ECV at InternationalGateway

[arlenerose]

I am planning to rent an ECV at the entrance at Epcot. I would like to use it in the morning, then go to the Dolphin by way of boat ant the International Gateway, and come back in about 2 hours. Can I leave the ECV there at the GAteway and have it saved for me? Or do they rent ECV's at the Gateway[didn't used to].

I would hate to come back to the park and find that I have no ECV. Any suggestions?

 

[Pamlur]

I'd look for an unobstrusive place to park it, and take the key with me. We had one when we were there (for DH), but we had it all the time; rented from Walker.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

To answer the question about renting ECV at the Gateway .... yes, they do. But they don't have alot of them.

 

[SueM in MN]

And they won't hold it for you.
From what I have read, once you turn it in, they will recharge it and rent it out again.

 

[cupcake]

My advice is to get there as early as humanly possible and once you have your hands on on, do NOT give it back or they will rent it out. If you want to leave it, I agree with the others that you should park it someplace out of the way and unobtrusive and take the key. Unless you have a member of your party who is willing to push as a back-up, I would not suggest planning to rent an EVC from a park.

In general, I don't know what your plans are, but I have to suggest that you consider renting from offsite. The ECVs are far better (3 wheel style is tons easier to manage), you are guaranteed availability, and you can take it when and where you want. If you were taking an EVC from Intl Gateway to the Dolphin, cut thru the Boardwalk, it is shorter that way around.

Have a fun trip!!!
Cupcake

 

[arlenerose]

Thanks for all your advice. I have cosidered renting from Walker but I am concered about Disney transportatiion. I have seen people get frustrated trying to back onto a bus when everyone is waiting impatiently. I have also heard that you cannot always get on a boat with an EVC. Do monorails accept them?? We are staying at the Poly and WL and plan to use both boats and Monorail.

 

[cupcake]

This topic comes up frequently but I think the search feature isn't working.

>>I have seen people get frustrated trying to back onto a bus >>when everyone is waiting impatiently.

Once you have gotten on a few times, you will not think twice about this. I was VERY nervous about the bus and lived to tell the tale.

A lot of times (eg if you are getting on at a park) the bus will be empty when you get on as you board first so you don't have to feel self-conscious. The drivers will help you, too.

Tips: (1) put the ECV in turtle and go slow, you get great control. (2) Backing onto the ramp is a piece of cake. The trick is getting positioned on the bus. If you turn your wheel VERY sharply counterclockwise once the ramp is lifted onto the bus, you will turn in a tight arc and can then just pull forward into place. (3) there are instructions for the scooter in the back pocket. if you can stand, you can back up onto the ramp, back up a bit to give yourself room to get up, and then get off the EVC and put it into free wheel. This will enable you to position the scooter without having to essentially parallel park to get it into place. this totally takes the nervousness factor out of the equation as all you have to do is back onto the ramp, which is fine. (4) if people stare, so be it. once you do it a few times, you will be a pro. (5) plan your trip to take the boat or monorail first so you have a day to gain confidence in the scooter. (6) in my experience, the people who have trouble positioning themselves at rides and backing up are the people in the 4 wheel WDW scooters, not the offsite rental people in 3 wheel scooters.

The monorail is easy. You pull on using a ramp & back off using the ramp. I took the boat from the Swan to MGM and thought it was the easiest of all, tons of room to maneuver. No problems with water level. I'm sure others will be able to comment re the WL water level.

Good luck! If I can do it, you can too. I am a giant wimp and didn't try the EVC for years due to concerns like yours (used a push wc), and now I am a total convert.

Cupcake

 

[arlenerose]

You truly are a Cupcake!!! You really reassured and helped me! I think I will rent a ECV to be sure I have it when I need it. And, hey, I can parallel park an ambulance so I should be able to fit an ECV into a bus!

Thank you!

 

[SueM in MN]

I am impressed, cupcake.
I remember how scared you were to try to get an ecv on the bus, and here you are giving advice like a pro!
For the boats, the ones that sometimes have a problem with ecvs are the boat that goes back and forth from WL (and campgrounds) to Mk and the boat that goes to and from MK TTC. The problem is that if the water level is too high or low compared to the dock, the boat can't be lined up well enough to drive an ecv or some wheelchairs on. They do have ramps and the boat drivers have some tricks up their sleeves, like boarding ecvs first when the boat is lighter and floating high in the water when they need the boat to be higher or loading everyone else first when they need the boat to be lower in the water. So, even though it can happen that the water level is not right, it usually is not a problem unless there is a prolonged drought or prolonged wet spell.
If it is a problem, you can take the bus to TTC and from there get on the monorail.
The boats in Epcot and at the Epcot resorts (BW, BC, YC, Swan and Dolphin) are not a problem. The waterway there is smaller and the water level can be adjusted by adding water or removing water from other water passages.

 

[cupcake]

Sue, you made me smile. Arlenerose, as you can see, I have a very well deserved reputation around here for being timid.

But I am indeed a total ECV convert. They rock, and now I say, no guts, no glory. And you know what? There are two types of people in the world, people who get it and people who don't. If someone has to wait while my ECV is loaded, the people who get it won't mind, and the people who don't get it are not going to become more enlightened by me hobbling around the park for an hour and then giving up on my vacation.

So go out there and enjoy!!!! If I can do it, you can too. (note that I live in downtown Chicago and am too nervous to parallel park, but I manage fine with the EVC).

Cupcake