Originally Posted By cswnow I am fully prepaired to take the heat from anyone on the following comments. My family recently spent a week at WDW and had to put up with the wheel chair getting on the bus first. Handicapped people always want to be treated as equals. In no way do I need to preference my comments that I totally support handicap people. That should be understood. Many parks had long line waiting for the busses. Many tired families had waited in the long lines for the 20 min span between buss arrivals. Any handicapped person in a wheel chair can come up and be immediatly be put on the bus. So far I can live with this most of the time. The problem is the 300 FAMILIY MEMBERS THAT FEEL THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO GET ON WITH THEM. MEANWHILE THE JOHN DOE FAMILY WITH 3 KIDS WHO ARE COMOTOS FROM A LONG DAY IN THE PARK HAS TO WAIT IN LINE FOR ANOTHER TWENTY MINUTES. Here is the real kicker. A lady roles up in a wheelchair. She is immediatly loaded onto the bus. She has seven family members loaded with her. ONCE THE WHEELCHAIR IS LOCKED IN, SHE GETS UP AND SITS DOWN IN A SEAT, THEREBY TAKING A SEAT FROM A POTENTIAL GUEST. UNBELIEVABLE. A gentleman in line went balistic, and I don't blame him. There is no way to justify this. My family and others spend 8-10 hours in the park. Most people in wheelchairs sit on their buts, exerting minimal effort. I don't have a problem with that. But don't expect special treatment when its convenient to you. In my experience Florida heat is just shy of hell. Sweating 24-7. Many people stand inline waiting for the cold air of the bus. Any person in a wheelchair is perfectly capable of snaking their way thru the ropes to the front and getting on the bus when it's your turn. Don't waste my time calling me insensitive. Insensitive is 500 family members getting on the bus with one family member in a wheelchair. Get in line like everyone else. This becomes a huge problem at park closings when the lines stretch for miles. Relief and fairness is on the way. Talking with the dispatcher at one of the parks at closing. There is talk of eliminating this benefit. I'm not the only one complaining. It happened on EVERY bus we were on. Numerous people were complaining and as mentioned above came to face-to-face yelling. Skip the politically correct lecture. This policy is unfair. Bring it on. I expect very little support. Spare the "Get a rental car" comments please. For me and my family it was the happiest place on earth. We had a great time until we had to go back to the hotel.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I think you need to settle down. Especially since I agree with you. No need to get all defensive before anyone even has a chance to respond.
Originally Posted By cswnow You are probalby right. I am not really that defensive. Just passionate I guess. I try not to come off that way, but I have been raked over the coals on this site for lesser things. Sorry.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I am unsure why they let the disabled board ahead of everyone else. It's contrary to the way it is done on the attractions. On the rides, they have special boarding areas for the disabled, but it does NOT get them on a ride ahead of everyone else. Their party is supposed to get in the regular queue, and when they reach the boarding area, then the disabled person boards at that time. That's how it should be done for transportation as well, IMO.
Originally Posted By cswnow I would agree. The only reason the dispatch guy told me was safety, because they lower the bus. I would still gladly wait for them to load if they waited in the line.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Cswnow, I agree completely. I experienced the same phenomenon last week when I was 'trapped' at POP with no car. And it really did get on my nerves. Other people were saying things as well. They take forever to load, get to cut in line, and then take 87 family members with them ... actually had a funny moment when the bus driver (accidentally?) closed the back door as no. 11-12 were trying to board. Two suggestions: 1.) No one in a chair or ECV should get preferential treatment. The party can wait in line and when it is their time to board they can then be first for the lift; 2.) Special buses just for these folks. Neither is perfect, but so many people are abusing the system that it just needs to be changed.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>You are probalby right. I am not really that defensive. Just passionate I guess. I try not to come off that way, but I have been raked over the coals on this site for lesser things. Sorry.<< First up, you do not need to apologize for stating what you pationately believe it. I do the same and never apologize if I feel I am correct. Of course...be prepared to join me in TDLFAN hell for believing in your opinions. And with that said... I agree with you 100% as well. There are a lot of people who have this sense of entitlement, that gives them this politically correct conviction that they can run over everyone else, just because. This not only apply to some people in chairs (the ones who do not really need them as I suspect the case to be at WDW) but also the stroller brigade and other political/religious/gender groups/etc etc etc... That's where our freedom of speech and equality under the Constitution has brought us too today. Blame it on the forefathers...
Originally Posted By Anacon I highly recomend renting a car while at WDW. It's like a fast pass to transportation. Plus, you can go to the market and leave the property if you wish. Walt gave us the clean and sleek Monorail system, Eisner gave us a noisey, smelly diesel system I have NEVER been on. No thank you.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<Walt gave us the clean and sleek Monorail system, Eisner gave us a noisey, smelly diesel system I have NEVER been on. No thank you.>> There is always a trade-off between convenience and efficiency. The monorail is no doubt efficient, but the least convenient. A car is the exact opposite... it is the most convenient and the least efficient. I don't denigrate the bus system, because it splits the difference, and should have a role in WDW transportation. I would never want the bus system to disappear, even if I personally don't always use it.
