Had A Magical Vacation, But........

[LindsayDunn228]

Disney requires that wheelchairs and ECV be loaded FIRST. There are several reasons for this - mainly it is for the safety of others that they do not want to risk any passengers being hit as the chair is loaded. You didn't mention in your post how the wheelchair bound person AND their family were the LAST to get off the bus (for the same safety reasons) and thus did not get ahead of anyone heading either back to the resort or to the park.

Please be careful not judge those that you know nothing about. I walk to and from my wheelchair all the time (and trust me I've heard tons of comments like those posted here, unfortunately the world is full of such rudeness). I promise you would not want the details of what I face daily. I posted my feelings on another thread about people like those who have posted here with such little courtesy or knowledge so I want repeat myself, but you are way out of line. Myke, thank you for your effort to educate. I only wish people with such negative and uninformed thoughts would listen
Lisa
Tiger Fan

Edited to add: maybe take a look at this thread - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=809688

Thank you, Lisa. Well said.

 

[3lilprincesses]

I think what Stinkerbell meant about the wheelchairs was not to be ignorant or to insult anyone in a wheelchair, but to say that she saw people who were in wheelchairs actually get up once on the bus and take a seat. I saw many, many people using wheelchairs and the motorized ones (I forget what they are called) when they did not need to be during my last stay at WDW. There were many instances where I saw merely lazy children riding around, or elder people using them because of all the walking required, not necessarily because they were not capable of walking. In those instances, I agree it could be frustrating, especially if you are waiting so long, if the person in the wheelchair is capable of walking. That is simply wrong to me.

how on earth can you assess, just by looking, that a person is being "merely lazy". there are people that can walk, but CAN NOT WALK ALL OVER DISNEY. this doesn't mean they are lazy. they could have any number of conditions that prevent them from walking. i'm not saying that it isn't frustrating, but come on! how can you possibly assess their medical condition just by looking? you can't judge a book by it's cover!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

how on earth can you assess, just by looking, that a person is being "merely lazy". there are people that can walk, but CAN NOT WALK ALL OVER DISNEY. this doesn't mean they are lazy. they could have any number of conditions that prevent them from walking. i'm not saying that it isn't frustrating, but come on! how can you possibly assess their medical condition just by looking?

The bottom line is you cannot.

I'm a nurse who's worked with acutely ill cardiac patients for 18 years, many of them so sick they require a heart transplant. Even I am surprised sometimes when I walk in a patient's room for the first time and see how good they look compared to what I've just heard in their medical history. It doesn't change the fact they may not be able to walk across the room, they just look pretty good.

I also underwent months of chemotherapy myself last year. With my sporty wig and a little makeup I looked pretty good. People who knew me couldn't believe how good I looked under the circumstances. But I can assure you despite my looking good I felt like crap and there's no way I could have walked farther than a few feet at times.

we would watch in disbelief at these wheelchair bound people stand up and take a bus seat leaving their wheelchair empty and taking up a bus seat. This kind of situation happened numerous times. It was really frustrating and a bummer of a way to end our day in the parks.

When I see someone in an ECV I assume they need it, not the opposite. We should consider ourselves lucky if we have the ability to walk on our own two feet and have the health and wellbeing it takes to enjoy a trip to Disney. Is it a pain to wait a bit when you're trying to enjoy your vacation? Well sure it is, but a little empathy and compassion would go a long way, especially when our children are watching our reactions. Think about it.

To the OP, sorry this whole bus/wheelchair thing bummed you out. I agree the line piece of it leaves something to be desired in fairness to all. We stayed at Pop recently and loved it. If anyone is afraid reading these reports I just want to say we had no problems at all there. But just maybe my newfound perspective kicked in and I was feeling grateful simply to be there.

 

[rmontgo892]

I don't see anything wrong with the OP stating her frustration about those in wheelchairs being first in line at bus stops when others had been already waiting?? That isn't a legitimate complaint from her viewpoint?? Her observation that some than got up and took a regular bus seat is obviously misguided but a discussion of policies about waiting in line is more than fair.

