82-years young. Where to stay? Any EVC advice for the stubborn elderly?

[Hisgirl]

I'm planning to take my older but mobile parents for a short visit, mainly to Epcot. They are out and about, but Daddy has had both knees replaced and he is 82 and Mama has broken her sacrum in her back and walks slow and is 83.

They both can walk about one mile. But cannot stand in line or walk further than one mile. Sooo...that leaves me with renting an electric scooter for each of them. They use a handicap sticker for their cars.

I'm not sure the best way to handle this. I can tell daddy isn't happy with it but he just can't do it any other way.

I'm concerned about when we first pull up to the park. Will they have to walk far to get to the ECV rental place?

And what about the resorts. Is there one with less walking than another? Thank you!

 

[livndisney]

I'm planning to take my older but mobile parents for a short visit, mainly to Epcot. They are out and about, but Daddy has had both knees replaced and he is 82 and Mama has broken her sacrum in her back and walks slow and is 83.

They both can walk about one mile. But cannot stand in line or walk further than one mile. Sooo...that leaves me with renting an electric scooter for each of them. They use a handicap sticker for their cars.

I'm not sure the best way to handle this. I can tell daddy isn't happy with it but he just can't do it any other way.

I'm concerned about when we first pull up to the park. Will they have to walk far to get to the ECV rental place?

And what about the resorts. Is there one with less walking than another? Thank you!

From the bus or parking lot it can be a hike to the ECV rental. The rental is inside the gates just before Spaceship Earth.

Sometimes there are wheelchairs in the parking lot that you can borrow until you get to the gate. Depending on where you park you can also take the tram (guests must step up into the tram). You also have the option of renting an ECV from an outside company and travel with it to the parks (Sue has a sticky with more details).

If you plan to focus on Epcot- you could stay at one of the Epcot resorts and take the boat to the International gateway entrance(this gets you the closest to the turnstiles). There is a rental place just inside that entrance.

 

[Mickey527]

If Epcot is your park of choice definately stay at one of the Epcot Resorts. My favorite is Beach Club because of the pool but if you like the look of the Boardwalk you might be happier there. You might want to check out Swan and Dolphin, they have lots of discounts for different groups like teachers, medical, firemen and policemen, etc... If you can rent points from a DVC member you can get a 1 or 2 bedroom and your parents can have their own bedroom and you will have a full kitchen too.
The walk from the resorts to Epcot is long. the resort does have a few complimentary wheelchairs that you can sign out for the time you are there but how can you push two chairs?
the ECV's are only available from the front gate and the walk from any of the resorts is long. You can take one of the watercrafts which will help.
If you know you are going to need two ECV's you can rent one from an outside company and they will deliver them directly to your resort and explain to you how to use them. They are MUCH cheaper than the ECV you rent from Disney and you will have it for the entire time, not just while in the parks. It makes it possible for you to go to DTD or even walk around the Boardwalk in the evenings.
ECV's fit on the park busses but I know when I had one for my dad he got very flustered getting the ECV up the ramp. I had to do it for him and he took the stairs up. I see some of the busses now have a platform that lifts the ECV so the user doesn't have to drive up the ramp but I am not sure if all the busses are fitted with these.

 

[Hisgirl]

Thank yall SO much for responding so quickly! All good information...but...I must admit I'm feeling discouraged. If they have a long walk in from the parking lot, that could be a bad way to start off. I'll need them to last a few hours at least.

I was hoping I could drop them off somehow. Hmmm....and that ECV renting outside the park. We'll be in a car, so that would be difficult if not impossible to fit 2 in a trunk.

Darnit...this is feeling complicated. Do other folks take adventurous elderly folks?

 

[livndisney]

Thank yall SO much for responding so quickly! All good information...but...I must admit I'm feeling discouraged. If they have a long walk in from the parking lot, that could be a bad way to start off. I'll need them to last a few hours at least.

I was hoping I could drop them off somehow. Hmmm....and that ECV renting outside the park. We'll be in a car, so that would be difficult if not impossible to fit 2 in a trunk.

Darnit...this is feeling complicated. Do other folks take adventurous elderly folks?

You can drop them off-but it really isn't going to save many steps. They would still need to walk part of the parking lot, cross the street/tram area, go thru the bag check to the turnstiles and then to the rental place.

 

[hydrotony]

Epcot is the largest park. It is about a half mile to walk from the parking lot through Future World to get to World Showcase and then it is a mile to circle World Showcase and then a half mile to get back to the parking lot. Without an ECV, they wouldn't be able to do it.

