New WDW ride attractions with wheelchair access?

[smscrapbooks]

My husband is a C5-C6 quadriplegic and is unable to transfer. It has been disappointing to him that Disney's newest rides haven't had an option for a wheelchair to board (Navii River, Alien Saucers, etc.). We have 3 children (age 11, 9, and 5) and it is sad for them that Daddy can't ride the new rides with them. Has anyone heard if any new rides will have wheelchair access?

 

[gap2368]

Are you asking about the Star Wars land rides?

 

[arminnie]

Based on recent (past few years) new rides - there is no emphasis put on having wheelchair access. I use a power chair - but can do a pivot transfer. But even with that many of the new rides are not acceptable to anyone who cannot step out of a low boat even if they can walk. So don't expect much from Disney in terms of providing access to those who cannot transfer.

 

[smscrapbooks]

I was thinking specifically of Ratatouille, Galaxy's Edge, Mickey/Minnie's Runaway Railway, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the new Cars themed attraction over by Tower of Terror. Any ideas why Disney has been less wheelchair friendly of late in their rides? I was especially puzzled why Navii River didn't have wheelchair access.

 

[mamabunny]

I was thinking specifically of Ratatouille, Galaxy's Edge, Mickey/Minnie's Runaway Railway, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the new Cars themed attraction over by Tower of Terror. Any ideas why Disney has been less wheelchair friendly of late in their rides? I was especially puzzled why Navii River didn't have wheelchair access.

Yeah... us too. There's a been a *LOT* of discussion on this very topic around here...

And no real answers.

 

[SueM in MN]

I was thinking specifically of Ratatouille, Galaxy's Edge, Mickey/Minnie's Runaway Railway, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the new Cars themed attraction over by Tower of Terror. Any ideas why Disney has been less wheelchair friendly of late in their rides? I was especially puzzled why Navii River didn't have wheelchair access.

There isn’t a lot of information out there about the new attractions, but here is what my guesses are:

Ratatouille- this is being copied from Disneyland France, which does have a wheelchair accessible vehicle. The pictures I’ve seen show it very similar to existing WDW attraction wheelchair vehicles such as Little Mermaid and Winnie the Pooh.

Galaxy’s Edge:
Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run doesn’t have a lot of information, but the videos I’ve seen look like the vehicles will be smaller versions of the current Star Wars WDW simulator ride. From the short bits I’ve seen, the ride looks as turbulent as the current Star Wars ride. So, my best guess is that it won’t have a wheelchair accessible spot because it would be too difficult to securely tie down.

Rise of the Resistance: the information about the ride says your group may be captured and ride a trackless troop transport thru scenes. The videos I’ve seen look like they are very slow moving vehicles and would be large enough for wheelchair access. They look like smaller, themed versions of the previous Great Movie Ride cars.
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...for-disneyland-and-walt-disney-world-resorts/

Mickey/Minnie’s Runaway Railroad - the concept pictures look like very much like smaller versions of the Grest Movie ride vehicles. They do look like they could accommodate at wheelchair, similar to the way the Great Movie ride vehicles did. https://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-world/hollywood-studios/mickey-and-minnies-runaway-railway.htm

Guardians of The Galaxy - this is a roller coaster and will include spinning/rotating, so I’m pretty certain it will not be able to have an accessible ride car. https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...to-feature-storytelling-coaster-ride-vehicle/

Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy - is a show, so my guess is that there will be wheelchair spots.

I think one of the reasons that wheelchair accessibility is ‘taking a back seat’ is that there is a big emphasis on making attractions more ‘exciting’ , which also means faster moving & more turbulent in many cases. That doesn’t mix so well with wheelchair accessibility, especially considering the different sizes, shapes and ease of tying down wheelchairs. The ADA doesn’t require attractions be wheelchair accessible, it just has guideline for space if a vehicle is accessible and for transfers.

Regarding Navi River - I’ve heard rumors that the ride path was changed from the original plans. I don’t know if that is true, but the rumor said the route was made shorter and had tighter turns, which required a smaller boat - too small for a ramp.

 

[SueM in MN]

Disneyland Paris Ratatouille wheelchair ride vehicle




Concept Art Guardians of the Galaxy ride car



Concept art Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

 

[smscrapbooks]

Thank you SueM!

 

[cmwade77]

Ratatouille- this is being copied from Disneyland France, which does have a wheelchair accessible vehicle. The pictures I’ve seen show it very similar to existing WDW attraction wheelchair vehicles such as Little Mermaid and Winnie the Pooh.

