A Few Questions about Disneyland with Mobility Challenges

[o0quirkygirl0o]

So, my family is planning a trip to Disneyland in late October. After some debate my parents decided to join us as well. I'm excited because my husband and I love spending time with my parents. They are fun and lively people that we don't get to see as often as we like. So the trip will be myself, my husband, my mom, and my dad. None of us have been to Disneyland in the past 25 years. This will be the first trip for my dad and I as we have never been to Disneyland at all!

Now, here's where the hitch comes in. My Mom has some mobility challenges. She was incredibly active in her youth with water skiing and cheer-leading and it has taken a toll on her body. She really needs to get both knees replaced but is waiting a bit longer to have the surgery. So, we're going to have to adapt to her abilities on this trip.

Here's what she can and can't do:
She can walk and stand as long as the walking is fairly slow and the standing is not for prolonged periods of time. She does fairly well on flat ground. She can do a few stairs at a very slow pace, but an entire staircase can be very taxing on her knees. Steep inclined and declines are also difficult, she has to really take her time. Also, when getting on and off rides she can take a bit longer than usual because she has to get her knees in the right position or it is quite painful. Sometimes we need to give her a hand up if she has to step up out of a lower ride. She also really appreciates taking rests on benches if she is walking so that she can give her knees a break now and then.

So with that in mind:
What is the best way to tackle the parks?
What rides should we avoid or be cautious of because of stairs or difficult load/unload procedures?
Should we rent a wheelchair for her to sit in if things get too taxing on her knees? (We don't mind pushing her around at all.)
Will we get dirty looks if she's able to walk but still using a wheelchair? (I don't want my mom to feel uncomfortable or like people are judging her.)
Do we need to talk to guest services about what we should avoid or work around?
Generally, what do we need to know to make this a great experience for everyone, especially my mom?

Thanks!!!!

 

[figment_jii]

I don't have much experience personally, but there have been a few threads about wheelchairs recently:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/ti...yland-during-busy-time.3387663/#post-53216532
http://www.disboards.com/threads/di...d-mom-please-read-help.3385451/#post-53172631

 

[nikkislaght]

Hey there..

I would get a wheelchair just so she will get the best out of the parks.. they are big and you do a ton of walking.. Deckerts Medical in Anaheim are the name I Hear here all the time.. they will deliver to your hotel room and pick up..
I would also take a cane.. so that when she does transfer she still has support... and dont worry about what other people think.. its none of their business why your mum uses a chair or other mobility device... if your mum is using a wheelchair she wont need to go to city hall,, but will go to the rides exits in D/L for some of the rides and others you will get return times from a C/M.
in C/A you will use the regular lines and be filtered to the wheelchair side when you get closer to the ride boarding area..
If she is not going to be using a wheelchair... then going to City Hall , and explaining your mums needs to City Hall, they will be able to tell you how they might be able to help her.
Lots of rests.. and taking it easy... going at a low crowd time might be better option also...
Also take advantage of the Fastpasses.. they really do cut down on the amount of time physically waiting in lines ..

Hope you all have a great time

 

[DisneyDreamer1229]

A good majority of the rides should be easy enough for her to get on and off as the vehicles come to a complete stop, and they wait until everyone is in and seated before the vehicle moves.

There are a few that do not do this though, and may be a little more difficult for her as you step into and out of the vehicle via a moving belt. It is not a slow belt, and the signs advise that you do so quickly. The ones that I can think of are The Little Mermaid in DCA, and Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters in DL, but I may be forgetting one or two.

Other than that, take your time and don't worry about what others think. I've had knee issues myself but there are places to rest all over both parks and I have had some fun times just taking a break and people watching.

I hope you enjoy your frist trip! Beware though, it gets addicting

 

[Ofred]

Get your mom an electric scooter. They have a number of rental places around disney that deliver to the hotel. Get a handicapped flyer that shows where all the alternate entrances are and which ones haves stairs to avoid. Most rides u can take the scooter most of the way through the line. Especially great if u r staying off site n have to walk any distance.

 

[nikkislaght]

A good majority of the rides should be easy enough for her to get on and off as the vehicles come to a complete stop, and they wait until everyone is in and seated before the vehicle moves.

There are a few that do not do this though, and may be a little more difficult for her as you step into and out of the vehicle via a moving belt. It is not a slow belt, and the signs advise that you do so quickly. The ones that I can think of are The Little Mermaid in DCA, and Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters in DL, but I may be forgetting one or two.

Other than that, take your time and don't worry about what others think. I've had knee issues myself but there are places to rest all over both parks and I have had some fun times just taking a break and people watching.

