Help--Anyone who's been to USF and Worlds of Fun...

[hilltopfamily]

I have a DD who has difficulty with mobility. She has walked through Worlds of Fun Kansas City but with some difficulty. Now we're spending 1 day at USF soon and just wondering how much larger we will find USF to be than Worlds of Fun? I'm guessing quite a lot larger but looking for confirmation or not on this.

We're considering using a wheelchair for her, but, at 12 years old, she isn't too thrilled with this idea (very concerned about looking "like all the other kids") and has only used a wheelchair very infrequently. She much preferred a wagon ride when she was younger, but is now too large for a wagon. Any thoughts on wheelchair use and availability of these at the park?

thanks so much for any and all responses.

 

[BarryHom]

I'll be at Worlds of Fun next week. USF is about 300-400 acres, but nearly everything is handicapped accessible. I think it's one of the more handicapped accessible parks in Orlando. There will be a lot of walking, but there are also plenty of benches to sit and rest. Take advantage of them.

 

[RandyJ]

It has been a few years since I went to World's of Fun, but I do remember it smaller than USF. I would say USF is smaller than twice the size of WOF but larger than 1 1/2 times the size fo WOF. I beleive WOF had some small "hills" to maneuver whereas USF is relatively flat. We recently went with my mother-in-law who used and electric convience vehicle (electric wheel chair) she loved it and it was easy for her to maneuver. They are availbe at the park but we were ther for 5 days, so she rented one from an off site service. I think the cost was $35/day.

 

[hilltopfamily]

Thanks RandyJ and Barry Hom for the replies. Now I have a better idea of the size, this helps in deciding what to do. I like the idea of a motorized wheelchair or "scooter" but I thought they would not rent to anyone younger than 18? I should probably check the disability board for more details although I'm not sure how much help they'd be about USF! You guys are the pros here on the USF board!

Thanks again, I appreciate all the help I can get on this matter.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks RandyJ and Barry Hom for the replies. Now I have a better idea of the size, this helps in deciding what to do. I like the idea of a motorized wheelchair or "scooter" but I thought they would not rent to anyone younger than 18?

That is true. The outside scooter (ecv) rental places will not rent a scooter to be used by anyone under the age of 18. Posters on the disABILITIES Board who have rented one said they were asked to sign a release that said they would not allow someone under 18 to ride on or drive it. I know the WDW park scooters are the same way, but I don't know about Universal.

Electric (motorized or power) wheelchairs are not at all the same as scooters. Rental companies do not rent power wheelchairs out at all unless the person who will use it already uses one at home (and did not want to or could not travel with it). They drive with a joystick, which takes a little more practice to learn and they require some individual set up and computer programming before use (they don't come in "one size fits most" like scooters do). When we asked a year ago about renting one for DD, we had to tell them her wheelchair type and size (width and length) and get the set-up parameters (speed, percent of power and about 6 other things) from her home medical supplier in order for the rental people to even talk to us.

 

[BarryHom]

I went to Worlds of Fun about 2 weeks ago and it seemed like an OK place to walk around. Some parts are kind of hilly, though. The park sure has a lot of concrete! It was 104 degrees when I visited, so the heat was a lot worse than the walking.