WDW with a broken ankle-trip report with helpful tips

I hope with all the liners on here that someone can help me with some questions. First some background. I broke my ankle and had screws put in last week. I am getting around on a knee scooter. I am off work for 8 weeks and thought what better to do then go to WDW. I’ve done solo trips before, but this would be a little different. I’ve always planned way ahead of time so this would be a trip were I would stop and smell the roses as my ride ability would be limited. It would be a short Monday to Friday trip and I could pack all my stuff into a backpack so no luggage concerns.

Question 1 At the airport I could gate check my scooter and “hop” to my seat. How do I get my scooter back at MCO?
Question 2 Similar question if I get on a ride and the exit is at a different location then the entrance how do I get my scooter. ie Haunted Mansion.
Question 3 Do I get in the regular line for the bus and haul my scooter up the one step, or do I wait at the handicap door? I don’t want to make everyone wait for me, but not sure what to do.

If my husband was going I wouldn’t be concerned, but he isn’t able to go last minute.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

oh no! I’m so sorry.

1 - I assume it’s treated like a wheelchair. If it’s treated like one, you’ll leave it at the entrance of the plane and then hop to your seat and they’ll bring it back when you get wherever you’re going. (Call TSA Cares. No joke they are extremely helpful and will walk you through everything you need. Passenger Support | Transportation Security Administration )

2 - The CMs will escort you to the a Doombuggy, you’ll leave your scooter at the beginning and hop/walk about 30-40 feet to get on the ride. During the ride, they will move your scooter to the exit and you’ll have to walk/hop to get back to the the thing. HM is probably the worst one cause it feels like a loonnnng walk getting off.

3 - No, with a knee scooter, I believe you get the accessible entrance. Which means first on, last off. I could be wrong though depending on how mobile you are.

2 Likes

You rock! :smile:

The only one I can answer is your ride question. When you come in with a scooter, walker, wheelchair, etc, they take you to a special spot to get on the ride where you leave your equipment. Then, when you exit the ride, you’ll pick it up there, too. So, for example, Buzz Lightyear - they’ll actually put you on the ride at the exit and you pass by those getting on the entrance. Toy Story has a separate entrance and ride carts to accomodate the disabilities line. So each is different.

This is a better description for the rides than my poor attempt. Every ride is different, but you enter at the same place everyone else does at first and the CMs will give you directions of what to do from there. Couldn’t be simpler.

1 Like

Thank you for your quick reply’s!! Makes me feel much more comfortable. I’m not mobile at all except for the scooter. Time to get online and make some reservations.

And thanks for the link.

1 Like

TSA Cares will give you VIP treatment. It’s almost worth it to break something before you fly! (Almost, I said almost).

When you get to your departing airport, they’ll have you call to let them know you’re there. Once that happens, they’ll give you a personal escort from bag check, through a short security line (sometimes just cutting the line), and then all the way to your gate. It’s amazing. (at least this has been my experience flying out of Philadelphia)

When you land at MCO, they’ll bring your scooter up from the luggage area and you’ll pick it up right at the entrance of the plane (where you left it originally). From there, they’ll offer to escort you but I never took advantage of this, so I don’t know how far they go with you. Might be a good idea though because the ramp going from the plane to MCO’s floor is a little steep (and long) and could be exhausting.

Going home it’s the same procedure, just in reverse. :slight_smile:

Just throwing the idea out there- but are you sure you don’t want to rent an ECV?
Only you can guesstimate how you’ll feel all day on one of those, but since you’re by yourself, you may want something that is almost guaranteed to get you through the day.

Disney pushes the limits of everyone- someone who didn’t need a mobility device before may need one at WDW, or (in your case) may need a different one.

3 Likes

I can answer these for you. I am also recovering from a broken ankle. I have been to WDW three times since it happened and used a scooter each time. The last 2 were solo.

  1. You can gate check your scooter. Just go up to the podium before the flight. They will also let you load the plane first. If you are using DME the driver will put your scooter under the bus. I also took UBer several times and no problem putting it in the trunk.
  2. If you bring your scooter right ti where you load a ride the CM will bring your scooter to the exit.
  3. If you are capable of lifting your scooter and walking on the bus, no problem. If you need the ramp you can do that as well. Many times the driver would see me in the regular line and ask if i needed the ramp.
4 Likes

Good to know that going solo is manageable. Thanks for first hand info.
Never thought about a ECV, but will keep it in the back of my mind in case the first day is to much.
Made reservations at POP. Anyone maneuvered a scooter around one of those rooms? Thought there might be enough room since will leave the one bed folded up.

