Magic kingdom problems

[teacher1717]

We are just wrapping up an 11 day trip to the world. It has been a great trip, orobably one of our bests- but Magic Kingdom has been a bit of a disaster. My partner in crime has type 1 diabetes & a ton if complications that go along with it (like severe neuropathy in her feet/legs.) we rented a scooter for the week & were able to obtain a DAS pass.

The combination if fast pass plus & DAS pass worked great. I booked our rides at 60 days out & did them back to back & we then used the DAS for 1 additional big ride. It was really a great system.

All the parks were great with the accommodations with the exception of the magic kingdom. I actually felt like we were being punished for her disabilities & like they were trying to "stick it to us" because people had taken advantage of the GAC for so long.
Some example
- used a wheel chair on the pirates line since they can't accommodate a scooter. The forgot to bring it to the ride exit & then proceeded to tell me that there was no one around to bring it right now
- refused to slow down the runway on buzz & told me that accommodations should have been asked for before I got up to this part. Although she had the remote in her hand & that's how we always did it.
- they tried to shove 4 adult sized people into a boat on Peter Pan after I told them that we can't sit on top of each other because it woul be painful, we wound up not boarding that one at all
- at haunted mansion we go through the regular room& skip the stretching room, we waited for them to pick us up by the moseleum & then they forgot about us & each person I asked told me the next person would do it- we waited over 30 minutes just there
- her sugar crashed as we were waiting to be paged for dinner at be out guest, she was shaking & sweating (it was over 100 degrees) they refused to Allie her to sit in the shade, we had to stay on the bridge until it buzzed

We had no problems & any other parks & eventually decided just to cut our losses at magic kingdom. I did go to city hall to complain& explained that I didn't want anything, however the entire climate if how her disabilities were handled at that park was awful, just awful. If we were treated badly, I imagine others were as well. I don't know why the other parks can run so smoothly & Magic kingdom was just awful.

 

[asta]

Sorry to hear this. It does sound like you were treated rudely.

 

[geek+nerd]

How horrible! I use a wheelchair, no DAS needed, and MK is always where we have the most trouble. Buzz Lightyear and Haunted Mansion are a bit notorious, I think, for how they (don't) handle accommodations. We always have problems there; in fact, last trip we didn't even try HM because we didn't want to deal with the hassle. I'm glad that you were able to cut your losses at MK and still enjoy your trip.

 

[teacher1717]

It was just a stark contrast to all the other parks. Trust me, we don't ask for special treatment& we know we'll have to wait a bit longer for lots of things, but it was really just not fun. There were even more examples that I didn't post.

We love EPCOT & spent a lot of time there & we found a new love of Animal Kingdom, in the end it was still a great trip!

 

[ttintagel]

The Haunted Mansion and Pirates are always where I've had the most trouble getting accommodations. (Like, the CM at Pirates telling me they weren't allowed to send guests up in the elevator, even though I was on crutches and the speedramp was broken, and the HM CM who kept shouting me down, insisting that a way into the Mansion without going through the stretching room didn't exist.) Maybe it's because it's the busiest park or something, but it does seem to be where the most CM's with chips on their shoulders get assigned.

 

[BillSears]

Haunted Mansion is my favorite MK ride and it's also the only ride I ever left prior to boarding. I was once yelled at by a CM because I wasn't willing to ram other guests and was waiting for the opening in the crowd. His literal quote was "Just go into them, they'll move out of the way." After waiting at the side gate watching people walk on and then off of the ride while I still waited his comments were the last straw. I just couldn't handle it so instead of arguing I just left.

Buzz hasn't been to bad for me other then going through the line then waiting at the exit for my turn on the WC ride vehicle.

 

[teacher1717]

We were yelled at on Peter Pan- actually yelled at by a 20 something kid named Chris. Clearly, there was little "magic" in the kingdom.

 

[sleepingbean]

Oh my. I am really sorry to hear this! I hope it was just a bad luck day and that next time the magic will be back for you. So sorry.

 

[UpstateMick]

I find it VERY hard to believe that they were trying to "force" 4 adults into a boat at Peter Pan! I have NEVER seen 4 people in the same seat on that ride.

 

[paisleys]

I find it VERY hard to believe that they were trying to "force" 4 adults into a boat at Peter Pan! I have NEVER seen 4 people in the same seat on that ride.

Me too! We are a family of four, two are 50 pound children and we always ride one parent one child. I think the ride operator even recommended it once.

 

[lizard1]

I find it VERY hard to believe that they were trying to "force" 4 adults into a boat at Peter Pan! I have NEVER seen 4 people in the same seat on that ride.

I can believe it. They forced me to ride with my 3 kids (one who is as big as me). There wasn't an issue related to age, so we could have done 2 separate boats. We were sitting on top of each other. I saw it happen to several other families in front of us as well. When there was a group of 4 that contained kids, they made them all board one.

 

[bidnow5]

They tried to put 3 adults in Peter Pan once but I just said no and we sat in two I will never allow them to hurt me for the sake of saving a few seconds

 

[SmallWorld71]

We are just wrapping up an 11 day trip to the world. It has been a great trip, orobably one of our bests- but Magic Kingdom has been a bit of a disaster. My partner in crime has type 1 diabetes & a ton if complications that go along with it (like severe neuropathy in her feet/legs.) we rented a scooter for the week & were able to obtain a DAS pass.

