Taking elderly parents in wheelchairs

[MinnieMSue]

Excited to be taking my elderly parents in February as they don’t have much money and cannot afford taking vacations. Anyway my dad loves to ride but cannot handle sudden jerks.
1) I know SDD is smooth but does it jerk at the end? He rode ToT 13 years ago and we ride it a lot but I cannot remember it being jerky. Just kind of bouncy. I think he can handle that one. He is going to ride RotR because he is a Star Wars fan but won’t be able to ride Smugglers run or Star tours sadly.
2) How about 7DMT? Does that stop quickly at the end too?
3) does the land have a w/c boat? He cannot get down low (or really get up if he
does lol
4) how jerky is remi? We have not gone on that.
5) I think he can handle MMRR but I do remember the waltzing room being a bit rough.
6) any company that you really like the wheelchair rentals from? We will get one for him for the whole trip and rent one in the parks for my mom who has much better mobility

 

[SueM in MN]

7 Dwarfs Mine Train is smooth and I don’t remember a jerk at the end.

I would also describe Tower of Terror as ‘bouncy’, but it does pull riders up and down pretty quickly, so could be sensed as jerky.

The Land does have a wheelchair boat. The ramp is built right into the boat, so the wheelchair is driven right on, lock the brakes and you are ready to go. One person can ride with him and the rest of your party will ride in the row ahead of the wheelchair. Small World and the ride in Mexico also have wheelchair accessible boats with ramps.

We the expected Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure to be jerky, but it really wasn’t. Most of the ‘extreme motion‘ is on the screen, not in motion of the ride car. Remy also has a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

We found Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad to be pretty jerky. There is not a wheelchair accessible ride car. There is a dedicated disability boarding area, but the ride vehicle is not easy to board. There is a step over the side and the doorway to get in is pretty narrow.

 

[mamabunny]

Be sure to price out the rental chair - it may be just as cheap to buy a chair! Remember that mobility devices fly for free on any domestic airline in the US, and can easily be gate-checked, so you take it all the way to the door of the plane.

Although I have my own personal equipment, if I need to rent from anyone in Orlando, it would be Gold's. Here is their page for wheelchair rental

Don't get a "travel" chair or "companion" chair - the smaller wheels make for more difficult pushing, and a rougher ride for the occupant,

Bring along cheap bike or golf gloves from WalMart, Amazon or Target; some folks find it helps to prevent blisters on the pushers hands; it depends a lot on the style of the push grips. The old slippery hard black plastic will tear up your hands before the end of the first day.

Grab a brightly colored bandana or some cheerful, bright grosgrain ribbon to tie on the wheelchair handlebars - that way if it is parked somewhere, it will stand out quickly in a sea of other mobility devices.

 

[MinnieMSue]

Be sure to price out the rental chair - it may be just as cheap to buy a chair! Remember that mobility devices fly for free on any domestic airline in the US, and can easily be gate-checked, so you take it all the way to the door of the plane.

Although I have my own personal equipment, if I need to rent from anyone in Orlando, it would be Gold's. Here is their page for wheelchair rental

Don't get a "travel" chair or "companion" chair - the smaller wheels make for more difficult pushing, and a rougher ride for the occupant,

Bring along cheap bike or golf gloves from WalMart, Amazon or Target; some folks find it helps to prevent blisters on the pushers hands; it depends a lot on the style of the push grips. The old slippery hard black plastic will tear up your hands before the end of the first day.

Grab a brightly colored bandana or some cheerful, bright grosgrain ribbon to tie on the wheelchair handlebars - that way if it is parked somewhere, it will stand out quickly in a sea of other mobility devices.

Thanks mamabunny I was actually looking at wheelchairs to buy too. Also appreciate the recommendation on the company. I have read your very helpful posts in the past and am planning to get the gloves. I have taken my rollator in the past but having 2 people in w/c is a very different experience. My mom will prob walk a lot. My dad not so much. We are so excited to be taking them again. Every little bit of advise is so valuable. I really appreciate it. I never paid attention to a lot of the wheelchair accessibility issues before. My mom plans to rent in the parks because she can walk pretty long distances but not a full day of it. My dad is going to be mostly wheelchair dependent. Going to have to have a cushion for him too I think.

 

[mamabunny]

Thanks mamabunny I was actually looking at wheelchairs to buy too. Also appreciate the recommendation on the company. I have read your very helpful posts in the past and am planning to get the gloves. I have taken my rollator in the past but having 2 people in w/c is a very different experience. My mom will prob walk a lot. My dad not so much. We are so excited to be taking them again. Every little bit of advise is so valuable. I really appreciate it. I never paid attention to a lot of the wheelchair accessibility issues before. My mom plans to rent in the parks because she can walk pretty long distances but not a full day of it. My dad is going to be mostly wheelchair dependent. Going to have to have a cushion for him too I think.

