Disability - Queuing for rides.

[JustJonathan]

Hi all,

This Christmas, we're taking our elderly friend to Disney and as he can't walk for too long (a max of 10-15 minutes) we're going to be taking a wheelchair for him.

My question: If we want to queue for a ride (Thunder mountain for example), which he may not be able to go on, do we have to leave him outside and queue in the "main" queue ?

I understand that the blue badge enables you to short-cut which is a really nice service, but the thought of leaving a member of our party (there's 4 of us) for half an hour + on his own doesn't fit too well...

So, could we use the badge to speed things up, and he can simply wait for a shorter time?

Thanks a lot!

 

[scampbunny]

hi....
so, what ur wanting to do is use the easy pass when the person whos easy pass it is isnt riding???

think that says it all doesnt it???

the easy pass is for the person unable to queue - not so u can get through the ride quicker... if you have a problem leaving ur friend for a length of time, i suggest its better that you ride in smaller groups.... to use the easy pass otherwise you are taking up the space of sum1 who needs to use the pass, and in effect making them wait longer....

 

[JustJonathan]

hi....
so, what ur wanting to do is use the easy pass when the person whos easy pass it is isnt riding???

think that says it all doesnt it???

the easy pass is for the person unable to queue - not so u can get through the ride quicker... if you have a problem leaving ur friend for a length of time, i suggest its better that you ride in smaller groups.... to use the easy pass otherwise you are taking up the space of sum1 who needs to use the pass, and in effect making them wait longer....

It says that we're not wanting to leave an 80 year old on his own for too long, certainly. As we're a small party (2 adults, 1 senior and 1 child) splitting the group wouldn't exactly be fun? .... Queue for 30 minutes for an adult and child, then another 30 for the other adult/child and then another 30 for the adult/adult? Not a great method.

Obviously we'll use fast passes as much as we can to shorten the length, the question was merely put forward as it'd be much more convenient for us all, that - and i'm sure you'd not find the idea of sitting about for 40 minutes on each ride you can't get on pleasurable??

It amazes me that people instantly jump to the negative perspective, either way, thanks for your unhelpful response.

 

[A Small World]

Hi all,

This Christmas, we're taking our elderly friend to Disney and as he can't walk for too long (a max of 10-15 minutes) we're going to be taking a wheelchair for him.

My question: If we want to queue for a ride (Thunder mountain for example), which he may not be able to go on, do we have to leave him outside and queue in the "main" queue ?

I understand that the blue badge enables you to short-cut which is a really nice service, but the thought of leaving a member of our party (there's 4 of us) for half an hour + on his own doesn't fit too well...

So, could we use the badge to speed things up, and he can simply wait for a shorter time?

Thanks a lot!

No as Scamp bunny says the disability pass is only for the person who needs it - they must be riding with you.
If you feel hes Ok staying on his own for a short while then you could do it with Fast pass which will be much quicker. My Mum was happy with this when we took her - she waited in one of the restaurants close by with a coffee.
Otherwise if you dont feel you can leave him you will have to split up to ride

 

[JustJonathan]

No as Scamp bunny says the disability pass is only for the person who needs it - they must be riding with you.
If you feel hes Ok staying on his own for a short while then you could do it with Fast pass which will be much quicker. My Mum was happy with this when we took her - she waited in one of the restaurants close by with a coffee.
Otherwise if you dont feel you can leave him you will have to split up to ride

Thanks Small World, answered perfectly.

We'll merely have to work around it as you say, hopefully lots of fastpasses will do the trick!

I'm sure he wont mind waiting occasionaly, but as it's his first trip here and it's a treat for him we didn't want to be leaving him too much as it's a group outing!

 

[scampbunny]

i think ull find my response correct - the fact u think that its ok to use an easy access pass when the person isnt riding says alot about ur opinion!

the easy access is for ppl who are unable to queue - u and ur party (not inc ur 80 yr old friend) are perfectly able to queue. he isnt, and so the pass is to let him access the ride quicker - u get the benefit only because u are with him and helping him.

whats wrong with splitting ur group up? 1 adult stays with him whilst the other adult, senior and child go on the ride.....i didnt mention forcing him to sit on the ride, nor to leave him sitting....

its what other ppl do when they have a disabled member with them who doesnt/cant ride a specific ride...

 

[JustJonathan]

i think ull find my response correct - the fact u think that its ok to use an easy access pass when the person isnt riding says alot about ur opinion!

the easy access is for ppl who are unable to queue - u and ur party (not inc ur 80 yr old friend) are perfectly able to queue. he isnt, and so the pass is to let him access the ride quicker - u get the benefit only because u are with him and helping him.

whats wrong with splitting ur group up? 1 adult stays with him whilst the other adult, senior and child go on the ride.....i didnt mention forcing him to sit on the ride, nor to leave him sitting....

its what other ppl do when they have a disabled member with them who doesnt/cant ride a specific ride...

