HS Toy Story Mania: [Merged Threads]

[Ms_Butterfly]

I really don't know. But when I was talking to one of the managers before entering I was told that for Service Animals they would do Rider Swap. No reason was given.

Okay, thanks for the info.

The string pull was about six inches; I would pull it straight back but it could also be pulled down. It does not have much resistance. I found controlling the cannon's movement with one hand very easy. Also it allows you to keep your hand almost anywhere on the cannon to control it rather than having to hold it in a specific place to press a firing button.

Thanks for the additional info. on this! That is good that it doesn't have much resistance. I remember something I used before that you really had to tug on a lot to get it to go and something like that now would really make me lose a lot of energy and/or cause or exacerbate my wrist pain.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I stopped by again today. They would not let me in since I do not hold either an AP or DVC Membership Card. They are very strict for the poreview, not only is the card required but also a photo ID.

Anyway I talked to a couple of people who work the ride.

The FastPass line is as accessible as the regular line. At the point where you reach the stairs, just as the regular line, if you are unable to do the stairs you will switch out to the special disabled load/unload area. Once you are in the special load/unload area the FastPass privledges vanish and you will have to wait for the special ride vehicle.

As far as the accessible ride vehicles there are several of them. However, at least right now, they will only have one in the attraction at a time. This is because the special load/unload area only has room for the one vehicle and the ride takes about six minutes to cycle through. This allows almost six full minutes to unload and reload. If they had more than one special ride vehicle in the rotation it would only allow three minutes for unload/load. Holding the second ride vehicle while waiting for the first one to clear would hold up the entire attraction.

However, this does not mean that they will not try it as an experiment; anything can happen.

Note I was also told that there would be general soft opening starting May 15, and the formal opening is June 1.

 

[SueM in MN]

thanks for the further information.
One of the reasons for soft or limited openings is to work out all the different situations that might come up.

 

[terri01p]

Just two people will fit on the accessible vehicle, one in the wheelchair and one person beside them ? Will there be a place for two people on the back side of them ?

 

[SueM in MN]

Just two people will fit on the accessible vehicle, one in the wheelchair and one person beside them ? Will there be a place for two people on the back side of them ?

I have not seen them yet, but from the description and pictures, I can answer your question.
There is space for one wheelchair and one person on the accessible ride cars.
The back side, which would normally have 2 more seats, is where the ramp is. So, the wheelchair accessible cars can only hold 2 people.
There is a picture of the accessible car on page 2 of this thread, post #28.
The accessible car is the one at the far left of the picture. The ramp side is the part of the car that is facing the camera. You can tell because it has no cannons on the side that is facing the camera.

 

[mechurchlady]

if that means 10 parties per hour maximum then I would take fastpass and waddle in as it would not be fair to wheelchair users. I doubt I will ever get back but this would be high on my want to ride list along with the caroussel.

Thanks for the info and big hugs to Cheshire.

 

[SueM in MN]

if that means 10 parties per hour maximum then I would take fastpass and waddle in as it would not be fair to wheelchair users. I doubt I will ever get back but this would be high on my want to ride list along with the caroussel.

Thanks for the info and big hugs to Cheshire.

keep in mind though that unless you use the accessible boarding area, there are stairs.
I don't know why they did that because it makes many people use the accessible boarding area who would be just fine if not for the stairs.

 

[kimbac3]

I have not seen them yet, but from the description and pictures, I can answer your question.
There is space for one wheelchair and one person on the accessible ride cars.
The back side, which would normally have 2 more seats, is where the ramp is. So, the wheelchair accessible cars can only hold 2 people.
There is a picture of the accessible car on page 2 of this thread, post #28.
The accessible car is the one at the far left of the picture. The ramp side is the part of the car that is facing the camera. You can tell because it has no cannons on the side that is facing the camera.

This concerns me as we are a party of 5 - me in the chair, DH pushing and 3 kids. How would they board us all. I want us to stay together. I can transfer - I'd hate to take the car away from someone who can't transfer. Maybe I'll just use my cane and have DH help me up the stairs. Hmmm......

Kim

 

[SueM in MN]

This concerns me as we are a party of 5 - me in the chair, DH pushing and 3 kids. How would they board us all. I want us to stay together. I can transfer - I'd hate to take the car away from someone who can't transfer. Maybe I'll just use my cane and have DH help me up the stairs. Hmmm......

Kim

Maybe Cheshire Figment can find out more, but the picture I found shows more than one ride car in the area. Only one of the ones in the picture is a wheelchair accessible one.
I think eventually, we'll hear more about how it works (they are probably working some of it out). For example, we don't know if the wheelchair car is always on the 'ride path' and is only pulled into the accessible boarding area if it's needed.
Or, is it off the path entirely and send onto the path when needed.
We also don't know how many cars they can pull into that area. And whether they need to leave after a certain time or they can just 'park' there until needed.
I think the idea is good, but since they are 'forcing' some people to use that area because of the stairs, I'm afraid there is going to be a long line up of people who need to use the area.
That happens all the time on Small World - in April, each time we went on, there was a long line for the handicapped boarding area. We waited over 20 minutes once we got to that part of the line, even though other guests were walking right on and some boats were sent out not filled. The family that had been right ahead of us in the regular line before we were pulled off into the accessible line got on when we were 3 'parties' from boarding and they finished their ride and got off before we were loaded.
The same thing happens on Spaceship Earth. We waited to ride until it was not busy - the regular line had a posted 5 minute wait. Our wait in the handicapped boarding area was almost 30 minutes.

 

[kimbac3]

You know Sue, I noticed that about Small World. Another one that seems to take longer than usual is Kilimanjaro Safaris....that one is crazy!!