Remember it will most likely be much cheaper to rent for Mom from Gold as well; If Mom balks at that, remind her that wheelchairs at the Parks are on a first-come, first-served basis - there is no way to reserve one at all.

If you get to the Park, and they have rented out all the wheelchairs... what is your plan? Just thinking ahead, because when someone is depending on wheels for part or all of their day, we want to make sure they have that resource available.

After a long day (shoot, after a half day for some of us!) that walk back to the buses, or parking is a looooong ways. And remember that parking lot trams are NOT running right now, and there is currently no ETA on when they will return if that bears on your trip planning.

Do you have a person who will push Mom when she needs it? (I'm guessing your plan is to push Dad, and use his chair in lieu of a Rollator?) If you are buying equipment, there is a category of a hybrid beastie that is a Rollator/wheelchair. That might be great for your Mom (and/or you) although I worry that *you* won't have a place to sit if you need it. The biggest reason I don't recommend them for most folks is that they tend to have smaller wheels, which is appropriate for a Rollator, but not good for a wheelchair... They are generally intended to be used in light-duty situations, and a standard "Disney Day" might be a bit outside that use case.

Would Mom be better served with a Rollator? It sounds like she might be a great candidate for one.

One last thing I'm thinking about for you (as someone who uses a Rollator a lot at home) is that wheelchair handlebars are fixed in a standardized position and most folks have their Rollator handlebars (hopefully) optimized to their individual height, so if you use a Rollator a lot when you are not at Disney, it's going to literally change your physical geometry to push Mom and/or Dad during this trip. Maybe consult with your doctor or PT if you have concerns about any physical condition that could be disrupted/made worse.

*Not* trying to rain on your parade, I promise - just want to help you think about some of these finer details before you get there. It's so easy to get caught up in the excitement of trip planning that we sometimes forget about reality... I'm truly happy for you and your entire family that you have the ability to be able to take your parents on such a special trip! As someone who has lost both parents now, I treasure every memory and every moment we got to spend together. I hope with my whole heart that we help get your and your parents set up for the very best possible trip!

 

[KPeterso]

Thanks mamabunny I was actually looking at wheelchairs to buy too. Also appreciate the recommendation on the company. I have read your very helpful posts in the past and am planning to get the gloves. I have taken my rollator in the past but having 2 people in w/c is a very different experience. My mom will prob walk a lot. My dad not so much. We are so excited to be taking them again. Every little bit of advise is so valuable. I really appreciate it. I never paid attention to a lot of the wheelchair accessibility issues before. My mom plans to rent in the parks because she can walk pretty long distances but not a full day of it. My dad is going to be mostly wheelchair dependent. Going to have to have a cushion for him too I think.

Sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned for your parents. I love taking my Mom who is in her 80s. She definitely looks forward to it. Regarding the wheelchair, I agree with looking into buying one. My Mom resisted renting at Disneyland (she gave in to renting ECVs at WDW years ago), but I finally convinced her that it was necessary and since we go so often, I should own 4-5 Disneyland ones by now. Telling her that, I finally convinced her to buy one. I ordered hers on Amazon during Prime Day a few months ago and it was delivered right to my front door (and now seems to live in my car). It has been to Disneyland a bunch of times already and went to WDW at the end of September. It was nice to have for the airport, for a little resort hopping, and for 10/1 at MK. We did have a scooter rental the whole time too. I alaways tell my Mom when she wants to walk that she can push the chair. Gives her a little space around her to prevent people knocking into her (I am also right there) and something to hold onto for additional stability. You may want that for your Mom too.

 

[MinnieMSue]

Sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned for your parents. I love taking my Mom who is in her 80s. She definitely looks forward to it. Regarding the wheelchair, I agree with looking into buying one. My Mom resisted renting at Disneyland (she gave in to renting ECVs at WDW years ago), but I finally convinced her that it was necessary and since we go so often, I should own 4-5 Disneyland ones by now. Telling her that, I finally convinced her to buy one. I ordered hers on Amazon during Prime Day a few months ago and it was delivered right to my front door (and now seems to live in my car). It has been to Disneyland a bunch of times already and went to WDW at the end of September. It was nice to have for the airport, for a little resort hopping, and for 10/1 at MK. We did have a scooter rental the whole time too. I alaways tell my Mom when she wants to walk that she can push the chair. Gives her a little space around her to prevent people knocking into her (I am also right there) and something to hold onto for additional stability. You may want that for your Mom too.

that is exactly what I told my mom we would be doing. For her I will prob just rent in the park - we will be there 2.5 days in the park. she can push it or more likely she will want my daughter to push it (or we can park it in whatever area we are in and come back for it. ). I just saw tower of terror is closed. I really hope it reopens. That is the biggest thrill ride my dad has ever ridden and he loved it. They were hoping to ride it again. Oh well RoR will be his dream come true if we can get in that. He might want to be plunked into the middle of the Star Wars area and left to sit and absorb it all day lol.

