Our Little Banshee usually tours Walt Disney World in a wheelchair with me, Buster, pushing her. Although she is generally able to walk on her own, because of her Phelan-McDermid Syndrome she has low muscle tone and her coordination is not the best. Spending a complete day walking in a theme park, especially one as big as Walt Disney World, would be a challenge both for her and for us. This gives us quite a bit of firsthand experience with navigating the attractions with someone with mobility issues.
This article will provide an overview of what you can expect at each ride/attraction as a person with a mobility disability.
Attraction Access Categories
Disney divides all of its attractions into five distinct categories, based upon what level of mobility that they support:
- Must be ambulatory
- Must transfer from ECV or wheelchair to ride vehicle
- Must transfer from ECV to wheelchair, and then from wheelchair to ride vehicle
- May remain in ECV or wheelchair
- Must transfer from ECV to wheelchair
In the upcoming sections, we will dive into the details of each of these categories
Must Be Ambulatory
For attractions in this category, guest must be able to walk by themselves or be assisted by other party members. This is obviously the most restrictive category, as if you are not able to walk, you cannot participate in the attraction.
The good news is that rides in this category are pretty rare. It generally only applies to water park attractions, and some older attractions that pre-date the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Here is the full list:
Magic Kingdom
- Peter Pan’s Flight: Because the ride is indoors and vehicles go high above the ground, if they get stuck, guests are required to evacuate via a ladder. Obviously this can be a problem for those with mobility issues.
- Swiss Family Treehouse: This walkthrough attraction requires you to navigate stairs.
- Tom Sawyer Island: Another walkthrough attraction that was not designed with wheelchairs in mind.
- Tomorrowland Transportation Authority PeopleMover: To get to the loading area, one must climb on a moving conveyor belt which is not designed to accommodate a wheelchair.
In addition to the above rides, many of the water slide rides at the two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach) also requires one to be ambulatory, most likely due to the stairs involved.
Must Transfer from ECV or Wheelchair to Ride Vehicle
This category of ride does not support a wheelchair, but you can transfer at the loading area from your wheelchair to the ride. Therefore, you potentially only have to navigate a few feet (or the person carrying you only has to navigate a few feet). This is probably the most common category for rides at Walt Disney World.
Generally, you will go through the ride line in your wheelchair until you reach the loading area. When you get there, a cast member will ask if you are able to transfer. If so, they will give you instructions on where to leave your wheelchair. After you board the ride, the cast member will transport your wheelchair to the unload area where it will be waiting for you when the ride is over. Disney is super efficient at this process. I do recommend, however, taking any valuables with you. While the probability of theft is low with all of the security cameras and what not, I’d prefer not to take any chances!
Here are the rides at each park that are in this category
Magic Kingdom
- Astro Orbiter
- Barnstormer
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- Mad Tea Party
- Main Street Vehicles
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Tomorrowland Speedway: Because the line contains stairs, you will be directed to an alternate entrance
Epcot
- Frozen Ever After
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Mission: SPACE
- Soarin’
- Test Track
Animal Kingdom
- Dinosaur
- Expedition Everest
- Kali River Rapids
- Navi River Journey
Hollywood Studios
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway: This ride actually has an alternative loading area if you need additional time to board. Your car will “link up” with another train whenever your are ready. It is a clever way to give people extra time without holding up the entire car.
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run: Here you are given the option to leave your wheelchair where the line splits off into the different ride corridors or to take your wheelchair right up to the ride. There doesn’t seem to be any disadvantage to remaining in your wheelchair until the last minute.
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: Similar to Smugglers Run, you can leave your wheelchair in the Star Destroyer entrance room or you can take it all the way with you to the boarding area of the ride. There is no disadvantage to either approach… personal preference. It is funny to see the Imperial Officer breaking character somewhat to ask you if you can transfer. Apparently, the Empire is very considerate of its prisoners with mobility issues!
Water Parks
- Castaway Creek (Typhoon Lagoon)
- Cross Country Creek (Blizzard Beach)
- Miss Adventure Falls (Typhoon Lagoon)
- Runoff Rapids (Blizzard Beach)
- Slush Gusher (Blizzard Beach)
- Snow Stormers (Blizzard Beach)
- Teamboat Springs (Blizzard Beach)
- Toboggan Racers (Blizzard Beach)
Must Transfer from ECV to Wheelchair, and Then From Wheelchair to Ride Vehicle
A ride will fall into this category if it requires you to transfer to the ride (similar to the last category), but the ride line does not support ECV’s for whatever reason. The good news is that Disney will provide you with a temporary wheelchair to be used just for navigating the queue. You might be asked to transfer either at the start of the line, or at some point within the line. It all depends upon how the line is laid out.