Another poster shared they never thought about the others waiting in line just that they were advised to wait in a "different line" close to the front so a bus driver could see them. So, my guess is... this shows they aren't "cutting" or jumping ahead just doing what they were told. Good info to know, huh?

 

[LindsayDunn228]

It was me who said that. I would never knowingly cut the line. I just move to the front on the left side. I'm not even IN line. I'm just out of the way so the driver can see me. Like I said, I don't care if I am boarded first or last as long as the driver is aware a wheelchair is there and will need the lift.

 

[meandtheguys2]

My mom (71) went to WDW post chemo once and with a broken foot bone last time. Both times she could get out of her wheelchair and ECV and walk short distances. There was no way she could have done more than that. To assume because she could transfer that she was lazy is judgemental and very sad.

 

[C.Ann]

Wow!! I'm totally shocked by your experience!! I went to WDW in April and it was my first experience staying on-site.. I stayed at POP - the preferred building - and had NONE of the issues you encountered..

Noise was not a factor, but then I was on the 2nd floor, so maybe that's why.. I certainly didn't hear people "using" the bathroom, although I did hear the toliets flushing, but it was never loud enough to be an issue.. Never heard anyone walking around in their rooms, talking, or anything of that nature.. One morning there was a baby SCREAMING and crying, but you would have heard that even if you were staying in Georgia.. LOL

I'm REALLY floored by your comments about the buses though because that's what impressed me the very MOST about my stay at the POP.. Never, ever waited more than 5 or 10 minutes for a bus coming back from the parks and more often than not, when I went outside of Classic Hall to catch a bus "to" one of the parks, there was one sitting there waiting to go.. And even when buses were not sitting there waiting (either at the hotel or the parks), no sooner would one POP bus pull away and another would pull right in (something I did NOT see for the other resorts)..

I'm sorry you had a bad experience.. It must have been an extremely busy time because I just did not have any of those issues.. Actually, if I can get the price I want, I'll probably book Pop Century for the big family trip we hope to be taking in late November, early December..

 

[kycat]

I just returned from POP myself and experienced similar waits…especially from MK. Buses were coming one after another….but by the time they loaded up the wheel chairs, etc (to no fault of their own)…the line only got longer. With the size of POP….on certain nights….they need to figure out how to load from more than one lane. Sometimes a second bus came up aside and loaded and that was the only time the line would really shorten.

And the noise was bad for us as well....When you can hear a person in another room using the bathroom and tell exactly what their doing....somethings wrong. My daughter and I returned to the room about 1:30am after EMH and just the noise of us changing into our night clothes (drawers opening and closing) made our next door neighbor bang on the wall.

Just my .02

 

[justhat]

It was me who said that. I would never knowingly cut the line. I just move to the front on the left side. I'm not even IN line. I'm just out of the way so the driver can see me. Like I said, I don't care if I am boarded first or last as long as the driver is aware a wheelchair is there and will need the lift.

I'm sure it's not the intent of anyone in a wheelchair or ECV to cut the line. Like you, they just wait where they're told. I think the OP's frustration is that there could be a huge line for a bus, a line that will take 2 or 3 buses to clear out, and even if he's been waiting in line 20 minutes, he may not get on, but someone in a wheelchair can come up at the last second and they get on while he has to wait.

Like the story I mentioned, there was a huge line for AKL leaving MK one night last month. We were in the front of the line, in the 1st 10 families, and there was 1 wheelchair guest and family waiting in the 'wheelchair line'. As the bus pulled up to load on the 1st wheelchair (who walked onto the bus and had her chair folded to make more room, very nice I thought) another wheelchair guest and her family got in line. They were loaded next. Another wheelchair user came in line next and then they were loaded on. What I think is unfair, what I think the OP meant, is that the 2nd 2 wheelchair families did not have to wait in line, while the many people waiting in the regular bus line had to wait a very long time, as there's no way they'd fit on the bus since it was standing room only by the time I got on. My guess is that they'd have to wait for 2 more buses to get that line totally cleared out.

