Nemo Ride- no longer accessible. Update: Happy News on post 22

[dclfun]

Well, we just returned from a DVC stay at AKLodge. I was so excited to get to ride the Living Seas attraction with my son over at Epcot and we headed out to enjoy it. We asked at the entrance and were told to go through the regular queue line. After snaking through the line and getting up to board we then were told that I could NOT board unless I could take a few steps. They have removed the accessible vehicle that allowed power wheelchairs and replaced it with a different vehicle that doesn't. Needless to say I was very, very disappointed that one attraction I could ride is now added to the extremely long list of those I can't. I thought I'd pass it on so others in power chairs who can't walk a few steps can prepare themselves and not get their hopes up to enjoy this ride.---Kathy

 

[Camster0307]

Whoa! You mean they no longer have the car with the ramp that folds down to allow you to load a wheelchair?!?! Was it temporarily taken off or is this the new way? I can't believe they would permanently remove that accessibility for wheelchair users!

 

[SueM in MN]

that is so sad.
I was not aware of any problems with that car. It worked well every time we we on it with DD's manual wheelchair and I didn't see anything about it that would be a problem with a power on.
Do you know,is it not wheelchair accessible at all or is the new car only in-accessible to power wheelchairs?
Did you get any feeling for why they changed?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I was not planning to go to Epcot this week. However I will keep this in mind and when I go I will talk to an attractions manager at TLS and find out what is the status.

 

[syko]

I went on this ride yesterday and the wheelchair car is still there......I used it!!!!!!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Could it just be that the car was taken away for repairs? It may be that the CM didn't fully understand the situation with the car, or didn't explain it properly. I hope that is all it is, and that Disney hasn't made the monumentally ridiculous decision to remove access, on a ride that worked perfectly well as it was.

 

[SueM in MN]

I went on this ride yesterday and the wheelchair car is still there......I used it!!!!!!

Did you have a power wheelchair or a manual wheelchair?
The way I understood what dclfun posted was that the ride was no longer accessible to her power wheelchair, but sounded like it might be accessible still to manual wheelchairs.

 

[Joanna71985]

Why would they do that though? That doesn't make sense.

 

[SueM in MN]

It's possible that they had some incident with a power wheelchair and decided people with power wheelchairs could no longer stay in their wheelchair for the ride. They have done that in the past when there was a problem at Ellen's Energy Adventure with a power wheelchair either going off the ramp or tipping over backwards because of the angle of the ramp.
It could be a problem like that. But in that case, they should have offered her a manual wheelchair if she was able to transfer, not said she could only ride if she could walk a few steps.

I guess we need to know more.

 

[syko]

Did you have a power wheelchair or a manual wheelchair?
The way I understood what dclfun posted was that the ride was no longer accessible to her power wheelchair, but sounded like it might be accessible still to manual wheelchairs.

I have a manual chair.

 

[SueM in MN]

I have a manual chair.

Thanks.
Hopefully, we will be able to get more information soon, but it sounds like they may have put a stop to power wheelchairs for some reason.

One more question:
If you have been on Nemo before, did it seem like the same ride car to you?

 

[syko]

Its the same car, they closed it down a few months ago to add a panel to the inside in front of the wheelchair space, but it has not affected anything, just looks better.
If I go in to Epcot tomorrow I will ask about the electric chairs, If not I will ask at the end of the week.

 

[SueM in MN]

Its the same car, they closed it down a few months ago to add a panel to the inside in front of the wheelchair space, but it has not affected anything, just looks better.
If I go in to Epcot tomorrow I will ask about the electric chairs, If not I will ask at the end of the week.

Thanks.
We used it with DD's manual wheelchair in April.

