Best for Electric Scooter in Room(WL or CR)?

[imadisneyfanatic]

Hello All!
You guys are so great!
I am taking my 14 year old to WDW for her birthday 10/28/06-11/1/06. I am trying to decide between a deluxe room at the Wilderness Lodge and a Tower Room at the Contemporary.
My daughter has Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, and Reflex Sympatheic Dystrophy. She is partially disabled and can only walk with a cane (very painful). I would definitely have to rent an electric scooter or electric wheelchair for our trip.
Which resort will better accomodate this? My concern is transportation issues and issues getting to and from the room and inside the room.
Thank you so much!
Kathy

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Two parts to this, one you don't want to hear.

I would recommend the Contemporary Tower rather then WL. This is becuase it is on the monorail and you can get to MK and Epcot without using a bus. Also the rooms are much larger and all the tower rooms are fairly close to the elevators, WL is very spread out.

However, a person under 18 cannot rent an ECV from Disney and the off-site scooter rental locations also do not allow it. The scooters are considered a "vehicle" and cannot be driven legally in the parks by a person under 18. If you do it is possible that the scooter could be confiscated and you be escorted off property (worst case).

Normally a power chair is controlled by a joystick and has to be configured for the user. It is my understanding that you cannot rent a power chair from off-site unless you already use one and are able to provide the company with information concerning size and settings.

I hate to say this, but your only real possibility would be a regular wheelchair.

 

[SueM in MN]

If she had her own power wheelchair/ECV or brought one from home, she would be able to use it at WDW. But, as Cheshire Figment mentioned, we've heard from multiple sources that you need to be over 18 to drive one of the park or locally rented ECVs. I think it's probably for liability reasons.

We had tried to rent a power wheelchair a few years ago and again last yr because we did not want to bring DD's power wheelchair with us. The first question from all the companies was what model wheelchair DD had and whether or not we had the settings for it at that time or would be calling them back with the settings. A power wheelchair (the ones with joysticks) look easy to drive, but they actually take a lot of practice. The speed and the direction are controlled with the joystick and it takes practice to control both with just that little stick. The computer (which is actually being controlled by the joystick) has to have programs set up for the person driving the wheelchair - things like how quickly it accelerates, how much power to give, how quickly it slows after you let go of the wheelchair, how much power to give on turns and backing up, etc.
My DD's Physical Therapist said she developed skill with the power wheelchair the quickest of any of the students she had worked with recently - and it took several months before I would venture out shopping in a busy store with her.

ECVs are more "intuitive" to drive; the direction is controlled by a yoke (sort of like steering a bike) and the speed is controlled by a throttle.
You might want to see if the PT that she works with (I'm assumming she probably does have one) has any suggestions for getting an ECV from home and traveling with it. You could also try calling one of the companies listed in the disABILITIES FAQs and explain your situation to them. It's very likely they will say "no", but you DD's situation is different than a 14 yr old with a temporarily injured leg. I would strongly discourage trying to use a power wheelchair at WDW without a lot of experience.

 

[imadisneyfanatic]

As usual you guys are full of the best information!
I am very sad about not being able to rent either an ECV or electronic wheelchair. It would mean not being able to go.
It didn't even occur to me since WalMart and Publix both let her use their ECVs regularly and she is old enough to rent the little mouse boats at WDW.
I will definitely ask her physical therapist about the electric wheelchair but doubt they have one available for her to use and I am not sure how much one would cost. (Money is a huge factor)
Any other advice is greatly appreciated - it would be so devastating not to be able to go - yet another price for her to pay having these diseases.

 

[SueM in MN]

I would still try calling the places (Walker and Care) and see what they have to say after you explain your situation. I know other people have said they were told they could not rent an ecv for use by anyone under 18, but they may be able to make exceptions (especially if she has been using them in stores).
The only thing I would definately count out would be a power wheelchair.

