Can someone who has ridden Soarin tell me if we will be able to take our two wheelchair bound children on this ride as long as we can transfer them?
Yes. It is an easy transfer.
A very easy transfer because you have lots of room in front of the seat and can park the wheelchair where ever it works out best for you. (see below for more info).
Here is a
link to a page about Soarin (with pictures)
They meet the height requirements, but neither can transfer themselves. How are the seats set up?
They are like lawn chairs all attached together in a row, no legs, but they are held securely while you are getting on.
My DD is not able to walk and needs to be lifted for some transfers. If my DH is putting DD in, he parks right in front of her seat about 4 feet away and lifts her in. If it's me, I park the wheelchair touching the seat and have her do an easy stand and pivot or I just slide her over while she's sitting. We've found Soarin one of the easiest attractions to transfer DD to because the seat is chair height and you have a lot of open space so have room to position the wheelchair where it works best.
We don't ask, we just park the chair where we need it. DH or I go get it when the ride is finished (when the CM wheels it away, it is parked in the area between the sets of rows of ride cars). Some people have reported that the CM will get it, others have reported the CM didn't bring it. It's not been a problem for us to get it, but if it would be for someone, I'd suggest asking the CM when you board if he/she will bring it back to you.
Additional note: The attraction loads in 'shows' of many people at once. This means the line doesn't move at all for a while. As the CMs take people for the next preshow, the line suddently moves forward very fast while those people go thru. When they have enough for the next preshow, the line stops suddenly. The entrance path is long and has some fairly steep areas (up and down) whether you are using the regular line or the Fastpass line. It is wide, which is nice, but plan that you will sometimes be parked on a slope and will need to hold the wheelchairs so they don't roll.
Can we hold them on our laps or will they need to sit beside us on the seat? I am imagining something like the Peter Pan ride? Is this kind of like that as far as the ride vehicles go?
They will each need to ride in their own seat and it is nothing like Peter Pan. The seats are much more secure with a lot of support.
My DD6, does not have good trunk control so it is hard for her to sit up alone on the seat.
There is an additional little security strap that goes between the legs that you can use. The strap has a loop that you can slip the seatbelt thru. That provides security so you don't have to worry about the child slipping down.
During the ride, the seats are tilted back a little bit. That 'reclining' helps to provide more support so that a child with poor trunk control can just recline against the seat.
Just wondering if we should just skip this ride?
This is easily one of the best and most accessible rides that require a transfer. My DD is kind of a thrill seeker, but most of the 'thrill' rides are not safe for her. This is one of the best rides.
If you have not read it,
eternaldisneyfan's trip report is one of the best I have ever read. In post 389 of that link, she talks about her experience on Soarin'.
She has MD and has many limitations on her ability to go on attractions. Soarin' was the only ride she transferred on to and she found it to be an easy transfer.
Also, does anyone know how the CM's measure children in wheelchairs? Our DS5 is 42", but is confined to his wheelchair (para) and I am wondering how he can be accurately measured.
They will not try to measure him. They will take your word for his height. I think that if he looked to them to be only about 36 inches tall and you said he was 42, they might have some problems with it, but they took our word and the word of other posters whose kids could not be measured.
I think in general, most parents of kids in wheelchairs are not going to lie about the height. Most of us are even more cautious and would probably wait until the child is well over the correct height because of our worries about the child fitting in the safety restraint.
Even though the "crotch strap" is intended for smaller riders, it would keep anyone from falling out just because the seats go up pretty high.
Then I went back when it wasn't crowded and talked with the CM. He let me sit in the bottom row on the end and told me to look to the side if I was afraid. Not only was I not afraid, but Soarin' is now one of my favorite rides
