Need tips and advice for using our daughter's wheelchair/medical stroller on buses

[Emilyswish]

Hi everyone!

I read through some of your threads here on using ECVs on buses, but I'm specifically looking for information on using resort buses with our daughter who is severely disabled and has a pediatric wheelchair that we push.

We came to WDW in December of 2010 with MAW and we stayed at GKTW village. We had a van and drove to the parks with her wheelchair in the back. We had no problems doing it this way and had no problems in the park with her chair either.

She is now almost 6 and we are planning to try to come to WDW in November of 2014. She has a bigger/heavier wheelchair now and we are getting a Special tomato jogger (medical stroller) for her very soon (it has been shipped and will arrive any day now!!) I'd like to bring the Jogger because it is about a third of the weight for us to push and it is more comfortable for her.

We also have 3 other children; our oldest son will be 10 and our other daughter and son are triplets with Emily, so they will all be 7 in 2014.

My husband and I will be the adults, so there will be 6 of us all together.

We have not chosen a hotel yet for this reason. Do we stay off-site and drive whenever we are ready without having to wait for accessible resort buses while saving some money? Or do we go with the convenience of having the buses right at the resort without having to park and drive, but possibly more aggravation waiting for buses?

To consider: She is not mobile at all on her own. If she is not in her wheelchair/stroller, she would have to be carried. She also can not sit up on her own, so she could not sit in a bus seat. (In a van we can have her car seat.)

A few specific questions:

Are all of the resort buses accessible?
Do wheelchair users wait longer for buses? Remember, we have three other children who aren't great at waiting . . . one of whom was recently diagnosed with autism.
Do wheelchairs have to be tied down on the buses? (Her wheelchair is fitted for transit on her school bus, but the stroller is not)

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!


Thanks so much!!

 

[kellyw8863]

Hello there! It's my understanding that wheelchairs on buses need to either have tie-downs or be folded. I saw your post in my other thread, and we rented a car and drove. I don't know what your daughter's specific needs are, but we felt like in an emergency, we wanted to have a car. We knew that we likely wouldn't have one, but it was still nice to know that at the end of the day, we could just leave without having to wait for a bus. With the exception of MK, the handicapped parking is right next to the gate so it is a quick in and out. We also liked being able to keep some of her extras in the van so we didn't need to carry them in with us.

Feel free to message me if you have more questions about our specific experience as a returning Wish family. In many ways, it was better than her Wish trip (as AMAZING as that experience was). It's hard to explain...but hopefully, you'll see what I mean. Maybe it's the lack of emotional baggage that comes with qualifying for MAW. Either way, we can't wait to go back and my husband was NOT a Disney fan before this trip.

 

[ttintagel]

>>Are all of the resort buses accessible?<<

For standard adult wheelchairs,yes. Hopefully others will know about your specific models.

>>Do wheelchair users wait longer for buses? Remember, we have three other children who aren't great at waiting . . . one of whom was recently diagnosed with autism.<<

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on how many other wheelchair users happen to be waiting there at the time.


>>Do wheelchairs have to be tied down on the buses? (Her wheelchair is fitted for transit on her school bus, but the stroller is not)<<

If she has to stay in it, then it needs to be tied down.

 

[mskermit]

Hi everyone!

I read through some of your threads here on using ECVs on buses, but I'm specifically looking for information on using resort buses with our daughter who is severely disabled and has a pediatric wheelchair that we push.

We came to WDW in December of 2010 with MAW and we stayed at GKTW village. We had a van and drove to the parks with her wheelchair in the back. We had no problems doing it this way and had no problems in the park with her chair either.

She is now almost 6 and we are planning to try to come to WDW in November of 2014. She has a bigger/heavier wheelchair now and we are getting a Special tomato jogger (medical stroller) for her very soon (it has been shipped and will arrive any day now!!) I'd like to bring the Jogger because it is about a third of the weight for us to push and it is more comfortable for her.

We also have 3 other children; our oldest son will be 10 and our other daughter and son are triplets with Emily, so they will all be 7 in 2014.

My husband and I will be the adults, so there will be 6 of us all together.

