Should I take my manual wheelchair to WDW?

[TootieBear765]

Hi all,

This is my first time posting here so I'll apologise in advance if I'm repeating a question probably asked a thousand times.

I currently suffer from chronic and often severe pain in most of my joints (feet, ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, neck, wrists and hands) despite being a spritely and young at heart 31!. At home, I use two walking sticks to get around the house most of the time but at work and out shopping, I now use a manual wheelchair as I often suffer from overwhelming pain and fatigue having to haul my rump around lol. We have today booked our first WDW trip and although no doubt by the time it comes around, my condition could go in any number of ways (I'm hoping for better), obviously I'm in two minds just now whether to make provision so I have a couple of questions...

1) We're booked at the Animal Kingdom Lodge... How W/C accessible is it and should I now (a year in advance) reserve a W/C accessible room? What are the views like from the rooms or should I arrange to pay extra for a Savannah view to be on the safe side? How accessible is this resort for meals, pool etc? Anyone who has already stayed here any tips would be hugely appreciated...

2) How accessible are the buses from the resort and the Magical Express from Orlando Airport? I've read some horror stories about people with ECVs so I'll probably stick to my own manual wheelchair as if I bring it I would need it for airports etc too. Is there often a lengthy wait i.e. would I have to stand for lengthy periods without being seated? Also anyone with experience of flying with Virgin from the UK, are they helpful to those with walking difficulties or who choose to use a chair?

3) Are the parks and restaurants W/C friendly? Are there any I wouldn't be able to access or use? I need also to bear in mind, my DH and I will be travelling with our 4 year old daughter, probably in a pushchair so assistance with luggage, etc will probably be needed too...

Sorry for all the longwinded explanations, but while I had a really positive experience at Disneyland Paris with my sticks in June, I'm in two minds about Florida as its obviously all on a much larger scale...

TIA for any assistance anyone could offer, particularly as I feel I'm trying to plan with a difficult and fluctuating condition a year in advance and so feeling my way blind at the moment and my DH is a major worrier and thinks I should just take my sticks as he'll have enough to contend with without adding my chair to the mix but I do want to ensure that I conserve as much energy as possible to have the best time with the least pain but don't want to seem a fraud if I use my sticks on my better days while taking a potentially much needed WC accessible room...

Oh my head is mince tonight... brain fog, please forgive me! Waffle over, many thanks and from what little browsing I've already done on this forum, can I just say what an absolute joy it is to see the experiences of others and how others have overcome the 'potential' hurdles that as someone only recently, 'mobility-impaired' is only just discovering!

 

[blondietink]

Is your manual wheelchair easy to fold up? If so, sometimes this is easier to handle on the Magical Express as long as you get on the bus with your DH's help. they will store it under the bus with the luggage, no problem. We just stayed at AKL in August and my teenage son uses an adult travel chair due to fatigue/heart issues. We had no problem getting around the resort. There are lots of elevators throughout the building and you can get out front on one of the elevators to listen to the campfire stories and view the savannah. We also folded up my son's travel chair to take the bus to the parks, which seems to be overall easier for us instead of waiting for a bus to load us in the back. I cannot speak about the handicapped rooms as we stayed in a studio room which had lots of room in it and we did not need a handicapped shower/bathroom. I also cannot speak for Virgin Airlines. Good luck!

 

[TootieBear765]

Barb

Thank you so much for your reply! I'm so glad you had a lovely trip! I hadn't thought of just folding it up and down! I probably would do that automatically as thats what we currently do with the car - I get out of mine at the car boot ('trunk') and its folded and put in by whoever is with me and I make my way round and into the car with my sticks!

As for the AKL, I'm so much happier and more relieved to hear how accessible it is for chairs. It will make the world of difference to me as obviously I want to keep things as fun and stressfree for my DH and DD too... though I'm sure the glorious USA sunshine and luxury with added pixie dust will make it all worth it!

