NEED HELP! KCNT1 & Visiting WDW

[kwwdw]

Hi! I am a long time visitor to Walt Disney World, but for our upcoming trip we want to take the larger family. My niece has KCNT1 (a severe form of epilepsy). She's toddler age, but cannot sit/stand on her own and would need to be held by one of us on any rides (like Small World, not roller coasters and such). She MAY have a wheelchair by the time we go, but that's not certain. She does well in a stroller, but I am not sure of the policy for using a stroller in this situation vs. an actual wheelchair.

Here's where I need your help... what rides would we be able to just hold her? Is this even possible? I plan to do more research on DAS so right now I am just trying to figure out which parks would be best for our family to make the experience extra magical for her!

Thanks for any information you can share!

 

[OurBigTrip]

Hi! I am a long time visitor to Walt Disney World, but for our upcoming trip we want to take the larger family. My niece has KCNT1 (a severe form of epilepsy). She's toddler age, but cannot sit/stand on her own and would need to be held by one of us on any rides (like Small World, not roller coasters and such). She MAY have a wheelchair by the time we go, but that's not certain. She does well in a stroller, but I am not sure of the policy for using a stroller in this situation vs. an actual wheelchair.

Here's where I need your help... what rides would we be able to just hold her? Is this even possible? I plan to do more research on DAS so right now I am just trying to figure out which parks would be best for our family to make the experience extra magical for her!

Thanks for any information you can share!

If the stroller would work better for you, you can get a "stroller as a wheelchair" that will allow her to stay in her stroller for lines that are accessible.

 

[lanejudy]

Yes, as @OurBigTrip mentions, the Stroller-as-Wheelchair tag will allow you to take the stroller through queues. Park it at loading and it will be available when/where the ride ends.

As for holding her on rides - that may depend on her size. Typically except for infants everyone must sit on the seat to be within the lap restraints. @SueM in MN can share how they managed when her daughter was young.

 

[SueM in MN]

Yes, as @OurBigTrip mentions, the Stroller-as-Wheelchair tag will allow you to take the stroller through queues. Park it at loading and it will be available when/where the ride ends.

As for holding her on rides - that may depend on her size. Typically except for infants everyone must sit on the seat to be within the lap restraints. @SueM in MN can share how they managed when her daughter was young.

I agree it depends on size. If she's small - toddler size - you would be able to hold her on your lap for many things without a height requirement. If she's bigger or for things with a height requirement or restraints, she would need to sit on the ride vehicle seat.
We do it the same way now as when our daughter outgrew lap sitting. I go in the vehicle first to 'receive' her from my husband. We settle her in the seat between us for most rides, then he gets in. That way, one of us can support her on each side.
There are attractions, like Haunted Mansion, where all 3 of us could sit in one row, but a little tight, especially for a long attraction.
There are a couple of rides with wheelchair accessible ride cars where she could possibly stay in a stroller, as long as the stroller has secure brakes. These are ones I think she probably could, but it would be up to the CM:
Magic Kingdom:
- Walt Disney World Railroad
- Jungle Cruise
- Liberty Square Riverboat
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- it’s a Small World

EPCOT:
- Living With the Land
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros (Mexico ride)

Animal Kingdom:
- train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch

Also, all shows have wheelchair spots where could stay in the stroller with a "stroller as wheelchair" tag. Depending on how high she sits in the stroller, she may be able to see better sitting on your lap or a theater seat.

One without a height requirement I'd recommend caution for is Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railroad. The restraint is a shared lap bar for the whole row. My daughter sat between her dad and I, but since she's a lot smaller than we are, the lap bar didn't do much to secure her and the ride moves a lot more then we thought it would

 

[Selket]

One without a height requirement I'd recommend caution for is Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railroad. The restraint is a shared lap bar for the whole row. My daughter sat between her dad and I, but since she's a lot smaller than we are, the lap bar didn't do much to secure her and the ride moves a lot more then we thought it would

Oh yes! - the scene with Daisy as a dance instructor, the car does a "dance" that really shakes the car so if the OP's niece has low muscle tone, etc. you'd really want to be ready for that part (maybe watch a YouTube video of it to see what we're talking about). When my son was little (MANY years ago) he had low muscle tone, was delayed walking, etc and we were able to use the stroller as a wheelchair with the tag. He could sit on his own however, so your situation is different. Remy is also a trackless ride like MMRR and has some times that ride vehicle turns but I'd say it's not nearly as shaky. RotR is also trackless so the car moves in the same way - but perhaps too intense for a toddler? I don't know the ride restrictions but that's one my kids would have loved.

At that age you never quite know what they're going to love and what is terrifying to them! My son loved characters but wouldn't go near a ride (like Peter Pan) that went in the dark.

I've also seen toddler age kids just LOVE the skyliner transportation that goes from some resorts to Epcot and DHS - as well as the boats, etc. My kids as toddlers LOVED the bus from the hotel to the park. They would have been happy riding the bus - haha!

I guess speaking of the bus - are you staying at a disney resort? If so, perhaps someone has info about where a family member could board the bus with your niece using the "stroller as WC" tag so you know the adult holding her has a seat. I think we just took our chances back in the day with my son - I don't remember. You could always wait for the next bus if you want to be assured of seating - but that's hard if the busses are really crowded.

 

[SueM in MN]

Remy is also a trackless ride like MMRR and has some times that ride vehicle turns but I'd say it's not nearly as shaky. RotR is also trackless so the car moves in the same way - but perhaps too intense for a toddler? I don't know the ride restrictions but that's one my kids would have loved.

Remy is a trackless ride, but the majority of the motion is actually simulated while your vehicle is sitting in front of a 3D screen. There are some jerks with backward motion, but they are enhanced by the motion on the screen.
Most of the actual trackless motion is traveling between the screens.

I've also seen toddler age kids just LOVE the skyliner transportation that goes from some resorts to Epcot and DHS - as well as the boats, etc. My kids as toddlers LOVED the bus from the hotel to the park. They would have been happy riding the bus - haha!

I guess speaking of the bus - are you staying at a disney resort? If so, perhaps someone has info about where a family member could board the bus with your niece using the "stroller as WC" tag so you know the adult holding her has a seat. I think we just took our chances back in the day with my son - I don't remember. You could always wait for the next bus if you want to be assured of seating - but that's hard if the busses are really crowded.

Good advice about the bus.
Children can stay in strollers for the Skyliner, monorail and boats.
All strollers need to be folded for the bus, with the exception of special needs/mobility strollers that have transit loops installed for tie down . Some drivers may agree to tie down regular strollers, but it's not safe since regular strollers are designed to be folded, not sat in for transit

 

[jennab]

Based on the updated DAS, she probably will not be eligible. However, you can probably get her stroller tagged as a wheelchair so you can take it in lines rather than having to hold her.

 

[kwwdw]

Thank you everyone! This definitely helps us start planning! I generally go once a year so am pretty familiar with rides, park layouts, etc. We are just trying to figure out how to make sure my niece has a good time too! I've reached out to Disability Services to start that ball rolling too. We'll look into DAS, but I am pretty good with the Genie+ system (and hopefully now the new LL Multi-Pass), so I am not too worried about that. I really appreciate all your responses!