 

[MinnieMSue]

7 Dwarfs Mine Train is smooth and I don’t remember a jerk at the end.

I would also describe Tower of Terror as ‘bouncy’, but it does pull riders up and down pretty quickly, so could be sensed as jerky.

The Land does have a wheelchair boat. The ramp is built right into the boat, so the wheelchair is driven right on, lock the brakes and you are ready to go. One person can ride with him and the rest of your party will ride in the row ahead of the wheelchair. Small World and the ride in Mexico also have wheelchair accessible boats with ramps.

We the expected Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure to be jerky, but it really wasn’t. Most of the ‘extreme motion‘ is on the screen, not in motion of the ride car. Remy also has a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

We found Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad to be pretty jerky. There is not a wheelchair accessible ride car. There is a dedicated disability boarding area, but the ride vehicle is not easy to board. There is a step over the side and the doorway to get in is pretty narrow.

thank you Sue for the helpful facts. He may sit out runaway railway- I remember it being pretty jerky. I will never forget at Disneyland decades ago when my brother told him Indians Jones was smooth. He somehow survived but idk how lol. The whole ride I was worried about him and missed pretty much everything!

 

[MinnieMSue]

Remember it will most likely be much cheaper to rent for Mom from Gold as well; If Mom balks at that, remind her that wheelchairs at the Parks are on a first-come, first-served basis - there is no way to reserve one at all.

If you get to the Park, and they have rented out all the wheelchairs... what is your plan? Just thinking ahead, because when someone is depending on wheels for part or all of their day, we want to make sure they have that resource available.

After a long day (shoot, after a half day for some of us!) that walk back to the buses, or parking is a looooong ways. And remember that parking lot trams are NOT running right now, and there is currently no ETA on when they will return if that bears on your trip planning.

Do you have a person who will push Mom when she needs it? (I'm guessing your plan is to push Dad, and use his chair in lieu of a Rollator?) If you are buying equipment, there is a category of a hybrid beastie that is a Rollator/wheelchair. That might be great for your Mom (and/or you) although I worry that *you* won't have a place to sit if you need it. The biggest reason I don't recommend them for most folks is that they tend to have smaller wheels, which is appropriate for a Rollator, but not good for a wheelchair... They are generally intended to be used in light-duty situations, and a standard "Disney Day" might be a bit outside that use case.

Would Mom be better served with a Rollator? It sounds like she might be a great candidate for one.

One last thing I'm thinking about for you (as someone who uses a Rollator a lot at home) is that wheelchair handlebars are fixed in a standardized position and most folks have their Rollator handlebars (hopefully) optimized to their individual height, so if you use a Rollator a lot when you are not at Disney, it's going to literally change your physical geometry to push Mom and/or Dad during this trip. Maybe consult with your doctor or PT if you have concerns about any physical condition that could be disrupted/made worse.

*Not* trying to rain on your parade, I promise - just want to help you think about some of these finer details before you get there. It's so easy to get caught up in the excitement of trip planning that we sometimes forget about reality... I'm truly happy for you and your entire family that you have the ability to be able to take your parents on such a special trip! As someone who has lost both parents now, I treasure every memory and every moment we got to spend together. I hope with my whole heart that we help get your and your parents set up for the very best possible trip!

All excellent points! Luckily I have not needed my rollator for a couple years. I did not even think about taking it for mom and that is brilliant. She has very good mobility for her age but definitely not Disney commando mobility. Luckily only 2.5 days in the parks and I think we will probably take them back to the hotel to rest in the afternoons. MK will be great for them with the many shows but I think my dad at least will need a few hours to nap. My mom will probably not want to miss anything but she could use his chair during that time. Staying at a music family suite so the building will be close but the room location in the building could be a long haul depending on location with only central elevators.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Food for thought- ECV rentals aren’t cheap but they are much cheaper than injuring yourself or your parents or another family member. If you and your parents are used to WCs obviously you’ll be fine, but if not, do not underestimate the physical strain pushing a wc puts on a person.

 

[MinnieMSue]

Food for thought- ECV rentals aren’t cheap but they are much cheaper than injuring yourself or your parents or another family member. If you and your parents are used to WCs obviously you’ll be fine, but if not, do not underestimate the physical strain pushing a wc puts on a person.

there Is zero chance my dad could safely drive an ecv in the parks. It would be a disaster. He has terrible reaction time and also zero patience. I would worry about people in his path. My mom will want to walk most of the time in lines and even in areas of the park. She won’t be able to walk from one section of the park to another easily so I can see us parking her chair for periods of time. My dad will be in his most of the time. I have a 4in cushion I plan to have him sit on and also a back lumbar cushion. We are going to be watching a lot of shows and taking a lot of breaks. Also I am not going to randomly go from one side of the park to another like we often do. It is going to be a slow leisurely trip.