I hope you enjoy your frist trip! Beware though, it gets addicting

They can slow or even stop the belts if you tell them when you approach the loading CM.. they have slowed the belts for me ... they just a heads up..

 

[DisneyDreamer1229]

They can slow or even stop the belts if you tell them when you approach the loading CM.. they have slowed the belts for me ... they just a heads up..

Ooh, good to know! Thanks so much

 

[Eeee-va]

If you are walking to the parks from a "walking distance" hotel, that in and of itself very well might be enough to do your mom in. A wheelchair or an ECV/scooter (which would allow her to drive herself) is probably the way to go. If you get a scooter and are within walking distance, rent from an off-site place (my mom has used Deckert's in the past). It's much cheaper than renting in the parks.

For Space Mountain in particular, you have to load quickly. If you don't, the whole ride can back up and go offline, requiring a lengthy reset process and clearing the queue! Also, there's a long portion of the line that involves walking and people get impatient and annoyed and/or push past you if you don't move quickly enough. So even if she is feeling up to waiting in the regular line, she would probably be better off in the wheelchair line if she likes that particular ride. (The wheelchair line loads into a separate car that is off the track system, and then it gets transferred onto the track once everyone is loaded. Pretty neat!) As others have alluded to, many other rides are a lot more flexible if your mom needs extra time to load, but not Space Mountain.

 

[nikkislaght]

If you are staying off site and not driving to the parks everyday.. there is the ART.. Anaheim Rapid Transport system.. they will pick up from your hotel and drop you at the parks , and they are wheelchair accessible.. if your mum has a disabled placard for her car , she can get a discounted ticket for the ART , she just needs to bring her wallet card for proof is asked... we use the ART on all our trips and have had good experiences.. some people not so much...

 

[Malcon10t]

SPace Mountain does need to load quickly, however, in an ECV or WC, they will route her to the exit and she will use the HA rocket. This will allow her all the time she needs to load. The ride you will need to watch for speed is Big Thunder. They will tell you when you approach the HA area that she will need to be able to load and unload quickly, and should the ride be force stopped (E-Stop) she will have to walk off, which includes steps. She can take all the time she needs to traverse the steps. Buzz and Haunted have moving walkways. Ask them to stop the walkways to load and unload. On Haunted, they will put a bat on your buggy and will have you circle back to the load area to exit as they don't stop the exit area walkway.

I have major knee issues and can relate. ECVs really do save you.

 

[Susie63]

I always use the HA car at SM and TSMMM....but BTMRR has never been open while we were there. How fast do I have to be? I am not super slow but not as quick as I used to be lol

 

[Indiana Scott]

You don't have to be very fast for BTMRR since the ride comes to a full stop and waits for everyone to board anyway.

 

[starshine514]

I would rent an ECV offsite for her. It will be a lifesaver for her! DH has MS and uses one for all our trips (we own one). Without it, he wouldn't be able to go to the parks at all. Once, we had loaded up the car already and decided to go into the park for an hour or so before leaving for home. We were staying super close, at the Del Sol. DH made it to town square and sat on a bench. He stayed there while the girls and I rode a few rides and then he walked back to the hotel with us to leave. That walk was too much for him. He had been feeling really good and thought he could do an hour in the park without it, but he really couldn't...

 

[o0quirkygirl0o]

Thank you all so much for all your information!!! I'll have to let my mom know all of her options and what may be difficult and let her decide what path she prefers.

It's great to know that even if she tries to walk it (I know that will be her first, but likely least feasible, choice) there are ways to make sure she doesn't end up hurting herself.

You guys are fantastic!

 

[Malcon10t]

You don't have to be very fast for BTMRR since the ride comes to a full stop and waits for everyone to board anyway.

Be careful wording it like this. The train comes to a full stop. When everyone exits, you will be boarding from the HA side. So that cuts a couple seconds off your ability to load because you can't just step in behind them. Realistically, you probably have 5-7 seconds. (Will time it my next trip.) It is longer than it sounds, but my s-dad can't do it fast enough.

If you can't get in/out quickly enough, what happens is the ride cascades, and trains have to be stopped on the tracks. Just like Screamin', Matterhorn, Racer's and Space Mountain, Big Thunder will go down if riders can't exit or enter quickly enough. I've watched Matterhorn go down because a family couldn't decide who was going to sit where, and cause a 30 mins delay while they cycled the system. Racer's and Space have a separate area to load so these issues happen less frequently.

