Also, any advice about getting around with someone disabled in the parks, etc. [/I]
This is new to me as the last time we went she was able to get around but at a slower pace.Thanks for any help fellow Disney lovers!
If you can get her to use an
ECV she will be going faster than you, probably. I talked my dad (also in his 70's) into using a
scooter a few years. His issues are heart and arthritis related which means he just doesn't have the stamina or agility to walk all day. I have arthritis issues which means I cannot walk distances of any kind.
Between his scooter and my powerchair we are able to outpace my perfectly healthy sister and her rambunctious under-10 boys.
There are a few things to know about wheelchair/scooter life though.
- staying offsite can be harder since you must arrange your own transportation. While scooters can be disassembled and stowed in the trunk, you'll need a decent sized trunk (or minivan) and be able to lift about 40-60 lbs minimum. Onsite you have use of Disney's transportation which is all wheelchair and therefore scooter-friendly.
- pedestrians are a driving hazard, moreso in an eye-popping place like Disney. They frequently look up (in a daze), stop suddenly or will change their direction quickly. So it takes a bit of skill and awareness to get used to driving there. The more crowded it is or the faster you drive the more awareness and skill you need. It's no worse than trying to park at the mall during the busy Christmas shopping season.
- If you end up using a manual wheelchair instead (the same places that rent
ECVs will rent manual chairs too), you will probably encounter some frustrations. I've never known a wheelchair pusher who didn't forget I was in the chair at some point, or that I had feet attached to my body, or didn't have my head about 2-3 feet lower than theirs and 1-2 feet in front of theirs. When you push, try to remember grandma's feet are exposed in front of her. Her turning radius is wider than the chairs. If you round a corner too tightly or try to avoid a dodger too late, her feet will get hit or tripped over. Also if you see something interesting, stop and call her attention to it, remember her field of view is a row of seats in front of yours. If the object is just to your side or over the object in front of you, she can't see it. Least not without pivoting her head backwards or flipping it off her neck and raising it a couple feet.
- As for hotel distances, it really depends on the distance to the central food court and transportation. I wouldn't equate either with distance to a theme park as all are pretty equalized.
For instance, staying at the Contemporary tower means you only must navigate the central lobby and short hall to your bedroom. Staying at the Polynesian means walking an outside path to one of many buildings and back to the main lobby building for food & transportation.
Saratoga Springs resort (a vacation club near Port Orleans) gets flack for being spread out with many buildings. But it also has multiple bus stops and parking lots just outside each. We ended up using less power there than say the Boardwalk which has distant parking and uses ferries or walkways for park to park transport.
to the DIS.
