Values/Elevators and waterparks/stairs.-knee issues

[palmtreelover08]

I have stayed at the Pop and All Star Movies? before but have always been on the first floor. Are there elevators to the second floor at All Star Movies? I would guess they would need them for guests w/Wheel Chairs, but I don't think the POR has them.. so I need to know for sure from the experts.

Why am I asking.. My friend just had exploratory knee surgury and had "something scraped" from her knee. While she expect to be walking w/o a cane, I am not sure how great she will be on steps. We have already paid for a "preferred" room, so we would be close to the food, and bus stops. We are renting a car so she will not have to stand on the busses while moving (that can be hard on your knees!). Anything else you can suggest? It will be my friend, my DD (6) and myself. We are doing a quickie 5 day trip, during the Fourth of July, so there will be plenty of crowds.

I am guessing the waterparks are all stairs..right. They do not have any "lifts" to the top. Dang.. just thought about that as I was thinking about the elevators. Probably not a good idea for her to be in the wave pool either, as she may get knocked down by a wave or person.* dang it*.. Turned the plan of hitting the water parks on its ear..

Can anyone think of other "hidden" issues there may be for someone recovering from exploratory knee surgery?

 

[twokids0204]

I have stayed at the Pop and All Star Movies? before but have always been on the first floor. Are there elevators to the second floor at All Star Movies? I would guess they would need them for guests w/Wheel Chairs, but I don't think the POR has them.. so I need to know for sure from the experts.

Why am I asking.. My friend just had exploratory knee surgury and had "something scraped" from her knee. While she expect to be walking w/o a cane, I am not sure how great she will be on steps. We have already paid for a "preferred" room, so we would be close to the food, and bus stops. We are renting a car so she will not have to stand on the busses while moving (that can be hard on your knees!). Anything else you can suggest? It will be my friend, my DD (6) and myself. We are doing a quickie 5 day trip, during the Fourth of July, so there will be plenty of crowds.

I am guessing the waterparks are all stairs..right. They do not have any "lifts" to the top. Dang.. just thought about that as I was thinking about the elevators. Probably not a good idea for her to be in the wave pool either, as she may get knocked down by a wave or person.* dang it*.. Turned the plan of hitting the water parks on its ear..

Can anyone think of other "hidden" issues there may be for someone recovering from exploratory knee surgery?

Not sure the answer... but I would ask that question here:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20

I am sure you will get quicker / more accurate info.

 

[palmtreelover08]

ok.. reposting to dis-abilities board.

thx.

 

[Disney*Dreaming]

I have stayed at the Pop and All Star Movies? before but have always been on the first floor. Are there elevators to the second floor at All Star Movies?

Yes, All Star Movies does have elevators. They are located toward the center of the buildings. Enjoy your trip!

 

[palmtreelover08]

thx! good to know.

 

[Schmeck]

Blizzard Beach has a chairlift to the summit!

 

[sissy_42]

Blizzard Beach has a chairlift to the summit!

True. But I don't think thats a good slide with a bum knee....

 

[Manda]

My father-in-law went with us a few years ago with a bum knee and walking and stairs weren't as much of an issue as sitting down into the really low ride seats - i.e. Pirates, Small World, Space Mountain, etc. It's a fairly extreme knee bend to get down into the seat and you have to keep your knees bent instead of stretching them out. If you have knee issues, it can be uncomfortable to sit like that and to go to/from that position.

 

[winterman]

Blizzard Beach does have the chair lift to the summit but getting off the lift may be difficult - you have to walk QUICKLY to get out of the way. If she tries the lift, she should sit in the seat on the far left - it gives you more time to get out of the way. (That is were I always sit.) Once you get off the lift you can walk to Teamboat Springs. No stairs involved - its a winding ramp. She would have no trouble with the lazy river, just a few steps to get in/out. And the wave pool at BB is no where near as rough as the one at TL - she'll have no trouble there.

 

[maxiesmom]

POR does have elevators, but only in the Mansion section of the resort.

If you are debating staying at POR I want to say I think you should take a look at POFQ. It is much smaller than POR, so less walking to the bus stops and food court. And there are elevators in every building. Plus POFQ has only one bus stop, so you should always be able to get a seat. I stayed there over the 4th last year, and the bus service was phenomonal.

