maybe i am just picky, but...

[KPeveler]

I was listening to a podcast where a person was talking about being in hte FP line of TSM in DHS and they were pulled to load in the wheelchair area (call the Wave, i think), even though they had to special need. they did not say whether there were wheelchair parties waiting.

they rode, and the little boy wanted to ride again, so the CM let him. When the finished, the dad had won, so the CM let them ride again, so the little boy could win. this time they wanted to switch seats, so they could ride on the red/blue side. the dad's gun had a "special button' on it that allowed him to win. the CM made them switch again and let the boy have the "special gun."

all in all they rode a total of 5 times in the wheelchair car, with them in the wheelchair roll-on spot at least twice... the standby line, by the guest's statement was over an hour and a half. i find it hard to believe that with all those guests, the wheelchair car was not needed even once. i am all for maknig kids' happy, but couldnt they have put them in a regular car??

I am in no way blaming the dad, they didnt even know what the special button was for, but the CMs who everyone was celebrating, may well have been making things harder and wait longer for someone in a wheelchair... i just hope no wheelchair was waiting for the HOUR they were probably on hte ride!!

 

[crashbb]

No - I don't think you are being picky.

Given that the cars are on a track, in a set order, I can see allowing people who don't need the special car to go through on that car IF there is no one waiting who does need it. Whether it goes through empty or with people in it, anyone in a wheelchair who comes up after the car has left is going to need to wait a full circuit. But that's for a single go-round - not five!

Heck, even if there were no people in wheelchairs waiting, a time when there is a 90 minute wait, is not the time to let people go through the ride 5 times.

 

[KPeveler]

No - I don't think you are being picky.

Given that the cars are on a track, in a set order, I can see allowing people who don't need the special car to go through on that car IF there is no one waiting who does need it. Whether it goes through empty or with people in it, anyone in a wheelchair who comes up after the car has left is going to need to wait a full circuit. But that's for a single go-round - not five!

Heck, even if there were no people in wheelchairs waiting, a time when there is a 90 minute wait, is not the time to let people go through the ride 5 times.

actually at TSM the wheelchair car is NOT in a set order, it comes off the track so people who need more time to transfer dont need the whole ride shut down. also it is designed so people with wheelchairs do NOT need to wait for a full circuit if no one is using it.

I am sure they got pulled out of line the first time to sit in some standard seats in the wheelchair car that were not filled. i have no problem with this at all. i also have no problem with them being sent through 1 more time, or even being given fastpasses for the ride again.

what annoys me is that the wheelchair seat was taken up 2 and possibly 3 times by someone who did not need it (and i find it hard to believe NO ONE was waiting in all that time) and that the CMs are acting like the gun designed for those of us who cannot pull a string repeatedly is a special gun for people who want to win. The dad and son had absolutely NO idea that was a special car or seat, as far as i can tell! the wheelchair seat is NOT a way for people to win faster, and i am a little apprehensive that the CMs are making it seem like it is. What if the kids comes back and that CM lets him request that car? Again, no fault of the dad or kid, but the wheelchair car should not be a method of scoring points!

 

[toocherie]

does anyone know if there is a special "gun" on the Disneyland TSMM too? I have a friend with a son who cannot pull the string repeatedly.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Take anything you read like this with a grain of salt (or two or three). I have worked attractions at WDW, and while there were times we might let a family go around twice, I have never heard of it being done while there was a line- and certainly not five times.

Also, it is highly possible there was nobody who needed the car. Most people who can prefer to transfer, and you can go half an hour or more without anybody in a wheelchair showing up depending on the day. It is very variable. Sometimes it seemed like people with wheelchairs would come faster than we could load or accommodate, othertimes I would see no people with wheelchairs in an entire 45 minute rotation.

 

[SueM in MN]

it does see, awfully strange the CM would do that when the Standby wait was so long.

does anyone know if there is a special "gun" on the Disneyland TSMM too? I have a friend with a son who cannot pull the string repeatedly.

from what I have read, it sounds like it probably does.

 

[KPeveler]

the guy in the letter repeatedly said he felt bad for all the people waiting in the line...

i am all for making dreams come true, but I would have been VERY annoyed if I had seen a person go by 3-4 times while I was still waiting!!

 

[pumpkinboy]

If nobody is waiting for the wheelchair car, CMs will frequently let DS ride multiple times on Buzz Lightyear (a big favorite) and Winnie the Pooh. But again, this is only if nobody else needs the car.

We have yet to ride Toy Story Mania, but are really looking forward to it. I am hoping that DS can use the little rope to fire as he is not able to use the buttons on Buzz. And I certainly hope that nobody is waiting for the wheelchair car, bcs I am sure that DS will be keen to try it a second time in succession. I don't think there is any harm done in allowing a kid to ride a second or third time, as long as nobody else needs the W/C car. Since we always end up waiting almost as long as anybody in the standby lines for the W/C car to come up, and it is relatively complicated to load the wheelchair on the ride vehicle, a second time through really helps. There are so many rides DS cannot go on bcs it is difficult to transfer him or bcs they are not suited to his physical abilities, I appreciate when he can enjoy his favorites a little bit more.