I see no reason that this one wouldn't be accessible then, so if it turns out to not be accessible, then I really will wonder what Disney is thinking or not thinking.

Galaxy’s Edge:
Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run doesn’t have a lot of information, but the videos I’ve seen look like the vehicles will be smaller versions of the current Star Wars WDW simulator ride. From the short bits I’ve seen, the ride looks as turbulent as the current Star Wars ride. So, my best guess is that it won’t have a wheelchair accessible spot because it would be too difficult to securely tie down.

I think this one could actually go either way given how the vehicles are designed it might be possible to have a spot that could easily secure a wheelchair, but it is equally possible that this wouldn't be doable as any method I can think of would require the chair to drop some into the floor and I don't know what might be underneath the vehicle.

Rise of the Resistance: the information about the ride says your group may be captured and ride a trackless troop transport thru scenes. The videos I’ve seen look like they are very slow moving vehicles and would be large enough for wheelchair access. They look like smaller, themed versions of the previous Great Movie Ride cars.
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...for-disneyland-and-walt-disney-world-resorts/

If it doesn't, then we will know Disney does indeed have a bias against those in wheelchairs, as there is no reason that this one shouldn't be fully accessible.

Mickey/Minnie’s Runaway Railroad - the concept pictures look like very much like smaller versions of the Grest Movie ride vehicles. They do look like they could accommodate at wheelchair, similar to the way the Great Movie ride vehicles did. https://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-world/hollywood-studios/mickey-and-minnies-runaway-railway.htm

Same as above,

Guardians of The Galaxy - this is a roller coaster and will include spinning/rotating, so I’m pretty certain it will not be able to have an accessible ride car. https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...to-feature-storytelling-coaster-ride-vehicle/

This is true, but there are things they could do to make transfers easier, such as:

• Make sure the side opens
• Make sure the restraints are friendly to larger people and those with disabilities
• Provide a separate load area for those that are transferring similar to Space Mountain at Disneyland, which would allow for an unlimited amount of time to transfer in and out. This is something that should have been done on 7D Mine Train for example.

Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy - is a show, so my guess is that there will be wheelchair spots.

I think you are most likely right on this one.

I think one of the reasons that wheelchair accessibility is ‘taking a back seat’ is that there is a big emphasis on making attractions more ‘exciting’ , which also means faster moving & more turbulent in many cases. That doesn’t mix so well with wheelchair accessibility, especially considering the different sizes, shapes and ease of tying down wheelchairs. The ADA doesn’t require attractions be wheelchair accessible, it just has guideline for space if a vehicle is accessible and for transfers.

I would agree, except let's look at Flights of Passage as an example, there are numerous ways they could have made it accessible, including, but not limited to:

• "Alternative Seats" - Basically these would be a platform that the wheelchair could sit on and be strapped down, probably with some additional safety items like the floor raising up all around the chair to prevent it from rolling off if the restraints fail. This ride is no rougher than a standard bus ride and they are able to make accommodations on the bus.
• An "Alternative Experience Area" - Similar to Finding Nemo and Sleeping Beauty's Castle walk through at Disneyland, while it wouldn't be perfect, it would at least be a viable option for many that can't do the standard experience for one reason or another.

Navi is another example of how this is taking the backseat and I will explain below.

Regarding Navi River - I’ve heard rumors that the ride path was changed from the original plans. I don’t know if that is true, but the rumor said the route was made shorter and had tighter turns, which required a smaller boat - too small for a ramp.

Navi is definitely not too small for a ramp, they could easily have a vehicle that has space for a wheelchair and instead of putting the ramp on the boat, have the ramp at the exit to where the person in the wheelchair could go on. There might not be room for an additional person, but there definitely could be room for the wheelchair.

You also forgot to mention the TRON Coaster, I don't believe this will be accessible, but my understanding is that in Shanghai the back of each train has an alternative seat for those that can't sit on the traditional bike style seats for whatever reasons and I would hope that would carry over to Disney World's version as well.

 

[bluecruiser]

You also forgot to mention the TRON Coaster, I don't believe this will be accessible, but my understanding is that in Shanghai the back of each train has an alternative seat for those that can't sit on the traditional bike style seats for whatever reasons and I would hope that would carry over to Disney World's version as well.

I posted an image of the accessible car in another thread (from Theme Park Review in 2017):

 

[cmwade77]

Very nice and looks well thought out, something similar surely could have been done for FOP, yes a little different, but similar concept.

 

[SueM in MN]

I see no reason that this one wouldn't be accessible then, so if it turns out to not be accessible, then I really will wonder what Disney is thinking or not thinking.


