New ADR Cancelation Policy

[WaltD4Me]

I'm going to throw my 2 cents in on the scooter / wheelchair debate....

The day after Thanksgiving , I came down with a horribly painful swollen right foot. I went back and forth to doctors , getting tests and shots and ended up in a cast
Before I knew it , my December 2010 trip had rolled around. I wanted to cancel because I figured Disney in a wheelchair would for lack of a better term , SUCK !!! My family was looking forward to the vacation so we went.
I spent the WHOLE trip in a wheelchair. I had little independace outside my hotel room. I was stared at , jumped in front of , banged into , you name it. I would cry at the end of everyday. Thank God , up until this vacation I was always able to walk around freely like a "normal" tourist. Boy did I get a nasty dose of reality Being in Disney without your mobility is not fun or easy. It's limiting and embarrasing. The worst thing is the bus stop , where people suck their teeth and roll their eyes and make nasty comments because God forbid they have to wait for the busdriver to strap you in. Sometimes I wonder if people even realize how they act & how they make others feel
It is my opinion that nobody is in a scooter or a wheelchair for "fun" , because guess what , IT ISN'T FUN , IT STINKS !!!!
My foot has gotten a little better but is still not 100% and we're supposed to return to Disney in January. I'm already having anxiety about what I will do if I can't walk....my wheelchair trip was so horrible , I don't think I ever want to go through it again.
Please , next time you want to make fun of someone in Disney , STOP , be thankful #1 that you're alive & #2 that you're in Disney and simply MYOB

I'm so sorry Melissa. It's so sad people act like that. I will never ever understand how so many people feel it's okay to judge someone they nothing about.

When we took my mom with us to Disney she had to rent an ECV. Doesn't matter why, but it was necessary. When we were in Toontown, she and my dad wanted to ride the train. I said I would take her ECV and ride it to the front of the park. This was before the podcast and I didn't think a thing of it. I will never forget the dirty looks, stares and whispers. And this was at a time when the parks were SLOW, I mean, like a 2 crowd level. I wasn't in anyone's way, I wasn't joy riding or trying to get through a crowd and still people seemed to go out of their way to give me dirty looks and make comments so that I could hear them. It was unbelievable. My mom had said she hated riding the ECV, but I didn't understand why until I did it myself. It still brings tears to my eyes to this day and I haven't been able to convince my mom to come back to Disney with me since. This breaks my heart, but since it seems like the vitriole has gotten worse, even if she did agree to go back I don't know if I'd want to put her in that situation. How incredibly sad is that? Ever since that trip, I go out of my way to give a smile to someone on an ECV or talk to them on the bus or in the parks. I told one guy who made a nasty comment because he had to wait for an ECV to be strapped in on a bus that maybe while he was waiting he should mind his own business and count his blessings. Good advice for alot of people.

To get back on topic though.....I wonder what will happen if you can't get an ADR for two people, so you make it for three so you can get a table and then you show up with only two people...are they gonna charge you $10 for the missing person?

 

[disneyholic family]

This infuriates me.

How in the heck do you (or anyone else)know who does and doesn't need a scooter?

You think the woman doesn't need scooter because she stood for a while?

Or danced?

Did you see her whole day?

Do you know if this was the only time she stood all day? all week? all month?

Do you know if she has a heart condition and that was her 20 minutes of joy for the day?

My Mom could get out of her wheel chair and walk for about 20 feet.

Had you seen her during that time, you might have decided she didn't need a scooter or wheel chair

What you didn't see was the heating pads and muscle relaxers and pain killers that were necessary to walk that 20 feet, but to her it was a major accomplishment.

It's none of anyone's freaking business why someone is using a scooter.

