A couple of ECV questions

[luvpooh]

Hi there, I'm a newbie to the ECV world, potentially. My DH was just diagnosed with grade (stage?) 3 posterior tibial tendonitis in his right ankle. He's barely been able to walk around for the past 10 days or so.
We are supposed to leave 2 weeks from tomorrow for WDW. Both his PCP and his Ortho. have recommended we postpone/cancel the trip, but DH is insistent upon going. I said, oh yeah, how? Will you rent an ECV? He said he would be willing to, but a) didn't want to have to take it on a bus, and b) didn't want to worry about me having to carry/lift it.

Having said that, I have a few questions:

1) If I want to rent from Walker Mobility, is it best to put in a reservation now, and cancel closer to the trip if he does recover better than expected? The liklihood of this (IMO) is slim to none...
2) If I rent the smaller ECV they offer, about how much does the heaviest portion weigh (I think the website says 39 lbs). I'm not THAT strong, but I also don't know how much that really equals to, any idea of a comparable item I can compare that to, to see if it would be feasible for me to get it in/out of the car?
3) What size car at a minimum would we have to rent to accomodate this? Right now I think the car we are renting is comparable to a Ford Focus (which is the car I drive at home, and my trunk is pretty big, but you never know if the rental agency is going to give you something else...we're renting from Dollar)
4) Is there any concern about leaving an ECV outside of attractions/restaurants when they are rented from an outside distributor?
5) We are staying in a studio at SSR. There shouldn't be any issues getting it in/out of the room or storing it and charging it, right?

Thanks for any assistance!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Hey there! OK, I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll do what I can for you! I think that renting an ECV sounds like a very good idea, in your situation. Even if he is feeling somewhat better by the trip, Disney requires a HUGE amount of walking (I've heard estimates of 6-10 miles a day), and the last thing you want is for him to start feeling better, then throw that all away by flaring himself up again at Disney. Tell him to be sensible, and use whatever help he needs, to allow you all to have a great trip!

You don't need to worry about leaving ECVs unattended, they have a key in them (like a car's ignition key) which you can take with you when you leave it. If you are leaving it outside, I would suggest you cover it well with a poncho. Pay particular attention to the controls on the handle-bar, as these can be badly damaged if they get wet.

You were saying that he is currently barely able to walk. If this is still the case during the trip, it would probably be best for you to take the ECV through the lines for attractions. Most attraction lines now can accommodate ECVs, but those that can't will have manual chairs he can transfer to. Almost every attraction now has mainstreamed queuing, meaning that wheelchair and ECV users can go through the regular line. When you get to an attraction, just ask the CM at the front of the line where you should go with an ECV. They will then direct you, and tell you what the loading procedures are (often you will be pulled off at the end of the line, to board at the exit). Taking a wheelchair into the lines will often mean that you wait for longer than you would in the regular stand-by line, but if it stops him being in pain, it's worth it. Remember that some lines, even if they have a short wait, require a lot of walking (e.g. the Safari in AK), so encourage him not to try and leave the ECV at the line entrance.

Tell him not to worry too much about taking the ECV on buses; Disney buses are the easiest I've used with my chair, and the drivers are usually very friendly and helpful. When you get to the bus-stop, if there are any markings indicating where wheelchair users should go, wait there, otherwise just make yourselves as visible as possible. The driver should load your husband before the other Guests, so if they open the front doors first, dash to the front and make sure they've seen you guys. The older Disney buses have lifts on them, which he will have to reverse the ECV on to (this is safer than driving on). This can be a little tricky, and may require some practice at first. Make sure he ALWAYS does this at the slowest speed, or he could hurt himself or others. The newer types of bus have ramps, which he will be able to drive forwards up, and tend to be much easier to negotiate. If he doesn't feel happy using the lift, you can always ask the driver to radio for a bus with a ramp, to come as soon as possible. The ECV will need to be tied down in the wheelchair spaces, and your husband should transfer out of it, to avoid the risk of getting hurt.

OK, this has been a fairly long and rambling post, but the basic idea of it is: Don't cancel your trip, you will have a wonderful time in Disney, so long as your hubby uses the help he needs to get about. Disney is wonderfully accessible, and you really won't have to think too much about access, once you get into the swing of touring with wheels.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. Posts #2, 4 and 5 would probably be most useful for you.

He would park the ECV right next to the trunk, gt off, disassemble it and put it in the trunk, then walk around to the door.

