A couple of questions from a first time user of an ECV

[disney-super-mom]

My MIL will be making her first trip to WDW in 2008. She will be 66 years old then, she has horrible arthritis in her knees, and she's significantly overweight. Despite this, she's very young at heart, loves to be around her grandkids, and she loves Disney! I suggested she rent an ECV for the duration of the trip so she can relax and just enjoy all that WDW has to offer and spending time with us. She readily agreed without a moments hesitation.

So, here's a couple of questions.

1. She's never used an ECV before, and she's a bit concerned about getting it on the bus and parked properly so it can be secured by the driver. I think she's worried about it taking her too long and people getting impatient. Anyway, how hard is it to drive an ECV up the bus ramps and park it in the proper spot? Is it a really easy, or does it take some practice?

2. Where do you keep the ECV in the hotel room so it's out of the way? (Actually, I think she'll be staying in a studio villa.....either BCV, BWV, or AKV.)

 

[Vijoge]

My MIL will be making her first trip to WDW in 2008. She will be 66 years old then, she has horrible arthritis in her knees, and she's significantly overweight. Despite this, she's very young at heart, loves to be around her grandkids, and she loves Disney! I suggested she rent an ECV for the duration of the trip so she can relax and just enjoy all that WDW has to offer and spending time with us. She readily agreed without a moments hesitation.

So, here's a couple of questions.

1. She's never used an ECV before, and she's a bit concerned about getting it on the bus and parked properly so it can be secured by the driver. I think she's worried about it taking her too long and people getting impatient. Anyway, how hard is it to drive an ECV up the bus ramps and park it in the proper spot? Is it a really easy, or does it take some practice?

2. Where do you keep the ECV in the hotel room so it's out of the way? (Actually, I think she'll be staying in a studio villa.....either BCV, BWV, or AKV.)

I've used an ECV for quite a while, both at home and at WDW. Backing up for the buses does take some practice, not so much for going up the ramps as for ending up in the proper spot on the bus. Depending on the bus it can be pretty tight. My DH solved the problem by having me back onto the bus, transfer to a regular seat, and then he lifts my ECV into position. However, if you MIL is travelling alone this won't be an option.

We had a king room at CSR and there was plenty of room to park my ECV between the table and the entertainment center. There was an outlet at that spot to plug it in for recharging. My ECV is not nearly as large as the ones they rent at the parks, however. I think the ones from off-site rental places may be smaller, tho.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would suggest she start by practicing in a WalMart or other large store where they have "loaner" ECVs. Be aware that these are much larger than the one's Disney rents out, and they, in turn, are larger and harder to maneuver than those from the off-site rental companies. The store and Disney ECVs all are four wheel, while the rentals are three wheel.

If you mother will be travelling alone, tell her to not rush and don't worry about the other people. The Bus Driver is paid by the hour, not by the trip. They are not allowed to help directly (or touch a Guest), but they can give directions. They don't want her to crash, as they will have lots of paperwork to fill out.

If she is not traveling alone, someone else can maneuver the ECV ointo the bus.

As far as the room is concerned, I never had a problem, whether in a value or deluxe, in plugging in the charging unit. If worse comes to worse, it can be parked between a bed and the window, and get into the bed from the aisle between the two beds.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Thank you for the responses.

She'll be traveling with us, so it won't be a problem for her to transfer to a seat on the bus and have my DH or BIL lift the ECV into position.
(I didn't know an ECV had to be backed up the ramp to get on the bus.)

She'll be sharing a room with my BIL, so I was hoping there was enough space for the two of them and the ECV in the room. I figured if they stay in a villa studio, they could always park it out on the little patio/deck area to get it out of the way (if it's not raining), but I wasn't sure if this was a good idea, or even allowed.

 

[mechurchlady]

ECVs are like driving a car basically. I tend to cut curbs with my car and with ECVs. I have dozed off driving a car and an ECV. I agree with test driving an ECV and learning the basics such as backing, turning and not running over the idiots who will dart in front of you. grrrrr

It is safer and easier for her to stay in the ECV or if she does have trouble then she can get on the bus and have one of the persons in your party get in the ECV and drive the ECV onto and off the bus for her. If she was having trouble with boarding then I would have her get out then align the chair, have her get back in and then have her back into the lift. It is not that hard to back into the lift if you keep it lined up properly.

