Help! Question!

[Bostonterrierlover]

We will be going to WDW in early January. My family will be joining us. My father is handicapped, but he doesn't visually appear to be handicapped. He doesn't have a wheelchair (although maybe he should rent one for the trip!). He has congestive heart failure and tires easily. I was wondering how we would go about accessing handicapped lines when he is with us in the parks (he takes naps mid-day) to maximize his time in the parks? Should we bring proof of his handicap plates or something? Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[Bostonterrierlover]

Nevermind. I see the threat about GAC now. I guess we will get him one when we are there! Great to have such helpful threads!

 

[jmartinez1895]

The GAC would be great for him. Also if he gets to hot or tries all of a sudden he can visit the first aid station at any park and rest on a cot for a little while.

 

[Bostonterrierlover]

Oh wow! We always stay on property that way he can just go back to the room and rest. I'll have to tell him about the first aid since we are staying at AKV it will probably be better for him to do first aid at MK then go back to the room. Thanks!!

 

[POOHsie]

Disney is miles and miles of walking for hours and hours per day. I would guess this is not your dad's everyday routine. Much as he would probably want to be gracious and not emphasize the strain this would be putting on his body, still, a Disney visit requires physical endurance. The sun in Florida can also be hard to deal with. I think your dad would have trouble catching his breath, and his extremities would probably get very swollen, because of his congestive heart failure. The swelling would make it worse for him to try to walk so much.

Handicap lines basically don't exist anymore. Ride lines have been mainstreamed for years. Some mainstream lines will split along the way such as when stairs are encountered. At that point, the handicap line will follow a different path, but it won't shorten the length of the path to the attraction, or the time you wait. Sometimes the handicap line is longer because those in line there sometimes have needs that require loading to slow down for them to get on/off. You could get a Guest Assistance Card (GAC) to be in the handicap line, but I don't know if this would help your dad much, except here he could avoid steps and moving walkways. For theatre shows, the GAC will enable your dad to avoid steps down or ramps down to seat rows. However, it will place your dad in the handicap row, which is usually the very last row at the back of the theatre. Handicap lines are usually for the handicapped person and a limit of 5 others.

I would plan to rent a chair for the trip, then it's there when he is especially tired, plus saving his strength for later need. A ride line would be the perfect place for your dad to sit in a wheelchair and rest, because it is usually shaded and you could be there well over half an hour. The chair could fold up for transport on a Disney bus or rental car. You could bring it in to restaurants, or leave it outside with stroller parking.

Good luck to you all.

 

[KPeveler]

A GAC may be helpful for him, but a wheelchair may be worth a lot more.

There really are no handicapped lines anymore, and Disney's answer for stamina or mobility concerns is to rent a wheelchair. I am not certain how a GAC would be helpful. GACs are not intended to shorten wait times, and cannot shorten distances walked. There is nowhere to sit while waiting, and a GAC would not provide this either.

A GAC will also not help with buses, monorails, restaurants, stores, character lines, shows (you have to wait for the next show no matter what), parades, fireworks, or anywhere other than the parks.

The average group walks between 3 and 9 miles a day in Disney. This may be a bit much for him.

I would rent a wheelchair offsite for him, which he can use when he wants, or push empty when it is not needed. Especially with a heart difficulty, I would not push it too much! I think a wheelchair may be the best solution.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't really think a GAC will be helpful to him.
As was already mentioned, most lines are mainstreamed and there is not a 'handicapped' line; everyone waits in the same lines. There are a few attractions that have stairs, and he could avoid those with a GAC, but there are few attractions with stairs and many of those are not recommended for someone with a heart condition. Also, even though he would avoid stairs, the distance walked in line would not be less.

Just to get an idea of the distances, to go around World Showcase in Epcot is over 1.1 miles. On our last trip, I tracked the distance we walked for about 4 hours (until my ipod ran out of battery power). We didn't go fast or go anywhere out of our way, but just walking into Epcot, going around World Showcase and then back to the front of the park to ride Ellen's Energy Adventure. It was at that point that the battery was dead - but we had gone 3.67 miles before the battery gave up!
A GAC would not do anything to shorten that distance walked because most of it was not in lines - it was getting from place to place. That is why WDW recommends a wheelchair or ECV for people who are concerned about walking distances or getting fatigued.

As was already mentioned, there are also quite a few attractions where you will need to stand for a while - mostly in preshows. Most have no place to sit unless you bring one with.

If you did not look at the disABILITIES FAQs thread, I would suggest you look there, especially post #2 which includes information about renting wheelchairs and ECVs and post #6 which is about GACs.