Apr 16, 20217 min read

Walt Disney World with Mobility Issues

Walt Disney World is known to some for being physically strenuous. It is so much larger than Disneyland California, that you will be walking up to 10 miles or more per day (the lowest mileage I've ever done at Walt Disney World was 4 miles). There is just so much space! But don't let that fool you into thinking a visit is impossible if you find yourself unable to move around that much. Walt Disney World is incredibly accommodating to differently abled guests.

Today, we're going to examine the accommodations for guests with mobility issues at Walt Disney world, whether it be a lifelong disability or a short term injury.

Image credit: Swandolphin.com

Scooter/ECV Rentals

You can rent an ECV for the day at any Disney theme park and that rental will be transferrable to other parks you might visit with a hopper throughout the day. However, renting from a Disney theme park does not offer a length of stay option. If moving between parks, you will return your scooter when exiting one park, and then show a receipt of rental at the next park in the same day to get a new scooter there. Scooters can also be held for guests who leave and will return to the same park. This can be acceptable if the walking of long distances is the problem, but short distances are ok. Rental rates from Disney are $50 per day and a deposit.

The deposit varies depending on your point of rental. If renting at Disney Springs or a Disney water park, the deposit is a fully refundable $100. If renting at a Disney theme park, the deposit is a fully refundable $20.

The other option is to rent a scooter from Scooterbug which is a private stroller, wheelchair, and ECV rental company that Disney prefers. While there are other companies in the area that will rent scooters, the advantage of choosing Scooterbug is that you can have your ECV delivered to your Disney Resort Hotel and do not need to be present at the time of delivery. This means, if you want a scooter for your length of stay, you can rent one to be ready upon your arrival at a Disney Resort Hotel and they will hold it for you at the hotel. Bell services will also work with Scooterbug to arrange pick up of your scooter at the end of your stay and will hold your scooter if you do not want it in your room overnight. However, one advantage of keeping the scooter in your room is to charge it overnight.

One last option, aside from bringing your own, that we don't recommend, is to rent from another private company. The only reason this is not recommended is because you will have to be present when your scooter is delivered, meaning that a good chunk of your arrival day might be taken waiting for your delivery time, and then waiting to collect the scooter upon delivery. Also, bell services will not arrange the return of your scooter at the end of your stay, so there goes more time. In fact, bell services won't hold a scooter from a company other than Scooterbug at any time, so you will have to keep it in your room. If you request a handicap accessible room, this should be no issue. However, you might run into issues in smaller rooms that are not handicap accessible.

How to ride attractions

Disney has three modes of operation when a guest is in a wheelchair or ECV for loading the guest onto attractions. The method depends on the attraction, and Cast Members at the attraction entrance will help you understand what is expected.

1) Stay in your wheelchair or ECV - This is most common or show attractions like Muppet Vision 3D. However, some shows have interactive elements built into the seats like Mickey's Philharmagic or It's Tough To Be A Bug. If you wish to experience the interactive elements, and are comfortable transferring to an attraction seat, let the Cast Member know.

2) Transfer from your ECV to a wheelchair - This might be necessary at the beginning of some ride queues if the queue can't be easily navigated by an ECV. You can navigate the queue in a wheelchair and then EITHER:

Stay in the wheelchair if the ride has wheelchair cars. Be aware that rides with wheelchair cars usually only have one such car, so you might have to wait for that car to come around again. However, these cars are big enough to accommodate your wheelchair and the other members of your party.

Transfer from the wheelchair to the ride vehicle at some point very near the loading area. This will never be so far away from the loading area that it is unreasonable to get to the ride vehicle with the help of a Cast Member or your party members. This will be common in rides that do not have wheelchair vehicles such as rides where you need to wear restraints for your safety.

3) Stay in your ECV during the queue and then transfer to the ride vehicle -Some queues can be navigated with an ECV. When that is the case, you can use the ECV throughout the entire queue and then somewhere near the loading point, you will park the ECV and ride the ride. You will collect the ECV upon exit.