I guess we will wait and see

Kim

 

[SueM in MN]

You know Sue, I noticed that about Small World. Another one that seems to take longer than usual is Kilimanjaro Safaris....that one is crazy!!

I guess we will wait and see

Kim

yeah, don't even mention the Safari.
We've already waited there for 40 minutes when the 'regular' line was walking on, boarding as fast as they could walk and sending trams out partly filled because people could not get there fast enough to fill them.

The attraction that works the best is Kali River Rapids. When they need a boat in the accessible boarding area, they just open the 'gate' and one floats in. They put the gate back up to trap the boat and you have as long as you need to board. They put the gate back down and you float right out along with the other boats.
We have never waited much longer there than the people at the 'regular' boarding area.

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's a link to a page of Toy Story pictures that are posted on the wdwinfo part of the DIS site.
I pulled a couple of pictures from that page to post on this thread.
A queue picture:

a picture of the stairs in the queue

? apparently the line also goes down some steps right before boarding?

ride car

handicapped boarding area (note wheelchair car on left side of picture)

handicapped boarding area - it looks like the CM is doing something with door at the back of the wheelchair vehicle, which accesses the ramp

?ride cannon showing pull string?

 

[kimbac3]

Thanks Sue!

 

[mechurchlady]

keep in mind though that unless you use the accessible boarding area, there are stairs.
I don't know why they did that because it makes many people use the accessible boarding area who would be just fine if not for the stairs.

I did not think about the stairs but at Disneyland I would force myself up the stairs at Splash Mountain even if it meant crying pain. As long a I could pull and walk up the stairs I would because the line for the disabled meant me setting on the ground and then getting up and moving up, sometimes an hour.

It may hurt but I still can get down stairs slowly with a rail and up but it is not something that is comfortable or safe. 3 years ago I slid down the steps at the US Open Tennis Match, scary because of the height, freaked me out that height.

I have to think about others and it would not be fair to delay someone when I can still waddle down stairs. We disabled tend to think of each other and I have been treated most special by disabled people and I think about how unfair it is when someone takes up space for others.

Now to figure how to get to WDW. sigh.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Churchy, you have a perfectly valid reason to use the disabled boarding area. Speaking for myself, I would much rather wait a few more minutes to board, and have you safe and as pain free as possible; than gain a few extra minutes and risk you slipping down the stairs or crying with the pain. Dealing with disabilities is not a matter of deciding who 'deserves' the access more, but of working out what you need to do to best accommodate your needs and health concerns in your current situation. I would think anyone else using the accessible boarding area would agree, and if they don't, that's not your problem.

 

[SueM in MN]

Churchy, you have a perfectly valid reason to use the disabled boarding area. Speaking for myself, I would much rather wait a few more minutes to board, and have you safe and as pain free as possible; than gain a few extra minutes and risk you slipping down the stairs or crying with the pain. Dealing with disabilities is not a matter of deciding who 'deserves' the access more, but of working out what you need to do to best accommodate your needs and health concerns in your current situation. I would think anyone else using the accessible boarding area would agree, and if they don't, that's not your problem.

Well said

And with as many stairs as it looks like there are at the ride, I don't think it would be possible for you to do them.
A few stairs, maybe possible (if it's not going to mean it outs you in pain or at risk of injury). A very long flight of steep stairs (and maybe more than one flight) - no.

There must be some reason they put the stairs in (like maybe the line needs to climb to avoid something and then go back down to get to boarding level - ?possibly it goes over the ride track?)
But, no matter why they put the stairs in, it's going to be a big barrier for some people. Maybe even some who could do a few stairs, but not so many. I can imagine that those stairs are going to be a problems for anyone holding a child or with a toddler. So, not just people with disabilities that make stairs difficult.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

There must be some reason they put the stairs in (like maybe the line needs to climb to avoid something and then go back down to get to boarding level - ?possibly it goes over the ride track?)
But, no matter why they put the stairs in, it's going to be a big barrier for some people. Maybe even some who could do a few stairs, but not so many. I can imagine that those stairs are going to be a problems for anyone holding a child or with a toddler. So, not just people with disabilities that make stairs difficult.

Visualize a "U" with the ride vehicles coming down the left side, taking the curve, and going up the right side.

The load area is in the center of the "U" on the right side, and the unload is to the right. The accessible load/unload is below the curve.

So to get from the queue to load you have to go over the track which is why the stairs are there.

 

[SueM in MN]

Visualize a "U" with the ride vehicles coming down the left side, taking the curve, and going up the right side.

The load area is in the center of the "U" on the right side, and the unload is to the right. The accessible load/unload is below the curve.

So to get from the queue to load you have to go over the track which is why the stairs are there.

Thanks. That was kind of what I thought.
I hope they re-think that design for the next rides they do.

 

[mechurchlady]

Those who ride do not design and those who design do not ride, simple as that.

I did Splash Mountain in pain because it was more of a pain to sit on the ground or stanf for half an hour to an hour for one ride. Disneyland's disabled entrance requires going through the exit and then through at times narrow passages with exiting people including wheelchairs and ECVs.

I have not fallen on stairs at parks as long as I remember but did skin a heel getting into a canal boat, lol.

The stairs make it so that a much higher than normal amount of people will have difficulty getting onto the ride. Maybe it is their brilliant, hrmph, plan to reduce the number of repeat riders, lol. Hopefully they will send some non wheelchair cars through the disabled area as there are so many disabled people who do not need the wheelchair car. Many people are like me with bad knees and back who cannot stand in lines for a long time.

I am not corporate Disney so there is no way I can understand this despite the prety illustrations. I will never go back due to finances and mother but I can dream, been doing that for 10 years. sigh.

Sounds like lots of fun.

 

[kandeebunny]

Service animals are NOT allowed on this ride.