Leaving in 5 days and now this!!!

[monicatb]

We've been planning this 18 day trip to California for 8 months. We're leaving next Wednesday (03/24) to San Francisco, and will work our way down to DLR, planning to get there on 03/31. Two days ago my DH hurt his knee badly and today the doctor told him that he has a broken ligament and he will need surgery when the swelling is reduced, in about 3 weeks Considering that we have everything planned, and many things were paid beforehand, he says that he doesn't need to cancel the trip, as long as he wears a knee protection, but he will need to slow things down. I don't know how we can manage all this. We're really bummed.

 

[8timesblessed]

Sorry about that. It's so hard to plan ahead. Maybe you can rent a scooter or something to make it easier on him. Don't let it ruin your trip, I'm sure you will still have a great time!

 

[MG3G]

I can't comment about the rest of your trip but the DLR part will be fine! Although I am sure he is in pain - it is better to be in pain on vacation then at home

Actually we just did an 8 day trip with our kids one of whom has chronic illness and needed to be in a wheelchair. (He is tiny so we used a stroller instead but same difference.)

Disney is AMAZING for people who need extra help! Either rent a wheelchair (which I would highly recommend so he doesn't do more damage to himself) or go to guest services and get a guest assistance card telling them that he can not stand in lines. --I believe they have areas where you can sit and wait your turn if you can't stand BUT if he does go the wheelchair route every ride and attraction can accomodate you and your entire group!!! Most of the lines are through the exit and are pretty short, some are longer then going through the regular line but when you can sit if you need to then it isn't too bad to wait - a very few places you go in the regular line and just bring the wheelchair in the line with you.

We went on every ride some many times. If you want more specific info about any rides/attractions pm me and I can tell you about how to access that ride and how long the line was.

Good luck and have a great vacation!

 

[toocherie]

Don't fret! to avoid strain on the family from pushing a wheelchair he should rent a scooter from an off-site company. Where are you staying? if on-site then no problemo--if off-site will need to figure out a way for him to get to the scooter to and from the parks.

The two companies people use most are Deckert's and OC Medical. You can also rent scooters at the park but the walk in and out to get there may be too much for him.

Let us know more details about where you are staying and I can give you better advice.

 

[wdwfan22]

I know it must be heartbreaking to have such a big wonderful trip planned,and have this unexpected injury happen, but just try and go with the flow. We have had a member of our family have to be in a wheelchair before in DW and it was fine. You don't rush as much from place to place, but it is still just as wonderful. Try to look on the positive side and know it could be much worse. Savor every moment on the trip, and know that you are lucky you are all together as a family and that is what matters the most!!

 

[monicatb]

We're staying at the Desert Inn and Suites. Luckily he doesn't have that much pain, but he has to walk very slow because he can't bend his knee normally. The doctor says that he will be able to bend it more by the time we leave, since it's only been 2 days from the accident, but still.

 

[monicatb]

I know it must be heartbreaking to have such a big wonderful trip planned,and have this unexpected injury happen, but just try and go with the flow. We have had a member of our family have to be in a wheelchair before in DW and it was fine. You don't rush as much from place to place, but it is still just as wonderful. Try to look on the positive side and know it could be much worse. Savor every moment on the trip, and know that you are lucky you are all together as a family and that is what matters the most!!

I know what you mean. We have a friend that has been in a wheelchair for about 12 years, since an accident she had, and she travels everywhere with her family (DH and 3 kids). When I think of her, I know we can manage this. I just have to know what is the best way to go because it's Disney plus everything else, San Francisco, Monterey, LA, San Diego, Legoland, Universal, etc. Thanks for your kind words.

 

[toocherie]

then no problem--rent a scooter from an offsite company, you can keep it and re-charge it each night in your hotel room (or bell services at your hotel might do it) and he can ride into and out of Disneyland every day on the scooter. Keep the charger with you and if you stop for a meal or rest look around--chances are there will be an outlet where you can plug in and re-charge--although most scooters last all day anyway.

Don't worry--it will be fine--call Deckert's or OC medical and you're set. If he wants to try one out first--take him to a grocery store or Target or Costco--they have ones that are different but pretty similar.

 

[seadd67]

a little slower Is better then no trip right?. If he has a little movment the scooter will be great,and just park It at the front of the rides and the cm will bring It around to the end. Dont worry at least on vacation,the mouse will take care of you

 

[tanyaewa]

That is a bummer {{{hug}}}
My 5yo son broke his leg 2 days before a much planned family trip to Maui.
We were stunned but rallyed and rented a wheelchair and enjoyed an amazing 3 weeks!

 

[Gisele]

I sure am sorry to learn of your DH's knee injury. I hope a fast and speedy recovery for him.
My concern would be pain, and his injury worsening. For myself, the more pain I am in, the crankier I can become.
So therefore if his pain threshold is very high, and he will not worry too much about some one accidentally or otherwise hitting or touching his knee, nor the possibility of his injury becoming worse, then he will probably be OK. It really will be a matter of taking one day at a time, as the old adage goes. Now I do not mean to sound negative, I would just simply be concerned for these various reasons, if it were me, or someone that I know and like.
I hope that everything works out, and if you decide to go, to have a magical time!

