Let the flaming begin!

[coozieman]

We just returned from a 6 day trip on Tuesday and had a fabulous time, but I MUST speak my peace about the Bus/Scooters priority loading policy that is currently in place ( and yes I know there is a million threads on this topic)

First let me state that under no circumstances do I have an issues with the use of scooters. Whether you are disabled, have an injury etc....that's not my concern and believe that it's a fantastic solution allowing thousands of guests to tour the parks without discomfort.

What I do have an issue with is the loading policy. Why should I wait 15+ minutes with literally 100 people behind me (yes we were leaving MK after closing) have the bus pull up to the curb, then just as we are set to load, 2 scooters with over 10 family members "scoot" up, are loaded up, and with the loss of 6-8 seats due to the storage of their scooters, take up 25% of the seats?

I fully support the Priority seating policy when a guest requires my seat ( I gave mine up many times last week to elderly and/or parents holding kids) but 100% disagree with the "Hey I'm here with my scooter, immediate family, extended family, my good friends and a few next door neighbors and are bumping/cutting in front of the line."

So there - now I feel better, and as my post thread title states - Let the flaming begin!

 

[chuckm403]

We just returned from a 6 day trip on Tuesday and had a fabulous time, but I MUST speak my peace about the Bus/Scooters priority loading policy that is currently in place ( and yes I know there is a million threads on this topic)

First let me state that under no circumstances do I have an issues with the use of scooters. Whether you are disabled, have an injury etc....that's not my concern and believe that it's a fantastic solution allowing thousands of guests to tour the parks without discomfort.

What I do have an issue with is the loading policy. Why should I wait 15+ minutes with literally 100 people behind me (yes we were leaving MK after closing) have the bus pull up to the curb, then just as we are set to load, 2 scooters with over 10 family members "scoot" up, are loaded up, and with the loss of 6-8 seats due to the storage of their scooters, take up 25% of the seats?

I fully support the Priority seating policy when a guest requires my seat ( I gave mine up many times last week to elderly and/or parents holding kids) but 100% disagree with the "Hey I'm here with my scooter, immediate family, extended family, my good friends and a few next door neighbors and are bumping/cutting in front of the line."

So there - now I feel better, and as my post thread title states - Let the flaming begin!

Not flaming, just asking.. What solution to this situation would you propose?

 

[jdb in AZ]

If you were Disney, how would you change the policy?

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Not flaming, just asking.. What solution to this situation would you propose?

Wait in line like everyone else?

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

I see what you are saying. Of course the polite thing to do would be to board the scooter with rider and one person to accompany them, while the rest of the family/group stands in the regular line but I don't see it happening, or becoming Disney policy anytime soon.

And welcome home! Glad you had a great time!

 

[sukhakuli]

At Disney's California Adventure, all the new rides allow scooters to wait in the line with everyone else. They don't need a separate loading space.

There are some people, though, with certain disabilities that can't wait in line, and I'm good with them skipping the line and going straight to loading.

 

[Buffalo2Disney]

Not flaming ... Agreeing ... its an unfair system.

 

[Princess Sleepy]

Could the people with the scooters wait in line too?

Or, if that is not practical for whatever reason, I suggest that one adult be allowed to accompany the person in the scooter onto the bus without waiting in line. If the person with the scooter does not want to board without all their companions, those people not in the scooter can wait in line and when they get to the front, then they all can board. If the bus is too full, they will have first priority on the next bus.

 

[Amy]

The way I read what the op is saying.....the folks in scooters aren't waiting in line like everyone else. They just go to the front of the line, no matter how many people are ahead of them. If that's what the op is frustrated about, then I tend to agree with him.

Yes, it's difficult to maneuver a scooter/wheelchair thru the zig-zag lines at the bus stop, esp. when the park closes and there are tons of people. Perhaps a solution would be to have the "able-bodied" companion of the person in the scooter wait in line with everyone else while the person in the scooter waits off to the side. Then when the companion gets to the front of the line and is ready to board, the person in the scooter boards with him/her.

 

[DeaverTex]

A person in a scooter or wheelchair is already sitting down. Yes, they have mobility issues, and it's tough to get around the parks. However, here they are, sitting down, and no more or less in a rush than the other people around them to get to wherever the bus/monorail/whatever is going. Why do they need priority for transportation?

That last is a real question, not a rhetorical device. I'd really like to know why it's needed. And the inconvenience/hardship of being in a scooter in the first place is not really a reason, any more than having an infant in a stroller, a toddler on a leash, and a 5 year old in tow is a reason.

I can understand keeping a party together, though. But if you're at the back of the line and your party won't all fit onto the bus, then you wait for the next one where you're at the front of the line.

 

[dzorn]

Wait in line like everyone else?