 

[SueM in MN]

If Epcot is your park of choice definately stay at one of the Epcot Resorts. My favorite is Beach Club because of the pool but if you like the look of the Boardwalk you might be happier there. You might want to check out Swan and Dolphin, they have lots of discounts for different groups like teachers, medical, firemen and policemen, etc... If you can rent points from a DVC member you can get a 1 or 2 bedroom and your parents can have their own bedroom and you will have a full kitchen too.
The walk from the resorts to Epcot is long. the resort does have a few complimentary wheelchairs that you can sign out for the time you are there but how can you push two chairs?
the ECV's are only available from the front gate and the walk from any of the resorts is long. You can take one of the watercrafts which will help.
If you know you are going to need two ECV's you can rent one from an outside company and they will deliver them directly to your resort and explain to you how to use them. They are MUCH cheaper than the ECV you rent from Disney and you will have it for the entire time, not just while in the parks. It makes it possible for you to go to DTD or even walk around the Boardwalk in the evenings.
ECV's fit on the park busses but I know when I had one for my dad he got very flustered getting the ECV up the ramp. I had to do it for him and he took the stairs up. I see some of the busses now have a platform that lifts the ECV so the user doesn't have to drive up the ramp but I am not sure if all the busses are fitted with these.

There are very few buses with lifts - those are the very oldest buses and are being phased out.

Each bus has space for 2 wheelchairs or ECVs - a few have room for 3.
There is more information about transportation in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You can find that thread near the top of this board or follow the link in my signature.

Post 2 of th disABILITIES FAQs thread has information about renting ECVs - from the parks and outside companies..

One important thing to keep in mindis that so e older people don't feel comfortable driving an ECV, especially if they no longer drive a car.
It does take a lot of alertness and attention to drive safely. People tend to pop out in front of you and you need to be ready to stop suddenly.

If they have not driven one before, most large grocery stores or places like Walmart or Target have them for customers to use. That would be a good way to practice and become familiar with driving.

Before venturing out with an ECV, practice driving forward and backward, turning in both directions, stopping and for buses, parallel parking on the drivers side.

 

[Hisgirl]

Having them practice in Publix is an excellent idea. They both drive, walk the treadmill at the gym, stay busy with church and family. They look crazy young but the years are indeed catching up.

I'm thinking they could do the walking into the park to get to the rentals, but I'm concerned about how they could make it back if they are wiped out afterwards. I wouldn't want to push them too hard and we could take two days to do the park.

I'm concerned this may not work. Which makes me sad. I wish we had done this waaaay sooner.

 

[Bete]

Having them practice in Publix is an excellent idea. They both drive, walk the treadmill at the gym, stay busy with church and family. They look crazy young but the years are indeed catching up.

I'm thinking they could do the walking into the park to get to the rentals, but I'm concerned about how they could make it back if they are wiped out afterwards. I wouldn't want to push them too hard and we could take two days to do the park.

I'm concerned this may not work. Which makes me sad. I wish we had done this waaaay sooner.

This can work if you are willing to pay for an Epcot deluxe resort and get outside rentals for scooters. You wouldn't need your car. For Epcot you would go by boat from these resorts. If that is the only park it's doable.

Even if you want to rent a scooter from the Disney park ($50/day compared to $30 or $25/day) it's doable from these resorts because right as you get off the boat and in the park there is a scooter rental location in the International Gateway. I believe everyone could handle that amount of walking.

Why not just treat everyone to a better resort and enjoy Epcot. Sometimes, you can find discounts that help. Take a look at the resort forum, here about resorts. It should help.

 

[disney david]

My vote is for board walk inn close to Epcot and Dhs and you can take a boat to both. Plus board walk inn is the best resort my be not best pool but everything else is great.

 

[lanejudy]

I agree with posters recommending the Epcot area resorts. In addition to the boats, it's also possible to walk to both Epcot and DHS from these resorts. If you rent ECVs from offsite, they could easily do this.

One post alluded to maybe doing 2 days...I highly recommend taking 2 days to do Epcot! We always need 2 days, there is so much and it is so large, that 2 days helps keep from trying to cram too much into each day - allowing for a slower pace.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[JulieWent]

My parents -- 75 and 78 -- recently accompanied us on a trip to WDW. They seem much like your parents, mobile, capable, but in need of a little help in distances. We stayed at the BoardWalk (back entrance to Epcot) and rented one ECV from Buena Vista scooters. This company (and lots of others) delivers straight to the resorts and picks the ECV up when you leave. My parents "took turns" driving the ECV when we were walking into the parks, and we stopped for lots of breaks. We took the boat from the BoardWalk into Epcot (though once my mom decided to ride the ECV all the way to the gate because she was enjoying driving and my DS and his friend (both 18) raced her. She won. LOL). We also took the boats to DHS. The ECV ride is not a problem to either of these parks, and maneuvering the ECV onto the boats is very easy.