I'll probably mention it when I call tomorrow to correct my booking (they have my DH as a 'Mrs' instead of a 'Mr' - needless to say he's not a happy bunny... its never a good plan to call a butch Scotsman a woman lol!) and see what they suggest would be best...

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

You will find that WDW is probably the best vacation location for people with disabilities. All of the Resort public areas are fully accessible. All of the Parks are also very accessible with almost all lines "mainstreamed" so you can take a wheelchair all the way to boarding, and in some instances even into ride vehicles.

If you need a room that is accessible it is best to reserve it as soon as possible. Note there are two types of accessibility; one is with a roll-in shower and the other is with grab bars for the tub; both have elevated toilets with grab bars. With few exceptions they have these in all views/classes at each Resort. For example, at AKL they will have accessible rooms in standard, savannah and concierge.

And one thing to think about would be the rental of an Electric Convenience Vehicle (ECV) (also called scooter) for your length of stay. This would allow you a lot of freedom of movement and your husband can take care of your daughter with the stroller. One thing to consider is that many people will easily do 10 miles in a day at WDW; can you handle that in a wheelchair?

You may also want to start by clicking on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information.

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

 

[merryweather20]

Definitely take your chair! Even the resorts are so huge, you could have trouble getting around just at your hotel! It can be a hike to your room!

I haven't stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (but it is huge), so I can't answer any of your specific questions, but generally Disney is better than anywhere else. There is someone on the DVC boards from UK that bought DVC specifically to enjoy the freedom of all the accessibility Disney incorporates. As for your view question the upgrade might be money well spent(If you decide to ask for an accessible room). A few months ago there was a thread on the resorts board about rooms with horrible views, nearly all also mentioned their room was accessible.

There are more than ane type of accessible room. It doesn't sound like you need a roll in shower, so you could call and ask for one with just a raised toilet seat and grab bars. This will likely be very helpful, just because you're in an unfamiliar bathroom (I have similar problems, and I sort of have a method of getting out of the bathtub that doesn't 100% work somewhere new)

Lots of luck for your trip.

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Hi Tootiebear,

I'm a wheelchair user & visit WDW most every oher year from the UK, flying from Gatwick with Sir Richard. His service is excellent for the disabled. You will either check your chair with the rest of your luggage or take it to the gate. Ask Virgin for assistance at Orlando, even if you can walk a little. At Orlando you will be collected by a skycap (with an airport chair or your own) and escorted first through immigration (without standing on line), then to baggage carrosel, through customs, on to pick up your luggage a second time and finally to your Magic Express bus to Disney. You will have assistance all the way through the airport, but you are expected to tip.

Ask for wheelchair assistance on your return too. Last trip there were long, long security lines. Because I was in a chair and accompanied by a skycap, my wife & I were 'fast-tracked' to the front of the line.

Don't worry too much about the horror stories - People only post messages when they have a problem, not when everything runs as it should - giving a distorted view of things. My judgement is that WDW is adouth the most acessible place a disabled person could choose to vacation.

Although Virgin is not a 'Magic Express' airline, you can still use the buses to get to & from WDW (the only part of the service you cannot use is resort check-in). You will however have to collect your luggage & take it to the bus. (ask your skycap). The Magic Express buses to Disney are a mixture of accessible & non-accessible. If you can walk up steps onto the bus your chair will be folded and carried in the luggage compartment under the floor. If you can't, they will bring around an accessible bus with a wheelchair lift and you can ride in your chair. There are plenty of chairs in the waiting area. My experience last trip is that even if you were not registered in advance for Magic Express, they can look you up on their computer at the reception desk, and will let you use the bus if you are registered at a Disney hotel.

If you haven't already booked, try to get the 11am flight, not the 1pm. After a 9 hour flight, five hour time difference and delays getting through Orlando airport, the later flight can get you to your room well after dark. (i always stay overnight at Gatwick the night before in one of the two hotels joined to the terminal - no worries about missing the flight)

I always make my own bookings direct with Disney & fly to Orlando as an independant traveller, if you are booking Disney through Virgin as a part of a package, arrangements for onward travel might be different.

