Power Wheelchair & Weight/Size Restrictions?

[Oosums]

Hi Folks,

First, a huge thank you to those who compile so much great information on the disABILITIES board. Really makes planning with a varied group with diverse needs so much easier. I hope I can contribute back after my upcoming visit in June.

I'm needing some insight about weight and size restrictions for powered wheelchairs and transfer advice in various places.

Background: I was a CM in early to mid 2000's (Y&B Concierge; KS@DAK). I still have a somewhat encyclopedic knowledge of access. (I have also kept up with GAC/GAS changes and some ride access/vehicle modifications news.)

That said, I've convinced two friends to join me for a few days in early June at WDW. One friend uses a wide/heavy duty power wheelchair (not an ECV, just to be clear). He's big (500#). It's big: 29.25" wide x 38.5in" Long (and guessing 250 pounds unoccupied?)

For attractions where he'll fit, he can transfer if there are very limited stairs, <10 steps, and where using two canes is possible with even footing. Moving walkways would need to be stopped. Steps down into boats or steps over a side of a ride vehicle probably aren't going to work out. (Of course, the one attraction he's asked about by name because he loved it decades ago is POTC... yeech.)

Specific Questions:

1) Jungle Cruise/IASM/Mexico: anyone know the lift capacity/ramp width?

2) We only have one Disney Transportation use planned (MK to WL for dinner, then back to the park afterward), so I figure we'll use the boat. Will the boat ramp be wide enough for the chair? Alternately, if not, or if water-levels aren't cooperating, how do we board either type of bus (lift and ramp), considering weight capacity?

3) Dark Rides, specifically: TSMM, Nemo, Mermaid, Pooh: will the ramp into ride vehicles on these accommodate a power chair of his dimensions/weight? If not, are the accessible cars still advisable because of the larger entryway into the car? (It doesn't SEEM like I need to be concerned about HM--am I forgetting anything there?)

4) Star Tours: Do they still do non-motion?

5) Stitch's Great Escape: I've read power chairs don't fit under the harnesses. (True?) Do they have any oversized/wide wheelchairs as attraction wheelchairs for this purpose? (Any idea of the weight capacity on park oversized wheelchairs?)

6) Ellen's Energy Adventure: power chairs used to be allowed on, but if not anymore, would someone with two canes be better trying to use the wheelchair ramp or walking sideways into a standard row? (Just curious on opinions.) (Does GMR have the same setup?)


Lots of questions!

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
~M.

 

[gap2368]

Hi Folks,

First, a huge thank you to those who compile so much great information on the disABILITIES board. Really makes planning with a varied group with diverse needs so much easier. I hope I can contribute back after my upcoming visit in June.

I'm needing some insight about weight and size restrictions for powered wheelchairs and transfer advice in various places.

Background: I was a CM in early to mid 2000's (Y&B Concierge; KS@DAK). I still have a somewhat encyclopedic knowledge of access. (I have also kept up with GAC/GAS changes and some ride access/vehicle modifications news.)

That said, I've convinced two friends to join me for a few days in early June at WDW. One friend uses a wide/heavy duty power wheelchair (not an ECV, just to be clear). He's big (500#). It's big: 29.25" wide x 38.5in" Long (and guessing 250 pounds unoccupied?)

For attractions where he'll fit, he can transfer if there are very limited stairs, <10 steps, and where using two canes is possible with even footing. Moving walkways would need to be stopped. Steps down into boats or steps over a side of a ride vehicle probably aren't going to work out. (Of course, the one attraction he's asked about by name because he loved it decades ago is POTC... yeech.)

Specific Questions:

1) Jungle Cruise/IASM/Mexico: anyone know the lift capacity/ramp width?

2) We only have one Disney Transportation use planned (MK to WL for dinner, then back to the park afterward), so I figure we'll use the boat. Will the boat ramp be wide enough for the chair? Alternately, if not, or if water-levels aren't cooperating, how do we board either type of bus (lift and ramp), considering weight capacity?

3) Dark Rides, specifically: TSMM, Nemo, Mermaid, Pooh: will the ramp into ride vehicles on these accommodate a power chair of his dimensions/weight? If not, are the accessible cars still advisable because of the larger entryway into the car? (It doesn't SEEM like I need to be concerned about HM--am I forgetting anything there?)

4) Star Tours: Do they still do non-motion?

5) Stitch's Great Escape: I've read power chairs don't fit under the harnesses. (True?) Do they have any oversized/wide wheelchairs as attraction wheelchairs for this purpose? (Any idea of the weight capacity on park oversized wheelchairs?)

