After getting hit by a car, my mobility has not been the best. I cannot walk or stand for long periods of time and I am always in pain that gets to the point of debilitating. The only time the knee is kinda comfortable is when I'm in the wheelchair with the foot rest extended straight out and a pillow under the knee. However, we had booked a DisneyWorld trip well before the accident and were unable to cancel it so it was either go or be out of pocket thousands of dollars. As I figured that Disney would experts in families and the elderly, why would they not be able to handle me in my wheelchair or knee brace? (flying was interesting but that is a story for another time...)

Upon arriving at Orlando International, we made our way to the Magic Express and as soon as we got to the coach, we hit problem number one. The coach had stairs which are a problem for me but there was no way around it. At the front of the buss are two pairs of seats that are reserved for elderly or disabled. Both of those sets were taken by elderly people who watched as I struggled up the stairs with the help of my husband. It wasn't until the bus driver poked his head in and asked for one of the pairs to move that they actually moved. Once up, I sat with my leg elevated the entire ride, then let everyone leave the bus before making my way down the stairs.

Once back in the wheelchair everything was peachy. We didn't want to wait in line at the check in desk as I needed ice badly at this point we we headed straight to the room. We had requested one close to the lobby and the building we were in was not all that far however our room was on the side closest to the lobby and the elevator for the building was at the opposite end so getting back to the room was a long ordeal. In the room, there was no shower chair or railing like I had requested. We had booked a handicapped room but looking around, this certainly was no one. When I had called Disney they had told me that if someone more disabled than me needed the room then they would put me in a regular room but make sure there was a chair, railing, and shower wand. This room had none.

With the knee iced we popped down to the lobby to inquire about the missing items as well as to pick up our Magic Bands. It turns out that the notes about the items I required were not on my file but the hotel did not have any of those items to provide nor did they have a disabled room available with them. Looks like showering is going to be a pain and something I won't be able to do by myself.

When we were at DW a few years ago, we stayed at the Caribbean Beach, that hotel has no elevators so glad we were not there again!

Hated the buses. Really did not want to take them. The buses to / from the hotels / parks only have 2 spots for wheelchairs and not every bus driver knows how to securely fasten the wheelchairs in. The drivers also don't always see people in wheelchairs (there are designated spots painted at the bus stops) so there were times that they would load the bus up before they would finally see me waving or someone would mention I was there. Then they would have to offload, get me on, and then reload. I have to say that the pecking order for who can use the two spots are elderly people in a manual wheelchair, elderly people in an electric wheelchair, obese people in electric wheelchair, other people in electric or manual wheelchair, and then strollers. There were times I was not allowed on due to the bus driver picking a different disabled person over me even though I was in line ahead of them. Also, when they pack the buses at the end of the night, you are the first person people stand on, rest their bags on, elbow, etc as you are the perfect height for it. I can't even count the number of times that someone smacked into my knee, hit me in the face, decided the had to wear their backpack where my head is, or even ass punch me in the face. Over all if you need to take the bus, stick with the slower times as not only will you be able to get on, you won't get beat up!

These were fun but the ramps are steep so they were a bit tricky. The boats were super easy to get on / off of, they don't get really full so you don't have the same issues as the buses.

For people that cannot walk onto a moving gondola, they have a separate line (not all Cast Members know where it is yet) which allows gondola's to come off of the main line, come to a complete stop, allow you in, and then join back into the main line. This line also moved faster if the regular line is massive; if the regular line was short then this of course took a lot longer. The only downside I had with the SkyLiner is the decals on the outside make it very difficult to focus when you are looking outside and actually gave me a headache so I had to look out the doors.

I knew that Disney used to allow people in wheelchairs to skip the lines but I didn't know if they still had something similar so I did my research (and emailed Disney) before going. They had the Disney Disability Pass which is essentially a virtual queuing system. You go to the ride that you want to ride, scan your magic band, and then instead of waiting in the Stand By Line you are given a time to return at that is the same length of time (ex. it is 1pm, the line wait is half an hour, so you are told to return between 1:30-2pm) and when you return you go into the FastPass line or to the ride exit if the FastPass line is too steep for a wheelchair.

