why isn't the small world boat more easier to get into?

[old lady]

I have a handicap aunt who has trouble getting out and in it and claims that the boat is too small for her knees.

 

[BigAlsGal]

I have a handicap aunt who has trouble getting out and in it and claims that the boat is too small for her knees.

Gotta spread your legs.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If she is using a wheelchair it can roll directly onto the boat. If necessary and she is using an ECV she should be able to transfer to a wheelchair and then roll into the boat and stay in the chair.

 

[SueM in MN]

Here is a picture of the wheelchair accessible boat.
If she has an ECV in line, she can park it and use a wheelchair from the attraction to get onto the boat, as Cheshire Figment mentioned.

 

[Michigan]

I wish they would go back to letting 2 wheelchairs on the wheelchair boat. The seats are too low for my youngest daughter to transfer back up to her wheelchair and she is too heavy for me to lift anymore. Same thing for boat ride at EPCOT in Mexico. Maybe someone who works there could find out why they changed the policy a few years ago.

 

[Schmeck]

I wish they would go back to letting 2 wheelchairs on the wheelchair boat. The seats are too low for my youngest daughter to transfer back up to her wheelchair and she is too heavy for me to lift anymore. Same thing for boat ride at EPCOT in Mexico. Maybe someone who works there could find out why they changed the policy a few years ago.

Weight limits? I do remember something about IASW boats scraping bottom and having to be redesigned to allow for an enlarging population.

 

[50surgeries2012]

If your aunt has a regular power chair, and not a scooter. The CMs consider power chairs to be the same as a manual wheelchair, and they'll let you roll onto the boat with it. My best friend Lorrie, and I got to go on with ours even though we had to take separate wheelchair boats. They have two wheelchair boats I believe, and my guy and I were the first ones to get on the first one. Lorrie, and her mom had to wait for the second one. But, my guy Dan, and I waited for them to get off the ride as we got off before they did.

They put a block behind your back wheels after you get situated on the ride, so that you won't roll back even though they have those stopper things in the front, for the front wheels. It's a matter of safety I guess as they don't want you to roll back, and fall off the back of the boat even if your wheelchair brakes are locked/power to the chair is off.

 

[Michigan]

Weight limits? I do remember something about IASW boats scraping bottom and having to be redesigned to allow for an enlarging population.

Then it should be on an individual basis. There are only the 3 of us and I know that there is no way even with 2 wheelchairs that together total less then 55 pounds weigh more then a boatload of people in the regular boats.

 

[intheshadows]

I was told it has to do with a change mandated by the fire marshal for emergency evac procedures.

I can't confirm this information as truth, though.

 

[SueM in MN]

I was told it has to do with a change mandated by the fire marshal for emergency evac procedures.

I can't confirm this information as truth, though.

I have heard that too, but can't confirm.
Especially in view of the man who sued Disney when Small World was evacuated and it took a longer time to evacuate him.

When they allowed 2 wheelchairs on, the first one was parked to the very front of the boat (feet almost over the edge).
I have heard (but can't confirm) this caused some issues when boats got bumped from behind and the wheelchair moved.

 

[Michigan]

I have heard that too, but can't confirm.
Especially in view of the man who sued Disney when Small World was evacuated and it took a longer time to evacuate him.

When they allowed 2 wheelchairs on, the first one was parked to the very front of the boat (feet almost over the edge).
I have heard (but can't confirm) this caused some issues when boats got bumped from behind and the wheelchair moved.

I think if you had 2 park type wheelchairs the foot issue might be true but with 2 custom wheelchair it wasn't an issue for us.

 

[SueM in MN]

We had been on there when my DD's custom narrow adult wheelchair was the first wheelchair and another custom wheelchair was behind us.

The distance we were asked to pull up to make room for the other chair did put my DD's in that position.

We noticed that they moved the 'acceptable position' box back further toward the back of the boat and the single wheelchair user is told to park inside the box.

 

[Schmeck]

I have heard that too, but can't confirm.
Especially in view of the man who sued Disney when Small World was evacuated and it took a longer time to evacuate him.

When they allowed 2 wheelchairs on, the first one was parked to the very front of the boat (feet almost over the edge).
I have heard (but can't confirm) this caused some issues when boats got bumped from behind and the wheelchair moved.

This makes more sense than my theory I was picturing two power chairs being allowed on one boat as a weight issue though, not two regular wheelchairs.