Stroller as Wheelchair Questions

[Terry2]

We're thinking of a first trip to DisneyWorld with my 6yo DD who has a medical condition that can cause her to tire easily. Too much physical and emotional stress (even "happy" stress!) can lead to a metabolic crisis, and require hospitalization. On the other hand, she may be fine and not have this problem while we're there.

I'm thinking we're probably best off planning to use our own small umbrella stroller in the park and ask that it be used as a wheelchair so we can take it into lines if we need to. But, my question is, can you really take a stroller through most of the lines the whole way? Would she/we be missing anything (part of the 'pre-show') by doing this? If she's OK and we don't need to take it through a line, is it easy to leave it and pick it back up? In other words, how much of a hindrance is a stroller if it turns out we don't really need it?

It's so hard to plan until we've been through it once!

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

We use our stroller as a wheel chair for my 5yr old every time she goes b/c that is where she is most comfy for our long disney trips. I am not sure about all of the rides b/c she is limited to certain one due to her physical handicaps but for the most part the handicap entrance may vary we have been taken the back way w/ others who are in wheelchairs and ecv's, for the shows if the line for wheelchairs/ecv's is different from the regular waiting line you will line up there, and some of them you will just stand in the regular line. as far as being in line and then needing while still waiting I don't know how easy that would be b/c I have never tried. Hopefully others will be able to give you better answers. best of luck and have a great trip.

 

[mechurchlady]

The worst case scenario has you taking the "Stroller as a wheelchair" through the lines. At shows you could set in the disabled section or dad could help her set in the regular seats. You would not miss many preshows because of her size and age because you won't be with the kid on Tower of Terror, for example.

Best case scenario is you take the kid to the park in the stroller, get the "Stroller as a wheelchair" tag, and then end up parking the stroller in one area. People with ECVs and strollers will at times park in one area and see everything then hop on board and tool off to a new area. I have seen so many tired dads hauling sleepy tired kids out of parks at DLR and sometimes moms. Also you can use the empty stroller for carrying things, lol.

Take the stroller with you into lines as it is at times hard to get out of line then cut back into line to return with it. It will not hurt the kid to set in the stroller but you do not want to face people in line who have you going up stream to get the stroller. They then will see you and the stroller making your way to the head of the line. Also there is the cumulative wear and tear on the kid. Figure on 10 rides at 10 minutes wait is 100 minutes standing in line. If you go early in the day, use fast passes, and plan the trip right you can avoid a lot of the long lines in theory.

 

[DannysMom]

Another stroller as wheelchair parent here.

One more thing to think about if you are considering parking your stroller, sometimes it is not obvious just how long the que is or where exactly the attraction exit is. Lines in fantasyland seem pretty straightforward, but for example at DHS the Muppet 3D show, if you park your stroller at the entrance, by the time you get (stand) through the preshow, and then (sit) through the show, it exits on the far side of the building, a long walk to double back for the stroller.

Also the que for Soarin' at Epcot is very long, you'll also need to show your stroller as wheelchair tag to get your stroller into the Land pavillion at all. My general rule of thumb is unless I'm familiar with the que and where the exit is, and I'm pretty sure my son will have enough steam to get himself there & back, I prefer to keep my stroller with me.

 

[curemyreed]

Chiming in as we have used a stroller with our daughter each trip. You are having so much fun at Disney the amount of miles you walk does not really dawn on you, but you sure can feel it at the end of the day and cumulatively after several days of touring. Since a metabolic crisis would have such serious consequences should it occur then I think you absolutely should go this route. Cast Members are helpful and will help you through the process of using your GAC which allows you this. I'm thinking of the Kilaminjaro Safaris at AK and how incredibly long the distance is from the entrance to actual ride loading---even the differently-abled route to the ride---sometimes it is not at all apparent how far it is.

Also---take some kind of stroller cover. Most every place where you will park it is not covered. We found out the hard way the first time we came out to a WET stroller! I go to the dollar store before leaving and buy several shower curtains. If the weather is at all threatening I just unwrap one and put it on the stroller while we ride. Only negative is that this wouldn't be a good solution for strolling with the child in the rain...not enough ventilation. I just don't like carting expensive things around the World (I buy $1 rain panchos for everyone, too, so we can toss them out that evening) so I've never bought a true stroller cover that you can keep on the stroller with the child in it, but that's an option, too.

Oh, and don't freak out if you come from a ride and the stroller is not where you left it! Certain rides/areas have CM's whose full-time job is to shift strollers from place to place. When we used Disney strollers in the past I either tied a balloon to the handle or a brightly colored bandana so I could find ours in the sea of strollers.

So happy that you are able to vacation at WDW! Have a magical time!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

All of the lines are wheelchair accessible in some way, so you would be able to roll the stroller into all the attractions from the time you enter the line until boarding.
Some of the older attractions (mostly at MK and Epcot) are not accessible in the 'regular' line and have a special accessible entrance. All of the attractions at the Studio and AK have "Mainstream Lines", which means that people using wheelchairs, ECVs and strollers as wheelchairs wait in the same line with everyone else.
There are some attractions where the wheelchair boarding area is in a different place than the 'regular' boarding. In most cases, you will wait in the regular line until just before it gets to the boarding area. At that point, you will be routed to the accessible area.
In most cases, you won't miss the preshow.
One where you do is Haunted Mansion. The accessible boarding area is at the exit. People who can walk, stand for the 5 minute preshow and then walk to the regular boarding area can choose to see the preshow and board at the regular area. People who are not able to do that need to board at the exit and have to skip the preshow.

