Resort Wheelchairs

[LadyLibrarian]

I don't know if anyone else has posted this. But as a note, I just wanted to say that Disney DOES have a number of wheelchairs at every resort that are free for guests to use. We found this out when a party member tripped on property our first day on vacation and nearly broke her ankle. After a visit to Celebration's hospital, the foot had been tended to, but it's not possible to do Disney on crutches!

Upon return to Old Key West, we learned that concierge has a number of free wheelchairs. They are expense free and can be taken anywhere you'd like: the parks, Downtown Disney, off property, etc. They just need to be returned again when you leave. If you think you might need a wheelchair when you arrive, just ask at the desk. There are no guarantees and you cannot reserve a wheelchair in advance since they are a free service, but it's something to consider. It's certainly a lot cheaper than renting one from the parks!

(They'll also give you shower chairs free of charge too!)

 

[bidnow5]

they are for people like your party member that get hurt while on vacation they only have a few and many times they are in bad shape

 

[Cheshire Figment]

They are for emergency-type use, as you found out. And they are the old rejects from the Parks and very uncomfortable and very bad shape.

If you need a wheelchair and do not bring your own, you are really best-off by renting one form an off-site dealer.

 

[LadyLibrarian]

They are for emergency-type use, as you found out. And they are the old rejects from the Parks and very uncomfortable and very bad shape.

If you need a wheelchair and do not bring your own, you are really best-off by renting one form an off-site dealer.

The wheelchair we had was a perfectly nice one. I'm not going to say that it was super comfortable, but it was free, worked in a pinch, and could be taken anywhere we needed.

I'm not saying that you should forgo bringing your own wheelchair if you really need it because these chairs are offered. I'm just saying that should anyone else have an emergency, it's nice to know that there is a FREE back-up to fall back on.

 

[SueM in MN]

Glad to hear the member of your party was still ble to enjoy their trip.

The information about loaner wheelchairs is posted in post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
As was already mentioned, they are meant to be available for accidents or unexpected needs, not for guests who know ahead of time that they will need one.

People's experience with them has been variable. Some people got one that was pretty good, others found it was not in good condition.

Other equipment, like bath chairs, can be variable too. We requested on once because the fold down seat in the roll in shower room we needed was broken. Luckily, we looked over the shower chair well before using it because half the screws were loose! We got Engineering to come tighten everything up before using it.

 

[Schmeck]

We saw a woman in one at Pop Century - they had given her an extra large one, which she did not need - looked very uncomfortable, and it was also too wide to wheel onto the bus. She had to get out of it, her companion folded up the chair, and then they got on the bus.

It looked brand new, but it was too big for her, and she still had to hobble onto the bus.

 

[peemagg]

We used one for 2 days this past trip. On the way to the resort from the airport, I forgot to take my key out of my scooter. Well getting loaded under the DME bus, the key got broken off. I still needed something to help get me to the room and around until we could come up with another solution. It worked fine for me, but when my sisters friend decided after all that she couldn't do the walking required (we all knew this before going, but she was being stubborn), the chair wasn't wide enough for her. After a half day in the chair, she had me call Apple and rent her a scooter.

The chair was fine for the short time that we needed it, but I wouldn't want to use it for much longer.