ECV and GAC - 2 different questions

[Keegansmommy]

For sake of not making 2 posts...I have to different questions.

We will be leaving New Year's Day for Disney! Woohoo! My mom and aunt are both going with us on this trip.

1. My aunt has a bad hip and cannot walk around a large park all day. She is able to get around - short distances and very slowly. My mom rented an ECV for her. How much extra time should we really allow for the bus and such? We have a few 9:00 a.m. ADRs (1900 Park Fare, Ohana, and Hollywood and Vine). I want to make sure we allow adequate extra time if necessary for her to board and unload. We've never traveled with someone using a scooter before. Also can she just park her ECV in stroller parking at rides and wait in line? I don't think she'll have a problem with the standing...just the walking.

2. Second question...on the other hand, my mom has a back injury and is considered "permanently disabled" because of it. She gets around fine but suffers from severe and chronic back pain amplified by standing. Are there a lot of options for a GAC to offer her a spot to wait sitting down opposed to standing?

This is going to be an interesting trip...normally it's just me, hubby and our 2 little ones....easy going!

 

[livndisney]

2. Second question...on the other hand, my mom has a back injury and is considered "permanently disabled" because of it. She gets around fine but suffers from severe and chronic back pain amplified by standing. Are there a lot of options for a GAC to offer her a spot to wait sitting down opposed to standing?

This is going to be an interesting trip...normally it's just me, hubby and our 2 little ones....easy going!

No, A GAC does not provide a place to sit. If your Mom needs a place to sit in line she will need a wheelchair, ecv or rollator.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

For sake of not making 2 posts...I have to different questions.

We will be leaving New Year's Day for Disney! Woohoo! My mom and aunt are both going with us on this trip.

1. My aunt has a bad hip and cannot walk around a large park all day. She is able to get around - short distances and very slowly. My mom rented an ECV for her. How much extra time should we really allow for the bus and such? We have a few 9:00 a.m. ADRs (1900 Park Fare, Ohana, and Hollywood and Vine). I want to make sure we allow adequate extra time if necessary for her to board and unload. We've never traveled with someone using a scooter before. Also can she just park her ECV in stroller parking at rides and wait in line? I don't think she'll have a problem with the standing...just the walking.I would tell you to add 30 minutes onto whatever you already have planned as travel time, particularly because it sounds like your aunt isn't used to using an ECV. Not all the buses have the same lifts (although it seems it's getting that way slowly but surely) and she may find one lift easier to use than another. But either way, it'll probably take her a few tries to figure things out. So figure you'll have that 10-15 minute buffer to get on the bus, then the same to get off the bus and if you end up at your ADR a little early so be it. Do yourselves the favor and don't try to shave this time down as I'm sure at some point you've had to do something you're not used to in a time crunch and you know how that can make things harder.

2. Second question...on the other hand, my mom has a back injury and is considered "permanently disabled" because of it. She gets around fine but suffers from severe and chronic back pain amplified by standing. Are there a lot of options for a GAC to offer her a spot to wait sitting down opposed to standing? +1 to PP. If standing for any longer than a few minutes is an issue, you'll find lines hard or impossible to deal with without a wheelchair, a rollator or another scooter. Some people will suggest creating a bit of a gap in line so someone can pace around a bit rather than standing still but it isn't always a great fix. I tend to shuffle around a bit due to a fainting issue and while it's enough to keep me from passing out, the little gap I can usually make for myself in line still feels like standing.

This is going to be an interesting trip...normally it's just me, hubby and our 2 little ones....easy going!

Remember there's still going to be a lot of people at the time you're going so just don't let your expectations get the better of you since you'll be dealing with things you're not used to. Not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but it just always seems to turn out better when you under promise and over deliver.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Yes to parking the ECV next to the strollers and keeping the key with you. Sometimes cast members need to move strollers, etc and there's a lever at the back of all ECV's to manually move them. So don't panic if the ECV isn't where you left it. It won't be far.

Also, if you're in time crunch for your ADR's, you can take a cab.

 

[Piper]

There is no place for your mom to sit and wait while you get to the front of the line. Even if there were, imagine trying to push through all the people to get to you in line. She will just take the ECV with her through the line. Most lines are mainstreamed so she can do that. A few rides will have her transfer to a WC, but they provide them. Also, the few lines that have her branch off to avoid stairs, etc. be prepared to wait longer than if she were in the regular line. Most people think you are branching off to go to the front of the line, but that is far from the truth.

