Amusement Park Question

Factual Questions
21

Disneyland does in fact do this. They call it “fast pass.”

There is a separate fast pass line (which is significantly shorter than the regular line), and at the entrance to this fast pass line, there is a machine that dispenses these fast pass tickets (in exchange for your admission ticket).

Above the machine, there is a sign with the times posted of when you can return. The times are usually an hour window (i.e. 1:30 to 2:30). And these fast passes are available to any guest (handicapped or not).

22

So, I guess the answer to my question is that it’s a combination of the facts that (1) it’s difficult for a wheelchair to navigate the “mazes,” and (2) a freebie for people who face tremendous disadvantages in life.

23

I believe it is fair to let those with disabilities pass.

I also know what it’s like to get jeers from people waiting hours while I walk to the front of the line. Universal Studios California supplied my family and I with V.I.P. passes. Among other perks like a personal tour of the back lot, they get you into the “Special Access” entrance of any ride or attraction. Now don’t get me wrong, you were these badges around your neck and the employees lead you to these entrances.

I found out later that, despite being a screenwriter I’m not a Very Important Person and that any Joe can buy these passes for about twice the normal admission cost. This, I would thank would be money well spent considering the lines I saw in front of Terminator 3D. (By the way, we went to this attraction several times in a row not because I wanted to or my kids but because my 50+ mother wanted to. She’s a real go get’er!)
-Waneman

24

Okay, a bit of an update:

(former)Roommate and I went to Disney this past weekend, going to Epcot and Magic Kingdom. (f)R uses a wheelchair because he has almost no cartilege in his knees and walking long distances is painful for him (not to mention we were at the Jungle Cruise once and his knees gave out, taking out a family of six in his fall). He can walk with a cane. A run-down of the wait process:

[side note - Disney has now changed the names of their queues - FastPass [FP] is now the ‘main’ line and the regular line is now “Standby Line” [SL]. TestTrack also has a line for lone riders.]

EPCOT -
TestTrack - SL wait was one hour; FP return in 1.5 hours. Greeter wrote out pass for us to return in one hour. {Returned just as a tour group of 150 returned with their FP} - Entered ride through FP line, additional 15 minute wait, since they only allow three w/c guests on ride at one time in case of evacuation.

Honey I Shrunk the Audience - No FP. Used side door next to regular line - this leads to a raised platform so guests in w/c can usually see the preshow movie over he other guests - usually, since the jackass in front of us hoisted his kid onto his shoulders and wouldn’t move until the cast member told him to take the kid down.

Journey into Your Imagination - No FP. Used regular line until just beore loading platform - split off to side line. Option of w/c guest transferring to regular car or remaining in wheelchair and waiting for special car (roll w/c up ramp into car and swivel chair forward - very nice and convenient. (Ride itself- eh. So-so.)

Magic Kingdom -

Winnie the Pooh - Used SL like other guests (wide queue lines and easy cornering). (FP return time was 2 hours later!)

Snow White Adventures - Waited at exit for ride attendant.

It’s a Small World - Used SL outer lane (w/c is passed manually to exit side of the ride). Guests in electric wheelchairs are directed down exit ramp and load from exit side of the ride.

Haunted Mansion - Entered a gate next to SL. Left w/c at exit, sent into ‘fireplace room’ with guests from FP line, then guests from SL enter ‘fireplace room’. Single queue line from there for everyone.

Disney now has a mix of regular queue lines and bypasses for wheelchair guests.

25

My parents-in-law had a foster son, about 30, with severe birth defects. The physical ones were deformed legs and hands. He could walk around the house, but walking around and waiting in long lines at an amusement park would’ve been exhausting for him.

At Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA, he rode around in a park-supplied wheelchair. When a line was excessively long, we’d politely ask if we could use the handicap bump policy. The staff were very patient and helpful in accomodating his needs, and I’m sorry I never go around to writing a thank-you letter to the management there.

I saw no problems with using this priviledge; there were very few other handicapped people doing this, so the main queue wasn’t delayed significantly, and it did allow David to enjoy the park for which he paid full admission price.

