Wheelchairs for Pregnant Mothers

[bnlbebes]

I will be traveling with a DM in another family who is 7 months pregnant, and I was wondering if anyone knew whether or not a wheelchair would be made availabel to her or not at the parks. I know that the Boardwalk resort, where we are staying, offer them as complimentary, but I am not sure that would apply to our entire stay. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[JennsBabySky]

I would imagine that wheelchairs are available at all the parks. This is probably a good question for the disability board -- surely they would have the answer. However, unless she has complications with this pregnancy, I would imagine it unlikely that she will need a wheelchair. I frequent Disneyland all the time and I even spent the day there at 39 weeks with no problems (except for frequent bathroom breaks). However, I walk constantly at work and frequently traveled to Disneyland, so all the walking was not hard on my system. If she doesn't walk alot, the frequent walking could get troublesome. I'd plan for lots of breaks -- bathroom, water, rest, etc.

Have fun,
Jennifer

 

[Eeyoreloverforever]

We went last October when I was 6 months pregnant.

The walking was very hard on me and I couldn't keep up with everyone so we rented a wheelchair.

We just went daily to get one from where you get the strollers. There is a fee, I forget how much.

Ours did get taken once and they had someone bring me another one. But it took a while for them to get it to me.

I didn't enjoy Disney much that time becuase you aren't really experiencing it the same way.

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's a link to the disABILITIES Board FAQs thread, which has information on all the ways to get a wheelchair.
The WDW resorts do offer complimentary wheelchairs, BUT they are first come, first serve. It's possible they may not have one available when you request one. If they do have one, you are allowed to use it for your entire stay and can take it into the parks.
The parks rent wheelchairs (no free ones there). The wheelchairs are in pretty good supply, so you should not have a problem getting one unless it's very busy and/or you park hop on a very busy day. ECVs (electric scooters) are in limited supply, so if she is interested in one of those, you should either plan to get to the parks early or rent from one of the off-site places.

 

[bnlbebes]

Thanks for the info! I am going to call BW and see what my chances are at "requesting" on in advance. I know that when I asked for one at the front desk for an elder aunt who was visiting us on our last trip, there were none available.

 

[disneygoof]

I would not recommend the ECV's unless she has some experience with them. I've seen lots of circumstances where people lose control and I would not want to risk an accident during pregnancy.

 

[SueM in MN]

At least in the past, the wheelchairs at the resorts have been first come, first serve, not able to be reserved ahead of time.
I'd suggest taking along the contact info for some of the off-site places so if there is not one available, you can call one of those places and rent one.
ECVs are quite easy to drive; a lot of the people who go out of control are older people who don't drive a car. I've also seen them go out of control when people have a toddler sitting on their lap and the toddler bumps the steering yoke. They steer with a yoke like a bike and they go around 4 miles per hour top speed. Obviously, if she has an concerns about driving one, then it's not a good idea, but they really are easy to drive as long as you take reasonable care.