People are different, I for one don't like the idea of splitting the family up too much as it's a joint holiday, that's all.

You instantly saw it as us "hitching a free ride" so to speak by USING him as queuing, very offensive to be honest.

The idea was to cause as little time for him as possible on his own, and was merely a question if they allowed this method.. as you never know!... Anyone who would then use this and only take a disabled person along for this is sick. Obviously.

This is our first time with a disabled person, so how we manage it and how we deal with the rides etc this time round will be completely new for us.

In any case, the questions been answered and as already said we'll work around it and deal with it when there.

 

[A Small World]

Go to CityHall when you get there and get a pass for him - you may need his blue badge or a letter from the GP and this will allow him to access some rides via the exit etc to avoid stairs and avoid waiting in queue. However its not necassarily quicker as you may still need to wait but just in a different area.

My Mum was mid 70s when we took her (she wasnt in a wheel chair though) and she loved most of the fantasyland rides , small world, pirates, phantom manor, buzz. You can ask them to stop the moving walkway on rides like buzz, PM and storybook rides if its easier for him to get on

 

[JustJonathan]

Go to CityHall when you get there and get a pass for him - you may need his blue badge or a letter from the GP and this will allow him to access some rides via the exit etc to avoid stairs and avoid waiting in queue. However its not necassarily quicker as you may still need to wait but just in a different area.

My Mum was mid 70s when we took her (she wasnt in a wheel chair though) and she loved most of the fantasyland rides , small world, pirates, phantom manor, buzz. You can ask them to stop the moving walkway on rides like buzz, PM and storybook rides if its easier for him to get on

Thanks! Very helpful, we're going to be suprising him at his 80th birthday in June, and giving him the tickets etc for going.. he's never been but LOVES disney films (the classics and the moderns) so i'm sure he's going to be completely mindblown at the present....

He can walk 15-20 minutes but standing for long periods causes him problems, he has a disabled cert from his doctor locally so thanks for the info regarding getting him a blue badge, we can't wait to see his face when we get there!

 

[scampbunny]

nowhere did i say u were takin him along just to use the pass! u said bout on rides he didnt want to ride (or cudnt) cud u use it without him - to which i said no....

really, it is self explanitory - that u use the pass when the disabled person wants to ride....

u will find dlp very accomodating for disabled visitors, and small world is correct in that they will stop (or slow down) the moving walkway, and also its a small world ride has a specific boat for disabled (so u will get the boat to urself usually).

there are ppl out there that do use the pass when they shudnt, and many a time, it is them that prevent us being able to ride or delaying us - hence y i was a bit put out that u were asking..... oh, and u shud b able to get access to disabled area for the parade (not sure whats happening about dreams yet) and if its quiet (which maybe whilst ur there) u might all be allowed to stand there together - good view for ur youngster

 

[scampbunny]

Thanks! Very helpful, we're going to be suprising him at his 80th birthday in June, and giving him the tickets etc for going.. he's never been but LOVES disney films (the classics and the moderns) so i'm sure he's going to be completely mindblown at the present....

He can walk 15-20 minutes but standing for long periods causes him problems, he has a disabled cert from his doctor locally so thanks for the info regarding getting him a blue badge, we can't wait to see his face when we get there!

do u mean he hasnt a blue badge atm?? if so - get him to get a drs cert about oct/nov time - its needs to be written within 3 months of the visit..... if he has the blue badge, that is the only thing he needs

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We have an autistic child Joshua and have taken him many times to Florida and a couple to DLRP.

I would suggest going to City Hall, just on the left as you are inside the Disneyland Park, and explain your situation to the Cast Member.
I am sure they will listen and explain the best way for you to enjoy your time around the parks.

If you do have any medical certifcate/Doctors note or anything that may be useful I suggest you take that along.

My take on the DisABILITY side of things , we qualify for an 'easy access pass' because our son has special needs, in that he has autism/severe learning difficulties, is unable to talk and also cannot walk long distances. Several of the rides we are allowed through a different entrance point (often the exit!).

Anyway, relax and look forward to your stay - any other questions I would be glad to help.

 

[Ware Bears]

People are different, I for one don't like the idea of splitting the family up too much as it's a joint holiday, that's all.

I can appreciate why you say this but sometimes it's far better to accept this is inevitable rather than try to keep together all the time. Your friend will probably get as much pleasure having a drink doing a spot of people-watching knowing that you're having fun on the rides that he's unable to do.

