DLR Quesion - Are Wheelchairs "one size fit all"?

[md87]

i'm embarassed to even ask this, but after reading a few topics on this board i feel a little more comfortable to ask my question.


anyways. i am 21 year old and i am obese. i have the chance to go to disneyland this weekend and my girlfriend is relly excited, since both of us havnt gone to Disneyland in over 10 years. anyways, my question is about the wheelchairs..

i know if i dont take a wheelchair i will get exhausted easily, and probably ruin the trip a little for my girlfriend for having to stop ever so often because of my legs hurting and me getting tired.

my question is, do the wheelchairs that disneyland rents out a 'one size fits all' type of thing, or do they have various sizes. I have big hips and often times cant sit in a chair if it has sides, or arm rests. i simply dont fit in them, and sometimes if i find one, i can sometimes manage to squeeze into one but still feel uncomfortable. We are traveling a few hundred miles and obviously if i canno fit in one it will be a HUGE let down to me and my gf, and also embarrassing. i am looking for a wheelchair that is 'wider' than a typical wheel chair size..

because of my 'problem' me and my girlfriend dont go out much and do anything because of chairs. it sounds stupid i guess but i wanna be comfortable at disneyland, even if i cant go on 'all the rides' .

can anybody fill me in on the wheel chair situation at disneyland
or give me any tips or what i should do?

 

[Bete]

but I know wheelchairs do come in different sizes. I'm not sure about the size that Disneyland uses. I believe it's pretty big.

As an option although more expensive I would think about using a scooter. The arm rests on most of them pull up; so, you might be able to sit yourself comfortably. There are scooters in grocery stores that you can ride for free if you want to try them out. You can rent scooters at Disneyland for $50/day that are pretty good size and you can rent them outside of Disney probably for a cheaper cost. I've seen some pretty big pooh size gals in them. I know more about outside rentals in Florida, but there may be others that help here for California. it's usually cheaper to rent outside of Disney. You will be responsible for charging the scooter each night and you have to bring it inside the room each day if you rent from an outside source. As long as you stay with the size limitations for bus use, you can go on and off the Disney buses with them if you are staying overnight there. If you are not on Disney property and you don't have a travel scooter (comes apart and fits in the trunk or back seat of a car or both) then you will have to probably rent from Disney.

Pushing a wheelchair is not a lot of fun for anyone; so, I would scooter. You may like it a lot and find new avenues for yourself to get out more often---ei. zoos have scooters to rent. You may find yourself getting one to own and then you really can go just about anywhere. Many scooter people own a hitch and lift to their car for one.

Most scooters can go up to the ride. You have to learn to go through ride queues, but it's not so bad. You need to park the scooter before the ride, but it will be close to the ride; although, it won't be on top of it. You do need to pay attention to the other guests when using a scooter. Many of them may dart out in front of you; so, you need to know you may have to stop rather quickly.

The freedom you gain from a scooter is really a good feeling. It's also kinder to the person who doesn't have to push a wheelchair.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to both DisBoards and disABILITIES!

I don't know about DL, but at WDW they do have two sizes of wheelchairs, standard and large. But I will also agree with Bete and strongly suggest renting an ECV.

I would suggest going to Post #14 of the disABILIITIES FAQs, which deals with Disneyland. You can get to the FAQs by clicking on the link in my signature.