Spaceship Earth

[mydisneyanytime]

In the past, we have gone in the back of Spaceship Earth and waited in the handicap area until they can take another group through the line. This has been without a fastpass or a return time. My son is in a wheelchair so we can't do the front entrance. In June and then again in November we had to get a return time to ride or use a fastpass choice.

Is this the standard now? I don't mind the change but we are headed there again in a few weeks and I wanted to be sure to plan for it.

Thanks!

 

[Staren]

As far as I am aware, this seems to be the new norm for all attractions that don't have an accessible line yet. Disney has been working more towards equal access rather than special treatment for awhile.

I started going to Disney World in the 90s, back when a wheelchair was pretty much a VIP pass even before the first GAC. This has been a long time coming. Those days for better or worse are gone.

 

[gap2368]

Yes if the line is longer then 10 minutes you will be given a return time to go to the handicap entrince latter.

 

[dakotix]

Yes our son has issues and the way it works now is that you schedule your place in line like a fast pass. It's a much more fair way imo.

 

[jo-jo]

What if you had a FP? We haven't been in 8 months and we just went to the side door and the FP was never used.

Is there a tap thing inside now?

And how would this work with groups? We are planning a trip with our kids and grandkids (total 12 people). Will there be a way we can all board at once. Since DH started using a wheelchair, we haven't done a big group trip.

 

[gap2368]

What if you had a FP? We haven't been in 8 months and we just went to the side door and the FP was never used.

Is there a tap thing inside now?

And how would this work with groups? We are planning a trip with our kids and grandkids (total 12 people). Will there be a way we can all board at once. Since DH started using a wheelchair, we haven't done a big group trip.

With the FP I think you go to the FP entrance and tap in then they give you a return card for right now that you take with you to the back entrance ( or this is how they did it last time I had a FP with my friend that use an ECV) they might have the scanner like at BTMRR). the rule is 5 people plus the person in the wheelchair can use the alternative entrance ( back entrince) 12 is way over this so there is a good change they will only take 6

 

[gap2368]

Yes our son has issues and the way it works now is that you schedule your place in line like a fast pass. It's a much more fair way imo.

Yep I think it is very fair. I have seen the standby line over an hour and was told to go to the back entrance and we were on in less then 5 minutes

 

[jo-jo]

With the FP I think you go to the FP entrance and tap in then they give you a return card for right now that you take with you to the back entrance ( or this is how they did it last time I had a FP with my friend that use an ECV) they might have the scanner like at BTMRR). the rule is 5 people plus the person in the wheelchair can use the alternative entrance ( back entrince) 12 is way over this so there is a good change they will only take 6

Good to know. Thank you. I'll have to ask again when it is closer to 60 day FP time.

 

[mydisneyanytime]

Thanks everyone. I don't mind the change, just wanted to plan for it this time around. We actually got a return time, last time, in the handicap area and waited while we played the games.

 

[MrsNuke]

We went this past July, party of 8, my youngest in a rolling chair with a broken toe. They never scanned the bands, just sent us to wait in the back loading area. But we were late in our window and the wait was about 10 minutes, so by the time we got off, the pass was expired and we were able to keep refreshing for more.

 

[SueM in MN]

They don’t always give a Return Time for Spaceship Earth.
Whether or not they do depends on:
1) what the current Standby Wait is

2) How many people are already waiting in the handicapped waiting area by the exit.

They board guests from that waiting area in ‘batches’, which may be enough guests to fill all the vehicles in the unload area. It’s been explained to us that there can only be a certain number of guests in the attraction at once who would need to be evacuated in an emergency. Once the first ‘batch’ gets past a critical point in the attraction where evacuating would be easier, the next ‘batch’ csn be loaded.