Do you "park" an ECV with strollers to wait in line?

[birdie4902]

Hi -
My mother needs an ECV for the first time at WDW. However, for ques etc. do you park the ECV with our stroller?

 

[honugirl]

I tended to do that. Park my ECV in stroller parking and walk the queues.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

Almost all lines at WDW are mainstreamed and you can take an ECV in them all the way to the boarding area. And many of the queues are very deceptive. If you cannot take the ECV all the way they will either have an alternate entrance to which you will be directed or a couple will allow you to park and borrow a wheelchair.

For example, from the entrance to The Land until the load area of Soarin' is over 1/4 mile. Toy Story Mania without a FastPass is normally a 70 to 90 minute wait and there is no place to sit while in the queue.

 

[birdie4902]

Thank you so much for the replies. I truly appreciate it!!!

 

[shellybaxter]

Some rides will not let you park with the strollers - some have there own parking places for ECVs and others (my expirience last week with ITTBB) won't let you park at all - you have to ride in. At Pooh you have to park at the entrance where they've not let you park in the past. At Peter Pan they have a specific parking place by the wheel chair ramp. And at ITTBB I tried to park before entering he queue and was told to go to th stroller parking. At stroller parking I was told (in a rude way) that I could not park and had to continue to the theatre. I tried to walk a lot more this trip (I'm feeling better these days) and some places made that hard. I had to "hide" the scooter at the Great Movie Ride, down by the bathrooms, or they made my take it in

 

[LauraVV]

It depended on the length of the line. For the most part, I rode mine through the lines. The lines are some of the most exhausting parts of a Disney trip!

 

[DisneyFreaks]

I tried to walk a lot more this trip (I'm feeling better these days) and some places made that hard. I had to "hide" the scooter at the Great Movie Ride, down by the bathrooms, or they made my take it in

This is what I'm afraid of. Although alot of walking is extremely painful for me these days I absolutely do not want to ride through the lines. I'm thinking of walking as far as I can, then going for a wheelchair when it becomes impossible. We're going in early March so I'm hoping there won't be a problem getting one later in the day.

 

[mechurchlady]

This is what I'm afraid of. Although alot of walking is extremely painful for me these days I absolutely do not want to ride through the lines. I'm thinking of walking as far as I can, then going for a wheelchair when it becomes impossible. We're going in early March so I'm hoping there won't be a problem getting one later in the day.

That is the exception and I have never been force to take an ECV onto a ride while at SeaWorld, Disneyland, DCA, or WDW. I have done WDW with and without an ECV and the first day at AK without one was pain wracked and I could not think at the end of the day. I have lived in pain for about 30 years and seldom have had time off unless I take aspirin. It is not worth the pain, tears, exhaustion, and grumpyness.

Yes, it can be frustrating to use an ECV in a line but not if you rent a small one. Of course I have driven cars, parking lot sweepers, pick ups, bobtails, campers, and even a motorhome in the past 35 years so an ECV is easy for me but even for a beginner they are a Godsend. Do the math and see how much walking and standing you will have to do. 10 rides at one block each is a mile. 10 rides standing in line for 10 minutes means 100 minutes of walking and standing. Are you up to 100 minutes per day plus the mile a day? Are you going to do only 10 rides and only stand 10 minutes.

tought it out for the day then rent an ECV. The ECV and wheelchair rentals are at the front of the parks so you would have to take the train at MK back to the front of the park and walk over a block to the rental OR have someone walk back which is not fair to that person. Rides are either you ride the ECV/wheelchair all the way or park out front. Most rides will not have a wheelchair for you to wait in line. If you cannot handle driving an ECV then have someone push you in a wheelchair. The pain is not worth it and I do everything I can to avoid pain. I use the spare wheelchair to haul groceries into the house and when Aunt Josie comes over I fill up the spare chair with outgoing magazines just to save the pain from carrying stuff. I use a basket or ECV in stores to save the pain in my legs later.

Sorry for the lecture, one old mother is going on the auction block soon.
hugs
Laurie

 

[shellybaxter]

That is the exception and I have never been force to take an ECV onto a ride while at SeaWorld, Disneyland, DCA, or WDW.

I hadn't either - until this trip. They were definately treating ECVs differently than in the past. I wasn't allowed to use the regular line at Buzz Lightyear - had to use the fast pass line. I've used the reg line before and its tight - but doable. Place I'd been asked not to park in the past were commonly the places they wanted me to park this trip (if they let me park at all) and they were always closer to the ride. I was told by as castmember that they couldn't let me take the chance that I might not be able to walk the distance needed.

