wheelchair security?

[Cheshire Figment]

Can I specifically ask a CM to watch it?

Yes, you can ask. However, usually the answer will be no. We are not allowed to accept responsibility for private property unless the position description calls for it (such as Bell Services at a resort, but then you are given a receipt). And even if the person says yes, when you return you may find that person is not there.

Any CM can be pulled from a position at any time, such as being told it is time for a break, or being asked to cover another position. Or anything with an official higher priority.

For example,a comment sometimes made to me at Guest Relations at Typhoon
is that the person was trying to hold a conversation with a particular CM and was being ignored. Usually it turns out that they were asking questions of a Lifeguard. That person would answer the question, but cannot turn to face the person when talking; they have a specific water area they must be scanning at all times.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

K, if you do go for a bike lock, might I suggest using a combination one, rather than one with a key? That way you will save an awful lot of unnecessary faffing getting in and out. Instead of locking it shut, it might be better to lock one wheel to the frame. That way it can't be wheeled away without looking awfully suspicious, but can be moved by CMs if necessary, and will allow you to sit down while you unlock it.

For POTC, please, please, please take a chair through the line. It's a lot longer than it looks from the outside, and it's a long way to go from the exit back to the wheelchair parking area. I think I may have said this before, but just in case I haven't, be aware that their transfer chairs all have the footplates adjusted up as high as they will go. I'm not particularly tall (about 5'5"), but I practically had my knees up around my ears. The extra pressure the weight of my legs put on my ankles, and the steep angle my feet were at, had me on the verge of tears by the time we reached the boarding area, through a walk on queue. Needless to say, when I rode it again (and again and again) I kept my own chair in the line and was much more comfortable.

 

[SueM in MN]

For POTC, please, please, please take a chair through the line. It's a lot longer than it looks from the outside, and it's a long way to go from the exit back to the wheelchair parking area.

The exit is actually in a different building than the entrance.
When you look at the building from the outside or on the map, there is the part that has the queue area for POC. Then, way down toward the end of the 'street' where the street turns the corner, there is a gift shop and just at the end of the building, there is a set of bathrooms.
If you don't have a wheelchair, going up the moving ramp at the end of the ride brings you up in the back corner of the shop. If you have a wheelchair or use the elevator, you will be coming up behind the bathrooms. So, it's a long way back to where ever you leave your wheelchair.

 

[aPiratesLife4Me]

For POTC, please, please, please take a chair through the line. It's a lot longer than it looks from the outside, and it's a long way to go from the exit back to the wheelchair parking area.

Hello all

I have a question about this because during our trip last August the cm at POTC asked us to leave our wheelchair out front of POTC and use a WDW chair because they said the wait to get our wheelchair back to us would be much too long. I knew the wait would be long because our first time on two days earlier we took my chair in the queue and at the ride exit had to wait quite some time for my chair to show up. So this time we used the WDW like they suggested and although it was much quicker at the end to use their chair to get back up to mine, I was worried mine might disappear. Do they still do this? It was last August, the end of the month and not a busy time, the wait time for POTC for us that whole week was always listed as 5 minutes.

Anyway, this is a great question posted because I just now got a brand new manual wheelchair (my previous one was a used, kinda beat up one..and before that I always rented at the parks and never really thought about it being taken) and will be concerned during our trip next summer about leaving it unattended. I have often wondered if it was okay to somehow lock it (not to anything, but so no one could use it) so I was glad to see this thread.

Been reading here a long time and always find some really great, helpful information, so thank you all.

 

[KPeveler]

the only time i will really leave my chair will be fantasyland, since everything is so close and crowded... my chair is my personal chair and will look very "me." most likely i will just keep my chair with me the whole time and avoid the problem (except when i am on a ride)...

thanks all

 

[whgrn]

The second experience was at DTD Guest Services. My spouse had gone in to get an error corrected on his ticket and I was waiting back from the desk for him. A woman came racing in, right over to where I was sitting in my wheelchair and said: "I need that chair right now."

I said: "I beg your pardon?"

She said: "You need to get out of it right now so I can take it."

I said: "This is my wheelchair."

She said: "But I need one now."

I said: "You don't appear to understand, this is my personal wheelchair."

She said: "Well, what am I supposed to do? I need a wheelchair now and they told me I could have the first one that was returned."

I said: "I'm not returning this wheelchair because it is my own wheelchair."

She wasn't happy, and upon leaving Guest Services, told the people waiting outside for her that there was a wheelchair but that that woman wouldn't give it up.

I laughed and laughed about this until I had tears rolling down my face.

OMG that is HYSTERICAL!!! I can just see it. I read it to my mom and she laughed her head off. (She is in a WC part time, so she could really relate.) She said she wishes she had a thing that, if someone tried to take it, would yell really really loud "Help! Help! Someone is trying to steal me!!"

