DLR and DCA...how to rent wheelchair onsite and how does it work? First time user

[Dd1wifey]

Hi friends!

I have just posted at the disneyland forums about being pregnant during my trip and they gave me great advice. One person suggested wheelchair use if I became tired. I will be almost in my third trimester with second baby.
I have tried searching for tips at DLR but found this subflrum to be wdw heavy. How do I go about renting a wheelchair at dlr? This will be a 2 day park hopper babymoon with hubby and we purchaed genie+ to help decrease waiting in standbylines since my pregnancy, like the first, has me going to the bathroom every 20ish mins and with major hypotensive issues (low BP). We will likely rent a wheelchair. How does this work when you go uo to the line now at disneyland? for both non LL rides and LL rides?

is renting it onsite easy and fast? Is it near city hall?

thank you!

 

[KPeterso]

Hi friends!

I have just posted at the disneyland forums about being pregnant during my trip and they gave me great advice. One person suggested wheelchair use if I became tired. I will be almost in my third trimester with second baby.
I have tried searching for tips at DLR but found this subflrum to be wdw heavy. How do I go about renting a wheelchair at dlr? This will be a 2 day park hopper babymoon with hubby and we purchaed genie+ to help decrease waiting in standbylines since my pregnancy, like the first, has me going to the bathroom every 20ish mins and with major hypotensive issues (low BP). We will likely rent a wheelchair. How does this work when you go uo to the line now at disneyland? for both non LL rides and LL rides?

is renting it onsite easy and fast? Is it near city hall?

thank you!

Tons of experience renting a wheelchair at Disneyland. We are local and used to rent for my Mom all the time until we bought our own.

The rental window is before you go into the park. As you look at the Disneyland entrance, it is on the right side. Most likely you will also see the strollers and ECVs out for rent too. It is I believe $15 per day to rent plus a $20 deposit (so you will be charged $35 for the day and when you return it, you will get the $20 credited back to your card). You will be able to use the wheelchair in both parks and in Downtown Disney. As long as you are within the security areas, you can use the wheelchair in that area.

In Disneyland, it is a mix of rides the wheelchair can go through the queue and those that can't. At those rides, you will get a return time (or if Genie + is available for the ride). When it is your turn to ride, you will go to the Lightening Lane or Alternative Entrance (often the exit, but not always) at each ride. Rides with no genie + and a mainstreamed line, you will go through the regular line. At DCA, all lines are wide enough for the wheelchair so you will use the regular lines or Genie + for all rides. When in doubt, ask the cast members where to go and how you should proceed with a wheelchair at each ride. They are always super helpful/

With your other issues, you might look into the DAS too since the wheelchair may not 100% solve all your issues. That might allow you stack a DAS with a genie and be able to make things even easier for yourself.

 

[Dd1wifey]

Tons of experience renting a wheelchair at Disneyland. We are local and used to rent for my Mom all the time until we bought our own.

The rental window is before you go into the park. As you look at the Disneyland entrance, it is on the right side. Most likely you will also see the strollers and ECVs out for rent too. It is I believe $15 per day to rent plus a $20 deposit (so you will be charged $35 for the day and when you return it, you will get the $20 credited back to your card). You will be able to use the wheelchair in both parks and in Downtown Disney. As long as you are within the security areas, you can use the wheelchair in that area.

In Disneyland, it is a mix of rides the wheelchair can go through the queue and those that can't. At those rides, you will get a return time (or if Genie + is available for the ride). When it is your turn to ride, you will go to the Lightening Lane or Alternative Entrance (often the exit, but not always) at each ride. Rides with no genie + and a mainstreamed line, you will go through the regular line. At DCA, all lines are wide enough for the wheelchair so you will use the regular lines or Genie + for all rides. When in doubt, ask the cast members where to go and how you should proceed with a wheelchair at each ride. They are always super helpful/

With your other issues, you might look into the DAS too since the wheelchair may not 100% solve all your issues. That might allow you stack a DAS with a genie and be able to make things even easier for yourself.

Awesome tips!
Would you say there are plenty available at 7:30-7:40am? We plan to be at park for that 30 min wait before rope drop.

That's awesome how DCA accommodates most everything! So in terms of, say fantasyland, we go to the cast member and be told to either go through the line or get a return time?
I was a GAC user in its olden days (I was a make a wish kid 10 years ago, God blessed me with a normalish adulthood now), and it was either let in through FP line if standby was low or given return time but I don't remember at all if we had to go through the exit to get the return time in the first place?

I have been thinking about DAS but after research it seems like the wheelchair might solve more of my problems than a DAS might. I definitely need wait times no more than 30 minutes because either my nausea or bladder will get me-basically im married to the bathroom lol! But I figured Genie+ would help so much plus the wheelchair on rides that dont have it.

What else do you recommend we do?

 

[KPeterso]

Yes, you should have no problem getting a manual wheelchair (or ECV scooter) if you are there that early. It is the ECVs that can and do run out. We normally go for parking opening and never had a problem getting a wheelchair. We have gone afternoon and evening and again had no issues. Oh another tip, if you take an afternoon break, you cannot take the wheelchair with you. When you take it back to the rental, they will ask if you will be coming back later. I assume they hold it or one for you if you say yes. We have never actually come back but I assume you show the receipt and they give you another wheelchair.

All rides for return times, you will just go to the cast member at the entrance (sometimes they stand off to the side (like at Peter Pan). The CM will have a scanner (IPhone) and will scan the park tickets to assign you the return time. When it is time to ride, you go back and they will scan your tickets to let you on.

I get a DAS for a kind of similar type of reason --- bathroom urgency + anxiety issues. But I never get Genie+ and just use my DAS with no issues. I do think the Genie + wheelchair should solve most things for you, but if you find you cannot do all you want with Genie (if busy you may not be able to get all the rides), you can always go find a Guest Experience umbrella and ask for one at that time.