[Question] Planning a Disneyland Trip for October 6-7.

[Warlock128]

Is this a good idea? Will it be too crowded? Im bringing someone who will need a wheelchair since she is pretty old.

[Donald_Duck]

Re: Planning a Disneyland Trip for October 6-7.

A Tuesday and Wednesday in early October probably won't be too busy.

[Bob Weaver]

Re: Planning a Disneyland Trip for October 6-7.

I'm happy to report that the park is wheelchair-friendly. Download the "Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities" from the park's web site and study it before going. Have your disabled placard already hanging in the window when you enter the parking structure and the attendant will automatically put a green paper on your windshield which will allow you to be directed to the disabled parking area. You will probably park in the Chip & Dale section of the parking structure. You will have a choice of taking the tram or a shuttle van to the park entrance. It really doesn't matter which, in both cases you can load the person onto the vehicle while still sitting in their wheelchair and the chair is strapped in. They drop you off near the park entrance. There are no special lines for wheelchair-bound guests, either at the security checkpoint, the ticket booths or the entrance gate. You just go with everyone else for all of those. When you get to the entrance gate they will open a gate for you to bring the wheelchair through instead of going through the turnstile. Once you get into the park you are pretty much on your own, but you can always ask for answers to questions, although cast members cannot physically help with any transfers of the guest. If there is a problem or the person gets fatigued or overheated, go to the First Aid clinic near the hub between Main Street and Tomorrowland. The nurses there are very helpful and kind and if the person you are with needs a rest break they have beds that the person can lie down on for a while. They are not comfortable but at least they give a chance for them to rest and cool off if it is hot outside.
There are many attractions which are wheelchair accessible without the guest ever getting out of the wheelchair. These include Disneyland: the First 50 Magical Years, Main Street Cinema, The Enchanted Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, the Mark Twain Riverboat, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Big Thunder Ranch Petting Farm, Frontierland Shootin' Explosion, Golden Horseshoe Theater, King Arthur Carousel, Disney Princess Fantasy Faire, Mickey's House, Minnie's House, It's a Small World, Monorail, Innoventions, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, and Starcade. (Jungle Cruise and It's A Small World have special boats with platforms for wheelchairs, and they can arrange for you to put the person in their wheelchair on the boat, and the wheelchair is secured to the boat.) The Disneyland Railroad has wheelchair-accesible cars on all trains, but you can only get on the train at the Frontierland/New Orleans Square station, the Fantasyland/Toontown station, or the Tomorrowland Station. You cannot get a person in a wheelchair on or off the train at the Main Street Depot, because there are stairs at that depot and no elevator or wheelchair ramp.
The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage has a unique alternate experience for guests in wheelchairs. They videotaped the attraction in HD through the windows of one of the subs, and they have a small theater next to the attraction that guests in wheelchairs can go into, along with their party. The theater seats 10 people total. The video is shown on a large HDTV with excellent picture quality and high-quality sound. You see and hear exactly what you would see if you had gotten into one of the subs. We were just in that theater yesterday and it was really, really nice. Plus it was air conditioned and that felt great on a 94-degree day. Just approach the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and ask the first cast member you see to escort you to the "Marine Observation Outpost."
For all other attractions, you would have to transfer the guest out of their wheelchair to the ride vehicle. Some attractions have specially designed vehicles to make the transfer easier, such as the Haunted Mansion, but some attractions do not, and the guest will have to be transferred to the same type of vehicle that all guests ride in, such as Pirates of the Caribbean. The "Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities" that you can download spells out exactly what the procedure for each attraction is.
I'm pretty sure that all restaurants and snack bars are wheelchair-accessible. Most bathrooms are, but the 2 large bathrooms in the First Aid center are much larger and much easier to negotiate with a wheelchair, in addition to being much more private. I would recommend that you take your guest in the wheelchair to the First Aid center, even just to use the restroom there.
One thing I did not like about Disneyland for wheelchairs is that most of the surfaces you walk on are rough. I think they designed it that way to prevent slipping and falling by guests and the resultant lawsuits. While it helps with that, it makes a wheelchair trip throughout the park a slightly bumpy, "rumbling" experience that can get very annoying. I would definitely recommend bringing a wheelchair with full-size wheels, not one of those "companion chairs" with small wheels. The larger wheels will make the rough surfaces less annoying.

[Warlock128]

Re: Planning a Disneyland Trip for October 6-7.

Thank you for that info. will be very helpful for me.

Also, if anyone knows, what will be down at both parks for refurbishment during our visit? And where is he disneyland " secret bathroom " ^.~ If its wheelchair accessible that would be even better so my mother can use the restroom without crowds or having to wait. * that long *

[Warlock128]

Re: Planning a Disneyland Trip for October 6-7.

bumpy bump

[Warlock128]

Re: Planning a Disneyland Trip for October 6-7.

Oh almost forgot to ask !

My brother is purchasing Two day park hopper tickets for our trip via Vons Employee Discount.

When we arrive at the parks, is there any way i can pay the difference so i can make My tickets into a Socal Annual Pass? the days were going arent blocked out for that pass either .

[Warlock128]

Re: Planning a Disneyland Trip for October 6-7.

No help at all? im leaving tomorrow night !

[esmetutu]

Re: Planning a Disneyland Trip for October 6-7.

Thank you for that info. will be very helpful for me.

Also, if anyone knows, what will be down at both parks for refurbishment during our visit? And where is he disneyland " secret bathroom " ^.~ If its wheelchair accessible that would be even better so my mother can use the restroom without crowds or having to wait. * that long *

The 'secret' bathroom is over in the (Carnation) Plaza Gardens area. Sort of between the old Tinker Bell Toy Shoppe back entrance (now the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique) at the left side of the Castle and the Ranch del Zocalo restrooms. It's just a door, basically. :blush:

As for closures, just check disneyland.com for those...
Casey Jr. Circus Trains
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years
Gadget's Go Coaster
Sailing Ship Columbia - Deck Oiling
Indiana Jones Adventure

Hope that helped!