Handicapped Parking Question

[sweetnjmom]

I have a temporary handicapped parking permit from my state due to a hip injury. I read through the FAQ and wanted to double check something, if I may. When I arrive at the parks, I should let the cast member know that I have a handicap parking permit and they will direct me to the appropriate lot? You don't just follow signs to the designated area in case it is full?

 

[Amanda999]

Follow the blue line painted on the road (once inside a park). They make it pretty easy.

It helps if you put the placard on your rear view mirror once you get past the parking fee toll booth: the parking lot CMs will see it and wave you towards the handicap parking area. Obviates the need to roll down the window (to explain) when its a billion degrees out.

 

[sweetnjmom]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I'll be sure to put the placard on the mirror once at the gate. And since I'm going in May, I'm sure it will be close to a billion degrees out.

 

[Amanda999]

My pleasure! Oh, and if you usually drive to non-HP parking, be aware that people will be walking where you don't expect them to - i.e., across the roads you are to drive on to get to HP parking (which at HS you share with the resort buses) - and not looking/realizing a car could be driving straight when they turned (to non-HP parking areas). (If you've driving to parks before, and parking non-HP, you'll see what I mean: they park in such an orderly fashion, once you are out of your car and walking, you don't meet up with cars that haven't parked yet. So it is unexpected I think.)

So I go about 2 mph I think once I'm in the 'blue line zone.' I notice this especially pre-park opening - the people who park in the first rows after HP parking might not realize that cars are going to park in front of them.

Definitely also recommend googling each parking lot's hp parking path - it just made it easier for me the first time I know. But the parking CMs are great - the parking system at WDW is the best I know.

HTH!

 

[knitngurl]

I never even thought of googling the parking path. Wow, Amanda, what a great suggestion!! This is the first time I'll be driving at Disney so also the fist time I've ever had to deal with parking.

 

[Amanda999]

I'm a worrier so like to have things figured out in advance. (Makes me feel less crazy to be able to help someone else with the info!) But, the CMs (and the blue line) will take care of you so no worries.

Remember that at MK you will still have to walk/scooter/etc. from hp parking to where you can take a ferry, bus or monorail to get to the MK. (And that walk has a bit of an incline.) You do skip the tram ride though (from non hp parking). That is the one park that sometimes the bus from your resort, if u r onsite, is better because of the less total walking. You can valet free if you have an hp placard at the CR (if they are busy not sure; I've been denied so I don't risk wasting time to ask anymore), but I think that's more total walking than parking at TTC.

HTH!

 

[SueM in MN]

Much of the time, you will be fine following the line.
I have written in the FAQs thread not to just blindly follow the line because that parking lot can be full or moved.
That has happened to us multiple times over the years. For example, there are 2 handicapped parking areas at Epcot, so if you just follow the link, you could end up at the closed one. There were also a couple of times over the years when the usual one was out of commission for blacktopping or other reasons.
The one at the Studio is very small and does sometimes fill up.
MK and AK are less likely to be problematic.

If you ask when you stop at the booth and they say to follow the line, then you will know it is OK.

 

[sweetnjmom]

Thanks Amanda and Sue... I appreciate your feedback and advice. I'll tell my husband (who will be driving mostly) to not blindly follow the lines and to ask parking lot CMs where to go.

Thanks for the heads up re: HS lot being small. And the info re: MK and the incline to the ferries/monorail. For our last trip, we stayed on property and only took the resort buses. So I'm not really familiar with the parking lot layouts.

I have torn cartilage and femoro acetabular impingement in my left hip, so I'm limping and have chronic pain which I expect to be worse at the end of the day from all the walking.

 

[tobikaye]

Will you be using a mobility device at all? I just wanted to check since you indicate you will be walking all day. If not, then if you can climb the steps on the parking tram, you can always use this to get to the entrance by parking in the regular parking lot. You might want to consider this option at MK, but if it looks like they might park you at the far in of a row, ask if you can be parked closer to the tram due to mobility issues.

MK is the only HA parking lot that I really find can be an issue for anyone with mobility issues that is not using a mobility device. My sister would have not been able to make the walk from where we were parked if she had been using her rollator without being exhausted by the time we got there. If she had been in her wheelchair, I would have been exhausted or make her walk up the incline going from the parking lot to TTC. Luckily, she had an ECV so it was not difficult for her

 

[SueM in MN]

Agree - if you don't have a mobility device with you and can step up into the tram, your shortest walk is almost always going to be parking in the regular lot and using the parking lot trams.

 

[sweetnjmom]

I will not be using a mobility device and will be walking. So I guess I have to think this out... perhaps the regular lot at MK is the way to go. Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.

 

[GrumpyMom25]

I was also going to remark about MK. Our son is in a wheelchair stroller and we first started off with him using the resort buses but then realized that it's much easier to travel to EPCOT, HS, and AK using our van and parking in the handicapped parking. MK proved to be a nightmare when leaving the park at night to get to the parking lot. We were pretty much crammed onto a full monorail after fighting through the crowd to get up the ramp with his chair. It wasn't pretty. Also didn't like having my other kids leaning up against doors while traveling. Lesson learned so the bus is our definite means of transportation to MK.

 

[CF'er]

I have a handicapped placard due to breathing issues. While it did allow me to park closer there also weren't trams to pick us up and I feel that we walked farther than had we parked in the regular lots.

 

[seashoreCM]

If you are able to use the trams (no scooter, no non-folding wheelchair or rollabrator) you can ask for a handicapped space along the tram line. These are the colored patches right at the start of each row, or you would turn down a row like everyone else but they will have you do a quick little loop the loop and commence a new row.

Currently they have the handicapped and AAA diamond parking like this:


HHHHHHHH walk-
HHHHHHHH way
AAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAA

It really should be

AAAAHHHH walk-
AAAAHHHH way
AAAAHHHH
AAAAHHHH


Then it would not seem as if you as a handicapped person are walking such a long way.

 

[knitngurl]

So are foldable wheelchairs allowed on the trams? My mom's is a transport wheelchair and it folds up to about the size of the stroller. If we can take it on tram then I'd much rather park in regular parking and ride the trams.

 

[SueM in MN]

So are foldable wheelchairs allowed on the trams? My mom's is a transport wheelchair and it folds up to about the size of the stroller. If we can take it on tram then I'd much rather park in regular parking and ride the trams.

yes, if it fold, you can bring it onto the trams.
Traditional wheelchairs (the ones with 2 large back wheels) are heavy and clumsy to try to get on, but a smaller one like you are describing would work.