 

[kyrkea333]

We took our family last Spring Break and due to some health issues, our teenage daughter required a wheelchair. She was able to transfer fine although it was a bit slower. We were never made to feel like we were inconveniencing anyone. Many times she felt odd bypassing the line (often entering through the exit) because of her being in a wheelchair, but it was truly a Godsend in Disneyland. I was so grateful to Disney for making a difficult situation so much more manageable than it might have been. California Adventure's lines are all accessible. No one ever questioned that she was using a wheelchair, although some clueless people in the massive crowds made it difficult to get around by stopping in the middle of the pathways and ignoring my pleas of "excuse me". But that was honestly the worst of it.

I cannot say enough about Disneyland in how they accommodated our daughter's mobility issue. I do want to caution you about the use of an ECV, especially if your mom is not used to using one, only to say that we almost got run down more than once by people who didn't seem to be very adept at driving them or maybe had lost patience, and I could often see that they had more difficulty maneuvering among the crowds and would get held up.

Definitely doable. If you rent from a company offsite, you can also use it to save some wear and tear on your mom getting to and from the park. If you rent from Disneyland, they cannot be taken back to your hotel, which could be a consideration. Also, just having a ready spot for her to rest periodically will be hugely convenient!

Enjoy your family time. How wonderful to do it all together!

 

[lorijohnhill]

I have to use a mobility device in order to enjoy the parks. The first time we went, we used a wheelchair. My poor husband was exhausted and I was frustrated beyond belief by the time the day was over. Disneyland is more "hilly" than you realize until you are pushing a wheelchair through crowds of people. It is also very noisy, making it difficult for the person in the wheelchair to be heard by the person pushing it (thus most of my frustration). It could just be my independent nature, but I am much happier now that I have switched to using an ECV (scooter). I rent from off-site and have it delivered and picked up from my hotel. It's wonderful to be able to take it back to the room each night and not have to depend on someone who is from walking all day to push me "home". I would suggest having your mom go to Target (large scooters, small aisles) to practice driving a scooter, but it is pretty easy if you take it slow and pay extra hard attention to those around you. People will dodge in front of you and/or stop in front of you with no notice. Keep the speed nodule dialed down and she will be fine. This is a long winded explanation to point out that she may feel more freedom and enjoy the parks more if she uses a scooter.

Part of the difficulty with pain is that it is exhausting. Please stress to her, not to push herself too hard. Once that pain hits in a huge place like DLR, it won't go away. She should really try to reserve her energy so she can enjoy it all. If anyone says anything, just offer to trade her pain for their attitude and they usually shut up. I have found that since they changed to the DAS system, very few (if any) people cast judgement on me for using a scooter. Most are very helpful and accommodating. The very biggest issue I have found is others not paying attention to the fact that I am on a motorized vehicle that has no brakes (this is where keeping the speed low comes in handy).

The CMs in the parks are super at dealing with mobility issues. They will happily answer any questions and accommodate you any way they can. I really appreciate the fact that they will stop the moving walkways so that you can get on and off the rides. The ride that comes to mind that she may not enjoy is Autopia. I didn't attempt that one, but my mom did (she is also an ECV rider) and she screamed when she got into the car. It is very low and it killed her knees. The CMs will also offer assistance if she needs help getting into or out of a ride.

 

[Geemo]

During the first day of our visit last week, my DIL developed a foot problem and had trouble walking. I called Apple Scooter's in Anaheim @ 9:30am on Thursday and asked how soon they could deliver a scooter to the DLH. They had one there by 11:45am. The rate was very reasonable and perfect service.

The scooter driving took her awhile to get use to. We walked in front of her so if she ran into anyone it would be us. She did have trouble driving it onto the elevators and in tight spots.

Without it she would have been in the hotel room or lounging by the pool for the whole trip.

There are so many options for mobility assistance.

Geemo

 

[o0quirkygirl0o]

So, our trip is fast upon us and mom has called a last minute audible and now wants to go with an ECV. So, that leaves me with a few (very) last minute questions:

Do you have any recommendations on where to rent an ECV from?
With our arrival being Wednesday is it too late to try and get one?
Where do we get the map that tells us which queues are not accessible?

We are staying in a hotel right across the street and it would be best if she could ride in the ECV all the way to the parks. But, if need be we could use the ones from the park itself.

She is very nervous about using an ECV but considering how much trouble her knees have been giving her lately, I think it really is the best decision.

 

[figment_jii]

Where do we get the map that tells us which queues are not accessible?

The regular park maps indicate which attractions require wheelchair/ECV guests to transfer to a ride vehicle (e.g., Haunted Mansion), which have accessible ride vehicles (e.g., IaSW), and which attractions require that the guest be ambulatory. Just look for the little icons next to the attractions.

If you wanted to get a quick sense of which attractions are which, check out the lists on this page:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/mobility-disabilities/