Assistance/wheelchair etc

[TheDuke]

Hi,
We are currently booked for a visit to Orlando this Easter. It’s an extended family holiday (16 of us are going).

My father has just been given a date for early Feb for a knee replacement operation. We are hopeful that he will be ok to travel for beginning of April, however, are concerned wrt how much walking he will be able to do on trip.

Would appreciate any advice on options and if there is anything we can do from a parks perspective to limit the amount of time he might have to wait to queue for rides etc and best way to go about organising wheelchair hire etc. As we have a large group, is there anything we can arrange at different parks in terms of reducing queing time?

If it’s too much for him, the alternative is for him to stay behind and chill at hotel whilst we visit the parks. Just trying to identify potential options.

Thanks in advance

[Brock]

Please check with your airline if he will be allowed to fly. My wife had to wait 12 weeks after the operation before flying.
That was back in 2019 hope to go in late 2022.

[jas72]

Check out the special needs thread. Everything you need to know is there. Best of luck to your dad. Must be fun to have 16 on a trip.

https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=112

[loldis]

For Disney... he won't qualify for DAS for this alone, as the majority of queues are now wheelchair accessible (or have a disabled entrance) so he will be expected to hire a wheelchair and queue. I would recommend Genie+ to skip queues, but that's going to be an expensive option in a large group.

[dvc]

I had to do physio and wait 12 weeks after my knee replacement before being able to fly. He will be in a lot of discomfort and his leg and knee will be swollen. I was told this increases the risk of dot and he won’t be able to wear flight socks

[TheDuke]

Thanks all for the info, much appreciated.

Going to have to pass info on to my mum as his op is approx 8 weeks before we are due to fly 😱.

[Warkman58]

1 contact your airline or do it through their web page and book wheelchair assistance
2 look at hiring a powered scooter. Much easier than a wheelchair and also gives him some independence

[Mo&Chris]

We're here now, with a wheelchair, and have found that even without a DAS card or Genie Plus, we've either been given a return time if the queues are long, allowed to just skip via the lightening lane if they're short, or just directed to the regular queue if they're accessible.

On most rides they'll ask if he can transfer from the chair to the ride vehicle, but on Small World tonight, we got the accessible boat, which he could ride onto. Not sure it would hold your full party of 16, though!

/Mo

[Bootrip2]

DAS is only for 6 people I think, sometimes they do fix it for parties up to about 8 but 16 would be pushing it!
For a chill-holiday for him -
With regards to TKR i would leave cancelling the holiday at the moment in case the op doesn’t go ahead if he could manage without op, just with so many cancellations of operations it may be postponed.