A little guidance please?

[Lauralee131]

Hi there. I was wondering if you all could help me a bit. I've read the FAQ's but still have a few questions...

First of all, let me tell you about my upcoming trip. In November, we're taking my mother, my grandmother and my aunt to WDW for a week. I'm very excited to do this as my mom hasn't been since 1982, prior to Epcot opening and my aunt hasn't been since the late 70's so I really can't wait to show them the World as we all know it now!

My Nana, just turned 80 in May. It's probably been 10 years since she's been. AK had just opened the last time she'd gone with some other family members. My Nana's the best and I love her to pieces and for the first time this year, she's starting to show her age. She's a little overweight, which I'm sure doesn't help, but she's starting to walk kind of bent over and her legs hurt a lot so she can't really walk long distances and she's been using a cane recently.

My aunt and I have already decided that we'll rent a wheelchair or an ECV for Nana to help her get around. Nana, of course, doesn't want an ECV, afraid she'll bump into people, etc. so I thought I would rent a regular wheelchair.

So I've begun wondering how it will be - and trying to plan accordingly - having someone who (I'm assuming) will be in a chair most of the time. I'd rather she stay in the chair and get out only to get into ride queues, etc.

Are wheelchairs hard to push? Like I said, my nana's a bit overweight, not obese by any means. Most of the world is flat so I'm not worried about like pushing her around most areas in MK and Epcot. I worry about AK - but I'm not planning a lot of time there. I worry about getting her up the hill to see Fantasmic though.

Plus I thought I'd rent a chair from an outside source and not just in the parks so we've got one all the time - touring our resort, the long walk from for example, the bus stop at MK into the park...

I also was wondering if the chairs are foldable. Like, can I fold it and carry it on to the buses? And to put it in the back of my car?

I'd like to rent her an electric wheelchair, if she'd let me of course, but I'm nervous about getting her on/off buses if I do, and then I think that'd sort of limit us, transportation-wise as not being able to get it in our car.

How does one deal with the ignorant people who rant/rave about things like having to wait for the bus to load the ECV's/chairs, when people see you getting out of your chair to go into a restaurant...I've seen some nasty threads and comments and I think to be subject to this would be so hard on my Nana...are people like that in person or do they just vent on the boards? I definitely wouldn't want people to think that we're taking advantage of "the system" in any way, I just I really want to make sure that my Nana's trip is enjoyable and comfortable and I'm one of those obsessive planners so I'd really like to be able to wrap my head around all of this and plan it all out as best I can, so any help/advice you all can give me would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

My Nana, just turned 80 in May. It's probably been 10 years since she's been. AK had just opened the last time she'd gone with some other family members. My Nana's the best and I love her to pieces and for the first time this year, she's starting to show her age. She's a little overweight, which I'm sure doesn't help, but she's starting to walk kind of bent over and her legs hurt a lot so she can't really walk long distances and she's been using a cane recently.

My aunt and I have already decided that we'll rent a wheelchair or an ECV for Nana to help her get around. Nana, of course, doesn't want an ECV, afraid she'll bump into people, etc. so I thought I would rent a regular wheelchair.

So I've begun wondering how it will be - and trying to plan accordingly - having someone who (I'm assuming) will be in a chair most of the time. I'd rather she stay in the chair and get out only to get into ride queues, etc.

Are wheelchairs hard to push? Like I said, my nana's a bit overweight, not obese by any means. Most of the world is flat so I'm not worried about like pushing her around most areas in MK and Epcot. I worry about AK - but I'm not planning a lot of time there. I worry about getting her up the hill to see Fantasmic though.

There are actually quite a few slopes and inclines in WDW that you don't notice until you're pushing a wheelchair up or down them. That said, many of us do get wheelchairs around the parks without too much difficulty. When I went with my mother in September, she pushed me around a fair bit, as my fatigue stopped me from being able to push the entire time. She is fairly used to pushing wheelchairs, between me and her work, but as you will have three (?) of you available to push, you can always take turns pushing.

It may be a good idea to encourage her to at least try to use an ECV, though, as it will give her more independence, and leave you all free to wander along together talking (it takes a bit of practice and a very flexible neck to talk to someone who is pushing you in a wheelchair ). If you go to a large store, such as Target or WalMart, that has free ECVs for customers, she can get a feel for driving them, and see if she would feel safe in the parks. The ECVs at these stores are much larger and harder to drive than most rentals. Do be aware, though, that a lot of pedestrians in WDW are off in their own little worlds, and don't always pay much attention to where they're going.

If it would be easier on her to take a wheelchair or ECV into the lines, don't feel you have to encourage her to leave it. Most of the lines now are mainstreamed, so you will go in the same line as you would without a chair. You wouldn't be gaining any 'unfair advantage' by taking a wheelchair into the lines, and it might conserve her energy enough to allow her more time in the parks. You are there to have fun, after all!

Plus I thought I'd rent a chair from an outside source and not just in the parks so we've got one all the time - touring our resort, the long walk from for example, the bus stop at MK into the park...

I also was wondering if the chairs are foldable. Like, can I fold it and carry it on to the buses? And to put it in the back of my car?

