transfering into SM and PoC ride

[Jenfrog79]

my DH has cerebral palsy and uses crutches to walk due to left side weakness. needless to say he'll be renting a scooter. i'm just wondering if...

do they have a separate entrance for these rides due to needing to get into a boat(and how do you get the scooter to the other side.....stupid question i know)

and also, from what i remember I thought at the end of PoC everyone just gets out of the boat and goes up an escalator. not sure DH would be able to do this. is there some way to avoid this? DH is a BIG Pirates of the Carribean fan and has never been to WDW.

 

[MisMikiNikiLynne]

We went through the regular que to get to the boats and then transfered from a w/c. At the end of the ride was DD w/c and we were taken to an elevator...
No special que...

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'm drawing a blank on "SM", but for PoC, he will have to transfer to a park-provided wheelchair before going through the turnstiles. There's no separate queue for mobility-assistance Guests.

eta: Got it, now. You will proceed through the regular queue at Splash Mountain. At some point before you reach the stairs, you will be directed by Cast Members to/through the wheelchair entrance.

 

[SueM in MN]

Do you mean SM = Splash Mountain or SM = Space Mountain?

POC has an elevator at the exit that can be used by people who are not able to use the escalator (actually a moving ramp). As you get off the ride, the moving ramp is straight ahead. The elevator is to the left sort of even with the end of the ramp.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think she means Splash - she mentions "boats" but not rockets (yeah, I know, a log isn't a boat ).

I was trying to figure out how Small World could be abbreviated "SM"

 

[Jenfrog79]

yes sorry. i meant splash mountain

 

[kaytieeldr]

Nah, no need to apologize! Anyway, did we give you enough information?

 

[Jenfrog79]

yea i think so. just worried about him transfering into the ride. not sure he'd feel comfortable having a CM help him

 

[Cheshire Figment]

CMs are not permitted to provide direct assistance to help a person board or exit any attraction, even if the assistance is requested.

The only exception involves moving a wheelchair for short distances or holding a wheelchair so the rider may make a stable transfer. Any contact with the body of a Guest may only be by another Guest.

 

[SueM in MN]

yea i think so. just worried about him transfering into the ride. not sure he'd feel comfortable having a CM help him

Just so you are aware, CMs are not allowed to physically help with things like lifting a guest. They can hold out a hand to steady someone, but can't actually help anyone to transfer.

I would suggest that before trying POC, you go on Small World.
You won't be able to see the boats on POC until you actually get to the boarding area, so it's hard to plan how you will get on and off without seeing them. That's where SW can help you because the SW boats are very similar to the POC boats.
The boats on SW are visible thru most of the queue, so you will have time to watch the boarding process and see how far the step down at the boarding area is and how far the step back up is when getting off. SW has a ramped wheelchair boat, so he would be able to go on that, either in the ECV or in a wheelchair available at SW. He could also ride the scooter to the boarding area and then walk on the regular boat or down the ramp on the wheelchair boat. You will get on and off on the same side of the boat (the 'driver's side).
POC does not have a wheelchair boat, but the step down is very similar to the one on the SW boat. Getting on is easier for most people (because gravity will help you get down). Getting off may be more of a challenge. We just rode POC a few days ago. There are some CMs at the entrance that you can ask questions. He can trade his scooter for a wheelchair at the entrance; the CMs will explain how that works. The walking distance in the queue is long, so even if the CM says it's a short walk, count on at least the length of 3 football fields (my very rough estimate).
We were directed to the left line and boarded on the 'driver's' side of the boat. We got off on the same side.
Here's a picture of the SW wheelchair ramp boat:

This is a picture of the POC boat:

I don't have a good picture of the Splash Mountain boat on this computer, but it is not easy to get into because the side of the boat is very high and the space inside the boat is tight. This page shows some pictures of the SM boat that might help and here's a more close up picture of the boat from allearsnet:

It doesn't really show you the step over and into the boat, but you can maybe get and idea between all the pictures.