I think this one could actually go either way given how the vehicles are designed it might be possible to have a spot that could easily secure a wheelchair, but it is equally possible that this wouldn't be doable as any method I can think of would require the chair to drop some into the floor and I don't know what might be underneath the vehicle.

The videos of the new Millenium Falcon ride looks similar to the amount of movement, quickness of movement, etc. that is present in Star Tours. Having ridden that many times, I don’t see how they could make it able to secure a wheelchair safely, especially considering all the different wheelchairs they would need to secure.
Toy Story Mania didn’t have wheelchair tie downs at first; they added them after an incident and other than the spins between the different games, that’s a pretty tame ride.

This is true, but there are things they could do to make transfers easier, such as:

• Make sure the side opens
• Make sure the restraints are friendly to larger people and those with disabilities
• Provide a separate load area for those that are transferring similar to Space Mountain at Disneyland, which would allow for an unlimited amount of time to transfer in and out. This is something that should have been done on 7D Mine Train for example.

I didn’t add those things because the OP said her husband can’t transfer. The wider side openings are required by the ADA. The separate load area is not required by the ADA, but is certainly a great addition. I don’t know what considerations go into the design of a separate load area, so I can’t say whether it would have been possible for 7D or not.

I would agree, except let's look at Flights of Passage as an example, there are numerous ways they could have made it accessible, including, but not limited to:

• "Alternative Seats" - Basically these would be a platform that the wheelchair could sit on and be strapped down, probably with some additional safety items like the floor raising up all around the chair to prevent it from rolling off if the restraints fail. This ride is no rougher than a standard bus ride and they are able to make accommodations on the bus.
• An "Alternative Experience Area" - Similar to Finding Nemo and Sleeping Beauty's Castle walk through at Disneyland, while it wouldn't be perfect, it would at least be a viable option for many that can't do the standard experience for one reason or another.

I would respectfully disagree that it is no rougher than the average bus ride. It’s not that rough, but does tilt a considerable amount, which would be much different then a bus. An alternate seat also would need some kind of shoulder/chest restraint to keep guests from being thrown forward. That would need to fit multiple different wheelchair sizes and shapes - from my daughter’s with a 14 inch wide seat to a more average size 18-20 inch width. It would also need to accommodate various armrests. So, not that easy to make it fit and be safe for all guests in all wheelchairs.
I don’t know if they could just make one theater area stationary; my guess is no because the movement of the ride platform is what positions guests into the right place to see what is on the screen.
They could make a totally separate stationary theater just to show the movie. That could simulate movement in the same way that people feel like they are moving in the 360 movies in Epcot’s World Showcase. That would allow a lot more people to experience the attraction, including children who are too small to ride.

That said, they did make more transfer options available than required by the ADA.

Navi is another example of how this is taking the backseat and I will explain below.

Navi is definitely not too small for a ramp, they could easily have a vehicle that has space for a wheelchair and instead of putting the ramp on the boat, have the ramp at the exit to where the person in the wheelchair could go on. There might not be room for an additional person, but there definitely could be room for the wheelchair.

You also forgot to mention the TRON Coaster, I don't believe this will be accessible, but my understanding is that in Shanghai the back of each train has an alternative seat for those that can't sit on the traditional bike style seats for whatever reasons and I would hope that would carry over to Disney World's version as well.

We will have to agree to disagree on the Navi River boats. I believe they are too small for a ramp.
A companion seat is required by the ADA for a wheelchair accessible ride vehicle, so just having room for a wheelchair is not enough.

I have seen pictures of the TRON alternate seats from Shanghai.
Unless there is one reason they don’t work well or don’t comply with American ADA standards, I would expect to see them.

 

[cmwade77]

Yes, I know you didn't include some things due to the OP; however, I believe pointing these items out demonstrates how Disney has been becoming less friendly to the disabled community as of late.

I know many of these items are not required by ADA, but ADA guidelines should be viewed as minimum requirements, Disney has in the past gone above and beyond these standards and I would expect them to continue to provide that higher level of service, especially given the prices they expect people to pay. Yes, they can technically get away with meeting the minimum requirements, but this isn't in the spirit of how Disney has operated in the past and shouldn't be the way they work now. Instead they actually go lower than ADA standards in many cases (see current number of accessible spaces at the parking structure at Disneyland resort as a prime example, they technically don't have enough spaces at present and the ones that are available are as far away from the shuttles as is possible, making those that are disabled walk further than anyone else.

