Knee Replacement?

[swilson14]

My dad just had knee replacement on July 7. I am pretty sure that he will still be really sore when we go to disney world August 31-September 5. I have never went to disney world with a handicapped person so I have so many questions.
First of all the other family we are traveling with said that you do not have to wait in line and you just enter the fastpass line. Is this true? I can see how it could be true because wheelchairs are just too big in the standby line. However, I can see that this couldn't be true for some reasons. I could see many people just paying for wheelchairs so they wouldn't have to wait forever.
My next question is how much are the scooters to rent at disney? Also do you have to call in advance to get one? Like I said I have never went to disney with a handicapped person and so all of this is new to me. Thanks for the help.

 

[SueM in MN]

What your friend told you is not true.
Most of the regular lines are wide enough for a wheelchair and in most cases, guests with wheelchairs and ECVs wait in the same line with everyone else.
As has been pointed out in several thread, the wait for someone with a wheelchair or ECV may wait even longer because either they have to wait for a specific car or people with disabilities are not loaded right away.

There is more information i the disABILITIES FAQs thread - you can find information about renting ECVs and wheelchairs there.

 

[samjae]

I cannot answer the questions that you have asked,but was your fathers op very painful and how long had his knee been bad before he decided to have the replacement. The reason I am asking is that my sister might have to consider this in the future

 

[kimsuenew]

My dad just had knee replacement on July 7. I am pretty sure that he will still be really sore when we go to disney world August 31-September 5. I have never went to disney world with a handicapped person so I have so many questions.
First of all the other family we are traveling with said that you do not have to wait in line and you just enter the fastpass line. Is this true? I can see how it could be true because wheelchairs are just too big in the standby line. However, I can see that this couldn't be true for some reasons. I could see many people just paying for wheelchairs so they wouldn't have to wait forever.
My next question is how much are the scooters to rent at disney? Also do you have to call in advance to get one? Like I said I have never went to disney with a handicapped person and so all of this is new to me. Thanks for the help.

No, it is not true. This is a very common misconception. Being in a wheelchair or EVC, or having a GAC, does not give a front of the line pass. Sue will be along to answer, she is a fountain of information! Also, on these boards are "sticky's"... one that may offer a wealth of info for you is http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713 (just click the link). I believe renting an EVC is now $45.00 a day onsite and they are "first come, first served" only (no reserving)... I am sure you would be better of renting from an outside company so he can have it 24/7. I hope he does very well with his recovery!

 

[swilson14]

I cannot answer the questions that you have asked,but was your fathers op very painful and how long had his knee been bad before he decided to have the replacement. The reason I am asking is that my sister might have to consider this in the future

his knee had been bad for about 20 years (he is 45). He hurt it in church league basketball. It gave him so much trouble and a lady from our church did the surgery and was back up in 2 weeks. She is also going to disney in October.

 

[mickeyluvr004]

I cannot answer the questions that you have asked,but was your fathers op very painful and how long had his knee been bad before he decided to have the replacement. The reason I am asking is that my sister might have to consider this in the future

Hi I just wanted to let you know that my mom had this she is 64 and she had this surgery last year july 13th and we went to disney sept 11 - 17 and she had absolutely no problems at all she never used a wheelchair either, she said it was the best decision she ever made having the knee replacement. good luck and also my aunt also just had this done so i guess its pretty popular

 

[zumbergc]

Think about renting from an offsite location. Its going to be rough getting around the resort, and getting from the resort to the bus, and park to bus, at the end of the day, a scooter to motor back, is going to be great.

Having and achy knee is going to be rough enough.
Don't forget you can get an ice pack at the first aid stations in the park. Plus, if he brings an ice pack, one of those refillable ones, you can get a cup of ice at most counter service locations to fill up your ice pack.

plus, don't forget to bring any pain meds, over the counter or otherwise. Pain meds don't help if you leave them in your room, and your in the park.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

You've got a load of good advice already, but I'll just throw in a few things for good measure.

