Options when an unexpected injury happens within weeks of your trip

[finedice]

Our DD has just been diagnosed with a fractured knee cap. We still have to follow up with a specialist, but for now she is in a brace and on crutches with no weight bearing allowed. Our 8 day trip is just 3 weeks away. She has been walking on it for weeks since it happened, so this comes as a big shock. Does anyone have any advice on what can be done with tickets? Our split stay was a few nights at a Disney Springs hotel, with another 5 nights at AK lodge following it. We got the reservations with cancellation available through UT and will have to call on the specifics of that tomorrow. We also bought the dated tickets through UT. We did buy some insurance on the airline tickets, but are unsure whether they will pay based on the situation - there is really nothing preventing us from flying to FL at this point despite the injury. Will Disney offer a means to transfer the tickets to another set of dates in the future if it turns out we can't make it? Who should we contact for more information?

 

[Raya]

UT may be able to refund your tickets. Another option is to move the tickets to a future date, as you suggested. Disney is usually able to switch the dates as long as the new days are the same or a greater cost. Start with UT and then call Disney customer service. I suspect the one call to UT will be enough. I'd have your back up dates/second choice of dates ready when you call.

I hope your DD has a speedy recovery! I'm sure you must all be disappointed, but hopefully the magic is just delayed a little.

 

[CastAStone]

If you've linked your tickets to MDE it's very unlikely UT can still refund them.

Disney will let you use them any day this year that is the same or cheaper by calling or even in My Disney Experience. If you know what date you want to change to, do it now before they raise prices. If you pick more expensive days this year they will just charge the difference. If you can't go in 2020 simply do nothing (if UT can't refund) and the tickets will be basically a coupon off of your next ticket purchase (e.g. if they're worth $550, then in 2021 or 2024 or whenever you'll exchange them for $550 your purchase of a ticket for the same person).

I hope the airline works with you. Serious injury would be covered by many trip insurances, but if they say no, you can also try your luck with calling the airline and asking nicely if they'll let you move the dates and waive the change fee - if you explain what happened they might. An out and out refund will be much less likely.

Good luck to you and your family!

 

[ColoradoMom12]

I don’t know about the park pickets, but did you pay for the flights with a credit card? Many credit cards have trip cancellation/interruption insurance. It might be worth it to investigate whether the credit card you used (if you used one) offers this.

My DD had a injury and was non-weight bearing the last time we were at WDW. I rented a wheelchair for her (delivered to our resort), and we used wheelchair assistance at the airport. She had crutches, but there was no way she could have navigated an airport or a park on them. If you decide to go, you might want to rent a wheelchair for the duration of your trip (not just at the parks). I would probably reschedule if it turns out she needs surgery. I’d recommend talking to her doctor about your plans and she what she/he advises. I hope your daughter has a quick recovery!

 

[finedice]

Thank you all so so much! I was guessing that Disney would work with us and had contimplated the wheelchair idea as well. I hadn't thought of the credit card insurance - which seems silly as a person that always declines rental car insurance based on CC coverage! Hopefully we get better news from the Orthopedic specialist than we fear! Thanks Again!

 

[Evita_W]

The wheelchair option may be a valid one, but I would suggest renting from off-site, the Disney ones can be very difficult to push. Normally I would suggest an ECV, but most companies won't rent to someone under 18, especially if they have no experience with one, so a wheelchair may be the best option if you still want to go.

Also, did you pay for the park tickets with a credit card? If so, that same insurance for the plane ticket may cover the park tickets as well.

 

[finedice]

Thanks Evita! We are seeing the ortho specialist on Tuesday and hopefully will have more answers then. Our decision will be more based on whether she will be able to effectively be able to get on and off the rides etc. If she is still non-weight bearing, that's obviously a concern.

 

[Evita_W]

Thanks Evita! We are seeing the ortho specialist on Tuesday and hopefully will have more answers then. Our decision will be more based on whether she will be able to effectively be able to get on and off the rides etc. If she is still non-weight bearing, that's obviously a concern.

