MK and AK with 2 adults in wheelchairs

[Herding_Cats]

Very large family group (25) going to MK on Dec. 26th and then part of the group, including the 2 that need wheelchairs, is going to AK probably on Dec 28th. They do not have severe disabilities and would not qualify for DAS from my understanding, but they absolutely will not make it through a full day of walking in these parks and be functional humans the next day. They are planning on renting chairs once they get inside the parks (unless it would be significantly cheaper to rent offsite?) so we don't have to deal with pickup/drop off. I'm basically looking for advice on how this will work for waiting in lines/getting on rides. Will it be the same as if they were ambulatory? Will they be held in a separate line while the rest of the group goes through the fp (if we have them) or standby lines? Seems like small world had a separate wheelchair line??

 

[scrapquitler]

I'd suggest you head to the DISAbilities forum to ask this question because you'll get solid answers from people who actually know the specific answers. I think the approach for the line depends on the ride, they aren't all the same. I can tell you for sure that I saw a lot of people on ECVs and in Wheelchairs in the regular line for Flights of Passage, it just depends on how the line is configured. The CM at the front of the line in each ride will tell you, but it would be be better to be prepared ahead of time.

 

[sharonabe]

They are planning on renting chairs once they get inside the parks (unless it would be significantly cheaper to rent offsite?) so we don't have to deal with pickup/drop off

You are going to WDW for THE BUSIEST week of the entire year. WDW has a limited number of wheelchairs/scooters. If you want to be sure they have one, I would rent from offsite and I would do it now.

 

[only hope]

It depends on the ride/queue and whether the people are remaining in the wheelchairs. If the entire queue is accessible and the person will be getting out of the wheelchair to experience the attraction, you go through the line like anybody else. Some rides they pull the wheelchair/ecv guests out of the regular line at a specific point regardless of whether you are transferring or not.

For It’s a Small World if you want to remain in the chair until you reach the dock, you do go in the exit regardless of whether you need the chair accessible boat.

If there is a long line for an attraction and it’s one where the chairs don’t go through the normal queue, you will be issued a return time card. You won’t get to skip the line. This happens frequently with Jungle Cruise. It won’t be good for 25 people though; I think 6 is the max. For those rides it’d be better to use fp if the entire group wants to ride.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/disabmobility.htm has good info on each attraction. I’ve used it a few times when traveling with my grandmother.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Yes. I know it's the busiest week of the year, which should make things.....interesting.

 

[tobikaye]

Definitely read the FAQ in on the Disabilities section: https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...disabled-1st-trip-next-trip-wish-trip.595713/

Go down to post #11 ( I would search for "#10" and it should take down to start with the next post. This will tell you about how wheelchairs are handled at the attractions. Most of the attractions are mainstreamed where guests with mobility devices go through the normal queue, but then might be pulled aside. There are a few where the guest with the mobility device might have to enter from a different point, or be given a return time. There was a guide for those with mobility issues to tell how to handle each attraction. I forgot to look for it this past year, but you can check the guides just inside the gates or with Guest Services to see if they have these.

Usually it is supposed to be 6 people including the guest using the mobility device. This is mostly due to ride vehicle sizes. They will sometimes allow more, but I do not know if they would allow 25 in one go. For this reason, you might want to group yourselves into smaller groups ahead of time for ease of loading when the time comes.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Definitely read the FAQ in on the Disabilities section: https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...disabled-1st-trip-next-trip-wish-trip.595713/

Go down to post #11 ( I would search for "#10" and it should take down to start with the next post. This will tell you about how wheelchairs are handled at the attractions.

Usually it is supposed to be 6 people including the guest using the mobility device. This is mostly due to ride vehicle sizes. They will sometimes allow more, but I do not know if they would allow 25 in one go. For this reason, you might want to group yourselves into smaller groups ahead of time for ease of loading when the time comes.

Thanks for the link! We definitely are NOT planning on staying together as a group of 25. But I think around 15 or 16 of them (including the 2 who will be using the wheelchairs) will likely be sticking together. I absolutely cannot imaging them letting a group of 25 stick together for ride-loading at that time of year.

 

[auntfrannie]

I would suggest renting from an off-site company that way you can ensure that you will have access when you need it. Just walking from the parking lot or bus drop off to the rental places can be a hike!

 

[TinkerPan]

We did AK with two wheelchairs. If you get there early enough you shouldn't have any problem renting a wheelchair. Cost was minimal - $12.00 - I think. We had one wheelchair already, which was definitely more comfortable than Disney's. Still, I wouldn't have bothered to rent one outside the park for just a day. Transporting even one chair took up some room and was a hassle.

The one thing about AK is its hilly. Whoever is pushing the wheelchairs needs to be fit. We sometimes traded off who was doing the pushing. You can go thru the regular queue with the wheelchair. The Safari ride does have two special vehicles and ride-loading area is separate for those using wheelchairs and ECVs. So that ride did take a little extra time, but other than that no problems at all. You'll be glad you got the wheelchairs. Have fun.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Both people who will be needing the chairs are able to walk, just not for an entire day without compromising their abilities to function the next day. Walking into the parks, getting out and onto rides are not an issue.....it's just the 4+ miles a day that they are unable to do. We are planning on doing rope-drop both days.