stressing about magical express

[tekoa]

Hi all I am stressing over the Disney magical express from the airport. This will be our first time using it. My mom needs a wheelchair to get around. She has one at home, but we will be renting from Care while at Disney. When we get to the airport I know we can borrow one of theirs while at the airport. Will she be able to sit in it while waiting for the bus. We are bringing her walker with us, but she cannot stand for all that long without sitting down. Then when we get to the resort. (Poly) will there be a place where the bus lets you out that she can sit while I retrieve the wheelchair. Then.... on the return trip to the airport will there be a wheelchair nearby that she can use when we get off the bus or will I have to go on a hunt for it. She does not like to be left alone in a strange place so that could be a problem. Also we are flying Southwest so I am going to have to carry the luggage to check in and push the wheelchair while she holds the walker.
Long story short. Do you all think I should by pass the free Magical Express and opt for a car service for approx $100 more, but with a little bit more piece of mind. Thanks for listening to the ramble and thank you for any and all advice.

 

[SueM in MN]

Another option would be to bring her wheelchair with you from home.
You can bring it on the airplane right to the gate.
You would get a 'gate check' tag for it before boarding begins. With that tag, you can take it right to the door of the plane. After she gets out of it, you fold it up and leave it outside the door. The baggage people will take it onto the plane in the baggage compartment for you.
When you arrive at the next stop, they will bring the wheelchair up to the door of the plane for you. There is no charge and it does not count against your baggage allowance.

If you look at the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is also more information about aisle chairs, with pictures, if your mom can't walk aboard the plane. And, there is information about Magical Express with pictures that show the wheelchair lift in action.

 

[tekoa]

Thanks for the response. Is there any risk that the chair could get damaged in the belly of the plane? This does sound like a really good option.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the response. Is there any risk that the chair could get damaged in the belly of the plane? This does sound like a really good option.

If it is your basic folding wheelchair with a sling seat, there is not that much to damage on it.
The more pieces the wheelchair has, the more chance something could be damaged. But, we have traveled at least twice a year with DD's wheelchair and the only damage we have had was a little bit of scratched paint and one year one of the antitip bars got bent. DD is 23 now and we have been traveling with a wheelchair since she was 3.
If the airplane has an on board closet and your wheelchair would fit in it, that is another option. Some planes don't have a closet and even if they do, whoever with a wheelchair asks first gets the closet space. So, call your airline and check.

 

[tekoa]

Thank you. Yes it is a basic wheelchair.

 

[SueM in MN]

if you have added anything to it, like a cupholder, it is best to remove those things so that they don't get caught on anything.

Also, anything else that is easily removeable (like a seat cushion) should be removed and you can carry those things on and put them into the overhead bin.

 

[goofy67]

I told the person that made our reservations for the Magical Express that my mom needed a wheelchair and she said it would be taken care of. I am going to call back a little ahead of time to confirm that request. I also have it on my airline reservations. This might be something you want to think about.

 

[SueM in MN]

I told the person that made our reservations for the Magical Express that my mom needed a wheelchair and she said it would be taken care of. I am going to call back a little ahead of time to confirm that request. I also have it on my airline reservations. This might be something you want to think about.

When you call back, I would suggest that you verify that "needs a wheelchair" means the same thing to you as it means to them.
The most common meaning would be:
"We need a wheelchair accessible bus, but will be bringing a wheelchair with us."

Two other meanings might be:
"We need a wheelchair provided to us to get from the plane to the door of the bus. The person will get out of the wheelchair and walk onto the bus."

"We need a wheelchair provided to us to get from the plane of the door to the ME check in. Then, we need a wheelchair to ride up the bus lift since the person is not able to climb the steps. We will need the same at the resort and when we come back to the airport."

If you need a wheelchair on the bus and don't have one, DME would need to provide it; the wheelchairs that belong to airlines/airport could be used to get you to the bus, but can't leave the airport.
In a similar way, a wheelchair from the resort could be used to get you from the resort area to the bus, but it would not be able to be taken to the airport on the bus. (The DME buses are not owned by Disney - it is a service they contract for).

There are other possibilities besides the regular DME buses; vans or smaller shuttle buses which have only a small step up. If a disability prevents you from using the regular bus, the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) does require them to provide some reasonable alternative.

Please let us know how it went for you when you get back.

 

[dclfun]

I agree with Sue that bringing her w/c from home will cut down on alot of stress and insure that your Mom has exactly what she needs. Seems like alot of possiblities in each location for a breakdown in communication and the possiblity that you'll be waiting for those wheelchairs at some point, leaving your Mom to find a seat or struggle to stand. It sounds like throughout the trip you'd be needing to borrow a different w/c 8 different times- 1 w/in your originating airport to plane, 1 at arriving airport to get to DME, 1 from DME to get on bus, 1 at resort to get off bus and use throughout trip, and then repeat the same on the way back- way too much hassle IMO.---Kathy

 

[missypriss19]

I dont think you will have problems with magical express. You can use the airport wheelchairs. there are benches right by the busses. Magical express will drop you at the resort door so not much walking there either. If you need to get a wheelchair for her I am sure the buss driver will wait. If you decide to bring her wheelchair then just be sure to ask for an accessible bus. We are taking my husband standard wheelchair with us but we are then renting an electric wheelchair while we are there. Heard to many horror stories of electric wheelchairs being damanged on planes. Thought this would be easier.

Hope you have a great vacation. And hope this helps.

