Taxi service to parks

[Mickeefan]

I apologize if this in in the wrong forum. I'm wondering if one can take a taxi from Pop Century to MK or Epcot. If so, where does it drop off the passengers at each park. I'm travelling with my Mom and Dad and my Dad has some mobility issues. He's not confined to a wheelchair, but uses a cane and has difficulty walking distances. We're trying to find out of he can take a taxi, especially to Epcot, to avoid the long distance between the bus stop and the entrance. Thanks for any help!

 

[DizzKneeGeek]

A taxi from any resort to MK will drop off at TTC. So you'll still need to take the ferry or monorail; which will require walking up an inclined ramp.

A taxi to EPCOT will drop off only a short distance closer than the busses from the resort do. It looked to be about 50 yards closer to the gate. Not much closer at all in the whole scheme of things.

 

[Karnak]

A taxi to the Magic Kingdom would not be of much help since, as another poster noted, cabs are not allowed to drop people off anywhere near the enterance to the park. I have often wondered why Disney makes it so difficult and time consuming to enter the Magic Kingdom. Even arriving by a Disney bus, one must walk quite a way to get from the bus stop to the gate, and this distance is made longer because one is not allowed to walk straight to the gate, but must walk out of the way, down towards the boat dock before being allowed to walk straight to the gate.

Also, using a taxi to get to any of the other parks gains you very little advantage, the walk is almost the same in any case.

However, using a taxi to get back to one's resort when leaving the park is worthwhile, again except for the Magic Kingdom where you must ride the boat or the monorail to get to the TTC.

Enjoy.

 

[MaeDaisy]

I can't answer for Epcot, but for MK, it would probably be easier to take the resort bus. We took a taxi to MK because we were late for a dinner reservation and I thought it would be faster than the bus, but I was wrong! The buses drop you off at the park entrance, whereas a taxi will drop you off at the Transportation Center. This was our first visit ever, and we had no idea where to go or what to do after the cab dropped us off. We had to ask 3 different people at 3 different points "How do we get to the Magic Kingdom???" It was an ordeal. The next time, we took the resort bus and it was fast & easy.

 

[CleveRocks]

I apologize if this in in the wrong forum. I'm wondering if one can take a taxi from Pop Century to MK or Epcot. If so, where does it drop off the passengers at each park. I'm travelling with my Mom and Dad and my Dad has some mobility issues. He's not confined to a wheelchair, but uses a cane and has difficulty walking distances. We're trying to find out of he can take a taxi, especially to Epcot, to avoid the long distance between the bus stop and the entrance. Thanks for any help!

I have a thought, but it might be made irrelevant by some other facts that you didn't post.

MK and Epcot are simply huge. There's an awful lot of walking involved with visiting either one. If you are concerned about walking distance from the bus to the gate, then what are you going to do while inside the gate?

My guess is that your response will be he'll rent a wheelchair or an ECV once inside the park. For the amount that taxis would cost you coming and going over even just a couple of days, you could rent an ECV from an outside company that your Dad could ride everywhere, not just inside theme park gates. All Disney Transport buses are equipped to transport ECVs. I don't know of any companies' names, but there are several that will deliver the ECV to and pick up from your WDW resort.

 

[Mickeefan]

Thanks for the replies. I guess the taxi idea doesn't save much walking. Yes, he is planning to rent a wheelchair once inside the parks. He doesn't need one full time. I guess we'll just use the bus and perhaps one of our party can go ahead and get the wheelchair rented, so when he gets inside the park it will be there. Thanks again.

 

[CleveRocks]

Thanks for the replies. I guess the taxi idea doesn't save much walking. Yes, he is planning to rent a wheelchair once inside the parks. He doesn't need one full time. I guess we'll just use the bus and perhaps one of our party can go ahead and get the wheelchair rented, so when he gets inside the park it will be there. Thanks again.

I know you didn't ask it, but just a thought -- with an ECV, he'll be able to move himself, with a wheelchair he'll need someone pushing him. ECVs are rented at the same place as strollers and wheelchairs.

My Dad never used an ECV, but he had his share of mobility issues for several years (2 separate hip replacements, thankfully with full eventual recoveries). Either option would have been a bother to him, but I'm sure he would have chosen to propel himself rather than put that task onto someone else.

Just a thought, sorry to intrude ....

 

[Mickeefan]

I guess we haven't really discussed an ECV. I just know that he's planning to walk some (maybe pushing the chair). He's got what they are calling Heriditary Spastic Parapalegia. He uses a cane, but for the parks, he wants a wheelchair so he doesn't hold the rest of us up with his slower pace. Thanks for your replies. My Mom and I are planning to talk to him some this weekend about have a chair delivered from an outside company, so that he has it available at the resort, too. I think he doesn't want to have to hassle with it getting onto the bus from Pop Century.

 

[PlainJane]

I guess we haven't really discussed an ECV. I just know that he's planning to walk some (maybe pushing the chair). He's got what they are calling Heriditary Spastic Parapalegia. He uses a cane, but for the parks, he wants a wheelchair so he doesn't hold the rest of us up with his slower pace. Thanks for your replies. My Mom and I are planning to talk to him some this weekend about have a chair delivered from an outside company, so that he has it available at the resort, too. I think he doesn't want to have to hassle with it getting onto the bus from Pop Century.

I know it doesn't sound like pushing would be that big an issue, but believe me it can be. When your pushing you notice every incline, uneven surface, carpet becomes your worst enemy, even going down hill can be diffficult if the person weighs more than you and you have trouble gripping the chair. I've had to push my mother in the past, and it was not a fun experience. I didn't complain to her. I didn't have to complain I looked terrible, I was sweating when it was 56 degrees outside. She is bigger than I am, but I think even pushing someone my own size might cause problems. It also poses a problem in stores, she wants to look at one thing, and if I go to look at another she is stranded. The person in the chair just looses their freedom all together. I've also had to ride around in a chair myself, and the whole time I was thinking I really wish I could move this thing myself.

If you decide to still use a normal wheelchair, you should know that all the DW resorts let you borrow them for free from the resort. There is a possibility that they will all be checked out though. When your checking in is when you can ask for one.