Need answers & Opinions

[MAC3]

Hi All,

Hope you can answer some questions for me. Invited BIL & family to stay with us next year @bcv. They have started to contemplate which park tixs to buy. They want to get the 7 day php passes.
Is this reasonable to assume they will let my bil on the water rides if my DH lifts him on & off the rafts and he has the proper floatation necessary? If they will not let him ride will they charge admission for him to enter the park? Just to sit in the lazy river?
He is paralzyed from the waist down. Has no mobility in his legs, but full use of his arms. We want him to be as comfortable as possible and enjoy their vacation to the fullest. He skis and is very adventurous so I know he will want to try everything availible to him.
Any and all info will be helpful as they don't want to spend the extra $$$ for a pass he doesn't need or won't use.

Thanks,

 

[teri]

Are you asking about the water parks (Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, River Country, Wet 'n Wild) or the main parks? There are many rides on which your BIL will be able to go, with assistance, and some upon which he will be able to ride his wheelchair. I don't recall any water rides that involve an individual flotation device at WDW. The CMs will not lift, but anyone who has upper body control and assistance should be able to ride just about any ride at WDW. The water parks tend to have stairs and grades which might be a problem, and somebody else with more experience in that area may be able to answer those questions.

Honestly, I don't think that anyone would be wasting money buying hopper passes at WDW because of lack of access *if they can transfer*, and in fact you might just consider getting annual passes instead, to take advantage of the restaurant and shopping discounts if you are staying that long.

 

[SueM in MN]

Our DD has cerebral palsy and is not able to walk, swim or float by herself. We did take her once to one of the water parks, I think it was Blizzard Beach. She was able to go in the lazy river and in the wave pool. I am a chicken and none of us are good swimmers, so we didn't try to take her anywhere else.
I do know that my DH went down some of the big water slides (even though he can't swim well). Some of them have a deep pool-like 8 or 9 feet at the bottom of the drop and it is easy to be tipped off the inner tube as it gets unbalanced when it gets to the bottom of the run.

I checked not too long ago on the official Disney site to see if they had accessibility information for the water parks. I couldn't find anything at all. I do know that someone had posted once that there was an elevator to go to the top of the slides. Her son had Down's syndrome and was hassled a bit by people for using the elevator. Since he wasn't in a wheelchair, I have no idea what happen if you take a wheelchair up the elevator -like who brings it down and where you could get back into it. That's the only time anyone posted about accessibility at the water parks.
Your best bet might be to email Disney or call WDW RESORTS/SPECIAL RESERVATIONS
(407) 939-7807 [voice]
(407) 939-7670 [TTY] and see if they can refer you to someone with answers.