Wheelchair Question

[LisaT91403]

DS(13) had major knee surgery in December. His "good" (non-surgical) knee is also problematic in that it can dislocate pretty easily. And while he can absolutely walk short distances without a problem, he will have trouble with an all day walking excursion like Disneyland. We have already postponed trips to activate our Magic Keys a few times. We got them in October! But his knees got worse, and he had to have the surgery...and with all of the disappointments with Covid over the last couple of years, I don't have the heart to cancel again and tell him we can't go until he can walk for 8 miles. This is his birthday trip!

We are DLR veterans, so we definitely know the ins and outs of DLR...but have never needed a wheelchair or any type of assistance. So I have a few questions:

- It's unclear to me if we need DAS, or just a wheelchair. DS will have trouble walking distances and standing for extended periods of time. So do we just rent a wheelchair to help him move across the park, and then let him sit in it when we are waiting in lines?

- Is there a place where we can drop him off close to the trams? The walk from parking to the tram can be quite long.

- Is there any chance that wheelchairs will be unavailable for rental? We probably won't be there at rope drop.

I hope that other people don't give us a hard time. He will be wearing a light brace, but it will be under his sweats so nobody will see it. So he probably won't appear to be injured, and he will be able to easily get up out of the wheelchair and walk on/off rides without any noticeable issue. I guess I will just have to ignore the dirty looks we will likely get

Any advice or tips would be appreciated!

 

[gelatoni fan]

You will just get a wheelchair and not use DAS. For California Adventure and some rides at Disneyland like It's a Small World, you can just go through the entire line and at the front, a CM will direct you to wheelchair loading as appropriate. Just be aware that sometimes there's also special instructions for disembarking to retrieve your wheelchair. If a CM asks if your friend can take a couple of big steps, say "yes" so you don't have to wait for the special ramp or wheelchair vehicles.

For some rides in Disneyland like most of Fantasyland, you can get a return pass. Near the exit, a CM will scan your ticket and you return to them after a designated time to get directed to a special line/boarding area. For Jungle Cruise and Indiana Jones, you go to the former fastpass distribution spot attached to the Jungle Cruise building.

I can't really answer the other two questions. I have heard that wheelchairs did run out years ago but am not sure what it is like right now.

Don't worry about getting any sort of looks. You probably never paid attention but actually, a large number of people use wheelchairs. Most other guests won't really pay attention or think anything of it.

 

[Geemo]

DS(13) had major knee surgery in December. His "good" (non-surgical) knee is also problematic in that it can dislocate pretty easily. And while he can absolutely walk short distances without a problem, he will have trouble with an all day walking excursion like Disneyland. We have already postponed trips to activate our Magic Keys a few times. We got them in October! But his knees got worse, and he had to have the surgery...and with all of the disappointments with Covid over the last couple of years, I don't have the heart to cancel again and tell him we can't go until he can walk for 8 miles. This is his birthday trip!

We are DLR veterans, so we definitely know the ins and outs of DLR...but have never needed a wheelchair or any type of assistance. So I have a few questions:

- It's unclear to me if we need DAS, or just a wheelchair. DS will have trouble walking distances and standing for extended periods of time. So do we just rent a wheelchair to help him move across the park, and then let him sit in it when we are waiting in lines?

- Is there a place where we can drop him off close to the trams? The walk from parking to the tram can be quite long.

- Is there any chance that wheelchairs will be unavailable for rental? We probably won't be there at rope drop.

I hope that other people don't give us a hard time. He will be wearing a light brace, but it will be under his sweats so nobody will see it. So he probably won't appear to be injured, and he will be able to easily get up out of the wheelchair and walk on/off rides without any noticeable issue. I guess I will just have to ignore the dirty looks we will likely get

Any advice or tips would be appreciated!

We have had all ages on one trip or another that have had to use a wheelchair or scooter. No one has ever questioned it.

Being a DLR veteran will make it easier for you and your family. Make your plans go and have fun.

Have you considered an off-site rental company for a wheelchair?
If your son needs a wheelchair to make the trip easier for him, don't worry about other people giving you a hard time. It's none of their business.

Geemo

 

[smartlabelprint]

My kids have a permanent invisible disability. Have you ever side eyed someone with a kid on the floor in the grocery? Probably disabled. I know I did before I knew better. Really, ignore people, they just don’t know any better.

I’d rent a wheelchair off site.

 

[Malcon10t]

I hope that other people don't give us a hard time. He will be wearing a light brace, but it will be under his sweats so nobody will see it. So he probably won't appear to be injured, and he will be able to easily get up out of the wheelchair and walk on/off rides without any noticeable issue. I guess I will just have to ignore the dirty looks we will likely get

Any advice or tips would be appreciated!

