Wheelchairs at the Resorts

[NiftyJ88]

We're planning a trip next Thanksgiving with my handicapped brother. When we went in '04, we found out late in our stay that we could use the free wheelchair from the resort and keep it for our length of stay and even take it to the parks to avoid paying for rentals. Does anyone know if they still do that?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. Post #2 deals with rented wheelchairs and ECVs. It also discusses the Resorts loaning of wheelchairs.

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

 

[blondietink]

You can only use the free wheelchair at the resort if it is available. I also belive they frown on you taking it off the resort property. I prefer to either rent from an off-site rental company or take our own.

 

[SueM in MN]

They do have them, but people have had varying success with it.
Some people found the loaned wheelchair was fine, others found there were none available and it took several days to get one, the wheelchair that was available was not the right size or was not in good condition.
As was already mentioned, there is more information in the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

If you decide to try to get one at the resort, I would still recommend that you bring some of the phone numbers for the rental places listed in the disABILITIES FAQs thread with you. That way, if you have any problem, you will have some alternative.

 

[mechurchlady]

Sue is right. You will be at the whim of the management and ever changing policies. I set here and every month there seems to be some new policy change. The resort wheelchairs are meant for guests who get hurt on vacation, overexert themselves, or become ill. WDW expects disabled guests to bring all their medical equipment from home and reiterates in its brochures that guests should rent an ECV or a wheelchair if they cannot deal with the rigors of visiting WDW.

If you look around you should be able to get a cheap used wheel chair for $200 or way less. You could then take the wheelchair all the way to the side of the plane. It would fold up and fit in the trunk of a car. You would have it with you from leaving home to getting back home.

Getting your money back.
Gift it to a friend or family member who will think you are the most awesome person.

Resell the chair for what you paid or maybe a bit more.

Donate to a charity and then write it off on your taxes. That would put another feather in your angel wings.

Save it for other trips.

Find someone on vacation who also needs the chair and a chair swap. Some board, forget what, has people passing on fridges, coffee makers, etc so maybe you could find someone to pass the wheelchair on to.

 

[sjaakie]

I used a wheelchair from the hotel. I fell in MK and wasn’t able to walk for a few days.
The hotel offered a wheelchair to me as soon as I got back from the hospital.
As we stood by the counter waiting for the chair a family asked a wheelchair for there grandmother.
She was very old and not able to walk all day. The manager just told them that the chairs were intended to be for emergency cases .

BTW the chairs are not very comfy .

 

[Mary976]

A lot of people have written about having good experiences renting from off site companies. That way you know you have it for the whole time, plus you may have a better chance of getting a chair that is more comfortable and in good working order. At the hotels (and at the parks, to some degree) it's kind of like you have to take what you can get.

Mary

 

[NiftyJ88]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I will let my mom know and see what she comes up with. We usually just take his wheelchair, but my parents are paranoid and afraid that something will happen to the chair at the parks. Thanks again!

 

[mechurchlady]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I will let my mom know and see what she comes up with. We usually just take his wheelchair, but my parents are paranoid and afraid that something will happen to the chair at the parks. Thanks again!

If you make sure the chair is labelled with your ID and if you make it unique then it will not be borrowed by strangers. Usually people will take the wrong wheelchair because they all look alike. I have been on this board for a while and have never heard of thefts of wheelchairs, maybe once but who knows as the point is that taking his chair will be free, you can use it in the air port, resorts, etc. and the odds of it being stolen is almost nil.

Ask her how people would steal the chair? He probably wont be out of sight of the chair usually so how would it get stolen? Once you get her to rationallize her fear she will be fine. You can take the chair to the boarding gate and then they will transfer him to an aisle chair. When he gets off they will wheel him off in an aisle chair then he transfers to HIS chair. Cost is nothing, zip, nada. The chair will fit in the back of most rental cars and you can get taxis and shuttles that will take persons in wheelchairs. Magic Express also has lift busses for wheelchairs.

See no worries, be happy, have a nice cold tropical drink and relax.
hugs
Laurrie

 

[SueM in MN]

If he keeps the wheelchair in line with him, the only time it would be out of sight would be while he was actually on a ride. During that time, it would be parked at the exit.
When we first got DD's wheelchair, I was a bit paranoid about someone along it or messing with it, but over many years no one has.
I also know from personal experience that people getting off rides at the exit probably don't even see the wheelchairs. One time, we were on Haunted Mansion with me alone in one doombuggy and DD and DH in the next one. When we came to the exit, I got off but DH and DD did not. The CM allowed me to wait at the exit and I could not believe how invisible I was. Even though I was in full sight, no one saw me. I'm sure wheelchairs at the exit are just as invisible.

 

[ILuvMulan]

My son is a bilateral amputee so he usually wears his prosthesis. However, we always take his chair just in case. Last year he developed a blister on his stump and we were very glad that we had it! Because he does not use it often he has a very generic chair. We put his name on the back and we kept a brightly colored back pack with a few snacks on the back (one that we didn't care if it disappeared) so that it would stand out as not being a "rental". We had no problems at all.