To get the Disability Pass you have to go to customer service and wait in a line to prove that you cannot wait in a line. (Such a catch-22!) Just because you are in a wheelchair or have a mobility device does not prove that you need one, you have to prove you cannot wait in line. With how swollen my knee was and how much pain I was in, this was easy for me to prove. They then add it to your file and attach it to your Magic Band. It is valid for anyone on your reservation as long as they are with you at the time.

You can use this Disability Pass on any ride even if it does not have FastPass (so we were able to get on the Millennium Falcon) except for Rise of the Resistance as that is ticket based. You have an unlimited number of these passes however you can only use one at a time so if you hold a spot on a ride, you have to complete that ride before you get another. This is in addition to your FastPasses. Also, you have to go on the ride that it is booked for; you cannot book the pass for a ride that you cannot ride but let someone else in your party go.

Each Disney park has a medical building that was able to give me free ice packs as well as gauze to wrap around and keep the ice in place. When you go there, they will ask you why you are there, what you need, you sign in, they give you what you need, and then you are on your way. You can also get things like aspirin, band aids, poweraid, gravol, etc. Usually they are just inside the park gate. and normally to the left.

When you get to the parks, some had heavier security than others. Hollywood Studio's had the strictest and I even had to get out of the chair so they could pat it down. If I had a bag with me at any of the parks, that caused the chair to be searched as well so I stopped carrying a purse with me as it took up waaayyy too much time (plus if you don't have a bag you can just go through the no bag line which is usually super quick.) The Magic Kingdom would check the back of the chair and underneath, Animal Kingdom would just waver us through, and Epcot would just quickly visually check the chair.

I found out the hard way that some rides just won't work if you have knee and lower back issues. First thing first, you will have to transfer a lot so make sure not to bring any personal belongings that you don't mind getting lost / stolen if you cannot get them on the ride with you. Learn from my experience:

Thunder Mountain

the Stand By & FastPass lines are too steep to push a wheelchair up so you will have to go to the ride exit and wait. If you have a companion animal then you also have to go to this location as they have a crate that they will put the dog into as you are riding. When it comes to the actual ride, you will be given the option to ride alone or with your party. The first time I rode it I did so with my husband so I could keep my leg elevated. It was pure agony as the ride had me sliding and shifting every which way. The next time I rode it, I went by myself and I was actually able to enjoy the ride but it was still too rough for me so I tapped out.

Haunted Mansion

there is a Cast Member hallway that connects the entrance to the exit, upon entering the house a Cast Member will ask you if you need the ride to stop to get on or if you can walk on (the ride is a conveyor belt). If you need the ride to stop then they will take you through this hallway, stop the ride, here you will transfer to the ride car and they will keep your wheelchair on the side. Once you are in, the ride will start again and when you are coming back, they will stop the belt to get you out.

Space Mountain

Oh. Dear. God. This one is always fun but not worth the pain. It is very shaky and bumpy. The car at the front has more leg room so make sure to get it. I tried this without the knee brace and it sucked but wasn't horrific, it was mostly just the bumpiness and smacking it that caused issues so I tried it a second time with my knee brace on thinking it would support it. I was extremely wrong. You have to be able to bend the knee at least a little bit and almost angel it but the knee brace would not allow for me to move the knee in the way it needed to fit into the ride vehicle. I was crying it caused so much pain.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Challenging to get in and out of the ride vehicle as it's a low boat on water but once you are in the boat it is comfortable as it's very easy to stretch the leg out. When you are leaving, you have to go out back where the Cast Members enter as that is the only spot with an elevator (getting down is a ramp, getting back out is stairs)

Star Tours

if you cannot walk far then they will push you in your wheelchair along the front row to your seat, allow you to transfer, and then take the wheelchair off the ride. The front row has lots of space to stretch out a leg, everything is flat & even when getting in / out of the ride, and it isn't too jiggly. We were told that there were 4 different stories but when we were there they only had one story playing. Of course as this was one of the few rides I could do and had a short line, we did it multiple times and it was boring by the end of the trip.