Judge not, lest be judged.

in August, we had my son in law with us...
we were a group of six - DH, me, DD and her husband, DS and his wife..

my son in law was in a terrible accident 5 years ago - he fell from a 50 foot cliff (the equivalent of a 5 story building) and the vehicle he was on fell on top of him..
his back was broken...those who rescued him were sure he wasn't going to live....and if he survived then certainly not be able to walk ever again...
he was in surgery for 25 hours...

bottom line, it was a miracle that he lived at all...

and now, 5 years later, he is able to walk.....not for extended periods or on difficult terrain, but he is able to walk..

but not only can he not walk for a long time, he also can't sit for a long time (which is why we had to fly him business class to the US - his surgeon said there was no way he could make that flight in a sitting position....and even with the flat bed seat, he was in agonizing pain for part of the flight)..

the point is - he can't sit for extended periods either...
so when we were in the parks, part of the time he was on a scooter, part of the time he walked, and part of the time he was in a wheelchair..
he had to change positions often ..
(and some of the time, he had to go back to the room to soak in the tub and then rest on a special portable orthopedic bed that we brought with us on the plane)..

when you look at him, except for the scar on his scalp, you would have no clue that there is anything wrong with him (that his spine is put back together with pins and bolts and rods and who knows what)...
he's a powerful looking guy.....so i am sure anyone who saw him going from the scooter or the wheelchair to walking then back thought he was faking it...
some days he used a scooter, other days a wheelchair, other days nothing at all.... rest assured he needed whatever it was he was using at the time...

 

[kaligal]

I do not believe that anyone who doesn't need an ECV uses one in the parks.

I am confident that the people who say that have never used one in the parks or spent much time with someone else who had to use one in the parks.

It sucks SO much. Nobody would endure it if they didn't need to.

And as someone else pointed out, there are many people who can't sit for too long or walk for too long. It hurts.

Just because it isn't you or anyone you've known who has X or Y problem...don't assume that you know they don't suffer. You don't. If you did know their situation, you'd be more apt to leave them be...and maybe even help.

 

[lugnut33]

Hey everybody, I think you are misunderstanding what ConnieB was trying to say (and maybe she just said it the wrong way). I think the point she was making is that people who abuse the system end up ruining it for everybody else. In this instance, you'll have guests making up whatever sad excuse they can come up with to get out of having to pay the penalty for missing an ADR. If people abuse the new system enough then maybe Disney will require a doctors excuse to not get charged the penalty.

Then again, I could be wrong.

 

[jcb]

Hey everybody, I think you are misunderstanding what ConnieB was trying to say (and maybe she just said it the wrong way). I think the point she was making is that people who abuse the system end up ruining it for everybody else. In this instance, you'll have guests making up whatever sad excuse they can come up with to get out of having to pay the penalty for missing an ADR. If people abuse the new system enough then maybe Disney will require a doctors excuse to not get charged the penalty.

Then again, I could be wrong.

I don't think anyone missed her point. Speaking for myself, I found her comparison between people who book multiple ADRs and people who rent scooters "without needing them" pretty inapt. One's a real problem. The other is the Disney equivalent of an urban legend. The video comment didn't help any.

 

[dmccarty]

Back to a less hot button issue, ADRs.

ADRs are a PITA but they are required if you want to eat at a certain place on a given day and not waste a lot of time waiting. We are in DVC and make our resort reservations and ADR's 7-11 months out. It is not really hard to figure out for us.

But ADR's really structure a vacation. As a result, we have made less and less ADR's every trip.

For the DW first trip to WDW in the late 90's, hold on to your hat, we had NO ADRs! None. Nada. Zippo!

Ever since I was a kid riding the monorail through CR, I wanted to stay at a WDW resort AND at CR. So for the DW's first visit we stayed at CR AND ate at CG every night! Without ADRs! :

The ONLY reason we ate every night at CG was because we did not have kids and we were get up late, eat late, go to sleep late people. We could not get a table at CG anytime before 8:00 and we sat at the Sushi bar which was perfect for us. We shut down CG almost every night. The cooks and servers got to know us and would give us free samples!

It was VERY hard to waddle back to our room off in the CR wings where BLT now sits.

We have canceled an ADR at CG before and paid the fee. It still was cheaper than going there to eat and they certainly filled the table. I have no problem with WDW charging a no show fee. They should do it more as far as I am concerned. It should help open up spots for walk up guests.