We have not chosen a hotel yet for this reason. Do we stay off-site and drive whenever we are ready without having to wait for accessible resort buses while saving some money? Or do we go with the convenience of having the buses right at the resort without having to park and drive, but possibly more aggravation waiting for buses?

To consider: She is not mobile at all on her own. If she is not in her wheelchair/stroller, she would have to be carried. She also can not sit up on her own, so she could not sit in a bus seat. (In a van we can have her car seat.)

A few specific questions:

Are all of the resort buses accessible?
Do wheelchair users wait longer for buses? Remember, we have three other children who aren't great at waiting . . . one of whom was recently diagnosed with autism.
Do wheelchairs have to be tied down on the buses? (Her wheelchair is fitted for transit on her school bus, but the stroller is not)

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!


Thanks so much!!

hello, just read your post. i have a daughter wiht Spina Bifida, she uses her wheelchair and her crutches at home. We have never had issues with the buses. i have always gotten her on the bus then the rest of my family is let on the bus. I know the type of stroller you are speaking of, not sure if they would treat it as a wheelchair, they should tho if your daughter is unable to transfer to a seat. my suggestion.. i would get a letter from your doctor explaining the chair/stroller situation and then I would call disney explain it to them and find out if the stroller would be strapped in like a wheelchair on the bus. i dont see why. they really cater to our special needs kids. Dont forget to stop at guest services as soon as you get in the parks and get your pink card. You can use that card at the attractions, just show it to the fast pass person and you will have immediate access.

 

[disney david]

If it can't fold then it has to be tied down wheatear she stays in it or not. As op said all buses Disney owns can take at least two wheelchairs some can take three and a few can take four as long as they have tie down points your good to go.

 

[livndisney]

hello, just read your post. i have a daughter wiht Spina Bifida, she uses her wheelchair and her crutches at home. We have never had issues with the buses. i have always gotten her on the bus then the rest of my family is let on the bus. I know the type of stroller you are speaking of, not sure if they would treat it as a wheelchair, they should tho if your daughter is unable to transfer to a seat. my suggestion.. i would get a letter from your doctor explaining the chair/stroller situation and then I would call disney explain it to them and find out if the stroller would be strapped in like a wheelchair on the bus. i dont see why. they really cater to our special needs kids. Dont forget to stop at guest services as soon as you get in the parks and get your pink card. You can use that card at the attractions, just show it to the fast pass person and you will have immediate access.

This is not correct. The only people at WDW that get "front of the line" (and even then it is not always "immediate" ) is kids on Wish trips. There is no magic "pink card".

Also as far as strapping down the wheelchair-there is not a letter your Dr. can right. Some special needs strollers are DESIGNED to be tied down. The average stroller is not and there for can't be tied down

 

[mskermit]

This is not correct. The only people at WDW that get "front of the line" (and even then it is not always "immediate" ) is kids on Wish trips. There is no magic "pink card".

yea there is. If you go to guest services there is a disabled card they give you to show when you are in line. on our last visit I was told that you can go to the fast pass line show it to the attendant and they let you in there with your pink card. Maybe some of the attendants wont let you thru there, but we didnt have a problem. I never knew you could do that but a disabled woman on our bus told me.

 

[mskermit]

This is not correct. The only people at WDW that get "front of the line" (and even then it is not always "immediate" ) is kids on Wish trips. There is no magic "pink card".

Also as far as strapping down the wheelchair-there is not a letter your Dr. can right. Some special needs strollers are DESIGNED to be tied down. The average stroller is not and there for can't be tied down

i meant a letter regarding her condtion and that she cant transfer, not a letter regarding strapping the stroller in

 

[livndisney]

yea there is. If you go to guest services there is a disabled card they give you to show when you are in line. on our last visit I was told that you can go to the fast pass line show it to the attendant and they let you in there with your pink card. Maybe some of the attendants wont let you thru there, but we didnt have a problem. I never knew you could do that but a disabled woman on our bus told me.

Oh brother! OP I would strongly encourage to read the GAC sticky Sue has prepared-it has accurate information. Have a great trip!