 

[Forevryoung]

I know it would make her (and your) trip a lot better but why is an ECV or electric wheelchair the only way for her to get around? Can you (or someone else) push a regular wheelchair? I know that it is a huge amount of work to push one (been there and done that) but I would think that she would rather go then not go even if it means severely reduced mobility. You will probably be taking it slow anyway.

If she only walks at home with a cane in pain, maybe it is time to look into a longer term option?

Just my $.02

 

[imadisneyfanatic]

One of the rental places e-mailed me back and said it wouldn't be a problem as long as I never left her unattended! Whew!

I would not be able to consider a mechanical wheelchair because I have a really bad back (had injections done already) and the hills at WDW are unreal! (The one to go up to the Land Pavillion in EPCOT is evil !!! )
We would have to bypass so many attractions because I could not either push it uphill or have the strength to control the downhill. ( I know this because when she was only 9 I took her in a mechanical wheelchair and almost crashed her a few times and had to get someone to help me get to a few places - cast members ROCK! )

The worst thing for a child with arthritis (according to her Pediatric Rheumatologist) is for long term chair use because the remaining good joints/muscles will atrophy and she will not be able to walk at all.

As we all know, getting around WDW is like walking a marathon daily - she just physically can't do it.

Thanks to everyone for their advice and help. What would we do without you

(Oops - forgot - Forevryoung - thanks for the insight....I am a single parent with nobody to help. Guess that would have been helpful info )

 

[SueM in MN]

The worst thing for a child with arthritis (according to her Pediatric Rheumatologist) is for long term chair use because the remaining good joints/muscles will atrophy and she will not be able to walk at all.

That is true, but for long trips where she would not be able to do the distance, having her own power wheelchair or scooter might be the best way she could go.
Instead of generic seating, she could have a seating and drive system that encourage good positioning and don't put strain on her joints. A lot of people report that they get sore backs or necks after using the rental scooters because of the postion they need to be in to drive. For some people, that might just be a nuisance, but for your DD it might be more (poor position leads to pain; pain encourages bad positioning; bad postioning leads to strain on joints that might not be strained with good positioning).

For example, a rental ECV's seat may be too far away from the steering mechanism, causing her to have to lean forward and put more strain on her back, neck, arms and wrists. If she had her own, things like the seat height, the seat itself, the height of armrests and footrests, distance to controller could be set up to put in the best position for her.

We were concerned when DD got her power wheelchair that she would lose the strength needed to drive her manual wheelchair and lose range of motion in her hands/arms. One girl my DD knows spends all her time in her power wheelchair, doesn't do any range of motion and has gradually lost the ability to do anything with her "driving hand" except drive the wheelchair. She is now paying for that. Both that girl and my DD have Cerebral Palsy, with spasticity. Same idea as the rheumatologist told you of "if you don't use it, you will lose it."
The way we got around that was to not use the power wheelchair in the house. The change in her ability to be independent was enormous. It is so freeing for her to be able to move quickly, easily and without pain when we go on trips to the mall, etc. (She does get pain/cramps in her hands and wrists if she has to drive her manual wheelchair very far - plus she's pretty slow).
For some people I know, their way of dealing with that concern is to only use the power wheelchair/scooter for long distances - like if spending the day at a mall, rather than just going to a single store. Something like that might be a good trade-off for your DD. Walking around in pain is not much fun (and has other by-products -like changes in posture to accomidate the pain).
I think some of the worst commercials (it makes me mad to see them) are the Scooter Store and Hoverround commercials aimed at elderly people. I know of so many people who were able to walk around their houses, but needed a scooter for long distances. They were sold those hoverrounds and scooters and soon were using them for everything - even in the house. That made them lose the abilities they did have - some people I know intended to use them just for trips, but the salesperson was so convincing about their need to use them inside the house that pretty soon they were living in them. We've had several people as patients in the hospital where I work who were there basically because they got so de-conditioned from using the scooters all the time that they could barely get around any more.

