Regarding
ECV's -- The OP specifically stated that responses should be respectful of those differently abled guests.. but I see we are already heading towards covering the ECV question..
While for the most part, ECV guests do not get a 'front of the line' pass and generally wait in the same lines as everyone else... yes, sometimes disabled guests get early boarding on a very few attractions.. Is it 100% fair? No.
Neither is being in a wheelchair the rest of your life.
People wonder why there seem to be so many wheelchair and ECV guests at Walt Disney World. Part of the reason is that is one of the few vacation resort destinations that has made giant strides to be accessible and who can and do provide a fairly equal experience for differently abled guests.
Consider if you will.. the rest of that person's life outside of Walt Disney World. Most of the rest of North America isn't NEARLY as friendly to those with ambulatory concerns. Can they just get on a regular city transit bus and go to the mall unaccompanied? In most cities the answer to that is no. They can call a special number for a special vehicle and wait for however long that vehicle takes to arrive and take them to their destination with however many stops along the way.
What a treat it must be to be at Disney not have to worry about such difficulties!!? Given how much they wait in the rest of their life, I personally will wait 10 minutes or 20 minutes or even three buses if that's what it takes to give them a break from that -- if only for a few days while at Walt Disney World.
I applaud the steps that Disney has taken to make their parks, resorts and cruise lines accessible to guests of all abilities. I would rather put up with a slight delay here and there, standing on a bus for 20 minutes when required and the occasional abuse of the system than to see ONE disabled child (or adult) denied the opportunity to experience the exact same joy and pleasure I get from Walt Disney World.
I would suggest that the best avenue of recourse for those who take issue with the way rides are loaded or with the way parties with a disabled guest are treated -- that you should write to Walt Disney Company directly and ask them to address your concerns:
Compliments, Complaints & Suggestions
Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040
wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com
They and ONLY they have the power and ability to change the procedures in anyway shape or form.
Complaining about it on an independent public internet message forum while it may make you feel better ... won't accomplish a darned thing.
If you want to fight back and forth about this - please take it to private message. We've seen this thread many times before. It never ends well and this one is well on its way to that eventuality.
As a member of these forums who counts a number of disabled and differently abled people as close friends -- I won't allow bullying or bashing on these boards.
Period.
If you have a problem with this policy or ANY moderating decision - you can write to
admin@wdwinfo.com to address your concerns.
Thanks,
Knox