mmcguire
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2005
- Messages
- 1,565
We were at WDW Aug 18-25, and my Mom joined us. She has pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that causes severe shortage of breath & uncontrollable coughing. She is able to walk, but long hours of walking in the heat at WDW aren't feasible.
Mom has never driven an ECV, and was too nervous to try one at WDW, so she decided on a wheelchair. Rather than pay wheelchair rental fees daily and risk one not being available, she purchased an inexpensive transfer/travel wheelchair online for about $150. It had a very lightweight, collapsible aluminum frame, and was comprised mainly of fabric. It had four small wheels vs. two small and two large wheels, and had a cup holder built into the arm rest. This was a good choice for her because we rented a home off site, and didn't visit the parks each day. Having her own chair was good on our non-park days (came in handy at Ft. Wilderness getting from the bus stop to Pioneer Hall for HDD).
The chair was a BREEZE to push, and Mom weighs about 160 lbs. Our DD4 was in an umbrella stroller, and we all agreed that pushing DD's stroller was harder on our backs than pushing Mom's wheelchair! The only real challenges were the monorail ramps at the TTC, the waiting area (long ramp) for the Backlot Tour at MGM, and the waiting area (another long ramp) for Soarin'. We also had some trouble getting over the thresholds in a few places, but soon found we needed to build up some speed to get over them. Also, FYI, Epcot has an elevator to the top of the monorail station, but the sign is so small that we overlooked it.
The CMs at WDW were extremely helpful, friendly and respectful everywhere we went. Mom transferred onto the rides, but stayed in her chair for shows and in restaurants. She's only 56 years old, appears healthy, but we never noticed any dirty looks when she got up from her chair to walk onto something.
On most rides/attractions we waited as long as everyone else. On IASW and the Safari at AK (with a FastPass), it seemed we waited a bit longer because of the limited number of accessible vehicles. We also learned that handicapped seating generally means the very last row (but that is a GOOD thing at a 3-D show!). Handicapped seating was on the first row at the Flights of Wonder show at AK and the Laugh Floor at MK, and about midway up at the stunt show at MGM (there's an elevator there, too).
If you're apprehensive about going to WDW in a wheelchair (or with someone in a wheelchair) for the first time, don't be! Mom had a great time, and so did we!
Mom has never driven an ECV, and was too nervous to try one at WDW, so she decided on a wheelchair. Rather than pay wheelchair rental fees daily and risk one not being available, she purchased an inexpensive transfer/travel wheelchair online for about $150. It had a very lightweight, collapsible aluminum frame, and was comprised mainly of fabric. It had four small wheels vs. two small and two large wheels, and had a cup holder built into the arm rest. This was a good choice for her because we rented a home off site, and didn't visit the parks each day. Having her own chair was good on our non-park days (came in handy at Ft. Wilderness getting from the bus stop to Pioneer Hall for HDD).
The chair was a BREEZE to push, and Mom weighs about 160 lbs. Our DD4 was in an umbrella stroller, and we all agreed that pushing DD's stroller was harder on our backs than pushing Mom's wheelchair! The only real challenges were the monorail ramps at the TTC, the waiting area (long ramp) for the Backlot Tour at MGM, and the waiting area (another long ramp) for Soarin'. We also had some trouble getting over the thresholds in a few places, but soon found we needed to build up some speed to get over them. Also, FYI, Epcot has an elevator to the top of the monorail station, but the sign is so small that we overlooked it.
The CMs at WDW were extremely helpful, friendly and respectful everywhere we went. Mom transferred onto the rides, but stayed in her chair for shows and in restaurants. She's only 56 years old, appears healthy, but we never noticed any dirty looks when she got up from her chair to walk onto something.
On most rides/attractions we waited as long as everyone else. On IASW and the Safari at AK (with a FastPass), it seemed we waited a bit longer because of the limited number of accessible vehicles. We also learned that handicapped seating generally means the very last row (but that is a GOOD thing at a 3-D show!). Handicapped seating was on the first row at the Flights of Wonder show at AK and the Laugh Floor at MK, and about midway up at the stunt show at MGM (there's an elevator there, too).
If you're apprehensive about going to WDW in a wheelchair (or with someone in a wheelchair) for the first time, don't be! Mom had a great time, and so did we!
