We leave for Disney on Saturday morning, so of course this past weekend my husband decided to try his first V4 boulder at the climbing gym, fell and landed on his left foot really hard. He has some bruising around the side and bottom, but it doesn't hurt to the touch and isn't swollen at all. I think it's just bruised and he possibly pulled a muscle in the back of his leg. He got new shoes, special inserts, is icing and resting it, but I'm nervous it's still going to be sore by the time we hit our first park on Sunday. I know he'll fight me on it, but if he needs crutches/wheel chair- is that something we could rent at Disney? How does that change the lines and what do you do with it when you're on the ride? He's still hobbling around now and I can't imagine it's going to be 100% in a few days.
This is all just in case I don't actually kill him, which I might. Did I mention he broke his foot 2 days before a beach vacation a few years ago when our kids were 2 and 4? I know he's not doing it on purpose, but is he? :sob:
I don't know a lot about this, but since you haven't gotten other responses I'll share what I know. You can rent manual wheelchairs (that someone would have to push) or electric wheelchairs at the front of every Disney park. I think the electric ones are around $50/day. For most (maybe all?) of the rides you can stay in the wheelchair until it is time to get onto the ride. A cast member will park them for you near the ride exit. In your case, your H might be fine to stand in some lines, but not want to do all of the walking around the park. For that, the scooters can just be parked outside of the ride and left there (similar to stroller parking). You will have a key for it and it will be labeled with your name, so someone else won't be able to easily take it.
If you think he will need it for every day, it might be cheaper to rent one from an outside company. If you are staying on property this is easy as they will deliver them to your hotel and then you can ride them onto the Disney buses. If you are staying off property this is more complicated because you would have to rent a car that could fit the wheelchair.
Hopefully this helps a bit. I'm sure you can Google and/or check Disboards and find much more info on this.
You might specifically look at what is required to use disability parking at Disney (if you will be driving to the parks). If he had a doctor's note or something to use it while you are there, that alone would save a lot of walking.
Post by mrsslocombe on Mar 22, 2022 12:01:06 GMT -5
As daisyduck said, you can rent them at the front of each park but it's far cheaper to get one from an outside company and have it delivered to your hotel. Looks like those 3rd party companies have crutches for rent as well. If you are staying on property, there is a separating boarding area to get on the buses/Sky Liner with a wheelchair.
Most rides now have a wide enough queue that you just wait in the regular line and then a cast member takes the chair right before boarding. Some rides you use the exit or the Lightning Lane. The cast member at the front of the attraction with direct you on what to do.
FYI, there are separate wheelchair viewing areas for parades and fireworks, so I highly recommend seeking those out, especially if you have small children. There won't be as many people standing in front of your view so it's good for the littles ones.
Post by Wines Not Whines on Mar 22, 2022 13:28:34 GMT -5
FWIW I went to Disney a few years ago with a fractured bone in my foot. I had to wear one of those big boots (air cast) on my leg. It was annoying, but I just took my time and walked slowly. I didn’t rent a wheelchair or anything. It was fine.
I don't have experience yet, but I broke my leg just after the new year and had a trip planned in Feb. I canceled it and am now planning on going in April. I don't think I'm going to be healed enough to walk by myself the whole time, so I've decided I'm going to have to rent an electric scooter. I don't want to overdue it and ruin the trip. I will likely get it from an outside company since it seems to be cheaper (we are driving and staying offsite). There's several places like Scooterbug, Gold Mobility, etc to look at. I figure if I'm not using it, DH will be more than happy to have a break and use it.
Thank you all so much for your advice and tips. It looks like he’s getting a boot and I bought him some gel support inserts which really seem to be helping. He told me on a scale from 1 to kidney stones, walking is a 2 lol. I do think I’m going to bring the stroller (our youngest is 7, so wasn’t planning on taking it) so he can use it almost like a Walker if he needs it. He is absolutely against a wheelchair because “he’s fine”. Eyeroll.
I would honestly suggest a boot and/or a knee scooter before I’d suggest crutches or a wheel chair. You can rent a knee scooter from most medical supply places.
As for a disabled parking permit, you’d have to get your doctor to write a note/fill out a form (depending on your state) for a short-term permit (usually the tag that hangs from your rear view mirror). These might be as short as 30-90 days. You’d probably have to get it from your local DMV before you travel. As long as you have a permit when you travel, you can just hang it in your rental car and you’ll be GTG. They will probably not issue you two, so you probably can’t park in a disabled spot at the airport AND have a permit to take with you for the rental car.