 

[Sprocket]

I was terrified when I used an ECV for the first time getting on a WDW bus.

On my first day, I chose to wait until 11am for a late bus, when the crowds had thinned. This gave me plenty of time to take it slowly getting onto the bus ramp and maneuvering into position without feeling stressed or rushed.
I also set the ECV speed setting to very very slow too. After my first try, I was definetely relieved as it was not as bad as I was expecting it to be. '

I really didnt have any trouble maneuvering into position but I did have a few times where I had to do the inch-worm routine of forwards and backwards to get it positioned right.

Since some buses require you to back onto the lift (the newer buses you can actually drive forward onto them), I found practicing backing up my ECV when I was at my room to be very helpful for me. I would practice backing the ECV into the room, then maneuvering the ECV in the tight area, and then backing out of the room.

 

[mechurchlady]

Great idea Sprocket.

Use an outside rental company and have it delivered to your hotel. The practice driving around the hotel grounds. ECVs vary so that would be a great way to get the feel of the ECV and used to maneuvering.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

If she's not very confident reversing and a lift bus comes along, you can always ask the driver nicely if they'll radio for a bus with a ramp. It will mean you'll have to wait a little longer, but if it reduces stress on your trip, it's worth it. The reason they ask you to reverse onto the lifts, is that they want the majority of the weight to go as close the bus (and therefore the lifting mechanism) as possible; with the ramps, this isn't an issue.

When you first get to the hotel, you're mother may want to do a little practicing before you hit the parks. Also, I don't know how this fits in with your plans, but you might want to start in one of the easier parks to drive, such as EPCOT (wider paths, less crowded, nice and flat).

These links have information on Boardwalk and Beach Club (unfortunately AK is too new for this site) including room plans at the bottom of the page. There seem to be some good 'parking spaces' in both rooms, though you may have to move some of the furniture around to make space.

 

[Vijoge]

I was terrified when I used an ECV for the first time getting on a WDW bus.
Since some buses require you to back onto the lift (the newer buses you can actually drive forward onto them)

The reason they ask you to reverse onto the lifts, is that they want the majority of the weight to go as close the bus (and therefore the lifting mechanism) as possible; with the ramps, this isn't an issue.

Not necessarily true. While I did have some bus drivers who allowed me to pull forward onto the ramps others insisted that I back up the ramp. One bus driver was very, very adamant that the proper procedure on all buses was to back in and also said that everey driver was supposed to make sure it was always done this way. When I explained to him that other drivers had let me pull in he said "Well, they're doing it wrong".

 

[Marie14625]

If you rent from off site, mention she is heavy. I know with Randy's they have a larger ecv for those over 300 lbs. The standard, which I used fit me just perfect, and I am about 250.

 

[RNMOM]

I have a heavy duty scooter (over 300 lbs. ) and they are a little sturdier but not a lot larger. Maybe a couple inches wider/longer. The big difference is in the motor and battery which adds weight.

I find loading on the busses makes me nervous even though I have done it a lot. It is a bit like parallel parking. You have to turn the front toward the direction you want the back to go. Practicing is a great idea. Also, don't worry about what the others say. There will always be someone who is not happy about something.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Not necessarily true. While I did have some bus drivers who allowed me to pull forward onto the ramps others insisted that I back up the ramp. One bus driver was very, very adamant that the proper procedure on all buses was to back in and also said that everey driver was supposed to make sure it was always done this way. When I explained to him that other drivers had let me pull in he said "Well, they're doing it wrong".

Oops, my mistake! Sorry, I've either never encountered one of these bus drivers or they don't insist on it for manual chairs. Either way, I didn't mean to mislead anyone, and thanks for the correction. I don't know how you would do it in a manual, especially if the ramp was a bit steep at the time; my muscles are built for pushing forwards up slopes, not pulling backwards!