 

[Talking Hands]

Sorry but the GAC is not a free pass to the front of the line. It gives what you need to access the rides but you still need to wait in line. It can be shorter but I also can be longer. Really depends in the situation at the time. Do not expect front of the line access but do expect your specific needs to be taken into consideration so you can have an experience that is essentially the same as the non-disbabled guest

 

[kellyw8863]

Just sent you a message...

 

[SueM in MN]

To answer the original questions, all buses have 2 or sometimes 3 wheelchair tiedown spots.
A regular stroller has to be empty and folded on the bus, by Federal Law. Whether or not the child can sit on a bus seat has no bearing on that.
A wheelchair or special needs stroller would need to be folded and held or tied down with the bus tiedown straps. Only special needs strollers that are designed for transport are safe for transport.
Some drivers will tie down any special needs stroller, even if it is not designed for transport. That is not safe and can cause damage to the stroller. I know of one family who did that and the frame on their very expensive stoller got bent, without being able to be repaired, plus they could not fold it for transport in their car trunk.
You may want to check into resorts where you won't need the buses as much. All the deluxe resorts by MK are served by the monorails and Contemporary is in walking distance.
The Epcot area resorts are walk or boat ride away from the Studio and Epcot. Many people like Swan and Dolphin because they are located in the same area, but can be less expensive.


I closed this thread because, like many recent threads, became an argument about GACs.

All GACs are not the same and don't work the same way. See post 6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
Even at the same attraction, conditions can be different, meaning a different wait time.
This picture shows the handicapped line for Small World.

It is required to be used by guests with mobility devices (like wheelchairs) because the regular line is not accessible. It is also used by guests with GACs who need a less crowded place to wait. In our experience, often over 1/2 of the guests/groups using it are using it for that reason - they don't have a mobility device.
This picture shows a time when the wait was similar or possibly slightly shorter than the wait in the 'regular line.' The handicapped boarding area is toward the left side of the picture, down at the bottom of the ramp.The ramp at the top of the picture is part of the regular line. The ramp people are coming up on the right of the picture, toward you is the exit.

This picture show Small World at a time when the wait in the handicapped area was longer than the wait in the regular line.

My family was at the bottom of the ramp, waiting to get on. The picture is taken from the opposite direct compared to the first picture, looking toward the entrance and exit.
The ramp on the far left of the picture has the people who will get on the next 2 boats.
The ramp in the middle is the exit ramp. The ramp to the far right of the picture is the handicapped line and it went all the way to the entrance and out the gate at the top. People who did not have wheelchairs might have had a shorter wait in the regular line ( in this case, they would have since we saw the people who were just ahead of us entering the regular line get on way before us). For some, that would be appropriate, others might feel the regular line doesn't meet their needs, even if its shorter.

This is what people mean when they say a GAC may not shorten your wait.
It could be longer, it could be shorter or it could be the same. It is meant to give a waiting place that would be more appropriate for the needs, not necessarily to waits. Someone who is always expecting to have shorter waits is not going to be prepared for picture 2, and might not realize they could wait in the regular line because they read posts that said their wait would always be shorter with a GAC.

 

[SueM in MN]

There are people who post that guests using a GAC always have a shorter wait.
As some have posted on this thread, GACs are not meant to shorten the waits, but to provide assistance.

Your wait using a GAC might be shorter, might be the same or might be longer. There is no guarantee.

These are some more pictures of Small World that show a longer wait.
The posted wait time for the regular line was 25 minutes and you can see people, at least in this part of the regular line you can see, are widely spaced.

This is the handicapped line at the same time. This line was shown in my previous post and is used by all guests with mobility devices plus guests who need a less crowded waiting spot.

The actual entrance to handicapped line is way up where you can see a man and woman in orange shirts. It extends from the front of this picture all the down the ramp that is shown in the pictures in the previous post. All the people to the right of the photo are also part of the handicapped line.
The regular entrance is where you can see a sign in the background, between the heads of 2 people with orange hats.
In this case, people in the handicapped line will be waiting longer.

Knowing these things gives guests a better picture of what to expect and the ability to plan what their options might be than they would have if they just blindly assumed using a GAC meant shorter waits.

