Just back, some observations...

[DisMN]

Like I said before, I'm no engineer, but I'm thinking what about a double decker bus? One where the whole first level is filled with wheelchair hook-ups and a second level just for people on foot so they could go upstairs and wait in air-conditioned comfort while the multiple mobility devices are loaded below.

QUOTE]

I think this is a great idea, no idea if it would work, but bravo!!!

I think it's a great idea too and a time saver as well! I don't know about it needing to be a double decker but what about having an entire area of a bus be for wheelchairs/scooters? While the bus driver is getting that area situated the rest of the bus could be filling.

I completely understand why scooters get to load first but I also experience the frustration of having to wait, sometimes feeling uncomfortably unwell. I wish there were a solution, at least something better than they way they currently do it.

Also to anyone who thinks people using scooters and wheelchairs should have to prove it......no way, no way, no WAY! I'll put up with a few fakers thanks. I have no desire to see handicapped people screened, scrutinized or tested to see if they're genuinely handicapped. If ever there was a bad idea.......................

 

[going/again]

OK so I must comment, and while I'm not trying to be offensive, you may find it so, however, I feel obligated to say this. Just because a person uses an ECV doesn't make them more pious than anyone else. People with disabilities are just like people without them. Just like us TAB's there are individuals that are happy, sad, angry, resentful, assertive, passive, have a sense of entitlement, and are capable of every other emotion that an able bodied person has, and some are capable of expressing their discomfort at having to wait, again just like any able bodies person is. Why do people find it so impossible to believe?

was the(you may find it) aimed at me in particular, as you replied to my post if so why no reply to any of the points i made?, if not sorry.

 

[fairydust1278]

ok then since we are going in 2012 and my mom will be bringing her scooter i guess we will have to wait to be the last people in line and i mean very last last so as not to upset anyone by trying to get on a bus. if that means waiting hrs then it means waiting hrs. i would not want to offend anyone by being loaded before them.

 

[bartleby1]

Also to anyone who thinks people using scooters and wheelchairs should have to prove it......no way, no way, no WAY! I'll put up with a few fakers thanks. I have no desire to see handicapped people screened, scrutinized or tested to see if they're genuinely handicapped. If ever there was a bad idea.......................

I couldn't agree with you more. AND, those who cheat the system currently, would STILL find a way to cheat the system. It really would only penalize the innocent. The guilty would still find a way to get around the "proof".

 

[going/again]

Incidentally, the only issue I witnessed in the two-week trip I just returned from was long bus lines at park closing, where *everyone* was waiting for a while. And any time more than three people/families with a member using either a wheelchair or a scooter ended up on the accessible line, at least one, and sometimes two of them had to wait for a second or third bus to arrive (even though in equal cases they had arrived long before the on-foot people that were able to board ahead of them), simply because there were only 2 spots on each bus that could accommodate them./QUOTE]

your not supposed to notice things like that, as it throws all the so called bias and privelige into doubt. but thanks anyway.

 

[going/again]

My proof? I know them - have known them for 8 years - I know she always gets a scooter every single time she goes here or anywhere else where there is a lot of walking. And I know she only uses it due to the fact that she doesn't like to walk, is out of shape, and finds she can cover more ground in a scooter and likes the fact that she can bring her entire family (hubby, kids, grandkids) with her to the bypass line (not sure if they still have bypass lines) and other places.

And don't put words in my mouth - what exactly would I deny the TRULY needy of? What exactly?? To have to give your medical note to the scooter rental place? If you ARE the truly needy that need a medical device than you would have documentation of that. So no, no truly needy person would be denied anything.

I didnt put words in your mouth, you cant be made to produce anything, so no one has to provide any proof, but some chose to look at others and decide they are not truly needy, you came across to me as one of these people. If I am wrong please accept my apologies

 

[going/again]

I think the problem with the scooters are the extended families and friends that board the bus. I have seen 8 to 10 people board with the scooter user. Many times they pull up to the bus stop with their many followers, after people have waiting for sometime. They all pile on first and the seats are taken. I'm getting older and can appreciate people having to use scooters and am glad they can enjoy WDW.

This is wrong and is where Disney is failing, to both sides in this argument

 

[creativeamanda]

I don't think anyone with a disability should have to prove they have a disability.

That being said, for goodness sakes, if you have to use a scooter, please don't let Disney be the first time you've ever used one. In June, I thought this lady was going to run over the bus driver trying to get situated. Her daughter was there saying, "This is the first time she's used one of those and she's not good with it." Please, please, please practice using one before you go to Disney.

 

[disneysteve]

Please, please, please practice using one before you go to Disney.

How exactly does someone do that if they don't own a scooter at home?

 

[dskib]

I am blessed to be able bodied and not in need of a scooter. And maybe I'm a bit of an optimist, but I always assume that those on the scooters need them. And after reading this thread, I plan on reminding myself of that fact whenever I have to wait for a bus because a scooter or 2 got boarded first. I appreciate the insight from those who need to ride.

I do wish, however, that those renting their ECVs from Disney had to get a little training and get an okay before being allowed into the crowds. My father in law was a menace in his power chair and I can't imagine how many people he would have bumped into in a place like WDW! These are heavy pieces of equipment that, in the hands of the inexperienced, Could really hurt someone. Especially little someones.

Deb

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Boohoo. Already 17 pages and not one single person taking me up on the irresistable offer of enjoying al off those enormous perks like boarding first. I'm starting to think there is something wrong with... could it be........ me?





Suzannekelder; how did you nick come about? Happen to have any European anchestors perhaps?

