Advice and help please...

[dreamergirl78]

I feel really bad posting this here, as what I have a question about is not like what so many people have to deal with on a daily basis (God bless them) but I am freaking out just a bit, so I am hoping you guys can offer some assistance.

Tonight, our 10 year old son broke his foot in 4 places. And we are 2 weeks out from our trip. What would be the best way to handle this situation? I can not ask him to use his crutches everyday for almost 2 weeks because it would be so hard and tiring for him. He will have to have a wheelchair. How does this work at WDW? Do they have wheelchairs or just EVCs? Do we have to rent them (wheelchairs) or are they free? How does this work for rides, parades, hotel rooms, etc? We are renting a car which I am wondering if that is the best thing or not. It is just a weird deal because if WDW did not involve so much walking and standing in lines, it would not be that big of a deal. Any advice for us?

Bless his heart though, he said at least he can have Mickey sign his cast!

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Don't feel bad- life happens!

1.) The FAQ at the top of this forum will give you all the information you need.

2.) There are wheelchairs and ECVs available, you will have ot use a wheelchair as nobody under 18 can drive an ECV for safety reasons. If you are staying on property, there is a chance you can check one out from your resort. They are first come first serve, but from what I understand if you can get one they are free of charge. Your other options are to rent from the front of the park, or an outside company. If you can't get a free one at the resort, the outside company will probably the most economically advantageous for the length of your stay.

3.) Look into getting a Guest Assitance Card (GAC) from Guest Relations. Explain your needs and they will give it to you. This will help you get to the appropriate entrance for the rides.

4.) As a former Fantasyland Attractions CM here is what I can tell you for the rides: In the majority of rides you will utilize the standard entrance. The exceptions will be the older rides- mostly in MK. Since your son can walk a little bit with crutches, you will most likely be grouped into the standard waiting area and the wheelchair will be taken to the exit by the CM. If a person has a harder time transferring, they may have to enter the vehicle from another point such as the exit since the wheelchairs will not fit in most holding areas. This does not sound like a problem for you.

5.) For shows such as Fantasmic and Lion King, there is a separate seating area for groups travelling with wheelchairs. It is best to get there early as they load those families first (makes it easier to get seated when not maneuvering around people). You may have to split up your party depending on the seating.

6.) On some attractions, especially older ones where you use an alternate entrance you may get on sooner. This will be balanced out by the fact that on other attractions you may have to wait longer. On most rides, we have a limit to the number of guests using wheelchairs we can allow on at the same time. This is a safety precaution in case the ride were to break down and an evacuation became necessary.

7.) As far as the hotel room, he probably won't use it much in the hotel room if he has crutches. He may want it for the walk around the resort though.

8.) Your best bet may be to use Disney transportation. Unless you have a temporary hang tag for your car you will not be able to utilize the accessible parking, and the trams can't take wheelchairs. (Maybe if they're folded, but I'm not sure about that. It would be a huge pain the you know what either way.) The busses, monorails, and boats will probably be easier. Just allow extra time to get from point A to point B if you have the wheelchair with you while travelling.

Also, as a former performer: Keep full sized sharpies on you if you want the cast signed! Our attendants are supposed to have one on them, but they have a tendency to walk off. I say full sized because the Sharpie minis are very hard to sign with because of how small they are. Look at the size of Mickey's hands sometime. Or Eeyore's flippers, or Stitch's claws and you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Because I know the OP and her son , I'm going to suggest renting a wheelchair from offsite (unless he's grown a lot in two years, which is entirely possible!). The Disney chairs are one-size, and may not be comfortable for a ten year old.

See the disABILITIES FAQ sticky for links to medical equipment rental places in the Disney area; they would be likely to have a better fitting chair, and they're relatively not that expensive - but yes, more than if your resort can lend you one.

Also, a tip I've seen here a lot is, have the doctor's office mark where the cutlines will be on the cast, then have the characters avoid those lines. This makes a unique souvenir.

And, knowing the kid in question, you should see about waterproofing or otherwise protecting the cast, just in case he wants to go swimming

 

[WheeledTraveler]

You don't say if you're flying or not, but if you are, you may want to look into some sort of assistance in the airports as well. This could mean either renting a wheelchair from a place near where you live and then just bringing it with you or just getting assistance at the airport (often it's a bit easier to do if you contact them a head of time).

Good luck!

 

[dreamergirl78]

Thank you!!!!!!!!!

Don't feel bad- life happens!

