Flocks of Lawyers Circling WDW ???

Can anyone give me more insight about both pandora rides and ECVs in the line? Due to back problems (not jumbo related, athletic injury in HS rears its ugly head in mid 50s) she cannot stand for longer than 30 minutes. Any problems I should prepare for?

I stood in a 3 hour line for River Journey behind a party with an ECV, and aside from a few tight switchbacks that required a little extra space between them and the next group up, they had no problems navigating the temporary outdoor queue, or the official indoor queue
 
I was the one who posted about the stairs. Yes, I was referring to TSM. My wife was still walking, not on an ECV, so nobody stopped her entering the queue to redirect and there was no indication there would be stairs. and the stairs were not visible until turning a corner and there was no cast member there for help. So it left a bad taste of unexpected mobility challenge.

The other newer ride with a rough design is 7 Dwarves. Good work on the queue being ECV assessible, but then at the end the space is so narrow and squeezed that an EVC has a terrible time navigating into the right place. And the castmembers were in a frenzy to load the trains and rushing people. They did not direct us where to get the EVC placed and instead were trying to rush people to pass us to load the trains... and those people were annoyed that we were in the way to get to the loading gates. It was unpleasant and made the mobility challenged feel unwelcome.
 
They shoul have designed a least one boat and a copuple of banshees wheel chair accesible it can't be that hard when you're building a whole new ride, adapting an existing one it is, and IMO they don't do a accesible ride not because of the boat size or the natire of the banshee seat, is more about evacuating this wheelchair if needed, a few years ago there was an incident at It's a Small World ride where they didn't have the means to evacuate a chair-bound guest out of the boat in the middle of the ride the guest spend hours listening to the tune and in distress. Again they should be able to build somenthing to accommodate a wheelchair
 
I have a family member, my mother, who is in a wheelchair and we have little issue assisting her onto most rides and experiences. She only has one leg. But again, we transfer and assist. As a family, we are consistently appalled at the number of people at WDW claiming disabilities and riding around on massive scooters. They take over a bus, and little kids wait in the rain for the next bus because Jumbo took three seats and standing room for four more for their power scooter. But watch Jumbo step off the scooter when something doesn't accommodate them. I applaud Disney's plan for transfers rather than accommodating the ever exploding scooter population in this new land, as does my mother, wheelchair bound. (We use the monorail when we can and otherwise bypass the bus system at WDW and call for a taxi so as to get where we are going faster; again the line of Jumbos waiting for the bus usually takes the space for a wheelchair. We also don't want to tie up the world loading, but that's just us.) We've never found any place as reasonable or accommodating as WDW for true disabilities, but life is a balance and we don't want to ruin everyone else's experience. If people would be more reasonable, less demanding, and less self-centered, I think you'll find accommodation abounds. Just my two cents.
Wow, jumbo? Really?

So, I guess I am Jumbo. Please to meet you.

Yep, I have about 50 more pounds to lose. So I am overweight. Yes, I have already lost 50. But I gained almost 100 when I was diagnosed with lupus, then RA, and ended up on steroids for 4 years.

But it won't matter how much weight I lose. Lupus is a chronic disease, that doesn't have a cure. I will be sick and in pain, until the day I die.

You might want to keep that in mind, when you let your attitude rip.
 


I was the one who posted about the stairs. Yes, I was referring to TSM. My wife was still walking, not on an ECV, so nobody stopped her entering the queue to redirect and there was no indication there would be stairs. and the stairs were not visible until turning a corner and there was no cast member there for help. So it left a bad taste of unexpected mobility challenge.

The other newer ride with a rough design is 7 Dwarves. Good work on the queue being ECV assessible, but then at the end the space is so narrow and squeezed that an EVC has a terrible time navigating into the right place. And the castmembers were in a frenzy to load the trains and rushing people. They did not direct us where to get the EVC placed and instead were trying to rush people to pass us to load the trains... and those people were annoyed that we were in the way to get to the loading gates. It was unpleasant and made the mobility challenged feel unwelcome.
Regarding Toy Story Mania - were you at WDW or DL?

