Complimentary Wheelchairs

[zebrastreyepz]

During Christmas 2018, my friend who was with me had been using an ECV while at the parks and the CMs were kind enough to lend us a wheelchair to get from the ECV stand to the monorail and then at the Contemporary they were kind enough to lend us one for us to get to valet parking and get our car.

We're going to be back at Christmas this year and are hoping to tour the Boardwalk resorts.

We are both staying onsite and will be arriving via the Skyliner.

Is there a place to rent a scooter in that vicinity or a wheelchair or will it be possible to borrow a wheelchair for us to do this?

Happy to pay! Not looking for a freebie. Just looking for help for my friend.

 

[lanejudy]

I strongly recommend you rent an ECV or wheelchair from an off-site vendor. WDW resorts no longer offer wheelchairs for guest use except in very limited circumstances. Since the Skyliner doesn't actually have a Boardwalk stop, you would need a way to get from EPCOT to Boardwalk, and the park wheelchairs won't be allowed outside the park.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

I will suggest that to her. THank you.

 

[Evita_W]

I would second that, much easier to have one with you. And they really don't have the complimentary chairs anymore unfortunately.

 

[TCRAIG]

The term Complimentary and Disney is turning into an oxymoron-

 

[Dispro1]

When we were there with my father in law four years ago, we were able to get a complimentary wheelchair from the handicapped section of the parking lot to the wheelchair rental inside the park. Is this still the case, or have they eliminated that since then?

 

[SueM in MN]

When we were there with my father in law four years ago, we were able to get a complimentary wheelchair from the handicapped section of the parking lot to the wheelchair rental inside the park. Is this still the case, or have they eliminated that since then?

I don’t know if it’s still being done, but even in past trips, there was no guarantee that there would be any wheelchairs in the wheelchair corrals in the Medical (handicapped) parking area or at the bus areas that had corrals.
We didn‘t need them - our daughter has her own wheelchair - but, I always looked at the corrals. Much of the time they were empty because CMs had not returned them back from where people took them.

 

[SueM in MN]

From what I have heard, the main reason they stopped having complimentary wheelchairs was that they were originally meant to be for guests who needed one for an unexpected injury/reason for a few days or until they could rent one.
As people found out about them, many who knew they would need ahead of time were expecting the resort to provide it so they didn’t need to rent.
That meant they were not available for urgent, unforeseen needs.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

When we were there with my father in law four years ago, we were able to get a complimentary wheelchair from the handicapped section of the parking lot to the wheelchair rental inside the park. Is this still the case, or have they eliminated that since then?

not sure about now but we never had any luck with there being a wheelchair in the spot to get to the gate so I would not count on it

 

[NotTheBatesMotel]

When we were there with my father in law four years ago, we were able to get a complimentary wheelchair from the handicapped section of the parking lot to the wheelchair rental inside the park. Is this still the case, or have they eliminated that since then?

I definitely wouldn't count on it. Before I had my electric wheelchair I had many instances where I could barely make it from the parks to my car because my chronic illness would flare mid-park. In those 10 or so instances I only saw a wheelchair in the parking lot area once.

 

[dmband]

The term Complimentary and Disney is turning into an oxymoron-

Yeah, next thing you know when you make a resort reservation that will be exactly it - a reservation at the resort.
oh you wanted a bed, $50 extra

 

[Dispro1]

I definitely wouldn't count on it. Before I had my electric wheelchair I had many instances where I could barely make it from the parks to my car because my chronic illness would flare mid-park. In those 10 or so instances I only saw a wheelchair in the parking lot area once.

I was terrified what you described was exactly what would happen to me, but I was able to get a DAS so I didn’t end up needing a wheelchair. However, I did see quite a few wheelchairs in the area of the parking lot where we were dropped off. This was right at 9am so I could see how they could run out later in the day. It’s a shame they don’t return them.
On another thread (can’t remember which one), someone mentioned that you can drop people off at the front of the parking lot and then go park. You just ask a parking lot CM? We’ve already transferred to an off property resort for a vacation from our vacation but are considering going back to AK for a few hours tomorrow. I know I shouldn’t walk from the parking lot because I don’t have a handicapped tag, and my ankles are a bit swollen and have a bit of a rash. Do you know the procedure?

