Why Cant Disney Build a an Accessible Boat for POC?

[Jgasink]

Cmon Guys, it cant be that hard to modify one of the boats to handle a wheelchair or put in a ramp so that there is not a step down into or up from the boat.

Bringing mom to WDW - and I know she misses being able to go on the ride.


John Gasink - 29 days until WDW - 100+ Days to Magic in Galveston

 

[kaytieeldr]

Too steep. I think the degree of incline can only be one inch per linear foot. The PotC boats aren't more than 14-16 feet wide, so the ramp would only slant down a little more than an inch. You'd need a redesigned boat like Jungle Cruise or at least a pneumatic row, sort of like Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls.

As soon as I posted that, I pictured the flaw: somebody moving all the way to the end of the row and, not having the visual cue of the gunnel, stepping right into the water.

 

[Vickyrowe]

It's probably to do with the drop , it would be hard to secure chairs in a boat, although a lot smaller it would be the same as trying to keep a wheelchair stable on a Splash Mountain boat.

My husband uses a very large electric wheelchair and we are glad he can do some of the rides with us thanks to the accessible boats, IASW, Living with the land ,etc.

 

[Schmeck]

People here in this forum have found ways to enter and exit the POC boats, using certain rows that are a bit more 'accessible'. I'm thinking the back has a higher side, or somesuch - and people use that to help them.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

It has to do with the drops.

There is no such thing as a "standard" wheelchair, as far as size and spacing between the wheels is concerned. There would be no safe way to tie down a wheelchair as well as safely securing the person riding in it.

Additionally, even if it could be safely tied down, it would take a really long time to get the chair loaded and properly secured, holding up the entire ride for several minutes.

 

[Michigan]

My daughter can't stand at all and we found that the last row of the boat is wider so she can pull her chair up and slide out and then she sits up on the edge of the boat and pulls herself up into her chair.

 

[SueM in MN]

My daughter can't stand at all and we found that the last row of the boat is wider so she can pull her chair up and slide out and then she sits up on the edge of the boat and pulls herself up into her chair.

This is a picture that shows the last row of the boat so that you can imagine what Michigan is describing.

it would be nice, but I can't see it ever happening.
There are a couple of reasons why a wheelchair accessible boat can't be made for Pirates.
The first is the length of the ramp that would be needed.
katieeldr was correct about the slope. For every inch up or down a ramp needs to be 1 foot long. So a 6 inch difference would require a 6 foot long ramp.

The boats would need to be similar to the ones on Small World where the entrance is on the back and and starts out at floor level. A sharp turn is needed to get onto the boat, and then the ramp starts going down and goes all the way down to the front. To get a long enough ramp, wheelchairs would be parked at the very front of the boat.

That would bring the second problem - the drop.
Cheshire Figment and Vickeyrowe mentioned the drop and that it old be difficult to tie down wheelchairs securely. They would need to be tied down really well (at least as well as on buses).
The drop is 15 feet - if you have a stairway in your house imagine how steep that is. Besides the drop and securement, a boat with a ramp would also put the majority of the weight at the front of the boat. I don't know how that would impact going down the drop.

The last part is getting boats back to the boarding area from the Unload area.
After guests get off the boats, guests go up a steep moving ramp to get back to the level of Adventureland ground level. The boats go through a door just a little bigger than the boats and go up to the boarding area.
So, if the did anything to make the boat accessible, it could not stick out or make the boat any larger or it would not fit to get back to the boarding area.