That would be a concern, but can still be doable thanks to transfer seats at most of the rides, additionally several rides have vehicles where you can remain in the wheelchair, obviously not the thrill rides in that one, but here are some examples of attractions where you don't need to transfer from a wheelchair:

• All character meet and greets
• Magic Kingdom Railroad
• Jungle Cruise
• Flying Carpets
• Tiki Room
• Country Bears
• Hall of Presidents
• Small World
• Enchanted Takes with Belle
• Winnie the Pooh
• Carousel of Progress
• Buzz Lightyear
• Philarmagic
• Little Mermaid
• Monsters Inc laugh floor
• All shows at Magic Kingdom (if I missed any)
• Living with the Land
• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• All shows at Epcot
• Boat ride in Mexico
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• All shows at Animal Kingdom
• All shows at Hollywood Studios
• At Smugglers Run and Star Tours you can take the wheelchair right up to the seat you are transferring to, just let the know you need to do so. At Star Tours they have a seat that the side opens to make transferring easier, Smugglers Run already has open sides on the seats, very well designed.

I am sure I have missed some and For most other attractions you can take the wheelchair right up to the ride vehicle to where it would be one or two steps to get in and I have seen plenty of people hop on one foot to do so, the notable exceptions to this that around to kind are:

• Peter Pan (you just be able to handle the moving walkway)
• People Mover (moving walkway and load platform)
• Pirates (you can get close, but the getting over the edge of the boat may be problematic with no weight bearing on one leg)
• Splash (same as Pirates)
• Space Mountain (same issue)
• Rapids ride at Animal Kingdom (again steps down and up, but I have seen people do it and I believe they have a separate load area as I recall, it's been a while)

There may be other attractions where there are issues, but these are the ones that around to kind, the rest have transfer seats and/or other assistance to make it easier.

My overall point is that even if she is non weight bearing on one leg, it is quite possible to still have a great trip and enjoy most, if not all of the attractions and if she has crutches, if you can vary them with you, I have seen at help people with transferring at attractions where there are issues. I believe some third party rental company's have crutch holders available for their wheelchairs, but I can't remember for sure, I just seen to recall reading something about it, I would call a few (including my favorite, Gold Mobility, they do rent wheelchairs too, but others as well) and ask.

But ultimately you have to make the right decision for your family and these boards are a great resource to decide if she can do it or not, look at the sticky threads, they have a lot of detailed information. I'm just trying to be encouraging and letting you know it is still doable, even if she is non weight bearing.

 

[josiekiera97]

Hello, first time replier here, but I felt I have valuable advice to give as I was in a near identical situation last year! I broke my foot about 3 weeks before my family's vacation and was non weight bearing for over 2 months! (it was a bad break and we were trying to avoid surgical intervention.)
If you decide to go to ahead with your vacation, I would say its entirely doable and enjoyable if you make some adjustments. I used a wheelchair borrowed from a family member but you could easily rent one from an outside company. I would recommend that over renting one from Disney as they aren't always in great condition and you won't always be able to have it with you.
Honestly my answer to the ease of getting on and off the rides is yes for the most part it is. For me it included a lot of crutching about, a little bit of hopping and some assistance from my family like arm holding for balance. If you want a more in detail description of how I boarded some of the rides you envision to be the trickier ones, feel free to reply with them below and I will do by best to explain.
Wishing your daughter a speedy recovery! I know how hard it can be!

 

[mommcdonnell]

If you've linked your tickets to MDE it's very unlikely UT can still refund them.

Disney will let you use them any day this year that is the same or cheaper by calling or even in My Disney Experience. If you know what date you want to change to, do it now before they raise prices. If you pick more expensive days this year they will just charge the difference. If you can't go in 2020 simply do nothing (if UT can't refund) and the tickets will be basically a coupon off of your next ticket purchase (e.g. if they're worth $550, then in 2021 or 2024 or whenever you'll exchange them for $550 your purchase of a ticket for the same person).

I hope the airline works with you. Serious injury would be covered by many trip insurances, but if they say no, you can also try your luck with calling the airline and asking nicely if they'll let you move the dates and waive the change fee - if you explain what happened they might. An out and out refund will be much less likely.

Good luck to you and your family!

UT would not refund my tickets in 2018. Disney did give me the points good for a year for Boardwalk. I was out luck with the airline tickets(United). We did go in 2019 and Disney did credit my tickets. I had already linked my tickets to Disney. You should be fine. Disney is easy to work with.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

It's up to you whether to cancel or postpone, but if you family decides to go there is so much she could still do. A PP provided a list above. I would add to that to say that Disney is very good at doing everything they can to accommodate as well.

