Question about using wheel chairs for part of day

[POOHsie]

I've been to Disney plenty of times with my personal scooter. Taken it on the Disney buses, monorails, and various boats. Gone in restaurants, rest rooms, ride queues, stores, everywhere there is to go at Disney. I am always careful, and vigilant about not colliding with someone either caused by my stupidity or theirs. The main thing about scooters is they are low to the ground and noise-less. You will be amazed to notice that people just don't see you because your head is 2 feet below theirs, and they don't hear you coming. So there will be awkward almost-encounters. The best thing to do is paste your biggest smile on your face at all times and be patient and kindly, not impatient and rude. The kind and caring persona will do wonders to get you through situations you are unfamiliar with, or mistakes you might make as a rookie. Last trip I was going down a sidewalk at DHS in front of a store, and a man came charging out (there was no door). He didn't see me coming and I kind-of ran over his foot. We spent a few moments arguing - he wanted to take the blame, and I wanted to take the blame. It was all light-hearted and my smile and good humor never wavered.

I have never heard a rude comment at or in the buses. Never. The new buses are pretty easy to get on, but you could go up the bus ramp, take a seat and have DH park it for you. Then he will need practice, too. My advice: do it yourself. The first time you will be self-conscious, after that you will be a pro. Hint: Keep the scooter speed rather low when maneuvering inside the bus.

Don't let your injuries slow you down. If a scooter is in your future, you have to start sometime. Disney is a great place for "scooter-people" and that is why I keep going back. Have a wonderful time!

 

[psycgirl]

Thanks that is great advice! I'll keep a smile on my face no matter what happens

 

[lovetoscrap]

POOHsie is absolutely right Your attitude will be what makes your experience good or bad. If you feel self conscious and embarrassed then you will probably not enjoy yourself. I have found that those you think everyone is watching and judging them tend to see that-- every look their direction, every person they see laughing, every comment they can't hear they think is about them. If only people realized that it really isn't all about them! Most likely no one is even noticing you because they are having too much fun with their own family, looking around, laughing and talking. If you keep a smile on your face, concentrate on the fact that you are spending time with your family, and are a courteous driver then you will have fun. I also recommend a tiara but not everyone is able to go that far

I would recommend that the first time you need to get on a bus, try to avoid the morning rush so that you can take your time with less pressure. Let the bus driver know that this is the first time you have done this and could use some help. Hopefully he/she will talk you through it and give you advice. Go slow and take the time you need. If you get frustrated and feel you just can't do it, and you think your DH might be better at it then get off and sit down and let him try.

Practicing with an ECV at a grocery store is a great idea, but realize when you do that the rental will be much EASIER to use. The ones at the stores are bigger than a rental, have no speed adjustment and are usually in such bad shape that they can be downright scary. So if you can get the basics of getting around, backing up, turning, and maybe even try a little parallel parking then you will be fine when you get there. Just know you have to be extra vigilant at the parks watching for people and kids. It is really the same awareness of your surroundings you would have if you were driving your car through a crowd of people. Watch for children especially because they are unpredictable and can dart in front of you at any time. I have stopped many kids with my outstretched arm.

By the way, with your PF you probably want to go ahead and be using those store scooters anyway. I am not sure what your doctor has told you and what your current treatment plan is, but PF does not heal within a few weeks. It can be a long and recurring problem. It is very important that you do your exercises-- a few weeks of Physical Therapy to teach you the appropriate exercises and be sure you are doing them correctly may be beneficial. If you are not seeing a good Podiatrist then get to one. General Practice doctors are great but you just can't mess around with foot problems, you need to see an expert. Do NOT go barefoot ever. I wear generic crocs in the shower, I am never barefoot. Wear supportive shoes. Flip flops and slippers are not enough. You need a good tennis shoe or other shoe recommended by your Podiatrist. No dress shoes, heels etc... I tell you all this because no one told me when I started having problems. I am now permanently disabled in both feet because the damage got so bad. This does not happen in the majority of the cases, I am a bit of an odd case, but if I had better care and advice in the beginning I may not have gotten this bad.

Have a great time in Disney, and please let us know how it went!

 

[lovetoscrap]

One more thing-- avoid the crowds in the parks. If you stay late for fireworks or parades then when it is over just hang back and wait for the crowd to clear before you leave. Scooters and a packed shoulder to shoulder crowd really don't mix. After Fantasmic we just sit in the stands and wait until the crowd is gone, after parades and fireworks we just find a place a sit (if possible, the crowd was so bad last time I couldn't move at all so we were stuck at the curb) and just take our time.

 

[psycgirl]

Which scooter company is the best to use? I just read that some people had negative experiences with Scootarama regarding getting them on the phone, rude operators on phones and extra damage charges. I want to make sure to rent from a company that is easy to work with and that has nice scooters at a good price

I also need to make sure to get one that disassembles easily and fits in the trunk of a mid sized car since we are now renting a car

Thanks

 

[psycgirl]

I just reserved with Apple since they seemed the cheapest and they look like they have new scooters. Fingers crossed that it will go well.

