New to this forum. First trip with DH using a wheelchair

[Becky2005]

Hello everyone,

A quick background, husband is not a Disney person. The last time he went to Disney was in 2005 when our kids were little and he had no intention of going again. However, I have an extended family trip planned for August and this would mean he would be home by himself for a week. I went with my siblings this year but our sons were home to help him. I think after that he would rather come along (I am actually happy too because it was definitely a concern of mine!). Due to health issues his stamina and balance are not good, especially if he has done too many stairs. He does use a cane at home.

I told him he didn't have a choice, he was *going* to be in a wheelchair at Disney. There is absolutely no way he would be able to do the trip otherwise. He was reluctant as he didn't want to slow anyone else down nor interfere with anyone else's trip. I do have to keep convincing him that he isn't the only one and it isn't a big deal. Although he is not a Disney person, I think he is actually a little bit excited about this trip as he has told me things he would like to do.

We are driving down, so I am thinking of renting a wheelchair locally and bringing it with us as he will definitely need one outside the park (we are staying on-site) vs. renting in Orlando. I still have some time to figure that one out.

Which brings me to a couple of questions, I haven't quite figured out the answer to and the answer might be it depends. We are staying at Ft. Wilderness which means a lot of bus transportation, I know 2 scooters can go on most busses. I am not sure how it would work for him with the manual wheelchair. He would need it to sit while waiting but once on the bus but can then transfer to a regular seat, assuming the wheelchair is the basic fold in the middle type, should he fold it or will they just use the same procedure they use for scooters and tie it down somehow?

Next question, how to keep our group somewhat together on rides/busses. We are going with a group of 20 which will be split up much of the time. Our core family group is 5. I'm pretty sure I have the bus figured out as I don't know if they will let all 5 of us load from the back but we will just monitor the line to see how things go.

How do rides work for larger groups when one person in the party needs an accommodation? I have mostly just seen couples.
I know we wouldn't all be on the same ride vehicle normally but it would be nice if we all could ride at the same general time. For example, Haunted Mansion, obviously only 2 of us can fit on the Doombuggy but the other 3 are going to want to wait to get on so they are at least close to us on the ride vs. getting done way before us.

Is there a list somewhere on how many people can go with on each particular ride if it is more than a companion? I know on Small World it looked like the accessible boat would hold 6 additional people. Mickey & Minnie's looked like it could easily fit 5.

 

[MPD]

I can't speak to the group of 20, but we went with a group of 5, one on a scooter, and we were always able to stay together for rides/busses/etc. Most of the queues can accomodate scooters or wheelchairs so we just went together in lines. The few that had a separate entrance for mobility devices allowed us all to enter together.

Have you considered a scooter instead of a wheelchair? My dad LOVED having the scooter because he was fully independent that way. I think pushing a wheelchair would have been tough for any of us to manage for a week. We rented the scooter in Orlando and it was perfect for us.

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[jo-jo]

Although I have pushed my husband in a wheelchair for several trips, I would suggest renting a scooter too. If he doesn't want to slow anyone down, that will give him even more freedom. My DH fought for a few trips against wheelchair, then used it for a couple of trips, then I told him he has to use a scooter. I was getting too old to keep pushing him. At first he only needed it maybe 50 % or the time (walking the rest pushing wheel chair), as the years went by it increase in time I was pushing him and less time him walking.

I've never stayed at fort wilderness, but even for a short distance, I think a wheelchair would be awful to push. Again maybe scooter would work better for that resort.

As far as the bus, while DH was in wheelchair, we used ramp extrance with DS, DDIL and 2 grandkids. We then folded it up and he said in regular seat.

In our case with family, we just went through the line together and just boarded like anyone else, leaving wheelchair/scooter with CM right by ride vehicle. We do use the wheel chair option for any boats. And then there are rides we just can't do anymore, like thunder mountain , POC, or mine train.

 

[Becky2005]

I can't speak to the group of 20, but we went with a group of 5, one on a scooter, and we were always able to stay together for rides/busses/etc. Most of the queues can accomodate scooters or wheelchairs so we just went together in lines. The few that had a separate entrance for mobility devices allowed us all to enter together.

Have you considered a scooter instead of a wheelchair? My dad LOVED having the scooter because he was fully independent that way. I think pushing a wheelchair would have been tough for any of us to manage for a week. We rented the scooter in Orlando and it was perfect for us.