I certainly hope that the family in the Podcast OP was listening to did not inconvenience any other parties. I would be livid if there were an able-bodied family tying up the W/C car that we were waiting for. Similarly, I would not accept a second (or third) ride thru if it was clear that others were waiting for the W/C car we were in.

 

[KPeveler]

If nobody is waiting for the wheelchair car, CMs will frequently let DS ride multiple times on Buzz Lightyear (a big favorite) and Winnie the Pooh. But again, this is only if nobody else needs the car.

We have yet to ride Toy Story Mania, but are really looking forward to it. I am hoping that DS can use the little rope to fire as he is not able to use the buttons on Buzz. And I certainly hope that nobody is waiting for the wheelchair car, bcs I am sure that DS will be keen to try it a second time in succession. I don't think there is any harm done in allowing a kid to ride a second or third time, as long as nobody else needs the W/C car. Since we always end up waiting almost as long as anybody in the standby lines for the W/C car to come up, and it is relatively complicated to load the wheelchair on the ride vehicle, a second time through really helps. There are so many rides DS cannot go on bcs it is difficult to transfer him or bcs they are not suited to his physical abilities, I appreciate when he can enjoy his favorites a little bit more.

I certainly hope that the family in the Podcast OP was listening to did not inconvenience any other parties. I would be livid if there were an able-bodied family tying up the W/C car that we were waiting for. Similarly, I would not accept a second (or third) ride thru if it was clear that others were waiting for the W/C car we were in.

I completely understand allowing a child who NEEDS the WC car to ride again, especially if the transfer is difficult, or the ride needs to be stopped to load the wheelchair.

As best as I can understand listening to the story again, the family was in the regular standby line and HAD NO special needs. they were pulled out of hte line to load in the WC area i think because there was an empty seat in the WC car and they wanted it filled. they were MOVED to the WC seat and rode there at least twice.

even if no WC was waiting, they said repeatedly they felt bad for the other people waiting in line (the standby was over 90 minutes, which is why the CM let them ride again in the first place - the boy would not have been able to ride again if they had had to wait in the standby line).

I am all for sending kids through again if no one is waiting, especially if the transfer into the ride vehicle was difficult. however, there were people waiting in the normal linem, and I think even if there were not wheelchairs they should have sent the kid around with maybe a special fastpass and then let the people who had been waiting an hour and a half on the ride!

 

[livndisney]

I certainly hope that the family in the Podcast OP was listening to did not inconvenience any other parties. I would be livid if there were an able-bodied family tying up the W/C car that we were waiting for. Similarly, I would not accept a second (or third) ride thru if it was clear that others were waiting for the W/C car we were in.

For my own piece of mind, was anyone able to confirm they can bring a "regular" car to the Wave (as it is called)? I think I have talked myself into trying again to ride this weekend, but don't want someone thinking (or worse) this of me. I don't need a WC car but cannot do the stairs.

 

[KPeveler]

For my own piece of mind, was anyone able to confirm they can bring a "regular" car to the Wave (as it is called)? I think I have talked myself into trying again to ride this weekend, but don't want someone thinking (or worse) this of me. I don't need a WC car but cannot do the stairs.

Don't worry about it! In the "wheelchair" car there is one bench that folds out for a wheelchair to go in, and then there are 3 other "normal" benches - so you will not be taking up the wheelchair spot if you can't do stairs - no worries!

please someone correct me if I am wrong here, but the photos i saw and reports let me to believe there are "regular" seats

 

[SueM in MN]

Don't worry about it! In the "wheelchair" car there is one bench that folds out for a wheelchair to go in, and then there are 3 other "normal" benches - so you will not be taking up the wheelchair spot if you can't do stairs - no worries!

please someone correct me if I am wrong here, but the photos i saw and reports let me to believe there are "regular" seats

you take whatever car comes into the Wave, so don't feel bad if it's the wheelchair car. It is set up with a removable seat , so if it is not being used with that seat removed some one can sit in it. It is similar in that way to Alladin/triceraptop spin where the seat is in and used by other guests until they need to remove it for a guest with a wheelchair.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

does anyone know if there is a special "gun" on the Disneyland TSMM too? I have a friend with a son who cannot pull the string repeatedly.

Yes there is. I used it twice last week. Both times I was in the standby line, once (Tuesday) it was at about 40 minutes and the second time (Saturday) it said 30 minutes but actually took about 35 to get to load.

Both times I was the only person to ride in the special vehicle; there was nobody else waiting. I transferred out of my ECV to the seat.

And I did not ask at DCA, but at WDW they have two special vehicles in use to keep the special areqa down.

Note that at DCA almost all of the queue is outside, it is not well themed, and there is no FP line (but they do have a Single Rider line. And the stairs are on the Exit side, not the entrance side. The special load/unload area exits directly.