There are no hills in Disney (or even Florida), but Disney parks are by no means flat. You will be going up & down to monorail platforms, bridges over water canals, up to main street in Magic Kingdom which has a network of service corridors underneath). Some of the pavillions in Epcot have entrances at the top of long tiring ramps. Animal Kingdom has very bumpy paths (sculpted to imitate mud tracks)

Unless you are a full time wheelchair user, with arms & shoulders like a body-builder, you are going to get very, very tired. As you have painful joints anyway, a manual chair may not be a good option. Consider renting an ECV from an offsite provider for the full length of your stay.

If you decide to use an ECV during your visit, consider using your manual for a while each day at your hotel, or excercising your arms every day with weights so that you maintain muscle tone in your arms for when you return home. (I think the fitness club at AKL is free to residents).

One last thing. According to my 'guide to persons with disabilities' issued by Virgin, wheelchair wheel sizes in USA are different from in the UK. You should take a spare inner tube in case of a puncture. The Virgin guide gives contact details of Orlando dealers who stock UK sizes. (Moderators: do you want these for the FAQ)

Andrew

 

[TootieBear765]

Hi Cheshire Figment

Thanks for the warm welcome! This forum is superb and will no doubt save me a ton of phone calls back and forth from the UK to the various areas double checking everything (saving precious $$$$ for the holiday!).

Disney at Paris really impressed me with their thoughtfulness when I was there with my sticks, even when I didn't request anything - the amount of times we were almost forced forward in lines and given better viewing seats without having to negotiate steps made our stay very comfortable. I was still in my 'I can do it, I'm fine' phase of early mobility problems, but they were very diplomatic and said, its no problem, theres spare seats anyway and otherwise you'll miss the start of the show with your little one... I relented and was grateful later that I had... I'm sure WDW will be the same, despite the few horror stories I've read, and am coming round to the view that anything that will make our families holiday more enjoyable and stressful will be gratefully accepted with both arms! We're going to DLP for Xmas this year too so I'll have a bit of a mini-trial run with the chair... if I can't manage there with my manual, I'll definitely be renting an ECV for WDW. Thanks for the link, I'll go have a browse through the FAQs once I'm done here...

Thanks again!

 

[TootieBear765]

Merryweather,

Hi and thanks! I'm definitely coming round to the idea of taking it and seeing how I go! I was looking at some of the resort pics thread last night and two things have struck me - firstly that I'm not keen on taking my chances with my view (with a 4 year old who loves her sleep and my tiredness means much of our time will be spent in our room so I don't want to look out at a roof!) and secondly that I had no concept of how far huge everything was (a common mistake for those who've popped their Disney cherry at Disneyland Paris which is much more compact for walking!). So I'll def try to convince DH to stump for a better view (when he gets over his lurgy) and contact the hotel about the room this afternoon....!

Thanks again!

 

[TootieBear765]

Hi Andrew (great name btw - my DH is also an Andrew!)

Thanks for responding to my post! Its great to hear from someone in the UK who has managed the process before. We are flying from Manchester as we'll drive down from Scotland the day before and stay overnight to enjoy free airport parking while we are away. We have an early flight (UK dep 1030 arrive Orl 230pm) so it should be a comfortable flight there) and we are doing an overnight on the way back (Orl depart 6.30pm arrive UK 730am). If we're tired we might stop off for a sleep or if we've had a decent rest on the plane take it in turns driving north and then all fall into our beds at home!

We've booked with WDW Travel Co direct but our inclusive flights are with Virgin so I'll try to request all you have suggested (if nothing else, it'll stop the adults stressing and the wee one getting rowdy in the queues!). This has also meant we can use the Magic Express service for free and they'll transport our bags for us from the airport, leaving my DH to deal with our little one...

I've not considered the option of an ECV as I've not used one at home (I'd probably become one of those people who gets cursed afterwards on the boards for ramming into peoples ankles time and again (don't suppose you can hire L plates too?! lol), but I'll definitely consider it. Would they deliver it to the hotel or would we have to go off-site to collect it as we weren't planning on using a car? Any tips on ECV hire would be gratefully appreciated...