Do read the FAQs at the top of this board. You will gain a lot of valuable and current information! (Unfortunately other sites often give you the wrong info

 

[Keegansmommy]

Thank you!

I was trying to get a good estimate of how much extra travel time to allow. I asked on the Disney Mom's Panel, but I think he missed the ECV part because he gave me regular travel times. Nope...my aunt isn't used to driving one so it should be interesting. I'm thinking I may put my DH in charge of trying to load it on the bus and off for her.

This is her first trip, but not ours so we're okay with doing things at a slower pace. Adding two small children into the mix, we're not super speedy to start out with!

Thanks for the line advice. I had read somewhere that some attractions do have a places for guests to sit and wait that need it. I don't remember if it was on the Dis or somewhere else. Last time my mom went with us her back wasn't an issue then. Hoping frequent breaks will help. I hope that the crowds have died down a bit the week we're there and lines aren't quite as horrendous.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Thank you!

I was trying to get a good estimate of how much extra travel time to allow. I asked on the Disney Mom's Panel, but I think he missed the ECV part because he gave me regular travel times. Nope...my aunt isn't used to driving one so it should be interesting. I'm thinking I may put my DH in charge of trying to load it on the bus and off for her.
This is her first trip, but not ours so we're okay with doing things at a slower pace. Adding two small children into the mix, we're not super speedy to start out with!

Thanks for the line advice. I had read somewhere that some attractions do have a places for guests to sit and wait that need it. I don't remember if it was on the Dis or somewhere else. Last time my mom went with us her back wasn't an issue then. Hoping frequent breaks will help. I hope that the crowds have died down a bit the week we're there and lines aren't quite as horrendous.

Some times the bus drivers will take pity on the ECV novice and park it for her. Saves time in the long run.

Just a suggestion -- your aunt could practice driving the ECV's available at Wal*Mart, or Target, or Costco, just to get the feel for it. The rentals available in Orlando are much easier to handle, so if your aunt can cope with one at the store(s) she should do fine at WDW.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you!

I was trying to get a good estimate of how much extra travel time to allow. I asked on the Disney Mom's Panel, but I think he missed the ECV part because he gave me regular travel times. Nope...my aunt isn't used to driving one so it should be interesting. I'm thinking I may put my DH in charge of trying to load it on the bus and off for her.

This is her first trip, but not ours so we're okay with doing things at a slower pace. Adding two small children into the mix, we're not super speedy to start out with!

Thanks for the line advice. I had read somewhere that some attractions do have a places for guests to sit and wait that need it. I don't remember if it was on the Dis or somewhere else. Last time my mom went with us her back wasn't an issue then. Hoping frequent breaks will help. I hope that the crowds have died down a bit the week we're there and lines aren't quite as horrendous.

I think there is an assumption that exists, but most attractions do not unless the guest has an ECV, wheelchair or other mobility device that the guest can sit on.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

In regards to the "some attractions have seating in the waiting area" type thing...the DO exist (Just like m&ms and Santa) but they're very few and far between and they're not something to be relied on. I'm thinking places like Hall of Presidents where there's those what..2 little benches? You can sit on the edge of the landscaping leading up to Finding Nemo the Musical and stuff like that but even that isn't to be relied on.

 

[ttintagel]

1. Hard to say - even for an inexperienced user, it only takes a couple of minutes to board a bus in an ECV. However, you may end up having to wait for the next bus if all three ECV spaces are taken by people ahead of you. I guess I'd budget the full 20 or so minutes it would take to wait for the next bus.

2. Your Mom should have an ECV, too.

 

[SueM in MN]

In regards to the "some attractions have seating in the waiting area" type thing...the DO exist (Just like m&ms and Santa) but they're very few and far between and they're not something to be relied on. I'm thinking places like Hall of Presidents where there's those what..2 little benches? You can sit on the edge of the landscaping leading up to Finding Nemo the Musical and stuff like that but even that isn't to be relied on.

I agree. There are a few shows which have a bench or 2, but those attractions with a bench are almost all shows.
For example, Country Bears has a small bench in the handicapped waiting area. If someone else is already seated there when you arrive, you are out of luck.

Some places (like Hall of Presidents) have a few small benches, but there is no special dedicated spot for guests with disabilities to wait, so if anyone else is already sitting there, you are out luck again.

Many of the handicapped waiting areas are just a roped off area alongside the regular line. They are less crowded but usually not less noisy and usually don't have anywhere to sit.