Does disney rent wheelchairs for the week?

[kandb]

My mom is going with us in Sept and she will need a wheelchair (she's in pretty good shape but between the heat and walking too much, it will get too much for her). A wheelchair will be better then an ECV (we don't mind pushing her). Does Disney rent them by the week? Thanks

 

[aubriee]

Not sure, but since they can't leave the parks, would assume it would be on a day by day basis. What I would do is rent one from offsite. It would be alot cheaper and if you use one of the preferred providers it would be waiting for you at bell services when you arrive and then you would just drop it off at bell services when you left. We use Apple Scooters for my mom's ECV and I would highly recommend them. They rent wheelchairs, power chairs, and strollers, as well as ECVs. Here's their site: http://www.applescooter.com

 

[aubriee]

Well I just searched on the WDW site and this is what popped up:

Q.If I rent a wheelchair or ECV, do I get to keep it for my entire stay?

A.Wheelchairs and ECV rented at theme parks and the Downtown Disney Area are only for one specific location and must be returned before exiting. Length-of-stay rental tickets are available for a one-time payment, but wheelchairs or ECVs must still be returned before exiting each location.

 

[SueM in MN]

To clarify a little more about length of stay rental tickets, they are just for wheelchairs.
On your first day, you purchase tickets for the number of days you will want wheelchairs in the park. When you arrive at the park on other days, you present the ticket and the CMs give you a wheelchair to use at that park for the day.
When you leave the park, you turn in the wheelchair.

The advantages of using length of stay tickets are that there is a slight discount and it is a little faster each day to pick it up since you are not needing to pay each day.

Post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread is more information about renting wheelchairs/ECVs in and out of the parks, including links and phone numbers for the companies that are most often recommended by DIS posters (Apple is one).
You can find that thread near the top of the board or follow the link in my signature.

 

[Mrsjvb]

My mom is going with us in Sept and she will need a wheelchair (she's in pretty good shape but between the heat and walking too much, it will get too much for her). A wheelchair will be better then an ECV (we don't mind pushing her). Does Disney rent them by the week? Thanks

yes, and no.

you can purchase a length of stay rental based on the number of days you want. these are good at any of the 4 parks, so if you do do MK in the morning then return to the resort for a break then do Epcot int he evening, as long as there is inventory, you can show the day's receipt and pick up a chair

but they are ONLY good within the parks themselves, not DTD and sometimes not even the expanse between the entrance/exit and the transportation hub. and you cannot count on there being a courtesy chair being an option( or that the one they do find is actually usable.)

you'd be far better off renting from off site that way you have it available at all times. prices are pretty reasonable, or I think so at least. never paid more than $10 a day for a manual chair regardless of locale( to include DL)

 

[jdb in AZ]

Just the distance from the bus to the hotel room can be daunting. The resorts are huge. I would definitely rent off-site so you can use the wheel chair outside the parks. If you're park hopping you can roll the wheel chair right onto the monorail.

 

[teacher1717]

The resorts keeps limited amount of wheelchairs on hand. If they have one available you can borrow from them for the length of the stay. We had to do that last year after the first few days. The only problem was it was a very large wheelchair & I had a problem getting her up the bus ramp on the wheel chair (it was wider then the ramp) and the handles kept coming off. You'd do better renting one from an outside source, the hotel one was good in a pinch, but not great.

 

[lanejudy]

The resorts keeps limited amount of wheelchairs on hand. If they have one available you can borrow from them for the length of the stay. We had to do that last year after the first few days. The only problem was it was a very large wheelchair & I had a problem getting her up the bus ramp on the wheel chair (it was wider then the ramp) and the handles kept coming off. You'd do better renting one from an outside source, the hotel one was good in a pinch, but not great.

Wheelchairs at the resort are really intended for those who have an emergency while on vacation, not guests who know they will need one. There is limited supply, so one may not even be available. And as you found out, what is available may not be the right size or in very good condition. The best advice is to rent from off-site if a person anticipates needing the wheelchair for the length of the vacation. On-site at the parks is good if you ONLY need it at the parks, but those long walks back to your resort room at night can be a killer after a busy day at the parks.

 

[SueM in MN]

Wheelchairs at the resort are really intended for those who have an emergency while on vacation, not guests who know they will need one. There is limited supply, so one may not even be available. And as you found out, what is available may not be the right size or in very good condition. The best advice is to rent from off-site if a person anticipates needing the wheelchair for the length of the vacation. On-site at the parks is good if you ONLY need it at the parks, but those long walks back to your resort room at night can be a killer after a busy day at the parks.