Handicapped Travel Guide to Magic Kingdom | Disney World

My handicapped travel guide to Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida

I just visited Disney World as a first-time wheelchair user and had a lovely experience. I chose Disney as my maiden voyage because I was already familiar with the parks (from a non-disabled vantage point). This allowed me to focus on the handicapped portion of my trip.

In this post, I will share my successes and struggles and list the accessibility of all of the rides and attractions in Magic Kingdom.

Preparing for my trip:

I'm a planner through and through. Now that I have multiple sclerosis, it's harder to plan (thank you, brain fog), but I managed to do just fine.

The first thing I had to do was figure out what mobility aids to take. Florida can be really rainy, so I worried about the battery on my electric wheelchair getting wet and about the battery life. Roaming the parks can take hours, and I didn't want to run out of power. For these reasons and more, I chose to bring Gulliver, my custom T-Lite Aero Z manual wheelchair. * See my struggle with this below!

You can't go to Florida without a poncho. I knew the one tucked away in my basement storage room wasn't going to cut it now that I'm in a wheelchair. So, my first purchase was a Bramble waterproof wheelchair poncho (click the link to go to my Amazon Storefront). It kept me and my wheelchair dry.

My struggles at Disney's Magic Kingdom park:

• Public bathrooms are always a struggle because there's typically only one handicapped-accessible toilet in each restroom. Prepare to wait a long time! Most restroom facilities have a companion bathroom. The lines for these weren't as long, but the heavy doors made them hard to access. My husband had to open them for me nine out of ten times, and some were so heavy that he struggled.

• Bathroom issues equal dehydration. Because of long lines (for rides, attractions, and toilets), I tend to drink less when I'm in the parks. This leads to dehydration. Dehydration leads to headaches. To keep myself healthy, I always pack electrolytes to add to my water and ensure I hydrate every evening when I return to my hotel room.

• Wheeling my way around Magic Kingdom in a manual wheelchair was exhausting. There are way more hills than I thought there were. And some of them are very, very steep. Body weight + gravity + wheels = a major struggle. Ramps in and out of rides and attractions were just as steep, if not more. My husband had to push me through most of the park because of this, and he even struggled. The next time I go, I'll most likely bring Blaze, my Whill Model F electric wheelchair. Rain be damned!

• The public!!! The public is always a struggle when it comes to handicapped travel. Why? Because people don't think. Wheeling through the park was like playing a game of Frogger. People suddenly stop short in the middle of the walkway. They jump out in front of me as I'm wheeling by. They also walk straight into me. The most exhausting part of the trip was having to constantly weave and dodge around the public. The thing people don't think about is that my wheelchair is a moving vehicle. And my hands are the only brakes. If they were driving a car, they wouldn't slam on their brakes and stop short in the middle of the highway. They wouldn't cut out in front of my car. They wouldn't drive into another car head-on. But when it comes to walking, all those safety precautions go out the window! It makes wheeling while they're walking very difficult. So prepare for chaos!

My successes at Disney's Magic Kingdom park:

• Bus transportation in and out of the parks was very easy and convenient. The drivers were so nice and helpful. My safety was always a priority. The other passengers were also very kind and considerate. I never felt like a burden or nuisance.

• I gained so much muscle using my manual wheelchair. I also got very comfortable using it. And because of all of those hills, I even popped a few wheelies (which I'm still learning how to do). All in all, this trip was a great introduction to wheelchair life. I no longer feel so humbled by using one. I learned that I could do everything that I wanted and more. The only difference between this visit to Disney and my last is that I'm now wheeling instead of walking.

• Because I'm still able to ambulate (a small amount), I could go on most of the rides and attractions, which brings us to the fun part ...

The accessibility of rides and attractions at Disney's Magic Kingdom park -

Wheelchair & ECV accessible rides and attractions:

• Character experiences (meeting Mickey, Cinderella, Princess Tiana, Ariel, and more)

• Liberty Square Riverboat (you have access to the first level only)

• Jungle Cruise (this ride does not have a handicapped accessible queue. You sign in, and they give you a call back time)

• Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

• Country Bear Musical Jamboree

• Mickey's PhilharMagic

• Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress

• Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor

Wheelchair accessible: (these rides and attractions allow you to stay in a wheelchair. You must transfer from a scooter/ECV to a wheelchair. Disney has these chairs on standby for your use.

• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin

• It's a Small World

• Prince Charming's Regal Carrousel

• Enchanted Tales with Belle

• The Many Adventures of Whinnie the Pooh (* note: this ride has some interactive features at the beginning to keep children occupied as they wait in line, such as drums and such. It can get very noisy, and I did experience a bit of sensory overload as a result.)

• Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid

• Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

• Walt Disney Railroad (*note: As per Disney's website, you have to transfer into a wheelchair. However, when I was there, they permitted people in scooters/ECV's)

Must transfer from scooter/ECV and wheelchair to ride:

• Pirates of the Caribbean (must transfer from scooter/ECV to wheelchair, then transfer to ride)

• Haunted Mansion

• Seven Dwarves Mine Train

• Mad Tea Party

• Dumbo the Flying Elephant

• The Barnstormer

• Tron (must transfer from scooter/ECV to wheelchair, then transfer to ride)

• Space Mountain (must transfer from scooter/ECV to wheelchair, then transfer to ride)

• Tommorrowland Speedway

Must be ambulatory:

• Swiss Family Treehouse

• Peter Pan's Flight (I could take my wheelchair into the gate and then transfer onto the ride)

• Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover

Other things to know:

• Disney has a Disability Access Service (DAS) for guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time. It doesn't allow immediate access to experiences, but allows guests to request a return time for a specific experience that is comparable to the current standby wait. Contact Disney to apply.

No, I have not applied for Disney's DAS services. While I am disabled and have an intolerance to extreme heat and extreme cold and experience sensory overload, I don't feel that I need Disney's Disability Access Services at this time.

• Communicate your needs to attraction attendants. For example: I can only walk a few steps to get onto the rides, so they made sure I could pull my wheelchair close enough to the ride to transfer in and out safely. They also stopped the people movers so I didn't trip or stumble when getting on certain rides.

  
  

There you have it! I hope this gives you the confidence to start traveling in your wheelchair or scooter. The Disney Go app is a great tool to help you plan your Disney vacation. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm always happy to help. Speaking of which, don't forget to follow me on social media. Links to all of my outlets are located on my home page. My next blog post will cover Hollywood Studios, so stay tuned!!!