 

[VallCopen]

Sorry to hear he got hurt, but the good news is you can rent a scooter and you can use the wheelchair/handicap entrance for the rides and it will help you with getting on the rides much, much faster, which makes up for him having to take it slow. My husband tore is achilles just before going and we were allowed to use the wheelchair access because he couldn't stand and walk very well with his brace. Take it slow and use the access to help offset the other slower times, have him put his leg up in the room and maybe even ice it. (my husbands ankle really swelled up after walking all day)

 

[monicatb]

Thanks everybody for your advice and good wishes. The wheelchair/scooter rental sounds like a good option. Can you give me more information of how this works while in the park and what would be your touring advice? FYI, I'm a big planner and I bought Ridemax for our trip. With Ridemax and my TGM knowledge I came up with the "ideal" touring plan that involved all the touring tips I found, like arrive before opening, use Magic Mornings, rush to Peter, follow Fantasyland's order, change to DCA, etc. etc. But now things may changed a bit, or a lot maybe. Should we dump the touring plan and take advantage of the wheelchair? Is it really an advantage?

 

[toocherie]

A scooter/wheelchair is really not an advantage. In some cases--like on pirates and small world--your wait time might actually be LONGER than the regular line. There are some instances where you will get on quicker but it varies. The reason is that they have maximums of how many disabled people can be in the ride at a time in case of a shut-down (for evacuation purposes).

The other issue with a scooter/wheelchair is that maneuvering through the crowds can be difficult. People can be so RUDE and will walk right in front of you even though they see you.

So there are negatives too--but given your husband's injury and how much walking is involved I would really recommend the scooter--that way he will be more independent, save his energy for going on rides and interacting with the family. Otherwise, I assure you he will quickly tire and spend a lot of time on a park bench. On a scooter he can keep up with the family and save his energy. City Hall can give you a brochure of how to access the rides with a scooter (i.e., where to go). California Adventure is mainstreamed so all the lines are accessible and he can ride in most times all the way to the ride vehicle and transfer.

 

[Gisele]

I second renting an ECV or is it ecv, I always mix that up. Anyway, it is essentially a scooter. Yeah, pretty sure it is evc.

 

[bluecruiser]

Thanks everybody for your advice and good wishes. The wheelchair/scooter rental sounds like a good option. Can you give me more information of how this works while in the park and what would be your touring advice? FYI, I'm a big planner and I bought Ridemax for our trip. With Ridemax and my TGM knowledge I came up with the "ideal" touring plan that involved all the touring tips I found, like arrive before opening, use Magic Mornings, rush to Peter, follow Fantasyland's order, change to DCA, etc. etc. But now things may changed a bit, or a lot maybe. Should we dump the touring plan and take advantage of the wheelchair? Is it really an advantage?

DLR has a guidebook for guests with disabilities, which has details about the accessibility options for every attraction (both DL and DCA). Since DCA was built much later, many (most or all?) of the attractions will allow a person in an ECV or wheelchair to use the regular queue. You'll find much more variation at DL, so the guide will be helpful.

You can access the DLR guidebook for guests with mobility disabilities from the following link (PDF format):
http://adisneyland.disney.go.com/media/dlr_v0200/en_US/help/Mobility1.pdf

The current online version of the guide is dated October 2009, so you might want to check at Guest Services when you arrive, to make sure you have the latest information.

 

[FourM's]

This sounds so familiar! My DH Had to have knee surgery on his blown ACL two weeks before our DL Anniversary Trip we had planned. He was still on crutches when the trip rolled around. We almost cancelled but had cancelled our Anniversary trip two years prior due to DH's surgery for a torn achilles tendon. We just decided to go for it this time. We rented a ECV from Deckerts. I would highly recommend them. They delivered the ECV to our hotel and picked it up when we were done. We stopped by City Hall on mainstreet and picked up a guide that tells you how to access the disabled entrance on all the rides. So simple! Don't let anything stop you from having a great time.

 

[Brady's Mom]

My mom has mobility issues and has a hard time walking long distances. When we went to DLR together in Dec. 08 she rented an ECV from Deckert's. I can recommend them - they were really great to work with.

She can walk - just not long distances, so rather than going in the handicap entrances in DL she just parked the scooter and went in the regular line. It was great for her to have a place to sit and rest when we were moving from place to place, but she liked feeling that she was not totally handicapped by being able to stand in the lines or use FP like the rest of us.

DLR will probably be the most scooter friendly place on your trip. San Francisco may be hard since there are so many hills and Monterey is great, but if you are going for the beach that may be a problem, too. Although probably at any public venue - the acquarium, museum of Natural History, exploratorium you could find/use a wheelchair of some kind. It might be worth calling any of the other places that you are planning on visiting and seeing if they have wheelchair rentals or even any wheelchairs available for public use.

Good luck and I hope you have a great trip.