Health Issues

If the doc's clear me to fly I'd still go.
A friend took their elderly parents a few years ago not long after one of them had had an operation and was still using a wheel chair. They were treated like VIP's at all the queues and had a whale of a time.

Yeah it sounds bad, but it would be interesting to see what it was like with a wheelchair. Not that I'm asking to need one (knock on wood).

I won't go to work sick, but I'll go to WDW sick! Priorities!

Wheelchair are difficult in the hot summer months because pushing them does get tiring- I know b/c my brother and I took turns pushing my grandma. I would definitely plan for an off season, cooler time when traveling with some one with an injury that needs to be pushed.

Otherwise, we've braved Disney with ear infections, sun blisters, swollen eyes from sun exposure, and food poisoning and still managed to enjoy our trip! (This was all on our very first trip- we were not prepared for the effects of the sun) But we still wound up loving Disney. Disney perks up your mood!

That's a good point. I was pushing my grandma around in one for a day and it's tiring even if the ground is mostly flat. Good gracious if there's a hill. Most of WDW is fairly flat mercifully.

I pushed a wheelchair around Epcot all day once, in the summer...it sucked. It was very crowded and miserably hot. The CM's were great to us for the most part, but there were a couple issues. One, we did not know at the beginning of the day we were going to need a wheelchair. My girlfriend at the time suffered some sort of back injury early in the day and had trouble walking. Actually getting a wheelchair was a bit of an ordeal, then it was unclear to us if we needed a Special Assistance Pass or not (now I know that's for guests that may need some assistance, but are not in a wheelchair). Most of the attraction queues did not accommodate the wheelchair, so were able to be skipped. It's important to note that doesn't mean you won't have to wait, only that you will not have to stand in the regular line. That said, we did not have to wait very long in any line except Soarin'. That was the worst experience of the day. After going through the wheelchair ordeal, by the time we got to Soarin' all the fast passes were gone for the day. So, we asked a CM where the accessible entrance was. The CM said in a flippant fashion, we'd just have to wait in the regular line with everyone else. I had no problem waiting my turn, but waiting somewhere over two hours (I stopped counting after that) pushing a wheelchair up a never-ending hill a few feet at a time was HORRIBLE. All told, we still managed to have a great time.

I hate standing in the Soarin' line to begin with, I don't even want to think about it with a wheelchair trying to roll back on me.

It did, but it was the typical one per rear wheel. Locking each one every once in a while is handy. After the umpteenth time though, it was a pain and I gave up.

The should have let one of you wait in line while everyone else waited somewhere flat and then just let you all catch up at the end. I'm not sure there's room to get a wheelchair by people in the line there though. You'd definitely run over some toes.

There would be ample room on a normal day, but a packed day like that all the guests are shoulder to shoulder (another reason that part was not so swell).

Interestingly, we've survived Disney with food poisoning as well! I'm a little concerned about the prevalence I've been hearing about food poisoning in WDW...

As for a broken bone or something like that, I think I'd still go. If there was any way to push the trip back six weeks until it healed, I might consider it, though. Spending all that money for a less-than-ideal trip might not be worth it if the ideal trip is just six weeks away.

I've also always wondered how pregnant moms deal with not being able to ride the good rides!

Which fine dining establishment had you guys all green in the face? For us it was Chef Mickey

We got food poisoning too. Teppan Edo for us. Maybe we need a "where did you get food poisoning thread.". I bet buffets are common sources.

We had reservations for Pop Century starting May 3. Jan was in the hospital up until May 2. I had told the nurses and Dr.s that I was picking Jan up at the front door of the hospital at 10AM on May 3. They better have her release ready by then. They let her out the day before so she could pack her bags. We had a wonderful week at Disney and the following week she was back in the hospital. As always it was worth it.
Joe

Good point, Joe.

Me too. I hope my boss doesn't find this thread.

One year I was a chaperone for my youth group at church and me and a fellow chaperone stopped at Burger King on the way up and had chicken sandwiches.
Well, we got major food poisoning from it. Funny thing was that I got deathly ill on Carousel of Progress yet was able to do Space Mountain. Go figure.
Anyway, if I ever get food poisoning again, I'm heading home. It was the worst Disney trip ever in my life and I've been to Disney more than 100 times in my life. Come to think of it, those are pretty good odds.

I once pushed a friend around Magic Kingdom when he broke his leg.
It was the hardest working day of my life and I'm a nurse.
Those hills are mountains when it's 100 degrees out and you're exhauted.

Now, if someone needs a wheelchair in my party, I make them rent a scooter.
The scooter is just so much better and now they've got companies that will
deliver you a scooter to the resort.

It's shocking how much energy it takes to push something on wheels like that. You'd think it would be like pushing around a shopping cart, but you forget that the shopping cart is filled with 100+ lbs of person. It gets so tiring.

I could never do it at this age but when I was in my 20's I was dumb enough to try it and yes it's quite the workout, especially in the summer sun.

Sounds like a great way to burn off all of those funnel cakes...

Maybe next time DW and I will just take turns pushing each other in wheelchairs to get some extra exercise. I think that's a pretty bad deal for her though.

Um....Disney pregnant? It's kind of a drag...although there are PLENTY of rides to do pg...you just have to be willing to trade Space Mountain for It's a Small World

We did the wheel chair for years then went to renting a scooter while at tha world. When we finally got the power chair I thought I was in heaven.
Joe

Joe -- how often do you have to charge the power chair? More or less than the scooter?

This was like some serious foreshadowing wasn't it???

Anyway...as far as going to WDW pregnant..when I was pregnant I actually really wanted to go to WDW with Dave because it would have been a totally new experience and kind of a fun way to change things up. Plus during my second trimester I felt better than I ever had before (health wise) I had so much energy. We never made it though.

About the same. I charged the scooter at every chance I got and at least every night while in the World and the same with the power chair. We never ran the batteries all the way down so I don't know just how long each will run. Batteries are very expensive. The power chair cost about $6500.00 while the scooter cost about $2500.00. Heck, that chair is worth more than my car.
Joe