Since we don’t personally use ECV’s I can’t provide specifics on exactly where you will be asked to transfer. However, knowing how efficient Disney is, I’m sure it won’t be an issue.
Of course, if you are already in a wheelchair, no worries. For you, this effectively is the same as the previous category. You can navigate the line in your wheelchair and then transfer at the boarding area.
Here are the rides in this category
Magic Kingdom
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: Because the regular queue does not support wheelchairs, you will be directed to an alternate entrance.
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Normally when you exit the ride, you will have to navigate a flight of stairs. Obviously, this is not possible with a wheelchair. Therefore, cast members will direct you to an elevator which you can use. However, because the elevator is very tiny, it won’t fit an ECV. That’s why you need to transfer to a wheelchair when going through the line at this ride.
- Space Mountain
- Tron Lightcycle Run
Epcot
- Spaceship Earth: The regular line does not accommodate wheelchairs. Therefore cast members will direct you to an alternate entrance at the exit of the ride.
Animal Kingdom
- Avatar Flight of Passage
Hollywood Studios
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Tours
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Water Parks
- Crush ‘n’ Gusher (Typhoon Lagoon)
May Remain in ECV or Wheelchair
This is the least restrictive category of attraction. As the name says, you can remain in your ECV or wheelchair for the entire attraction. If it is show or movie, cast members may ask you to assemble in a special area so that you can more easily access the wheelchair seating area. Just follow their directions and you’ll be fine!
Here is a list of attractions in this category.
Magic Kingdom
- Country Bear Jamboree
- Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade
- Hall of Presidents
- Jungle Cruise: There are special wheelchair friendly boats that you can just “roll into”
- Liberty Square Riverboat
- Mickey’s PhilarMagic
- Monsters Inc Laugh Floor
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
- Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
Epcot
- American Adventure
- Awesome Planet
- Beauty and the Beast Singalong
- Canada Far and Wide
- Impressions de France
- Journey Into Imagination With Figment
- Journey of Water
- Reflections of China
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Animal Kingdom
- Animation Experience at Conservation Station
- Boneyard
- Discovery Island Trails
- Feathered Friends in Flight
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond
- Gorilla Falls Exploration Trails
- It’s Tough to be a Bug
- Maharajah Jungle Trek
- Wildlife Express Train
Hollywood Studios
- Disney Junior Play and Dance
- Fantasmic
- Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular
- Lightning McQueen Racing Academy
- Muppetvision 3D
- Star Wars Launch Bay
- Walt Disney Presents
Special Parade and Fireworks Viewing Areas
Note that I did not include parades, fireworks shows, character meets, and the various roaming entertainment. Obviously, none of these require you to leave the comfort of your wheelchair or ECV. That said, I did want to mention that several of the fireworks shows and parades do have special wheelchair/ECV viewing areas. This is to ensure that you get a great view without having to worry about an able-bodied person standing in front of you. Obviously, space is limited so first come first served.
- Festival of Fantasy Parade (Magic Kingdom): Main Street USA near the entrance of the Emporium near the park entrance (to the left side of Main Street USA as you enter the park)
- Happily Ever After (Magic Kingdom Fireworks): In the hub area near Casey’s (to the left as you are facing Cinderella’s Castle)
- Luminous (Epcot Fireworks): Port of Entry, Germany, Between UK and Canada
Must Transfer from ECV to Wheelchair
This is similar to the category above, except if you are using an ECV and you cannot transfer directly into the ride, you have the option to transfer to a wheelchair provided at the attraction. Usually this is required because the ride vehicle can support wheelchairs but not ECV’s.
However, if you CAN transfer to the ride vehicle, you can usually go through the queue in your ECV until you get to the boarding area.
Here are attractions in this category
Magic Kingdom
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- It’s a Small World
- Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel
- Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney World Railroad: If you transfer from your ECV, note that you will need exit the ride at the station where you originally boarded to retrieve it
Epcot
- Gran Fiesta Tour
- Living with the Land
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Animal Kingdom
- Affection Station
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Triceratop Spin
Hollywood Studios
- Toy Story Mania
Wrap Up
So there you have it… attraction access classifications for those with mobility issues. As you can see, if you are able to transfer to a ride vehicle, you will be able to ride almost every ride. And even if you aren’t able to transfer, there is still a good number of attractions that are available to you. The moral of the story is that you should not let mobility issues dissuade you from a Walt Disney World vacation!
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