Wheelchair needed.. what else?

[got15]

Hey- my son is 11 and is now in an air cast/boot for a foot injury a week before we leave. This is a first for us- where do I rent a wheelchair ( I think we are too young for a scooter) and make sure we have it for the parks and walking around resorts. We have crutches- but I think that may be too complicated and cumbersome. Also- since this is a first for us- what do we need to do for waiting in lines.. etc. Do we need to have anything notated with the genie+ or lightning lanes? I keep reading about DAS but frankly I don't understand it and dont know if we necessarily qualify. Please help.. Im lost. Thank you!

 

[jo-jo]

Rent off site, so you have one all the time. We have used Walker.
https://walkermobility.com

I don't believe you would qualify for DAS since a wheelchair is all you need. You just take the wheelchair into the lines. A few you'll have to go a different way. A CM will tell you what to do.

 

[Weedy]

Would a knee scooter work for him?
Maybe ask his Dr??
He may like it so he can get around on his own.

 

[DisneyOma]

When we were there in August, my daughter's friend used a knee scooter. It worked great for her - she's in her 20's. Maybe a combination of both? He could get tired at some point, and having a wheelchair as backup could help. Or you could just rent one in the park if he needed one. (Wheelchair that is - bring a knee scooter)

 

[jo-jo]

When we were there in August, my daughter's friend used a knee scooter. It worked great for her - she's in her 20's. Maybe a combination of both? He could get tired at some point, and having a wheelchair as backup could help. Or you could just rent one in the park if he needed one. (Wheelchair that is - bring a knee scooter)

I don't know anything about knee scooters, but renting a wheelchair in the park if he gets tired is a great idea. That way he is under his own steam and a smaller footprint going through lines.

 

[sarabguerra]

We just reserved a smaller wheelchair (18" wide instead of the standard 24" wide) for our child from Scooterbug. They deliver right to our resort (staying at Universal this time). They also had a pediatric chair that is 14" wide and 13" deep. The rental price for the week was less than in the parks ($25 at Universal and $12 at Disney). Plus we have it for outside the parks.

Other things posters from this forum suggested:
*a seat cushion
*a cupholder (Scooterbug rents these as an accessory, also saw them offered on other sites)
*a towel or blanket for the seat so it doesn't get hot
*gloves (like golf gloves) for the person who will be pushing the chair
*something bright to tie to the chair to help identify your chair in the sea of rental & strollers
*an umbrella (for the sun)
*a poncho to cover both the chair and the person if it rains

I can tell you from experience, you do not want to use standard crutches for a trip like this. I was probably your son's age when I did a class trip to the Bronx Zoo on crutches. By noon I had welts from the crutches and my arms were so tired I ended up getting sent home early.

 

[Evita_W]

Rent offsite, I would strongly recommend Gold Mobility, they have the best equipment (wheelchairs included) and best customer service, as well as the best prices.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

As for handling lines in the parks: almost all the lines at WDW are fully accessible for wheelchairs. If the line isn't accessible, he'll be given a return time by the CM at the line entrance and then told where to go when it's time (usually entering through the exit). Unlike DAS, you don't need to register for that ahead of time - the CM just gives the time. You probably want to have the crutches on-hand for rides where they leave the wheelchair or knee scooter a bit away from where you load - e.g. Haunted Mansion, BTMRR, Star Tours, etc. - if he's not supposed to be putting weight on it. If he can walk for a few minutes on the boot without pain or injury, he should be ok for those.

I agree that you may want to look into a knee scooter so he can get around more by himself - and it's less work for the adults around him because you won't have to push the chair! That said, I don't know how exhausting that might be to use around a park all day several days in a row...better than crutches for sure, but maybe still a bit much.

 

[TillyMarigold]

I just wrote you a whole book but it was way too much. Here's the very abbreviated version:

0. Remember the average Disney day is 7-10 miles of walking.
1. If he's allowed to walk on it as tolerated without a mobility aid, then rent a wheelchair and let him walk as much as he can/wants to. He can also push the empty wheelchair sometimes for balance/support.
2. If he's not supposed to put all his weight on it and must have some sort of mobility aid at all times, but he's generally a very athletic kid and used to biking/scootering all over, playing sports, etc., then get a knee scooter.
3. If he's not supposed to put all his weight on it and is *not* a very athletic kid, then rent a wheelchair and take crutches with you.
3a. If, like me, he's completely incompetent at crutches, then I don't know what to tell you. Personally, I'm taking a collapsible walker and a collapsible cane; but I'm also old enough to rent a scooter.
4. Crutches use a ton of muscles we don't usually use. I wouldn't recommend them for a full day at Disney ever, but especially not after only a week of practice. (In fact, when I was a CM, my roommate used forearm crutches full-time and had for several years, and she wouldn't go into the parks for more than an hour or two without a wheelchair.)

 

[ttintagel]

Just another couple of hints, that I haven’t seen mentioned up thread, for someone who’s been to WDW with a broken foot:

If he’s taking any kind of pain medication, it’s better to take it on a schedule than to wait for the pain to appear.

I needed occasional breaks with my foot elevated. Table service meals worked out pretty well for that. If his wheelchair has a foot rest that will elevate, that may be helpful.

He may need your assistance getting in and out of some ride vehicles, such as the low boats in Pirates or it’s a small world.

 

[mamabunny]

Just another couple of hints, that I haven’t seen mentioned up thread, for someone who’s been to WDW with a broken foot:

If he’s taking any kind of pain medication, it’s better to take it on a schedule than to wait for the pain to appear.

I needed occasional breaks with my foot elevated. Table service meals worked out pretty well for that. If his wheelchair has a foot rest that will elevate, that may be helpful.

He may need your assistance getting in and out of some ride vehicles, such as the low boats in Pirates or it’s a small world.

Only one more to add: Remember if you are flying with a boot (that has air bladders in it) to be ready to *deflate* at take off and landing. Air pressure changes inside the cabin can cause the air bladders inside the boot to become swollen quickly and can be extremely painful.