Animal Kingdom In A Wheel Chair

[Dan1]

Last time DD and I went to AK (2010) the cobblestone walking areas literally tore the rubber on her wheel chair wheels to shreds.

Sure, they had not been replaced in, well, forever.

Yet, it is a concern for us when we return in the spring of 2012.

As well, I just cannot imagine it is a comfortable ride (I do the pushing of her wheel chair) going over all those constant bumbs.

In fact, we have avoid and have therefore never gone on the walking attractions such as Cretaceous Trail and Discovery Island® Trails and Maharajah Jungle Trek® and Pangani Forest Exploration Trail® for this very reason, even though I know we are missing out.

Are there any suggested routes on smooth surfaces through AK in general specifically for wheel chairs?

What about the walking attractions I listed above? What are the suggested approaches for someone in a wheel chair?

Many thanks!
Dan

 

[Bete]

I have the same issues as you at this park. I use a portable, travel wheelchair that goes 15 pounds and all I can say is that I go slowly; I don't force the wheelchair over any big obstructions and sometimes I lift the wheelchair on it's back wheels which are bigger to get over a bad area better. Sometimes, I go to the front of the wheelchair and push it towards me from down below. Most important I don't rush anywhere. I rather miss a show or whatever than have any issues if I can avoid it. I would hate on vacation to have to deal with a wheelchair repair of any kind or buy a new one.

I think the most important thing I do everyday is to make sure no screw is loose on the wheelchair. If it's loose it can more easily get ruined and it can affect the operation of the wheelchair over such terrain. I carry a little tool kit with the wheelchair that even includes allan wrenches and a small pliers. You might be able to get some tools from the resort temporarily, too to tighten anything that's loose from the days' travels.

I have a wheelchair with a safety belt on it; so, I feel a little safer doing some of the manuevers that I do. I check my mom after some of the bumps to make sure she's not hurt by it. I have never not gone to any area of the AK park. I have survived two trips this way; 4 days at this park in total.

You did start to make me think though; because, this time I'll be on my own pushing my mom's wheelchair. I have had helped from hubby in the past and we have even lifted the wheelchair off the ground in a few instances (none at AK though). I'll be honest if I hit a bad area there I might ask a CM to help or a kind visitor in the park. Sometimes an extra pair of hands can help in these situations.

Also, my thought is maybe renting a wheelchair at the park that might be more sturdy then the one I'm using for the day at AK. Also, if anything happens to the tires and so forth it's not on my wheelchair, perse. Actually I'm off right now to see if I can find some kind of portable strapping or belt that can be used with a rental wheelchair; so, my mom doesn't fall out if I have to do anything rough with the wheelchair.

I would love to hear other ideas from those who have experience, too.

 

[SueM in MN]

We've been to AK many times. The pathways are bumpy and kind of primitive, but that is how they are themed. We were at AK the first time during a sneak peek for DVC members before it was open to the public. Some areas of the park did not exist then, but the ones that did have had no changes in the walkways - they are prett much the same as at opening

If your DD's tires got torn to shreds, you want to see about getting a
Park rental one for the day. They will store yours and may give you a break on price if you explain to the rental supervisor the problem you had before.

If you must or choose to use her own, check into the type I'd tires she gas before you go. Some are more suited for indoor use only. A different type of wheels may give better service all around.
Although it is bumpy, we have not had any damage ever to the tires on DD's wheelchair. Her tires are all purpose, flat free tires - filled with a gel, not air.
She has been to AK for at least 6 times with her current wheelchair, the chair is 2 years old and the tires show little wear. Her previous wheelchair was about 6 years old when it retired, had been to AK at least 15-18 times and the tires showed little wear. That chair also had gel filled tires, so if your DD's tires got worn so much, it probably is more the type of tires than the park.
If they are air inflation tires, check that they are inflated to the proper pressure. Tires that are inflated too high will be a rougher ride, but too low of air pressure can make the tires wear out prematurely.

