Which rides with moving sidewalks can be stopped?

disneyandme

DIS Veteran
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Nov 26, 2001
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My DM broke her foot in multiple places and it's not healing as well as we'd like and we will be traveling together in a week. She will use an ECV to get to and from places, but she can walk short distances so she doesn't need it/or a wheelchair on the actual rides. My concern is the rides with the moving sidewalks--like Ariel, HM, Spaceship Earth, etc. Which ones can be stopped completely and which can only be slowed down--and how slow? Also, is there a separate entrance if you need the walkway stopped? Thanks.
 
The ones that can't be stopped are easier: Peter Pan, and the Tomorrow land Transit Authority.

Always see the greeter for directions, or the Guide for Guests with Disabilities.
 
I have had refusals to stop the belt, as well as stopping the belt from CMs at - -

Epcot/The Seas with Nemo & Friends
MK - The Little Mermaid
MK - an extreme amount of arguing necessary at Haunted Mansion

These were all refused WITH a GAC card. Alternate entrance was stamped on the card. (It is quite obvious that I need my ECV - just by looking at me.)

The CM at Little Mermaid snatched the wheelchair from my daughter with me in it, took it on the moving floor, & told me to hop out & get on the ride. I haven't hopped out of any chair in the last 30 years. And on a moving walkway? Really?

I think it depends on the personality of the CM & their willingness to help you.
The CM's attitude in dealing with people can make or break an experience.
 
Yesterday at the MK they could not stop the Tommowland Transit Authority and they slowed Buzz Lightyear but did not stop it.
 

Yesterday at the MK they could not stop the Tommowland Transit Authority and they slowed Buzz Lightyear but did not stop it.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority is not stopped for guest reasons.
First - the moving ramp to get up and down is an impediment to most people who would have issues with the moving walkway for getting in and out of the ride vehicle, so they seldom get anyone who needs it stopped.

Second - when it has stopped, there have been guests who got out of their ride car and were walking along the track. So, it is too dangerous to other guests to stop it.


Buzz Lightyear is usually only slowed, even when they have to open the wheelchair car, let out the guests who are riding in it and then load another wheelchair group.

Haunted Mansion can only be stopped on one ride car - the ADA car which has a wider opening. That one is marked with reflective markers so in an evacuation, they can find it easily.

For most attractions, Even with someone who can't walk at all and needs to be lifted out of their wheelchair and carried to the ride car, they generally only slow the moving walkway. A CM who is able to control it is watching and will slow it further or even stop it if it becomes necessary.

Even though it may seem like the CMs are being 'uncooperative' there are usually good safety reasons they are not stopping. In some cases, it can be stopped, but only on a certain ride car.

They have had the issue of guests getting out or trying to get out on other rides too - a guest panicked at Spaceship Earth and got out at the point where the ride car turns to face backwards. That is the reason for all the signs and warnings that your ride car will be turning.

At Haunted Mansion, there have been people who thought it would be fun to switch ride cars and have done that or passed children from do buggy to doom buggy during stops. There were some teens doing that once and one got her foot caught when the ride started moving.

And, while Horizons was still open, two guys actually got out of their ride car repeatedly and roamed around the ride for long periods, taking pictures, etc.
The first time they tried it was when the moving walkway was stopped to load a guest with disabilities.

Before all those things came to light, they were much more likely to stop ride cars if a guest said they needed to. Now, given all that, it's very risky to stop.
 
With poor balance (fall risk is extreme) and epilepsy - I don't feel that I am asking too much to have the belt stopped. Only the CMs know how many times the belt has been stopped in the last 5 or 10 minutes before I got to the ride - so I am more than willing to wait.

I have an issue with the belt being stopped on Tuesday, but not on Wednesday. It appears to be the willingness of the CM to help or not. If there is another reason (such as repetitive stops in a short time period) I would appreciate being told the reason. Telling me that they cannot stop the belt when they did yesterday is a lie. Why lie to me?

We all can understand reasonable explanations. We can all certainly accept reasonable explanations. "We never stop the belt" is not a reasonable explanation after having it stopped yesterday, and for the last 15 years.

Thanks for listening. :goodvibes
 





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