Originally Posted By Shooba Most public transportation busses will let wheelchair patrons on first. They have a special spot to use and they need to get their chair secured. I have no problem with genuinely disabled people cutting the line - they deal with a lot of inconveniences on a daily basis the rest of us can only imagine. If you consider how much longer it might take them to take a bath or use the bathroom, why not let them get on the bus and get back to their hotel first? Obviously, in the case above where the person wasn't disabled there's no way they should have been allowed on the bus first. Of course, did the bus driver even know this was the case? There should also be a limit of the number of family accompanying the person. A family of four or five is reasonable, any more and they can take the next bus.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey The handicapped are loaded onto the buses first because they need to fold seats up to fit the two wheelchairs allowed per bus. It would be impossible to keep people from sitting in those seats without having the bus driver stand back there as a monitor, and that would also congest traffic for those able-bodied people trying to board the bus. It's a pain to have to wait, but big whoo. There are more important things to get stressed over. How would you like to spend all day in a wheelchair at WDW? My mom has to use a wheelchair in the parks, and she'd much rather walk (BTW, we only rent the chair for her in the parks - she boards the bus with everyone else).
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<The handicapped are loaded onto the buses first because they need to fold seats up to fit the two wheelchairs allowed per bus.>> There are two difference "firsts" that is being hashed over. I don't think anyone has an issue with disabled passengers boarding first; rather, it's that they can immediately board regardless of how many other people arrived at the bus stop ahead of them. In other words, if a bus holds 50 passengers, and 194 people are waiting in line, if a disabaled person's party of six joins the queue, they should be on the fourth bus, not the next available.
Originally Posted By pbjshakelover My mom & dad need to have handicap scooters and the only reason they board ahead of time is to secure their vehicles in the proper areas before the other guests board. My sister and I get in the regular que line as I agree 150% that family members should not get ahead of everyone else. If the handicapped individual needs to have accompaniment, it should be one (1) representative from the party to board with that handicapped individual. I think people that have ALL the members of the family board are rude and inconsiderate. People do wait a long time and Disney transport should only allow the handicapped individuals boarding and if necessary one (1) representative from the party.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey I can't begrudge a wheelchair-bound person boarding a bus before I do, even I've been waiting 30 minutes and they just walked up. I can't see making a child with cerebal palsy or some other affliction waiting to get back to the hotel when he/she is exhausted because there is a 40 minute wait. These people have enough to deal with in their lives - I'm not going to keep them from going back to the hotel because I'm feeling petty. Yeah, there are some people who abuse the system and shouldn't be in a wheelchair/ECV at all, and they board the buses before the rest of us. However, how are you going to separate them from the people who are genuinely ill? Apart from asking for a doctor's certificate before allowing them on the bus, you can't. So to be fair, all wheelchairs get to board immediately, even if there is a 40 minute wait. After spending all day at the parks, I'm too tired to get upset about a perceived "injustice" such as this. For crying out loud, you're at Disney World. Some people are so ill they'll never get to go to WDW - be grateful you're there, even if you have to wait for wheelchairs to board before you.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo "2.) Special buses just for these folks." They do this at DLP and it seems to work really well. One of the few things that do.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo To add to Nikki's point, with severe disability and possible behaviour issues, would you prefer: a) The person get's in line and makes a loud "nuisance" of themselves as their form of communication and frustration while waiting for 40 minutes. b) They get on the bus and get on their way. I suspect many would prefer a. But for the record, in most cases I think the parties should wait their turn, but board first.
Originally Posted By Shooba >>These people have enough to deal with in their lives - I'm not going to keep them from going back to the hotel because I'm feeling petty.<< >>Some people are so ill they'll never get to go to WDW - be grateful you're there, even if you have to wait for wheelchairs to board before you.<< I agree.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<There are two difference "firsts" that is being hashed over. I don't think anyone has an issue with disabled passengers boarding first; rather, it's that they can immediately board regardless of how many other people arrived at the bus stop ahead of them. In other words, if a bus holds 50 passengers, and 194 people are waiting in line, if a disabaled person's party of six joins the queue, they should be on the fourth bus, not the next available. >> Exactly ... BTW ... while waiting for a fast and 'effcient' WDW bus at the MK last week, the woman behind me said 'If Walt were here we wouldn't be standing in line for 40 minutes for a freaking bus.' All I could say was 'amen sister!'
Originally Posted By cswnow I have no problem loading the handicapped first, but when they can go to the front of the line when well over 200 people were waiting at the MK. That is not right. I don't have the solution, but the current situation is not working. The dispatcher did tell me it was going to change soon. He agreed with me, and apologized. Which was fine. My real beef was with the large number of family members that got on with her, then she got out of the chair and took a seat. One family member would have been fine. One day they want to be treated fairly then the other they take advantage of every perk they can get. On one occasion a couple had to get out of the seat to load a wheelchair. I didnt have a problem with it and neither did they. Just my opinion like TLDFAN said.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Well, it's federal law. The ADA dictates how people with disabilities are to be handled and, believe me, they are first always. The law does not take into account fairness to the majority, convenience or even safety. It only flat out rules that any disabled person will take priority over an abled person. Oh, and another thing, all a person has to do is say they are disabled. You are not allowed to ask, in what way or what restrictions it covers. If you want preferential treatment just say you're disabled. If you can live with yourself after that, it's all good.