As for the Millennium Falcon, they could potentially create a ride vehicle and require transferring to a Disney wheelchair, obviously this would not work for everyone and isn't ideal, but it could work and limit the number of chairs they have to design for. But I can think of several systems that could indeed work, additionally like with other attractions they could offer an alternate experience as a choice as well, not sure that they will, but they could.

As for Navi Boats, exceptions can be made to needing the companion seat (see Buzz at Disneyland for example, last I checked its companion seat had been removed) on accessible vehicles when necessary. And as I said, the ramp wouldn't be on the boat, it would be outside the boat, similar to how wheelchairs load and unload from the Safari, the ramp would be external and it could be done, there might even be able to be enough room for a fold down companion seat. This really wouldn't be too hard to do, you get the wheelchair in first, then fold down a seat for the companion, again using a ramp from outside the boat. Now, it would not accommodate an ECV, but a wheelchair, even a wide width one it could.

As for a bus ride, you must not live in an area with very many hills, how do you think ECVs fair on public transit in cities like San Diego, San Francisco, etc.? Yes, it can be done from a technical standpoint, but as you say a separate stationary theater would have worked as well, which I suggested above as an option and again Disney in the past has done this and went out of their way to do so, the fact that they chose not to in this case shows the current attitude at Disney is not near as friendly to the disabled community as it used to be and I think that was the OP's original point.

 

[cmwade77]

SueMN, I think the key difference here is you are looking at everything through a lens of this is what the ADA requires Disney to provide and I am looking at it through a lens of this is what Disney has provided in the past (and I don't mean old policies, I am strictly referring to physical facilities) and thus they can and should continue to provide that level of service to ensure that everyone has as equal of an experience as is possible. Yes, there will be limitations, but in the case of FOP and Navi, those limitations were self imposed and from at least my point of view appear to have been intentional choices that were made to limit access to those with disabilities to the absolute minimum required by law. And perhaps they haven't even met the minimum, in California Navi most likely would have been required to have an accessible boat due to local California laws and regulations that are stricter than the ADA requirements. I am not sure if Florida has similar laws, but I would not be surprised if they did, the difference is in California a theme park can't open an attraction until DOSH signs off on it and even if the law didn't require such a vehicle, DOSH will if the nature of the ride makes it feasible and a slow moving boat ride is definitely feasible.

But again, this isn't just about what ADA and various laws require, it is about what Disney can and should provide, in other words it isn't the letter of the law that matters, but the spirit of the law.

 

[OurBigTrip]

SueMN, I think the key difference here is you are looking at everything through a lens of this is what the ADA requires Disney to provide and I am looking at it through a lens of this is what Disney has provided in the past (and I don't mean old policies, I am strictly referring to physical facilities) and thus they can and should continue to provide that level of service to ensure that everyone has as equal of an experience as is possible. Yes, there will be limitations, but in the case of FOP and Navi, those limitations were self imposed and from at least my point of view appear to have been intentional choices that were made to limit access to those with disabilities to the absolute minimum required by law. And perhaps they haven't even met the minimum, in California Navi most likely would have been required to have an accessible boat due to local California laws and regulations that are stricter than the ADA requirements. I am not sure if Florida has similar laws, but I would not be surprised if they did, the difference is in California a theme park can't open an attraction until DOSH signs off on it and even if the law didn't require such a vehicle, DOSH will if the nature of the ride makes it feasible and a slow moving boat ride is definitely feasible.

But again, this isn't just about what ADA and various laws require, it is about what Disney can and should provide, in other words it isn't the letter of the law that matters, but the spirit of the law.

Actually, it is about the letter of the law, because that’s all Disney is obligated to do.

 

[cmwade77]

It may be all they are legally obligated to do, but my point is they have often gone above and beyond and now they are sticking to the minimum and less if they can get away with it, which shows a shift in attitude towards the disabled community within Disney management. That is the point that is trying to be made here, Disney has and can do better and given the prices they charge, it is not ureasonable to expect them to do so, after all that's why so many have been so willing to spend the extra money compared to other theme parks, unfortunately other theme parks have been working hard to become more friendly to the disabled community and Disney has been working hard to become less friendly (especially in California for both), which means Disney may find people less and less willing to spend the extra money.

