Whoa Child, planning a family vacation in itself to any Disney Destination is a hard task, but what do you do when you have to consider an individual in a wheelchair? My middle daughter, Taylor, is 11-years old and has Spina Bifida. She is wheelchair bound and when planning any family vacation, I plan around how accessible the destination truly is for her. Will transportation be an issue? Will the theme park be truly accommodating because not ALL parks are.
I am all about transparency and being honest, can Disney World be expensive, yes! If you are focused on cost only and not the perks and benefits of staying at a Disney World property, it will appear to be costly depending on which property category you select. For me, it is all about convenience.
One of the biggest perks of staying on-property for my family is utilizing the free Disney Transportation to travel to and from Disney properties and theme parks! As a recent divorced single mom of three, this perk was very beneficial and made getting around extremely easy for my daughter. We never had to break her wheelchair down and all forms of transportation Disney World offered were handicap accessible, she never had to transfer from her wheelchair to a seat. The bus schedule was posted in the Disney World app and at our resort. In addition I did not have to worry about the cost of a rental car, which saved me $600 -$900 based on the size vehicle I would require to accommodate my family.
You have made it to Disney World and you are ready to tackle the theme parks, this is where planning is critical. I highly recommend using a travel advisor or family vacation planner to assist with this task, we are free of charge to you! The first year I took my children to Disney World we planned NOTHING and it showed. It was hard to secure dining reservations and we were all over the place when securing fast passes. I wasted a lot of my strength pushing my daughter all over the park to meet the fast pass times. Now unlike other theme parks we have visited, she was NEVER DENINED access to a ride that she was the proper height for. The cast members treated her with care and some rides they allowed her to ride back to back. I recommend obtaining a map of the theme parks and reviewing your ride list prior to going. You are also able to setup your DAS (Disability Access Service) 30 days prior to your trip on the app or by visiting guest services upon arrival. This will allow you to setup Lighting Lane return times for rides once you are at the park.
A huge perk staying on a Disney World property is early entry into the themed parks. We were able to tackle all of the rides in Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland before it was opened to the public. By doing this, my daughter and I were able to save arm strength by not having to push her from all ends of the park and we avoided the large crowds. If you are able to stay at a deluxe resort, parks have late after hours exclusively for Disney World deluxe resort guest. This will also help with quick access to popular rides.
Overall, I will say Disney World theme parks have been the best parks I have experienced in regards to accessibility for my daughter. If you have a special needs child and need assistance with planning your next family vacation, REQUEST A FREE QUOTE today.
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