Well the problem with that is for everones safety it is easier to load a scooter on an empty or almost empty bus. And what if that person waits in line and the next bus the ramp does not work or the bus is not full but to crowded to get on to. At a busy time it may be irritating, but look at it from the scooter person perspective. How often do they wait and cannot be accomidated.

I could see Disney limiting how many people may board with the scooter. And just becasue you saw ten people board with the scooter that does not mean they were actually with the scooter people. Often people will try to tag a long.

Denise in MI

 

[larryz]

 

[minushka72]

Wait in line like everyone else?

I agree! If the person in the scooter and their family/friends are waiting in the regular line for the bus then they are all boarded when it is their turn. if there are 100+ people in front of them in the line, then they need to wait until it is their turn for a bus. I understand they need to be loaded 1st when it is their turn for a bus but cutting in front of others that were waiting first should not be allowed.

 

[jayandstacey]

Is it possible that the "GAC" system could extend to the use of the busses, then be applied similarly?

- A group would have to wait in line just like everyone else until they get their GAC.
- When the bus driver pulls up, s/he will ask for any GAC cards first. Those people can then load first, with families, to whatever extent the GAC allows. Not all GACs will allow priority loading.
- When people load (Assuming no GACs) they must leave the 'handicapped' seating open until it is clear that there's no one to fill the seat. Then it can be occupied.

Without a GAC allowing such access, no special loading privledges.

(NB: I'm not a GAC expert; there may be good reason why this plan can't work. It is just a thought as this issue seems to have been solved inside the parks.)

 

[Finally08]

I have also always found it unfair that because a group has a scooter/wheelchair with them, it somehow means they are entitled to seats ahead of all the people who have been waiting much longer than them.

I actually had a lengthy conversation on a bus one night with a lady who had a guest assistance card, who jumped to the front of the line (right in front of me, who had chosen to wait for the next bus so my daughter could sit). She apparently had ankle surgery years ago after blowing out her ankle from years of gymnastics/cheerleading etc. However, she was able to walk all around the parks for days on end...but when it came bus time she needed a seat. Anyway, I told her I completely understood why needed the GAC to have a seat for herself (although admittedly, I didn't since she could walk miles all day lol), but I didn't understand why her husband, and her two older children also deserved to be seated along side her when we were on a packed standing-room-only bus, and all of those people standing had been there long before her or her family and deserved seats more than them (them as in her healthy family, not her).

I could get a GAC for my daughter's issues but I choose not to (I talked with the lady about all this too). But I guarantee you that even if I did get a GAC card, my husband and teenaged son would not be putting their butts in seats ahead of others who waited longer than us. I might seat my daughter (maybe on my lap) and those two could stand as the rest of the bus loaded.

 

[tink20]

I agree with OP, but don't really have a good solution to the problem.

 

[PeterPan09]

The way I read what the op is saying.....the folks in scooters aren't waiting in line like everyone else. They just go to the front of the line, no matter how many people are ahead of them. If that's what the op is frustrated about, then I tend to agree with him.

Yes, it's difficult to maneuver a scooter/wheelchair thru the zig-zag lines at the bus stop, esp. when the park closes and there are tons of people. Perhaps a solution would be to have the "able-bodied" companion of the person in the scooter wait in line with everyone else while the person in the scooter waits off to the side. Then when the companion gets to the front of the line and is ready to board, the person in the scooter boards with him/her.

I like that solution, but to implement it you would have to have a CM at every bus queue and I can't see Disney doing that.

 

[JEFFSWIFE11]

I agree! If the person in the scooter and their family/friends are waiting in the regular line for the bus then they are all boarded when it is their turn. if there are 100+ people in front of them in the line, then they need to wait until it is their turn for a bus. I understand they need to be loaded 1st when it is their turn for a bus but cutting in front of others that were waiting first should not be allowed.

I totally agree!! I was just talking with my DH about this yesterday.

 

[tallen429]

A person in a scooter or wheelchair is already sitting down. Yes, they have mobility issues, and it's tough to get around the parks. However, here they are, sitting down, and no more or less in a rush than the other people around them to get to wherever the bus/monorail/whatever is going. Why do they need priority for transportation?

That last is a real question, not a rhetorical device. I'd really like to know why it's needed. And the inconvenience/hardship of being in a scooter in the first place is not really a reason, any more than having an infant in a stroller, a toddler on a leash, and a 5 year old in tow is a reason.

YES. This.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

I also agree with OP and really don't have any other solutions either. I also question why (and I'm assuming because of the way many queues are too winding and narrow for scooter navigation) those in scooters don't have to wait in ride lines either and get to be loaded right away?

Like OP, I also don't have any issues with the use of scooters or with those who use them, I just question the fairness to all.