How long are wait times, in general, for special DS?

[Klowee]

Hi all...my first post!!

I am so excited!!!!!! Ds and I are planning our first trip to WDW world for the first couple of weeks in March. We will be flying from Seattle, his first time on an airplane. I am praying that if we end up changing planes I can get him on the next one without a meltdown.

A little about him first, he is 13 yo with a rare cancer causing syndrome. He also deals with autistic tendencies and joint issues. We have been to DL twice (when he was 4 and 7). Both times we got the Special Assistance Pass and it was wonderful! He had instant gratification all day, we never had to deal too much with wait times. I also pushed him in a wheelchair the entire time, not sure if we will have one all the time on this trip, but for his benefit and longevity in the parks I think it will be necessary...although he is 5'11" and 180 pounds...can anybody say Advil.

From what I have been reading, the passes have changed a bit and it sounds like WDW is set up a bit differently.

This might be a hard question to answer, but can anyone give me a general idea of how long it takes to get on the more popular rides...are we talking hours or less than an hour? I know the fast pass will need to be utilized when necessary, but if he got stuck on one ride that we had to do RIGHT NOW...ugh...what can I expect. I'm especially thinking Space Mountain...gotta love that deep pressure!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! I have purchased a PassPorter and am trying to get a game plan so that he doesn't melt down on me.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi and welcome,

Ride wait times can vary, and are difficult to predict.
However, as you are missing Easter you are not visiting at a time when the parks will be very busy.

The best plan to get on any ride at any park is get there early. For example the Fantasyland area at Magic Kingdom with the likes of Peter Pan, Winnie The Pooh and more - if you head there straight at park opening the chances are you will be able to get on several rides with minimal queue's.
Same with Space Mountain.

ALL the parks have attractions that are more popular than others, and it's common for many to head striaght for them first.

Have a good idea which rides you must get on before you go, use the Fastpass system and get a GAC (Guest Assistance Card) also.

There is an excellent FAQ on this board that may help answer some of your questions - having travelled to Florida from England many times with our autistic boy I am quite experienced (as are many others) at answering any questions.

Feel free to ask away - we are a helpful bunch.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. Post #6 and then #3 may be very useful for you.

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

Also, you might want to get a book called The Open Mouse, by Deb Wills and Deb Koma. It should be available at Amazon or it can be ordered directly from the publisher at www.passporter.com Which covers all aspects of WDW and DCL with disabilitiesd.

 

[mechurchlady]

The GAC will allow him to avoid stairs and help deal with any limitations he has like avoiding the sun, seperate wait areas, and audiovisual limitations. The GAC is an easy and discrete way for the cast member (CM) to know what is needed. He is too young to rent an ECV so you are stuck with a wheelchair. Bring your disabled parking placard from home so that you can park in the blue disabled spots. Some WDW resorts offer free valet parking for disabled guests with the placard or plates.

Staying on site will let you use Extra Magical Hours which is when the park is open earlier and later for site resort guests. Fastpass is a must for Toy Story Mania and some other rides. If you go before Palm Sunday then you should find less crowds. Planning also helps like set what days you will be where and attack the important stuff first thing that day.

AT MK you can take the train around to Frontierland and save the walking over there. You will arrive just as the runners arrive, lol. From there you can do Splash Mountain then head toward Fantasyland and pick up Liberty Square and Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates along the way.

Most important is do what Cheshire said to do.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Hi Klowee!
Welcome to the boards. We are originally from Southern California and are former annual pass holders. I can tell you that a lot of lines for rides at DL are not wheelchair friendly because the park was built prior to the new compliance laws. So the GAC allows a separate entrance to some rides.

At WDW, a lot of rides can accomodate the wheelchairs in the lines, so that won't be a problem. Once you get closer to loading onto the ride, you may have to go a different direction than non-wheelchair riders. I hope this makes sense. I don't want to confuse you.

I have 2 autistic sons, so I know how hard it is to tour the parks. My biggest tip is to get to the park early to avoid larger crowds. Also, I also highly recomend Tour Guide Mike to help give you the best parks to attend on each day. This will help you avoid crowds.

 

[Klowee]

You are all so awesome!!! Thank you so much for taking time to answer my questions and concerns. It is so wonderful to know that I have somewhere to go where someone else has 'been there and done that'.