1 Like

My husband’s heel spur acted up just before our two day trip to DLR. He was able to get around the parks well on his rented knee scooter, and it actually made it easier for us to avoid longer lines by using the disability access (Was able to reserve return times with CMs). Just know that all that getting around will wear you out quicker especially in the Florida heat. Don’t push yourself and know your limits. I broke my ankle in 2002, and honestly never thought of going to DLR when it was just 25 min away. BUT of course I was pregnant! LOL Good luck. You’re quite brave!

1 Like

From my experience, the ECV sometimes has to be left outside the line at certain attractions. In those cases they will give you a manual wheelchair to use while you are in line. (This might present additional problems if you are solo…but maybe you have the arm strength to handle it.) With the knee scooter they never made me leave it outside the line. I was ALWAYS able to take it with me and leave it in a designated location (or with a designated CM) as I entered the ride. For instance, at Space Mountain I took my knee scooter right up to the “spaceship” and left it with a CM. That CM was always waiting with my knee scooter as I exited the ride downstairs.

I’ve done the knee scooter multiple times at WDW and it’s awesome. If you have the one with the small wheels it will be a bumpy ride in some places. I found the basket on the front of the handlebars to be invaluable. Also, buy some KT tape at a pharmacy or Amazon before you go, and plan on putting it on your knee like moleskin. My knee always gets pretty sore and raw just from being on it soooooo long. Whether I’m wearing pants or shorts, the KT tape is a must for me. Also I sometimes get a blister on my good foot, and a small piece of KT tape works wonders for this too. It stays in place much better than a bandaid would.

1 Like

One of my stays was at Pop. No problem in the room especially if you dont need the murphy bed. As far as an ECV is concerned you might find the scooter more maneuverable. Its not as wide. @BeckyT13 had a good point with the KT tape. I never tried that. The knee gets pretty hurting by thd end of the day.

1 Like

I will stop in and ask about the disability access, but I don’t think I will qualify.

Usually I tour commando, this time it will be totally different. I think it will make me appreciate all the themeing and notice all the details.

Will only get a ECV if I absolutely have to. When I picked up my scooter I joked that I needed an off road one and they said they had one. It is mostly for people that camp. It has bigger wheels, a training wheel for stability and a nice basket. I think the basket will be great.

Never heard of KT tape–had to look it up. I think I will invest in that.

Taking ziplock bags to ice down at night. Hope that helps.

Will probably skip the mountains this trip as I don’t want to get banged up.

As far as the airport-I like VIP treatment. Will opt for that. Being able to load first so I can pick a seat where my foot will be out of the way will be wonderful. Would I be the last off since I would have to wait for my scooter?

Getting more excited about this now!

2 Likes

No, you can de-board like usual, but you’ll be standing at the bottom of the gangway for a little while, waiting for them to bring your scooter up from the cargo hold. Sometimes they have a wheelchair there that you might be able to use as a pit stop while you wait. If you asked nicely you could probably get the flight attendant to watch for your scooter to come up while you wait in your seat, and then as soon as they bring it you could join the masses of passengers exiting the plane.

Oh, and one more pro-tip: Detach your basket from the scooter before you gate check it, and take the basket on the plane with you. I’ve had mine get smashed up pretty good in the cargo hold during the flight.

I’m happy to answer more questions if any arise. :slight_smile:

You will de-plane as normal. You may have to wait a bit for your scooter, it will be brought right to door of the plane.
As far as your scooter is concerned if you do have still the option to get an offroad model I would totally recommend it. I had borrowed one for my first trip that had the conventional wheels. It worked ok but let me tell you Disney has a lot of textured concrete that is very difficult to navigate. Animal Kingdom being the worst. You will feel it all.
For the rest of my trips I bought the offroad model with air in the tires. It was much much easier to use.

1 Like

1 Like

Me too! I totally concur with all of this. :slight_smile:

1 Like

This is the one I use. Had to buy the basket separately.

Galuchies–That’s the one!
BeckyT13–Mega Mega wheels. That looks extra stable.

1 Like

Lol. You have no idea. I also tricked it out a bit… the extra padding and cup holder are probably my favorite parts.

11 Likes