Torn on What to Do

[Groot]

Going down to Disney next month, and everything seems to be in place. That is until my mom got me nervous about taking my powerchair on the plane and it being damaged either when they put it on or when they take it off the plane (We’re taking Spirit ). (picture below of my current chair, I am getting a new one in August) and saying that I should rent a scooter.



Thing is, Orlando’s airport is huge and I know that with my limited mobility issues I can’t stand for long. Another potential caveat is having to climb the stairs on the Sunshine Flyer (I can climb steps, but I would feel like I would be holding up everyone else behind me.)

I just don’t know what to do.

 

[bluecruiser]

I've used my power chair on two trips to Disney (one to California, one to Florida) and I'm planning to take my chair on all future trips. On both trips I had connecting flights, so I've had 4 flights total round trip. The airlines didn't cause any damage to my chair (which is EDIT: quite similar to the one you have).

Now on to statistics - the latest info I could find (from October 2021) indicates airlines damaged an average of 29 wheelchairs/scooters per day. The latest statistics (from 2019) indicate airlines transported more than 685,000 personal wheelchairs in 2019. So the statistics say your chances of damage are pretty low - roughly 1.5%.

Now if your chair does get damaged, there's a good article at wheelchairtravel.org on what the airline is responsible for.

"The good news is – if an airline damages (or destroys) your mobility equipment, they are on the hook for 100% of the repairs, up to 100% of the original purchase/list price. They’re also expected to accommodate you with a loaner chair for as long as the repairs take. My replacement wheelchair came within 2.5 weeks, which I felt was pretty fast for a complex rehab power chair."

Orlando has many ECV vendors, so this should improve the chances of you getting a loaner scooter for your time there. The chances of getting a loaner power chair are much lower since not many vendors rent them.

If you decide to take your own chair, read the rest of the article I linked. It has great advice on what to do if your chair is damaged, plus a link to another article on how to reduce the risk of wheelchair damage by the airlines.

If you decide you would rather rent a scooter in Florida than take the chance of damage to your power chair:

For transport through the Orlando airport, you can request wheelchair assistance from the gate. Or if you prefer to bring a manual wheelchair with you and have someone in your travel party push you, you can buy a cheap wheelchair.

When you get to Sunshine Flyer let them know you need to take your time on the steps. Or if you have a manual wheelchair, the bus should have a lift so you can stay in the chair and avoid the steps. You can confirm with Sunshine Flyer that the bus has a lift now if you haven't already done so.

You may have read the many discussions here about which scooter vendors people prefer. Gold Mobility seems to get a lot of good reviews. The one thing I would do is avoid ScooterBug. I have heard too many stories of bad experiences with them (equipment issues and inadequate customer support). Plus, their speed is purposely throttled down when compared to Gold and basically any other outside vendor.

 

[SueM in MN]

We just came back from WDW on May 11 and flew from Orlando back to Minnesota. We had a van rented for the whole trip, so didn’t have to worry about transport. A couple things we noticed at the airport:

1) skycaps were in short supply and were mostly assisting people who were totally alone. While we were waiting to check in, we saw wheelchairs brought to several people in our line with their family members were expected to push them. Some looked young and fit enough to do it, but one woman was being pushed by an elderly man who looked pretty unsteady, alternating with a boy who looked maybe 10.

2) our daughter can’t stand for screening, so she needs to be screened in her wheelchair. There was a long line for that in general and we had to wait for a female screener, which involved a longer wait.

3) Guests who were pushed to the gate by a skycap were lined up by the gate for about an hour before loading. There was a line of 6 passengers in wheelchairs parked by the gate for our flight.
A bunch of skycaps came back to help passengers off the arriving flight and the passengers for our flight on. There did seem to be enough to help

 

[SueM in MN]

A couple other thoughts -
If you travel without your wheelchair, Disney‘s Magical Express carried a couple of wheelchairs in the cargo area of the buses with lifts. Guests who couldn’t climb the stairs were able to use the ‘loaner’ wheelchair on the lift since it’s not safe to stand on the lifts.
I‘d suggest contacting Mears (the company that actually operated Magical Express) or Sunshine Flyer and see if they can provide that.

If you do bring your own wheelchair, make sure you know if it can be safely tied down with the securement straps and where the safe places are. Then mark them so the driver can find them easily.

As bluecruiser mentioned, the chance of damage to your wheelchair is actually pretty. That might be good information to share with your mom. I’m not overly concerned with air travel with my daughter’s manual wheelchairs. We usually take 2 trips per year to WDW. She’s an adult now and has used a wheelchair since she was 3. The only damage we’ve had so far was one bent antitip bar and a few minor scratches of black painted parts of the wheelchair.
Despite that, we don’t feel comfortable doing air travel with her Permobil power wheelchair. Its worth way more than my car and has too many ways it could get broken.