For anyone who is concerned for future reference - I don't know about Disneyland, but at WDW, stairs are just after the merge point for Fastpass and Standby. So, there is always a CM at the merge point. WDW added an additional line, which has no stairs.
 
Wow, jumbo? Really?

So, I guess I am Jumbo. Please to meet you.

Yep, I have about 50 more pounds to lose. So I am overweight. Yes, I have already lost 50. But I gained almost 100 when I was diagnosed with lupus, then RA, and ended up on steroids for 4 years.

But it won't matter how much weight I lose. Lupus is a chronic disease, that doesn't have a cure. I will be sick and in pain, until the day I die.

You might want to keep that in mind, when you let your attitude rip.
There are people who have chronic health issues that lead to weight gain, but I would venture to guess they are not the majority of people with weight issues. But, of course, obesity can LEAD to health issues that make it a vicious cycle for sure. I have all the admiration in the world for people on a weight loss journey. It's tough!
 


There are people who have chronic health issues that lead to weight gain, but I would venture to guess they are not the majority of people with weight issues. But, of course, obesity can LEAD to health issues that make it a vicious cycle for sure. I have all the admiration in the world for people on a weight loss journey. It's tough!
But you are simply guessing. As is the poster that called those people "Jumbo."

But neither of you know which overweight people were overweight before their diagnoses or gained weight after.

In addition, it isn't the business of anyone but themselves and their doctor(s).

If I require a scooter to get around, I require it. Other people don't get to decide if I get to use one. And let the dear Lord help whomever says something to me about it. Because I will let them have it, and I won't be polite about it.
 
Regarding Toy Story Mania - were you at WDW or DL?

For anyone who is concerned for future reference - I don't know about Disneyland, but at WDW, stairs are just after the merge point for Fastpass and Standby. So, there is always a CM at the merge point. WDW added an additional line, which has no stairs.

It was WDW, in the first few months it was open. Nobody knew what to expect. The CM was busy herding people and didn't notice the cane. I only mention it because I find signage lacking and surprising challenges still in new attractions. How does the new third line work? Do you have to choose it separately? Or is there a split somewhere?
 
When she said Jumbo I thought she was referring to the ECV being jumbo. :confused3 I need to pay better attention.
 
It was WDW, in the first few months it was open. Nobody knew what to expect. The CM was busy herding people and didn't notice the cane. I only mention it because I find signage lacking and surprising challenges still in new attractions. How does the new third line work? Do you have to choose it separately? Or is there a split somewhere?
It splits. And about 90% of the time, there is a CM there to direct you.

If there is any way to do the stairs, I recommend that you do them. Especially if the lines are very long or if you have reservations somewhere. The line for the handicapped car can be long. And you have to wait for that car to return. If there are a few people in line ahead of you, you may have to wait quite a long time.
 
...especially since one of the main characters in the Avatar film is wheelchair-bound.
I was going to say this. This would have been a real opportunity to put yourself in the film. Given the story, it seems especially difficult to exclude wheelchair users.
 
But you are simply guessing. As is the poster that called those people "Jumbo."

But neither of you know which overweight people were overweight before their diagnoses or gained weight after.

In addition, it isn't the business of anyone but themselves and their doctor(s).

If I require a scooter to get around, I require it. Other people don't get to decide if I get to use one.
And let the dear Lord help whomever says something to me about it. Because I will let them have it, and I won't be polite about it.

EVERYTHING that is bolded.

People put on weight differently and for different reasons. I'm prone to plumpness but a foot injury that sidelined me for almost a year opened my eyes to how easy it is to gain weight. It's hard to stay active if you are in constant pain. and it's also eye opening to see how large public spaces in the US really are. When you have a mobility issue, even if you can walk, going somewhere like Walmart or a shopping mall (or Magic Kingdom) becomes a lot of (painful and time consuming) effort. Judging people for using an ecv at a place like that is like judging a parent for using a stroller for toddler. Toddlers can walk, so why put them in a stroller? Oh, because it would take forever to get anywhere? Because they might get tired? Well, in that case, just stay home until they get older...

