The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - BW Grand Villa Edition

[IndianaDVCMember]

If only you knew the Gaylords!

That's the first name of Ben Stiller's character, but no one calls him that!

"Are you a pothead, Focker?"

 

[greenban]

There are a few attractions that have Wheelchair Entrances. When they have them, it is because the regular entrance is not wheelchair accessible, so a special accessible entrance is the only way in.

AK and the Studio were built with Mainstream Access, which means that the lines are wheelchair/ECV accessible and people using wheelchairs or ECVs use the same lines as everyone else.
This is a list of the Mainstream Attractions from the official Disney Website:
Mainstream Attractions
Magic Kingdom® Park
• Ariel's Grotto
• Astro Orbiter
• Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
• Donald's Boat
• Judge's Tent
• Mickey's Country House
• Mickey's PhilharMagic
• Mike Fink Keelboats (seasonal)
• Minnie's Country House
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Space Mountain®
• Splash Mountain®
• Stitch's Great Escape!™
• The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacres Farm
• "The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management"
• The Hall of Presidents
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• The Timekeeper (seasonal)
• Tomorrowland® Indy Speedway
• Toontown Hall of Fame
• Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress (seasonal)
Epcot®
• FUTURE WORLD
• Imagination!: All Attractions
• Innoventions East
• Innoventions West
• Mission: SPACE
• Test Track
• The Living Seas: All Attractions
• The Land: Soarin', Lion King movie
• Universe of Energy: "Ellen's Energy Adventure"
• Wonders of Life: All Attractions (seasonal)
•
•
• WORLD SHOWCASE
• China: "Reflections of China"
• France: "Impressions de France"
• FriendShip Boats
• Norway: Maelstrom
• The American Adventure: "The American Adventure"
Disney-MGM Studios
• Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour
• Fantasmic!
• Lights, Motors, Action!™ Extreme Stunt Show
• Muppet*Vision 3D
• Playhouse Disney - Live On Stage!
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith
• Sounds Dangerous - Starring Drew Carey
• Star Tours
• The Great Movie Ride
• The Magic of Disney Animation
• "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™"
• *Voyage of the Little Mermaid
• Walt Disney: One Man's Dream
• Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It!
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park
• Caravan Stage: "Flights of Wonder"
• DINOSAUR
• Grandmother Willow's Grove: "Pocahontas and Her forest friends"
• It's Tough To Be A Bug
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Lion King Theater: "Festival of the Lion King"
• Maharajah Jungle Trek
• Primeval Whirl
• Theater in the Wild: "Tarzan Rocks!"
• The Boneyard
• TriceraTop Spin

The shows (even the one with Mainstream lines) have a limited number of wheelchair/ECV spots inside the theater. Once those are filled, no one else using a wheelchair or ECV can be let inside (even if there are seats for people not using wheelchairs). We have come to Voyage of the Little Mermaid to use our Fastpass and been told that all the wheelchair spots for that particular show are already filled, so we will have to wait for the next show (even though they were letting in people from the standby line).

Many of the wheelchair entrances are accessed after waiting in line for a while (Haunted Mansion is an example); the wheelchair entrance to that is just a little before the 'regular' line reaches the turnstiles to get into the building.
Once inside a show area using a wheelchair entrance, like Spaceship Earth, Haunted Mansion, Kilimonjari Safari, we are not boarded immediately. Because of fire safety and evacuation rules, each attraction has a limit on the number of people with special needs/disabilities that are allowed in/on at a time. We may have to wait quite a while until they have room for us. Some attractions, like the Safari, have a wheelchair ride vehicle. We have waited 40 minutes at the Safari, while people who could walk in were getting on trams as fast as they could walk and some trams were even going out partially filled because people were not getting there fast enough.

I'd invite anyone who thinks it's easy to travel with an ECV or wheelchair and that users of them get all sorts of 'perks' to try one for a day. There are lots of people who post on the DIS Boards that their mind was changed after they had a temporary injury and needed to use one for a few days.

SueM thanks for that detailed post. I hope my post didn't come across as in anyway envying or blaming legitimate users of any mobility device. I'm greatful I don't need one yet, and I know very well the challenges faced for equal access.

But that doesn't erase the family swapping their ECV, that I referenced above. Or the fact that late one night at DL my daughter was knocked out of her shoe (while holding my hand) by a teenager dragracing an abondoned Wheelchair left by a guest near IASW.

-Tony

 

[chainkid]

Again if you don't want to sound judgmental don't make statements about family swapping vehicles. I haven't used one yet but I intend to share one in my upcoming trip with my brother, his wife and a possible friend. We all have issues with either arthritic knees or other conditions. I hope it will make my vacation more enjoyable as I have been having alot of painful nights at the resort from so much walking. I.m also average weight(another judgement I heard made about overweight people using them) Maybe we shouldn't allow overweight people to rent a vehicle. If you give me a dirty look you will get it right back as we will have to pay $175 for a weekly rental and would much rather spend that money on something else if I could be the same as I was even 5 years ago. People give others dirty looks when you are traveling with an elderly person using a wheelchair because it takes longer to load them on the bus. Disney is one of the easiest places to vacation with handicapped
people thank god. My mom who was 84 on her last trip couldn't walk and I was alone with her pushing a wheelchair. I was so grateful for all the wonderful cast members who helped us. I smile just thinking of that trip. I only wish she was still able to go with me.

 

[SueM in MN]

Unfortunately these were off site rental ones, because after they about ran over my 10 year old I was looking for ID numbers. DH did say something (he's 6'4" 220lb) and they slowed down after they flipped him off.

As for medical need, my neighbor who was supposed to be on bed rest for her pregnancy used ECV's in the grocery stores and Target, just so she could get out of the house. I took her a couple of times, and trust me she got the "you lazy preggie lady" talk everytime I was with her. So I know where you are coming from.

When people rent an ECV from Disney or one of the off-site companies, they sign a contract where they agree that no one under the age of 18 years will be allowed to drive or ride on the ECV. The contracts also include a clause that only one person is allowed to be on the ECV at a time (no passengers).

Disney security will give warnings to people they see behaving with ECVs in an unsafe manner. They can confiscate the ones they own, and if someone on one rented from off-site was caught behaving in an unsafe manner, was warned and continued to cause problems, they could be escorted out of the park.

 

[elderfam]

My one little comment;

Cant they program them not to go faster than the average human walks?
Seems that will solve most problems right there.

 

[chunkygal]

great video! and that was a great tip about getting off at the gaylord palms!