I need your insights. I searched the net and the boards for hours and could not find an answer, but if you can find a thread, please direct me to it.
We are planning a trip next April with myself, husband, 16 month old daughter and almost 3 year old son, my brother (age 27), my mom (age 51) and my dad (age 52). We are already planning on 2 lightweight strollers (with optional stroller connectors) for our kiddos.
Both of my parents are pretty healthy and have never used any kind of mobility assistance. They garden, my dad hunts, builds tree stands and is always working on at least one project. To top it all off, they are foster parents to teenagers. However, my dad was in an accident a few years back and has some lingering issues. While he manages to do all these things, he's worried about how his back will hold up to all the STANDING in line. He told me to expect there might be times when he just needs to sit down for a while and take it easy. He doesn't mind walking in general and it doesn't bother him on a daily basis, but I fear the extensive walking may take it's toll. While he would probably be fine for a single day, I worry that after a few days it will all start to add up.
When we went with my grandmother, she used an ECV, but I'm not sure my dad will have the patience for that. It can be difficult to navigate through crowds and you get cut off a lot. I can't see him doing well with that, especially as he is not used to it. Plus, I can't see him sitting in the ECV all day, but we wouldn't want to leave it somewhere, lest he need a place to sit in a line. He will want to walk some.
I considered a plain wheelchair. We could push it around empty when he wants to walk and it would be a little easier for navigating. Then when he gets tired, one of us could push him, and we could push him through the queues, so he has a place to sit. Plus, the wheelchair is much easier to navigate than an ECV through the lines. (I'm not going to lie, I can also see some advantages to having this with us in a queue, as our toddlers could sit on Popi's lap for a while.) We could even leave it behind altogether if the line was pretty short. A big concern here is, will people judge us when they see us pushing around an empty wheelchair? Does anyone else do this? I know we would not expect for him to be treated as "handicapped." But will people sneer at us because they think we're trying to abuse the system somehow? I wouldn't want it to put a damper on our trip. I think it is better now that they send most wheelchairs through the regular queue for most attractions. There really aren't that many attractions where the wheelchairs get any advantage. But not everyone knows that either... Also, with already having two strollers to push, I'm afraid the rest of us will wear out faster too by having to push either a stroller or a wheelchair all day.
I also thought of a rollator, but I feel like if he did need a break from walking, you can't push him on the rollator.
Maybe if the lines aren't too long, we can just take it slow and take some breaks and not use anything. Then if he started getting tired, we could rent a wheelchair in the park. I really don't think the lines will be that long, but there were a handful when we went with my grandmother that were difficult for even me to tolerate.
Or maybe we should just get an ECV or wheelchair and park it in each land and let him walk some and retrieve it when he wears out or there's a long wait for us. But again, how will it look when this generally healthy looking man walks over to his ECV or wheelchair, hops on and heads for an attraction?
Anyway, I'm at a loss here, so I would appreciate any insights you might have to offer.
(I do know what the ultimate solution is, though. More Dumbo-like queues where there is a place to sit down while you wait!)
We are planning a trip next April with myself, husband, 16 month old daughter and almost 3 year old son, my brother (age 27), my mom (age 51) and my dad (age 52). We are already planning on 2 lightweight strollers (with optional stroller connectors) for our kiddos.
Both of my parents are pretty healthy and have never used any kind of mobility assistance. They garden, my dad hunts, builds tree stands and is always working on at least one project. To top it all off, they are foster parents to teenagers. However, my dad was in an accident a few years back and has some lingering issues. While he manages to do all these things, he's worried about how his back will hold up to all the STANDING in line. He told me to expect there might be times when he just needs to sit down for a while and take it easy. He doesn't mind walking in general and it doesn't bother him on a daily basis, but I fear the extensive walking may take it's toll. While he would probably be fine for a single day, I worry that after a few days it will all start to add up.
When we went with my grandmother, she used an ECV, but I'm not sure my dad will have the patience for that. It can be difficult to navigate through crowds and you get cut off a lot. I can't see him doing well with that, especially as he is not used to it. Plus, I can't see him sitting in the ECV all day, but we wouldn't want to leave it somewhere, lest he need a place to sit in a line. He will want to walk some.
I considered a plain wheelchair. We could push it around empty when he wants to walk and it would be a little easier for navigating. Then when he gets tired, one of us could push him, and we could push him through the queues, so he has a place to sit. Plus, the wheelchair is much easier to navigate than an ECV through the lines. (I'm not going to lie, I can also see some advantages to having this with us in a queue, as our toddlers could sit on Popi's lap for a while.) We could even leave it behind altogether if the line was pretty short. A big concern here is, will people judge us when they see us pushing around an empty wheelchair? Does anyone else do this? I know we would not expect for him to be treated as "handicapped." But will people sneer at us because they think we're trying to abuse the system somehow? I wouldn't want it to put a damper on our trip. I think it is better now that they send most wheelchairs through the regular queue for most attractions. There really aren't that many attractions where the wheelchairs get any advantage. But not everyone knows that either... Also, with already having two strollers to push, I'm afraid the rest of us will wear out faster too by having to push either a stroller or a wheelchair all day.
I also thought of a rollator, but I feel like if he did need a break from walking, you can't push him on the rollator.
Maybe if the lines aren't too long, we can just take it slow and take some breaks and not use anything. Then if he started getting tired, we could rent a wheelchair in the park. I really don't think the lines will be that long, but there were a handful when we went with my grandmother that were difficult for even me to tolerate.
Or maybe we should just get an ECV or wheelchair and park it in each land and let him walk some and retrieve it when he wears out or there's a long wait for us. But again, how will it look when this generally healthy looking man walks over to his ECV or wheelchair, hops on and heads for an attraction?
Anyway, I'm at a loss here, so I would appreciate any insights you might have to offer.
(I do know what the ultimate solution is, though. More Dumbo-like queues where there is a place to sit down while you wait!)
