Looking for some tips

[vboesen]

My family is visiting Disneyland in California next week and my 22 year old daughter uses a manual wheelchair to get around. She can transfer and walk short distances.

Can anybody give me some tips for our visit?

Valerie

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

At Disneyland most of the attractions are not accessible through the primary line. When you approach each attraction look for a sign indicating the disabled entrance. If you do not see one, ask a Cast Member. They will show you the location to go to.

Very often the alternate entrance is actually the exit, so you will be going against the flow of traffic.

When you go into DCA you will find that almost all of the lines for attractions are accessible and "mainlined". This is due to DL having been mostly constructed prior to the ADA and it would be extremely difficult to retrofit while DCA has been built recently.

In any attraction, at either park, where it is mainstreeamed this means that a wheelchair (or ECV) will be able to be in the main line up to the actual seating or boarding area.

Note that the only physical assistance that a Cast Member can give to a disabled Guest is to hold and steady the wheelchair. Even if you request it, they are prohibited from lifting or holding a person. They can also park a chair after you have gotten out of it and bring it back to the ride vehcile while you are exiting.

Also, If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. Post #14 deals with DisneyLand, but it does not have as much information in it as we would like to provide.

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

 

[SueM in MN]

My family is visiting Disneyland in California next week and my 22 year old daughter uses a manual wheelchair to get around. She can transfer and walk short distances.

Can anybody give me some tips for our visit?

Valerie

Since she can transfer and walk short distances, she would be able to ride pretty much anything she wants.

It would be easier for us to give you some hints if we knew a little more about her.
For example, does she have any problems with balance? any restrictions, like a heart problem that limits her ability to go on 'wilder' rides?

Post #14 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread that Cheshire Figment mentioned has a link to the text of the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities for DISNEYLAND. You can also get a written copy at the parks. It will be helpful for knowing where to get on different attractions. As Cheshire Figment mentioned, because DL is an older park, some of the attractions are only wheelchair accessible thru the exit or a wheelchair entrance. The Guidebook will help you figure out where to get in.

 

[mechurchlady]

Definitely check the Disneyland official site for what will be closed and other park information. DCA is more accessible definitely and has a companion bathroom in the Bugs Land area. That was the first time I had ever seen one in DLR. Rides are like those at WDW and other parks basically.

Some are step into rides like Space Mountain, Bobsleds, Pirates, canoes, and Canal Boats. Big Thunder Railroad is flush to the loading dock but you have to step into the car. Not sure about Indy but that is like a jeep. Other rides like the tea cups and other fantasyland rides are a step up and plop in a seat. Peter Pan is a bit low down, get me a tow truck. Nemo is the least accessible as you have to go down a circular flight of steps.

Tone is very important as every ride has lap bars and/or belts except for Screamin and the Maliboomer. A person with poor tone could sit in the lap of someone on Bobsleds and Splash Mountain to help them no go flying forward into the area in front of them. The Mulhulland mad mouse sends people to the side hard as do all mad mouse rides. A person with too much tone might start pushing on the bar or belt and risk falling out or getting hurt. Long ago some dude was on the Matterhorn bobsleds and showing off raised his hand high and caught his ring on something in the ceiling and left the ring and finger.

Some rides are back breakers like autopia where people drive right into the rear of your car and Indiana Jones whips and tosses and bounces people to the point of tears.

Please more details and we will try to help. DLR is very disabled friendly despite the fact that some doorways in Main Street are narrow, some shops are hard to maneuver, on Main Street people block the sidewalks like you can really jump the curb, lines are not mainstreamed like WDW or DCA, and to me the only safe food to eat is in the hotels or Blue Bayou.

There is a tram that is disabled accessible up a ramp and a handicapped van from the Mickey and friends parking lot. The monorail is disabled friendly and you can get a handstamp and save your admission. Nice restaurants in hotels and Downtown Disney like the Rainforest Cafe.

Parades have a disabled area but you might as well get a great spot and have one person save a spot. CMs are very nice and will help you with any questions. Check Youtube for videos. This site has many ride pictures that you can look at, not sure where and the rides at WDW are similar to DLR except like the Splash Mountain are side by side at one park and lap setting in another.