We just got back from WDW. We had three ADRs, two at CG and one at Sanaa. We have waited over an hour to get a table at Sanaa when just walking up. This trip we only had to wait a 10-15 minutes when we did not have an ADR but it was lunch time.

In the future we will have even fewer ADRs and eat less at WDW restaurants. The food prices have gone up, quality has dropped to less than McD's, and quantity has fallen as well. We had microwaved frozen food that was better tasting, cheaper by far and more filling than the lunches we had at the parks, Mara, and Rain Forest Cafe.

CG was using long grained rice in the Sushi.

WDW will be getting less dollars from us because of their over priced below average CS food. Before our last trip we talked about taking frozen food on our trip to save a bit of money but mainly to save time. After the trip, where we bought frozen food to eat, we decided that on our next trip we will bring frozen food that we can microwave. We are not paying $10 for a frozen single serve pizza or $15 for a sandwich with potato chips.

Since we are in DVC our biggest expense at WDW is park tickets and then food. We go to WDW to eat. While WDW can be expensive for CS food, in the past, you could find decent quality food for a fair price. Mara was such a place. After this trip, this is no longer true for us. Frozen food is what they are serving at some CS places in the parks. I can buy that at the grocery store and save us time and money.

We will have less ADR's next trip because of the higher prices, decline in quality, and quantity of WDW food.

Later,
Dan

 

[MrsG]

Out of the 100's of ADR's we've made over the years (and yes we are the people who make them 180 days in advance) , we only did not show up for 1 and it was last Sat. when Orlando had record rainfall and there was no way we were going to get over to Portobello at DTD. We went to the concierge of our hotel to cancel and they said the system wasn't working to cancel it and not to worry about it, just don't show up.

I can understand the fee, it's reasonable, but I am sure in very inclement weather or a last minute emergency, they might make exceptions although not publicize them. The last thing they want is an unhappy guest who will never make ADR's again.

 

[ConnieB]

This infuriates me.

How in the heck do you (or anyone else)know who does and doesn't need a scooter?

You think the woman doesn't need scooter because she stood for a while?

Or danced?

Did you see her whole day?

Do you know if this was the only time she stood all day? all week? all month?

Do you know if she has a heart condition and that was her 20 minutes of joy for the day?

My Mom could get out of her wheel chair and walk for about 20 feet.

Had you seen her during that time, you might have decided she didn't need a scooter or wheel chair

What you didn't see was the heating pads and muscle relaxers and pain killers that were necessary to walk that 20 feet, but to her it was a major accomplishment.

It's none of anyone's freaking business why someone is using a scooter.

Judge not, lest be judged.

You would need to see the photo and video to understand....she was not just "standing for a little bit"...she was standing ON TOP OF THE SEAT of her scootter. I.E. something I wouldn't recommend doing for a healthy person. And she was wildly dancing...bee bopping I believe is the term I used.

And...since I have used a scooter on more than one occasion until I got my hip replaced and can now walk pretty decent, so take a deep breath for heavens sake. Until you've seen this video, YOU need to chill.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I'm feeling like this is akin to those that use a scooter when they don't need it....makes things bad for those that truly need it, even if their need is not visible to the bystander.

And...since I have used a scooter on more than one occasion until I got my hip replaced and can now walk pretty decent, so take a deep breath for heavens sake. Until you've seen this video, YOU need to chill.

No...I don't need to chill.

I need to point this out every time someone says something like "those that use a scooter that don't really need it" or discusses how "those" people are making it bad for everyone else.

How on earth does someone using a scooter make it bad for everyone else?

Read the other responses here. Other people are being subject to this nastiness also.

One poster's Mom won't go back to WDW because people made nasty comments about her using a scooter or boarding a bus.

I was lucky enough to be behind a wheelchair for 23 years and I dealt with the nastiness, the looks, the comments and I watched how it affected my Mom. I see and hear how it affects others.

Please understand that I am going to call this out each and every time I see it or hear it in the parks.

It's no one's FREAKING business who uses a scooter or wheelchair.