 

[SueM in MN]

Oops, my mistake! Sorry, I've either never encountered one of these bus drivers or they don't insist on it for manual chairs. Either way, I didn't mean to mislead anyone, and thanks for the correction. I don't know how you would do it in a manual, especially if the ramp was a bit steep at the time; my muscles are built for pushing forwards up slopes, not pulling backwards!

Manual wheelchairs are pushed up the ramp. Pulling a manual wheelchair is very difficult, and if you would lose hold of it, it would roll out of control down the ramp. So, manual wheelchairs need to be pushed up.

For ECVs, a lot depends on the slope (steepness) of the ramp. Most of the weight on an ECV is at the back. The motor and seat are at the back and the front wheel (or wheels) are far toward the front with almost no weight on it/them. On a fairly level ramp, that doesn't make a difference. For a steep ramp, that weight difference can cause the front wheel to lift off the ramp a bit (doing a wheelie) if the ECV is driven on forwards. If the wheel comes off too far, the ECV can flip over backwards. An ECV backed up the ramp is not going to have that problem.
Because of an accident like that, WDW did have a policy that made ECV users back up the ramps. I am not sure if they still have that policy, but it is safer to back up a ramp with an ECV.

For power wheelchairs and ramps, WDW had a policy that treated them the same as ECVs and said they had to be backed up the ramps. Power wheelchairs are different than ECVs. The weight is much more evenly distributed and many power wheelchairs have a set of swivel wheels at the back of the wheelchair. That makes it almost impossible to back a power wheelchair in a straight line because the wheels keep swiveling and the the wheelchair goes in whatever direction they are pointing. The manufacturers of many power wheelchairs warn against backing them up or down a ramp for that reason. Thru the work of some helpful WDW bus drivers and a number of disABILITIES Board posters, that part of the policy was changed so people using power wheelchairs can either back or drive straight up the ramp.

There is more information in the disABILITIES FAQs section about buses.

 

[Sprocket]

I spent two weeks at Disney and was never asked to back up the ramp with my ECV. I didnt experience any problems with the front wheel doing a 'wheelie'. I believe the slopes for the Disney buses that I got to use werent too steep for the particular ECV I was using at the time.

Guess I just had some Disney Magic happening.

 

[MAKmom]

NEW QUESTION:

Can you park your scooter outside your room at PORS? It will be an outside rental.

My Dad can walk but not for a long time. We will have 3 other men with us under 50. Do you think a wheel chair would be better?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Basically no.

All the moderates have outside corridors. Almost all ECV keys are the same. Redently I went into a store to look at a new one, even a different manufacturer than mine, and my key not only fit but turned the ECV on. You do not really want it to vanish.

Also you need to plug it in overnight to recharge the batteries.

The only time I would ever leave an ECV outside my room was if I were going into the room for only a short time and then coming right out again.

 

[MAKmom]

Basically no.

All the moderates have outside corridors. Almost all ECV keys are the same. Redently I went into a store to look at a new one, even a different manufacturer than mine, and my key not only fit but turned the ECV on. You do not really want it to vanish.

Also you need to plug it in overnight to recharge the batteries.

The only time I would ever leave an ECV outside my room was if I were going into the room for only a short time and then coming right out again.

Thanks.

 

[Harvestmooner]

NEW QUESTION:

Can you park your scooter outside your room at PORS? It will be an outside rental.

My Dad can walk but not for a long time. We will have 3 other men with us under 50. Do you think a wheel chair would be better?

My Dad parks his EVC outside at POFQ and it's an outside rental. You take the key out of it and plug it in outside the door. Works great!!!

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Personally I wouldn't leave an ECV (or any aid for that matter) out side of the room. It might feel safe to take out the key, but you really don't want to know how easy it is to steal your ECV without your key. It's done in 2 seconds and they'll just drive of with the thing.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

My Dad parks his EVC outside at POFQ and it's an outside rental. You take the key out of it and plug it in outside the door. Works great!!!

Personally I wouldn't leave an ECV (or any aid for that matter) out side of the room. It might feel safe to take out the key, but you really don't want to know how easy it is to steal your ECV without your key. It's done in 2 seconds and they'll just drive of with the thing.

Harvestmooner - When will he be there next; I need a new ECV.