Visiting with a Manual Wheelchair with an Electric Handcycle Attachment
I use a manual wheelchair, but with reports of ambulatory guests averaging 20,000 – 40,000 steps per day that’s a lot more than distance my arms can take!
That being said there are ways to reduce your pushing or walking distance around the parks, planning routes, covering one area at a time, planning where to eat so you are not wandering around aimlessly searching for food, avoiding park hopping and prioritising rides that you either really want to do or that require less effort to get on and off are all methods I have used. Before I used a wheelchair I started using a rollator with a seat at Disney before I started using it full time and it gave more support and was invaluable in ensuring I always had a seat!
If you are a manual wheelchair user, and you are not used to put in a lot of distance every day then power assist devices, or temporarily using an electric wheelchair or a mobility scooter, dependent on your needs and budget, can help to give you the energy to manage more in the parks.
I use an electric handcycle attachment, a Rio Firefly 2.5. This has a 12 inch front wheel so is smaller than some electric handcycle attachments and with it on my chair ends up around the size of a small mobility scooter. I have seen other guests using other handcycle attachments in the parks, some of them much bigger than mine.
Getting to and from the parks
I have not attempted to board any of the shuttle buses with the attachment attached, if I'm in a Disney hotel there is no need, I have enough range to make it to the parks and usually be fine all day, maybe just a quick top up. If I'm not staying at Disney I tend to either stay at Adagio Serris which I can ‘walk’ to and from and is not much further than if you were at a far block in Cheyenne or Santa Fe, or I stay at a hotel close to a RER station. I have intentionally avoided the hotels like Explorers, Dream Castle etc and those in that area as they only have buses and are not really close enough to walk, and are not near a RER station.
I have got on buses in general with the attachment but usually I remove it and ask anyone with me to wheel it on separately, but this is no good if I'm solo. I do know of some attachment users who do ride buses with them attached so if this is something you can already manage at home this should be fine on the shuttle buses, if not easier due to the wheelchair spaces being directly opposite the ramp.
If it’s too far to walk I use the RER, the stations are usually accessible but it is worth looking out for lift outages. See the page linked below for more information on using the RER as a wheelchair user. Google maps is great for showing accessible routes, but may miss things like missing dropped curbs!
If you are walking from the Val D’Europe area with a wheelchair or scooter this route shown is the best route, if you use the route which passes past the side of Newport Bay there is a car park entrance which does not have dropped curbs.
Around the parks
With the attachment on my chair is more like a mobility scooter, albeit one I am unable to easily stand up from! Moving around the parks and village areas is relatively straightforward, there are plenty of ramps and dropped curbs.
Crowds however can make it more difficult and I do need to concentrate while moving around. Guests are excited to be at Disney and want to stop and take photos and are engrossed in their surroundings so they can stop suddenly or step sideways suddenly. Add in small children who are also very excited and you do need to go slowly and carefully.
I have kept the attachment on in some ride queues but because you need to remove it to be able to transfer to the ride I usually leave it in the nearest buggy park, and I may do a couple of rides or shops in one area then come back for it. I have also used it within some shops, though I usually don’t use the electric power when manoeuvring in tighter spaces and use my push rims instead. I personally prefer to remove it and leave it to the side when meting characters and usually leave it with buggies when going to dine in restaurants, I just personally find it much easier to manoeuvre indoors without it attached.
As part of Disney’s work to improve its environmental footprint they now keep most doors to shops and restaurants closed, this is another reason why I often remove the attachment, more so when I am solo, as it is very awkward to try and open a door with it attached! Saying that strangers are usually helpful at holding doors or passing down out of reach items in shops and cast members in quick service and buffets have always offered to help with carrying things!
Charging
Unfortunately, Disneyland Paris do not have any specific charging areas for medical devices or mobility aids. They also lock many of the plug sockets around the parks. This is an area I do feel is lacking for electric wheelchair and mobility scooter users.
If you need to charge and give something a top up during the day here are some options I have had success with, or have heard of others having success with, but these are not guaranteed. Saying that I have never completely run out of charge and when needed have always managed to find a way!
- In the arcades on main street, sometimes a socket cover is unlocked, and the coin machines usually have a socket on the side
- Sometimes the arcade in videopolis is open for people to go into and has sockets in the floor
- I once found a socket in the castle, off to the right side opposite the rear door to the Christmas shop, this was next to a bench
- You may find them when in restaurant and you can ask cast members if you may be able to charge while you eat
- I have been able to charge in Sports bar and in hotel bars
- I have heard of people having success with asking at the first aid centres
Wherever you charge you need to stay with the device. Luckily I do normally have adequate range to last me all day, but I am a frequent visitor so may not try to cover as much in one day as others might want to do. Devices ranges will also vary. Mine has a range of around 10-15km.
Security
As I have mentioned I choose to remove my attachment in a number of places and circumstances. There is always a risk of theft at Disney, and obviously the attachment is an expensive device. I can only talk about my own personal risk assessment and the level of risk I am comfortable with against the benefits of leaving it at times.
I hope that it is not something attractive to thieves who may not know what it is and it is also not much use unless you have a wheelchair and the attachment points. I also felt someone wandering off with it may look suspicious and thieves generally want to be discreet.
I do have an air tag hidden on the attachment, secured round some of the wiring. I also have a keyring attached with a wheelchair symbol indicating it is a mobility aid, in the hope that may also help if someone has a conscience!
You are not able to lock things to anything fixed, like railings, as cast members need to be able to move items, I do though take a bike lock that I can put through the wheel to make it difficult to roll it away, given it weighs 15kg if it can’t be rolled it would be hard to carry all the way out of the parks and without drawing attention.
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