 

[ConnieB]

I don't think anyone missed her point. Speaking for myself, I found her comparison between people who book multiple ADRs and people who rent scooters "without needing them" pretty inapt. One's a real problem. The other is the Disney equivalent of an urban legend. The video comment didn't help any.

Sorry ya'll feel that way. The scooters without needing them is NOT an urban legend. People BRAG about renting the scooter without needing it. The video I was referring to shows this chick zoom up and park her scooter, jump, not get on, but jump onto the scooter seat and then spend the entire show bouncing, bee bopping, and dancing around on the seat high above the crowds around her, jump back down onto the ground, get on her scooter and zoom off.

I've been in a scooter, at Disney and other entertainment venues and for quite a while in everyday "real life" and no it's not fun, and no you can't always see someone's injury....but seriously...jumping, dancing. Not likely. Get a grip folks. THERE ARE people who BRAG about using a scooter without a need. Here on DIS and many other forums.

The folks who genuinely need them KNOW that there is a DEFINITE difference in how they are treated now and how they were treated just a few years ago. Why? Has Disney gotten less compassionate about those in scooters, no it's because those who abuse the need have ruined it for those that DP need them. And THAT is exactly what has happened over the years with ADRs. We have ALL seen the empty restaurants that allegedly have no reservations available....and since any restaurant, Disney or off site, wants every seat filled with a paying customer, there is no way they'd say there were no reservations available if there were.....so the only explanation is that there are a LOT of folks with reservations that don't show up. Every restaurant expects that too...people change their mind, they forget what time it is, they get sick......but NOT in the numbers and constant occurence that Disney has been experiencing the last couple of years. Used to be that people openly made two reservations....maybe an hour or so apart and two different places. Then Disney started cancelling BOTH reservations if they were within a set number of hours. So people found a way around that....they'd call and put one of the reservations in their name, one in hubby's name or whomever. I can remember when this was RECOMMENDED here on DIS. But, like everything else, the abuse escalated until people were making not just one or two duplicate reservations for their trip, but to where people would make multiple reservations for every day or every meal of their trip.....and there were many threads flaming them, and flaming that they didn't cancel the ones they weren't going to use and so on and so on. And it took years for Disney to do something about it, and now they are. And people are ALREADY finding ways around the charges that might be incurred. I believe that Disney will lenient about "my child is sick"....until half the kids in the hotels are "too sick" to go to dinner. And eventually they'll have to be less lenient about illness as an excuse. Another way that is being bandied about is since Disney doesn't charge the card unless or until you don't show, to use a disposable card. If this happens often enough, then you know in a couple years Disney WILL start charging a deposit or something. Why do you think you now have to PAY IN FULL for places like CRT at the time of the reservation.....because that prime real estate needs to be full, and too many people blew off their reservations. CaliGrill I believe has done this for a couple years now too, where it never used to. Others will follow.

Same thing has already happened with the hard ticket events too.....it has always been a "nonrefundable" purchase, but as Disney is about customer service and realizes that life does get in the way of attending these things, they have allowed many people to get a refund, some for very valid reasons (death in the family, deployment, unemployment causing cancellation of trip, even illness). And I have been one of the fortunate ones to get a refund when my husband wasn't able to come on our vacation with us due to business (and frankly, I wasn't expecting a refund, but it was worth asking, since the worst that could happen is a "no sorry"). But that seems to be another thing that is becoming more difficult....there have been many who have been turned down (though it seems others are still getting it so it feels like it's just the beginning of the change in policy and is more a supervisor related thing so far). But...I'll guess that in another year or two refunds are going to be extremely difficult or impossible to get. Getting prepaid meals refunded are still pretty easy from the sounds of things on various boards, but there are those that would disagree because they didn't get that same consideration. I think we can ALL agree that Disney is NOT consistent with it's policy. It's regular advice here on DIS that if you didn't agree with what one CM said, hang up and call back....and more often than can be called a fluke, it works.