 

[Barbday62]

One thing that upset me lots at Disneyland was Haunted mansion. They will ask you when you enter if you can walk a short distance. They aer right it is a short distnace and very short wait to get on the ride. What they fail to tell you is to get out of the ride you get on a moving conveyor belt that is pointed up to get you from below to above. Its very steep for a person with disability. Now some may not have those issues and really you will get on and off much faster walking in. However we did this one time and my husband who has muscular dystrophy and only in a wheel chair part time right now almost fell trying to get out of there. We now tell them we must take the power chair in and out. we have often waited double the time but we have to for safety reason. I cant beleive they dont tell you about the exit when they ask you if you can walk a short distance.

 

[vboesen]

This is great. My daughter is pretty sturdy although her standing balance is not good. She does have a congenital heart defect, that has required 5 OH surgeries. Her surgeon said to stay away from rides with alot of G-Force, any thoughts on what rides do?

Also, has anyone stayed at the Candy Cane Inn?

 

[poohnpigletCA]

We had friends stay at the CCI and they loved it, it has its own shuttle. The ride that jumps to mind is the Finding Nemo subs. She must go down a spiral staircase. If she is not able to do that then they have a viewing room where she can stay in her chair and watch the ride.
Have a great trip!

 

[mechurchlady]

Barnstormer is pretty tame. That many heart surgeries I would avoid Indiana Jones and I would send mom in first to make sure. Roller Coasters have g-forces except for Barnstormer. Mullholland Drive is a mad mouse roller coaster that is pretty rough. Imagine driving a car at 25 mph then RIGHT TURN and your are literally going right, no gentle turns. Maliboomer might have g-force as it is one of the rides where you go to the top and zoom down. There is a kid version which us adults prefer and less gs, very tame.

Autopia to play it safe have someone in the car behind you to protect her vehicle from the idiots who are allowed to ram and ram other drivers. Candy Cane is a very nice place and does have a shuttle. Check with them about times and I think they may have disabled lifts on the shuttle but may be wrong. Taxis drop off is near Harbour but inside the park.

They can stop the Mansion but wont usually. I thought they had an elevator. Maybe not as I never needed that and avoided that right. Creeped me out.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

I've only been to DLR once, and then only for a few hours, but I'll offer what help I can. It looks like I'm in a similar situation to your daughter, in that I can walk, but need a chair outside the house (for me it's due to Fibro).

As DLR was built a fair while ago, the wheelchair access is often an after-thought, rather than being included into the design. For a lot of them, you will be directed to the exit, and will queue there with other wheelchair parties. Due to safety and evacuation restrictions, they can only have a certain amount of people with limited mobility in the ride at one time, so the line may look short, but take a long time to get through.

It looks like you've got a fair bit of information from the others already, but I'll just throw in what I can, on top of that. For Haunted Mansion, let them know she'd like to stay in the chair as long as possible, and you'll go through the stretching room and line in the chair, then it will be parked out of the way. When you get to the ride exit, you will stay in the car while everyone else unloads, and ride around to the loading area and her chair. Once you've both got out, and she's back in the chair, you will be directed back towards the stretching room, along a roped-off bit of the queue, so you don't need to fight through the oncoming hoards. You'll then ride up in the Stretching Room (now a shrinking room), and go on your merry way.

For Pirates, you join the line at the exit in New Orleans Square. When there is space for you to load, a CM will come and get you, and take you in through the exit path to the loading / unloading bay. You'll get on at the unloading side, ride through and then come right back to the chair at the end. One piece of advice, though: if she would find it hard to step over the side, onto the seat, and then down to the floor of the boat, make sure she doesn't wear a skirt! I've made this mistake twice (once at DLR, once at WDW), and it doesn't make for the most elegant of entrances to the boat

That's about all I can think of right now. The CMs are lovely, so if you have any problems, or don't know what to do, just ask one of them and they will give you a hand. If transfering into ride cars hurts or wears out your daughter, don't be embarrassed to use the accessible vehicles. I've done this on a few trips, as long as there wasn't a line of wheelchair users waiting, and it has made the difference between having to go back to the resort half way through the day, and having a full and fun day in the parks

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[vboesen]

Any thoughts on these two rides? Do either have any excessive G Force. My daughter is aching to ride them both!

Valerie

 

[DTDkettleCORNfan]

I don't really know how G-Force is to be described, but I know that on Space Mountain you do get a lot of pressure forcing you into your seats.....a lot of fast turns. I remember the ride being smooth though.....

One ride I can't stand due to excessive G-Force (I think that is what it is) is the rocket ride at the entrance to DL's Tomorrowland. It was uncomfortable for me, as I felt pressed against the side of the car as it spun.....