So, a scooter or power wheelchair all the time is not good, but for long distances, it's a very good thing. You might want to talk to the PT as well as the Rheumatologist, especially if the PT sees her frequently at school.

 

[SueM in MN]

To answer you original question.
I would agree with Cheshire Figment that Contemporary would be better.
I have different reasons though.
The WL uses boats for transportation to MK. Sometimes, due to the water levels, the boats are not accessible to power wheelchairs or ecvs. If the water level is low, the boat may be floating low in comparison to the boat dock (if water level is high, it's the opposite). The boat captains have some ways to deal with that, but sometimes it's not possible to make the dock and boat line up. When we stayed at WL, the boat was not accessible. We were still able to use it because DH and I lifted DD in her wheelchair onto the boat (her wheelchair is about 40 pounds and she is about 85, so between the 2 of us, we could do it). There is no way that you could do that with an ecv or power wheelchair though.
At Contemporary, you could easily ride the monorail to MK and Epcot. If you are not in the tower and are in one of the buildings close to MK, you might find it's easier to just walk to MK.

 

[imadisneyfanatic]

You remind me of how desperately we need a local support group here. I joined the Arthritis Foundation and sent a letter stating I would be willing to help and participate but the closest one is still 3 hours away.

If you don't mind, I would love to print out this thread and take it to her Pediatric Rheumatologist to read. I think it would really help.

Thanks alot for your input - the themeing at the Wilderness Lodge looked better but I was worried about the boats.

I never noticed the monorail before - we have always taken the buses - do you just drive into the monorail?

Also, is there room to "park" your scooter/ECV in the room?

Thanks again Sue - not only have you helped with my vacation planning but also in our daily lives as well. God bless you!

 

[SueM in MN]

((blush))
I'm a nurse and I work in a Rehab hospital. I also worked as a school nurse. Having a disabled DD also helps to add experience.
I can't turn it off when I come on the internet, so I'm glad I found a place where I might be helpful.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you don't mind, I would love to print out this thread and take it to her Pediatric Rheumatologist to read. I think it would really help.

I don't mind at all. You might want to share it with the PT who is working with your child. Obviously, I don't know your child and just gave some general principles. The PT should be able to give some data about your child that will help her doctor.
One of the things I saw as a nurse though was that sometimes people are reluctant to suggest a wheelchair more because of fear that the family may think that means walking is not an option anymore. I think we need to look at wheelchairs and ECVs like glasses - some people need their glasses all the time, some just for reading. Wheelchairs/ECVs are a tool just like glasses - not the end of the world.

I never noticed the monorail before - we have always taken the buses - do you just drive into the monorail?

Yes. They have a little ramp they put up to bridge the gap between the monorail train and the station floor.

Also, is there room to "park" your scooter/ECV in the room?

Yes. You may have to move some of the furniture (like chairs or table, not big things). We are DVC members at OKW. When we stay there, we don't have to move anything. The other DVC rooms are smaller and we do have to move things, but can only walk if someone holds her up. She pretty much lives in her wheelchair, so we need a bit extra space.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The rooms in CR are very large. There tends to be a large open area neaar the door to the balcony. That is where I would park, plugging the charger in nearby. There is actually room to turn the ECV around (as long as you have a three-wheeler). The rooms at WL are smaller, but I have always been able to park an ECV in any Disney hotel room with no real problems.

 

[imadisneyfanatic]

It does sound roomier and easier at the Contemporary. I will have to sacrifice theme for function, although I am excited to see the rooms are all getting a makeover. The rooms in the pictures on the web were so bright and mulitcolored it gave me a headache

I just checked prices and I can get a tower room cheaper at the Contemporary (MK view) for cheaper than the Deluxe Room (Jr. Suite?) at the Wilderness Lodge!

Looks like both those things along with the ease of the monorail make it a done deal - the Contemporary it is!!

Thanks everyone!