Literally no one is going to say that about a mom with a stroller, for either a toddler or a special needs kid, so why say that about an ecv user. If it gets them out and about so they can participate and enjoy life, then surely that's better than staying home.

I'm not saying that people don't abuse ecv use. They also abuse stroller use. But you don't know if they are doing either just by looking at them.

If Disney bans ecvs, I want them to also ban strollers. Every single Disney injury or bad interaction I've had with a guest involved a stroller. I've seen moms use them as battering rams; I've seen parents ignore the "no stroller" signs on DL escalators.
 
In addition, it isn't the business of anyone but themselves and their doctor(s).
That's the best thing is been said in a long time in the thread. If the person and their doctor agree that an ECV is required it's great and should be used. However, many people that use them don't need them and in many cases their doctors would prefer they did walk to get the exercise.
 
That's the best thing is been said in a long time in the thread. If the person and their doctor agree that an ECV is required it's great and should be used. However, many people that use them don't need them and in many cases their doctors would prefer they did walk to get the exercise.
Yep.

That was the first thing my doctor asked, "You are using a scooter, right?" Um, yes. My scooter.

There are certainly diseases that pushing it, going with no pain, no gain; is exactly the opposite of what to do. Lupus is one them.
 
That's the best thing is been said in a long time in the thread. If the person and their doctor agree that an ECV is required it's great and should be used. However, many people that use them don't need them and in many cases their doctors would prefer they did walk to get the exercise.

Yes. It was kind of mind boggling how few scooters there were at DLP after being used to DW. Almost none. There were also far fewer strollers, for what its worth. Soft sided wagons for multiple kids seemed the most common thing.
 
It splits. And about 90% of the time, there is a CM there to direct you.

If there is any way to do the stairs, I recommend that you do them. Especially if the lines are very long or if you have reservations somewhere. The line for the handicapped car can be long. And you have to wait for that car to return. If there are a few people in line ahead of you, you may have to wait quite a long time.

when i was there last October they had the wheelchair car and a regular ride car for people who could transfer/ didnt need the wheelchair car and the wait wasn't long at all
 
I guess I don't see the point of this.

Not everyone can ride every ride. I have severe motion sickness and I can't ride pretty much all VR except soaring. So I can't ride that new ride. Bummer? Sure. But I'm not angry at the designers.

Disney really does go out of their way to be accessible and at least the transfer option is there
The difference is, you have the opportunity to go on every ride. I find it inexcusable that the newest rides are not wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair users are denied the opportunity afforded to you and me.
 
The difference is, you have the opportunity to go on every ride. I find it inexcusable that the newest rides are not wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair users are denied the opportunity afforded to you and me.

Only some wheelchair users though. If you can transfer, you can ride. Again- not everyone can go on every ride. You can say I have the opportunity to ride, but that isn't the same thing as being able to ride, because no one wants someone to puke on them. And same thing with people who have heart issues or neck problems. They have the opportunity to board the ride vehicle but that doesn't mean they can or should ride.

Disney did accommodate for the handicapped. They aren't required to accommodate for absolutely everyone because it's a theme park and it isn't possible to do so. "Inexcusable" would be if a government building or hospital were not accessible at all. This is merely disappointing but understandable.
 
Yes. It was kind of mind boggling how few scooters there were at DLP after being used to DW. Almost none. There were also far fewer strollers, for what its worth. Soft sided wagons for multiple kids seemed the most common thing.

I think the scope of the parks may have something to do with that. You can spend a week at WDW and only touch the surface of what there is to see and do. Four theme parks, two water parks, a shopping district, mini golf, regular golf..... not surprising there are more scooters than at DLP.
 

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