Thanks again for your advice... its totally invaluable to me as I'm such a worrier before the event but fine once I get there if I feel I have all my 'ducks in a line' before I go...

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Tootiebear, have you got an ECV at home? If so, you might want to consider bringing both along. Having both handy means you can decide to use which ever device serves your needs at that moment best. Since july of this year, the EU now has regulation in place stating you can bring along both; free of charge. If you want to read those regulations (it also is about no longer being allowed to refuse passengers purely on the fact that they are disabled, which services an airport must offer you, which services an airline must offer etc.) look at; http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:204:0001:01:EN:HTML

For the rest? BRING ALONG THE CHAIR!!! If you need it at home, you'll definately desperately need it at WDW. Assuming that you can do without an ECV, which can be difficult enough for a fair amount of people.

DME is no problem. Inform them now you'll be travelling with a wheelchair and they'll take care of it. Where needed (if you can't walk the stairs yourself) they'll assign you to a bus equipped to take care of your needs. Sue has pictures posted elswhere, but these busses come with a lift. The problems you've read about the last weeks are purely about transportation while at WDW which is different from DME. Those problems are really cr*p, but keep in mind that thankfully they aren't standard procedure by far. Overall it is very easy to take disney transportation.

Room; do you need extra grab bars and raised toilet seat? If so book a accessible room! Do you need more? Like a roll in shower etc? Get yourself a accessible room with roll in shower. These rooms however only have a shower, no bath. If you only say 'accessible room' you'll get the one without roll in shower. If you've got a standard room, you can ask for a showerseat if you need one. If the door is difficult for you? (they close on themselves, so can take more strength to open them) Call maintenance! They can disable them during your stay so they'll work as any other regular door. No shutting themselves anymore but also easier to open and close and no risk of 'getting stuck'.

With AKL I would call today if you need an accessible room. I would do it with any resort (they are first come, first served), but I've found accessible rooms with a roll in shower at AKL more difficult to be able to book than at other resorts. (changed my reservation to a different resort later on, so no experience on staying there yet). When you call CRO, explain your need to them. They will put you on hold while speaking to Special Reservations. The SR department will actually block an accessible room for you. They wont give you the roomnumber for obvious reasons, but these rooms aren't assigned a couple days before arriving like the other rooms are.

Parks, restaurants etc? Don't worry, really! The US has a much higher level of public accessibilty then we do in Europe and WDW more or less is 'heaven on earth' if you are used to the standard we tend to know. Seriously; I did WDW solo in a powerchair. Very little strength, shouldn't be reaching or stretching my legs 'away' from my romp. WDW was a brease at each and every department. The very few things that were a bit challenging (like doing a counter service for lunch and having to take the food to a table and drive my chair at the same time), help was plenty. Castmembers jumped in to help and even a lot of other guests offered help without me asking.

I did (and do) travel to less accessible places around the world, most of which solo. And to be honest; from what I've seen so far, WDW is THE place to start travelling if your 'new' to this and have any doubts about 'oh boy, can I do that, won't I run into big problems?'. Downside; you'll be at risk of catching the I-want-more-bug.

Just relax, browse the DIS for days (weeks, and months ) and read up on all kinds of things. Enjoy your pre-trip fun and don't worry. And you could always get yourself a copy of the Passporter; Open Mouse. Most info, if not all, in there you'll be able to find on the DIS. But it is a very conveniant book if you want all info in one place and easy to find. A friend of mine that is coming along next year just loves the ride section. It explains per ride how the ride is accessible for all kinds of needs, what to expect etc. It does the same per restaurant, per resort etc.

You can also get the ride info by getting booklets at guest services at the resort or park, but lazy old me likes having a book a can drag along everywhere instead of a couple of booklets I tend to loose, fold up to unreadable stuff etc.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

And you've just answered my question; no own ECV.

