anyone in my shoes

[memakwed]

I am a mom first and foremost but I also have MS. I have never had a problem with Disney. I try to be proactive in my approach. We travel at cooler times and when crowd levels are down, strategic times for a/c ect. this year my whole right side is starting to show weakness and pain. I am not a complainer. I have a DS9. He has bilateral foot pain that is not labeled as anything specific although we have been to countless dr.s that are baffled. Unfortunately as he gets older I am sure they will eventually say MS based on other symptoms but due to his age it is always overlooked. We have taken him 2x to Disney both times knowing he could in no way walk Disney. He has used medical strollers. I'm thinking of bringing his wheelchair this time although he hates it. His hope well all our hope was for him to be able to experience Disney on his own two feet for the first time. He is doing really good this year but yesterday we went to a local 6 flags and his feet hurt before even making it from parking to the rides. I felt bad for him but we both knew that this is practice for Disney. He doesn't even really complain. You just see the change in his gate and he'll ask to sit on a bench instead of go on a ride. As for me yesterday was horrible sun, heat, walking made me sad and feel like I didn't even want to go to Disney....something I would never want to say. here is my quandary and where I am looking for others in our shoes. I am the leader of our travelling pack. If my son requires his wheelchair and I can no longer walk on my own and feel well and happy. How do you handle it? My dad has a bad hip and pin in his ankle. We 've done Disney plenty with a wheelchair for one person but for multiple people. I don't want to be a spectacle and I don't know how to manage this. I don't want to be the travelling group of wheelchairs. Someone would have to push my son because we don't want him to run into someone, someone would have to push me because of the pain I now have in my arms. I could see my dad using an ECV and oh boy the buses. Do you have a family with several members that have health issues and wheelchairs/ECV how do you handle it without feeling uncomfortable? I need suggestions and stories to make me feel like were not the only ones and how to conquer this little obstacle I am encountering confidently.

 

[auralia]

You could use an ECvs as well. Perhaps you have a friend with one who could let you practice on it.

When my dd was little I often brought my teenage nieces to lend a helping hand. I did pay for the whole trip though. It was a great help having an able bodied young person with me and my husband. I don't have ms though just wrist problems and inner ear balance issues so I can walk.

 

[memakwed]

Thanks. I just can picture it and it bothers me 2 wheelchairs and an ECV or 2 EVC and a wheelchair. Either way I feel like a mobility train. I hope there is someone out there that can share their experience with multiple wheelchairs EVC on their vacation. We are 4 adults and 1 child. Just feels weird that 3out of 5 need assistance. Clearly it's not a visible issue and you know how people stare and comment. I have and would rather go until I literally drop. Helping others is easier than helping myself.

 

[disney david]

so their will be three people in either a ecv or wheelchair right? don't worry you go and have fun you all have the right to enjoy your vacation no matter if your in a wheelchair or not. please don't let other people ruin your trip don't give them the chance to get to you. go have fun and enjoy your trip it Disney world if people want to spend all that money just to go and make stupid comments then they are the one with something wrong with them. so you should stare at them and say i never knew what a fool looked like thanks.

okay for the buses all can handle two ecv/wheelchairs some can handle three and a few can handle four. so the ecv will be tied down for safety he will transfer to a seat then the other two can either have one tied down and the other can transfer to a seat and fold the wheelchair. that way you wont have to split p but their might be times when you may have to wait for another bus because they're no tie down spaces left of they're no seats so if that happens the driver will call for another bus so you don't have to wait as long. even if they're a tie down spot left but no seats or seats but no tie down spaces just ask the driver to call for another bus and wait for it to come.

not sure where you are staying but some resorts have more then one stop so i would try if possible to go to the first because if the bus shows up at your spot and can't take you the next bus my start at stop 1 first then make their way to you so it might get full but that if it busy. sometimes dispatch dose not tell the driver where the other one left off just that they need another bus to do the route so they start the route at stop one.

 

[memakwed]

yes 3 of us will need either ECV or wheelchair. UGH I didn't even think about buses! After my experience at six flags yesterday and now thinking about buses maybe this is our last Disney trip. Disney is my happy place so I hate to utter those words. We are driving this year maybe we will just drive everywhere. We are staying POR. How about the boat to DTD is that a problem with wheelchairs and EVC's since there is 3 of us? Any experience here would be appreciated.