The combination if fast pass plus & DAS pass worked great. I booked our rides at 60 days out & did them back to back & we then used the DAS for 1 additional big ride. It was really a great system.

All the parks were great with the accommodations with the exception of the magic kingdom. I actually felt like we were being punished for her disabilities & like they were trying to "stick it to us" because people had taken advantage of the GAC for so long.
Some example
- used a wheel chair on the pirates line since they can't accommodate a scooter. The forgot to bring it to the ride exit & then proceeded to tell me that there was no one around to bring it right now
- refused to slow down the runway on buzz & told me that accommodations should have been asked for before I got up to this part. Although she had the remote in her hand & that's how we always did it.
- they tried to shove 4 adult sized people into a boat on Peter Pan after I told them that we can't sit on top of each other because it woul be painful, we wound up not boarding that one at all
- at haunted mansion we go through the regular room& skip the stretching room, we waited for them to pick us up by the moseleum & then they forgot about us & each person I asked told me the next person would do it- we waited over 30 minutes just there
- her sugar crashed as we were waiting to be paged for dinner at be out guest, she was shaking & sweating (it was over 100 degrees) they refused to Allie her to sit in the shade, we had to stay on the bridge until it buzzed

We had no problems & any other parks & eventually decided just to cut our losses at magic kingdom. I did go to city hall to complain& explained that I didn't want anything, however the entire climate if how her disabilities were handled at that park was awful, just awful. If we were treated badly, I imagine others were as well. I don't know why the other parks can run so smoothly & Magic kingdom was just awful.

re Be Our Guest - There have been a lot of reports on the restaurant boards of them not allowing ANYONE to seek shelter/ shade while waiting for their ADR's. Even in extremely inclement weather. So, I don't think this one had anything to do with a disability and everything to do with Be Our Guest policy. (Though I don't agree with the policy.)

re Peter Pan - I've done 3 no problem, but I would think 4 would be squishy! One suggestion for the future, when they ask you how many in your party, say only the amount you wish to ride in each vehicle. So, if you have 4, the first two people say 2 and then the next two people say 2. We are a group of 5 and we will do this when we want a certain configuration. We've never had a CM give us a problem, but this way just seems to save confusion.

 

[acebatonfan]

- her sugar crashed as we were waiting to be paged for dinner at be out guest, she was shaking & sweating (it was over 100 degrees) they refused to Allie her to sit in the shade, we had to stay on the bridge until it buzzed

Oh my! This is really starting to freak me out. I'm a T1 diabetic, and I will be leaving for Disney on Wednesday (this is my first trip since diagnosis). I already know heat and walking will drop me like a stone, so I know I am going to have a lot of crazy readings.

This might be off topic, but do any of the other restaurants follow a similar policy? I remember Akershaus doing that a few years ago (I have an ADR for this trip), but I do not want to be in a situation like your friend.

 

[teacher1717]

Oh my! This is really starting to freak me out. I'm a T1 diabetic, and I will be leaving for Disney on Wednesday (this is my first trip since diagnosis). I already know heat and walking will drop me like a stone, so I know I am going to have a lot of crazy readings.

This might be off topic, but do any of the other restaurants follow a similar policy? I remember Akershaus doing that a few years ago (I have an ADR for this trip), but I do not want to be in a situation like your friend.

My friend is also a T1 diabetic and the extreme and humidity had her crashing often. After a few days we learned to be super careful about eating and checking sugar often.

This was the only restaurant where we weren't allowed to wait in the lobby (and ironically it's the biggest one LOL.) We didn't ask at the other places, it was just standard that is where you wait to be seated.

In hindsight, I should have immediately asked for a manager. I was just more concerned about her. I did speak to a manager at the table, and he kind of just patronized my concerns and said he'd "talk to the staff about being more flexible in emergency situations."

 

[buffettgirl]

Oh my! This is really starting to freak me out. I'm a T1 diabetic, and I will be leaving for Disney on Wednesday (this is my first trip since diagnosis). I already know heat and walking will drop me like a stone, so I know I am going to have a lot of crazy readings.

This might be off topic, but do any of the other restaurants follow a similar policy? I remember Akershaus doing that a few years ago (I have an ADR for this trip), but I do not want to be in a situation like your friend.

It shouldn't freak you out. How do you hand these situations at home? YOu carry quick acting sugar with you and you handle the low, and then you carry on. Right?

We've been in long lines with blood sugar crashes, we've been waiting for meals with blood sugar crashes, we've been on monorails. The important thing is that we always have quick acting sugar with us and the crisis is averted.

This really isn't Disney's issue. Disney isn't responsible for managing your medical condition. Carry quick acting sugar, and you'll be fine.

 

[teacher1717]

This really isn't Disney's issue. Disney isn't responsible for managing your medical condition. Carry quick acting sugar, and you'll be fine.[/QUOTE]

Of course it's not Disney's responsibility, but that day was literally 105 & her sugar was 47!!! Having her sit in the cool lobby opposed to the baking sun would have helped her feel a bit better. It wasn't an unreasonable request.