They are easy to learn in usage. Maybe you want to try it out at home? If you can drive a car, you can drive these things. It works differently, but if you ask me it's a lot easier. As soon as you're used to the fact that they tend to keep driving for a couple of inches after you've let go of the gashandle and are used to their turning radius, you'll do fine.

I mean, you're probably already used to people 'not seeing' you and jumping right in front of the wheelchair. That will be no different.



PS; just looking at your tickers. Which dates will you be there? I'll be there in sept 2009, probably end up at AKV.

 

[TootieBear765]

Hi GoofiesLongLostSis

Yes, sorry, take my time to reply so beat you to the punch. I don't currently use an ECV at home, I've only been using my wheelchair for the last month or so as the walking about for long distances got too much and was stopping me going out anywhere except work (feistily independent!). We did consider a scooter for home but they were much more expensive and we couldn't find one that would fit into our teeny weeny pre-illness car that we could afford.

To be honest, we caught the 'Disney holiday' bug back in June when we spend 5 days at Disneyland Paris. We've booked to go back there for Christmas this year and after sneakily sending away for the WDW Planning DVD, nagged my DH to take us there. Originally it was to be for 2010 for our 10th anniversary but when we saw the Free Dining Deal for September 2009, I convinced him it was too good a deal to miss out on so he got to pick the resort (I'd have stayed in a cupboard if it meant me getting though). AKL was his dream choice... (Poly would be mine but thats for next time ) and so we booked yesterday. Yet to break it to the family - they'll think we've won the lottery with all these hols!

The problem with trying them here (I'm only assuming elsewhere in the UK - are you UK btw?) is that unless you have your disability recognised by the Gov (HRM DLA), I can't hire one at our local shopping centres. Going through the process and have been now for 6 months (for some people it takes years, if at all, with my conditions). My FIL has recognition and has used one so next time he's visiting in October, I might ask for a try-out.

Its so hard to predict how I'll be in a years time, this time last year I was at the very early stages of my illness and was as close to 'normal' (hate that word - after all what constitutes normal) as you could be at 30 with a 2 year old! So some days I might need a roll-in and others I won't. I guess I'll just have to prepare for the worst case scenario and count my blessings if I don't turn out not to need it. Its either that or end up having to be lifted in and out the bath every morning.

Getting around with my chair in general is fine and getting easier (although I could do with those reversing beeps that lorries seem to have fitted lol). I think psychologically, although I find it physically challenging at times, makes things so much more open to me and less limiting on where I can go and what I can do so I manage better with it through sheer adrenaline! Most of the time I find it ok as I am blessed to have my DH and a good network of family who take me out and about so I'm rarely on my own...(I'm becoming more imaginative with my coping mechanisms though!)... People have been very supportive, especially at work and although I get the odd person who is not paying attention at the shops, I normally just sigh and roll my eyes. I'm a very gracious and patient person by nature so just let the best of it wash over me but I can't guarantee I would be quite so gracious with an ignorant and lazy bus driver. Hell may hath no fury like a raging,tired Scottish woman in a chair with a grumpy DH and hyperactive, overheated 4 year old lol! They'll be taking their life in their hands if they cross me on a bad day. I don't suffer fools gladly on those days and will make sure I command decency and respect! lol!

We're going to the AKL from 7 -21 September next year... will you be there on those dates? Maybe we'll have our own little DISmeet and you can pass on your tips... You'll know us a mile off, we'll be the bewildered looking couple with a small child probably dressed as Snow White and carrying a Stitch lol!

Thanks again for all your help... this board is really a god-send and those DISers like yourself who pass on your experience to newbies like me will make my holiday a true delight! Must be that Disney gold-hearted magic, I love so much!

 

[WheeledTraveler]

I'm an America, but a good number of my friends are in the UK so I do a fair bit of pondjumping. I'm not quite a full time manual wheelchair user, but fairly close. I can tell you that definitely if you need it all at home, bring it to Disney. There are people who don't need wheelchairs pretty much anywhere else who rent or bring them to WDW. I think the figures are that it's not atypical for someone to walk 6-10 miles a day, every day while there.

