A couple of ECV related questions...

[KateMW]

I'm pretty sure that these questions have been answered somewhere, but I'm really bad at using the search feature.

We're coming for a week long trip with my parents in February. My mother has MS and can't walk and stand as much as WDW will require her to, so we're planning on renting a ECV for her, either daily at the parks or from somewhere off property. She will HAVE to have one each day and at each park, so I'm leaning towards an off-property rental.

Anyway, how should we get to the parks if we already have the scooter? Should they rent a car and drive from our hotel {probably Boardwalk Inn, but maybe Poly if we can get a good price} to each park or is Disney transportation good at dealing with ECVs?

Second, how does waiting in line work with an ECV? She can't stand for long periods of time, but she can and does walk. Will she be able to take the scooter in the line with us and then park in somewhere and ride with us? Will she go in a separate entrance and wait on us? It will be me, my daughter, my father and at times my husband {he has a mtg for the days my parents are there}, so I know she'll want to ride with us and see my daughter ride.

Next, what happens to an ECV during a table-service meal? Does she have to sit in it? Or do most places have a place to park them and then she'll just sit in a normal chair?

Are there any really hard to deal with areas/rides if you're in an ECV? Also, what's the chance that somebody will take it?

I'm sure I want to ask more, but I can't think of anything. Please feel free to share any helpful information about dealing with MS at DW or ECV rental, etc. This is my daughter's first trip, my 2nd {last was when I was 9} and my husband's first adult trip, so I'm very excited, but very overwhelmed!

Thanks!

 

[Crystal824]

I have the same issue as you. My mom had major surgery last year. She is still recuperating from the surgery and can't walk or stand for very long distances. She does fine at home without an ECV but then again she isn't walking for miles and miles per day. She rented an ECV off-property because it was cheaper than renting one each day at the parks.

We used bus transportation. The buses do a good job at handling ECVs. The only thing is most buses can't handle more than two ECVs at a time so if two people are waiting ahead of you. You must wait for the next bus. This only happened to us once.

Every attraction is set up to deal with ECVs. Many attractions accomodate the ECV until you reach a certain point and then pull you out of line to wait in a separate area. Others can go all the way through the line. Some attractions have separate entrances. Just ask the greeter at the front of the line, and they will tell you what to do. Most attractions you park the ECV and come back to it. Disney keeps the entire party together so you will all go together no matter how the ECV is handled.

At resturants, you park the ECV with the strollers and sit at the table. I suppose you could sit in it a counter service places, but my mom didn't. She just parked it with the strollers and sat at the table or parked the ECV near our table depending on where we were. Just take a bag or extra poncho to cover up the electrical component in case it rains.

If you want, PM me and I can give you the name of the service my mom used. They were very good about brining the ECV there when we arrived and picking it up right before we left.

 

[Crystal824]

I can't answer the part about someone taking an ECV. We didn't have that problem. On attractions, the ECV is generally being watched (at least somewhat) by castmembers. While eating, it is sort of taking a chance, but we didn't have any problems. Make sure you take the key with you whenever you leave it. I'm sure that helps.

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me as I had 10 days worth of ECV experience recently.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

The majority of attraction lines in WDW are "mainstreamed". This means that a wheelchair or ECV will use the regular entrance and line all the way to either a show seating or ride load area. If a line is not mainstreamed there will be signs and/or Cast Members to direct you where to go.

If a show, normally there will be spaces to park a chair or ECV and there will be seats next to the space for other members of the group.

If a ride, usually you will have to transfer to a ride vehicle, although some rides will allow a person in a wheelchair to remain in their chair. If you have to transfer to a ride, and unload is not at the same location as load, your ECV will magically appear at the unload area.

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. Note that Post #2 discusses mobility and equipment. Post #3 had a wide variety of information and links; it might be a good idea to look at the various park "Guidebook For Persons With Disabilities" for more detailed information.

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

If you are staying at Boardwalk, some of the rooms are a very long distance from the lobby' rental of an ECV from an off-site vendor would allow use of it within the Resort itself. Also, from Boardwalk it may be easiest to walk (or use the ECV) to get to both Epcot and the Studios. You would need to use the buses for MK or AK, but that should really not be a problem.

