My own wheelchair....question

I will be visiting WDW in May with my mom and I will be taking my own wheelchair. I can't walk long distances and have trouble standing too long. I can transfer easily if needed at the attractions. My question is this....what do the staff at the attractions do with your wheelchair? Mom and I would like to ride most everything together, but am wondering where they would put my wheelchair while we are riding the attraction. Is it secure? Sure can't afford to have my wheelchair stolen! Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!:wink:

:welcome2: to DWT!

It varies from attraction to attraction, but in most cases I can think of off the top of my head, you either board & exit at the same point, leaving your wheelchair there, or when you board the attraction a Cast Member will move your wheelchair to the exit platform of the attraction for you, so that it is waiting for your return.

Yep Pat is right. Some attractions (like the Great Movie Ride and Energy) allow you to ride while still in your chair. For the ones that do not, your chair is left at the exit for you.

The unloading areas are within the attraction so they are secure. We were on Everest this summer and a gentleman with great arm strength flipped himself onto the ride and when it was over the chair was waiting exactly where he was to disembark in the unload area. He flipped himself right into it and was gone before we could even gather our belongings. Amazing. So yes they are secure. Also, I don't think a guest would get very far with it. Security is good, and if you immediately told any CM it was gone all CM eyes would be peeled looking for one of that description. Disney would not look kindly on that kind of a theft. My DD8 at the time was in a wheelchair for one visit due to an injury to her knee. All the CM's were so kind to her.

We've taken my sons wheelchair for the last 3 yrs and its always been secure. It's left where you got out of it or taken to the exit of the ride. Its usually in an area where cast members are so its not out with the strollers. We even leave it piled up with bags, although we never leave anything valuable in it.

My DH's aunt and uncle take their EVCs with them when they go to Disney and they've never had a problem yet with anyone taking them. They've gone quite a few times.

I use my own chair all the time. The only time I ever had a problem was at Maelstrom in Norway. When I got off the ride my chair wasn't there. Luckily there was a bench nearby that DH escorted me to. He then went and told the Cast Member. She was most apologetic and recovered it promptly.

Have a great time!!!

Thanks everyone for the replies! We just returned from our trip and it was great! I have to give Disney an A+++ for everything they do to help guests with disabilities have a fun time. Everything was so much easier than I had expected with my wheelchair. Thanks Disney!!!:thumbs:

my grandfather is also handicapped and can not walk for long without crutches he always brings his own chair into the park and never his crutches because he would be too slow and tired and they would be in everyones way if we tried to carry them... CMs always do an excellent job of helping those with wheelchairs since my grandfather can not stand unaided usually someone in my family along with a CM will assist him there are some rides that are a tad more challenging though... for example the Haunted Mansion.. CMs will bring riders in wheelchairs to the exit to get on but sometimes they expect you to walk a very short distance on a slow moving sidewalk however my grandfather can not do this so we ask the CMs to stop the ride quickly we roll my grandfather straight up to the buggy and then hop in so the ride can start moving again it takes very little time... on the way off we exit immediatly and my grandfather holds on tho the railing and rides on the walkway all the way to the end where one of our family members and a CM asists him back into his chair... the CMs are more than accomodating and will help whenever asked!

The only thing that I can advise you, is that when a CM asks you to leave your key, leave your key. All they want to do is move your chair to the exit. There are also numerous CMs nearby watching the chairs at all times, so there's no need to be concerned with someone stealing your chair!

I don't think I've ever seen a CM ask to keep the key, or have seen keys still in them while they're parked at an attraction. There's usually a manual release switch on the bottom of the chairs that the CMs use to move the chairs without the use of a key.

I have used a wheelchair from the WDW resort (for free!) and only had 1 place where there was a problem. One time on Pirates, at the end of the ride we discovered that the person in front of us took my wheelchair instead of their own. My son went tearing after them, but never caught them. The cast member called for another one (I use the wide one, which they didn't have right there). It wasn't too long of a wait before another cast member came with it. So my suggestion is to tie something to the arm or handle that will easily let someone else know they have the wrong chair. I plan to do that next time so this won't happen again. Otherwise, the cast members make it very easy with transferring the chairs from the entrance to the exit. It is amazing how they do it, but when you get off - there it is (usually!). I love WDW for their catering to people with disabilities.