Do the handicap lots fill up quickly?

[Dallas_Lady]

MIL will be with us, she has mobility issues and we will be using her handicap placard for the trip. We plan to make it to rope drop in the mornings, take a midday break, and return in the evenings. I am concerned about the handicap spots all being taken when we come back from our break. Does this happen? Is they are full, what would be the best option for us in your opinion?

(We have never used our own car at WDW, so I am kind of oblivious as to how to park there!)

 

[Bete]

By the time you come back from break there should be some people in handicap parking that are done for the day.

The toughest park in this regard is Hollywood Studios. It seems that park is packed with handicap cars from early to late.

Also, if you are on site you may opt to use Disney transportation for the day when you go back to the park instead of driving there.

You do take a chance leaving and coming back, but I think you will be alright.

If you have to do the worse scenario you can always drop mom off as close as you can to the entrance and you go park the car without her if you can't get a handicap spot.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

You dates are not too bad; there should not be any real problems.

 

[JB2K]

MIL will be with us, she has mobility issues and we will be using her handicap placard for the trip. We plan to make it to rope drop in the mornings, take a midday break, and return in the evenings. I am concerned about the handicap spots all being taken when we come back from our break. Does this happen? Is they are full, what would be the best option for us in your opinion?

(We have never used our own car at WDW, so I am kind of oblivious as to how to park there!)

I went in late September, and noticed plently of open handicap parking spaces (as the AAA Diamond Parking, which I used, was right next to the handicap spots at the parks).

 

[SueM in MN]

Hollywood Studios has the smallest handicapped parking lot. We have had problems parking there in the past when we arrived after 10 am.

We just got back from WDW on 10/30. We rode the bus to the Studio; the bus stops sort of border the handicapped parking area, so we could see it was very full when we arrived and when we left.

If the lot is full, your best bet would be to drop her off and then go park elsewhere. That is what we have done when the handicapped lot is full. The drop off point at most of the parks is near the front of the handicapped parking area or you can always stop behind the row of parked cars and leave her off.

I don't know if she will have a wheelchair, ECV or something else to help with mobility, but if she has a handicapped parking permit, she will need something to help with the distances in the parks. The handicapped parking areas are the closest walk in to the park, but some of them are not exactly close and she may need assistance to get to the park entrance and the area where ECVs and wheelchairs can be rented.
There are some 'shuttle' wheelchairs in the parking lots that can be used to get from the parking lot to the wheelchair/ECV rental area. There is no guarantee that there will be any wheelchairs in the parking area when you arrive though. There is no tram service from the handicapped parking areas.

The MK handicapped parking lot is quite a trek to the Ticket and Transportation Center, where you will either need to walk up a steep ramp to take the monorail or walk a bit farther to get to the boat. A lot of people who are staying on site choose to take the bus to MK for that reason.

There is more information about WDW transporation/parking in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. In post #2 of that thread there is information about renting wheelchairs and ECVs. You can find the disABILITIES FAQs thread stuck near the top of this board or you can follow the link in my signature to get there.