Tooo funny!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

aPiratesLife4Me, They still ask you to transfer to one of their chairs, but you are not required to. The reason they ask this is that, in order to get a chair from the boarding area to the exit, a CM has to wheel the chair around to meet you. If they did this for everyone in a wheelchair there would be a huge backlog of people waiting for their chairs. However, if you would benefit from taking your own chair through the line (or suffer from using one of theirs), then you can ask to keep yours with you. There is, of course, the risk that you'll beat your chair to the exit. If this happens, I'm sure they'd have no objections to you sitting in one of their chairs while you wait for yours to trundle up. I didn't have any problems when we went in September, and my chair was always there, every time we rode (about 5 or 6 times in total!), however, I have heard some people who've had serious problems with this system.

Oh, and if you're not too agile on your pins, I would recommend not wearing a skirt when boarding this ride. Let's just say, I know this from experience

 

[aPiratesLife4Me]

Oh, and if you're not too agile on your pins, I would recommend not wearing a skirt when boarding this ride. Let's just say, I know this from experience

Just add this to my "list" of reasons why I hardly ever dress up No skirts for me!

Thanks for your input on POTC. The one time we waited after exiting the ride it was a bit of a wait, but we didn't mind. Hey, we're at WDW and enjoying every moment we can. It's just leaving my wc up top and so far out of site I was hoping it'd be there when we got back, and mostly because I think someone might take it by mistake, I'm not really thinking intentional. Guess I just need to be sure to mark it so it's obvious it's MINE.

 

[KPeveler]

i keep debating just renting one there, since i need someone to push me most of the time anyway, but the last two days we are there, the crowd level is supposed to be a 9... so if i get to the park at the end of a day (which i will on sunday of my trip), there may not be a chair for me... so i think i will just take mine and keep it with me as much as possible

thanks for all the advice

 

[Mason7AK]

Okay, now you guys have me a little worried! We usually take our two DC's personal chairs. Never a problem before. BUT both their chairs have their names embroidered in large script right on the back seat! This trip in December we are taking a small pediatric "travel" chair for DS5. It is not personalized. It is really small, has a bright yellow frame and a smiley face embroidered on the back. But no real personalization. Should we do something more to "personalize" it, do you think? Any suggestions? DS is para, so we will be taking it through the lines and right up to boarding the rides. Can't think of any time, it would be left at stroller parking. We bought this chair from ebay, as it is lighter and it folds, where his regular chair doesn't fold and is heavier. We figured with the foldable chair, we would only need one wheelchair space on the bus for DD, as DS can be placed on our lap and the travel chair folded. Any personalization tips?
Angela

 

[hematite153]

Okay, now you guys have me a little worried! ...This trip in December we are taking a small pediatric "travel" chair for DS5. It is not personalized. It is really small, has a bright yellow frame and a smiley face embroidered on the back.

I probably wouldn't worry too much. You'll notice that although others had stories of people TRYING to steal their chairs mine was the ONLY story of actual theft. (I have to say, the fact that everybody else's stories had a successful end has improved my sense of the world a bit.)

But, based on our experience, I would find a way to attach something that would identify the chair as yours if found later by disney. (This could be as simple as an email address.) They told us that they would send personal property home free of charge if found after I left. Of course, my stuff was either not found or was not identifiable enough. Plus, apparently all of the resorts have their own lost and found. So, if someone took the chair to another resort, the only way I could find my stuff would be to call them all.

Overall, your DS's travel chair may not be personalized but it sounds distinctive, and you aren't planning to leave it in stroller parking like we do. So, you ought to be okay. But, it couldn't hurt to have some kind of identifying information on it.

JMHO

 

[SueM in MN]

Okay, now you guys have me a little worried! We usually take our two DC's personal chairs. Never a problem before. BUT both their chairs have their names embroidered in large script right on the back seat! This trip in December we are taking a small pediatric "travel" chair for DS5. It is not personalized. It is really small, has a bright yellow frame and a smiley face embroidered on the back. But no real personalization. Should we do something more to "personalize" it, do you think? Any suggestions? DS is para, so we will be taking it through the lines and right up to boarding the rides. Can't think of any time, it would be left at stroller parking. We bought this chair from ebay, as it is lighter and it folds, where his regular chair doesn't fold and is heavier. We figured with the foldable chair, we would only need one wheelchair space on the bus for DD, as DS can be placed on our lap and the travel chair folded. Any personalization tips?
Angela

I would not worry about it.
We have been traveling to with DD's personal wheelchair for over 18 years. *She's 22 and has had a wheelchair since she was not quite 3.
You don't have anything to worry about if you are taking it in lines with you. Most people don't even notice the wheelchairs that are parked at the exit/boarding area. Since they have come off the attraction, they have no idea who the wheelchair belongs to - the owner could be right behind them.

The park rental, resort loan chairs and really 'generic' wheelchairs are most at risk. Partly because they all look the same and it's easy to mistakenly take one and partly because some people see a park or resort wheelchair and assume it's "OK" to "borrow" it because you can take your receipt to the rental place and get another.

I would not worry with the chair you are bringing and how you plan to use it.