 

[GranJan1]

I came across this thread when searching for info about whether there will be a wheelchair accessible ride vehicle on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Based on the fact that it requires transfer, I guess it won’t be wheelchair accessible. I’m really disappointed since we have a trip in May & was excited to ride. We had bought annual passes for our trip last month with kids & grandkids which I spent lots of time waiting while my husband rode rides with g-kids since that was the focus of that trip. The trip in May is going to be about doing things I can do & will probably be our last park trip. The tickets are just too expensive for what I’m able to do. I can still manage Soarin since I can pull my chair right up to the ride seat. I’ve learned not to attempt anything that requires stepping up or down. Had a bad experience with Toy Story Mania thinking I’d attempt transferring. Learned not to try anything that I can’t stay in my chair unless I can get close & no step is required. I still plan to get FP for MMRR but I’m not sure I’ll be able to ride it. That’s disappointing for a ride that’s for all ages. I feel like there’s no reason to get excited about all the new rides coming up if the chances of me being able to ride them is pretty slim.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Runaway Railway should (but I can't say for sure) use the same ride vehicles as Great Movie Ride, just renovated to the new theme. No stepping up or down. You might be able to ride it someone in your party can help you transfer. I don't recall any extra-wide doors. Good luck!

 

[mamabunny]

I came across this thread when searching for info about whether there will be a wheelchair accessible ride vehicle on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Based on the fact that it requires transfer, I guess it won’t be wheelchair accessible. I’m really disappointed since we have a trip in May & was excited to ride. We had bought annual passes for our trip last month with kids & grandkids which I spent lots of time waiting while my husband rode rides with g-kids since that was the focus of that trip. The trip in May is going to be about doing things I can do & will probably be our last park trip. The tickets are just too expensive for what I’m able to do. I can still manage Soarin since I can pull my chair right up to the ride seat. I’ve learned not to attempt anything that requires stepping up or down. Had a bad experience with Toy Story Mania thinking I’d attempt transferring. Learned not to try anything that I can’t stay in my chair unless I can get close & no step is required. I still plan to get FP for MMRR but I’m not sure I’ll be able to ride it. That’s disappointing for a ride that’s for all ages. I feel like there’s no reason to get excited about all the new rides coming up if the chances of me being able to ride them is pretty slim.

We don't really have any "official" information about MMRR yet - other than the rumors that the previous ride vehicles will be repurposed, but we don't know how extensive any refurbishment of those would be, and how it might impact accessibility.

Remember that Toy Story Mania does have a wheelchair car - they can open up the back of one of the HA cars, and they load you in your chair into the special car so you don't have to transfer. Figment at Epcot is another no-transfer ride, because you are loaded into a special car in your chair.

 

[SueM in MN]

This is actually on old post, but has some new info.

Runaway Railway should (but I can't say for sure) use the same ride vehicles as Great Movie Ride, just renovated to the new theme. No stepping up or down. You might be able to ride it someone in your party can help you transfer. I don't recall any extra-wide doors. Good luck!

It will not be using the same ride cars as Great Movie Ride and officially will NOT have a wheelchair accessible ride car, so it will require a transfer.
I have one additional piece of official information that I need to check if I am allowed to share at this time or not. Even though the ride car won’t be wheelchair accessible, the additional information will make it much easier to transfer on and off. I will add the information when I have the OK to share.
I am disappointed there will not be a wheelchair car, but I can see why it won’t.
From the additional information, I think it will be a very easy transfer and my family should be able to ride it. We’ll find out in April.

I have been told it can’t be wheelchair accessible because of the ‘dynamic nature’ of the ride. If I can find it again, I will make another post with a link I found that describes the whole ride. Reading the description, I can see why it could not have a wheelchair car. Unfortunately, most guests want more and more ‘thrilling’ rides or ‘unique’ experiences, which often mean the ride motions are too intense for a wheelchair, even with tie down fasteners like the Toy Story Mania ride cars have.

The first concept pictures showed only a portion of the ride car and looked like they might use the same car. The information that has come out since then have shown the ride cars will be totally different. This picture of a model displayed at the D23 convention was posted on the wdwinfo part of the DIS.

We don't really have any "official" information about MMRR yet - other than the rumors that the previous ride vehicles will be repurposed, but we don't know how extensive any refurbishment of those would be, and how it might impact accessibility.

I’m not sure if this concept drawing was also from D23 or another press release, but it is also official. The screenshot of the ride information is from My Disney Experience app.
The official information is that each railroad train will have 4 cars that are 2 rows and seat about 4 guests per row.
That is considerably smaller than the Great Movie Ride trams, which had 2 cars with about 8 rows per car and seated 6-8 per row.

The restraint will be a lap bar shared by the whole row. Just having a restraint is an indication that the attraction will have motion that requires a restraint.