 

[dclfun]

I was told that they changed the w/c vehicle by three different CM's within the building- one at the attraction boarding area who told me I had to be able to walk a few steps, another CM along the walkway who was moving the huge backload of ECV's, and one more inside the building since I didn't want to deter the others from moving the queue along.. I didn't see the vehicle personally to see if it had changed. Apparently no one may now ride in their power w/c. When I asked about it after exiting the queue line in tears I got a really nasty CM who told me " well, you CAN'T ride it- we replaced that car with a new one" as if I had no right to ask why I'd been denied something that was available in the past. I decided not to pursue anything else with someone who was so unkind.---Kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

I was told that they changed the w/c vehicle by three different CM's within the building- one at the attraction boarding area who told me I had to be able to walk a few steps, another CM along the walkway who was moving the huge backload of ECV's, and one more inside the building since I didn't want to deter the others from moving the queue along.. I didn't see the vehicle personally to see if it had changed. Apparently no one may now ride in their power w/c. When I asked about it after exiting the queue line in tears I got a really nasty CM who told me " well, you CAN'T ride it- we replaced that car with a new one" as if I had no right to ask why I'd been denied something that was available in the past. I decided not to pursue anything else with someone who was so unkind.---Kathy

 

[syko]

I was told that they changed the w/c vehicle by three different CM's within the building- one at the attraction boarding area who told me I had to be able to walk a few steps, another CM along the walkway who was moving the huge backload of ECV's, and one more inside the building since I didn't want to deter the others from moving the queue along.. I didn't see the vehicle personally to see if it had changed. Apparently no one may now ride in their power w/c. When I asked about it after exiting the queue line in tears I got a really nasty CM who told me " well, you CAN'T ride it- we replaced that car with a new one" as if I had no right to ask why I'd been denied something that was available in the past. I decided not to pursue anything else with someone who was so unkind.---Kathy

I wish that you had called for a manager, no CM should ever talk to you like that.
I will go over to Nemo today and ask about the electric chairs, if needs be I will get an answer from Team Disney, as they have to provide you with equal access, by at least asking you if you can transfer into a "Disney" chair.(like pirates).

 

[Michigan]

A year ago Feb we had problems with this ride and the CM that worked there. He told me that my kids both in manual wheelchairs couldn't ride the ride because they needed to be able to walk up and down stairs. I told him if someone can walk up and down stairs then they don't need the wheelchair clam.

I also told him that both girls would ride together and that what we do is the youngest one wheels on and then slides onto the companion seat while the older one stays in her wheelchair. Well guess what he said no you can't do that. I demanded that he get his manager and have that manager's manager on stand by. In the end we did it the way I said both riding together.

 

[SueM in MN]

A year ago Feb we had problems with this ride and the CM that worked there. He told me that my kids both in manual wheelchairs couldn't ride the ride because they needed to be able to walk up and down stairs. I told him if someone can walk up and down stairs then they don't need the wheelchair clam.

I also told him that both girls would ride together and that what we do is the youngest one wheels on and then slides onto the companion seat while the older one stays in her wheelchair. Well guess what he said no you can't do that. I demanded that he get his manager and have that manager's manager on stand by. In the end we did it the way I said both riding together.

The needing to walk up and down stairs part no sense at all because there are no steps in the Nemo ride part of the attraction. It's all level.
Once you are at the end of the attraction and into the aquarium part, you are on the ground level (which you never left).
The only parts of the whole attraction that involve stairs are if you choose to go up to the upper level observation areas (using the elevator if you can't use the stairs).
But, you can enjoy much of the attraction without ever leaving ground level.

We've ridden on Nemo a number of times and no one ever asked if DD could walk (much less if she could walk up or down stairs.) They just saw the wheelchair and asked if she could transfer. When we said she could not, they told us to wait off to the side until the wheelchair car came around.

 

[syko]

We went in to Epcot today to ask about the electric chairs and I was told that the old ADA vehicle (clamshell) kept getting stuck and that they had replaced it with a new one..... that was broken down today!!!!
But electric wheelchairs can ride in the new clamshell, they will first be asked if they can transfer into a Disney chair, if the person can not then they will be able to stay in there own electric chair.
Maintanence were coming in tonight and they are hoping to have the ADA clamshell working tomorrow.

 

[SueM in MN]

We went in to Epcot today to ask about the electric chairs and I was told that the old ADA vehicle (clamshell) kept getting stuck and that they had replaced it with a new one..... that was broken down today!!!!
But electric wheelchairs can ride in the new clamshell, they will first be asked if they can transfer into a Disney chair, if the person can not then they will be able to stay in there own electric chair.
Maintanence were coming in tonight and they are hoping to have the ADA clamshell working tomorrow.

Thanks for the update.
It sounds like they had some communication glitches and need to so some education with their staff.