Although I have pushed my husband in a wheelchair for several trips, I would suggest renting a scooter too. If he doesn't want to slow anyone down, that will give him even more freedom. My DH fought for a few trips against wheelchair, then used it for a couple of trips, then I told him he has to use a scooter. I was getting too old to keep pushing him. At first he only needed it maybe 50 % or the time (walking the rest pushing wheel chair), as the years went by it increase in time I was pushing him and less time him walking.

Thanks. This is helpful. I have fought him on the wheelchair (and the cane but now he couldn't get by without it), hence, why I told him it was not negotiable for a Disney trip. I can't even get him to use the electric cart at a store, so I'm not even sure I could convince him to use a scooter. My thinking is we will start with the wheelchair and if that just doesn't work, go ahead and rent a scooter.

The plan is he is only going to the parks with us in the morning and then back to the resort for the rest of the day after lunch. Our basic plan is for the entire group to meet up for at least one meal/day and lunch makes the most sense. I figured that will be enough for him. Of course, if he is up to staying that's fine but between the heat & crowds, I highly doubt it will happen. Luckily, he isn't a thrill ride person, so I'm pretty sure we can get all the things he wants to do done early in the morning.

There may also be times he doesn't even want to go with us into the parks at all (probably toward the end of the trip, he may just be done).

 

[jo-jo]

Thanks. This is helpful. I have fought him on the wheelchair (and the cane but now he couldn't get by without it), hence, why I told him it was not negotiable for a Disney trip. I can't even get him to use the electric cart at a store, so I'm not even sure I could convince him to use a scooter. My thinking is we will start with the wheelchair and if that just doesn't work, go ahead and rent a scooter.

The plan is he is only going to the parks with us in the morning and then back to the resort for the rest of the day after lunch. Our basic plan is for the entire group to meet up for at least one meal/day and lunch makes the most sense. I figured that will be enough for him. Of course, if he is up to staying that's fine but between the heat & crowds, I highly doubt it will happen. Luckily, he isn't a thrill ride person, so I'm pretty sure we can get all the things he wants to do done early in the morning.

There may also be times he doesn't even want to go with us into the parks at all (probably toward the end of the trip, he may just be done).

Your plan with mornings in park, afternoon in resort sound very doable with wheelchair.

I wore a pair of bike gloves ( padded palms) to protect my hands. Some people don’t care for them. But it’s one of those, when you find you need them, you can’t find them.

 

[Bete]

Hello everyone,

A quick background, husband is not a Disney person. The last time he went to Disney was in 2005 when our kids were little and he had no intention of going again. However, I have an extended family trip planned for August and this would mean he would be home by himself for a week. I went with my siblings this year but our sons were home to help him. I think after that he would rather come along (I am actually happy too because it was definitely a concern of mine!). Due to health issues his stamina and balance are not good, especially if he has done too many stairs. He does use a cane at home.

I told him he didn't have a choice, he was *going* to be in a wheelchair at Disney. There is absolutely no way he would be able to do the trip otherwise. He was reluctant as he didn't want to slow anyone else down nor interfere with anyone else's trip. I do have to keep convincing him that he isn't the only one and it isn't a big deal. Although he is not a Disney person, I think he is actually a little bit excited about this trip as he has told me things he would like to do.

We are driving down, so I am thinking of renting a wheelchair locally and bringing it with us as he will definitely need one outside the park (we are staying on-site) vs. renting in Orlando. I still have some time to figure that one out.

Which brings me to a couple of questions, I haven't quite figured out the answer to and the answer might be it depends. We are staying at Ft. Wilderness which means a lot of bus transportation, I know 2 scooters can go on most busses. I am not sure how it would work for him with the manual wheelchair. He would need it to sit while waiting but once on the bus but can then transfer to a regular seat, assuming the wheelchair is the basic fold in the middle type, should he fold it or will they just use the same procedure they use for scooters and tie it down somehow?

Next question, how to keep our group somewhat together on rides/busses. We are going with a group of 20 which will be split up much of the time. Our core family group is 5. I'm pretty sure I have the bus figured out as I don't know if they will let all 5 of us load from the back but we will just monitor the line to see how things go.

How do rides work for larger groups when one person in the party needs an accommodation? I have mostly just seen couples.
I know we wouldn't all be on the same ride vehicle normally but it would be nice if we all could ride at the same general time. For example, Haunted Mansion, obviously only 2 of us can fit on the Doombuggy but the other 3 are going to want to wait to get on so they are at least close to us on the ride vs. getting done way before us.

Is there a list somewhere on how many people can go with on each particular ride if it is more than a companion? I know on Small World it looked like the accessible boat would hold 6 additional people. Mickey & Minnie's looked like it could easily fit 5.

