So my daughter fractured her foot 2 weeks ago. The Dr. said it looked healed but he didn't feel comfortable with her walking Disney without a boot. So today he gave her a walking boot. There is no way she will be able to walk the park like this. She is 9 and ver tiny so the thing is huge and heavy for her. I looked at wheelchair rental but it says first come, first serve and that makes me nervous. I am looking at offsite rental. Where is the best place to get something? Also should I get some kind of special pass for her and where and when do I get that? Can I get it early?
Disney with a child in a walking boot
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LisaBi
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I would definitely suggest a wheelchair. It doesn't sound like she could handle the distances between the attractions. You won't need a GAC. The wheelchair can help her much more. I usually rent from Walkers, but there is a sticky on this board with more info on all the companies. One thing I know for sure about Walkers is they have some smaller sized chairs. I would assume the others do too, but I don't have any first hand knowledge of them. Also, renting from any if the offsite companies is a lot less expensive than renting from Disney.
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The wheelchairs in the parks can't be reserved ahead of time, but they usually don't run out of wheelchairs except at busy times, unlike ECVs which do usually run out.
The park rental wheelchairs are adult size though and would be less comfortable for a child.
Follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Post 2 of that thread is about renting mobility devices. Scroll toward the end of that post to get off site rental information.
As LisaBi mentioned, you do not need a card or anything to bring the wheelchair in lines with you. Most attractions are wheelchair accessible all the way to the boarding area.
The 'special pass' you are asking about is a Guest Assistance Card and is not a pass, but a communication tool to let CMs know what sort of assistance guests with invisible needs have. Since she will have a walking cast and a wheelchair. CMs will know what she needs just by seeing her.
You can find more information about Guest Assistance Cards in post 6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
The park rental wheelchairs are adult size though and would be less comfortable for a child.
Follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Post 2 of that thread is about renting mobility devices. Scroll toward the end of that post to get off site rental information.
As LisaBi mentioned, you do not need a card or anything to bring the wheelchair in lines with you. Most attractions are wheelchair accessible all the way to the boarding area.
The 'special pass' you are asking about is a Guest Assistance Card and is not a pass, but a communication tool to let CMs know what sort of assistance guests with invisible needs have. Since she will have a walking cast and a wheelchair. CMs will know what she needs just by seeing her.
You can find more information about Guest Assistance Cards in post 6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
Thank you for the information. I didn't know if I needed a Dr.'s note to turn in for a pass stating she actually had an issue and we were not trying to scam them or something. I am really bummed as this is her first trip to Disney and now she is stuck with this thing but at least it is NOT the cast she had and the Dr said it could be removed to ride rides if necessary but she would need it on whenever she was walking.
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You won't need to remove it for any attractions.
There are some attractions with warnings because they are rough or bumpy. There is a list of them in one of the posts in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You may want to ask the soviets if they are any things she should not do.
Seeing as how you said she was on the small side, a child's wheelchair or a special needs stroller would be more comfortable for your daughter. An adults chair would be awful wide for her and she wouldn't be as comfortable as if in a pediatric chair. There are places out there where either the chair or stroller can be rented.
I am thinking that a special needs stroller may be best for you, especially if she is tiny. Child's wheelchair rentals often have very low push handles, like a low umbrella stroller, which means that you may be bending over pushing a lot. That is less fun after a few hours.
Even if you get a regular stroller, you can get a GAC which will allow you to take the stroller into lines like wheelchairs. I know a 9 year old may be less than thrilled about something that looks like a stroller, but an arrangement like that may be best for everyone.
Even if you get a regular stroller, you can get a GAC which will allow you to take the stroller into lines like wheelchairs. I know a 9 year old may be less than thrilled about something that looks like a stroller, but an arrangement like that may be best for everyone.
clanmcculloch
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When my DD12 was 10, she had a broken ankle to contend with for our WDW trip. Here's my advice based on my experience with her in a boot (hers wasn't a walking boot; she wasn't supposed to put weight on it but otherwise it was a similar type of situation).