So I think what he was saying was that it would be fair for the families of the 2nd 2 wheelchair parties to get in the regular line and wait, while the wheelchair guests wait in the 'wheelchair line' (of course they can wait with a family/friend). Then when the family members get to the front of the line to board the bus the wheelchair is loaded on. I understand that wheelchairs can't be loaded on once people are on the bus, so in that case they'd have to wait for the next bus. Sorta confusing, but what I mean is that if the rest of the party is in line and can get on the 1st bus, then the wheelchair should be loaded on 1st. If they're in line, but will not get on the 1st bus, then the wheelchair should not be loaded on and the family should wait for the 2nd bus, at which point they would be the 1st guests to load on since it has to be done before anyone else gets on the bus. If they couldn't fit on the 2nd bus, then they'd wait for the 3rd. I think that was the only point the OP was trying to make, that while he may have to wait for 3 buses, wheelchair guests do not.

 

[Marseeya]

I really hate reading threads like this. It reminds me so much of my mom & dad. My mom has been suffering from arthritis since she was in her early 30s, and she was a nurse so she beat her feet and joints up so badly that by the time she retired, she could barely walk from room to room.

My uncle started bringing her a wheelchair for her on their outings and she was so thrilled with it, she started going out every weekend. Other than work, she'd NEVER left the house like that before!

My dad had/has the same attitude as a lot of the posters on here -- even though he lives with her, he thinks that just because you can't see her pain, she shouldn't be in a wheelchair. So he constantly ridiculed her (behind her back to us kids) and nothing we could say to him would change his attitude.

A couple of years ago, she was approved to get a scooter on her insurance and she was happy again, but my dad wouldn't install the equipment for it so they could take it in the car, so that scooter sits unused in their garage.

My mom nearly died last fall from a heart infection and now she can't even go from room to room without a wheelchair, let alone leave the house to go shopping. If my dad's such an idiot about her "invisible" disability, strangers are so much worse.

So for those of you who sit and judge in your blind ignorance, you should be ashamed.

But, I'm happy to say, Karma can be a real bummer to those who deserve it. Keep judging the way you are and I'm sure you'll find out how it feels one day.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

the noise of us changing into our night clothes (drawers opening and closing) made our next door neighbor bang on the wall.

 

[justhat]

Also, like everyone is pointing out that wheelchair users may have hidden disabilities, so can other guests not using a wheelchair. Like another poster mentioned she was on chemo, my mother was too during our NYE trip in '02-'03. She did not use a wheelchair at all during the trip, but rather we just walked at a slower pace when she needed to. She had actually just finished her chemo a week before the trip and was scheduled to start radiation as soon as we got home, but she never lost any hair, nor did she look any differently (other than a paler, but if you didn't know her before you wouldn't really know that). So if you saw her you would not think she was any different than anyone else there, but she was.

So someone like that needs to get on a bus and sit down more than the average person may. So to wait for a 2nd or 3rd bus is hard to do while you see people in wheelchairs who have not waited in line get right on a bus. I'm not saying that is the OP's case, as I have no idea, but you never know what hidden disabilities someone without a wheelchair may have so don't be too quick to judge them either.

 

[disneyloveralways]

I sympathize with people with disabilities. I see my own parents being there very soon.
But, I will say I understand where the OP is coming from.
I don't mind the time it takes to put a chair into the bus at all, but do not understand why they (and all their party) go first and bypass the lines.
If they are able to handle a day at the parks, surely they can wait in line for a bus.
I mean no disrespect by this, just my opinion.
I also have NO problem with people with disabilities getting in line for rides ahead of everyone, having special seating for parades. The world should help people out who are not able to experince life like the majority of us can.