Some of the other posters brought up a good point about shows. For most shows, there is preshow or holding area where you will wait for at least the length of one show. Sometimes, there are a few seats in that area, but usually there are none or they may be filled.

For the attractions at MK, you can often see the entire line (especially in Fantasyland). In other parks, most of the line is hidden and you will have no way of knowing how far the walk is until you are in line. Some of the notorious ones are the Safari at AK, Pirates, Tough to Be a Bug and Soarin'. Even if the wait is very short, you will still have a long walk to get from the entrance to the ride/attraction.

 

[Sherry047]

We have done stroller as wheelchair twice with DD4. It really has been an incredible thing for us. My daughter has PVL with seizure disorder, so she tires quite easily.

As far as I am aware, we have not missed any pre-shows due to her stroller.

The stroller really helped for TSM. Our wait was about 70 minutes, and I am not so sure that she could have handled the wait without the stroller.

If the lines were 20 minutes or less, I always gave DD4 the choice of walking or staying in the stroller. Most of the time, she chose her stroller.

 

[ireland_nicole]

I just wanted to add, you might want to consider renting or using a slightly larger stroller w/ a canopy and the ability to recline; the days can get really long. I don't know if the disney ones would be particularly comfortable, but there are other companies out there. Last trip we used orlandostrollerrentals.com and Shannon was wonderful and the stroller was top notch; very light and maneuverable and the kids napped in it.
Hope you have a great trip!
Nicole

 

[LauraVV]

Sounds like this isn't just a Disney problem. I'd ask the doc for a script for a w/c. We got our daughter's Convaid Cruiser when she was about five. It's like an umbrella stroller on steroids. She still uses it at age ten. It's in great shape. Worked wonders at Disney too!

 

[Narnia]

My dd has muscular dystrophy and we didn't have our sn stroller yet. We had no problems with the lines at all. Timing and fast passes are what we lived on.
Ste is still little so I was able to carry her if she got tired.

 

[JKSWonder]

We used the stroller as a wheelchair for my son this past October. He has PDD-NOS and sensory integration disorder. He has low muscle tone on on his left side. He does not like to be held and will just run away from us if he is not in a stroller or otherwise being held on to. He also can't really walk very well when he is holding hands....his coordination goes wacky and his legs just seem to collapse under him.

He has a liking for our particular stroller....a Joovy. I tell people it's sort of shaped like an elongated half of an egg. He feels tucked in and secure.

It worked really well for us and he was a much happier kid.

 

[lawblond7]

We used our special needs stroller that we rented from Orlando strollers from December 21 - 26th as a wheelchair for my son. We had no problems and were basically able to wheel it up to almost every ride. I also have to say we had both the GAC card and tag on the stroller. We rarely waited for ANY ride. Not once did they not allow us on. I think our longest wait was under 20 minutes, which was amazing, as the MK was so crowded on 12/25 they had to close the park at times to new visitors.

It is well worth having the stroller used as a wheelchair to prevent any issues. It was A LOTof walking and there is no way Clay would have been able to do it.

hugs
Sharon

 

[TravelinGal]

My son has sensory issues and we discovered that the basically stationary crowds in line freaked him out beyond reason. (taking about an hour to calm down)
We were given a GAC and the sticker for stroller = wheelchair. The only place (other than HM which has already been discussed) where we missed the preshow/line attractions that I'm aware of was TSM. We went in the fastpass line and then took a right when the 2 lines merged. The FP line does not go past the Mr Potatohead interactive spot, so we missed that.

As someone else mentioned, we took a back entrance to the HM as well.

Since his issue was with the crowds the stroller helped because he could pull the sun canopy down around himself (we have a Peg Perego Pliko p3) and block out the world. They also gave us a stamp on the GAC that allowed us to use alternate entries when possible.

RE ToT -- why would one assume a 6 year old wouldn't go on it? (post #3) There may be reasons for a person to avoid it - if it's not the type of ride they would like, but that's not limited to age.
We went through the FP line there as well and then merged with the rest of the stand by line as we went into the preshow room. My DS had just turned 4, was the required height and he LOVED it! His exact words were "Let's go again!" as he laughed joyfully.


I have to agree with the suggestion to get a more substantial stroller than a tiny umbrella stroller. Check with your local Craigslist.org or resale shops -- or rent one in Orlando (but having your own may be less expensive.)

I remember one time when I had left DS's stroller in the main stroller area, when we came back to reclaim it the CM told us we should have taken it with us since we had the sticker on it. I don't remember what ride it was, but there was no line (in Fantasyland) so we were fine. But he was worried I had left it against my will or without knowing I could take it. It was unnecessary, but kind on his part anyway.

I found some CM wanted to see the sticker and some wanted to see the GAC.