If you are thinking of upgrading to a Moderate, take a look at POFQ.

 

[TaraPA]

My father-in-law went with us a few years ago with a bum knee and walking and stairs weren't as much of an issue as sitting down into the really low ride seats - i.e. Pirates, Small World, Space Mountain, etc. It's a fairly extreme knee bend to get down into the seat and you have to keep your knees bent instead of stretching them out. If you have knee issues, it can be uncomfortable to sit like that and to go to/from that position.

Ditto - my friend had a very bad knee when we went & getting in & out of rides (POTC, IASW, etc.) was brutal!

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the disABILITIES! board.

 

[LilyWDW]

Ditto - my friend had a very bad knee when we went & getting in & out of rides (POTC, IASW, etc.) was brutal!

Heck, I simply have knees that like to act up (too many injuries playing soccer that wore away a lot of the cushioning and messes up the tendons) every so often and I had issues getting up out of some rides! My mom made fun of me the whole trip as she was moving much faster then me (it's an inside joke)!

 

[Schmeck]

True. But I don't think thats a good slide with a bum knee....

The chairlift gives you access to all the slides that begin near the top, not just the killer ones.

 

[palmtreelover08]

How could I not have thought about getting into/out of rides as a concern? Thank you for pointing that out.

Looks like it will be a wait and see w/just how good/bad her knee feels after the first day. Maybe I can split MK into two days, since that is the park w/the most "low" rides. Planning for a 5 day trip over the 4th of July is hard enough..trying to split MK into two seperate days, while avoiding the 3rd and 4th.. this should prove interesting

 

[Rekenna]

Hi! Not that it's guaranteed but, you could request a first floor room. I did this when my sister came with us (she has arthritic knees and cannot go down stairs). We stayed at ASMo where yes, they do have elevators, but it just made it so much easier for her.

Now for this trip we are staying at POR and am hoping for AB which I understand does not have elevators. I did request a first floor room for not only her but also DS2 who has double crossed eyes and has a problem negotiating stairs without sitting on his booty. They pretty much "guaranteed" me a first floor, so I will keep my fingers crossed that it happens!

Good luck-hopefully your friend is relatively pain free on the trip and you all have a great time!

 

[NikiM20]

I have a torn meniscus so I was able to get a GAC to avoid stairs. The only problem I had was CM's questioning why I had the card. After I told them I could not do stairs, I had no more problems

 

[palmtreelover08]

Thanks for the continued tips and info. I have paid for a preferred room, and did call and put in a request for a first floor. I am not sure if we will get it or not, but as long as the have an elevator, I won't have to ask anyone to help me carry her and her luggage up the steps. (I should have invited her husband!) lol..

I guess if we have any serious issues with her knee while we are there, we will go to guest services and see if we can do something about the steps in some of the lines. Off the top of my head, I think the only rides w/significant steps would be Splash Mountain and Toy-Story. I think the rest (like BTTR) have wheelchairs. I guess she could always rent a wheel chair if her knee is bothering her, but I am sure she is going to feel that someone else might need it more than her.

I just realized..two more weeks and I'll be there.. yay!

 

[LilyWDW]

If her knee is really bothering her, a wheelchair may be her best bet. Disney's normal answer for mobility and stamina issues is to rent a wheelchair or ECV. Some of the lines are LONG and there are no places to sit and rest her leg.

 

[Bete]

There's extra cost, but this will make everything easier and no one has to push. You will accomplish more in the parks which I always feel is worth the extra cost.

You can practice on a scooter for free in your local grocery store, Wal-mart, Target, etc. She can see how it is to use one that way and see if it helps her. You can even go to a local zoo and practice there for a day; they rent them there, too.

You can rent from an outside source or at Disney in the parks. It's more expensive at Disney, but you don't have to take care of it. You don't have to put it in and out of the car. Renting at Disney has it's con in that there is a limited amount of rentals available and usually it's safer to go early to secure one. It's a first come, first serve basis for rentals there.

If you want to know more about renting scooters from an outside source or Disney let us know and we will chime in.

Talk with your friend, too. Maybe, you can do some harder rides while she does something else nearby. Offer some conveniences like pulling the car up closer for her to get in; so, she doesn't have to walk as much. I would skip park hopping; it's a lot of extra walking. Maybe, your friend would enjoy a day on her own while you go to the water park without her.