Could someone ease my worries?

[lilmissdisney216]

Hi everyone,

I'd been browsing the disABILITIES threads for a while and I think that with my trip coming up in June I should ask some questions before I go and see if anyone has had any experience with this.

In June, me and a friend of mine will be travelling to WDW for our trippie (yay!!) and we're taking the time now to learn about each other and our habits. between Elle and I we have some extensive ranges of health and medical needs. I have a bad left knee (it has the tendancy to dislocate very easily at inconvenient times, becomes very stiff to the point its stuck in any position is was in previously, and it can be painful to walk on. I do wear a brace for it and take motrin to keep down the swelling), cluster headaches (they can be pretty bad actually), and I'm borderline diabetic (i'm in the monitoring stages. My doctor has me checking levels but no meds yet.). With Elle, she has ADHD and a heart problem ( I believe she said that it has something to do with the valves in her heart or something I can't really remember the name of the heart problem.). I wanted if anyone has had any experience with these areas and could offer some tips that might make our trip a bit easier on the both of us. Just so we know before we go what we might need to do for the trip to prepare. I'm just kinda stressed over this because her problem is severe to the point that if she rides the wrong ride or whatnot she could stroke out on the ride . YIKES!!! Any reassurance is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Meredith

 

[OneLittleSpark]

OK, here's what I have to offer, read though and see what you think seems appropriate for you:

I would strongly suggest that both of you rent ECVs (electric scooters) to get around on. The parks are HUGE, and there's no point in wearing yourselves out getting between rides, when you could save that energy for the fun stuff. I would recommend you rent from an off site company, as this often works out cheaper than renting from the parks each day, and will mean you have them 24/7. Details of off-site rental companies can be found in the FAQ, along with lots of helpful information, links and threads for people new to doing Disney on wheels.

As to which rides to do, get her to check with her doctor as to what type of ride she should avoid; you can then use this information to plan your trip better. All of the rides with medical warnings have a red triangle symbol on the map and on the sign outside the queue.

Make sure you pace yourselves. It doesn't matter if you don't see everything this trip, what does matter is that you enjoy what you do get to do. A lot of people find it helpful to hit the park at rope drop in the morning; tour until late morning or lunch time; had back to the resort for a rest, swim, nap, TV break; then return to the parks for the evening entertainment. This will help you avoid the worst of the heat and the crowds, and help you balance your energy through the day.

If either of you need a lie down in the air-con, the first aid rooms all have beds that any guest can use if needed.

If your friend's heart condition means she needs to avoid prolonged sun exposure, you may want to look into the Guest Assistance Card (GAC). See the FAQ for a detailed explanation of what this card is and how it may help.

Other than that, the only advice I can offer really is to stay cool, eat well and drink plenty. There are a lot of places that offer food that isn't 'burger and fries' type food, nor do you have to always dine at table service places for healthier food. The DIS homepage has menus for all the Disney restaurants.

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[lilmissdisney216]

Wow that was alot of info thanks so much!!! We're gonna be meeting sometime this week again to plan the rest of our trip to accomodate for the both of us. She did mention that she was going to check with her doctor about what she can and can't ride. (ToT is definately out for her as to the fact she can't ride anything with a tremendous freefall).

Meredith

 

[SueM in MN]

This is a list of the rides with warnings
As was mentioned, you can look at the park maps for the attractions with warnings - they are marked with a red triangle on the map and also on a sign at the entrance to the queue.
For Epcot here are the attractions with warnings:

• Mission Space
• Test Track

For Magic Kingdom:

• Splash Mountain
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
• Space Mountain

For Disney Studio

• Star Tours
• Rock N Roller Coaster
• Tower of Terror

For Animal Kingdom:

• Kilimanjaro Safari
• Kali River Rapids
• Expedition Everest
• Primeval Whirl
  
  Besides the things that were already mentioned to look for in the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there are quite a few links there that should be helpful for you.
  
  One of the other suggestions I have is that if you are at Epcot, MGM or at MK, it's pretty easy to go over to one of the nearby resorts for a rest in a cool place, away from the busyness of the park.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

One of the other suggestions I have is that if you are at Epcot, MGM or at MK, it's pretty easy to go over to one of the nearby resorts for a rest in a cool place, away from the busyness of the park.

This is a very good idea! Just wanted to add, if you're at AK, you could hop a bus to AKL.

 

[lilmissdisney216]

Sue in MN: Thank you so much for the list of rides that have warnings. Now we can both go online and read up some more on them and their potential risks. Maybe she might take the list with her on her doctor visit before our trip. Also, thanks for the tip about going to another one of the nearby resorts for a cool rest. I think that would be not only a great way to take a break but also after we're more rested, we can probably look around the resort a bit (as I have never been to many of the other on property resorts except POP and she's only been to the Poly and ASMu).

OneLittleSpark: OOH AKL. I've always wanted to go in that resort!!! Awesome idea.

Thanks everyone soo much. *sniffs* I had no idea people were so friendly and helpful. I really appreciate it.

Meredith

 

[OneLittleSpark]

AKL is really beautiful, and well worth a visit even if you don't need the break! WL is another lovely resort, and could give you a nice break if you're at MK.

Glad we could help! If you have any more questions or problems, just give us a shout and we'll do what we can to help!