 

[Mason7AK]

Thanks, I think you are probably right we will be okay. Just something else for me to fret about! We will just put identifying information on the bottom of the seat, and hopefully that will be fine. It is still worth it to us to have the folding chair, as I think the bus situation for our family will be easier with only having one chair that needs to be tied down. 39 days and we will be at WDW !
Angela

 

[BroganMc]

And immediately down the aisle comes a women with three kids in tow. She looked at the kids and asked "Who wants to sit in the wheelchair?"

DH yelled "NO!" I'm thinking, "Gosh, if I can't sit on it how come everyone else can????"

That sounds suspiciously like the people who will lean on my handlebars in a ride queue, at a parade or fireworks or just use it as a grab bar disembarking some place. The same folks have habits of planting their precious feet right behind my mountainbike-style drive wheels (then squeel when they get accidentaly run over as I adjust my position). They also tend to race you to the one handicapped stall in the bathroom.

It's called AB ignorance. Usually when I encounter such an unknowing twit I usually say a secret prayer that they break a leg soon and are given a crash course in the wheelie life.

As for me, I have a very nice power wheelchair that's always loaded with backpack and joystick daypack. I usually just throw my hat over the joystick to conceal whatever's there and park the chair back against a wall so no one can go inside easily. Only time I have every worried about leaving my chair was leaving it exposed to the elements in case of a sudden rain shower.

Now my dad's ECV gets moved off constantly by the CMs. It ends up in the stroller parking and often exposed to the elements. So his valuables go with my chair and we try to cover it with a poncho when it's rainy.

 

[GroovyWheeler]

Ok, i have heard a bunch of people suggest putting a bike lock on your personal chair to keep it from "wandering off" when you are on a ride, but how worried do I need to be that my personal chair will disappear? I will try to leave it outside rides if I can (I am going at a time with low crowds, and on lines i can see like pooh bear, i prefer to walk the line), but will someone steal it?

I know not to leave anything on the chair, and i can bring a bike lock, but is someone really going to steal my chair? has anyone ever has theirs stolen, or heard of someone who has? i didnt pay much for mine (used on ebay) but i really don't want to lose it!

I've been going to Disney for many years-the last 5 years or so, have been with my own personal wheelchair. It's a Quickie 2 ultralight, and has a special seating system in it that fits me. I do have an address label with my name and address on it, in case it got lost. My mom and I have never worried about it being stolen, as it looks different from the park wheelchairs, because of the curved handle extension attached to the push handles.

Samantha

 

[OneLittleSpark]

That sounds suspiciously like the people who will lean on my handlebars in a ride queue, at a parade or fireworks or just use it as a grab bar disembarking some place.

Irritating, isn't it? I had someone use my wheelchair handle as a convenient leaning place as he was leaving the bus, while I was still in it! Look buster, this is my chair, not part of the bus! He was an ECV user too, so I thought he might have been a little more understanding.

They also tend to race you to the one handicapped stall in the bathroom.

*Sigh*

 

[KPeveler]

ok, my chair will look nothing like park wheelchairs, but it just makes me feel better to hear that no one here has had a personal chair stolen, except for the resort wheelchair with personal belongings on it... just makes me feel a little better! i leave in 18 days!

 

[SueM in MN]

Irritating, isn't it? I had someone use my wheelchair handle as a convenient leaning place as he was leaving the bus, while I was still in it! Look buster, this is my chair, not part of the bus! He was an ECV user too, so I thought he might have been a little more understanding.



*Sigh*

This happened a long time ago, but in line at MK, a little girl sat on my DD's wheelchair footrests. Right on top of her feet! The parents thought it was cute and didn't seem all that concerned that their DD was sitting on top of my DD!

 

[lovethecastle]

I like the idea of locking my son's wheelchair. Most of the time we take it up to the ride but one time my dh took him into stitch piggyback. When we came out everything that had been parked across from stitch was moved(lots of strollers & my son's wheelchair). We freaked because my son can't walk at all & there are no benches there where he can sit. We just had to look for it & came upon it eventually. I understand that cm's have to move things so I wonder if you can even lock a wheelchair.
SueM- do you have any idea about that? and by the way I don't think another kid sitting on my son's feet is funny. What is wrong with those parents. They truly don't
have brains.

 

[Shorty82]

I like the idea of locking my son's wheelchair. Most of the time we take it up to the ride but one time my dh took him into stitch piggyback. When we came out everything that had been parked across from stitch was moved(lots of strollers & my son's wheelchair). We freaked because my son can't walk at all & there are no benches there where he can sit. We just had to look for it & came upon it eventually. I understand that cm's have to move things so I wonder if you can even lock a wheelchair.
Sue- do you have any idea about that?

As long as the chair is not locked to something it is okay. If a CM can still move the chair then you can lock it.

As long as your son's chair doesn't look anything like the park's it will probably be okay left unlocked. I've never heard of a personal chair being stolen. The chair talked about earlier in this thread that was stolen was a resort chair and whoever took it probably figured it was fair game, like some seem to think about the park chairs.