POC can be really difficult to get someone back out of. The boat sits low so it is much harder for someone who is not ambulatory to get out. My husband helps our dd get in and out but we will not be doing POC this time
It was really hard for him to get her back out.
I would agree with that.
Getting in is easier because gravity is working for you. Getting out is much harder because you are working against gravity.
Hi,
I'm meeting up with some friends next week at WDW. One of them is
a young women, wheelchair bound, but I'm not exactly sure what her disability is..She's a regular at the World (travels with her mom) and loves all things Captain Jack ne J.Depp!
It will be important for you to understand exactly what her abilities are before even considering trying to get her on.
There may be things she can do to help you or she may be totally dependent on you getting her on.
I can't remember exactly what the story is, but I guess its not wheelchair accessible and perhaps Disney CMs can't assist someone...only fam members????????????????????????
Disney CMs are not allowed to lift or transfer anyone.
The help they can do for transfers is basically holding a wheelchair for you and then moving it out of the way. They can also offer a steadying hand, but not lift or pull someone up from a ride.
But my question is: Do the CMs stop/stabilize a boat to give us time? Will they allow us to lift her in? What are the RULES?
The POC boats are completely stopped for everyone for loading and unloading. The CM dispatching the boats will not allow the boat to move until everyone is safely seated or safely off.
The attraction itself is sort of barely wheelchair accessible.
Pirates has some special design problems that make it difficult to bring someones own wheelchair/special needs stroller into the attraction. Although it is not forbidden, they do try to have everyone walk in, carry a small child in or have people use one of the attraction wheelchairs if at all possible. We have been asked if DD can walk, even though her wheelchair includes things like foot straps to keep her feet in place. We also get asked each time if she is able to transfer to one of the attraction wheelchairs.
They also have looked at her wheelchair before letting us take it into line and checked with CMs at both the boarding area and unload area to make sure it was OK before letting us into line.
The reason for this is that boarding area is in one building and the unload area is actually in another building, down one floor. It is not possible to board at the exit, like at many rides because once guests have gotten off, the boats go thru an area that is just high enough for the boats to go thru.
If the guest can walk/be carried in or use one of the attraction wheelchairs, it is much easier to make sure a wheelchair is waiting at the exit. If it has to be that guests own personal wheelchair, its harder to make sure that particular wheelchair gets to the exit on time. The reason they look at DDs chair and check with the boarding and unload area is to make sure they have the staff to get it to the unload area and that it is small/light enough for them to bring thru the behind the scenes area to get it from the boarding area to the exit.
The boat itself is very low to the ground and getting in involves almost a 2 step process - getting the feet over the side of the boat and to the level of the seat and getting the feet one step further down to the floor of the boat.
Here is a picture of the boat:
On a scale of 1-10 where 10 is the most difficult transfer, I would rate this a 9.5 and would suggest a couple of things if you are even thinking of trying it:
- Go on some easier transfer rides first - Haunted Mansion is fairly easy because the seat is about level with a wheelchair seat. Let the CM know that they need to completely stop the moving walkway for you.
- Ride Small World first to check out the size of the step. Small World has a wheelchair accessible boat, so she can ride in her wheelchair. The step in and out of the boat and the height of the seat from the ground is simulare, even though the Small WOrld boats are completely different than Pirates. That would give you an idea of how low the transfer in would be and how high you would have to transfer out.
- Take a ride on Pirates without her to check out just how the boarding goes, how low you sit, how high you would have to lift her and whether the grab bars would get in your way when getting in or out.
- Find out some things about her, like what her muscle tone is - is she like a rag doll, which would make her seem heavier or is she stiff like a Barbie doll, which might make it difficult to bend her to get her in or out.
- Can she sit without support - as was mentioned, the setbacks are very low and will not provide support. The seats themselves are fairly slippery fiberglass and are not very deep.
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