 

[honugirl]

That is a change from when I was there in September then. Because my DBF would not let me ride through the ride queues so I would park and walk each land. I don't think they can force you to use it through the lines. They can't make that individual choice for you. I would be really irritated if that was the case.

 

[mechurchlady]

Wait I here a voice in my head, yep it is Sue, lol.

Know your rights legally on the federal, state and site levels. If you know the rules and rights then talk to a manager. Not all people in ECVs are severely handicapped. I can walk a mile if you let me set for a while and will climb two flights of stairs at the LA library but I pay for that exertion. They cannot stop people just because they think the person will pass out in line from exertion. I would have been chew manager rumps asap.

I have never heard of this before in ANY parks. Yes employees may make suggestions like "You should take the ECV as it is a very very long walk to the ride vehicle." As for parking they should not be telling you to park in nondesignated areass as the stroller CMs will move an ECV parked in an unsafe area. I will wait for Sue and Cheshire to put their input but this does not sound like all the trip reports I have heard lately and I have not heard lately of any ECV problems except busses and even that is settling down.

I think I will wait for Sue and Cheshire as I may be out of the WDW loop and missing things or the 2+2 hours sleep and sugars at 95 and no breakfast has boggled my mind. I do confuse easily, ooh butterfly.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

Sorry for the lecture, one old mother is going on the auction block soon.
hugs
Laurie

No apologies needed. I totally understand how much walking and standing is involved in a WDW trip and appreciate your input. I do need to walk for small periods of time because after sitting awhile the stretching of my legs actually feels pretty good. I had to use a WC during a trip a few years ago and during two different show type attractions the CMs made me go in a different entrance and sit separately from my family. I never want to do that again. How do you make them understand when you're not totally disabled and want to park the ecv/wc and walk in with everybody else?

 

[mechurchlady]

You should not have to explain. Ask yourself what would Sue do as that is what I do. It is easier to chicken out and yeild but when the CM tells you to do something that is not up to standard treatment of a guest then call for a manager. People who yield then sort of set a policy for that CM so that they will continue to repeat their wrong ways.

There is nothing wrong with them asking if you understand how far the walk is but when you say "I understand and can walk the distance." Not all guests know about them hidden lines and long hikes. They do not know that there may be hidden delays and other stuff that makes a 1o minute wait turn into 20 or 40 minutes. I remember when Dinosaur was down and I was in line and could not breathe as the line compacted. Nothing wrong with informing but demanding is another thing. I hope this policy does not spread to restaurants because we might hear "you have to use the fork because you have one" which is followed with "But all I am having is soup" :.

Say "I am capable of walking the line without the ECV and only use it for getting around the parks." If they still insist on you using a wheelchair or ECV then "I would like to speak to your manager, please."

I understand the need to walk and while I set here most of the day I do take little hikes out to rotate laundry, do dishes, get the wet mail, rescue plushies from the leaking garage, and get the muddy newspaper.
Time for my excercises which are me getting up for a Lara Bar or rotating the laundry, lol.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

You should not have to explain. Ask yourself what would Sue do as that is what I do. It is easier to chicken out and yeild but when the CM tells you to do something that is not up to standard treatment of a guest then call for a manager. People who yield then sort of set a policy for that CM so that they will continue to repeat their wrong ways.
Say "I am capable of walking the line without the ECV and only use it for getting around the parks." If they still insist on you using a wheelchair or ECV then "I would like to speak to your manager, please."

LoL Count me in as one of the "yielders" I hate making any kind of scene so I usually end up doing exactly what they tell me whether I like it or not. At the Tough to be a Bug show I did tell the CM that I wanted to park the WC and walk in with my family and he insisted that I go in another entrance but would be able to be with them when I got in. That wasn't the case so my DH came to where I was to sit with me and he got screamed at that he was entering the section for the disabled guests. He explained he was with me and she proceeded to tell us that he really wasn't allowed there but she would let him do it out of the goodness of her heart. Mind you this was after yelling at him and alerting everyone near by to look and see what the heck was going on. The whole thing was extremely embarrassing to me and I vowed to never use a WC again no matter how much I needed it. This trip I'm afraid I may not have a choice other than staying in the room. I'm learning so much from this board. You guys are just the greatest and are helping me get back to being excited about our upcoming trip instead of being so full of fear.