6) Ellen's Energy Adventure: power chairs used to be allowed on, but if not anymore, would someone with two canes be better trying to use the wheelchair ramp or walking sideways into a standard row? (Just curious on opinions.) (Does GMR have the same setup?)


Lots of questions!

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
~M.

1 no but my friend with a power chair will not do the mexico or IASW one he says it is too hard to get in and out of
2 if he fits in the white box that is on the ground he can get on the buss
3 if he fits he can ride in them ( funny thing about pooh I have a friend in a powered wheel chair the CM said he would fit they tried they broke pooh the next week it said you must be in a wheel chair to ride

4 I do not think so

5 I am not sure but I think all the wheel chair are large or extra large at disney ( or at lest most are)
6 I think we would be fine to stay in his wheel chair for Elliens, I am not sure about the GMR I have not seen that wheel chair set up the line for me is very hard to do and when I get on I am almost ready to have a melt down and I have to sit in the front ( I have only dose this ride 2x)

 

[SueM in MN]

Even though the width, length and weight of his power wheelchair seems large to you, that is actually pretty average size for power wheelchair bases. The bases are generally the same size, what varies is the width of the seat and extra weight of batteries and base for heavy duty.
My daughter's power wheelchair base is actually the same size (about 43 inches long when you add the footrests and 46 long when you add her feet extending I've the footrests) and weighs about 260 pounds without her in it. She not weighs about 86 pounds.
The base for the larger capacity version of her power wheelchair is the same dimentions, but weighs 310 pounds with no one in it.
Per Disney's website, powered mobility devices, like power wheelchairs, may not be larger than 36 inches wide and 52 inches long.

All walkways, attraction queues and ramps, in general, will accommodate at least a 36 inch wide device.

1) Jungle Cruise - the ramp width and length won't be a problem. I don't know the weight capacit for sure, but knew a CM who had worked there when it was being built and I believe it was built for 1,000 pound capacity. You would probably need to specifically ask at the attraction because those CMs would know the weight capacity. To get in, the lift comes up and is turned to face the side, the ramp is folded down, you drive straight onto the platform, then the ramp is folded up, the platform spins to face front.
Small World and Mexico have very similar boats with ramps that are part of the floor. Weight capacity should not be an issue because there are only 6 seats send space for one wheelchair on the boat where the other boats have about 7 to 8 rows of seats.
For both, you drive straight on, but need to make a 90 degree turn to fit between the 2 rows of single seats almost as soon as the wheelchair is totally on the boat. Then you drive straight forward between the seats. In Small World, there is a white box on the floor that you park within. In Mexico, they tell you to drive all the way to the front.
Getting out involves backing straight out until you clear the seats, then make a 90 degree turn and back or drive out (depending on which way you turned).

 

[SueM in MN]

2) Boat to Wilderness Lodge - they usually don't need the ramp. We just rode it the other night and they actually had everyone move to the 'water' side of the boat, which lifted the dock side about 6 inches so we could roll our daughter's wheelchair off. The limiting factor won't be weight or door width, it will be ability to make a sharp turn once on. As you drive on, there is a stairway directly ahead of you, so you need to make a sharp turn to get on. I would not bother with the boat - use the bus.
Buses gave ramps that will accommodate at least a 30 inch wide wheelchair. You can go on going forward, but need to make a turn before clearing the ramp to parallel park on the driver side of the bus. Some people using ECVs have difficulty making the manouver easily, but ECVs don't turn as sharply or in as small of space as a power wheelchair. Weight capacity for the bus ramps is about 1,000 pounds as far as I know. The lift buses have a much smaller weight capacity, but there are only a few lift buses left (a driver told my husband recently that there are only about 2 left).

 

[SueM in MN]

3) Toy Story Midway Mania has a ramp that fold down from the back of the ride car. I don't know the weight capacity, but length and width won't be an issue. For that one, you drive straight on and when getting off, back straight off down the ramp.
Nemo and Little Mermaid have very similar ride vehicles in how they operate. Length and width won't be an issue. I don't know the weight capacity of the ramp. On both, the ramp is lowered from the back of the ride car and you drive straight on and off. For LM, once you are on, you are in place. For Nemo, they need to turn the platform.
Regarding whether or not to use the accessible car without a wheelchair, I have never seen them do it and don't think they would. The Nemo and LM are dedicated wheelchair vehicles and have only one seat. The width of the seat is less than 1/2 of the ride car, so would be quite narrow (on the regular car, he would probably have his own car). TSMM is not a dedicated ride car, but the seat is removed to make a wheelchair spot, so the remaining single seat is narrow.
Winnie the Pooh does not have a ramp, the floor of the ride car is flush to the floor of the walkway. I saw a person using a power wheelchair on it last week. The issue that was mentioned by a poster as broken may have been the motion (the ride car can be set to give floating and bouncing motions - that can be turned off or on). For power wheelchairs, it may need to be turned off.

