ECV Availability

[MzDiz]

In August, we will be renting an ECV for my mother. I would prefer to rent one on a daily basis at the parks, but am worried about their availability. I've read that they are rented out by mid-morning, and since we plan to park hop a bit, that would put a damper on our evening activities. I'd rather not rent one from an outside source, since we won't be using Disney transportation and will have to stick the ECV in our minivan. Or are they really that portable? Will it fit? I just don't know.

Ok, if you were carting around a family of seven in a minivan and someone in your party couldn't walk more than 50 or so feet without pain, which option would you go for?

 

[OneLittleSpark]

If you're staying on property, and there's someone who'd be willing to push your mother, you could always borrow a wheelchair from your resort. They take a card imprint for a few hundred dollars, but don't charge you unless you fail to return the chair. Then you could use the chair to transport her to the rental place, rent an ECV at the park if it had one or use the chair if not. If you do manage to get an ECV, I believe there's somewhere you can leave the chair, but I can't remember where. When you rent an ECV, hold onto the receipt, then you don't have to pay a second time if you park hop. I know some people have had bad experiences with the resort chairs, and getting one can be down to luck, but it might be worth a shot.

Good luck and have a great time!

 

[yorkshiregirl]

Hi,
We rented an ECV last Dec from Randy's Mobility and it went with no hitches at all. They deliver to you (we were off-site in a villa) and show you how it works etc. As we only had a small hire car we have to dis-assemble it each time we arrived and left but it was only into 3 pieces and we got very quick at it before the end of the week. This July we are renting a minivan so hopefully as there are only the 2 of us we wont have to break it down as much.
DH loved the independance and if you are going in the warmer months you need to think about the strain on the person who has to push the wheelchair around.
Everyone was very patient and helpful with getting on and off rides etc. Just got a bit hairy with children and some adults who didn't look where they were going and tried to cut in front of the ECV and they don't brake that quickly.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

I find the main problem isn't the kids themselves, but the parents who drag them under your wheels . The little'uns see you, but their parents are off in a world of their own!

 

[Belle1997]

Yes they even show you how to break it down. It really is easy. My scooter breaks down in a few minutes really easy. I think the heaviest part is 25 pounds . And broken down it is easy to put in any car or van. Then you would not have to worry about evening entertainment.

 

[BillM]

I would rent an ECV. Depending on the size of the user they come in diferent sizes and weights. The smaller the ECV the easier it is to break down. