Just a Note on Lift Buses with DME

[clkelley]

We were at WDW May 9 - 14th. We flew and used Magical Express at All-Star Sports.

If you must have a lift bus for your return, double check, and triple check that they have one scheduled for you. For an extra measure of safety, try to schedule the bus 3 1/2 hours to 4 hours before your flight just in case they still forget and have to send another bus.

We were leaving from our trip on May 14th waiting on our DME bus and a Disney Cruise Line bus arrives with no lift. We don't need a lift because we store hubby's scooter under the bus, but there was another party scheduled at the same time we were that needed a lift bus. The driver did radio and request that a lift bus be dispatched ASAP, but it still would have made me nervous.

When you make your initial DME reservations let them know you need a lift bus.

When your tags arrive, call and confirm everything and remind them you need a lift bus.

When you arrive at the DME Welcome Center confirm your return flight and remind them that you need a lift bus.

When your coach pick up time shows up on the door, call them and request the bus 30 minutes to 1 hour before yours is scheduled and remind them you need a lift bus.

Hopefully with all of those reminders, a lift bus will show up. If it doesn't, then you have time to wait for them to send one!!

For going TO WDW it is not as critical because buses are pulling in all the time and a lift bus will be along shortly. It may mean a few minutes extra wait at MCO and annoying, but nothing critical. But going back to the airport, if they don't send the proper bus the first time you MIGHT miss your flight!!!

 

[BillSears]

I've riden ME twice so far and this always is my biggest fear. That I'll miss my flight because they forget to add a lift bus to my pickup. So far it's all been fine but I really wish all of the ME buses had lifts.

 

[pugdog]

They did forget for us last time. Then when we called they said they would send one that was already on property. That one never came. Finally the Mears handicapped van took us to MCO.

 

[madenon]

Sounds like a nightmare allright! Thank god for my neurotic habit of rechecking things, finally comes in handy.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Oh this is my nightmare, too. We never called and double-checked, but thankfully both buses had lifts. I would have been so afraid we'd miss our flight!

 

[madenon]

Think this is the best place for this question as the most people with experience or on this part of the board, so here it goes;

do any of you know if the DME return time is a fixed time, or if you can request an earlier pickup time if you want to? I'ld rather get to the airport a bit too early, than risking missing my plane if something does get scr*w up with the bus not having a lift.

Also any info on flying with a power wc and check in would be appreciated. At AMS airport, they advice you to come an hour earlier than normally stated to allow enough time to get the wc checked in. (with a manual this isn't an issue) And from what others have learned; it is very wise advice indeed!

However, I can't find any information on this on the site of MCO or NorthWest. I could stick to known KLM-policy, but than again, you'ld allready have to be at AMS airport earlier (recommended 3 hours - 4 for the power wc- in advance for flying to USA do to heavy security regulations) than the 2 hours recommended by NorthWest for flying back intercontinental. So who knows, maybe I don't have to show up earlier either???

 

[pugdog]

The night before you leave they place an envelope on your door. Call the number inside and they can get you on an earlier bus.
I fly NWA alot, since they are the home town airline, so I can give you some good info. But first let me know if your checking your powerchair at the ticket counter or gate so I can give you better info.

 

[SueM in MN]

I need to go to bed, so here is a quick thing we were told when we rode DME in December with DD's wheelchair.

The time they give you is the time the bus is scheduled to leave your resort, not the time the bus will arrive to start picking people us (which is what many people assume). If the bus driver's watch is running a few minutes faster than yours, you might arrive right after the bus has pulled out.
They told us to get there well before that time for loading (like at least 15 minutes early). There is always the possibility of DME making a mistake and forgetting to send a lift bus (or the lift not working), but they told us that sometimes the lift bus comes and the passenger arrives after that bus has left.

 

[madenon]

Hi Sue, thnx for the tip! I'm not the one to be just on time (I'm one of those who tend to be somewere way to early), but it's a good thing to know!

Pugdog, I'm checking in my power wc at the ticket counter and am taking my manual to the gate. With the last chair I'm not even thinking about what could go wrong, as I've travelled with it enough to know what to expect and how to handle things. But travelling with the power wc is new (to be more precise; the chair is scheduled to get here next month, so I don't even have it yet, so new is it! -allthough I have some experience with a replacement I've got at the moment-), so any experience shared would be very much appreciated.

 

[pugdog]

OK first off anything that is loose or can come off, take it off and carry it on with you.If sticks out you want place it in such a way that it won't break off during transport.
Second make sure you have Gell cell batteries so they don't have to take them out.
Now for NWA, most of their planes have cargo doors that are 34 inches high. So if your chair is higher then that they will have to load it sideways. We have gotten around that by making DW's back fold down so the chair is only 27 inches high and will fit through any cargo door.
We have done both checking the chair at the ticket counter and the gate. Advantage of gate checking is that you don't need to lug the manual around and your in your powerchair up till you get on the plane. Disadvantage is you don't have a manual around. Go figure.
Checking it at the ticket counter allow yourself at least an hour for them to question you about the batteries and how to take it apart and getting it to the plane.
You will then have to pick up your chair at baggage claim. Be prepared for a long wait. On average it takes about 30 minutes after the regular luggage shows up before your chair will, Why I don't know.
If you gate check your chair will be brought up to the plane for you to get in. Again a little bit of a wait here too but not as long.
What kind of powerchair are you getting?
I have some pics of how we fold and prepare DW's chair for travel that maybe you could use to minimize damage to your chair. In the 10 years that we have traveled with a powerchair it has only seen minor damage once, due to us not preparing it right. And medium damage once due to NWA.
Let me know if you want to know anything else.

 

[madenon]

Pugdog, you are great!