My DD is small. At the time she was around 4'8" and 80-85lb. Regular wheelchairs would definitely have been way too big. We rented a 16" chair for her (regular are 18"). Pediatric chairs are smaller than this. The 16" was a good size though I suppose it would have been nice if the arms had been lower. The seat size was a good size for so that she could sit all the way back in the chair and have her knees fall at the edge of the chair. The only real downside to the 16" chair is that the handles were kind of low for DH who's 6'3" though they were a perfect height for my 5'4" frame to push (guess who got to do most of the pushing? sigh). Here's a couple pictures of her from different angles in the chair so you can get a feel for the size.
I had been given several recommendations to get a chair with support behind the leg which can be elevated. When we were stopped at places like maybe when waiting in lines she liked having her foot elevated. Elevation is very good for the foot and can help prevent swelling.
I asked my DD if she would have agreed to a large stroller rather than a smaller wheelchair. There was NO WAY she was going to sit in a stroller. She would have been humiliated. She'd have rather not gone on the trip than sit in a stroller. If you're considering this option, discuss it with your DD.
For busses, it is SO much easier to fold the chair and hold it like a stroller than it is to get it strapped down. You still load with the wheelchairs at the back of the bus but it is just a lot less trouble for not only the bus driver but also for you. You absolutely can have it strapped down but once I found out that we were allowed to just fold it and hold it, I did this every time because it's a lot easier.
Bring ziploc bags with you to the park. If her foot starts swelling or getting sore then get some ice from any QS location and use that as an ice pack.
Bring tall kitchen garbage bags with you to the park. If it start raining or you're going to go on a water ride then these cover the boot perfectly. You just tie a knot in the top to close it and then you can rip it off when you're done and throw it away if you want (kind of like using disposable ponchos).
My DD is small. At the time she was around 4'8" and 80-85lb. Regular wheelchairs would definitely have been way too big. We rented a 16" chair for her (regular are 18"). Pediatric chairs are smaller than this. The 16" was a good size though I suppose it would have been nice if the arms had been lower. The seat size was a good size for so that she could sit all the way back in the chair and have her knees fall at the edge of the chair. The only real downside to the 16" chair is that the handles were kind of low for DH who's 6'3" though they were a perfect height for my 5'4" frame to push (guess who got to do most of the pushing? sigh). Here's a couple pictures of her from different angles in the chair so you can get a feel for the size.
I had been given several recommendations to get a chair with support behind the leg which can be elevated. When we were stopped at places like maybe when waiting in lines she liked having her foot elevated. Elevation is very good for the foot and can help prevent swelling.
I asked my DD if she would have agreed to a large stroller rather than a smaller wheelchair. There was NO WAY she was going to sit in a stroller. She would have been humiliated. She'd have rather not gone on the trip than sit in a stroller. If you're considering this option, discuss it with your DD.
For busses, it is SO much easier to fold the chair and hold it like a stroller than it is to get it strapped down. You still load with the wheelchairs at the back of the bus but it is just a lot less trouble for not only the bus driver but also for you. You absolutely can have it strapped down but once I found out that we were allowed to just fold it and hold it, I did this every time because it's a lot easier.
Bring ziploc bags with you to the park. If her foot starts swelling or getting sore then get some ice from any QS location and use that as an ice pack.
Bring tall kitchen garbage bags with you to the park. If it start raining or you're going to go on a water ride then these cover the boot perfectly. You just tie a knot in the top to close it and then you can rip it off when you're done and throw it away if you want (kind of like using disposable ponchos).
We were at WDW last week and our 9 year old daughter broke her toe half way through our trip. We had already visited Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Universal Studios prior to the incident.
She actually broke her toe while swimming in the Kidani Lodge pool however it was no fault of Disney. Disney was very helpful in assessing the situation and making recommendations. We did visit an urgent care clinic where they x-rayed and bandaged everything up and told us to have her keep weight off it until we returned home. When we got back to the Kidani Lodge, the front desk gave us one of their wheelchairs to use for FREE for the rest of the trip. It was actually a smaller chair and was a perfect size for her. It worked wonderfully and we really appreciated it.