I am up to my ears in planning mode and getting more excited as the days go on!

Thanks so much!!

 

[mechurchlady]

http://www.quickie-wheelchairs.com/...ion_M12_-_Push_Rim_Power_Assist_Wheels/2305p0
those might help you out, not sure but Sue and others might know more about them. If you could use them then it would save you a lot of work. Maybe there are cheaper variations. I have also seen a motor that helps chairs.

Good luck on your trip and remember that being prepared is the key to a great trip.

 

[bookwormde]

Welcome,

We flew with our Aspergers DS9 for the time last year. I made sure we had lots of time so he did not feel “rushed” in this new environment. If you have to do a connection just try to pick one, which has significant extra time in between. We generally let the flight crew know about our son’s Aspergers so if some “characteristic” pop up they will appreciate why and will know that the FAA regulatory protections apply. The same goes for security if an issue arises or there is a special need. For us, in the end all our worrying was for not, since he had a great time and even wanted the window seat. There were 4 of us so one thing I do was to take the seat in front of him so if he kicked it would not bother anyone.

With the GAC, fastpass, the time of year you are going and a little planning you should be fine with wait times, of course it always helps to have some favorite entertainment ready while waiting.

Not to disappoint, but you might wont to check the park threads, I thought I had read thread Space Mountain was going “down” for a major renovation soon. Someone correct me if this is wrong.

A quick side question for those who are familiar with mobility devices, a couple of years back I saw a design for a wheel chair with a power “assist” which was intended for individuals who for what ever reason should not be navigating a wheelchair themselves so the person assisting would not get tired out. It has pressure switches built into the grip handles to activate the assist motors (somewhat like some self propelled vacuums but was proportion based on pressure and direction). Did this ever come to market? Seems like it might be great in situation like this



bookworkme

 

[mechurchlady]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/rehab.htm
Starting in April and ending who knows when.
Due to the work on Space Mountain the TTA peoplemover will be closed also for 4 months and maybe more.

There is talk of gutting or removing the old Skyway station and putting in a system like Rock n Roller Coaster and Screamin' where there is a high powered launch used that will send the rockets bursting to top speed faster and thus improving the smoothness of the ride.

Repairing and updating the site like repair cracks in the ceiling and better wating lines.

There is talk of putting a disabled loading zone like at DLR.

Hall of Presidents is undergoing massive refurbishment and will be down until July probably.
DCA is undergoing the addition of a DVC at Grand Californian and Mice Chat has an in depth assault on DCA and has in depth information on what is being done and will be done, very informative.
Lots of hot air for sure about Space Mountain at WDW.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Klowee,
If you are flying, make sure that you ask for pre-boarding. At least for my sons, if we board with the rest of the plane, they become very nervous and one will usually have a meltdown because of the josteling that usually happens in the crowd. They are perfectly fine if we pre-board though.

 

[Klowee]

Sorry for the delay in responding to you all. I appreciate the info about the wheelchair assistance device...a little out of my budget , but if there were a more generic version available, that would be awesome.

I appreciate the suggestion about giving time in between the flights. One flight option was only 45 min between flights and another was 1:25. I will choose the longer one. Thank you! Space Mountain was a huge selling point for ds, we saw that it was going to be closed and had decided on DL, but then realized it wasn't until April, so we are going for it!!

The recommendation about preboarding on the plane is a great one, I had forgotten about that. The less people there are around to see his discomfort , the better off he is. He is already becoming a bit anxious about the flight, considering the US Airways crash in New York...what an awesome miracle that was...but we still have time to get ready.

I can't tell you all how helpful you have been to me, I am sure I will be asking more questions! Thank you!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/rehab.htm
Starting in April and ending who knows when.

I believe I had read that it was going to be closed until November. There is more information on the Theme Parks Board

http://www.quickie-wheelchairs.com/...ion_M12_-_Push_Rim_Power_Assist_Wheels/2305p0
those might help you out, not sure but Sue and others might know more about them. If you could use them then it would save you a lot of work. Maybe there are cheaper variations. I have also seen a motor that helps chairs.

Unfortunately for the original poster, that device only works for someone who is propelling their own wheelchair. It sort of 'translates' the hands pushing on the wheels into power assist. So, it will only work if the person in the chair is pushing on the wheels.
Most of the power assist devices work like that and don't help someone who is pushing the person in the wheelchair.