My parents wanted to go over to MK one day, so they took the ECV, took turns, and REALLY, REALLY took it easy. They stopped for treats, did attractions, etc. But they told me afterwards that they should have rented another ECV at the gates of MK. So, that may be a good strategy for your parents at MK and AK.

Mom and Dad didn't have any trouble at Downtown Disney. They went in the evening, took just the one ECV, and had a blast. (They went to Cirque du Soleil because they hadn't been before, and they loved it.)

Anyway, thought I'd chime in with their experience. It may be helpful. They didn't have any problems with getting the ECV into their room and keeping it charged.

Another possibility at the back entrance to Epcot is the Swan and Dolphin. They often have good discounts, and they are centrally located between Epcot and DHS.

Hope you have a great trip with your parents. Mine said they had the best trip they'd ever taken (and they've been to WDW a number of times when we were younger). They just took it easy and didn't feel like they had to stay with us all the time or do everything.

Julie

 

[Mickeefan]

You had asked about a resort with less walking. I would recommend Port Orleans-French Quarter, however, you'd have to take a bus to Epcot. I doubt that you could get 2 scooters apart & into a car trunk.

I would also highly recommend renting scooters from an outside company. By doing this, you have access to them from when you arrive at your resort to when you check out. You can use them around the resort, to & from the parks & inside the parks. If you choose to stay at the Boardwalk or in that vicinity, you can take a stroll around the Boardwalk & they would definitely be able to do so with rented scooters from outside Disney.

We rent from an off-site company and when a scooter we had ran out of juice & wouldn't take a charge, they came right away with a replacement. Having the scooter for the entire trip (not just inside the park) makes the trip more enjoyable for myself & my mother, as well as for my Dad.

 

[Hisgirl]

Oh wow! Yall are giving SUCH good advice!

So this sounds like it could work afterall!

We could stay at the Boardwalk (which I've always wanted to do!) then rent 2 scooters from an outside company. The company would deliver the scooters to us right there at the resort and THEN, Mama & Daddy could spend time really practicing as we walked around the boardwalk!

When we got up early, we could walk right into Epcot and they could ride right in! The only problem I could see is...the countries open around 11, right? Which wouldn't be an issue for the day we see the countries. But on the day we do the rest of Epcot (2 days for epcot, got it!) then we would be waaaay far from the front of the park and how could I RUN LIKE THE WIND and get fast passes to soarin?? I would hyperventilate by the time I got there and wouldnt be able to walk back!

Maybe....on the day we do the front of the park, we could get transportation to Epcot for rope drop and bring the scooters?

 

[cmesq61]

I use an ECV due to multiple sclerosis. I only stay at either the Poly-for easy on & off the monorail, or at an Epcot resort--we love the Boardwalk. From the Boardwalk or any of the Epcot resorts I can just drive in the ECV into the back gate of the park and I. Off! I love the convenience. The poly remains my favorite, but you cannot beat the EP resorts for ease of access in an ECV. Be aware, though, that with the Boardwalk, you must ride up one floor to the lobby level. Then Change to another elevator to access the guest rooms. It's a pain, especially if your parents are not used to driving ECVs. I've watched many novice users struggle over the years with the elevators.

 

[JulieWent]

LOL Don't worry too much.

I usually walk ahead of the group and go to Soarin' to get Fastpasses for everyone. Then we meet up at TestTrack and do the Standby line. (There isn't any bus transportation from BW to Epcot. You can drive you car around to the front and park -- for free -- if you want. But then you have to worry about what to do with two ECVs.) It's easier to just go in the back gate and walk to Soarin'. It's not as far as you think it is. And the nice thing is, at rope drop, there's no one else in that part of the park, so the walk is very easy. (They let Epcot resort area guests in the back gate and direct them towards the front of the park. You walk through England and Canada. Then you go through the rose garden towards The Land Pavilion.)

You also may not want to divide your two days in Epcot by "front of Epcot" "back of Epcot." We usually start in Future World and go on a couple of attractions, then go back to the resort, chill out, and then hit Epcot countries for the evening -- dinner and strolling. (Like we'll do dinner in Germany and look around in some of the countries on that side of the World.) Then another day we'll go back and ride TestTrack again, maybe hit an attraction we didn't get our first time through (my son and his friend can ride Test Track a dozen times and never get tired of it) and then go to Le Cellier for a late lunch and explore the other side of the World. (France makes a nice late evening stop for dessert.)