Guest Services has a special map for people with mobility issues that will describe the loading process for each attraction. You can also find the info on MyDisneyExperience, or just ask the Cast Members near the entrance to the attraction.

Image credit: World of Walt

How to ride Disney transportation

If using the bus, bus queues will have a separate queue area for guests in scooters or wheelchairs. You should always enter that queue area, even if the normal line is very long. Family can wait with the guest in the wheelchair or ECV. When a bus arrives, usually one or two wheelchairs or ECVs can be loaded. These will always be loaded first, much to the disappointment of other guests. Then, the family of this person will board. And then general boarding will commence.

Upon arrival at your destination, you will exit last.

For the monorail, you will board and ride in the same line and car as other guests, but the cast member will need to put down a portable ramp to the bridge the gap between the station and the car. Once that's down, you can slowly roll over it and load.

When departing, wait again for the cast member to put the ramp down.

Disney water transportation varies in accessibility. Larger boats like the Magic Kingdom ferry, the EPCOT Friendship boats, the Disney Springs water taxis, and the Sassagoula River cruise should be able to accommodate your ECV or wheelchair. If the boat has an enclosed area, you will be asked to be in that area so you are not blocking fire exits, which is kind of a bummer on the Magic Kingdom ferry. Smaller boats like the resort launches may not be able to accommodate you.

The pilot will need to place a ramp that allows you to board. If the water is high, the pilot will board other guests before you to try to make that ramp more level. If the water is low, the pilot will board you first. Always insist on having the ramp placed before boarding and it should go without saying, but board and disembark at the slowest speed possible lest you shoot yourself straight into the water.

The Disney Skyliner is ECV accessible as well. You will board in a different line for guests with wheelchairs and ECVs. In this line, a gondola will divert from the main line and fully stop so you have time to board rather than trying to board a moving gondola. A cast member will place wheel blocks around your wheelchair or ECV and then when the gondola gets going, it will rejoin the main line. Same thing in reverse for getting off. No ramp is needed as the gondola is flush with the loading platform when it stops.

Do guests in ECVs or wheelchairs get to skip lines?

In our experience, the answer is "no". Guests in ECVs or wheelchairs should expect to wait as long as the average guest for rides, shows, and transportation. Even if the attraction has a special queue for guests with disabilities, the truth is there may be fewer ride vehicles equipped to load wheelchairs or ECVs than not. Therefore, you will still be waiting until that vehicle becomes available. And if people on ECVs or wheelchairs an enter the main ride queue, either on an ECV or wheelchair, then you're in the main ride queue. So it just depends on the ride.

Bottom line is don't expect to get special treatment, and don't expect to get worse treatment. What many people might be thinking of when they think guests in wheelchairs or ECVs "skip lines" is the Disability Access Pass, which is also issued for Disney for guests with certain disabilities, however those disabilities tend to be less mobility-related and more cognitive-related. For example, if there is an autistic child who can't handle being in a loud ride queue or pre-show area, the Disability Access Pass will allow them to wait in a quiet area until it is their turn to ride. You will see them walk right on, but they have received a return time previously and will have to wait until that return time to "walk right on".

What else is good to know?

You will go through the same security process everyone does. Cast Members will ask if you are comfortable getting up and walking through the scanner. This is not a requirement, so answer based on your ability.
Navigating crowded paths in an ECV is challenging. Guests dart in front of things and you can expect to slam on the brakes fairly frequently or even come to a dead stop when you can't get through a crowd. Allow more time to get from place to place and unless you are a thrill-seeker, don't even try rope dropping popular attractions.
There is a really great website for Walt Disney World guests with disabilities here (This is their mobility page but there is a lot more!)

We hope we at least started you on the right foot to finding information about how guests of all abilities can enjoy Walt Disney World. There is a lot that Disney does when it comes to different challenges for guests such as food allergies, sensory issues, and hearing and vision issues. Do you want to see more posts along these lines? Let us know in the comments or over on our Facebook page. Until next time...