ask for a credit card and charge it the day before arrival. They will deliver the ECV to your hotel bell services before your arrival and pick it up there after your departure. Their rates, especially for longer than a week, are much better than Disney's. Also, their scooters are much better. Randy's is less expensive, but you must be present both when they drop it off and when they pick it up.

You don't say if you are renting a car or what. If you are using a car for getting around, the ECVs break down into five pieces, the heaviest about 39 pounds. They take about a minute or so to take apart and about two minutes (once you are used to it) to put it together.

Another suggestion is find out your state's requirements for a temporary disabled hang tag and get the paper work and have your doctor sign off on it. The tag will allow you to use any of the handicap parking areas (which will be a necessity). Also, with the policy of charging for valet parking, with a handicap hang tag the fees will be waived. Also the valets will usually volunteer to assist in loading/unloading an ECV. In Virginia I printed the required form from the DMV website. When I took the completed form to the DMV Office it took less than 15 minutes from the time I walked in until I had my tag.

ALSO, take it easy. If you feel tired go back to the room and take a nap; the rest of the family can play in the park and you can schedule a time and place (such as for a meal) to meet up with them I would agree that you dn't want to disappoint the family, but your physical well-being should be considered extremely important.

Mike

 

[lomillerin]

Worked out.

 

[SueM in MN]

First of all, at least you will have a nice place to recuperate!

I would also suggest that you think very seriously about renting (or borrowing from your resort) a wheelchair. ECVs can only be rented from the parks (first come first serve) or from one of the off site places that were listed. The reason is that there is a lot of walking at WDW. I know that just the distance around WS is over 1 mile and I've heard estimates that the average WDW visitor walks between 3 and 8 miles per day.
In the Guidebook for Guest with Disabilities, WDW recommends that anyone who is worried about their stamina in lines should seriously consider a wheelchair or ecv because the amount of walking you do to get from attraction to attraction is much larger than the amount you will do waiting in lines. Almost all the lines are wheelchair accessible and most are also ecv accessible, so if you have a wheelchair or ecv, you will be able to sit while you wait. A lot of people who are mobile choose to park the wheelchair or ecv when they go in shops and restaurants so they don't have to manouver in close quarters (and to be able to stretch their legs).
Also, use fastpass as much as possible to help limit your wait. Another hint is to look at the posted time for the regular line and ask the CM if it really is correct. We have sometimes seen people get fastpasses and then be planning what they will do for the next hour or 2 until they can return when CMs are literally begging people to come in because there is a very short wait.
You don't need to have an MD letter to get a GAC, although some people feel more secure having one. It says right on it that it is not meant to shorten or eliminate the wait in line, just to give you the asistance to wait. The one problem I can see with your situation is that a place to sit druing your wait would be ideal, but most of the areas/lines don't have anyplace to sit. Some of the lines require a long walk from the line entrance to the attraction whether or not you have a GAC - there is only one way in. Two that I'm thinking of are ITTBAB and Pirates.
To request a GAC, the person with a disability needs to go to Guest Services in any of the parks. You explain your needs to the CM. There is a basic GAC card that they stamp a specific message on, depending on the needs of the person - it might include using the wheelchair accessible entrance for someone who doesn't have a wheelchair (usually this still involves the same wait, but just avoids stairs) or being able to wait in a quieter place or a place not in the sun. A GAC is issued for your entire length of stay and is good at all the parks.

 

[SueM in MN]

I was just thinking about your situation again tonight. Hope you are feeling better.
The one thing you don't want to do is push it - at all. Even though your doctor said it was OK to go if you felt up to it, he may not realize what it's like to be at WDW. I think the tendency is to do a little too much and then suffer later (when you are exited from getting there and seeing your kids excited about being there, it's easy to push too hard). Anyway, I don't see how you will be able to make it without a wheelchair or scooter. DH and I were just in WDW 2 weeks ago for 4 days. We didn't push because we've been there many times, but by the end of the day, we were really tired. The heat and humidity takes a lot more out of you than you realize.
So, just take it real easy and use a wheelchair or ecv to conserve your energy. Also, if you are in the parks and need to take a rest, take advantage of First Aid. There is one in each park and they are dimly lit, quiet and cool with cots in individual cubicles for resting. That might be less draining on you than going all the way back to your hotel.
Good luck and take it easy.