The only Disney park we had left to visit was Epcot which is very accesible with a wheelchair. I think the only ride we went on that we had to use a seperate entrance was Spaceship Earth. We did visit Guest Services when we entered Epcot to see how everything worked. They did give us a GAC, however we never once had to show it to anybody the entire day.
The next day we went to Legoland. They gave us a GAC card and pretty much every ride required the wheelchair to pushed up the exit lane for each ride. How it worked there was that you presented the card to operator at the ride exit, they would estimate the length of time we would have stood in the normal stand by line and wrote a return time on the GAC for that ride. As long as we returned at that time or anytime after, we were allowed immediate access to the ride. So basically we spent the first hour walking around and collecting return times for later in the day. That worked really well and it was like we had Fastpasses for every ride.
Our last park was Islands of Adventure. We checked at Guest Services and they said we did not need a GAC. It was very busy in the park that day so we ended up doing many of the shorter lined rides and shows that didn't require alot of waiting. Also, it was chilly so any of the water based rides were out of the question also. Basically it was the same as Epcot though, enter through the normal que area and wait with everyone else.
She actually broke her toe while swimming in the Kidani Lodge pool however it was no fault of Disney. Disney was very helpful in assessing the situation and making recommendations. We did visit an urgent care clinic where they x-rayed and bandaged everything up and told us to have her keep weight off it until we returned home. When we got back to the Kidani Lodge, the front desk gave us one of their wheelchairs to use for FREE for the rest of the trip. It was actually a smaller chair and was a perfect size for her. It worked wonderfully and we really appreciated it.
The only Disney park we had left to visit was Epcot which is very accesible with a wheelchair. I think the only ride we went on that we had to use a seperate entrance was Spaceship Earth. We did visit Guest Services when we entered Epcot to see how everything worked. They did give us a GAC, however we never once had to show it to anybody the entire day.
The next day we went to Legoland. They gave us a GAC card and pretty much every ride required the wheelchair to pushed up the exit lane for each ride. How it worked there was that you presented the card to operator at the ride exit, they would estimate the length of time we would have stood in the normal stand by line and wrote a return time on the GAC for that ride. As long as we returned at that time or anytime after, we were allowed immediate access to the ride. So basically we spent the first hour walking around and collecting return times for later in the day. That worked really well and it was like we had Fastpasses for every ride.
Our last park was Islands of Adventure. We checked at Guest Services and they said we did not need a GAC. It was very busy in the park that day so we ended up doing many of the shorter lined rides and shows that didn't require alot of waiting. Also, it was chilly so any of the water based rides were out of the question also. Basically it was the same as Epcot though, enter through the normal que area and wait with everyone else.
ZoZo
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Great advice - if you can, get her a chair where she can elevate her leg. Will help to prevent swelling.
thompson622
Earning My Ears
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Where near Disney can we rent a pediatric wheelchair?
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Check out the disAbilities FAQ sticky at the top of this forum. There is a section about off-site rentals and I believe several have pediatric chairs as well.
Enjoy your vacation!
unravellingrapunzel
Disney & Horror Lover
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idk if this can pertain to me but I tore tendons in my foot and Im wearing a boot I know walking around wont be too much of a problem, but the standing in line part is where I worry because I cant handle standing for long periods of time. I hope they don't mind if I sit while in line waiting. Im someone whos stubburn and wont use crutches or a wheelchair because I don't want to inconvience my friend to have to push me around. we already made a plan to sit down when I need to take a break trust me I looked into the parks I went 10 yrs ago I forgot how big Disney parks where LOL well Ill def be getting my work out I needed. its not a boot it more of a lace up brace and I have a walking boot for my foot.Im thinking of bringing a walking cane instead of my crutches as I am sometimes absent minded where I put things last.I wish all the people trending the parks with broken torn or fractures parts to feel better soon.
