Disneyland for Bilateral AKA Child

[desertdolly]

My family is planning to visit Disneyland in early April and as it gets closer I have a few issues I've come across for my 10yo bilateral AKA son. One of the biggest issues we are encountering is deciding if we should bring his chair or rely on renting one. We have twin 2 year olds as well, and will need to accommodate them with a stroller. In our vehicle it's either a double stroller and no chair, or buying umbrella strollers with a connector and bringing a wheelchair. I was initially planning to rely solely on renting a wheelchair, as the double stroller will give us a little bit of storage space in the park.

However, I read the Disney website advising that wheelchair rentals are limited and to arrive early. If we happen to be unlucky one day, he could end up without a wheelchair which would essentially make the park inaccessible for him that day. The wheelchair is our number one priority so right now that's the plan, but I'm curious if anyone has experience with exactly how limited the rentals are? How early do they run out of them and is having your own wheelchair preferable?

Also hoping someone has some previous experiences with rides at Disneyland specifically with above knee prosthesis. I could use some guidance as to what may or may not be comfortable for him and what he definitely won't be able to ride as he's never been on amusement park rides in his life and I want him to enjoy the experience.

 

[lanejudy]

to the DISboards!

We do have some posters here who are familiar with the California parks, but you might also post on the Disneyland Forum.

At the Florida parks, it does happen that wheelchair rentals run out, but that isn’t a common occurrence. Mostly during the very busiest of times. For WDW I would recommend a third party wheelchair vendor and getting a smaller chair which would be more comfortable for him.

Hopefully someone can share suggestions for wheelchair rentals in the CA parks.

As for rides, I don’t believe Disney has any specific limitations regarding amputees. I think I have read a couple mentions of removing prosthetics for Soarin’ rather than allowing it to just dangle. Even the “thrill rides” at Disney aren’t as extreme as some other theme parks.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[mamabunny]

I don't have any experience at DL, but if you can rent a double stroller at DL I would do that - and bring his own chair.

If you choose to rent a chair at DL, remember that it will be a heavy duty standard chair. For example, if he is used to a gel cushion, or a smaller size chair, he may struggle with a standard adult sized rental.

It is possible that wheelchairs run out faster at DL, like they do at WDW, simply because they are a cheaper rental option than the scooters.

Does his medical team have any recommendations or insights to offer regarding which rides/which types of rides he should avoid?

 

[DisneyOma]

My family is planning to visit Disneyland in early April and as it gets closer I have a few issues I've come across for my 10yo bilateral AKA son. One of the biggest issues we are encountering is deciding if we should bring his chair or rely on renting one. We have twin 2 year olds as well, and will need to accommodate them with a stroller. In our vehicle it's either a double stroller and no chair, or buying umbrella strollers with a connector and bringing a wheelchair. I was initially planning to rely solely on renting a wheelchair, as the double stroller will give us a little bit of storage space in the park.

However, I read the Disney website advising that wheelchair rentals are limited and to arrive early. If we happen to be unlucky one day, he could end up without a wheelchair which would essentially make the park inaccessible for him that day. The wheelchair is our number one priority so right now that's the plan, but I'm curious if anyone has experience with exactly how limited the rentals are? How early do they run out of them and is having your own wheelchair preferable?

Also hoping someone has some previous experiences with rides at Disneyland specifically with above knee prosthesis. I could use some guidance as to what may or may not be comfortable for him and what he definitely won't be able to ride as he's never been on amusement park rides in his life and I want him to enjoy the experience.

I would bring his chair - I'm guessing the ones at Disneyland would be just as worn out and uncomfortable (and big!) as the ones at WDW. Could you get a storage pod to put on top of your car to hold the stroller?

 

[MinnieMSue]

I would bring his chair as it would be more comfortable for him. I am guessing he could walk to the rental area but if not that would be an obvious problem. I would probably just rent a double Disney stroller for the twins. It isn’t the most comfortable but should be fine.

 

[Mrsjvb]

the chairs available at the parks are adult sized. bring his. strollers are far more universal and renting one at the parks is much less hassle.

 

[Mamabun]

I have limited experience with strollers and wheelchairs at Disneyland, but I don’t think Disneyland rents doubles, like WDW does. 3rd party rentals are certainly available. I’ve used City Stroller Rentals and was very happy with them, but they are other companies as well. I saw wheelchairs available every time I looked last year (all days, all times of day), but we were there during a slowish time.

Whatever ends up working out for you, I hope you all have a marvelous time.

 

[cattywampus]

Disneylander here!

Regardless of which one you rent, I would rent offsite. There are services that deliver to your hotel and are generally more comfortable than those rented at the park.

Moreover, they can be removed from the park, while DL rentals cannot. This becomes really important going to/from your hotel, park hopping (remember DL parks are a quick trip across the esplanade), and going to Downtown Disney. I think it is also less expensive.

I agree: bring the chair, rent the stroller. They have a lot of options on strollers. Fewer on chairs.

 

[KPeterso]

I would do as others suggest. Bring the chair and rent a stroller. But if you want to rent a wheelchair offsite at Disneyland, we have used Deckerts. We normally rent from Disneyland directly when we go on day trips and have never had a problem getting one. Oh and they have replaced all of the wheelchairs for rent at Disneyland a few months ago and they are really nice and super easy to push now. But if we are staying there for a few days, we rent from an offsite place to have it all the way to the hotel. We used Deckerts and were able to get one quickly. The hotel had them on hand and Deckerts just told me which number and the confirmation number, and I gave it to Bell services who brought me the wheelchair out.

 

[desertdolly]

Thank you all for the advice, I had no idea that double strollers were an option there as well. I had totally ruled out stroller renting because I thought we wouldn't have enough hands to push two strollers and his wheelchair! Definitely going to just bring his chair, if for nothing other he's used to it and he can zip around in it very well. The double stroller definitely takes up more room than his little Quickie2.

Thank you again! I'm so glad I found you guys, I was getting a little worried as I get closer to the final planning stages. One less thing to worry about now!

 

[lanejudy]

I had no idea that double strollers were an option there as well. I had totally ruled out stroller renting because I thought we wouldn't have enough hands to push two strollers and his wheelchair!

Just to clarify... the CA parks do not rent double strollers, only singles. However, you can rent a double from an off-site vendor; it will be delivered to your hotel. Doubles are allowed in the parks, just to available to rent from Disney.

Enjoy your vacation!