1.) The FAQ at the top of this forum will give you all the information you need.
I looked at it briefly last night. (of course I saw it AFTER I posted...go figure)
2.) There are wheelchairs and ECVs available, you will have ot use a wheelchair as nobody under 18 can drive an ECV for safety reasons. If you are staying on property, there is a chance you can check one out from your resort. They are first come first serve, but from what I understand if you can get one they are free of charge. Your other options are to rent from the front of the park, or an outside company. If you can't get a free one at the resort, the outside company will probably the most economically advantageous for the length of your stay.
I will start looking at offsite rentals. GREAT idea!
3.) Look into getting a Guest Assitance Card (GAC) from Guest Relations. Explain your needs and they will give it to you. This will help you get to the appropriate entrance for the rides.
Wow, Disney does a great job, it seems, at making sure everyone can enjoy the parks!
4.) As a former Fantasyland Attractions CM here is what I can tell you for the rides: In the majority of rides you will utilize the standard entrance. The exceptions will be the older rides- mostly in MK. Since your son can walk a little bit with crutches, you will most likely be grouped into the standard waiting area and the wheelchair will be taken to the exit by the CM. If a person has a harder time transferring, they may have to enter the vehicle from another point such as the exit since the wheelchairs will not fit in most holding areas. This does not sound like a problem for you.
OK. My biggest concern were really the rides with a moving walkway. Hopefully by then he will have gotten the hang of things and it won't be a HUGE deal.
5.) For shows such as Fantasmic and Lion King, there is a separate seating area for groups travelling with wheelchairs. It is best to get there early as they load those families first (makes it easier to get seated when not maneuvering around people). You may have to split up your party depending on the seating.
Well, I hope we won't have to split up, but I understand why we might. I will have to learn the art of going with the flow quickly!
6.) On some attractions, especially older ones where you use an alternate entrance you may get on sooner. This will be balanced out by the fact that on other attractions you may have to wait longer. On most rides, we have a limit to the number of guests using wheelchairs we can allow on at the same time. This is a safety precaution in case the ride were to break down and an evacuation became necessary.
completely understandable.
7.) As far as the hotel room, he probably won't use it much in the hotel room if he has crutches. He may want it for the walk around the resort though.
Yes. (my brain is hurting!)
8.) Your best bet may be to use Disney transportation. Unless you have a temporary hang tag for your car you will not be able to utilize the accessible parking, and the trams can't take wheelchairs. (Maybe if they're folded, but I'm not sure about that. It would be a huge pain the you know what either way.) The busses, monorails, and boats will probably be easier. Just allow extra time to get from point A to point B if you have the wheelchair with you while travelling.
No, we do not have a tag. I might ask the Ortho tody if that is possible.
Also, as a former performer: Keep full sized sharpies on you if you want the cast signed! Our attendants are supposed to have one on them, but they have a tendency to walk off. I say full sized because the Sharpie minis are very hard to sign with because of how small they are. Look at the size of Mickey's hands sometime. Or Eeyore's flippers, or Stitch's claws and you'll see what I'm talking about.

That is going to be sooooo cool! Great idea with the Sharpie. I will go pick up a big un before we leave!

Because I know the OP and her son , I'm going to suggest renting a wheelchair from offsite (unless he's grown a lot in two years, which is entirely possible!). The Disney chairs are one-size, and may not be comfortable for a ten year old.

See the disABILITIES FAQ sticky for links to medical equipment rental places in the Disney area; they would be likely to have a better fitting chair, and they're relatively not that expensive - but yes, more than if your resort can lend you one.

Also, a tip I've seen here a lot is, have the doctor's office mark where the cutlines will be on the cast, then have the characters avoid those lines. This makes a unique souvenir.

And, knowing the kid in question, you should see about waterproofing or otherwise protecting the cast, just in case he wants to go swimming

HI RONDA!!!! What a mess eh? Ry has grown quite a bit. Darn kid is about a head shorter than me. He weights a little over 100 pounds. Hopefully the rental places will have a better idea of what would work best for him. That is a GREAT tip about the cut lines on the cast. I will ask them about that today. Ryan is WAY bummed about not being able to swim. I didn't know they could waterproof it. Another question I will ask today.
I hope you are doing well Ronda! And staying spunky as ever!

You don't say if you're flying or not, but if you are, you may want to look into some sort of assistance in the airports as well. This could mean either renting a wheelchair from a place near where you live and then just bringing it with you or just getting assistance at the airport (often it's a bit easier to do if you contact them a head of time).

Good luck!

We are flying. I will call around and get some more info about that as well.

Thanks everyone! This has really helped me a lot.

 

[iamsorcerermickey]

PM sent

Karen

 

[kaytieeldr]

I hope you are doing well Ronda! And staying spunky as ever!

So, um, exactly when are you going, and where are you staying?

 

[dreamergirl78]

We leave the 24th and are there through the 4th of oct. Bounce back promo and staying at POP! Did you bounce back too???

So, um, exactly when are you going, and where are you staying?

 

[SueM in MN]

The few things I noticed that didn't get answered yet are:

Moving walkways = someone using a wheelchair or crutches in lines would enter the moving walkway rides at the exit. Usually, you will wait in the regular line with other guests. At the point where the line is almost to boarding, you will be routed to the exit for boarding.
The CMs at the exit have more control of the moving walkway and are able to slow or even stop it if needed (with the exception of Peter Pan, Tomorrowland Transit Authority and the exit moving ramp on Pirates that takes guests from the unload area back to ground level. Pirates has an elevator you can use to the left of the ramp).
Wheelchair will be left at the exit and since you will be coming back there to get off, you will have it when you need it. The crutches may be helpful for getting into the ride car and in most cases, they can come on the ride with you.
In post # 3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is a link to a past thread about moving walkways.

Parking = It is possible to bring a folded wheelchair on the trams, but it may not be easy for you to lift the wheelchair onto the tram and it also may not be easy for your child to hop onto the tram.
If you don't have a handicapped parking permit, tell each CM you come to in the parking lot that you have a wheelchair, but don't have a handicapped parking permit. They do save some spots for people in your situation. They will probably direct you to that handicapped parking lot (they call it "Medical Parking"); just make sure not to park in any parking spot with either a handicapped parking sign or blue paint. Both of those designate a marked handicapped parking spot and you can get ticketed for parking in one without a permit.
Most states have the application form for temporary handicapped parking permits on the website of either the Department of Transportation or Motor Vehicles. If so, you can see what you would need to apply for one.

Air Travel - Call your airline to arrange a wheelchair transport. Another possibility would be to rent a wheelchair at home and bring it with you. It can be used up to the point of boarding the airplane and then 'gate checked' The baggage people will stow it with the baggage and return it to the gate area when you land. Just let the person checking you in or the gate agent know you want to gate check it well before boarding.
There is no charge to transport a wheelchair and it doesn't count against your baggage allowance.
If you want more time and space to board and want to preboard, ask ahead of time when you get to the gate. They don't always automatically preboard people with wheelchairs - if you don't ask, they may assume you don't need to preboard. This has happened to us, so I recommend always asking.