If staying at the Poly, there are no rooms in the main building so the ECV would really be a necessity for getting to/from the room. And from the Poly it would be very easy to take the monorail or walk/drive to the TTCD to get the Epcot monorail. Studios or AK would require bus.

And as far as restaurants, there are three possibilities. One would be to leave the ECV in the entry arera or just outsie to walk, another would be to drive to (or close to) the table and have another member of the party take it away to park it and bring it back after the meal, or the third would be pull up next to the table and turn the seat (there is a release lever under the seat) so she can face the table.

And if it left unattended at any time, be sure to (1) remove the key, and (2) make sure there is nothing left in the basket that you would be very upset about if missing (such as a video camera). I know that I will often leave a poncho, cell phone holder, and other stuff in the basket and have never had anything missing, but I will take my cell phone, camera, and anything I have purchased that can't be easily (and cheaply) replaced.

 

[Debbie-TN]

My cousin always orders her ECV from Walker Mobility. They deliver it and pick it up at the hotel. That way she has it 24/7. They have excellent service also if you have a problem with the ECV. Most of the rides and shows you just go where everyone else is going and at some point a CM will tell you where the ECV's go. A few rides have separate entrances like Spaceship Earth, Jungle Cruise and It's A Small World. On a few rides they have to move them to the exit and they will tell you if you need to leave the key or not, If you're not sure, any CM will help you. We've never run across a restaurant where she couldn't take the ECV inside, but the table service restaurants usually have to have you park it somewhere out of the way. A family member could go and park it if it was too far to walk. Most of the time she just stays on the ECV at counter service and turns the seat to the side, but that's her choice. You can sit in a chair if you want to. You won't have any trouble getting around. It will make her trip a lot more fun.

 

[Walker Mobility]

Thank you for the plug Debbie!

Feel free to call us at 1-888-SCOOTER. We will be happy to answer any questions.

 

[carouselgirl]

We also rented an ECV from an outside vendor. The plus was that we had it with us for the whole trip. Sometimes the walk to the room was too much for my mother. The only drawback was when we had a problem with the battery. We just had to wait a little longer for a tech to get us a new one at the park. Other than that it was great. You dont have to worry about it while on rides and at TS restaurants. We never have a problem.

 

[jm-mom]

I have some mobility issues due to knee arthritis and have used an ECV for my last few trips with no problem.

To get to and from the parks, just rely on the Disney transport system. They are all very skilled at helping people get on board with scooters whether it's on a bus, boat or the monorail. It's a lot simpler than having to breakdown the ECV to get it into the car.

I don't recall having too much problem with waiting in lines. I have trouble standing for any length of time and as I recall Soarin was my only problem. It was a long walk into the fastpass line and then we stood and waited a long time. Now that I know that's how it works, I'd ask a cast member next time how to avoid that. Most rides I was able to take the scooter right to the front of the line. There were some rides where the scooter had to be moved to the exit area while I was riding the ride. The cast member was always there to tell me to leave the key if it was necessary although several times they did move it without the key.

I never had an issue with the scooter being taken or any of the stuff I'd left in it being taken or tampered with. There is usually a cast member assigned to keep an eye on the strollers and scooters at each ride.

At most of the table service restaurants we ate at I did leave the scooter outside in the stroller parking area. We did a lot of buffets so I would have to be up and down anyway and I was able to walk the short distance from the scooter to the table usually. At counter service places usually my husband ordered and brought the food to the table we picked out. I'd leave my scooter nearby. We always tried to choose tables where I could leave the scooter nearby without it being in the way of other diners.

I love going to Disney because it is so scooter friendly. I have a hard time getting around and Disney has made it so much easier. We go as a family and actually have a real fun, family vacation because I can just roll around on my scooter. That's not always an option at other vacation venues. All the handicap stuff is clearly marked so you shouldn't have any trouble figuring out where to go when you approach a ride or attraction. Your immediate family is able to go with you too. Be sure to arrive a little early to get a spot in the handicap section for parade watching. That fills up fast and they cram the chairs and scooters very close together.

Good luck!