In this 3rd installment of my series Going to Walt Disney World with Special Needs, I want to talk about wheelchairs and strollers in the parks. As you may already know, Walt Disney World is a big place. It covers 40+ square miles. That is not all park, however, it still makes for a lot more walking than most people are used to. For small children it may be too much and they may need a stroller to ride in part of the time. For the person that cannot stand for long periods of time or walk long distances a wheelchair would definitely be a good thing to consider.

You may worry about touring the parks and resorts with a wheelchair or stroller but don’t. It’s your vacation as much as everyone else’s and if you need them to enjoy your time there then use them. Disney does an incredible job of making it as easy as possible for everyone.

If you need a wheelchair/ECV or stroller and do not have one personally, there are many local vendors you can rent them from, or on a first come/first served basis, you can  rent them from each of the 4 parks. If you rent from the parks they cannot leave the park. If you rent from a local vendor you can have it for your entire stay. When renting from a local vendor, the vendors will deliver your wheelchair/ECV or stroller to your resort and pick it up from your resort at the end of your stay. However, Disney has recently put some restrictions on this. Disney has some vendors that are approved to drop off ECV’s and wheelchairs. Those that are not approved, the renter must be present when it is dropped off.  Unfortunately, due to theft of those items from the resorts Disney has had to make this rule. Strollers can still be dropped off at the resort before the renter arrives to claim it. My family has been very happy renting from Kingdom Strollers. Even if you have your own you may still want to consider renting. For our family we like to rent a stroller from a local vendor so that we save space in our vehicle for packing. If you have a handicap parking permit be sure to bring it for parking your own vehicle at the parks, resorts, and Downtown Disney.  
I want to touch just a little on touring the parks with a stroller in general. Strollers do not have to be folded up to go on the monorail but they do have to be folded for buses and trams. In the parks, there is stroller parking for the attractions and restaurants. There are cast members in the stroller parking areas to keep the strollers organized, but while you are in your attraction the cast members may move your stroller in an effort to keep organization. When strollers leave the stroller area the cast members will fill in the holes. With this in mind I suggest marking your stroller with a brightly colored ribbon on the handle so that you can find it easily. There are so many people with strollers and the chances of a lot of people having the same stroller is quite possible. If you rent a stroller from a local vendor or Disney then you are going to see that same stroller all over the parks. Your rented stroller will have your name on it but a brightly colored ribbon will help you to find it more quickly.   

For a family with a child with special needs touring with a stroller can be a completely different experience. For some children with special needs walking is not an issue but for others there could be many reasons why they need to be in a stroller. If your family is like ours and your child is too big for a stroller but still needs one for things like touring the parks, there is an option for you too. Many of the local stroller rental companies will also have a special needs stroller for rent. We found that with Kingdom Strollers they have the Baby Jogger strollers and Baby Jogger also makes a special needs stroller that is very much like their regular strollers just on a bigger frame.If this is the case for your family, keeping your child in their stroller is very simple. When you go into Guest Relations to obtain your GAC you will also request that you be able to use your stroller as a wheelchair. When you do this the Cast Member will stamp your GAC with this and they will give you a tag to put on your strollers handle so that it is visible to all Cast Members.

Just like with the GAC, the stroller tag is good for your entire stay. What this means for your family is in lines for attractions, in shows, and in restaurants your child can remain in their stroller. As a side note, some restaurants may ask if the child can sit in a chair. If your child can sit in a chair, or if you have a portable booster with you, it is helpful to park your stroller in the stroller parking area and carry your child in. This cuts down on the congestion in the restaurant and allows those in wheelchairs to have the space they need. If it would be easier to wheel your child in and then transfer, just let the Cast Member know and I am sure they will be very understanding and helpful. When you go to get in line for the attraction, just like with the GAC, you will show the Cast Member your GAC and your stroller tag. They will then direct you where to go. You will be sent through the wheel chair line. Some attractions have vehicles that will accommodate your stroller and your child can remain in the stroller while on the ride. If you prefer your child transfer, you can do that also. Just be sure and let the Cast Member know what you want to do. In shows, your child will remain in their stroller, but you need to be sure to get to the show early enough because the wheelchair section fills up quickly. There is also wheelchair parking at some of the parades and night time shows. For example, at Epcot, there is a wheelchair section for Illuminations. It is on the Future World side of World Showcase Lagoon. My family likes to use the wheelchair sections because the shows and parades can be so crowded. Our daughter does not handle being crowded in on, like can be the case when watching the parades. If we are in the wheelchair section she has the space she needs to enjoy the show or parade without getting overwhelmed.

The last thing I wanted to mention is getting to the parks. As I have already mentioned, strollers do not have to be folded for the monorail but they do for the buses unless you have a wheelchair tag. If you have the wheelchair tag your child can remain in their stroller on the buses and the Cast Member will strap the stroller in just like a wheelchair. We found this very helpful especially on a crowded bus with no where for us to sit.

For the person in the ECV or wheelchair the same things apply. You will go to the Cast Member at each attraction and they will direct you. There are some rides that you must be able to transfer on and some that you can stay in your chair. When you get to your first park you can pick up a guide map for guests with disabilities. Each attraction has a symbol indicating how you will experience the attraction. Either remaining in your wheelchair, transferring to a ride vehicle, transferring from an ECV to a wheelchair or transferring from an ECV to a wheelchair to go through the queue and then transferring to the ride vehicle. Something to remember is that Cast Members are not allowed to physically assist you in moving from your wheelchair. If you are going to have to transfer you need to be sure to have someone there with you to help.   

Going to Walt Disney World is magical and should be for everyone regardless of your abilities. Disney knows this and does their best to make sure this happens. Is Walt Disney World with special needs looking more like a reality to you and not just a dream?
 
Read Tabitha’s first 2 installments here:

 

 

Tabitha has been a Disney Travel Specialist with Wishing Well Travel since 2012, you can contact her at Tabitha at wishingwelltravel.com, find her on facebook or Request a Quote from her online.