Not all shopmobility places in the UK require you to have DLA/similar benefits to rent an ECV (I've used shop mobility in a couple places and never been asked for any proof of disability) so if you're ever somewhere without that level of requirement, it may be worth it to try out for a couple hours.

I haven't flown Virgin, but my experience flying with a wheelchair in the UK (which I've been doing both with friends and independently for the last 3 years or so)has generally been fairly good. Definitely call them a couple days a head of time to let them know you use one, although even when I haven't done so, I haven't had a problem. Since you can walk, you probably won't need an aisle chair, but I would suggest inquiring about how far you'll have to walk from the door of the plane to your seats. Especially call a head if you want any sort special seating (bulkhead or aisle or anything like that), although they may not tell you they can guarantee it.

Also, as far as making sure you have an accessible room, if you think there's any chance you'll need a fully accessible room (I believe someone earlier talked about the different types), get it sorted now. It's a lot easier to change to a regular room if you don't need it than to get something accessible closer to the time you'll be there.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Tootie,

no sorry, please! I also took my sweet time to make my (rather lengthy ) respond.

If DLRP can do it for you, you'll be in for such a great time next year! To be honest; I don't think DLRP is bad, but don't love it either. Comparing doing DLRP with a wheelchair and WDW with chair? You're going to have a blast at WDW if you already love DLRP with chair.

I'm not from the UK, no. So don't totally know the system overthere, unfortunately. I'm from across the Channel, the Netherlands. Do you really need DLA to be able to use them at malls? Geez. I'm glad you guys got the option (we haven't got them at any malls as far as I know), but asking for DLA? As far as I know not everybody with the need for such aids will have DLA, why make it more difficult? Is there any option to rent from a supplier themselves? Don't know if you've got the option, but overhere anybody can rent one for up to 6 months, no proof asked. And then we're talking about the 'good ones', sturdy ECV's, not the ones that tip over or come crashing done when you look at them. And that for only a couple of euros.

And maybe it's an option to try one at DLRP? Must say, haven't looked into it, so don't know if the option is available. But if it is, it might be a more relaxed place to start trying it once.

If you still need a reverse beeper in every day usage, I think there is a real shot you couldn't do WDW with only a manual chair. You'll cover lots and lots of miles a day, way more than at DLRP.

If you need a roll in shower on some days allready; book one now! It is already your reality that you need one. During those 14 days, you'll already have days of needing one now. Just think about it; you hit a park. It was warm (as always in september) and you're a bit tired of the rolling around and of course kids needing more attention than at home - just like us adults they'll get the wdw-adrenaline-rush - . You want to freshen up before dinner at, let's say Boma. Wouldn't it just be so much easier to use a roll in shower versus a bath with showerseat? Think about the energy you'll save and you can then spend on a nice dinner.

This is al new to you, but along the way you'll learn the most important thing is to use your energy wisely. To never sit and rot away (doing nothing will kill any body, healthy or not), but also to not use up energy needlesly. It's ok to say you need something. It's ok not to go beyond your limitations and wear yourself out beyond acceptable. Don't think about 'rules' or what others might say or think but think about what you, your body and your family need. Keep active where you can and take it a bit easier where need be. After all; a mom not drowning in her pain is a lot more fun.

Seeing you're pretty new to all of this; have you ever flown with a wheelchair yet? If any questions; a lot of the people on here have experience, so just ask.

As far as the rooms and views; did you see the topic yet about roomsizes and location? Others have posted their experiences on there. While not every room is on there, it might provide you with more info.

I'll be at AKV september 19-26th. Or that's the plan, knock on wood. I'm renting points from a DCV-owner, so reservations can't be made until 11 months out. Only a week of WDW that turn, but not too bad as it is a preperation for the disney cruise following after that.
I'm pretty recognisable. Shouldn't be too many people out there with Animal instead of a joystick on their powerchair.