Shanghai Disneyland tightens rules on wheelchair access to curb misuse

Name: SCMP
Telephone: +852-2680-8888

Change follows complaints that able-bodied guests were renting powered wheelchairs to bypass queues and speed through the park

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

A ceremony to mark the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland in May 2020. Photo: Kyodo

Daniel Renin Shanghai

Published: 7:29pm, 10 Dec 2024

Shanghai Disney Resort, the world’s largest amusement park, has enforced a new rule to stamp out the misuse of electricity-powered wheelchairs and tightened other requirements to boost safety following complaints from visitors, the operator said.

Only those guests with mobility needs, or sick, elderly and disabled people, are allowed to use wheelchairs to bypass queues at ticket counters, Walt Disney Co and state-owned Shanghai Shendi Group said in a statement.

Entry with an electric wheelchair is only permitted after the visitor has received reservation confirmation from the resort, it added. The visitor is also required to present valid proof of disability upon entry.

The new rule “will help facilitate access to the resort’s infrastructure and services by wheelchairs for persons with mobility needs, while also supporting the overall safety and resort experience for all guests”, according to the statement.

01:55

Shanghai Disneyland reopens as China eases strict zero-Covid restrictions

The resort, built at a cost of US$5 billion, has a capacity to handle 80,000 guests per day in an area spread over 390 hectares, about triple the size of Hong Kong Disneyland. It encompasses the Disneyland theme park, hotels and Disneytown and Wishing Star Park areas.