My son had bilateral Osgood Schlatter thru his teen years. He frequently used a WC at Disneyland, where he would push his younger nieces in it as a stroller, til he needed it for a while. Yes, people gave us dirty looks, but we knew he needed it.

Do what you need to do to take care of your son, and ignore the dirty looks, but do remember it when you think about seeing an older child in a stroller or someone on an ECV. Everyone needs to do what works to make their trip safer for them.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Let me add to the folks saying rent from a third party - that way you will have the chair handy on the walk from the car to the park, and even more importantly on the way back to the car. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[LisaT91403]

OP here with an update. I was able to borrow a wheelchair from a friend of the family, so now we will have it to use to/from the trams and in the parking structure.

But I wanted to clarify something. We were planning to buy Genie+ and still use the wheelchair. Is this the correct thing to do? Will we be able to take the wheelchair in the LL line? I'm still unclear how the wheelchair works -- for example, the stairs in the BTMRR queue.

Also, what happens to the wheelchair once we board a ride? I don't recall seeing somewhere to park wheelchairs, but then again, I've never been looking...so maybe I've just missed it?

 

[Geemo]

OP here with an update. I was able to borrow a wheelchair from a friend of the family, so now we will have it to use to/from the trams and in the parking structure.

But I wanted to clarify something. We were planning to buy Genie+ and still use the wheelchair. Is this the correct thing to do? Will we be able to take the wheelchair in the LL line? I'm still unclear how the wheelchair works -- for example, the stairs in the BTMRR queue.

Also, what happens to the wheelchair once we board a ride? I don't recall seeing somewhere to park wheelchairs, but then again, I've never been looking...so maybe I've just missed it?

For BTMRR you would go through the exit to board the ride. The wheelchair will stay on the loading dock if your son isn't comfortable with the walk in the this boarding location. If he is able to walk the short distance the CM has you leave the wheelchair in the area they have to park scooters.

 

[Malcon10t]

But I wanted to clarify something. We were planning to buy Genie+ and still use the wheelchair. Is this the correct thing to do? Will we be able to take the wheelchair in the LL line? I'm still unclear how the wheelchair works -- for example, the stairs in the BTMRR queue.

Also, what happens to the wheelchair once we board a ride? I don't recall seeing somewhere to park wheelchairs, but then again, I've never been looking...so maybe I've just missed it?

I'm going to start with BTMRR. You will use the exit. If you use LL and a wheelchair, you go to the exit, show your LL, they will send you up the ramp with the next group. If you aren't using LL, you go to the exit, they will give you a return time equal to the standby time minus 10 minutes, and you return then. You will leave the WC where you board. The CMs will have it waiting for you when you get off.

THAT SAID - BTMRR breaks down. When it breaks down, your son will have to be able to exit with just the help of your family. There could be stairs involved if you end up at the top of one of the hills. I no longer ride because I cannot evacuate.

Rides like Matterhorn, you can take the WC thru the regular line if you don't have LL. When you get close to the front, they will divert you to an accessible area.

Space Mountain - Go to the exit, similar to BTMRR. But instead of the regular loading area, they will queue for a rocket that has been pulled off the tracks. This will give you plenty of time to load. When everyone is loaded, they will move the rocket onto the tracks. When it is done, they bring you back to the unload area and the wheelchair will be there.

CMs will be very helpful. Ask them where they need you to go.

 

[LisaT91403]

I guess I'm having trouble understanding if I need LL if we have the wheelchair. I guess the difference is you can make a LL reservation without actually heading over to the ride?

And can we have multiple WC return times at the same time? For example, if we go to Peter Pan and they tell us to come back in an hour...and then we go to Mr. Toad and they say to come back in a half hour...can we have both return times on our phone?

Thanks for all of the help. I'm just having anxiety about the wheelchair since we've never done it before.

 

[Geemo]

I guess I'm having trouble understanding if I need LL if we have the wheelchair. I guess the difference is you can make a LL reservation without actually heading over to the ride?

And can we have multiple WC return times at the same time? For example, if we go to Peter Pan and they tell us to come back in an hour...and then we go to Mr. Toad and they say to come back in a half hour...can we have both return times on our phone?

Thanks for all of the help. I'm just having anxiety about the wheelchair since we've never done it before.

When you get a WC return time the CM scans each persons ticket. I am not sure you can stack return times like you have mentioned for PP and MT.

 

[Malcon10t]

And can we have multiple WC return times at the same time? For example, if we go to Peter Pan and they tell us to come back in an hour...and then we go to Mr. Toad and they say to come back in a half hour...can we have both return times on our phone?

No, you can only hold 1 WC return time at a time. LL could help you by holding 1 LL and 1 WC at a time. Also, for WC, you have a 1 hour window to use it. So if you get a return time if 1015 AM, you have to return by 1115AM.