I‘d also suggest contacting your wheelchair manufacturer and ask if they have any specific recommendations for air travel. Usually, it’s going to include things like removing anything that could fall off, become easily detached or that stick out and could be bumped. A common suggestion is to remove the joystick or wrap it really well in bubble wrap. On this trip, I saw a woman whose rollator was completely wrapped in bubble wrap for the trip. Maybe overkill, but it certainly was protected!

 

[mamabunny]

Going down to Disney next month, and everything seems to be in place. That is until my mom got me nervous about taking my powerchair on the plane and it being damaged either when they put it on or when they take it off the plane (We’re taking Spirit ). (picture below of my current chair, I am getting a new one in August) and saying that I should rent a scooter.

View attachment 670071

Thing is, Orlando’s airport is huge and I know that with my limited mobility issues I can’t stand for long. Another potential caveat is having to climb the stairs on the Sunshine Flyer (I can climb steps, but I would feel like I would be holding up everyone else behind me.)

I just don’t know what to do.

Not sure if you and I talked about this before (in the F&G thread) but I have talked at length with the good folks at F&G and several of them have said the same thing: They *love* to see chairs that have "use" on them - it means that the owner is out there, living life, using the chair as it was made to be used!

I tried so hard at first to keep my F&G "perfect" ; I was that person who would go over my chair every night with the paint pen, touching up every little spot, and trying to keep it looking flawless. And then I talked with the folks at F&G, and it really changed my outlook. I'm not going to say that I'm proud of the scuffs and scrapes that Figgy has now, but they show the world that he and I are out there, having a good time, seeing and doing things! That's the purpose of the chair - to allow us to do the things we would normally. Trying to keep it "perfect" or "showroom new" is a choice you might make, but if you are getting a new chair in August (less than 90 days to go! Yay for you!) then why worry so much?

If I were buying a used F&G from you, I would fully expect it to have some scuffs and scrapes and maybe even some dings. If I were buying used mobility equipment from *anyone*, I would expect that. Keeping it in "perfect" condition isn't going to net you that much more money - and F&G doesn't take trade-ins, so it really doesn't matter.

Take the chair. Use the chair. Have fun, my friend. Don't worry - if the airline messes up your chair, F&G can, and will work with them to make it right - they have a whole page about that very topic on their website. (I would link to it, but I'm willing to bet you know exactly where it is) And you better post a trip report so that those of us stuck at home (I have to have another surgery, boooooo) can live vicariously through you!

PS: Don't you ever worry about needing more time to do something - we have talked about that here too! Always be *safe* first, and then worry about speed!

 

[Simba's Mom]

To the OP-if you do decide to bring your wheelchair, please let me know how it works. DH shares the same fears as your mom. Yet, I'd love to bring my own mobility scooter, rather than rely on the airport to push me around. Recently, when I was traveling solo, I waited 1/2 hour for someone to push me to the next gate, even though I'd requested wheelchair assistance, Finally, Southwest got an employee who was working at baggage claim to come and push me to my connecting flight while they held the plane for me (unfortunately there's no alternative to connecting flights if you go to Disney. I'd love to bring my scooter.
By the way, mama bunny, what do you mean by F&G? My initial thought was "Flower and Garden", but that doesn't seem to fit.

 

[lanejudy]

By the way, mama bunny, what do you mean by F&G?

I'm not mamabunny but I believe she has a Fold & Go wheelchair:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...ve-ever-made-great-at-disney-and-eve.3725546/

 

[Groot]

Okay y’al, after talking it over with my mom and telling her what you guys think, we’ve decided that I will, drumroll please…

*DRUMROLL INTENSIFIES*

Bring my own personal powerchair!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm not mamabunny but I believe she has a Fold & Go wheelchair:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...ve-ever-made-great-at-disney-and-eve.3725546/

Thanks! Now it makes sense!

 

[AprilsZoo]

Okay y’al, after talking it over with my mom and telling her what you guys think, we’ve decided that I will, drumroll please…

*DRUMROLL INTENSIFIES*

Bring my own personal powerchair!

I think that is a good choice. Do check the link to wheelchairtravel.org given above as well as the fold & go website mentioned by mamabunny. Lots of good info there about making things as likely as possible that you’ll have no real damage to your chair. The wheelchair travel site is written from the perspective of someone who cannot live without their powerchair for daily use, and who travels more than they stay home.