SORRY for the sideways pictures, I posted them turned, but they didn't stay that way.

 

[Emilyswish]

Hi Sue, thank you for the info.

Emily's new stroller is a wheelchair/mobility device but I don't believe it is fitted for transit. It seems like we'd be fine on the resort buses with her Zippie wheelchair but it isn't my first choice for using in the park.

I guess I'm leaning toward driving on our own rather than dealing with the buses.

Also, I was only asking about wait times regarding buses in my original post, not for attractions. I didn't mean to start a GAC debate. But I thank everyone for their input.

Emily can not transfer out of her wheelchair at all, so she can only ride rides in her wheelchair and like last time we will use whatever entrance they tell us to use so that she can remain in her chair.

Thanks!

 

[jmartinez1895]

It has been our personal experience that the wait times for the bus can be a little long if yo do not plan. If you can, plan to go to any park for the day except the one that has EMH. Then do not try to get to the park at opening time, wait an hour or so, by then the bus line will be reduced to almost nothing. When leaving the park, try to get out an hour or so before the park closes. If you must stay for fireworks then hang around and people watch inside the park while the flood of people leaves. Once the park is cleared out then start making your way to the bus stop. We have always found the longest wait for a bus to be after fireworks.
We decided to rent a car this year and I found a great rate with Costco ( just wanted to throw that our there in case your a member, it might be worth looking into)

 

[SueM in MN]

Hi Sue, thank you for the info.

Emily's new stroller is a wheelchair/mobility device but I don't believe it is fitted for transit. It seems like we'd be fine on the resort buses with her Zippie wheelchair but it isn't my first choice for using in the park.

I guess I'm leaning toward driving on our own rather than dealing with the buses.

Also, I was only asking about wait times regarding buses in my original post, not for attractions. I didn't mean to start a GAC debate. But I thank everyone for their input.

Emily can not transfer out of her wheelchair at all, so she can only ride rides in her wheelchair and like last time we will use whatever entrance they tell us to use so that she can remain in her chair.

Thanks!

I looked up the Special Tomato Jogger for you and it is not available to come with a transport option - those jogging style generally do not because they are built for easy folding.

Some of them are very long and may have difficulty in tightly turning lines, but the dimensions listed on the website should not be a problem.
Overall Dimensions
26" W x 42" L x 43" H

This is smaller than allowed for a wheelchair.

 

[jenn-n-okla]

Does anyone know if the Liberty Pushchair will accommodate a 95 lb 5'2" child?
I'm looking at renting one from www.orlandostrollerrentals.com
but if the thing is going to be too small I do not want to fork over the cash. She can just use a rented wheelchair each day from the park. Only problem with that is she uses oxygen and overheats very easy so having the sun shade would be an advantage not to mention having the basket would give a space for the oxygen.

 

[lanejudy]

Does anyone know if the Liberty Pushchair will accommodate a 95 lb 5'2" child?
I'm looking at renting one from www.orlandostrollerrentals.com
but if the thing is going to be too small I do not want to fork over the cash. She can just use a rented wheelchair each day from the park. Only problem with that is she uses oxygen and overheats very easy so having the sun shade would be an advantage not to mention having the basket would give a space for the oxygen.

According to the Advanced Mobility website, specs for the Liberty Push Chair say it's good for "up to 100 lbs" - so she's below that limit but close. The Freedom Pushchair is larger, up to 200 lbs. I don't know if any of the stroller rental companies offer that one.

 

[jenn-n-okla]

I'm not so concerned with the weight issue as I am with the height issue. I don't want her having her knees in her face all day. LOL

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm not so concerned with the weight issue as I am with the height issue. I don't want her having her knees in her face all day. LOL

It doesn't give a maximum height, but these measurements may be helpful

- Seat to Canopy: 25.5"
- Seat Back Height: 23.5"
- Seat Back Width: 12"
- Seat to Inside of Knee: 15"
- Shoulder Width: 15"
- Back of Knee to Footplate: 15"
- Width at Knee: 16.5"

Otherwise, you could rent the larger special needs stroller - Freedom Pushchair