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Most lines have nowhere to sit and wait unless you have a wheelchair or ECV to sit in. And many lines are a constant slow movement, so you would not be able to sit.idk if this can pertain to me but I tore tendons in my foot and Im wearing a boot I know walking around wont be too much of a problem, but the standing in line part is where I worry because I cant handle standing for long periods of time. I hope they don't mind if I sit while in line waiting. Im someone whos stubburn and wont use crutches or a wheelchair because I don't want to inconvience my friend to have to push me around. we already made a plan to sit down when I need to take a break trust me I looked into the parks I went 10 yrs ago I forgot how big Disney parks where LOL well Ill def be getting my work out I needed. its not a boot it more of a lace up brace and I have a walking boot for my foot.Im thinking of bringing a walking cane instead of my crutches as I am sometimes absent minded where I put things last.I wish all the people trending the parks with broken torn or fractures parts to feel better soon.
Also keep in mind that some lines are ramped and walking or standing on the ramp might be painful.
If you don't want to be pushed, you could choose to use an ECV (power mobility scooter) or a rollator (wheeled walker with a fold down seat).
There is information about renting those items in post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. That thread is located near the top of this board or you can follow the link in my signature.
suffieldhockeymom
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You may want to see if your local visiting nurses have a loaner you can take with you. I did this when my son broke his ankle. If you are flying you can gate check it.
You cannot count on the hotel having a wheelchair for her to use. As the previous poster stated, her daughter hurt her foot at the hotel. That is what they keep the WCs for.....people who have unexpected need.
Since you know ahead of time, I would rent a WC at home (or if she is going to a PT, check to see if they know where you can borrow one.) If you are flying, the airports can be a real obstacle for someone with limited mobility. They are huge!
The WC can be checked at the gate and doesn't count against your luggage. You will push it up to the gate and tell them that you wish to gate check it. I would take a small bag to put the leg rests and any cushions in (this also doesn't count against your carry on.) You will push it to the door of the plane, she will get on and then they will put it in the luggage compartment. When you get off the plane, the luggage people will bring it to the door of the plane and you are off!
Since you know ahead of time, I would rent a WC at home (or if she is going to a PT, check to see if they know where you can borrow one.) If you are flying, the airports can be a real obstacle for someone with limited mobility. They are huge!
The WC can be checked at the gate and doesn't count against your luggage. You will push it up to the gate and tell them that you wish to gate check it. I would take a small bag to put the leg rests and any cushions in (this also doesn't count against your carry on.) You will push it to the door of the plane, she will get on and then they will put it in the luggage compartment. When you get off the plane, the luggage people will bring it to the door of the plane and you are off!
As someone who's walked in a similar device - walking a full day at Disney is likely to be a LOT more work than you think it is. The answer that worked best for me was to rent a wheelchair. I used it like a walker. Folded it up and pushed most of the day. Then in lines I'd sit. Either someone in my party would push me, or I'd push myself (bring a pair of bike gloves for your hands), or just nudge myself along with my good foot on the ground.
It meant that I could sit down and take a break anywhere. No need to find an empty bench that didn't have sun in my eyes. I just picked a spot, locked the brakes and sat down. You can push it from land to land, and park it with the strollers.
It was a hard thing to get my mind around, but the best choice I could have made.
ibcrazie4dizney
Mouseketeer
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so glad you are getting her a wheelchair. years ago, I broke my foot and had a boot. I was stupid and walked all Disney and universal, trying to be tough. well, my foot ended up not healing properly and I needed surgery with a plate now in my foot that gives me problems all these years. one thing I regret is not riding the parks. so last visit I also fractured a bone in same foot, had a boot again. this time I was smart enough to get a scooter. was definitely the right decision. also, if you are flying, when you go thru airport security, they ask if you can take it off for a few minutes and put it in a bin to be scanned. this is the easy way, if you cant take it off, they have to do a different scanning of some sort. we rented thru walker mobility, they delivered to resort before we checked in, but it was off property. from what I hear, they don't have a contract with Disney hotels. it was nice to have it with me everywhere we went, not just in the parks.
They swab it for explosives. Totally not a big deal, except for the times they wear gloves that set off the scanner.
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The last time we flew, they swabbed DD's wheelchair seat, the armrests, the footplates, her shoes, her hands and various places on the wheelchair frame.
Then they got out a little mirror on a stick to inspect the underneath parts of the wheelchair.
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