 

[earthfaries]

It depends. My mom can't park hers and then wait in line, that's why she has an ECV. Your mom can stay in her ECV while waiting in the regular line on lots of attractions and for the ones that can't fit an ECV they have you park it and go up the exit to board the ride.

​

 

[mechurchlady]

The whole thing was extremely embarrassing to me and I vowed to never use a WC again no matter how much I needed it. This trip I'm afraid I may not have a choice other than staying in the room. I'm learning so much from this board. You guys are just the greatest and are helping me get back to being excited about our upcoming trip instead of being so full of fear.

You should never made to feel ashamed of anything like that. You have the right to enter in the regular line unless they deem it is unsafe for you to do so. Do not hide in your hotel, never. The disabled have rights and they should not be told they cannot walk in the regular way. Also the GAC says for 5 guests to accompany the disabled person. Thus that is their policy and by making you use the disabled line they should have let you take 5 people with you. I would not mind them sending me to the disabled entrance but to split the family is against their policy. Someone get me to WDW as some managers need retraining.

I have a philosophy that if I stay quiet then the next person may not be able to speak up or fight back. The bully keeps hitting kids until he is stopped and what if the next victim is mentally handicapped or goes to the hospital. We must stop things before someone else gets hurt or like you made to feel inferior.

You have to firmly demand your rights and fair treatment. If there is a problem then they should quietly handle the matter. If they insist and you know or believe you are right then get a manager. Keep going up the ladder until the problem is solved. Say to them "I want to enter like a normal guest." then listen to their explanation and if it is wrong then keep going on with the complaint.

Big hugs and chocolates from Laurie.
Remember what Sue says on this board.

 

[SueM in MN]

Some rides will not let you park with the strollers - some have there own parking places for ECVs and others (my expirience last week with ITTBB) won't let you park at all - you have to ride in. At Pooh you have to park at the entrance where they've not let you park in the past. At Peter Pan they have a specific parking place by the wheel chair ramp. And at ITTBB I tried to park before entering he queue and was told to go to th stroller parking. At stroller parking I was told (in a rude way) that I could not park and had to continue to the theatre. I tried to walk a lot more this trip (I'm feeling better these days) and some places made that hard. I had to "hide" the scooter at the Great Movie Ride, down by the bathrooms, or they made my take it in

It's important to ask a CM at each attraction - don't just assume that you will park with the strollers because it might not be the case at that attraction.

When you ask the CM say something like: "I would prefer to walk in the line. Could you tell me where I can park this."
If you just ask "where can I park?" the CM may assume you don't know that you can bring it in. A quick answer from a CM might seem insistent or rude, even though they are meaning to sound helpful.
I have been to ITTBAB (and Soarin' too) a number of times where people in front of us have been complaining that they did not know the walk in was so long; if they had, they would have brought the ECV into the line with them. That kind of situation might be why CMs are sometimes insistent on those attractions - they have heard the complaints when people finally get to the boarding/theater area.
That's why it's important to know how far in something is before getting into line without a mobility device.

I hadn't either - until this trip. They were definately treating ECVs differently than in the past. I wasn't allowed to use the regular line at Buzz Lightyear - had to use the fast pass line. I've used the reg line before and its tight - but doable. Place I'd been asked not to park in the past were commonly the places they wanted me to park this trip (if they let me park at all) and they were always closer to the ride. I was told by as castmember that they couldn't let me take the chance that I might not be able to walk the distance needed.

Buzz Lightyear is listed in the Guidebook for Guests withe Disabilities as an attraction where ECV users need to switch to a wheelchair to go thru the line. It may be that you were missed before or that you had a small ECV and the greeter CM thought the standby (regular) line would not be a problem for you. I know one of the problems comes at the exit where ECVs and wheelchairs are parked while people go on the ride. Frequently, we have had to wait at the exit while the CM there moved ECVs around to make enough room for us to get DD's wheelchair out when we were done.

The Buzz Lightyear regular line is wheelchair accessible, but on our last trip, we were stopped from bringing DD's wheelchair into the regular line. The Fastpass entry CM stopped us and gave us a slip to give to the CM collecting Fastpasses. I had noticed the regular line was posted as being 5 minutes and I know that in time frames of 15 minutes wait or less, it is easier for the CM to send people with wheelchairs into the Fastpass line.

