Is Soarin accessible to wheelchair bound ?

[kidsister]

I have a young friend who has never been on Soarin or POC.

She is confined to a wheelchair, but because she is fairly light, on POC I thought I might lift her into the boat and have someone support her from behind. Will they let us do that, and if so, do we need to get any special permission?

I was wondering if there were places for wheelchair bound to at least watch the Soarin movie. I understand that they might not feel the motion if they aren't sitting in the 'swing' chairs, but it would be nice if she could see the movie part from her wheelchair.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Michigan]

If she can transfer by sliding over she can ride soarin. Once she is on they will take the wheelchair and after the ride you go and get the chair.

 

[SueM in MN]

The ride vehicle for Soarin' is a pretty easy transfer, either for someone to slide into the ride vehicle or to be lifted in. There is plenty of room to park the wheelchair where ever it will work best in relation to the ride car for the transfer. We park DD's wheelchair very close to the row of seats and then lift her in. The whole row of seats is pretty stable while you are getting in. The seat leans back a bit, which makes it feel more secure for riding. There is also an extra strap that goes between the legs. It is meant for children, but we use it on DD for a little more security. As you will see from the picture, the back of the seat comes up way beyond the head.
Here's a link to some information about Soarin' that includes a picture of the ride cars.

POC is a much harder transfer. Here's a picture of the POC ride car from allearsnet.com

There is one step over the side of the boat on to the boat seat and another step down to the floor of the boat. The seating area of the boat is about 10 inches deep. We usually have one person already in the boat while the other lifts DD in and stands her on the seat (she is able to support her weight, but not balance to stand). Then the person in supports her while the one outside gets into the boat. At that point, we move her feet to the floor and try to sit her down (not really easy because DD is very stiff and doesn't bend easily).
Getting out requires quite a lift out. We sort of reverse what we did to get DD in.

I'd suggest you ride Small World before trying POC. Small World has a wheelchair boat, but the regular boats are fairly similar to the POC boats. The seats on the side of the SW wheelchair boat are pretty much the same as the non-wheelchair seats. While you are waiting to board, watch people getting on to get an idea of the process. When you board the SW wheelchair boat, kind of take notice of how far down you have to step to get on and off. That will help you decide whether to even try POC or not.

 

[kaytieeldr]

In response to a specific question you asked - no, Guests may not remain in wheelchairs inside the Soarin' theater.

 

[LindaDVC]

I also asked if you could watch the soarin movie BUT they said no --

it is too bad they didn't have a platform to watch it or a w/c accessible seat
since it is a movie

It is the only ride my husband has ever allowed me to transfer him on to
and not that bad a transfer BUT as I mentioned could have been adapted by Disney.

Linda

 

[Welivefordisney]

We were there last October with my 6 year old son who is confined to a wheelchair. We were able to easily transport him from his chair to the boats on POC - go through the exit (that is the wheelchair entrance) and the CMs will get you and your group on without any problems. The chair is parked at the exit gate and is readily available when you return.
Same for Soarin'.
We did the Small World in a regular boat and did the same transfer as the POC.

Hope this helps!

NOTE BY MODERATOR: This poster is talking about DISNEYLAND, which has much different access than WDW.

 

[BillSears]

Here is another picture of a boat at POTC. This one is the back row. I learned last year that in the left hand queue the back row opening is wider then the other row openings and it makes it much easier for me to do the transfer into the boat.

I've never used the exit for POTC as the wheelchair entrance. I believe the exit and the entrance are far apart from each other and you cannot board the boat at the exit. I have always been directed to the normal line by the CMs at the entrance. Perhaps there is a seperate entrance that those who use a wheelchair and have other non ambulatory needs that are covered by a GAC can use.

Soarin is another enter through the normal standby line, or the fastpass line if you have a fastpass, for wheelchair users.

E.T.A. I think I see why Welivefordisney and I disagree on the entrances for POTC and Soarin. Welivefordisney visited Disneyland and I visit Disneyworld. Disneyworld tends to have most of it's lines mainstreamed and the wheelchair users enter through the normal line.

 

[Welivefordisney]

We didn't even try getting on through the main entrance at POC. The CMs directed us to the exit which had a Wheelchair sign and told us to go through the exit. the Entrance and Exit are separate but we love New Orleans area so we didn't mind walking around the corner to the exit. But this was at Disneyland, perhaps it is different a WDW??

Well, for anyone interested in this information for Disneyland.....

There is a bridge next to the main exit gate inside the ride that took us right to the loading area for the boats. It seemed to work very smooth, we were loaded, the CMs moved my son's chair about 10 feet to near the exit gate and by the time we finished the ride the chair was waiting for us. I think it was one of the easiest rides for use to transfer into.

 

[terri01p]

My dd has NO upper body control what-so-ever and loves Soarin, my dh sits on one side and I sit on the other and just kind of help support her and it works out fine, they strap you in very good on this one so she can't slip out at all. POC is always quit a drama for us, because she can't sit in a regular wheelchair she has just quit riding this because she is to heavy to carry though the queue.

 

[SueM in MN]

We didn't even try getting on through the main entrance at POC. The CMs directed us to the exit which had a Wheelchair sign and told us to go through the exit. the Entrance and Exit are separate but we love New Orleans area so we didn't mind walking around the corner to the exit. But this was at Disneyland, perhaps it is different a WDW??

Well, for anyone interested in this information for Disneyland.....

There is a bridge next to the main exit gate inside the ride that took us right to the loading area for the boats. It seemed to work very smooth, we were loaded, the CMs moved my son's chair about 10 feet to near the exit gate and by the time we finished the ride the chair was waiting for us. I think it was one of the easiest rides for use to transfer into.

WDW is very much different.
Bill is correct that the boarding and exit areas at WDW are in a different place. At WDW, you actually board in one building on ground floor.
During the course of the ride, you go down a 'waterfall' and the rest of the ride is on that level. The exit area at is WDW is in another building pretty far away and one floor down from the entrance. There is a moving ramp just in front of where you get off of the ride and an elevator for wheelchair users and people who can't use that ramp (kind of hidden to the left as you get off the ride). Those take you back up to ground level.

It's not possible to get on POC at the exit at WDW because after the guests get off, the boats go up a steep ramp to get back to the boarding area. There is just enough clearance for the boat to get thru.

Wheelchair users at WDW go thru the regular queue as Bill mentioned. If they have a wheelchair that can be folded and put on the boat with them, that is done. Otherwise, you have to either switch to one of the park wheelchairs at the entrance to the queue and ride that or, if they have enough staff available, the CMs will move the wheelchair from the boarding area to the exit. We were lucky and DD's wheelchair was waiting for us the last time we rode. Some people posted that their wheelchair was not waiting for it and they had a little bit of a wait until the wheelchair was brought.

 

[shovan]

Transferring onto Soarin is the easiest we have found! There is a ton of room around the seat, which makes transfers simpler. My DH has MD with limited strength allover. And I was able to transfer him by myself.