 

[Eeyore5]

After much discussion with my husband we decided to go with a rental scooter offsite so that I have a chair with me always. This way I can have freedom and can get myself around the park if I am left alone during our visit. It was a hard decision because I know I'm going to get those stares and rude comments that I've been reading about from other guests but at the end of the day I have to do what is best for my health and when I tried to walk on my foot today it didn't go well. I'm just surprised at how many posters have had negative comments or looks from other guests. I have been to disney 6 times previously and I never felt that way about anyone using a wheelchair or ecv and that saddens me that people can be so judgmental and rude to someone they don't know especially at such a magical place like disney. The fear of that kind of experience almost made me cancel this trip that I've been planning 6 months for when faced with this new injury. My husband suddenly became protective and said that he would deal with anyone making any comments at the rides or especially the buses. I pleaded with him to rent a car so we could avoid an awkward scene at the buses but he thinks it would be too hard to transport the scooter in a car. I'm still going to try to get him to change his mind about that if I can. I just hope I can drive it. I am not the best driver to begin with. I think I need to visit the grocery store and practice before next week. At least now I shouldn't slow down my family. If they waited for me to limp on one foot we wouldn't get much done.

I just got back today and the stares weren't too bad. I would just smile at the person staring. They would either realize what they were doing and look away or smile and wave. I had a few people ask how to get one since they look like fun. I would politely explain why they are not fun and tell them that if you can walk at Disney, it is much easier. When I would point out where my eye level is, it would get a laugh. I have mild CP and was planning on using the ECV part time to conserve my energy and not be in horrible pain from overdoing it. I also have planter fasciitis and it had flared up pretty badly before the trip. The dr said no walking at disney and has be warring ankle braces - he said the ones over the counter for planter fasciitis are worthless. I had sandals by my bed so I never walked bare foot (this will help your feet heal. Not walking all week has really helped the pain. I used the bus. It wasn't that big of a deal. If you ask, the drive will park the scooter for you.

 

[SueM in MN]

The companies we have the most feedback on this board from are Walker, Care, Randys and, recently Apple. I would feel comfortable renting from any of them.

As far as comments and stares - many of the comments are on the internet. People feel comfortable making comments anonymously online that they would not make if someone could hear them.
Over the years, we have heard some not-very-nice comments directed toward our DD, who uses a wheelchair and is not able to walk. Those kind of comments can 'stick' with you, but the majority of people either will not make any comments or not notice you at all (many people write that they feel like they have become invisible). For every not-so-nice comment, we have had many people who have said nothing and several very nice people who went out of their way to open doors, clear the path or something else that was positive.

As was already posted, it's best to wait when leaving the park at busy times or after a show like Fantasmic or a parade. People are in a hurry and many get frustrated with anyone who slows them down - whether it is someone in a wheelchair or ECV, a family with a stroller or people just walking slowly. By waiting for the crowd to thin, those people will get out and you will have a much less crowded and more pleasant trip out. Also, when you get to the bus, you will be less likely to find large crowds waiting, which is another time when other guests may become irritated and impatient with anyone who slows down their leaving.

 

[psycgirl]

I wanted to add an update about my first trip to disney with an ECV. I ended up renting from Apple Scooter and I am so glad that I did. I was so impressed with my apple scooter. Everything was perfect for my trip!!! The battery was always full even at the end of the day which was so surprising after driving it for hours. I was so excited to get to the hotel and to have it there waiting on me. I was nervous about using it the first day and the key fell off my wrist during one of the first rides of the day and I was devastated and after looking for it for an hour we called Apple and they did not hesitate. They quickly arranged to have someone bring another key to us and within 2 hours we had it in hand. We just rode a few rides and had lunch while waiting to meet them at the front gate for it. That really impressed us!! We thought their customer service was EXCELLENT!!

I contacted them ahead of time and told them my concern about being stranded in the parks if there was a malfunction or if the battery didn't hold a charge like some other posters described and I was emailed back immediately and told that they would make a note to install a brand new battery before they dropped it off and there was no problem with it whatsoever. WE were actually impressed that it never seemed to fade at all. The gauge said full the entire time and we only charged it over night and never in the parks during the day which some posters had told me I might need to do.

The scooter was so easy to learn how to drive and it got me around the park so well. I’ve never used a scooter before my injury so I was worried about having my first experience with it at Disney but it really made my trip more enjoyable than I could have imagined with my limited mobility. It looked like a new scooter and was definitely more attractive than the older models and the disney rentals. I highly recommend Apple scooters for their high quality product and excellent customer service. I couldn't have asked for things to go smoother. I was already upset with this last minute injury that incapacitated me and having the scooter perform so well took that anxiety and stress away from me for the duration of the trip. I think my family members were probably jealous and wanted a scooter of their own to ride around on.

Apple scooter made my trip as comfortable as possible. It allowed me to really enjoy my vacation with my family without extra worry or pain and it was actually fun on the scooter!!!! I was zipping around all over the parks and my family couldn't even keep up with me which really made me feel better. I was so worried that I would slow us all down with not being able to walk and in the end I was the one waiting on them haha