 

[KirstyLilian]

We went at Christmas, and were very easily able to all go to the disabled entrance, then 2 go on a ride, and when they get back the other 2 go on....much like the baby swap....never had a problem. We could only do this on the rides that the little girl we were with was 'allowed' on, e.g. she couldn't go on peterpan as there were issues with access in case of an accident....

Contray to others' comments, we had no problems. The child we were with was 5, and would often change her mind about going on a ride as we go to it, and we were still all allowed on. She wouldn't be able to tolerate waiting for others either.
I was travelling with my 2 year old, so she and the 5 year old were very happy on the same things...which probably made things alot easier....

DLP were very understanding, and didn't split us up.

hope that helps

Kirsty

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I was just there this month. My "Disabled Priority Card" (Easy Access Pass) states the following in full:

This card allows you and one helper (adult and able bodied capable of helping you) and your children to use a dedicated access. It can only be used by named cardholder and you may be asked for proof of identity. If you are not riding the attraction your helper and accompanying person(s) must use the regular queue line.

If the attraction is extremely busy, the dedicated access entrance may be momentarily closed, in which case you will be asked to come back later. For your security, some attractions are subject to restrictions on access that apply to all Guests.

 

[JustJonathan]

I can appreciate why you say this but sometimes it's far better to accept this is inevitable rather than try to keep together all the time. Your friend will probably get as much pleasure having a drink doing a spot of people-watching knowing that you're having fun on the rides that he's unable to do.

Oh, I understand we WILL need to split up, I just mean I don't want him to be waiting too much on his own (30+ minute queue's for example!).

Thanks for all the replies, very helpful.

The peter pan thing, do I understand rightly that it doesn't have an easy pass for him to ride it? As this is one he would really enjoy I feel.. I guess we could get fastpasses with him as he can stand for 15 minutes max.

 

[A Small World]

Oh, I understand we WILL need to split up, I just mean I don't want him to be waiting too much on his own (30+ minute queue's for example!).

Thanks for all the replies, very helpful.

The peter pan thing, do I understand rightly that it doesn't have an easy pass for him to ride it? As this is one he would really enjoy I feel.. I guess we could get fastpasses with him as he can stand for 15 minutes max.

I think you can use it with the easy access pass but I think the issue is you have to be able to evacuate if needed.
To get off Peter Pan he would have to be able to climb down a ladder as the 'ships' are in the air.
We were stuck on it once and they switched the lights on so we saw the ladders in the corner - they are sturdy ones and not too high but higher than a normal step ladder and it would be hard to carry anyone down them .
We didnt have to use them as they got the ride going.
I assuming this is the case anyhow

 

[JustJonathan]

I think you can use it with the easy access pass but I think the issue is you have to be able to evacuate if needed.
To get off Peter Pan he would have to be able to climb down a ladder as the 'ships' are in the air.
We were stuck on it once and they switched the lights on so we saw the ladders in the corner - they are sturdy ones and not too high but higher than a normal step ladder and it would be hard to carry anyone down them .
We didnt have to use them as they got the ride going.
I assuming this is the case anyhow

Ahhh I see, well - that may be an issue but I guess we'll just ask him if he's comfortable or not, he could probably go down one with some assistance (on where to place his feet etc)

 

[Julesdis]

This is an interesting thread for us as we will be going in July with my son, who is 9 and is a wheelchair user. There will also be my wife and daughter (who will be 6).

We're (quite reasonably in my view) wanting to spend our holiday together as a family, not split up for large parts of it.

That said I can understand that DLP would want to prevent large groups travelling together all using the special entrance to rides, accompanying a single disabled person in their group.

We'll see how we get on when we get there. The Easy Access wording quoted by Cheshire Figment would suggest that DLP will let immediate family (parents and children) stay together. However the wording refers to a disabled adult riding with their family, not a disabled child.

There was another thread on this point recently, at that time I emailed DLP and they assured me that they will allow the four of us to go on rides together. We'll see when we get there what they say in practice.

Obviously we will only be able to use the Easy Access Card on rides my son is going on. There will be some either (a) he won't want to go on or (b) he can't go on (because you need to be able to walk off in case of an emergency evacuation). I haven't yet got round to looking into which fall into the latter category.

As the OP only has four people altogether in their party, they presumably might find that DLP let them have an easy access pass that lets them all on rides together.

 

[scampbunny]

jules - u will be fine - they will not split up a family, so there is no worry there for u

the op was asking not if they cud all get on rides together, but to use the pass without the disabled person riding..... there 'shud' b no prob with riding together (altho have only every travelled as a family, so not sure how it works if it is friends?)