Parking at parks with european disability card

[Deebee_7]

We will be staying for 2 weeks in Disney world at the beginning of April. The first week we'll be at POP and the second week offsite. Our daughter has a European Disability card (bank card type card). We do not have the american style parking card. Will this card be enough to be able to park in the Disabled parking spaces at the car park to the parks?
Are these parking bays always at the front of the car park and do we just drive there and look for a spot? Or how does it work?
I take it we will need to pay the standard parking rate.

 

[tobikaye]

To park in US disabled parking spots, designated by signs and blue lines, you have to have either a license plate that displays the disabled parking symbol or have a tag that is displayed hanging from the rear view mirror or placed in easy view on the dash. This is the case for all parking locations in the US. If you do park in one without the necessary display, you can receive a parking ticket.

Specific to WDW theme parks parking, they have spots near the marked disable spots that are for medical overflow for guests that cannot use the trams. Granted only the MK trams have returned so far, so more use of overflow is in use. When you leave the pay booth for the parking lots, follow along until you reach the first CM and stop to ask about being directed to the medical overflow. Once in the areayou can park in any space not marked with blue and white wheelchair signs.

At the WDW theme park parking lots the disabled and medical overflow spots are near the front of the lots. Note that the medical overflow spots are specific to the WDW theme parks and not regularly found in most US parking lots.

For parking specifically at the WDW theme parks, you will pay the stated parking fee unless staying at a WDW resort or having the appropriate park annual pass.

 

[lanejudy]

Can you leave the card in the vehicle? I believe it must be displayed to avoid a ticket. This is assuming the card includes the universal symbol, a white wheelchair on a blue background.

As a WDW resort guest, you won’t need to pay for parking at the theme parks. However there is an overnight parking fee at the resort that can be waived with a valid permit. Be sure to stop by the front desk and show your card, then keep an eye on your room charges to be sure.

 

[Deebee_7]

Thank you for this clear answer. I understand now that as a non US citizen I will not be able to use the disabled parking spots for my daughter. Bit of a downer but we can perhaps make this 'medical overflow' spaces work. Otherwise we'll have to park in the normal parking spaces and talk a long walk.
I've been to Disney world many years ago (15 years+) and remember these moving walkways in the middle. Do all the parks still have
these? I understand the tram at MK is back but not at any of the other parks.

 

[Deebee_7]

Can you leave the card in the vehicle? I believe it must be displayed to avoid a ticket. This is assuming the card includes the universal symbol, a white wheelchair on a blue background.

As a WDW resort guest, you won’t need to pay for parking at the theme parks. However there is an overnight parking fee at the resort that can be waived with a valid permit. Be sure to stop by the front desk and show your card, then keep an eye on your room charges to be sure.

We can leave the card in the car but it does not have the wheelchair symbol on it. It is a universal Handicapped card used in the EU. It's a type of photo ID with in big letters at the top 'European disability card'. From what I can make out from what other poster said this wil not be enough to be able to park in the disabled parking bays.

 

[SirDuff]

There used to be a process by which you could get temporary tags that were valid in the US (based on what you have in your own country). Not sure if this still exists, but might be worth looking into?

 

[Deebee_7]

Okay I did not know that. Might be a bit late already but i'll certainly look into it (but it looks like you need a American mailaddress which we don't have of course)

 

[DisneyOma]

Thank you for this clear answer. I understand now that as a non US citizen I will not be able to use the disabled parking spots for my daughter. Bit of a downer but we can perhaps make this 'medical overflow' spaces work. Otherwise we'll have to park in the normal parking spaces and talk a long walk.
I've been to Disney world many years ago (15 years+) and remember these moving walkways in the middle. Do all the parks still have
these? I understand the tram at MK is back but not at any of the other parks.

I've been going to WDW for over 25 years, and I've never seen a moving walkway in the middle of a parking lot there. Are you thinking of Universal, in the area between the parking lot and the front gate? That's the only place I've seen moving walkways.

 

[Deebee_7]

Oh....maybe it was Universal then. We visited that one as well in 2004. I really thought it was a Disney park but I must be mistaken then.

 

[Lewisc]

Disabled Parking permit for Florida Visitors
See if this helps


I think there is a Florida DMV office near the Florida Mall. Its on the way to WDW if you take the North route
Or can your home country issue some kind of pass with the Universal wheelchair logo?

NOTE: link formatted by Moderator to load better

 

[Deebee_7]

Thanks for the links!

 

[RoseGold]

I would ask to get a local parking placard. There is a treaty about this that includes the US and Europe and a bunch of other countries. Getting a local one is going to be much easier than getting a US one. US ones are very challenging, even if you had a US address. There is a standardized EU one, at least there was when I looked into this many years ago.

 

[Bete]

One more thought: Worse to worse there are drop off points at the parks which are closer to the entrance of the park. You can drop your daughter off there with her mother or another helper and then go park the car.