Hi!
We've been to WDW before but it sounds like lots has changed so asking this question of people who've been recently. We've noticed a lot of amusement parks lately requiring that guests must have one or two functioning limbs and be able to brace to ride some of the bumpier rides.
Disney doesn't have a list of guidelines, but Universal has very strict guidelines about ability to brace and hold on.
The attractions at Universal and Islands of Adventure are more extreme than those at WDW, but there are still some at WDW that would be an issue.
We're going to be travelling with two kids with quad cp who both love the fast rides but can't hold on or brace at all.
My youngest DD has mixed type CP, predominantly spastic quad. She is able to keep her head up without problem and control her trunk to avoid falling over as long as she has back support (she can sit on a bench, but not for long). She can't brace with her legs, but, as you can see from this picture, she can hold securely with either hand. This is Kali River Rapids and she is holding onto her dad.
So, she has a lot more ability to support herself than it sounds like your children have.
Obviously we would transfer them on to the rides ourselves and make sure we only do the rides where we can hold them securely (Rock n Roller coaster is out) but has anyone ever encountered any problems from Disney with holding kids with severe disabilities on rides like BTMR and Splash Mountain?
It is up to the guest to decide whether an attraction is safe for them or not.
My suggestion would be to watch some
YouTube videos and possibly one of you go on first to decide.
There is also a list of attractions with warnings on page 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, located near the top of this board. It lists those with no neck/head support - they might be OK for a small child whose head doesn't come above the seat back, but an older child/adult who does not have good head control would likely have issues.
Our daughter rode Splash Mountain when she was little, but I was not concerned about her head or trunk control. The reason she no longer rides it is the difficulty getting in. There is a tight space and you have to be able to lift the person over the high side of the ride car, then angle them down to get their feet into position and sit. Because of her size, we can no longer do that.
This picture shows Splash Mountain - they have added lap bars since this picture was taken, but the logs are still the same. There are 2 seats contoured into each row, which helps to keep each guest from sliding, but if they do not gave trunk or head control, that contouring is not going to be enough.
This is the a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad car. The seat does not come up very far in the back and has no neck support. The seat is flat, with nothing to keep riders from sliding. We have never felt safe bringing out daughter on BTMRR. our 'test child' (our older daughter, who is not disabled) and I have trouble keeping ourselves from sliding and banging against the sides of the car on turns, so there is no way we feel it would be safe for someone who can't brace with her legs.
And does anyone know why the guide for disabled guests states that guests must be ambulatory for Peter Pan's ride? I'm sure we've ridden this before.
Thanks
As the other poster mentioned, the moving walkway on Peter Pan can't be stopped or slowed. That mesons a limited time to get on and off. That also means wheelchair can't be brought right up to the ride car (pirate ship), so guests need to be able to move onto and off of the moving walkway.
We have taken our daughter on Peter Pan when she was small, but trying to put her on now is too hard - 5 foot tall, 80 pound person who can't walk.
If you ask, you may be able to ride the first or last ride of the day - they stop the walkway and load only that one pirate ship. That way, they don't have to worry about any guests inside of the ride suspended above ground with the ride not moving.
This is a Peter Pan pirate ship, which holds 2 guests.
An adult may be able to keep an arm around a small child to keep them in place since it is a gentle ride, but if the child can't sit at all or has no head control, the pirate ship may not have enough support.