For those that were insulted by my scooter reference, if you need a scooter than it wasn't aimed at you. So I apologize that you misunderstood, but those that say no one goes to Disney and uses a scooter that doesn't need one....I'm sorry but you are mistaken. It's probably not nearly as widespread as some would have you think, because yes, many seemingly healthy looking people do need it....no one could see my need for a hip replacement, but I was overweight so you know I got to listen to the rude comments that if I lost a little weight I wouldn't need a scooter...but the fact was I was an only about 20 pounds overweight until my hip was broken and the surgery to repair it was botched. After that walking was very difficult....so physical activity was pretty much over for me, and the weight gain came on fast and furious, almost 150 pounds, and took YEARS to get rid of (but now I am actually in normal weight range because I can move again). But getting a hip replacement took a lawsuit and another surgery and many years. As I get older I know that even the replacement isn't going to allow me to keep doing 12 hour days in the park....and I'll be back in a scooter again someday. So I do understand, maybe not as intimately as those always in a scooter, but I definitely have experience with the sometime need for one.

And I wish that it was a front of the line guarantee....because sitting alone while my kids went through the regular line and I sit there waiting is BORING. I missed the fun stuff created for the line and I missed being with my kids....lines don't bother me as much when I have someone to talk to and giggle with.....being stuck in one place with no one to talk to is VERY boring. I wish Disney would remember that when they redo these various rides...but they don't....the could have easily made the line scooter friendly for the new Star Tours, but nope, you still enter separately and I imagine you wait in a boring space without your family.

 

[WaltD4Me]

You would need to see the photo and video to understand....she was not just "standing for a little bit"...she was standing ON TOP OF THE SEAT of her scootter. I.E. something I wouldn't recommend doing for a healthy person. And she was wildly dancing...bee bopping I believe is the term I used.

And...since I have used a scooter on more than one occasion until I got my hip replaced and can now walk pretty decent, so take a deep breath for heavens sake. Until you've seen this video, YOU need to chill.

So, since you have needed to use a scooter, you now are able to judge everyone else?

I don't need to see the video because it doesn't matter. Even if this one person had absolutely no reason to use a scooter, pointing it out and saying "SEE, people use scooters when they don't need one!" makes people think everyone they see with a scooter who doesn't "look" disabled enough to them doesn't need it and it's okay to judge them and be nasty about it.

Everytime this issue comes up I read post after post that starts with...."One time...."
ONE time they saw someone they were absolutely sure was perfectly fine using a scooter, ECV, wheelchair, whatever, but no one ever then says...but you know what? I also saw 50 people enjoying the parks on a scooter/ECV who probably wouldn't have been able to go to Disney at all without out it.

 

[ConnieB]

How on earth does someone using a scooter make it bad for everyone else?

Those that don't need it have most certainly made it bad for those that do...if you have had a need for it for 23 years than you most certainly know the different ways Disney has accomodated this over the years. I only had a 6 or 7 year spread that I saw the changes. Just as abuse of other Disney policies have increased their enforcement, abuse of scooters has as well. This thread started as a discussion of ADR cancellation policy.....and why is there a need to change the policy, because of abuse. There is not much difference, when a generous policy is abused, the company will eventually tighten up on enforcement. We're seeing it now big time with ADRs. It's been more subtle and not announced, but over the years the scooter/wheelchair policy has gotten less scooter friendly, and not because Disney is losing money or gotten less compassionate. If anything, the increase in ECV rentals is a boon for them financially.

 

[OKW Lover]

I simply asked people's opinion on the new ADR policy. I know that thread hijacking occurs frequently on these boards - I'm guilty of it myself - but it would be nice if we could return to the original topic.

Having thought over the situation, I now think I'm in favor of the new policy despite its obvious shortcomings. I'm willing to risk $10 person on making the few ADR's that would be subject to this policy. I'm hoping that it will deter others from making ADR's just on a whim - and I'm not even talking about the multiple ADR's for the same day kind of thing.

 

[disneyholic family]

i should add that despite the difficulty of using a scooter/wheelchair and the pain he was sometimes in during our trip, he LOVED WDW (it was his first visit) - and was so grateful for all the help offered to him by so many CMs, it would take a week to tell all the sweet stories!!...