 

[mechurchlady]

I have done the airport wheelchairs and if you go at the wrong time or if the airport is busy the tough. I agree with Kathy and especially with Sue. You save money by not renting. The chair will be right there for her when she gets off the plane.

She will set in her chair until she is in her room at the Resort. No wearing her out with getting up out of the airport chair then parking on a bench then getting to the DME wheelchair then the long ride then getting off then Getting up and possibly parking on a bench while waiting for the resort wheelchair. She only has to transfer to the aisle chair then to her chair then to her bed in the resort. Also you can do things to her chair like customize it or take a soldering iron and put her name on the parts.

Trust me it is much easier to bring your own clunker chair if you can. DME busses can be late an hour because of various reasons like accidents, slow passengers and road construction. If the DME bus is late and she needs a potty break then she will be stuck on the bench waiting. Airport bathrooms tend to be where you do not need them. I have done the high speed waddle while hauling luggage and the restrooms are way over there now matter what flight you take but everyone else gets the flight next to the bathroom so it seems, lol.

Take your own chair.

 

[McCall]

I also suggest the bring your own plan. You can also request it be stored in the Cabin on many planes, don't know what type aircraft you will be on but you can certainly request this at check in podium. Less chance of any damage that way, though USUALLY they come through OK, also realize that IF the WC is damaged, it is up to the airline to cover the FULL cost of repair or replacement and to provide you with another one for use while that is being done. if you have any problem at the airport ask for the Crisis Resolution Officer, CRO for short.

 

[tekoa]

Thank you everyone for the great advice. We are flying Southwest for the first time, usually fly Delta out of Hartford, but they wanted almost twice as much as Southwest. According to their website they can accomodate 1 wheelchair in a closet in the cabin on a first come first served basis. Hopefully we can do this and be the first. This is going to save on aggravation and also $$.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

My experience with Southwest out of Hartford is that I was always the only person with my own wheelchair (I used to fly 3-4 times a year between Hartford and Philadelphia on Southwest, it happened at the time to be the same flight that went down to Orlando after stopping in Philly). The wheelchair I was using at the time didn't fold so had to go in the hold and I never had a problem with it. I've honestly had more problems with more "traditional" airlines manhandling my wheelchair than Southwest (and I've flown Southwest more).

 

[tekoa]

My experience with Southwest out of Hartford is that I was always the only person with my own wheelchair (I used to fly 3-4 times a year between Hartford and Philadelphia on Southwest, it happened at the time to be the same flight that went down to Orlando after stopping in Philly). The wheelchair I was using at the time didn't fold so had to go in the hold and I never had a problem with it. I've honestly had more problems with more "traditional" airlines manhandling my wheelchair than Southwest (and I've flown Southwest more).

Do I have to notify Southwest ahead of time that I will have a chair? When I made the reservation 2 weeks ago I indicated online that wheelchair assistance was needed and that we would not have a chair. Now we are bringing it. Will that mess things up? Thanks

 

[WheeledTraveler]

It shouldn't. I honestly stopped bothering even telling them pretty early on and they were still great. You'll probably preboard and be the first people on the plane (I've noticed that they really seem to reserve this extra for anyone with their own wheelchair rather than an airport wheelchair) and your mother will be given the option to walk from her wheelchair to a seat (preboarding on Southwest, of course, means your pick of seats other than emergency exit rows) or using an aisle chair to get to it (I know Sue has pictures of an aisle chair somewhere on here, but it's essentially a narrow seat to fit down airplane aisles.). If she can walk (and if you're heading for a bulkhead seat, it's probably all of about 2 steps), I'd personally suggest doing that rather than the aisle chair, but that's just me.

I've always found Southwest to be good at not rushing me and being very accommodating. In fact, there was one time when I was accidentally running really late (I'd confused times and thought the arrival time was the departure time) and they saved me a bulkhead seat even though the plane had already loaded. I doubt it would have happened in a bigger airport, but it's one of the nice things about Hartford (and this was only my 2nd time flight out of there with a wheelchair).

 

[SueM in MN]

Do I have to notify Southwest ahead of time that I will have a chair? When I made the reservation 2 weeks ago I indicated online that wheelchair assistance was needed and that we would not have a chair. Now we are bringing it. Will that mess things up? Thanks

It won't mess anything up.
IF the airplane has a closet and if you want to try to get your wheelchair on board, you should notify them ahead of time. Ask them if they can note it on your reservation, so hopefully, you will get first dibs on the closet (you may have the only wheelchair or they may not have a closet, so it may not matter).

or using an aisle chair to get to it (I know Sue has pictures of an aisle chair somewhere on here, but it's essentially a narrow seat to fit down airplane aisles.). If she can walk (and if you're heading for a bulkhead seat, it's probably all of about 2 steps), I'd personally suggest doing that rather than the aisle chair, but that's just me.

The pictures are in the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
Actually, even though my DD can't walk unless someone is actually holding her up and walking with her, we sometimes walk her in rather than use the aisle chair if we know we will be seated near the front.

 

[mechurchlady]

Call the airline and tell them you will not need the assistance. That is a courtesy to them. When you get to the boarding gate let them know you want to store the wheelchair in the plane. That helps them to know how many are preboarding and plan things. Southwest is a good line and cheap usually.

 

[danagirl]

we flew southwest last year and my mom forgot to tell them we had a chair...i called about a week before and there wasnt a problem...also we did the magical express and everything went very smoothly...hope u have fun!!

 

[tekoa]

thank you everyone.