 

[finedice]

Once again, thank you all! We got lucky here - while she did break her knee, the fracture is on the side. Although she has to keep it straight in a brace, she can put weight on it. Doc said we should go! I think we will still rent a wheelchair however, and hope she will be able to bend a bit after the follow-up just before the trip.

 

[Evita_W]

Please do let us know how it all goes, I think you will have a great trip and renting a wheelchair is definitely a good idea. I would strongly recommend renting from an offsite company, that way she will have it for the resort as well, which can often be a lot of walking as well. It should also be cheaper and in better condition than the in park rentals.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I am glad you are getting to go. I would definitely go with the wheel chair. Hoping for a good report next check up!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Once again, thank you all! We got lucky here - while she did break her knee, the fracture is on the side. Although she has to keep it straight in a brace, she can put weight on it. Doc said we should go! I think we will still rent a wheelchair however, and hope she will be able to bend a bit after the follow-up just before the trip.

as others have said go with the offsite rental so she can have outside the park gates s there is very little seating in the waiting areas for all transportation types

 

[mamabunny]

Once again, thank you all! We got lucky here - while she did break her knee, the fracture is on the side. Although she has to keep it straight in a brace, she can put weight on it. Doc said we should go! I think we will still rent a wheelchair however, and hope she will be able to bend a bit after the follow-up just before the trip.

Consider (for an extra feel) renting a leg support for the side her broken leg is on. That way, if her foot/ankle starts to swell, or she needs to prop up for a bit, she can sit in the chair with the support extended and it will support her leg.

And remember that First Aid at each Park will be your friend as well - if she feels the need to rest, prop up and ice down, they will be able to help with that - as well as having some generic Tylenol to help!

 

[dawnball]

Once again, thank you all! We got lucky here - while she did break her knee, the fracture is on the side. Although she has to keep it straight in a brace, she can put weight on it. Doc said we should go! I think we will still rent a wheelchair however, and hope she will be able to bend a bit after the follow-up just before the trip.

In case you haven't thought of it already - call the airline and let them know she has a brace and can't bend the knee. They'll let you know what seating options they can offer you.

 

[finedice]

In case you haven't thought of it already - call the airline and let them know she has a brace and can't bend the knee. They'll let you know what seating options they can offer you.

Thanks! A good idea. We have another appt just two days before we fly out. The doctor said she would give us a brace with a bit more flexibility, but what it offers is yet to be seen. Without the ability to bend at all, we will really have to be creative as there are not many attractions where you don't have to "bend the knee".

 

[dawnball]

Thanks! A good idea. We have another appt just two days before we fly out. The doctor said she would give us a brace with a bit more flexibility, but what it offers is yet to be seen. Without the ability to bend at all, we will really have to be creative as there are not many attractions where you don't have to "bend the knee".

Typically they'll place someone with a knee that can't bend in the bulkhead. I found that a half-height rollaboard (or maybe a backpack or duffle would work better for you) was great for elevating my leg on during the flight. The bag had to be up for taxi/takeoff/landing, but flight attendants were happy to get it down for me as soon as they were up and around, I just asked during boarding.

Airlines liked as much notice as they could get, but typically blocked seats for me and at least one traveling companion (I got two when one was a baby, for example).

I also got really good advice for vacation self-care from my physical therapist. If you don't have one, I'd ask the doctor specifically about things like elevation, ice, heat and compression. I moved to a lockout brace that limited my range of motion but didn't make it zero. Knowing what to do when I accidentally overdid it (in weight bearing or range of motion) made for much better days.

This close to your vacation you may not be able to get a room with a zero-entry (roll-in) shower, but housekeeping should be able to bring you a shower chair. I didn't need to sit on the chair to shower, but used it to transfer into the tub, which was higher than I could lift my leg. There's also a stool that might help her get in and out of the (fairly high) bed. Some resorts also have shower-only rooms (so a lower entry) and I think special needs books those as well. The phone number is (407) 939-7675.

 

[mamabunny]

The rooms with roll-in showers and accessible tubs should all have lower height beds at WDW. Can't speak for any non-Disney Resorts in the area; it has been my recent experience that many hotels are putting those stupidly high beds into roll-in shower rooms.

I can no longer safely get into a high bed, so I have had *lots* of conversations lately with "front desk managers" or GMs at chain hotels everywhere we travel. We have a folding stepstool, but I am looking at the day when I can't use that as well, so apparently I am on a one-woman mission to educate hoteliers all over America...