 

[ConnieB]

So, since you have needed to use a scooter, you now are able to judge everyone else?

I don't need to see the video because it doesn't matter. Even if this one person had absolutely no reason to use a scooter, pointing it out and saying "SEE, people use scooters when they don't need one!" makes people think everyone they see with a scooter who doesn't "look" disabled enough to them doesn't need it and it's okay to judge them and be nasty about it.

Everytime this issue comes up I read post after post that starts with...."One time...."
ONE time they saw someone they were absolutely sure was perfectly fine using a scooter, ECV, wheelchair, whatever, but no one ever then says...but you know what? I also saw 50 people enjoying the parks on a scooter/ECV who probably wouldn't have been able to go to Disney at all without out it.

Do some DIS board and other popular Disney searches about scooters because people are BRAGGING about getting one without need. Not ONE time. The video I mentioned is just one example. People above are saying it never happens...sorry that is simply NOT true. Those bragging that it's worth the cost to not stand in line, or to get special viewing space for parades and such....have weighed the cost and decided to get a scooter they don't need because they have more money than common decency.

Another example...in Disneyland those in scooters get a nice viewing area for WOC....there was a whole discussion about how it was CHEAPER to pay the $45 for one person in your family to rent an ECV then to pay for the expensive dinner that gets you the good view to STAND. And mind you even if you pay for that dinner to get the VIP placement, you have to arrive an hour early, so you stand for that hour, then you stand for the 20-30 minute show. So people are recommending spending $45 for your entire party to get to go into the wheelchair section. Better viewing, cheaper pricing, and then take turns sitting in the wheelchair. That's not abuse?

I'll say it again...the vast majority that have scooters need them, and not all of their needs are visible, in fact, I'd say most aren't. But there ARE those that abuse it and to say there aren't is naive at best. And those that are abusing it are making it worse for those that do need it. And THAT is where my comparison (that seems to be lost on this thread now) to ADR comes from...those that abuse the system make it worse for everyone. And let me point out that abusers making it worse the rest of the world is not limited to Disney, though this forum is so I won't go there....but think about your life and tell me you can't see anything that those who break the rules or abuse them or flaunt them haven't made an effect on your life? I want to live in that nirvana then.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Those that don't need it have most certainly made it bad for those that do...if you have had a need for it for 23 years than you most certainly know the different ways Disney has accomodated this over the years. I only had a 6 or 7 year spread that I saw the changes. Just as abuse of other Disney policies have increased their enforcement, abuse of scooters has as well. This thread started as a discussion of ADR cancellation policy.....and why is there a need to change the policy, because of abuse. There is not much difference, when a generous policy is abused, the company will eventually tighten up on enforcement. We're seeing it now big time with ADRs. It's been more subtle and not announced, but over the years the scooter/wheelchair policy has gotten less scooter friendly, and not because Disney is losing money or gotten less compassionate. If anything, the increase in ECV rentals is a boon for them financially.

I have no idea what scooter or wheelchair policies Disney has altered because of abuse by those "not needing" a scooter.

Disney's demographic is aging. The Baby Boomers are aging. People are living longer. Scooter rentals have increased because of need.

They are expensive, unwieldy, aggravating and as you point out segregating.

I haven't seen the video to which you refer, but it seems that maybe there is a broad generalization based on one video.

This would be akin to me saying teenage girls are skanks because I saw a Brittany Spears video.

 

[WaltD4Me]

Those that don't need it have most certainly made it bad for those that do...if you have had a need for it for 23 years than you most certainly know the different ways Disney has accomodated this over the years. I only had a 6 or 7 year spread that I saw the changes. Just as abuse of other Disney policies have increased their enforcement, abuse of scooters has as well. This thread started as a discussion of ADR cancellation policy.....and why is there a need to change the policy, because of abuse. There is not much difference, when a generous policy is abused, the company will eventually tighten up on enforcement. We're seeing it now big time with ADRs. It's been more subtle and not announced, but over the years the scooter/wheelchair policy has gotten less scooter friendly, and not because Disney is losing money or gotten less compassionate. If anything, the increase in ECV rentals is a boon for them financially.