This is done because all the buses are not Handicap equiped or the lift may be broken. Also they need to clear the wheelchairs as they come up. If they leave one waiting and three more come up they will be left the most a bus can handle is two ECV or I think three wheelchairs. I have seen as many as 6 waiting at one time. That would take up the next three buses. The people in line would take just 2. Leaving the ECV rider a longer wait. While this is not always the case please try to understand the need to clear the ECV and Wheelchairs first. I have had to wait up to an hour to be picked up at CBR as the buses where full before they got to my stop. An ECV is not an easy way to go. The lines are just as long and hard to navigate at time. Be thankful you can walk pain free. I hope this explains a little on the bus situation.

 

[sha_lyn]

I'm sure it's not the intent of anyone in a wheelchair or ECV to cut the line. Like you, they just wait where they're told. I think the OP's frustration is that there could be a huge line for a bus, a line that will take 2 or 3 buses to clear out, and even if he's been waiting in line 20 minutes, he may not get on, but someone in a wheelchair can come up at the last second and they get on while he has to wait.

Or someone in a wheelchair could have to wait through 2-3 buses with seats available because the bus can't accommodate their chair.
I've got an idea. When a bus pulls up and sees a wheelchair but can't load it, the driver should drive off without letting anyone on. All those who have been in line a shorter time the the person in the chair should have to wait until after the person in the chair can get on a bus. Sounds fair right. After all why should the person in the chair have to wait longer than those who can walk.

 

[rmontgo892]

This is done because all the buses are not Handicap equiped or the lift may be broken. Also they need to clear the wheelchairs as they come up. If they leave one waiting and three more come up they will be left the most a bus can handle is two ECV or I think three wheelchairs. I have seen as many as 6 waiting at one time. That would take up the next three buses. The people in line would take just 2. Leaving the ECV rider a longer wait. While this is not always the case please try to understand the need to clear the ECV and Wheelchairs first. I have had to wait up to an hour to be picked up at CBR as the buses where full before they got to my stop. An ECV is not an easy way to go. The lines are just as long and hard to navigate at time. Be thankful you can walk pain free. I hope this explains a little on the bus situation.

I only *know* cause a friend of mine has had to wait countless times for a bus at WDW that could handle her special wheelchair cause she can't get out of it. Some don't know that all busses can't handle ECV's or wheelchairs.

It helps when it is explained in a reasonable manner like yours without the guilt manifesto. Knowledgeable info can only help, imho!

I know my friend almost gave up visiting WDW and only goes certain places on park because a simple trip on a bus to a park can turn into h-o-u-r-s because of her snazzy electric wheelchair.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[justhat]

Or someone in a wheelchair could have to wait through 2-3 buses with seats available because the bus can't accommodate their chair.
I've got an idea. When a bus pulls up and sees a wheelchair but can't load it, the driver should drive off without letting anyone on. All those who have been in line a shorter time the the person in the chair should have to wait until after the person in the chair can get on a bus. Sounds fair right. After all why should the person in the chair have to wait longer than those who can walk.

No one is saying they should have to wait longer than anyone not needing a wheelchair, just that they should wait approximately the same time as everyone else. I'm sure it happens that some buses can't load on wheelchairs, but in all my trips to Disney I've never encountered that happening, including on trips with my grandmother who used a wheelchair (and she brought her own, didn't rent in the parks, so we had to take it on the buses). I do understand that some buses might have a broken lift or for whatever other reason can't accomodate a wheelchair guest, but I don't think it's that common so I doubt that people would constantly have to wait for many buses if they're in a wheelchair. Yes, it may happen, but I don't think it would be very often.

 

[lfama]

how on earth can you assess, just by looking, that a person is being "merely lazy". there are people that can walk, but CAN NOT WALK ALL OVER DISNEY. this doesn't mean they are lazy. they could have any number of conditions that prevent them from walking. i'm not saying that it isn't frustrating, but come on! how can you possibly assess their medical condition just by looking? you can't judge a book by it's cover!

