Little Banshee has Phelan-McDermid Syndrome which, among other things, means that she has low muscle tone. The upshot of this is that she needs to be transported in a wheelchair when we visit Walt Disney World. While I commend WDW for making the parks generally wheelchair accessible, there are still many places where pushing her in a wheelchair is problematic for us.
Note that this article is written from the point of view of someone who is pushing an approximately 100 lbs individual in a 30 lb manual wheelchair. Therefore, it may or may not apply to your own personal situation. I’m sure people who operate their own wheelchair, or people in a motorized wheelchair, or people in a scooter, etc have a much different list than I do. That’s okay. If you have other places that you find problematic in your own personal situation, feel free to leave a comment and share that with the community!
General: Parking Lots (unless you have a handicapped parking permit)
The parking lots at WDW are huge!!! When we first started traveling to WDW, we didn’t have a handicapped parking permit. Therefore, we had to park wherever we were told to park. Unless we arrived at the crack of dawn, that meant that we were faced either with a LONG walk on hot asphalt to the entrance of the park, or we had to attempt to ride one of the not-wheelchair-friendly-at-all trams!
Of course, there are are two “tricks” to making parking lots more tolerable if you have a mobility issue. First, of course, is to get a handicapped parking permit. Florida recognizes and accepts permits from any jurisdiction, so you don’t have to worry about getting a Florida-specific permit just for your trip. Just bring your permit from home and you are good to go. The cast members are great about directing you to the appropriate parking area at the front of the lot once they see your permit. Most of the handicapped parking areas are only a short stroll from the main entrance.
If you don’t have a handicapped parking pass, you can ask the cast member if there is any “medical parking”. This is parking that Disney has set aside for people who might have mobility issues but do not necessarily have handicapped parking. When we have used this, I recall that it was usually near the handicapped parking area. Note that this was many years ago, so it is possible that this parking no longer exists. Buyer beware!
General: Leaving the Parks After the Nighttime Show
It goes without saying that whenever you have a situation where thousands of people are leaving the parks at the same time, your personal space will be restricted. This is a hard enough situation for able bodied people, but it is much more difficult when pushing a wheelchair. Not only do you have to look out for the safety of the person you are pushing, but you also need to be careful not to run up into someone else’s ankles. Very stressful indeed!
There are several strategies that I use to cope with this situation:
- Wait 15-20 minutes before attempting to leave. This allows some of the crowd to dissipate before you make your way out.
- Take it slow. Walk at your own pace, even if it means that everyone is passing you. Of course, you should try to keep off to one side to make it easier for those to pass you. Staying to one side also means that one of your flanks is “protected” from any inattentive guests.
- If things are getting a little too close for comfort, just stop.
General: Stores
This is another place where cramped quarters + crowds = stress. You need to bring a heavy dose of patiences when you are navigating through stores with a wheelchair. Sometimes you have to wait for another patron to move along before you can move. Others have every right to peruse the merchandise at whatever speed they want, so I don’t say “excuse me” or “can I get through”. I just linger until a lane opens up. That seems like the polite thing to do!
General: Buses
If you have a wheelchair, I would recommend avoiding buses at all costs. While Disney buses are wheelchair accessible, it takes extra time for the driver to operate the lift to get you loaded onto the bus. This, of course, assumes that there is room on the bus for your wheelchair, which there often isn’t depending up on the time of day. Buses are only equipped to handle two wheelchairs at a time.
The other problem I have with buses is that, while they have tie downs to secure your wheelchair, not all wheelchairs are rated for bus use. Therefore, there is some risk that you would be assuming if your wheelchair is not certified for bus use.
General: Restrooms
This difficulty is not of Disney’s making. The parks offer a great number of Companion/Family Restrooms which are all wheelchair friendly. The problem that I have is that people who have no business using these restrooms will occupy them. If you don’t have any need for a Companion Restroom, then leave them for those of us that do! And don’t give me the excuse “I really had to go”. I am not an idiot. Just use it as a learning moment, don’t make any excuses, say “I’m sorry”, and move on.
Magic Kingdom: Main Street USA
There are three things that make this part of the park tough to navigate. First, the crowds. Second, people stopping to take pictures of themselves with the castle in the background. A note about that. I have no problem with people posing for pictures on Main Street USA. For many, this could be their first visit. I remember the excitement the first time my family and I saw the castle. So I will never never never never complain about the traffic on Main Street USA. My only point is that, if you are in a wheelchair, you need to be aware that this is a common occurrence and it does make it a little more challenging for you.
The third are the darn trolley tracks that run up and down Main Street USA! If you don’t cross them at a 90 degree angle, it is possible that your wheels are going to get stuck in the groove between the track and the asphalt. Take notice of these and make sure you navigate them with care.
Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland Corridor
This is the area of Fantasyland that runs from the Carousel to the Castle. It is lined with lots of attractions so it draws a lot of people. However, it is also very narrow. This bottleneck is always difficult to navigate and I try to avoid it at all costs!
Epcot: The Land Pavilion Entrance
To get from the main path to the Land pavilion, you need to walk up a relatively steep hill. Pushing 100+ pounds up this hill is certainly a bit of a workout. And if you think that coming down that hill when you leave is easier, it is not. Fighting against gravity trying to keep a wheelchair from getting away from you if not fun. This is one reason why we got a wheelchair that has a capable hand brake!
PRO TIP: There is a designated wheelchair “lane” that is ADA compliant. As you travel up/down, there are a couple of places where it levels off to give you a bit of a rest. Unfortunately, many able bodied people don’t realize that this is a wheelchair lane (despite the signage) so they use it as well. Because the lane is narrow and has guard rails on either side, it can be quite narrow, so if someone is come in the opposite direction, you’ll be playing a game of chicken here!
Epcot: Bridge from France to the UK
Another “fun” hill that tests your fitness!
Epcot: The World Showcase Near Mexico
The path here narrows quite a bit due to the restaurant next to the lagoon. This makes travel through this area a bit treacherous as it can be a bottleneck on busy days
Hollywood Studios: Chinese Theater Ramp
If you walk towards the Chinese Theater and make a left, there are stairs that lead down to a path that takes you to Toy Story Land. Of course, stairs are not wheelchair accessible. However, Disney did put in a ramp that leads to this path as well. Unfortunately, this is another very narrow lane that can be a little challenging to navigate with people coming in the opposite direction. While you can get through, it can be a tight squeeze!
Animal Kingdom: Path from the Entrance to the Tree of Life
After you enter the park, you need to navigate through a set of paths that eventually lead you to a bridge with the Tree of Life in the distance. This incline can also be a bit of a workout. The good thing is that, if you get tired, there are many little pull-offs where you can get out of traffic and rest a bit. This areas is well shaded, too, so it is not a bad place to linger.
Honestly, Animal Kingdom is probably one of the easiest parks to navigate with a wheelchair so I give Disney credit for that. I suppose that this could be because it is the newest of the four parks so Disney learned from experience!
I hope this helps you anticipate where some of the problem areas might be if you are also trying to navigate the parks in a wheelchair. If you have any of your own tips, feel free to let us know. We’d love to learn from the experiences of others!
AD: We hope you enjoyed this post. If you are coming to Central Florida and need a place to stay, please consider the Encore Magic Villa. It sleeps up to 12 and features a game room, theater room, themed bedrooms, and private pool… located within a short drive to the Magic!