And you can let your husband do the work. Even before I got my hip replacement I was able to take apart my ECV and put it into the car (as well as take it out and reassemble it).

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

 

[luvpooh]

thanks for the info One Little Spark. It's very helpful. I didn't even think of the lines and standing in them, that will probably become an issue too...

Cheshire Figment, thanks for the welcome! I did browse the FAQ, I will take a better look through it.
I probably should have mentioned that he has degenerative disc disease that prohibits him from lifting anything heavy (he can't even lift a case of water...), so I do all the lifting in the family. (did I mention that DH is 30 years old...)

 

[mechurchlady]

the heaviest part is like a big bag of dog food in weight. I used to have to lug for mom the 50 pound bags of cat litter. At least 10 phone books would about equal 39 pounds. I suggest you go to the grocery store and check out a 25 pound bag of rock salt, pet food or charcoal. If you cannot lift those bags then you might have to think otherwise.

There are companies that rent out vans for the disabled. Busses and monorails are another option. Personally I could never lift the heaviest part of an ECV without risking hurting myself.

As for the plugging in and charging there are spots all over the parks and resorts. You will have not problem in the room and at restaurants you can plug in and have a nice lunch. Just remember to turn the ECV off while stopped for a few minutes like at parades or waiting for a monorail or train.

 

[zumbergc]

How many people are in your party? Just you and Dh or others too?

If your wanting to get the scooter into the car. You can use the trunk, but if you don't have others in the back seat. You can always put the scooter seat in the back seat. We've rented midsize cars and used the trunk and back seat for the parts of the scooter.

It does take a little bit of getting used to taking the scooter apart. I suggest practice taking apart, and re-assembling in your hotel room. Take your time, and do this in a relaxed manner. Maybe doing this in the parking lot at night for the first time, isn't a =good fist experience.

That was almost my husbands first experience, as we were taking the car to DTD for shopping. I insisted on practicing in the room, he was happy later on at DTD at night.

Have a great trip. It would be easier to use the bus, than to take the scooter apart, and re-assemble, but thats just me. Maybe after the first day or so, and he becomes more familiar with backing up, and manevering around, and feel confident unloading and loading on the bus.

Connie

 

[kaytieeldr]

If you are going to be transporting the ECV by car, I would strongly recommend Randy's Mobility and reserving one that comes apart (they don't all, at least easily).

While most sites have videos showing how to disassemble/reassemble an ECV, Randy's delivers directly TO you. They will show and explain how to take it apart, and have you put it back together. Also, they recommend at least a midsize car, especially if you have only the trunk to carry it.

Another option MIGHT be Scooterama; they have, or had, an arrangement with a car rental agency that enabled renters to get a vehicle with an ECV in it... or something like that.

 

[Vijoge]

It would be easier to use the bus, than to take the scooter apart, and re-assemble
Connie

Yes, it takes practice to do it quickly I've used an ECV for over two years and DH can load it in our car in 19 seconds from the time he opens the trunk until he closes it! But he's had a lot of practice.

We still use Disney transportation, though. We tried the car thing once and it was a pain in the butt. . . driving, parking, trams, etc.

 

[sherreis]

We rented from Scootarama on our last trip and they talked us through taking it apart via the phone. We had planned on using Disney transportation but after the first bus didn't even have a lift and the next bus was too full, we drove to the parks. So, we called Scootarama and they talked us through it. DH was able to lift the pieces into the back of our van.

We were considering renting a car for our trip next week but we've decided against it. But, when we were considering the ECV vendor told us to get at least a midsize for the ECV.

 

[iuki]

Will you rent an ECV? He said he would be willing to, but a) didn't want to have to take it on a bus, and b) didn't want to worry about me having to carry/lift it.

Hi -

OneLittleSpark answered your questions quite well. I just wanted to add one thing. We rented from 1-888-scooter who delivers to the hotel and picks up the scooter from the hotel with no delivery charges.

When getting on the Disney bus, you can put the scooter in neutral by pulling on the knob in back of the scooter. Then the scooter can be easily parked manually. Just push the knob back down to lock it in before the driver straps it in. You can put it in neutral again when ready to unload from the bus. Push the knob down and you can drive on/off the ramp.

Only one bus driver knew about putting the scooter into neutral. Once we learned that secret - we had no problems loading and unloading using the bus service.

Have a great trip!
iuki