Anyway, I wanted to suggest that you don't really need to haul it to Soarin'. Your FastPasses may be for 1:00 in the afternoon if you're not the first person in line, but you'll get them. That's okay. That's an important thing to remember traveling with older parents. (DH and I happened to go by The Land Pavilion our first afternoon in Epcot -- around 12:30. I noticed there were still Fastpasses available for Soarin', and I knew Mom and Dad were coming into Epcot that evening. We ended up with FastPasses for 7:00 p.m. for Mom and Dad for Soarin'. It was the first time they'd ever been on it, and they loved it.)

You'll love BW. It's our favorite place to be.

Julie

 

[Bete]

Oh wow! Yall are giving SUCH good advice!

So this sounds like it could work afterall!

We could stay at the Boardwalk (which I've always wanted to do!) then rent 2 scooters from an outside company. The company would deliver the scooters to us right there at the resort and THEN, Mama & Daddy could spend time really practicing as we walked around the boardwalk!

When we got up early, we could walk right into Epcot and they could ride right in! The only problem I could see is...the countries open around 11, right? Which wouldn't be an issue for the day we see the countries. But on the day we do the rest of Epcot (2 days for epcot, got it!) then we would be waaaay far from the front of the park and how could I RUN LIKE THE WIND and get fast passes to soarin?? I would hyperventilate by the time I got there and wouldnt be able to walk back!

Maybe....on the day we do the front of the park, we could get transportation to Epcot for rope drop and bring the scooters?

I don't use a scooter, but my hubby does. What I do when a fastpass is very far away I will take the scooter myself and he will people watch or whatever while I get the fastpasses. You will need your parents park tickets to get their fastpasses. Soarin' is in the middle of the park. It's not really that bad from World Showcase. Please be aware Soarin' is probably the longest ride queue. It's on a lower level then when you enter the The Land Pavilion. For scooters to get down there you must use an elevator. The elevator services wheelchairs, too. Normally, there is a line of people using the elevator. Give yourself plenty of time to do all the maneuvering involved here. The elevator is in the back by the restrooms near the Garden Grill. I believe you will have to take each scooter down separately and your parents can ride down with you while you do the scooters. It might be too hard for them to do this on their own. Sometimes down below it's crowded and hard to maneuver the scooter when you get off the elevator. The boat ride exists where the elevator is located. Keep in mind that the Land Pavilion can be very crowded and they will have to be very careful with the scooters. I would advise avoiding the lunch hour there. It can be wild with crowds.

 

[JulieWent]

Meant to post this yesterday, but got busy. Hope you're not tired of our suggestions. You may want to look on the DVC Rent and Trade board. It can be very economical to rent points from a DVC owner (or from Dave, who is extremely reputable and very helpful) and stay in a one or two bedroom villa on the BoardWalk. (Even a studio is nice because of the kitchenette, but it won't get you that much extra space.)

Anyway, something to think about if you're considering staying at the BoardWalk.

Julie

 

[Hisgirl]

Yall have truly been a huge help. Now...the bigger hurdle is convincing my Daddy that this is a good trip to take. Mama is definitely on board but I can tell Daddy is holding back from committing and honestly, I think it's the scooters.

But...I know there is not another way. I would be happy to let him walk some and I'LL ride the scooter. Heck...by the time I make it around to France, I'm eyeing those bad boys and thinking how nice it'd be to get off my aching feet!

I do have one more question though. My sister has mentioned that she wants to go. If she goes, she will most likely want to stay at the Grand Floridian. Lordy! If we did...does the monorail take us straight to Epcot and Magic Kingdom? If so...I'm thinking that might be really easy with an outside scooter rental making a resort direct delivery.
Thoughts?

 

[livndisney]

Yall have truly been a huge help. Now...the bigger hurdle is convincing my Daddy that this is a good trip to take. Mama is definitely on board but I can tell Daddy is holding back from committing and honestly, I think it's the scooters.

But...I know there is not another way. I would be happy to let him walk some and I'LL ride the scooter. Heck...by the time I make it around to France, I'm eyeing those bad boys and thinking how nice it'd be to get off my aching feet!

I do have one more question though. My sister has mentioned that she wants to go. If she goes, she will most likely want to stay at the Grand Floridian. Lordy! If we did...does the monorail take us straight to Epcot and Magic Kingdom? If so...I'm thinking that might be really easy with an outside scooter rental making a resort direct delivery.
Thoughts?

Magic Kingdom yes. Epcot you would ride the monorail to the ttc and then transfer to the Epcot monorail.