Absolutely wrong. The VERY, VERY FEW people who maybe use an ECV "just for fun" are not the problem, (I believe it is a tiny number) it's the internet and people telling everyone to "Watch this video of this dancing girl who is using a scooter she obviously doesn't need." that has caused the problem. People go to Disney, have a wonderful time and yet they can't wait to come and post on discussion boards like this about someone they saw on an ECV that THEY decided didn't need it. Or worse, post a You Tube video about it. This is what inflames the issue, NOT the very small percentage of people who might be using a ECV just to "ride" around.

I posted earlier that I rode my mom's ECV to the front of the park so she could ride the train with my dad. I would be horrified to see a You Tube video of me hopping off the ECV and walking around as evidence of ECV abuse on You Tube. No one knew the situation. No one knew I only rode it for less than an hour so my mom could ride the train, but today I could be one of those "one time..." stories. It makes me sick to even think about. Again, I have to say....mind your own business and count your blessings.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Do some DIS board and other popular Disney searches about scooters because people are BRAGGING about getting one without need. Not ONE time. The video I mentioned is just one example. People above are saying it never happens...sorry that is simply NOT true. Those bragging that it's worth the cost to not stand in line, or to get special viewing space for parades and such....have weighed the cost and decided to get a scooter they don't need because they have more money than common decency.

Another example...in Disneyland those in scooters get a nice viewing area for WOC....there was a whole discussion about how it was CHEAPER to pay the $45 for one person in your family to rent an ECV then to pay for the expensive dinner that gets you the good view to STAND. And mind you even if you pay for that dinner to get the VIP placement, you have to arrive an hour early, so you stand for that hour, then you stand for the 20-30 minute show. So people are recommending spending $45 for your entire party to get to go into the wheelchair section. Better viewing, cheaper pricing, and then take turns sitting in the wheelchair. That's not abuse?

I'll say it again...the vast majority that have scooters need them, and not all of their needs are visible, in fact, I'd say most aren't. But there ARE those that abuse it and to say there aren't is naive at best. And those that are abusing it are making it worse for those that do need it. And THAT is where my comparison (that seems to be lost on this thread now) to ADR comes from...those that abuse the system make it worse for everyone. And let me point out that abusers making it worse the rest of the world is not limited to Disney, though this forum is so I won't go there....but think about your life and tell me you can't see anything that those who break the rules or abuse them or flaunt them haven't made an effect on your life? I want to live in that nirvana then.

There are many things in life where we see that the few who abuse the rules make it more difficult for those that follow the rules.

This new ADR policy is a perfect example.

What policies have changed for you at Disney or anywhere else because of alleged scooter abuse?

And I would see your comparison more clearly if we were publicly ridiculing those that abuse the ADR system....but that doesn't happen.

People who use wheelchairs or scooters are routinely the target of this sort of nastiness.

I will say it again and again....

It is NO ONE'S business who uses a scooter or wheelchair.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

This policy is horrible!
What if I sneeze and get a back spasm while walking to the restaurant and I need an ambulance? Am I supposed to call Disney about an ADR? What if my precious little Jimmy has a meltdown because there isn't a raspberry mocha mint milkshake on the menu at Sci Fi and we decide to go to Hollywood and Vine instead and forget to tell Disney? I might slip while it's raining. Someone who doesn't really need a scooter may take too long boarding the bus and make us miss our ADR. So many things can happen.

 

[Disney Enabler]

Both concerns. pay for reservation and the scooters, all comes down to two thing:

COMMON COURTESY and PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!!!!!

If you need a scooter use one. And I know it isn't easy but try to not run over anyone - even those who unexpectably end up in front of you.

If you have a stroller, try to not run over anyone - even those who unexpectably end up in front of you.

If you are on foot and you are hurrying to a ride or a show, try to not run into anyone - even those who unexpectably end up in front of you.

If you have an ADR either show up or let Disney know you aren't going to show up.

If you don't have an ADR, seriously ...

Carol
It's a great day to be alive!!!