Plan of attack for AK

[Leslie]

Hi!
The Theme Parks board suggested that I ask this question here, so here I am! I will be taking my parents to WDW in early December. I am looking for a basic guide or schedule of how to tour AK. My mom will be in a wheelchair, so several rides are out of the question due to her disabilities - Kilimanjaro Safari, Dinosaur, & Kali River Rapids.

How would you recommend touring Animal Kingdom?

Thanks!

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Hi!
The Theme Parks board suggested that I ask this question here, so here I am! I will be taking my parents to WDW in early December. I am looking for a basic guide or schedule of how to tour AK. My mom will be in a wheelchair, so several rides are out of the question due to her disabilities - Kilimanjaro Safari, Dinosaur, & Kali River Rapids.

How would you recommend touring Animal Kingdom?

Thanks!

Well first up, you can ride Kilamanjaro Safari in a wheelchair. I have done so many times. The Safari trucks are all loaded from raised loading dock so you can wheel right on, and then they tie your chair down.

Get the guide for people with disabilities as soon as you arrive, or download it fom this site (I think?). I hate schedules, so I will leave that to someone else to suggest one- but there's lots to see and do in a chair.

One last comment, consider renting an ECV. Of all the parks, Animal Kingdom has the roughest paths (fake mud paths with animal footprints and so on). Pushing a wheelchair will not be fun. Before getting my powerchair, I made one visit in my own lightweight manual chair and tried to self-propel myself. Never again.

Andrew

 

[allie&mattsmom]

In May my MIL rented a ECV only at AK b/c that's the park that's the hardest for her to get around. As far as a plan of attack, I'm not sure what to recommend. We just kindof did the things we wanted and it worked fine for her as far as being in an ECV. Oh and she did do the Safari ride. Good luck!

 

[SueM in MN]

If she has an ECV, she will need to transfer for the Safari. The wheelchairs/ecvs that people have transferred out of are waiting at the same place that the truck loads.
As was already mentioned, the Safari truck has room/arrangements for one wheelchair to be brought onto the ride. My DD has done it a number of times. It is bit bumpy ride in places (similar to driving over a bumpy road).

You can download the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities from a link on the disABILITIES FAQs thread (near the top of the thread list).
Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids are what my younger DD calls "Grandma All-finished rides" because they are rather bumpy/jerky. They do require a transfer out of the wheelchair, but the wheelchair can be parked close by to the ride car for transfer. My youngest DD has been on them a number of times. (My DD with a wheelchair is the adventurous one, her sister is the one who said one ride was enough).

I'd suggest you look thru the Guidebook and see what you/she would like to do. Then come back and let us know what you think you'd like and we can give you more info.

 

[JudithM]

Just wondering ... if you use an ECV at AK & want to ride the safari, is there a wheelchair available to transfer to at the loading dock?

Leslie, I would suggest getting a time schedule when you first get to AK. Check the times of any shows that are must sees for you & your group.

 

[SueM in MN]

Most people using ECVs at the Safari just drive the ECV into the boarding area, park it and then climb onto the Safari truck.
There are a lot of wheelchairs parked there, but whether they all belong to someone who is already on the ride or whether some are there for people with ECVs to transfer into if they want, I don't know.
Since the truck can only one or two wheelchairs per truck, they try to ask people who can get out of their wheelchair/ECV and transfer to the ride truck. That leaves the wheelchair tiedown spots for people who are not able to transfer out of the wheelchair (It may just be one, DD has always been the only person staying in her wheelchair, but there may be room for 2).

 

[Ambassador]

You may purchase a customized touring plan at touringplans.com. It is important to determine up front what each person wants to do and see. Some may want to try to do everything; others will enjoy a leisurely pace. She may enjoy The Oasis, Flights of Wonder, Festival of the Lion King, and a nice shady spot for snacks and drinks. We have used radios to keep track of everyone's location and meeting places.

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Just wondering ... if you use an ECV at AK & want to ride the safari, is there a wheelchair available to transfer to at the loading dock?

If I may jump in here...

I don't know about the safari specifically becaues my own powerchair does fit on the ride vehicles... but my general experience is that whenever you have to transfer out of an ECV to a regular chair for a ride CMs will have a regular chair somewhere nearby.

Andrew

 

[dclfun]

I too have always stayed in my power chair for the safari attraction. Just a note though- it is very jarring and I'm no longer able to ride it due to lack of neck control. Even a w/c user needs to have good back/neck control on that attraction and I'm sure the effects are greater for those of us riding in a w/c vs. transferring to the seat. Kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

I too have always stayed in my power chair for the safari attraction. Just a note though- it is very jarring and I'm no longer able to ride it due to lack of neck control. Even a w/c user needs to have good back/neck control on that attraction and I'm sure the effects are greater for those of us riding in a w/c vs. transferring to the seat. Kathy

I would agree with you for the jarring. My DD stays in herr wheelchair. Even though it is tied down, she gets bounced around pretty good. She does usually have good head/neck control. Plus she has a headrest, armrests and a contoured seat on the wheelchair to help her stay put.

 

[zumbergc]

For the safari ride. You head in the regular queue as everyone else. However when you hit the loading section, the wheelchair, ecv head up the trail a littler further to the right. . If you load in the special section, you are taken up to that same point to get out of the truck at the end of the ride. The people getting on in the regular section, get off at a different point at the end of the ride. Your whole party is alowed to board with you on the special access truck. There might be a party size limite, but i'm not sure what that number is, some people travel in some large numbers and i've seen parties of 8 get on, but i'm not sure if there is a set limite in peak times.

At the end of the ride, the wheelchair accesible trucks, ride past the "regular" unload point, and past the regular load point to the special access load, and unload section.

They will let you drive the ecv right up to the truck, to make your walking the smallest as possible. As noted before there is room for 1 ecv on the truck at once, so its nice if you can transfer to do so, so a person who can't transfer doesn't have to wait for the next accesible truck.
When unloading, i just walk over to my ecv. If you prefer, you can have a travel mate bring over the ecv if transfering is more difficult, you will have to wait for more of the people to unload from the truck to be able to move the ecv over to the truck.

They only run the special access trucks every so many minutes, so thats a good reason to transfer if its possible. Regular trucks load all the time, but not the special access trucks.

We've been right behing a person in the wheelchair part, thats strapped in. All i can say is they do a lot of bumping, bouncing, and such than when your in a regular bench seat. Holy cow did the person in front of us boounce a lot. I'm not at all sure how much mobility and strength he actually had, but my husband would comment to his wife to help hold the chair during certain really bumpy spots coming up.
I know she had to move his hands back onto the chair and such, when we hit the big bumps, so thats why we were a little concerned. His chair was kind of reclined back a little bit, so i'm guessing his center of gravity was a little higher because his feet weren't at the regular 90 degree bend, but up more, so maybe he got some extra bouncing because of that. I know he had a great time on the ride, because he was a smiling big time thru out the ride.

Have a fun time at AK.