26

For the most part, most of the rides you will see require the guest to transfer to the ride seat under their own power or with assistance. Several parks and carnival owners do not let their employees offer any more than the minimal amount of assitance, e.g. holding someone’s hand to steady them getting in and out of the ride. This is not only for fear of liability for injury to the guest (most people are not trained on how to lift a person properly, and the chances of dropping someone or exacerbating a pre-existing medical condition increase) or the possibility of sexual harassment (purposely or even accidentally holding someone ‘the wrong way’ can lead to a very uncomfortable situation for both parties), but also to protect the employee against their own injury or harassment.

Most of the travelling carnivals and lots of the stationary parks use pre-fab rides. [I don’t have a copy of [*Amusement Business*](http://www.amusementbusiness.com/amusementbusiness/index.jsp) available at the moment, so I can’t give any impressive names of the big manufacturers.] Ride design takes a lot into consideration: physics of the ride itself, the physics of the human body (what it can, cannot and should not do), and the general enjoyment of the ride (thrill factor, nausea inducement). Lots of successes, lots of failures, lots of ‘back to the drawing board’.

[The big manufacturers have engineers and designers working at this. There are trade shows for park and unit owners and operators, displaying the lastest in rides and ride technology. My old carnival unit used the side yard in winter quarters to set up and display new rides since there was a problem setting them up in the convention hall (driving stakes into the floor for a 90,000 lb. ride was frowned upon). We had fun setting them up, and most of the carnies volunteered to test ride.]

Redesigning a ride to now accomodate a wheelchair takes a whole new set of physics into consideration: new space allotments, entering and exiting the ride, safety considerations for wheelchair brakes that may not completely work (happens a lot with the theme parks, considering the amount of use they get), safety belt redesign for both the occupant and the chair, and generalizing this to accommodate the wide variety of manual wheelchairs available (straight wheel vs angled (racing wheel) wheels, different heights of chairs, foot rest size and angles), and whether electric wheel chairs can be accomodated at all. Most of the travelling shows and smaller amusement parks cannot afford the cost that would go into these redesigns.

Larger parks and theme parks (Disney, Universal Studios, Busch Entertainment Corp, not sure about Six Flags) often have their own set of engineers and designers, and can afford to absorb the cost of redesign, since they are going to be accomodating a larger and more diverse group.

However, with theme park attendance dropping somewhat and a lot of belt-tightening going on in the industry itself, many of the theme-parks are probably going to be using more pre-fabbed rides with new bells and whistles to save money. Case in point: stip down both Disney’s “Dumbo” ride and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure’s “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish” ride (phew!) to their bare minimums and what do you have? A circular ride around a central post with XX number of sweeps (radial arms) and a rider’s option of elevation.

The rides that can accomodate the wheelchair and rider are usually the stationary rides found at the larger theme parks; however, even these have limitations - in most cases, someone in an electric wheelchair must transfer to a regualr wheelchair before boarding.

Lest you get the wrong idea, ride designers are making changes to rides to accomodate a larger audience, so to speak. Roller coasters are now designed with seats for larger and overweight people - safety belt extensions, double belts instead of single belts hooking into the overshoulder harness, larger overshoulder harnesses (very much appreciated by us large-busted women - no more holding my breath for the duration of the ride!).

We just haven’t gotten to the point where everything can be accomodated.

27

[Blackbeards FEC park operations supervisor checks in]

Actually per the Americans with Disabilities Act we are REQUIRED BY LAW to have access to our rides for handicapped persons. This is as of I think 1997. If they cant navigate the lines you have to backdoor them or make alternative loading arrangements.

As far a Make A Wish or Give Kids the World we are not required to put them in line ahead of anyone although we encourage them to come in at slower times so they can ride as much as they want. Also we give the family special wristbands to identify them. While they are in the park, everything is free for them. Biggest thing they might have to do is sign a register adjustment slip and off they go again. These programs in my IMHO are wonderful. These families are often emotionally and financially strained to the limits. Being able to walk into an amusement park and have every employee able to give 100% without question is a wonderful thing for them and actually kinda a fun thing for us.