I know about the "take everything that might get loose off" from my manual. I'ld rather have airport-people or a stewardess lug around some more of my stuff (sorry people), than loosing it or it being damaged. I also know about the batteries, it's one of the first things they tell you overhere when you get fitted with a chair.

I didn't know you can take the power chair to the gate also, that is like such a surprise! No way we can do that overhere. That does sound very very appealing. Hmm, should think about that. I'm still a bit puzzling over the manual anyway. I can take it with me for free, it'll give me very much pleasure when getting my transfer at Detroit airport. It'll give me a lot less pain than using an airport wc would. It will give me a lot more freedom at my home airport, as there they won't deliver power wc to the gate when getting back (even getting my manual to the plain is difficult, darned staff there) and I'll have about 3 hours to kill after check in when departing. It is some kind of security that I won't be totally stuck if something would happen to my powerchair. But on the other end; it is a pain in the butt to drag it around from and to the airport and resort, especially with me travelling alone. Oh well, I've got a small 3 months to make up my mind.

I'm getting a Permobil C500kb, s-version. (http://www.permobilusa.com/), but it'll be pimped up with an extra system so it'll reduce pain from bumps and things the most (haven't got a clue what the english word is, so you'll have to do with a description. Or have a look at; http://www.aanpassingen.nl/producten/asa.html You probably can't understand a word of dutch, but the picture says it all!). Downside of that system is that it makes the chair about 4" higher. My chair'll be to high to make that 34". I know the backrest of the normall C500s can be collapsed down for this, and I'm told it'll probably also be able on the C500KB-s (it's too new of a chair overhere, so the company providing them haven't tried it yet!). We'll have to try after delivery anyway, with me getting extra things put into the back and with the bouncing-system.

I'm not that smart with technicall stuff, so I'm making sure that they don't just tell me how to do this, but actually show me and let me try to guide someone through this. With that experience, me there when checking it in and some laminated cards on the chair how to work it, it should work out fine.

I'm used to the longer wait at bagage-claim and gate. On one of my flights it was explained it had to do with the chair being in another container in another cargo-part of the plain than the luggage. But than again, that was an intercontinental flight, and I doubt them doing that for a 2 hour flight or something. I'm not that bothered with the wait, as my luggage allways comes in last at bagageclaim anyway. I'm very patient, I'll wait untill I'm 60 if I have to, I'm simply not getting of any plane without one of my own chairs there. (doing that will have a 99% change of ending up in hospital, and I'm no fool for doing that to make someones job more conveniant) Even AMS airport gets that, and there the most difficult airport I've ever been on. (too bad it's my home airport) Waiting some time for the second chair, oh well if that's everything? They won't hear a peep out of me.

Getting the powerchair up to the gate, that sounds so appealing. That'll make everything so much easier at MCO. If only AMS would not be such a pain in the butt. This is a hard choice to make. Mkes me wonder; at AMS they won't let me check the powerchair in at the gate, so I assume that would mean at MCO I can't have it brought to the gate. If that were the case, it is really worthwhile thinking about not bringing the manual. Hmm, that just rang a bell. Even if I check in at the gate with the powerchair at MCO, when arriving at AMS, they simply won't delivere it to the gate and my manual (if taking it with me) will be checked in, so that won't come to the gate either. This gives me so much more stuff to think about and find the best choice for my travel. It's about time there were one set of rules internationally, instead of about 1001 different.

This makes me look at my place all new again. We've got a great system (still?) for getting everything arranged in the own home and a pretty good healthcare system, but for being disabled and getting out into public we are so behind countries like America or Australia. OK, I'm starting to rant now, time for bed!

 

[pugdog]

Thats a cool seating system. DW is also getting a new permobil 300. On that one there are 3 clips and 2 thumb screws to loosen to take the back off and it will fit. She is getting the Corpus system so mabe the 500 is simular.

 

[madenon]

Cool system, he. Especially designed for the wheelchair for people with my disease (was allready in use off course in trucks).

The C500s (or as they call it; corpus s) has the same system to make the back fold in as the 300. Corpus is the basic line, as I'm told. As far as my knowledge goes, the difference between the 500 and 300 is the size and capability. They are pretty much the same, but the 500 is a bit bigger and a lot heavier, has bigger capacity batteries, is available in a higher speed (that's what the S stands for) and therefor you can drive quite a bit longer. The only thing I found weird is the electrical range of motion in the back. Where I would think that can be the same for both, the 500 has 10 degrees more range than the 300.

Just curious by the way; the choice of colour of the chair in the usa, is it so bad overthere also? We've only got the choice of black, grey-black check, dark green, dark blue or dark red. No colours I can identify with, anyway.

One question that I've got; taking the powerchair to the gate at MCO, does that mean they allow you to go untill the gate and than having to transfer to a airport manual chair to actually board, or can you board in the own chair and transfer in the galley/hallway of the plane to an onboard wc? If the first thing is the case, that's cuts my options down. Doing the bump of getting through the door/over the "threshold" in my own chairs is bad enough, no way I'm doing that in an airportchair.

 

[pugdog]

Yes they only have about 4 or 5 colors to pick from here too. Yes the 500 is also a beefed up 300 with more power and bigger batteries but we are upgrading to the bigger batteries. Insurance will only pay for the 300 but we can upgrade some things so it will be close to the 500.

If you take your chair to the gate then they will just transfer you to the onboard aslie chair then to your seat.

 

[madenon]

Those darned insurance companies. I hate it when rules determine what wc somebody can get instead of their needs. Overhere the wc are provided by the council (or is that an english word, not american?). They do it just the other way round; they cover the C500 but not the C300.

Thnx by the way for the gate info. That cuts down the choices (which in a way I don't mind). The powerchair goes as checked luggage, and the manual is coming as carry on. If it is coming, starting to doubt about that one. (what do you mean Libras can't make up their minds? )