 

[disney david]

yes 3 of us will need either ECV or wheelchair. UGH I didn't even think about buses! After my experience at six flags yesterday and now thinking about buses maybe this is our last Disney trip. Disney is my happy place so I hate to utter those words. We are driving this year maybe we will just drive everywhere. We are staying POR. How about the boat to DTD is that a problem with wheelchairs and EVC's since there is 3 of us? Any experience here would be appreciated.

the buses are easy to use if you want to drive then that okay to bus to mk most likely eaiser then driving. you will still have a great time the buses in the long scheme are very little part of your vacation they are their to get you to the park and back so once at the park you be able to enjoy let disney do the driving your on vacation. please don't worry about the buses or let that stop you from going to disney and having fun.

 

[bedogged]

We are planning a WDW trip for early May. Four adults and a two year old. One of the adults will be using a power chair and two will be using ECVs. The remaining adult will be pushing a stroller with the 2 year old inside. We will be flying and gate checking everything. I am confident that we will not have any problems. I do realize that we might have to take more than one bus, but that is not a big issue for us. We are also going to do deluxe dinning so that will involve quite a bit of transportation. We will just go with the flow.

 

[JennyDrake]

We are planning a WDW trip for early May. Four adults and a two year old. One of the adults will be using a power chair and two will be using ECVs. The remaining adult will be pushing a stroller with the 2 year old inside. We will be flying and gate checking everything. I am confident that we will not have any problems. I do realize that we might have to take more than one bus, but that is not a big issue for us. We are also going to do deluxe dinning so that will involve quite a bit of transportation. We will just go with the flow.

WOW!! GOOD FOR YOU!!! What a SUPER attitude! I can't wait to hear about your trip!

 

[WheeledTraveler]

After my experience at six flags yesterday and now thinking about buses maybe this is our last Disney trip.

I just wanted to mention that Six Flags accommodations are so far behind WDW that there really isn't much of a comparison. Don't use that experience to judge what WDW will be like at all. WDW is far, far better at working with disabled park-goers than Six Flags.

 

[pbrim]

I have been to WDW with my BFF, both of us in ECVs, and we did not have any problems at all. We used the Disney buses for transpo, in fact that was a consideration in selecting to stay on site. Some ECVs will breakdown and pack in a trunk, but I don't think you could get two in a trunk.

We didn't have much problem with the buses, and this was back when they had the lifts you had to back on instead of the current kneeling buses you drive straight on. I am more experienced than she is, so I usually drove my ECV on, then stepped back out and drove her ECV on. (We both can walk some, but have limited stamina.) It seems a little tricky at first but most people get the hang of it quickly.

We also fit 2 ECVs in a room OK, but it was a handicap room, which meant one king bed, which took up less room than two queens. If necessary, you can request that the table in the room be taken out by housekeeping for more floor space.

 

[memakwed]

It's good to hear of others in a similar boat. Feels good to know we won't be the only ones with multiple ECV's wheelchairs. Glad to hear.

As for Sixflags....the goal is for my son to see what his endurance and pain level is without a wheelchair. Standing in lines, walking between rides, walking different inclines. It is so much more tolerable at a six flags than Disney as the parks are smaller, lines shorter, parking lot to walk to closer.
As for me it's more of a walking tolerance since my right side has a newly emerging problem and the heat and sun which is my main problem source. That is why we went and will go to six flags. It is our prep work for the big trip. It really has nothing to do with sixflags or their accessability more just how we can assimilate to the average person and seeing what our tolerance is for that. We try very hard to do everything just like the average person in good health. It just happens that with the size of Disney we need to modify what we can do.

 

[mistyfountain]

We are travelling to wdw in 6 weeks staying at poly. Am so excited. Have requested accessible room with roll in shower. My elder daughter is wheelchair bound and I use ecv. Younger daughter 16 is fit and well. Have been concerned about busses as two of us disabled. Now have new worry about room/beds. I was assuming two queen beds in accessible room. Are these not the norm? Three of us in a king bed will not work for us! Should I ring the poly to make sure? Thought I had everything sorted. Now I'm not sure...

 

[bidnow5]

We have done 2 ECVs and a wheelchair twice we have done a wheelchair an ECV and a stroller several times and we just did 2 ECVs and a stroller never had issues it allowed us to all enjoy our vacation that much more. Don't worry it will all work out fine enjoy your vacation