Good idea on the external rental! As for the buses, they really are a doddle with a manual chair (OK, so I've had a fair bit of practice, but they are still pretty easy). Yes, you can fold and carry the chair on, but that would mean your Nana would have to walk up the steps, and someone would have to carry the chair. Even the lighter end of folding chairs have a fair bit of wait to them, and you'd have to bend at awkward angles to get it and you through the door at the same time (which could play havoc with even the healthiest of backs!). I've found it is so much easier to load at the back. Your Nana can then stay in the chair for loading, get lifted or ramped onto the bus, and then can either transfer out into a seat and fold the chair, or get strapped into the chair in one of the tie down points.

Yes, most folding chairs will easily fit into most car boots. Mine, for instance, folds in half, the back can fold down, the foot plates come off and the wheels can be removed. I've even managed to get mine into cramped and cluttered student cars!

I'd like to rent her an electric wheelchair, if she'd let me of course, but I'm nervous about getting her on/off buses if I do, and then I think that'd sort of limit us, transportation-wise as not being able to get it in our car.

If by electric wheelchair, you mean a power chair that is steered by a joystick, you might be out of luck. These kind of chairs require a lot of skill and practice to drive, so most companies will only rent them to people who use them regularly. If you mean an ECV, these can go on all the Disney transport (other than one or two of the little boats that hop across the MK lake), in the same way as a manual chair, and can be broken down to an extent to be packed into a car.

How does one deal with the ignorant people who rant/rave about things like having to wait for the bus to load the ECV's/chairs, when people see you getting out of your chair to go into a restaurant...I've seen some nasty threads and comments and I think to be subject to this would be so hard on my Nana...are people like that in person or do they just vent on the boards? I definitely wouldn't want people to think that we're taking advantage of "the system" in any way, I just I really want to make sure that my Nana's trip is enjoyable and comfortable and I'm one of those obsessive planners so I'd really like to be able to wrap my head around all of this and plan it all out as best I can, so any help/advice you all can give me would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks so much in advance!

I wouldn't worry too much on this one. Because your Nana is older, most people won't question her need for a mobility aid. Sadly, a lot of people seem to think that only older people have mobility problems, and that us younger wheel-abouts are 'faking' . That said, I've not really noticed any negative comments aimed at me, but then I may just be completely oblivious to them! If you do meet one or two idiots, either ignore them, give them the 'evil eyes' or explain to them exactly why you need to load at the back of the bus / take a wheelchair into a store / load on at the wheelchair boarding area. In the end, they are choosing to spoil there own holiday by judging other people's actions, but that doesn't mean they have to ruin yours too! They're idiots, what do you care what they think?!

Hope this helps a bit, if you have any more questions, just give us a shout! Have a great trip!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

Just a few fast answers.

You might want to go to a large grocery store or WalMart (or similar) to have her "test drive" and ECV around the store. Remember, the store ECVs tend to be much larger than the rentals and much harder to manuever, especially with the jumbo basket on the front. Really the ECV is the way to go, especially if you are not used to pushing a wheelchair.

The local vendors will not rent a power chair unless you already have one. These are joystick controlled and they would want to talk to your regular mechanic to see what is ued and the settings which are required to properly operate the chair.

And as far as (stupid) guests who make comments, you have three choices. One is to just ignore them, second (not recommended) is to tell them they are rude idiots, or remind them that although the group may be first on the bus they will be last off.

 

[Lauralee131]

Wow Onelittlespark and Cheshire Figment! Thanks so much for the great advice! I never would have thought of trying one out at the store. I'll have to have her try it!

One more question - can she pretty much drive the ECV or ride in a chair right up to most rides? The Kilamanjaro Safari for example...how far would one go if they'd get out of their chairs/ECV's to get on the ride itself?

Funny - I've been to WDW tons of times and I've just never noticed how people handle getting around WDW...or maybe it's that it's pretty much streamlined and everyone knows what their doing...

Thanks, too, for the tip about the electric chairs...I wouldn't have known that either!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

For Safari the furthest she would have to walk would be about 30 feet. They have a special disabled load/unload area for Safari with lots of wheelchair/ECV parking right in that area.

Regular Safari load and unload are very separate areas, and also stroller parking is not really close to either.

Similarly in Soarin' she can drive the ECV right up to the seat and one of the CMs will park it, or they will direct her to a place in the theater to park the ECV.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Almost all of the attractions you can take a wheelchair right up to. For some of the attractions you cannot take an ECV through the line, but for these ones they have wheelchairs available for you to transfer into. The level of access for each attraction is shown on the map with little symbols.

If it has a picture of a wheelchair, you can take an ECV or wheelchair right through, and remain in in throughout.

A picture of a person getting out of a wheelchair, means you can take an ECV or wheelchair through the line, but then must transfer

A picture of an ECV with an arrow pointing to a wheelchair, means that ECV users must transfer to a manual wheelchair, but can then remain in that for the attraction

A picture of an ECV with an arrow pointing to someone getting out of a wheelchair, means ECV users must use a wheelchair to get through the line, and must transfer out of the chair at the attraction

A picture of a stick person standing, means you must be ambulatory (this normally requires a fair bit of walking, for instance Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse)

All of these symbols are described on the key on the park maps, so you don't need to worry about remembering them all. On the ones where it says you have to transfer, this is not usually more than a few steps, and you can pull a wheelchair right up to almost all of them.

Hope this helps, and give us a shout if you have any more questions!