 

[buffettgirl]

This really isn't Disney's issue. Disney isn't responsible for managing your medical condition. Carry quick acting sugar, and you'll be fine.

Of course it's not Disney's responsibility, but that day was literally 105 & her sugar was 47!!! Having her sit in the cool lobby opposed to the baking sun would have helped her feel a bit better. It wasn't an unreasonable request.

I only said it wasn't Disney responsible. They don't control the weather. They don't control what your friend did prior to getting in that line. They don't control your friend carrying sugar with her, or not. Regardless of whether anyone feels it was an unreasonable request or not, the bottom line is that it is still your friend's responsibility to plan accordingly for what is a common occurrence when using insulin. Treating a 47 at Disney, in the sun, is no different than treating it anywhere else.

As for if it was an unreasonable request or not, that's up for debate. If ONE person asked, maybe not. But I suspect that the requests number in the hundreds every day. No one likes to wait in the hot sun. But it's Orlando. In the summer. It's hot.

 

[aaarcher86]

As for if it was an unreasonable request or not, that's up for debate. If ONE person asked, maybe not. But I suspect that the requests number in the hundreds every day. No one likes to wait in the hot sun. But it's Orlando. In the summer. It's hot.

I'd agree with that.

I'm sure it stinks and is really nerve wracking when it's happening to you (general), but BOG is known for not allowing people to enter the restaurant to wait for any reason. I've seen a few people ask the same thing for other medical issues and they've been denied.

This case wasn't exclusive to the OP. I'd expect them to treat everyone the same way, and it sounds like they did.

 

[lovethattink]

We are just wrapping up an 11 day trip to the world. It has been a great trip, orobably one of our bests- but Magic Kingdom has been a bit of a disaster. My partner in crime has type 1 diabetes & a ton if complications that go along with it (like severe neuropathy in her feet/legs.) we rented a scooter for the week & were able to obtain a DAS pass.

The combination if fast pass plus & DAS pass worked great. I booked our rides at 60 days out & did them back to back & we then used the DAS for 1 additional big ride. It was really a great system.

All the parks were great with the accommodations with the exception of the magic kingdom. I actually felt like we were being punished for her disabilities & like they were trying to "stick it to us" because people had taken advantage of the GAC for so long.
Some example
- used a wheel chair on the pirates line since they can't accommodate a scooter. The forgot to bring it to the ride exit & then proceeded to tell me that there was no one around to bring it right now
- refused to slow down the runway on buzz & told me that accommodations should have been asked for before I got up to this part. Although she had the remote in her hand & that's how we always did it.
- they tried to shove 4 adult sized people into a boat on Peter Pan after I told them that we can't sit on top of each other because it woul be painful, we wound up not boarding that one at all
- at haunted mansion we go through the regular room& skip the stretching room, we waited for them to pick us up by the moseleum & then they forgot about us & each person I asked told me the next person would do it- we waited over 30 minutes just there
- her sugar crashed as we were waiting to be paged for dinner at be out guest, she was shaking & sweating (it was over 100 degrees) they refused to Allie her to sit in the shade, we had to stay on the bridge until it buzzed

We had no problems & any other parks & eventually decided just to cut our losses at magic kingdom. I did go to city hall to complain& explained that I didn't want anything, however the entire climate if how her disabilities were handled at that park was awful, just awful. If we were treated badly, I imagine others were as well. I don't know why the other parks can run so smoothly & Magic kingdom was just awful.

I'm sorry you had trouble at MK. That is the most difficult park for us too. Just out of curiosity, was there a difference between using DAS vs FP+ and the treatment?

We have definitely noticed that when we use DAS, we are usually stopped at the FP+ machine to let all the standby through. But when we have the attraction as a FP+, that rarely happens.

We have been forgotten too, but not just at MK.

Of course it's not Disney's responsibility, but that day was literally 105 & her sugar was 47!!! Having her sit in the cool lobby opposed to the baking sun would have helped her feel a bit better. It wasn't an unreasonable request.

The only place to allow ds to sit inside to wait for the buzzer to go off was CP and that was after some debate. I was going to send he and dh to First Aid to wait, but they didn't like that idea since all members need to be present to be seated. Instead, they allowed he and dh to sit right inside the door on a seat. There were a couple other people sitting there as well.

Nobody is allowed inside BOG before the buzzer goes off. I always bring an umbrella for ds. And it helps minimally. He uses a cooling vest, spray mister, ice, and cool cloth to stay cool. I keep a cooler with Frozen water bottles to keep those items cold. When the bottles melt, first aid will help me to keep the "ice packs" frozen. They work by chemical reaction and freeze at 58 degrees.

I'd agree with that.

I'm sure it stinks and is really nerve wracking when it's happening to you (general), but BOG is known for not allowing people to enter the restaurant to wait for any reason. I've seen a few people ask the same thing for other medical issues and they've been denied.

This case wasn't exclusive to the OP. I'd expect them to treat everyone the same way, and it sounds like they did.

Yes, BOG wait is brutal until it gets dark.