As previously posted, please read and think before attacking. Thanks.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I want to add to the wheelchair comment. Until you have been there, please do not judge. I am so very tired of reading the complaints about how people take advantage of Disney handicap policy. And that people who do not need a wheelchair/ECV are using them to get ahead of the line.

We took my in-laws to Disney last November. If you were one of the many people my MIL ran over with her scooter, let me apologize for her. She is not immobile. She suffer's from post-polio and RA. She needs a cane to walk, and she walks very slow. She also gets worn out very easily, and if she over does it one day, the next few days are hell for her. Oh, and she also has a heart problem. So, being in a place like WDW, we really needed to pace ourselves with her.

Yes, the bus driver loads the chairs on 1st. Does Disney have that policy because they just like handicap people better? I mean, after all, before they change the line structure, wheelchairs got in first to every attraction at WDW. They MUST like them better. How about thinking about this. Every policy Disney has, usually has SOMETHING to do with SAFETY. It is much safer, and believe it or not, quicker, to load a chair into an empty bus, then to try to get the chair off the lift and in it's spot with a busload of people. We did not like waiting either, and it was my MIL they were loading each morning and afternoon! Nobody likes to wait, but we have come to learn that a WDW vacation requires a lot of waiting.

Now, to many of the people who had been at the bus stop well before us, then had to wait for MIL to be loaded on the bus, I can imagine their frustration when they would see MIL get out of her chair and sit in a seat. She CAN walk, and the difference between keeping her in her chair or letting her sit in a seat, was a harness system. She was saving the bus driver time by getting out of her chair. He did not have to harness her into the chair, he could just secure the chair. I will say, when the bus was over crowded...MIL would choose to stay in her chair. She never had the chair sit empty while people stood on the bus.

I just want to say to anyone who feels the need to complain about the handicap, please take a step back and think first. You do not know what the handicap is. The next time you see a person who may look healthy in a chair, be thankful that you have no idea what the cause would be. It means you and your family have not had to experience a vacation with a wheelchair.

Oh and one more comment from the soap box, Disney has changed it's policy regarding handicap people getting priority on the rides. Now, most of the rides are set up that the chairs can fit in the lines, so handicap people wait just as long as we do to get on a ride.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

No one is saying they should have to wait longer than anyone not needing a wheelchair, just that they should wait approximately the same time as everyone else. I'm sure it happens that some buses can't load on wheelchairs, but in all my trips to Disney I've never encountered that happening, including on trips with my grandmother who used a wheelchair (and she brought her own, didn't rent in the parks, so we had to take it on the buses). I do understand that some buses might have a broken lift or for whatever other reason can't accomodate a wheelchair guest, but I don't think it's that common so I doubt that people would constantly have to wait for many buses if they're in a wheelchair. Yes, it may happen, but I don't think it would be very often.

Yes, it does happen. It happened to my MIL a few times. Once,we left MK late, we were all tired. It was one of those times when it seemed the busses were stopping at all the stops except our resort stop. When a bus finally did stop, the bus driver said he could not take MIL. I was astounded! I did not even know that the Disney bus fleet was not 100% handicap accesible. Oh well, we learned something new. We wait for the next bus, 30 minutes later, another bus pulls up. Agian, not a bus for a chair. At this point, my kids were so tired, I wanted to cry. Dh sent me and the kids along, and he stayed back with his parents while they wait for the 3rd bus. And they were praying it could take a chair.

MIL had the same problem when her and FIL went to DD for the day. She had to wait for a 2nd bus.

 

[Tiger Fan]

Disney1fan2002 - thank you for two very well explained posts. Hopefully the undeducated, judgemental, hateful (I better stop, but these threads make me boil ) people that are "irritated" or "frustrated" because they had to wait 5-10 mins out of their day to be "bothered" by us in chairs will read this and see there are reasons that Disney has wheelchairs wait in a different place. We have no choice but to wait there and they take us when they decide. Thank you again.
Lisa
Tiger Fan