Help...planning a trip to Disney w/ Sick Mom

[Billmel]

A little background....my mom (61 this year) was diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma, a very rare form of cancer, in July of last year. It usually attacks the smooth muscle organs in the body...anyway...She was told at that point that she would only have about 2-3 years, and it wasnt' a matter of if the cancer came back, it was when the cancer came back. Well I was talking to my DH about taking my mom back to Disney for a trip before she got really sick and where trying to come up with a plan....my mom is a disney finatic. That is where I get it I come by it naturally. My mom and I were talking a couple of months ago about how she would never get to see disney again, and wishes she could go one more time....how could I not try and plan this???

Well we are trying to plan a trip for next May, but we will have to take my MIL with us. So that is a 77 year old, who is pretty active for her age, but gets tired out easily, so she will probably need a wheel chair, and my mom who will definetly need one. I have never gone to DW with anyone that needs a wheelchair, and would like to find some information on this. Would 2 motorized chairs be better than the push chairs. We are also trying to do this on a budget since we will be paying for both mom's trips, where can I find price's for the chairs, can the be rented before we get there? We will most likely bring our Camper and stay at a preffered site in FW so they will have the comforts of home. I would like for them both to get the full benefits of DW, including parades, shows, etc. Where can I find info on handicapped seating, how does it work getting on the rides. They will both ride anything but the fast rides, and the coasters.

Any help or pointers would be so greatly appreciated. I so want to make this trip so special for my mom, she is my very best friend. She took us to Disney so many times when we were little, and now I want to do the same for her.

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.
I'll start out with some answers and I'm sure others will chime in.

I have never gone to DW with anyone that needs a wheelchair, and would like to find some information on this. Would 2 motorized chairs be better than the push chairs. We are also trying to do this on a budget since we will be paying for both mom's trips, where can I find price's for the chairs, can they be rented before we get there?

In order to use push (manual) wheelchairs, you would need two people who can push. I don't know if you are going with a group, but that would be one factor to look at.
If you want to have motorized, what you want to ask for is ecv or electric scooters (power wheelchairs are different and are not rented in the parks at all or from outside places unless people already have one). I think you need to discuss with your mom and MIL to see how comfortable they would be driving an ecv. They are not hard to drive, but can be intimidating, especially for someone who does not drive a car.
Many people prefer to rent from an off-site company for the length of their stay. If you do that, you can rent ahead of time and have the wheelchairs/ecvs delivered to your resort. Some will give a discount for renting more than one.
This is a list of companies that DIS posters commonly report good experiences with. They are in alphabetical order, in categories.
Full Service Medical Companies can rent wheelchairs, ecvs and other medical equipment/supplies.
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
Phone (407) 856-2273 • Toll Free U.S and Canada (800) 741-2282
Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com
(800)747-0246
Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com
Companies that Specialize in Mobility devices (chiefly scooters)
RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/
http://www.scootaround.com/ Not much feedback. Several people who reported they had no problems.

Randy's requires that someone be there for delivery and pick up. The rest will deliver to Bell Services and leave it for you.

Where can I find info on handicapped seating, how does it work getting on the rides. They will both ride anything but the fast rides, and the coasters.

If you click on this link to the disABILITIES FAQs thread, the part titled "Helpful Links" will give you a link to a past thread about boarding rides and also to the info on the official Disney website, including their Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities.
In general, teh CMs will notice the wheelchair and route you to the correct place for boarding. Most of the shows have specific spots in the back for guests traveling in wheelchairs. The wheelchair/special needs spots for parade and Illuminations viewing are marked on the park maps, so you should be able to find them. May is not a really busy time, so you might not find the posts to be very full.

If you think of any more questions, go ahead and ask. We ant to help you make this a very special trip.
(Even if someone asked the same question before, you might have other concerns about it).

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would agree that you are probably better off with ECVs and not push chairs. Unless you are used to pushing a chair it can get very exhausting and there are hills which normally are not noticable. Note you can have them go to a Wal-Mart or large grocery store to try out an ECV; remember that the rentals are (a) much more maneuverable, and (b) can go much faster, than the ones in the stores.

However, what will you be using for transportation? You said you will have your camper. If it self-contained will you be towing a car? If it is towed, what will you be using to tow it? The reason I ask is that the Disney buses can only handle two ECVs or wheelchairs per bus. I know of no car that can handle two ECVs in the trunk alone and to handle two you would need both a large trunk and room in the back seat for the ECV seat (and possibly batteries). If you have a van or large SUV and you remove the last row of seats you should be able to put in two ECVs.

 

[clkelley]

We had no troubles getting two ECVs loaded on the buses our last trip. We had three ECVs that trip, so they would always immediately send a second bus for the rest of our group and the third ECV.

If you are staying at Ft. Wilderness in your camper, the ECVs obviously won't fit in the camper so bring a rain shelter with you to set up to park the ECVs under when you are at the campground. Gas grill covers also make good covers for ECVs.

 

[clkelley]

Another note, it is possible when staying at Ft. Wilderness to get to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and the Studios without using the buses if water levels allow.

Magic Kingdom - take the boat
Epcot - take the boat to Magic Kingdom then monorail to Epcot
Studios - take the boat to Magic Kingdom then monorail to Epcot, then drive through Epcot, then out the International Gateway and take the path to the Studios.

Carol

 

[SueOKW]

I just lost my sister to breast cancer last week. She and I spent a lot of time in the last 9 years building memories and having fun, so I think what you are doing is great!! Just the planning alone will be fun for you and your mom.

As noted, you'll find most of your answers in the FAQs and from others, I just wanted to tell you about some of the things I've done that made our trips special... we hired a disney photographer for family photos - that's expensive and I know you are on a budget, so the next best thing is to let the main street photogs take your picture - make sure you pick the last one closest to the castle! We went to some character meals - a great time to sit and be close and watch the kids without rushing anywhere. We loved our pool time - just reading and people watching. I think actually, she enjoyed that even more than the parks - but I know everyone is different.

Have fun and enjoy each other.