For Haunted Mansion, request the ADA car; it has a more open side because the doom buggy side panel doesn't come out as far.

4) No, they have not done non-motion runs of Star Tours for many years. Even if they did, if his weight is close to 500 pounds, the seat might be a very tight and uncomfortable fit.

 

[SueM in MN]

5) Stitch's Great Escape - have not heard anything regarding power wheelchairs not fitting under the harnesses and do not see why that would be an issue. Power wheelchairs usually have a similar 'footprint' to a manual chair. I could see some may not fit if they have extra features such as a ventilator shelf on the back. I can also see that some people might not feel comfortable with the amount of manouvering necessary. An ECV will definitely not fit and is not allowed; a fair number of people call an ECV a power wheelchair.

As for attraction wheelchairs, some have wide, but there is no guarantee what will be there. Disney lists the maximum weight for their rental manual wheelchairs as 350 pounds, so even if an attraction has manual wheelchairs available, that would be the weight limit of the wide wheelchairs.

 

[SueM in MN]

6) Ellen's Energy Adventure - from what I understand, someone using a power wheelchair backed down the ramp and backed off the side of the ramp many years ago and power wheelchairs have not been allowed since.
At any rate, since that is a very old attraction, the wheelchair space is quite small. The ramp is also steeper then recommended for most power chairs.
There would be no advantage for a person walking to use that car because the ramp is steep and instead of gong straight into the seat as the regular cars, he would need to make a turn to get in.

One of the original questions Pirates of the Caribbean - I would say would not be doable. Getting in might work, although it is a deep step down to the seat, horn another deep step down from the seat to the floor. Gravity is working for you getting in, but getting out is much more difficult and I would be concerned that even if he manages to get in, he won't get out.

Follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread for more information if you have not looked at it. Posts 18-21 talk about access and getting in and out of attractions.

Also, I have a link in my signature to eternaldisneyfan's trip report with a power wheelchair and a ventilator. Even though the trip was many years ago,it may still be helpful to you.

 

[Oosums]

Thank you, SueM!

 

[gap2368]

Winnie the Pooh does not have a ramp, the floor of the ride car is flush to the floor of the walkway. I saw a person using a power wheelchair on it last week. The issue that was mentioned by a poster as broken may have been the motion (the ride car can be set to give floating and bouncing motions - that can be turned off or on). For power wheelchairs, it may need to be turned off.

my friend was trying to get his powered chair on to the ride and while getting on the ride ( from what his wife said he shock the ride vehicle too much and it came off the track ) it took then about 25 minutes to get them off ( they did have to walk the other guest off) but if you look at MDE it says must transfer to wheel chair this was up dated 2 days after this happened ( it might hade been sooner but my friend ever looked until she was telling me what happened and I looked and told her. ( when they went on it it say may stay in ECV) I have no sought that you saw someone in an ECV on the ride car that very well may have happened I was just saying what happened to a friend of mine

and just to be very clear they never got all the way on pooh they were still at the load place the ride went down every one was evacuated and yes we still teas him a lot about breaking pooh ( even one of the CM when we all went in December remembered my friend)

 

[SueM in MN]

The 'must transfer to wheelchair' refers to ECVs, not power wheelchairs.
Winnie the Pooh's queue has never been ECV accessible, but your friends may not have noticed it listed that way before. Since it opened, it has been marked 'must transfer to wheelchair'. The queue is too narrow and winding for ECVs.

ECVs are not as manouverable as power wheelchairs and are 'top heavy' which is usually the issue, not weight. Power wheelchairs are much heavier than ECVs and are more stable since the majority of the weight is in the base.

What I saw was a power wheelchair, not an ECV.
Since the floor of the loading area is level with the floor of the ride car, the only way I can imagine someone knocking the ride car off the track would be mis-judging or mis turning and actually hitting the ride car from the side.
That would have been user error, not something intrinsic to a power wheelchair.
I can't know since I was not there, but it is a guess having been on the attraction many times with a manual wheelchair and living with a manual and power wheelchair user.
(We have not brought her power wheelchair to WDW because we are afraid of damage on the plane and she would not have the stamina to drive 5-6 miles per day).