Is it still possible to ride the big rides if.......??

[Superkev]

Hello to all of you!
I have a question, which has been avoided 3 times by the WDW on line Guest Service people. My disabled daughter is 12 yrs old and my other daughter is only 6. The problem the wife and I have is she needs someone to hold her hand on the ‘bigger’ rides (Me!). Is there anything in place to enable this to happen bearing in mind my eldest is in a wheelchair along with our 6yr old and cannot ride these attractions? It’s a shame to pay a large amount of money to visit Florida and the parks to not get full use of the amenities. In short, are my two daughters able to wait safely at the entrance/exit of the bigger attractions for us. This is also applied not only in WDW but Universal etc? We don’t have an option of taking a carer with us.
The alternative is for myself to ride alone but it probably wouldn’t happen, as I don’t expect all the family to wait for me alone.
Is there a solution to this problem?
Many thanks for reading this post and I have my fingers crossed for a positive answer!!

Regards - Superkev

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Unlike many locations, Disney posts certain requirments, such as height, for specific attractions. However, if a person meets these height requirements everything else is warnings and not mandatory.

You do not indicate the degree of confinement to wheelchairs. There are certain attractions which will allow wheelchairs actually on them, with special cars. If your daughters have mobility and can transfer to the ride car they are allowed to do so.

Note that any transfer between a wheelchair and a ride must be done by the person who is transferring, as well as anyone with the person who is providing assistance. The Disney Cast Members are forbidden to provide any assistance to a person transferring, with one exception. That exception is they are allowed to stop the attraction if it normally continuous load (such as Haunted Mansion) to allow extra time for loading and unloading.

One reason why the on-line Guest Services can't help is they are not able to make such decisions. You can ask them to send you the "Guests With Disabilites" booklets for all their parks. The other possible source of assistance is the special reservations number for guests with disabities. I don't have that number as I don't use it, but probably someone else would be able to post it for you. However, it is obviously an international call which yu would have to pay for.

I hope this information helps you. I can't provide anything about Universal; possibly someone else is aware fo their policies.

 

[Talking Hands]

Another option you have is baby swap. One of you stays with the girls while the other rides and then you switch without having to wait in line a second time. It is not just for babies.
Also if your daughter can transfer or be transferred by you and you fell it is safe for you to support her then go for it. it is up to you as long as she meets the height requirements.

 

[SueM in MN]

This link has a link to the WDW Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities. The guidebooks don't have a lot of info, but might help you decide if your DDs can go on rides.
My youngest DD can't stand or walk and has a bit of trouble with sitting balance, but she has been on all the rides at one time or another except Space Mountain, Rock N Roller Coaster, Big Thunder Mountain, so it can be done depending on the abilities/disabilities. The one ride she has been on that I would recommend against, is the Triceraptop Spin. A little more information about your DDs would help with advice. If there are any rides you want to know about, just ask.
This link to the DIS page on touring with a mobility disability has a list of rides where wheelchair users can stay in the wheelchair for the ride.
If it would be you and your wife riding, I think the best would be to use the baby swap that Lisa mentioned. You wouldn't be able to ride together though, if one of you is staying with the kids. You might be able to have both children wait in the baby swap area together without you; it depends on the needs of your kids. If they need someone to be with them all the time, that wouldn't work.

 

[Nanajo1]

Am I reading your post correctly? Is it your DW that needs you to ride with her? I don't know how you would be able to leave your DDs either out side the attraction or at the baby swap area without someone to tend to them. The CMs are not allowed to do this.
If I misread your post I'm sorry. You got some good info if it is your DD that needs hand holding.

 

[SueM in MN]

I read it as the husband and wife wanting to ride together. I don't think would work unless the 12 year old is capable of taking care of the 6 year old while you are riding. A child has to be at least 7 (by WDW rules) to be on rides by themself, so your 6 yr old would need to be "watched" by someone. I also was working on the assumption that you don't think your children would be able to go on any of the big rides, which may not be the case.
Keep in mind that the amount of time you will actually be in line and in the ride can be quite a while. Even with fastpass, you could possibly be waiting up to 15 minutes in line (longer if no fastpass) plus the length of the ride itself. That would be a long time for the children to be by themselves.
Another option is using in-room child care for an evening or several hours so the children can be safely taken care of while the parents go to the parks. We've never done this since we had grandma and grandpa along with us when our girls were smaller, but a lot of people have done this with great success. I don't have the child care info on this computer, but I know some of the readers of the DIS baord have used them and were very pleased with the care - even for children with disabilities. I believe the company mentioned most often is Fairy Godmothers.

 

[Superkev]

Many thanks for the answers. It provides me with what I need to know. We have had help from familiy members on past visits and it makes things so much easier.
Will the lines be pretty quiet at the beginning of November compared to the rest of the months? I read somewhere about New Jersey having a holiday around this time.

Superkev

 

[SueM in MN]

We have never been to WDW in November, but we have been there in September and it was pretty quiet then. From what I have read about early November, you should have a quiet time too. Around Thanksgiving is when it starts to get busy.
Have fun.