Help DH feel better about this, please!

[AJKMOM]

DH has lupus and RA and will be escaping the Pennsylvania winter for 2 months at Windsor Hills. He has an annual pass and plans to go to the parks a whole lot. He should have a GAC, but feels guilty because he can still walk a little.

I told him to get it for the 2 months and use it when he needs it. He really can't stand for long periods of time, and some of the queues are so long that he would be tired after only 2 or 3 rides.

Does anyone know if he can get a GAC for 2 months, and maybe tell him it's OK to ask for help.?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

With some sort of AP they will give a GAC with a three-month expiration.

 

[ZPT1022]

Take the help, it is there for a reason! And your DH sounds like the type who would not abuse it, so I hope he gets one and uses it. If he feels guilty, he can send me a postcard I'm kidding, I hope he has a wonderful trip, that sounds blissful!

 

[AJKMOM]

thanks for the info and good wishes.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

If there's a way for a GAC to help him, he definitely should not feel at all guilty. RA and Lupus are definitely things that can cause problems which would mean he'd need an accommodation.

I'm a little curious about how you think a GAC will help him, though. It won't cut down the distance of the queue (which can be as long as 1/4 mile), usually won't get you on sooner (may even make you wait longer), and there are no benches in most of the alternate waiting areas (only place I've seen them was Spaceship Earth). WDW's answer to stamina and mobility issues is to rent a wheelchair or ECV. I'd think he'd do better with an ECV since he'll be on his own and he could rent offsite and get one that breaks down for transporting in the car. It might even be cheaper for him to buy one so that he'd also have it in general and be able to use it for distances while at home as well. If he really felt self-conscious he could use the ECV to get between things and park it and walk onto rides, but he may be better off taking it through the queues where he can. As far as his being reluctant to use an ECV, I think it's 1/2 mile from handicapped parking for Magic Kingdom to the end of Main Street and that hasn't even gotten you to any rides! Most of the people I know with RA or Lupus who've tried using an ECV have found it to be a lifesaver and greatly improved their enjoyment of going places. The analogy I tend to use is that an ECV is like a car if you can't walk very far. Most healthy people wouldn't walk 10 miles to go to the store, they'd take a car. If you have problems walking, then 1 mile can be a problem so you get an ECV. You wouldn't tell someone to walk 10 miles to the store, why force yourself to walk the 1 mile when you could use an ECV and save yourself the pain and energy drain?

 

[Bete]

In the long run you will probably need to do this anyway.

The cheapest rate I think you can get for a rental for a scooter would be $25/day. Based on a 60 day rental that would be $1500. Perhaps you could get a long term rate, but it will still be better to purchase one over renting in your case. Depending on his size and weight you can get a new portable, travel scooter for $600 on up. The price varies by whether it's heavy duty including the battery and the size of the scooter including a bigger seat on bigger ones. Keep in mind the bigger the scooter the harder it will be to dismantle it and put it in and out of the car. A small scooter will go 120 pounds and usually dismantles into 4 or 5 pieces. A big scooter can be over 200 pounds and most of those don't dismantle. A popular portable brand is the Pride to go travel scooters. If he doesn't drive a car the shuttle buses or taxis can do this, as well; you will need to give advance notice about this aspect; so, they can have a proper vehicle for it. Make sure you are secured on this if he doesn't drive.

You could go to a local mobility dealer and check it out. You can see if he could get it in and out of the car (assuming he drives) by himself. You can take a test run with it at the dealer. You could even go to a local store and test one out; I don't consider the store ones exactly the same, but it will give you an idea. Travel scooters are mostly designed so you can take the battery charger in and out without having to do the whole scooter in and out. Make sure you buy one like this. You should charged the battery everyday.

A scooter is treated as a handicap vehicle; so, you will have access to the handicap ride line queues. There are designated areas for the scooters for parades (like the wheelchairs). Airlines can't charge you for this, either.

As the other poster stated you can park the scooter as you want and walk some.

If he's alone in Disney I think it would be imperative to be on the safer side and I think a scooter would be a plus in that direction.

 

[SDSorority]

In the long run you will probably need to do this anyway.

The cheapest rate I think you can get for a rental for a scooter would be $25/day. Based on a 60 day rental that would be $1500. Perhaps you could get a long term rate, but it will still be better to purchase one over renting in your case. Depending on his size and weight you can get a new portable, travel scooter for $600 on up. The price varies by whether it's heavy duty including the battery and the size of the scooter including a bigger seat on bigger ones. Keep in mind the bigger the scooter the harder it will be to dismantle it and put it in and out of the car. A small scooter will go 120 pounds and usually dismantles into 4 or 5 pieces. A big scooter can be over 200 pounds and most of those don't dismantle. A popular portable brand is the Pride to go travel scooters. If he doesn't drive a car the shuttle buses or taxis can do this, as well; you will need to give advance notice about this aspect; so, they can have a proper vehicle for it. Make sure you are secured on this if he doesn't drive.

You could go to a local mobility dealer and check it out. You can see if he could get it in and out of the car (assuming he drives) by himself. You can take a test run with it at the dealer. You could even go to a local store and test one out; I don't consider the store ones exactly the same, but it will give you an idea. Travel scooters are mostly designed so you can take the battery charger in and out without having to do the whole scooter in and out. Make sure you buy one like this. You should charged the battery everyday.

A scooter is treated as a handicap vehicle; so, you will have access to the handicap ride line queues. There are designated areas for the scooters for parades (like the wheelchairs). Airlines can't charge you for this, either.

As the other poster stated you can park the scooter as you want and walk some.

If he's alone in Disney I think it would be imperative to be on the safer side and I think a scooter would be a plus in that direction.

Totally agree!

 

[ttintagel]

It might help him look at it a different way, to consider that the parks are often quite hard on people WIHTOUT RA, so there's certainly no shame in admitting that they're even harder on someone who does have it.