Emily65roses....

shamrock

New member
Emily,

I know you were at disney earlier in the year, and you said you got a wheelchair? Du know how much it cost to rent, would you recommend it, du have to book it in advance and (finally!) does it limit you to what youwant to do?
 

Emily65Roses

New member
Through the parks, I think it was $7 a day to rent a wheelchair. We actually rented one through the resort we stayed at, and it was only $25 for the whole week. I didn't book it in advance, we just went in (I think the day before we went to the parks), asked if we could rent one, they added it to the room bill, and then handed it over. It doesn't limit anything. They know a lot of people are in them because of fatigue or whatever, and can still walk if need be. If it was something I had to change seats for, they'd just ask if I felt up to walking for 100 feet or whatever, and I'd tell them yes, and then off we'd go. You actually get treated better in a wheelchair, haha. You get to skip some lines, and we got better seating for any of the shows (fireworks, light shows, live shows in the parks, etc). I'd definitely recommend it. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
 

JazzysMom

New member
We used in when we went to Universal in 2003. It was a godsend. Not just for me, but also for my daughter who was exhausted by the heat etc. It really wasnt expensive & worth every cent. The only problem might be having someone stay with it while others enjoy rides etc. It wasnt a big deal for us because there was so many in our group.
 

Emily65Roses

New member
Melissa is right. That's really the only problem we ran into. And that's not a huge problem. Either you have someone stay with it... OR *believe it or not* you can leave them there and pretty much be safe that they won't go anywhere. Usually there's several wheelchairs outside every ride. So if you just put yours with the others, it'll stay there. With most rides we went on, nobody stayed with my chair (it was only me, Mike, his parents, and his brother, so a lot of the rides we all went on together), we just left it with the pile of chairs outside the ride. And we never lost it. Everytime we came back out, it was sitting right where we left it. So it's a matter of what you want to do. But either way, it's worth it.
 

julie

New member
plus, you can add the rental charge to your medical expenses for the year if you itemize your medical deductions.

Haha, not really what you were looking for but maybe helpful?

We went to disneyland in December and they had a crapload of wheelchairs (and strollers) The wait in line is about 5-10 minutes and they are rather inexpensive. Em is right, if you leave your wheenchair parked with all the others, nobody will take it. We had my young nephews with us so we took a peice of masking tape and put a random name on the back of the stroller, that way we knew it was ours.... just made finding it easier. In the three days that we were there, nobody even looked at it-let alone took it.
 

anonymous

New member
Shamrock, you've been in my thoughts and prayers as well. I've missed your posts. If you go to Disney, I hope you enjoy it!
 

WinAce

New member
My mom took me to Florida with one, in recent memory. I don't remember what year it was, but it was after I'd gotten severely ill, and couldn't get around that much on my own. They led me around the Miami Seaquarium and some other places with it, and I can't say it was too annoying.

Nowadays, paradoxically, I'm more capable of walking but much sicker in other measures. If you need it, I would heartily recommend one, but don't underestimate your own physical ability, because you just might. I'm still not sure whether it was just a particularly bad time for my endurance, or if my parents convinced me I couldn't recover.
 

Lilith

New member
I used one just recently when we took a vacation to both Universal AND Disney. Yes, I certainly recommend them if you know you're going to get short of breath half-way through. Plus, you can skip most of the line on the rides and won't have to wait in the sun (which can tear you up in and of itself). We just left it with the ride operators so no one had to stay behind with it. We didn't book in advance, either, we just got one at Guest Services. Not sure how much it was, I wanna say $12.00 for the day. The only problem I had with it was trying to manuver through the gift shops, but even that wasn't a big deal. I hope you have fun at Disney!

P.S. If you get too hot and are in the Magic Kingdom, head for the Haunted Mansion. It's an awesome ride and a great place to cool off.
 

WinAce

New member
<i>The Haunted Mansion</i> was also, amusingly, a nice movie. Along with <i>Pirates of the Caribbean</i> (which was even more impressive) I used to think that book-to-movie (or worse, video-game-to-movie) adaptations were doomed, but I'm really surprised at how Disney was creative enough to pull workeable plots and compelling films out of <i>theme park rides</i>. You gotta admire them, if nothing else.
 

shamrock

New member
Thanks everybody for your responses! Yes Im going to disney on Friday-whoohoo. My lung functions were 29 last week, so I was thinking about renting one, you know to get as much out of the trip as possible but wasnt sure. One other question:
1) If you get to the ride and then you step out of the wheelchair, and leave it on the bank, dont you have to exit the ride on the other side so how du get the wheelchair back?! Its kind of a silly question but still! ALso the bit about having to stay with it is a little 'iffy' because theres only four of us going, and holding the others back is the last thing I'd want...

By the way, Lilith, I wouldnt say theres much chance of us getting too hot, as its the Paris one we're going to!! But i love that ride so I'll be doing it a few times! Also Winace, hope you're feeling better!
 

anonymous

New member
We have gone to Disneyland in CA. The entrance and exit to the ride is pretty much the same place. In fact, for wheelchair entrance, a lot of the time you go through to exit area to get to the ride. The wheel chair is left pretty much in site of the ride operators so it isn't a problem. But it has been a few years since we went and I had heard that they were changing some of the rules because people were abusing the wheelchair rules. Good Luck and have a great time!
 

JazzysMom

New member
Most entrance/exit gates are near each other. Although Paris might be different I am show they have thought of those things for the people needing wheelchairs.
 

shamrock

New member
Well I guess I'll think about it tonight, I mean I don't want to get tired and not be able to do everything (10 times!) so maybe a wheelchair wouldbe good. DO they ask you why you need it?
 

JazzysMom

New member
Not in Florida. I thinks its a $$$ maker like so much other stuff. Maybe take a letter of need just in case since you will be in Paris. I dont know how things work afar! Enjoy either way!
 

Lilith

New member
I don't know how things work in Paris, either, but to answer your question, usually the ride operators with be watching the chair for you. If the ride you're on comes out at a different place from where you entered, most times the operators will take the chair to the exit while you're on the ride and it will be waiting for you there. That's how it works in FL, anyway ^_^ I've never had anyone ask why I need the chair before, but yeah, take a doc's note with you just in case.
 

shamrock

New member
HI
Just to let you know that I went and am back from my trip. It was brilliant. On the friday, I didnt get a wheelchair (pride and lots of energy put me off it) but I was WRECKED by the time we got back to the hotel,(I seriously over-estimated my ability to walk ANY distances at all!) so on Saturday I decided to bite the bullet and rent one. It cost 6.50euros plus 150 refundable deposit. It was fantastic, we skipped all the queues so thus got to do everything twice or three times!!! At the parade I was 'put' in a special area and got to be at the front, great view!
If you're thinking about going and unsure whether to rent one or not, I couldnt recommend it highly enough!
Now about disneyland PARIS, its identical to the one in CA, but a bit weirder. The French are sort of funny, like rude or something. In CA all the cast and ride operators are all 'Howdee folks' and all that, in Paris if they don't feel like talking or smiling then they wont. Actually, a pumkin man even brushed me off (and i was in a wheelchair!!!), but saying all that, there were nice ones too! Thanx for the advice!
 

JazzysMom

New member
I am so glad that your trip went well. I dont think its just a matter of how far you can walk. Its a combination of things that drains you, but at least you learned & choice to try the wheelchair. Congrats
 

EB24

New member
When I went to Paris, I took a wheelchair, and people look at you like you have the plague. I guess it isn't a common thing since almost nowhere other than MAIN tourist places offer any type of diability conveinence.
 
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