As others have said, you don't get to skip the line with a wheelchair. Almost all of the lines now are mainstreamed, meaning wheelchair and ECV users go through the same line as everyone else. With a lot of rides, you will go all, or most, of the way through the regular line, then be pulled off to board at an alternative place (usually the exit). This can make the wait in line a bit longer, but it will also make it a lot more comfortable for your father.

When you get to an attraction, you will usually find a CM at the entrance to the line. He or she will direct you where to go and what to do. For some attractions, it's not possible to get an ECV through the line. In these cases, they will have wheelchairs which he can transfer into. The rides are marked on the map with a picture of an ECV with an arrow pointing at a wheelchair (the key describes what all the different symbols mean).

If he wants to walk at any point, the ECV will be perfectly safe. Just park it neatly in the stroller parking, take the key and leave a poncho over it to stop it getting wet if it rains (make sure the electrical controls are well protected to prevent damage. If it isn't in exactly the same place when you get back to the parking area, don't panic. The CMs will sometimes tidy up the parking area, and may put the ECV into freewheeling mode to move it a little.

As others have said, you might want to consider renting from an external company. This way he would have the ECV for the whole trip; could use it around the resort and at DTD; and wouldn't need to worry about the park rentals running out (which they can do, especially at busy times). They also tend to work out cheaper over the whole trip, and are usually more maneuverable.

If he does rent from an external company, you will be able to take the ECV on all Disney transport (other than one or two of the little boats that run on the MK lake, I think). The buses have either a lift or a ramp. With a lift, he'd have to reverse on, then maneuver and park. If he finds he is more comfortable with a ramped bus, you can ask the driver to radio for one. I've never done this, as I've always used a manual chair, but I've heard of others doing it without too much of a problem. He might want to get a little practice in at the resort, before you tackle buses and busy parks. As long as he knows how to go and stop, adjust the speed, reverse and turn left or right whilst going backwards or forwards, he'll be fine. Oh, being able to 'parallel park' is also extremely useful on the buses.

Hope this is of some help to you, but if you have any more questions, come give us a shout! Travelling with a wheelchair can seem daunting at first, but once you get there and get into the swing of things, it will be just as easy and fun as any other trip!

 

[Dedejf]

I cannot answer the questions that you have asked,but was your fathers op very painful and how long had his knee been bad before he decided to have the replacement. The reason I am asking is that my sister might have to consider this in the future



To answer your questions: I have had four joints replaced. Both shoulders and both knees. The pain I was suffering prior to joint replacement was unbearable for at least two years. The pain I suffer now is minimal and more of a "stiffening up" if I hold one knee in a backwards position for too long (for example, if I'm sitting in a booth at a restaurant and keep my knee bent backwards in one position for a long time). The surgeries went extremely well and I would describe the recovery and physical therapy as quite comfortable. However, having said that, I've had friends and relatives who would describe their recoveries and p.t. as totally miserable. I had no choice as I would be confined to a wheelchair today if I had not had my knees replaced. If your sister decides to have this done, I would recommend finding an excellent surgeon who is knowledgeable performing "minimally invasive" knee replacement as well as one who believes in a femoral nerve block. I feel both of those practices made my surgery and recovery much easier. Good luck to her.

 

[ntsammy5]

I had a TKR in Feb 2007 and was walking OK at two months after, but not well enough to do Disney without a ECV. I was there at 5 months after surgery and had no problems. It depends on a lot of different factors, like age and overall fitness. I was 60 and was in good shape prior to the surgery. It will also depend a lot on how he does in PT. I had trouble early on but the progressed pretty quickly after the first 3 weeks. Everyone is different. Good luck

 

[swilson14]

Ok so we just put our order in to buena vista scooter company. We are getting the Celebrity. Thank you so much for everyones help on this subject. Like I said this is our first time with a wheelchair and i would have been so lost as to what to do.

Today we decided that we would just let him ride in from ride to ride and get off at the rides. We have 10 people in our group and just don't have time to wait on they wheelchair boat or whatever to come.

As for the deal about your scooter not being there once the ride is over we know about this! My goodness! We had about a $150.00 stoller with us last year after Pooh ride we came off and it wasn't there! We were freaking out! The CMs were very nice and explained where they were. And we are so excited! 22 more days!!!​