 

[creativeamanda]

How exactly does someone do that if they don't own a scooter at home?

You can rent one from a home medical products store.

 

[POOHsie]

ok then since we are going in 2012 and my mom will be bringing her scooter i guess we will have to wait to be the last people in line and i mean very last last so as not to upset anyone by trying to get on a bus. if that means waiting hrs then it means waiting hrs. i would not want to offend anyone by being loaded before them.

Just ignore the negative posters here. They stir things up because they are anonymous. When you get to Disney, you won't notice anything but your wonderful loved ones and the great time you are all having. Go by Disney rules to board their transportation. It will all be good. Trust me, I use my scooter every trip.

 

[going/again]

First, I will admit - I have not read every post in this thread (at 16 pages...would take all day!)

My question is, what is the explanation Disney gives for scooters getting 'front of the line" access when the bus arrives? I can appreciate it taking a few minutes longer to load/unload a scooter, and needing to keep families together, but I don't get why a scooter gets to go in front of all those ahead of them. If they're well enough to scoot around the park all day, surely they can wait their turn in the bus queue?

its a safety issue nothing more nothing less, no privelige no favouritism, also its not front of the line you have to park in a seperate place where the diasabled signs are so the driver can see you , if you do get in line when you come to board the drivers tell you where to park next time , and tell you its so we can see you.

 

[canopynut66]

Just ignore the negative posters here. They stir things up because they are anonymous. When you get to Disney, you won't notice anything but your wonderful loved ones and the great time you are all having. Go by Disney rules to board their transportation. It will all be good. Trust me, I use my scooter every trip.

So true... some still missing the point that it is the "law" when to load what and when.

 

[POOHsie]

I do wish, however, that those renting their ECVs from Disney had to get a little training and get an okay before being allowed into the crowds. My father in law was a menace in his power chair and I can't imagine how many people he would have bumped into in a place like WDW! These are heavy pieces of equipment that, in the hands of the inexperienced, Could really hurt someone. Especially little someones. Deb

I agree that a little training should be strongly suggested. Getting an OK is an iffy proposition, legally. Would that mean if the scooter driver injured someone, they could blame the scooter rental company because they gave their OK? See, it gets murky real fast.

Some people do not belong on scooters. If they can't drive anymore because of diminished motor skills, they shouldn't be on a scooter. I am not sure if people driving scooters recklessly have been asked to give up their scooters. I have seen scooter drivers warned about losing their scooter when they have had a child riding with them.

I encountered a family at DTD, and grandma was going round and round in tight circles on her 3-wheel scooter with granddaughter aboard. I went over and stopped her and first explained she couldn't have a 2nd person on board, she risked losing her scooter rental, and the scooter could very easily tip and injure her or the child. Then I showed her my wrapped up wrist and bruise from my elbow to mid-forearm from my scooter tipping over the day before (I was riding alone). She stopped.

 

[kaytieeldr]

And don't put words in my mouth - what exactly would I deny the TRULY needy of? What exactly?? To have to give your medical note to the scooter rental place? If you ARE the truly needy that need a medical device than you would have documentation of that. So no, no truly needy person would be denied anything.

You would force most of the medical rental companies to change the way they do business.

Currently, most will simply deliver the equipment to the resort by a designated time on the scheduled day; only Randy's in the WDW area delivers directly to the renter. Requiring a - what, signed, certified, computer-generated? - documentation from a - what, doctor, nurse practitioner, acupuncturist? - before allowing a customer to rent would mean the companies would need to hire more personnel and change the way they do business.

So, you see, it's not simple at all.

 

[fairydust1278]

Just ignore the negative posters here. They stir things up because they are anonymous. When you get to Disney, you won't notice anything but your wonderful loved ones and the great time you are all having. Go by Disney rules to board their transportation. It will all be good. Trust me, I use my scooter every trip.

thank you for the positive post! she has owned her own scooter for 2 years now and drives it very well. we are driving down but will be using the busses to get around. i just cannot believe all the negativity concerning those that use them. i have already told her to pay those with negative remarks/attitude no nevermind. we are going to enjoy our vacation and not let others ruin the magic for us!

 

[going/again]

I agree that a little training should be strongly suggested. Getting an OK is an iffy proposition, legally. Would that mean if the scooter driver injured someone, they could blame the scooter rental company because they gave their OK? See, it gets murky real fast.
.

Dont know about offsite but at Disney. you have to so I believe sign a waiver,so if you hit or hurt someone its down to you, no comeback on Disney

 

[kaytieeldr]

So he was happy to share that front of the line access is granted and it was especially helpful on rides like Soarin.

Wow! I wish I knew that guy's secret because I have my own scooter, have been to WDW many times, have Lupus, Neurofibromatosis, Type I, was diagnosed with RA at the age of 12, so have a lot of degeneration (especially in my spine) and had a stroke a few months ago. I still don't get to go to the front of the lines--in fact, I often have to wait longer to get on because of other HC people in line before me or the fact that there is just 1 HC car per ride.

I'd like to know that man's secret as well. Soarin'/Soarin' Over California is my second favorite attraction in the U.S. Disney parks (Kilimanjaro Safari is the first - I could ride that all day!). The only time I've EVER not waited in a line all the way to the boarding area is at DCA, where, once or twice they were looking for single riders. Yes, even on the ECV I was able to bypass PART of the line after I'd already waited in part of it, to fill a single available seat, ahead of perhaps a dozen or so Guests who didn't want to split up their parties. Those Guests had to wait for the next flight.

I don't consider that 'skipping' or going to the front of the line. A solo Guest on foot would have been afforded the same opportunity.