 

[SueM in MN]

I was terrified what you described was exactly what would happen to me, but I was able to get a DAS so I didn’t end up needing a wheelchair. However, I did see quite a few wheelchairs in the area of the parking lot where we were dropped off. This was right at 9am so I could see how they could run out later in the day. It’s a shame they don’t return them.
On another thread (can’t remember which one), someone mentioned that you can drop people off at the front of the parking lot and then go park. You just ask a parking lot CM? We’ve already transferred to an off property resort for a vacation from our vacation but are considering going back to AK for a few hours tomorrow. I know I shouldn’t walk from the parking lot because I don’t have a handicapped tag, and my ankles are a bit swollen and have a bit of a rash. Do you know the procedure?

Tell the CM at the booth where you pay when you enter the parking lot. He/she will direct you what to do. As you drive up to different parking lot CMs, just let them know you are dropping someone off

 

[Dispro1]

Tell the CM at the booth where you pay when you enter the parking lot. He/she will direct you what to do. As you drive up to different parking lot CMs, just let them know you are dropping someone off

Thank you!

 

[ttintagel]

It’s one of those things where it’s possible but you can’t count on it.

 

[Narcoossee11]

From what I have heard, the main reason they stopped having complimentary wheelchairs was that they were originally meant to be for guests who needed one for an unexpected injury/reason for a few days or until they could rent one.
As people found out about them, many who knew they would need ahead of time were expecting the resort to provide it so they didn’t need to rent.
That meant they were not available for urgent, unforeseen needs.

the above is correct. It was also stopped due to insurance. Disney's insurance company put a stop to that practice.

 

[Dispro1]

the above is correct. It was also stopped due to insurance. Disney's insurance company put a stop to that practice.

That's too bad because about 9 years ago, my DD (now 17) broke her leg playing those afternoon games in the pool at GF, and they loaned us a wheelchair to use since we only had one day left on our trip. Obviously, we didn't know it was broken (my husband was in orthopedics at the time and a vascular surgeon at the hotel with us didn't think it was either...only showed up on MRI), but the wheelchair was definitely necessary, and I'm not sure how you would get one that quickly if not from the hotel?? Can you rent one relatively quickly? On a side note (in case it might be useful to someone), I will mention that we were allowed to park in the medical overflow parking lot back on June 2nd at AK, and there were about 6-7 wheelchairs at the end of the row when we got there around noon and they were all still there when we left at 2pm. I was surprised to see so many that late in the day, but maybe they are doing a better job returning them to the parking lot?? These are just the ones for transporting from the parking lot to the wheelchair rental in the park, of course.

 

[lanejudy]

I'm not sure how you would get one that quickly if not from the hotel?? Can you rent one relatively quickly?

My understanding is that in an emergency, there is a wheelchair available but they will not loan it to you. Most likely a CM will push -- such as getting your DD from the pool to your room. And they probably would recommend you contact ScooterBug for a rental delivery. They may even have one or two extras already onsite for last-minute rentals.

The ones in the parking lot can be hit or miss. I'm not surprised there were several available mid-day. Arriving for rope-drop or leaving at park-close can be iffy because of the volume of people at those times.

 

[Dispro1]

My understanding is that in an emergency, there is a wheelchair available but they will not loan it to you. Most likely a CM will push -- such as getting your DD from the pool to your room. And they probably would recommend you contact ScooterBug for a rental delivery. They may even have one or two extras already onsite for last-minute rentals.

The ones in the parking lot can be hit or miss. I'm not surprised there were several available mid-day. Arriving for rope-drop or leaving at park-close can be iffy because of the volume of people at those times.

Can a rental from ScooterBug be arranged pretty quickly? I'm not anticipating any more broken legs since my kids are basically grown now lol, but my own health situation can be completely unpredictable and could catch me off guard sometime, even though I did fairly well this last trip...

 

[lanejudy]

Yes, wheelchair rentals can usually be arranged on fairly short notice -- both via ScooterBug or an off-site vendor.