 

[Fangorn]

Your plan with mornings in park, afternoon in resort sound very doable with wheelchair.

I wore a pair of bike gloves ( padded palms) to protect my hands. Some people don’t care for them. But it’s one of those, when you find you need them, you can’t find them.

I agree on the gloves. They make a ton of difference. Most wheelchair grips have serious ridges that will do a number on your hands after any length of time. DW is in a wheelchair and though it can be a workout, it's not too bad (except at Epcot where it's a lot more hilly than you realize). The gel palm gloves are wonderful.

Steve

 

[medicjch]

I'm hopping on this thread as I have a similar question......headed down next week and I'll have my Mom in a wheelchair. An ECV just isn't a great option for her navigating a park. We're staying at OKW but we'll also have a vehicle. Do you think it is better to just rely on the bus system, or would we be better off driving ourselves to the parks? I feel like the bus is the better option, but curious on opinions.

 

[Fangorn]

We just got back 3 days ago from a 10 day trip. DW in a wheelchair, and were with DIL and 2 grandkids (12 & 17). Also stayed at OKW. Normally, when it's just the 2 of us we rely totally on Disney transportation. This time, we drove more than taking the bus.

Our decision was based on where we were going, park hopping plans and timings of when we needed to be places. With the grandkids, this trip was highly scheduled (not something we normally do), and involved several rope-drop days (something else we don't usually do). To add to the problem, our room was a long way from the closest bus stop.

The only place we did not drive to was Disney Springs. I refuse to get into that traffic nightmare.

Things to consider:
Do you have a handicap placard?
Will your vehicle accommodate a wheelchair? And can you get it in/out easily?
Can your mom transfer from the wheelchair? (DW can transfer but needs the ramp to get on the bus. This helps a bit as we can fold up the chair and not have to use a mobility area on the bus. )

IMO, using the bus system is less hassle overall, but will take you a LOT longer to get anywhere. The earlier in the morning you head for the parks, the greater the liklihood that you may by waiting for multiple busses before you can get on one. Same thing in the evening going back to the resort.

I assume you are aware that most of the buildings at OKW do not have elevators, so if you haven't booked an accessible room, you'll need to call MS and request a ground floor room FOR MEDICAL REASONS. Even that's not a guarantee (happened to us once - it was a nightmare, but eventually they worked it out)

Steve

 

[medicjch]

We just got back 3 days ago from a 10 day trip. DW in a wheelchair, and were with DIL and 2 grandkids (12 & 17). Also stayed at OKW. Normally, when it's just the 2 of us we rely totally on Disney transportation. This time, we drove more than taking the bus.

Our decision was based on where we were going, park hopping plans and timings of when we needed to be places. With the grandkids, this trip was highly scheduled (not something we normally do), and involved several rope-drop days (something else we don't usually do). To add to the problem, our room was a long way from the closest bus stop.

The only place we did not drive to was Disney Springs. I refuse to get into that traffic nightmare.

Things to consider:
Do you have a handicap placard?
Will your vehicle accommodate a wheelchair? And can you get it in/out easily?
Can your mom transfer from the wheelchair? (DW can transfer but needs the ramp to get on the bus. This helps a bit as we can fold up the chair and not have to use a mobility area on the bus. )

IMO, using the bus system is less hassle overall, but will take you a LOT longer to get anywhere. The earlier in the morning you head for the parks, the greater the liklihood that you may by waiting for multiple busses before you can get on one. Same thing in the evening going back to the resort.

I assume you are aware that most of the buildings at OKW do not have elevators, so if you haven't booked an accessible room, you'll need to call MS and request a ground floor room FOR MEDICAL REASONS. Even that's not a guarantee (happened to us once - it was a nightmare, but eventually they worked it out)

Steve

All good things to consider.......much appreciated!! Yes, we have requested a ground floor room and my wife and kids will be there before I get there with my Mom so if any issues pop up with the room they can hopefully get them resolved.

 

[Fangorn]

All good things to consider.......much appreciated!! Yes, we have requested a ground floor room and my wife and kids will be there before I get there with my Mom so if any issues pop up with the room they can hopefully get them resolved.

Perfect.

 

[elvispursley]

All good things to consider.......much appreciated!! Yes, we have requested a ground floor room and my wife and kids will be there before I get there with my Mom so if any issues pop up with the room they can hopefully get them resolved.

Make sure you have it noted on your request for a ground floor that it’s for mobility purposes (if you haven’t already).