That is a change from when I was there in September then. Because my DBF would not let me ride through the ride queues so I would park and walk each land. I don't think they can force you to use it through the lines. They can't make that individual choice for you. I would be really irritated if that was the case.

They can't force you to use the wheelchair or ECV in lines if you don't want to. One of the problems with parking them is where to put them though, so I can see why the CMs would want to convince as many people as possible to use them in line.

LoL Count me in as one of the "yielders" I hate making any kind of scene so I usually end up doing exactly what they tell me whether I like it or not. At the Tough to be a Bug show I did tell the CM that I wanted to park the WC and walk in with my family and he insisted that I go in another entrance but would be able to be with them when I got in. That wasn't the case so my DH came to where I was to sit with me and he got screamed at that he was entering the section for the disabled guests. He explained he was with me and she proceeded to tell us that he really wasn't allowed there but she would let him do it out of the goodness of her heart. Mind you this was after yelling at him and alerting everyone near by to look and see what the heck was going on. The whole thing was extremely embarrassing to me and I vowed to never use a WC again no matter how much I needed it. This trip I'm afraid I may not have a choice other than staying in the room. I'm learning so much from this board. You guys are just the greatest and are helping me get back to being excited about our upcoming trip instead of being so full of fear.

I don't quite understand what happened here.
The line is totally wheelchair accessible and you would have been able to stay with your family the whole time if you kept the wheelchair/ECV in the line with you. Once you get to the doors of the building, there is a separate waiting area for people with wheelchairs/ECVs. That is because they have to park in the back of the theater. There is no place to park a wheelchair or ECV inside the theater except in the back. Also, because the rows of seats are close together, you can't get out of the theater without going around to the back and through that way.
I have seen people park their wheelchairs with the strollers on this attraction; so I'm not sure if that was what happened to you or not. But, if you parked the wheelchair, you should have been walking in and not send to the wheelchair area at the back of the theater.
It sounds like whatever happened, you ended up in the handicapped seating area and the rest of your family did not. There are only limited numbers of companion seats there and we have had situations where someone came into that area with their party because they wanted to sit in the back. The CM 'plans' where people will go while they are waiting in the handicapped waiting area. When someone who wasn't in her 'count' joins inside the theater, that often means someone doesn't get a seat. The CM has a very short period to get people seated before the next show starts and it can get kind of frantic when time is running out and not everyone has a seat. That has happened to us once - the CM just sort of yelled "Park at the end of any row". We managed to get a spot just as the lights went down. I have a feeling that something similar happened to you.
Next time, if you do separate, tell the CM right outside the theater that you need to wait for the rest of your party. Have the rest of your party not go in, but wait outside for you if they end up there before you.

I'm sad that you felt bad. It's important to keep in mind that most CMs are trying to be helpful. If it doesn't turn out that way, it's usually is because the CM did not understand what you meant, could not do what you wanted and was working against a time constraint that they have no control over.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

The CM has a very short period to get people seated before the next show starts and it can get kind of frantic when time is running out and not everyone has a seat. That has happened to us once - the CM just sort of yelled "Park at the end of any row". We managed to get a spot just as the lights went down. I have a feeling that something similar happened to you.
Next time, if you do separate, tell the CM right outside the theater that you need to wait for the rest of your party. Have the rest of your party not go in, but wait outside for you if they end up there before you.
I'm sad that you felt bad. It's important to keep in mind that most CMs are trying to be helpful. If it doesn't turn out that way, it's usually is because the CM did not understand what you meant, could not do what you wanted and was working against a time constraint that they have no control over.

Thanks Sue. I'm sure that's what probably happened. The CM did say something about trying something new concerning the disability area. It was just so embarrassing and frustrating that it has kind of stuck with me. LoL Great advice about informing the CM at each attraction that walking into the line is important and asking where to park to do so. I am definitely remembering to do that.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks Sue. I'm sure that's what probably happened. The CM did say something about trying something new concerning the disability area. It was just so embarrassing and frustrating that it has kind of stuck with me. LoL Great advice about informing the CM at each attraction that walking into the line is important and asking where to park to do so. I am definitely remembering to do that.

Hope your next trip is great.

 

[left210]

We are trying to plan a trip with my mother who will be in an ECV. She will need to use it at all times. Is there a book or something that will tell me which rides she can go on? Do we need the GAC for our party to stay together on rides or just get in line together? We will have 4-6 others in our party depending on what ride it is and if a 1 yr old can go on too.