somehting else we can do to help her? My Aunt ahs a really bad knee which makes it hard for her to walk very far and for ehr to stand around (like waiting in lines) She would be fine to sit in the lines but can walk up to the ride and get on and off wiht only a little bit of help to steady her. Also some rides with shorter lines, she will be able to wait while standing. I was thinking to rent her a wheelchair but she won't need it all the time. She will want to walk some since she never uses one at home. I don't want to look like we are taking advantage when she suddenly gets up and decides to walk for a while.
Most of the lines are "Mainstream Lines", which means that they are wheelchair accessible and people using wheelchairs wait in the same lines as everyone else.
So, anyone who thinks she is 'taking advantage' is completely wrong. In most attractions, she will wait as long using the wheelchair as she would not using one.
Example; We plan on taking her into Soarin' she could walk in but will need the set to stand in that line so we will be taking in the chair. She can get out of the chair towards the end of the line and wait in the lines to get into the ride wiht the rest of us. She does not need special seating or anything like that. Will that look weird or can we even do that? Let her ride until we get to the front and then have her walk like everyone else?
Soarin has a very long line, so you defineatly want to have her ride the wheelchair for that one. I'd estimate the walk in is at least 4 football fields long. The first part of the line is a fairly steep uphill and the second 1/2 of the line is a fairly steep downhill slope. That would make it difficult for her to walk. There is no special seating for Soarin; any wheelchairs brought into the line need to stay with you. The wheelchair is brought into the actual attraction and parked while you are riding. After the ride is completed, you get the wheelchair from where it was parked and take it with you as you leave the ride.
Before getting into a line, check to see how long it actually is and how long she would be standing. For some attractions, the wait might be short, but the distance is long - POC is an example of that. For theater shows (like Muppets 3D, Mickey's Philharmagic, Laugh Floor, Little Mermaid, Bug's Life), the theater holds a lot of people. The CMs 'load' a preshow or waiting area with enough people to fill the theater. That way, as one audience is leaving, another is standing in the preshow area to come in as the first audience is leaving. There are usually few or no seats and the wait could be as long as the show lasts. For those show, you need to bring her seat in with her or she will have to stand during the wait.
Also, some attractions have moving walkways. In order to be able to slow or stop the moving walkway for boarding, people with
ECVs/wheelchairs board at the exit (usually after waiting in the regular line until just before boarding). Some other attractions have tracks and people using the regular line board on one side of the ride car and exit from the other side, on the other side of the track. Wheelchair users board at the exit for those also so that the wheelchair is at the exit side when they get off.
It's not special treatment, it's meeting the needs of the person with a disability.
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Who cares what other people think?