We carry a small tool kit with us with the few tools needed to tighten anything on DD's wheelchair. We used to carry a compact bicycle pump and tire gauge when she had air filled tires. Those are not a problem with air travel as long as you have a wheelchair.
Check with the bike rental place at your resort if they rent bikes or check with Engineering at your resort. Either should be able to let you use a pump at the resort.

 

[Dan1]

Good point about the type of tires, Sue.

I'll have to ask the folks who service DD's wheel chair.

I did attempt (at Epcot) to rent one of their wheel chairs.

Sadly, they only had the large adult type to rent.

While DD is in her 20's, she is on the small size and 'got lost' trying to sit in the Epcot rented chair. In fact, the soles of the shoes on her feet hardly touched the peddles of the chair. No, the CM's did not even attempt to make any adjustments to the chair once we showed them the problem.

So, unless there are smaller wheel chairs to rent at AK, we are stuck with DD's.

WDW does a lot of outstanding things to accommodate special needs people. That is one of the reasons we keep going back.

Yet, I do have to criticize them for not placing even a narrow smooth path, say right along the edge so it doesn't detract from the 'jungle' theme on at least some of the walking exhibits I mentioned at the top.

Perhaps I'll start to work out before we go so I have confidence to try a couple of these walking exhibits pushing DD's chair at least one time to see (A) what we are missing and (B) if its worth the hassle of trying them again in the future.

Does anyone have any tips on navigating any of the above mentioned walking attractions while pushing a manual wheel chair (other than take turns pushing the chair with other members of your party as it is only DD and myself so that is not an option).

Thanks very much,
Dan

 

[Bete]

there's still another option and that is to rent a wheelchair from an outside service that delivers to Disney.

They will have a better selection of wheelchairs and you can probably get one that will fit her better than a Disney one. You can check some websites and call to make sure it works for you. Depending on what you want to do you probably don't have to rent one for every day of your trip, but there might be a minimum of 3 days rental or whatever.

Not sure if this would work, but maybe a Disney child's wheelchair rental would work.

As far as navigating through the exhibits and such, I always alternate activities; so, I can catch my breadth pushing a wheelchair all day. For example, I will do a harder attraction, followed by seeing a show, then do another harder attraction, and maybe do a meal and so forth. If you pace yourself it is manageable. My mom is 90; so, I'm no youngster and I have bad knees and some other issues, but we manage. I love being at Disney with my mom; it's very special to me. I never see her smile as much as I do at Disney.

In AK, there are some benches here and there; so, take advantage of those rest points. Go to a counter service restaurant and sit for a while, too. Near Tusker House restaurant (in Africa), there are table and chairs.

Finally, I would hire out for the day and get an aide to do the pushing of the wheelchair for your DD. You do have to pay their park admission, meals, mileage and their hourly rate, but it would allow you basically a hands free day. I know the time will come when I'll be doing the same thing.

 

[Dan1]

Hi Bette,

Those are some very good suggestions.

I believe that there is a wheel chair company at the Boardwalk Inn / Villas area (where we are staying during week 1) so I can check out their offerings to see if they have ones which fit DD and the cost.

We plan to do AK a couple of times during week 2 when we are staying at AKL so yes, good idea to check out the daily vs multiple day rates.

Dan

 

[SueM in MN]

I want to clarify that Disney really doesn't have children's wheelchairs to rent.
They basically have regular adult size and wide size wheelchairs.

There is a list of off-site rental companies in post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You can check with one of them ahead of time to see what they have.

My DD is a young adult, but she is small - only 5 feet tall and about 80 pounds, so she will not fit in the rental wheelchairs. Besides that, she has many special features of her own wheelchair that she can't do without, such as seatbelt, ankle straps and specialized seating.
So, I do understand that the available rental options won't do for everyone.

 

[Bete]

Disney wouldn't offer a child's wheel chair. There are many outside companies that handle wheelchairs and they will deliver to your resort. Usually, it's the luggage area where they keep it for you to pick-up.

I'm not sure, but maybe you can use some way to prop her in the wheelchair with pillows or whatever to make a better fit. I did see some places by googling that offer wheelchairs that are 16" and 18".

It does take a lot of planning to pull these trips off.