Flying in a wheelchair

[MightyMom]

We flew to WDW in 2005 for our first trip. It was a nightmare. We have two kids. DS10 uses a wheelchair..... and at the time our little one was still a baby.

We had to change planes and I swear I was going to have a panic attack while we waited for DS's chair to be brought up to us.... then we had to dash across the airport to the connecting flight. Was not an easy task!

Since that trip we have driven. 21 LONG hours. My husband is the type of guy who thinks, "Getting there is half the adventure"....... it's not the drive there that kills me.... it's the drive back home!!

So, in your experience... what is best??? Flying or driving?

Thanks!

Oh... btw... it would be possible for us to drive to a bigger city 4 hours away to get a non-stop flight.

 

[BillSears]

I fly but I only do non-stop or flights where you don't have to change planes. I'd never try to make a connecting flight unless there was at least a couple of hours between the flights.

I have driven too. Personally I like driving but I don't like the extra cost of driving or taking off extra time from work. I often go solo so a single airline ticket is much cheaper then gas and hotels. So to me driving is a once in a while thing.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

For me personally, a 21 hour drive is not an option so that makes it an easy decision.

Honestly, flying with a wheelchair does take some extra preps, it's different, but I find it A LOT less "undoable, unbearable, ungodly" etc than a lot of folks seem to consider it. And that's coming from somebody that's had a manual wheelchair 'misplaced' for a couple of days, powerchair damaged on 3 different trips (resulting in chair dying on me on one trip), enough damage to manual chair etc. Not the best reputation, I guess. I've flown allover the world with first a manual chair and later both manual and powerchair and ran into some ouchy-situations. But, end conclusion; it hasn't putt me off from flying so far.

When going to WDW, I always connect flights. There are no direct flights from Amsterdam. Well, there is one, but that airline is one of those 'over my dead body I will fly them' IMHO, so no option. I have connected through all kinds of airports, including the not so beloved NewArk. Rule of thumb; allow yourself more connecting time than you'ld normally would and the minimum the airline states they need. It'll take some extra time for you to deplane (having to wait for everybody to deplane, which can take loooooooooong), and can sometimes take some time before a wheelchair arrives at the door. I tend to add at least an hour extra time and tend to do fine with that. Being prepared to what can happen, what your options are and taking control of things yourself where need be can make things a lot easier.

If it's the drive back that kills you, consider that fact for the option 'direct flight from airport 4 hours drive away'. If you do fly, you'll have to drive 4 more hours after flying, collecting your bags etc. I tend to find the drive home the most wrecking, both physically and mentally.

Take a look at the total picture. What benefits are there for your family with each option? How does DS do with driving compared to flying? What about the risk of mom or dad freaking out when flying? All of the aspects that concearn your family. Look at the negatives; are there ways you can positively influence them? (for instance; is the risk of a freaking parent less if you fly prepared with a 'plan'?). Look at the renewed list. How important are the possible downsides? How big is the shot of running into them? How important are the benefits? How good of a shot to have those happen?

 

[SueM in MN]

We HAD non-stop flights planned for our next round trip to WDW, but just found out today that one of the non-stop flights has been changed to a layover in Atlanta. The layover that was part of that flight was only 39 minutes
so, DH called today and got that flight changed.
It is easier with a non-stop flight, but it is still doable with a stop. As was mentioned, you just have to do some extra planning and make sure that you have enough time. If your child can use an airport wheelchair and doesn't need to have his own at a layover city, that may make it easier. Not an option for us, since DD needs to sit in her own wheelchair.

We take 5 hour trips fairly often to visit family in Wisconsin. I would agree with goofieslonglostsis about driving. When we drive that far, we are tired. It would be pretty tiring to drive for 4 hours, then get on a plane for a couple hour trip. The trip to Orlando might not be that bad because you are working on excitement and anticipation. We always find the trip home to feel longer. A couple of times we drove to a city about 2 hours away where we could get a non-stop flight. We drove to that city the afternoon before our flight, then had an early morning flight.

We've never driven to WDW (I'm not keen on driving from Minnesota to Orlando). My sister and her daughters drove last Spring and felt it was OK. I would only consider it if everyone does well with car travel. One advantage of driving would be having your own vehicle once you are down there.

 

[uncspin]

I am not sure what airline(s) you normally fly, but I would recommend trying Southwest. DH and I have flown Northwest, Delta, and US Air since we have been married. When he traveled with his parents as a child they also had poor experiences. We tried Southwest 2 years ago and it was awesome to say the least. They are extremely careful with my DH's chair. They also always speak to my husband about his needs before speaking with me. It is amazing. Good luck to you!

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

We usually choose my DSs manual chair for vacations, since you never know when you have to pick up the chair to get it somewhere. (DS and power chair wiegh a combo of 450 lbs) We flew Delta 2 months ago, they were great. You do have to wait for someone to come and get him off, which can make you anxious when making a connecting flight, but If you tell the flight attendent, while you're in the air that you have a short window to make your connection, they will call ahead and alert them that you are in route.

Our first flight was delayed because of snow. They held our connecting flight for 45 min so we could make it. It was a God send. We were the last flight out of Cincinnati, before Delta cancelled all flights until the next day.

 

[JeannieNM]

I fly all the time (twice a month round trip) with my wheelchair. I can not walk or stand. I find Southwest is the best because I can wheel to the first row and then just slide over, they fold the chair and take it away. They will help lift me back into the chair as I for some reason can not reverse the process of getting in. This eliminates the need for the aisle chair. Just be patient in 14 years and more flights then I can count only once did my chair not appear at the door of the plane. Luckily I was not traveling alone, however I did not speak the language as I was in Paris, having flown from Barcelona. We finally found something to wheel me in (they do not have a lot of wheelchairs at the airpot) and low and behold there was my chair going round and round on the luggage carousel.

No way would I drive 21 hours.

 

[Bete]

I've been debating some of these same issues. I totally agree that if you go with connecting flights you have to give yourself more time.

On the other side, it's not so bad to have some layovers while driving long trips and enjoy where you are at the time. If you break up long drives, it's not so bad. It means more days back and forth and more cost with resorts, but it can be worthwhile. It's like getting two vacations, if you stop and smell the roses.

 

[KPeveler]

I fly with my wheelchair all the time. I fly with a layover sometimes, but I always make sure there is TIME between them (more than an hour at all tmes).

I would never drive 21 hrs - in fact, when I fly across the country I HAVE to have a layover, as I cannot sit in those awful seats for that long! i don't like arriving in Disney exhausted!

 

[Angela3272]

I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience, MightyMom! My Mom & I flew to Orlando & had to change flights as well. However, our flight went very smoothly & changing planes was no problem either. As far as which way I would choose to get there, that's a tough question. I am somewhat afraid of flying, but it is so much faster (I am from PA) then driving to Orlando. So, if I want to get there quickly, I would definitely fly. However, if I would somehow have the time to enjoy the view of many states, I would drive. Not sure that helps, but maybe it does.