For those who can't walk or struggle walking, have you ever been on a ride where the guests needed to be evacuated?

[Simba's Mom]

I can barely walk more than a few steps, and when I'm at WDW, usually solo, I often am afraid of being on a ride that needs to be evacuated (ironically, I find every other aspect of my vacation easy to manage). I probably shouldn't worry, but I'd like to hear some stories from people who've faced this issue. Tell me you survived, please!

 

[Isidro]

I'm not able to stand for a long time , my thighs and bones start hurting..

 

[Mle8308]

I can barely walk more than a few steps, and when I'm at WDW, usually solo, I often am afraid of being on a ride that needs to be evacuated (ironically, I find every other aspect of my vacation easy to manage). I probably shouldn't worry, but I'd like to hear some stories from people who've faced this issue. Tell me you survived, please!

If you aren't able to evacuate the ride vehicle on your own, Reedy Creek Fire/Emergency will be called in to assist. Now if it's a true emergency and waiting is not an option (not a ride malfunction where there is no real danger to guests), I am sure anyone who can will try to help.

 

[Groot]

I have extreme limited mobility and am labeled a fall risk from a life long disability and use a powerchair out in public and a cane to get on/off rides. I’ve never had to be evacuated from a ride, but have seen online where people who are in my situation had to get the paramedics called and get evaced on a stretcher.

 

[SueM in MN]

My family has never been evacuated from a ride in many years of going to WDW (knock on wood).
My daughter is not able to walk or stand. We know that if she needed to be evacuated, we would need to wait for emergency personnel to evacuate her

 

[RoseGold]

I thought about this a lot, as we have a wheelchair bound person. The ride we actually got stuck on the longest was Ariel. And they don’t want anyone walking through the water anyway, so yea. Eventually it started again, but I was wondering how this was going to work.

 

[KPeveler]

I got evacuated from MMRR, and they brought a park chair out to me and asked if i was able to get out of the ride car and sit in that. I know it would not work for everyone, but i have just enough mobility that with my dad helping me, I was able to transfer to the park chair. then the CM pushed me to the ride load area and I transferred to my wheelchair. If I had said no, I could not transfer (like my husband, a paraplegic), they would have called reedy creek to lift him out.

 

[Selket]

I can barely walk more than a few steps, and when I'm at WDW, usually solo, I often am afraid of being on a ride that needs to be evacuated (ironically, I find every other aspect of my vacation easy to manage). I probably shouldn't worry, but I'd like to hear some stories from people who've faced this issue. Tell me you survived, please!

I got the experience everyone dreams of...getting stuck on It's a Small World...haha! We sat in the boat for about an hour until they decided to get everyone off. (Also yes...they did play that dang song for most of that time. When they finally turned it off we knew we were really stuck). CM's came in the water wearing "wader" overalls and what not - they pulled the boats closer to the side for us to get off. I told them that my knees are terrible and they were bad after sitting scrunched in that boat for over an hour. They did ask if I needed full assistance (which I guess was calling the Fire Dept. to help) but I told them if they could offer hands to hold (and my son was there to help pull me up) that I could make it. I think I was the last one off and it was slooow going but I got off the boat. After that we walked out through the back of the ride (kinda cool).

I can see that if you weren't mobile at all or very little that this ride is one where they would have needed to call for some strong people to lift you up and into a stretcher or other device to take you out. I also think we went up or down stairs in the back stage of the ride (which I can do - just very slowly. In the end it was a very memorable experience cause everyone on the boat kind of bonded and chatted and then it was cool to get to walk all through the back of that ride. Plus I can tell everyone I really DID get stuck on the ride everyone jokes about getting stuck on - haha!

I wonder if there is some video that talks about how different rides are evacuated (always wondered about Peter Pan). All the times I've been that (Small World) was the only time I was evacuated cause the ride broke down. **also I think if they had called the fire dept. for an evacuation on that ride they would have parked in the rear and come through the back and helped the person out after others had gotten off so it wouldn't have been a big public production.

 

[Narcoossee11]

It would be the same situation if you were in a building . The fire dept would handle getting you off /out of attraction.
You will be in great hands. Fire dept does rescues every week some where in Orl.

 

[mom2diskids]

I can barely walk more than a few steps, and when I'm at WDW, usually solo, I often am afraid of being on a ride that needs to be evacuated (ironically, I find every other aspect of my vacation easy to manage). I probably shouldn't worry, but I'd like to hear some stories from people who've faced this issue. Tell me you survived, please!

While I am not in your situation I was a DL AP and former CM (in the 90s) and for a period of 15-20 years and went A LOT, minimum once a month and in my teens and twenties multiple times a week, I have been evacuated maybe 10 times and only one time did it appear to be an emergency situation on Indy. There was someone who was not mobile without assistance and was riding with someone who could not help them, the CM advised them to wait to OCFD but other guests took matters into their own hands and, with the guest's permission, carried them from the ride and building. The poor CM probably wanted to have a heart attack, but in that instance all was well that ended well.

 

[SarahM1987]

I had to be taken off a coaster at Kings Island by the fire department, and didn't have any issues or concerns at all. I have a T6 complete spinal cord injury, so I'm paralyzed from just below my chest down. DH could have carried me safely off of the ride, but I feel like a lot of these parks have policies in place to always have the local fire departments evacuate people with various mobility issues from the rides due to liability.

 

[DisneyOma]

I thought about this a lot, as we have a wheelchair bound person. The ride we actually got stuck on the longest was Ariel. And they don’t want anyone walking through the water anyway, so yea. Eventually it started again, but I was wondering how this was going to work.