Rise of the Resistance

I was able to stay in the chair for 90% of the ride. When you make it to the ship and are trying to get off the planet it sucks being in a chair as you cannot see over people to see out the windows so you miss some of the excitement. There was a section where we are all locked in a room watching a video where I had to lean against a wall but then I got the chair back. At the end you are loaded into a ride vehicle that you need to transfer into. There was not a lot of space to stretch out the leg but the front of the vehicle wasn't close enough to smack it and it was relatively smooth without jolting.

River Na'vi

another water ride, easier to get in than the Pirates of the Caribbean to get into. Slow and steady (boring really) but really good if you need AC. Lots of leg room.

Dinosaur

you'll have to take elevator up and down as it's stairs, rows 2 & 3 have the most leg room. The ride is jumpy but not bumpy.

Expedition Everest

the last car has a little door that opens to make it easier to get into the ride vehicle. Not a lot of leg room as the ride restraint comes up the side of the legs (tightly) to your lap. It was not possible to ride this ride with a knee brace on as there was not enough room for it.

Jungle Cruise

Bertha has a lift so you can stay in the wheelchair. The center of the boat rises up, they put out a ramp, once you are in the center and hooked in, they lower the center and you are off to pick up the other riders. If you can transfer then you can also just get into a boat as normal.

Mine Train

if you cannot bend your leg, you cannot do this ride.

I thought it wouldn't be that bad and that they were making it out to be worse than it was for liability reasons but no. The seats are small and tight. I walked onto the seat but because they are so close to the ones in front, there was no way to lower myself so I just dropped which forced my knee to bend (which is something it does not do). Not sure how many kids I taught the word "fuck" that day but the Cast Members were quick to get me out of the ride vehicle and back into my wheelchair. As I sobbed at the exit of ride while I waited for my husband to enjoy the ride (it is one of his favorites).

Frozen

extremely rough and did not do it again, the front has the most leg space

Living Off the Land

front row has the most leg space on either boat (there are two connected together). Easy transfer, smooth, informational, and calm.

Soarin'

you just dangle your leg, I couldn't do it as it pulled on the knee and was extremely painful & uncomfortable. I didn't even get to do the ride, just sitting in the chair was too much for me

Mission Space

Another leg dangler but your foot touches the floor so it's not as bad as Soarin'. Lots of G force, a relatively quick ride, smooth

Kilimanjaro Safari's

they will try to get you to transfer but you can stay in your chair. Uneven terrain but not horribly bumpy. Noon is a good time to go as they are feeding the animals. (morning they are still sleeping, afternoon they've had enough with people and are hiding, night time they are either sleeping or you can't see them)

Flight of Passage

there is a ride vehicle for you to try at the entrance of the Stand By line. You will have to push through a crowd to get to it. You will get dirty stares until they realize what you are doing. "For the ride you sit and lean forward, almost like a kneel" a cast Member told me so I was worried about how much I had to bend my knee and the kneeling but upon trying the ride vehicle I found it was more like you were getting ready to ride a bike and the pads were on the shins not the knee so it was okay enough for me to do it. While riding the ride however it turns out the pads that are on your inner thigh push into your leg. This caused me some pain and discomfort on the left leg.

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

you are able to stay in your wheelchair right up to when they load you into the elevator. The front row has the most leg room but there are two steps to get to it. I love this ride, it is one of my favorites so I was glad to be able to do it.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

the back rows of the cars have the most leg room. The ride is very jerky and my knee was a mess afterwards.

While Disney has a lot more rides, I was not in any shape to try and fit them all in. If the knee was manageable and I was doing an ice break in the park then we would play Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom (if we were in the Magic Kingdom), find a place to eat, or drink. I drank way more than I care to admit on this trip as it did help me manage my pain a lot better than the Naproxen was....

Would I recommend going to Disney if you are disabled? I would say it depends on your disability and know your limits!