Handicapped Parking

[vhoffman]

We just came back from a six-day trip to WDW. I have arthritis and have a handicapped permit. I thought it would make sense to park in the handicapped spaces--wrong move! We went to the Magic Kingdom and parked in the handicapped area. We saw a tram picking up people from the adjacent lots and assumed it would come to us. After waiting 15 minutes and several trams passing us by we finally flagged one down and asked him when he would come to our area. He said that the trams didn't service the handicapped area. I asked him what are we supposed to do, walk? We were told there were several wheelchairs in the handicapped area and I should use one of them. I said I preferred to use the tram and proceeded to attempt to board the tram but was told by the driver he could only pick up passengers in designated waiting areas. If we wanted tram service we'd have to re-park in the regular parking lot and wait for a tram. He then drove off. Well, I don't use a wheelchair and didn't think it necessary to use one of their's just to get inside the gate. I assumed it would be a short walk. It was quite a hike along a rather steep down and up grade. Needless to say, by the time I arrived at MK I was exhausted. Using the wheelchair wouldn't have been much help since I couldn't push it myself and my two children certainly weren't strong enough to push a wheelchair up and down that path. I was quite frustrated. My solution that I would like to pass along to others in a similar situation--we drove to the Contemporary and had our car valet parked. We then used the monorail and were able to step off right in front of MK. Disney should realize not all disabled people are wheelchair users.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you are staying at one of the Disney resorts, it's always better to take the bus to MK than to drive your self. The bus drops you off right near the turnstiles, so you avoid the tram problem and also riding the monorail or boat.

If you are staying off-site and don't have a wheelchair, it's often better to use the regualr parking lot. The handicapped parking area does not have tram service at any of the parks. As someone mentioned to you, they do have some wheelchairs that can be taken from the parking area to the park entrance, where you can rent a wheelchair to use in the parks. but, as you mentioned, that only works if you have someone who can push it for you. Because there are no trams in the handicapped lots, it's often a better idea to park in the regular lot and take a tram. The parking CMs can direct you to a spot close to the tram stop. They do save spots on the end of rows for just that sort of problem.