What water are you talking about?

 

[CJN]

Our safari truck broke down and everyone but another passenger and I were evacuated. They used a simple aluminum ladder to get everyone off. Those trucks are surprisingly high and there was no way I could step down the ladder, much less have been able to walk out once down. My wheelchair was back at the loading platform. The rest of my party evacuated and they said it was a very long walk out.

Neither could the truck be towed because it had a broken tie-rod. So we were stuck there. Reedy Creek fire department showed up and lots of possibilities were discussed - using a sling or slide, etc - and then we would have to be driven out. The other passenger and I both said we’d sit and wait patiently for the truck to get repaired, if that was an option. So that’s what happened. It did make me think hard about what would happen if I had to be evacuated from, say, splash mountain.

 

[Pooh's Pals]

My DH had to be evacuated off Splash mountain when it broke down once. We had stopped just as we got to the first outside part. He has very limited mobility and was unable to stand up and step out of the boat, let alone walk back down several flights of stairs. The Fire Department came and helped him out and then used a special wheeled chair to take him down all the stairs to where his own wheelchair had been brought back to him.

 

[DisneyOma]

Our safari truck broke down and everyone but another passenger and I were evacuated. They used a simple aluminum ladder to get everyone off. Those trucks are surprisingly high and there was no way I could step down the ladder, much less have been able to walk out once down. My wheelchair was back at the loading platform. The rest of my party evacuated and they said it was a very long walk out.

Neither could the truck be towed because it had a broken tie-rod. So we were stuck there. Reedy Creek fire department showed up and lots of possibilities were discussed - using a sling or slide, etc - and then we would have to be driven out. The other passenger and I both said we’d sit and wait patiently for the truck to get repaired, if that was an option. So that’s what happened. It did make me think hard about what would happen if I had to be evacuated from, say, splash mountain.

I'm very, very surprised that anyone is allowed to walk out of the safari, and I'm also surprised that they just didn't send another vehicle. Also amazed that they were able to fix a broken tie rod out on the savannah, not in a garage.

 

[CJN]

I'm very, very surprised that anyone is allowed to walk out of the safari, and I'm also surprised that they just didn't send another vehicle. Also amazed that they were able to fix a broken tie rod out on the savannah, not in a garage.

Supervisors were immediately on the scene and the first thing said to us were assurances that we were safe from any possible animal attacks. To tell the truth, that hadn’t even crossed my mind until they mentioned it. The rest of my party walked out and they said they went up and down a steep stepped area and a gate, so they definitely crossed over a containment berm.

What surprised me is that there were at least two, if not three, vehicles stopped behind us that also were evacuated. I couldn’t figure out why those weren’t simply turned around to go back. Apparently there’s no alternate route of getting them back to the unloading area.

The mechanics gave an estimate of 30 minutes to fix the tie rod once they had the parts and tools there. The time estimate ended up being right on target. I have to admit it was kind of fun.

 

[robinb]

I used a scooter last week. One CM actually asked me about if I could walk down some stairs if I needed to be evacuated. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which one it was.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

I'm very, very surprised that anyone is allowed to walk out of the safari, and I'm also surprised that they just didn't send another vehicle. Also amazed that they were able to fix a broken tie rod out on the savannah, not in a garage.

It is not too tough to change out a tie rod on one of those semi paved roads.

The alignment will be off but they can eyeball it and make the truck drivable.

It will need to be properly aligned in the shop after the part change-out.

Those front ends take a beating because of the procedure where they purposely steer towards the passenger side as they approach the loading zone.

I am sure those shop folks have it down to a science regarding certain part change outs while the vehicle is out and about.

 

[Lewisc]

I used a scooter last week. One CM actually asked me about if I could walk down some stairs if I needed to be evacuated. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which one it was.

Mid May we were asked that exact question at Splash Mountain. They were explicit, only cared if you could walk down stairs not up

 

[DisneyMama811]

I got the experience everyone dreams of...getting stuck on It's a Small World...haha! We sat in the boat for about an hour until they decided to get everyone off. (Also yes...they did play that dang song for most of that time. When they finally turned it off we knew we were really stuck). CM's came in the water wearing "wader" overalls and what not - they pulled the boats closer to the side for us to get off. I told them that my knees are terrible and they were bad after sitting scrunched in that boat for over an hour. They did ask if I needed full assistance (which I guess was calling the Fire Dept. to help) but I told them if they could offer hands to hold (and my son was there to help pull me up) that I could make it. I think I was the last one off and it was slooow going but I got off the boat. After that we walked out through the back of the ride (kinda cool).

I can see that if you weren't mobile at all or very little that this ride is one where they would have needed to call for some strong people to lift you up and into a stretcher or other device to take you out. I also think we went up or down stairs in the back stage of the ride (which I can do - just very slowly. In the end it was a very memorable experience cause everyone on the boat kind of bonded and chatted and then it was cool to get to walk all through the back of that ride. Plus I can tell everyone I really DID get stuck on the ride everyone jokes about getting stuck on - haha!

I wonder if there is some video that talks about how different rides are evacuated (always wondered about Peter Pan). All the times I've been that (Small World) was the only time I was evacuated cause the ride broke down. **also I think if they had called the fire dept. for an evacuation on that ride they would have parked in the rear and come through the back and helped the person out after others had gotten off so it wouldn't have been a big public production.

TPMvids on YouTube often does videos on "Disney Fails" which is usually ride break downs or animatronic malfunctions, often times they've shown footage (sent in by viewers) of various rides being evacuated, it's actually very interesting!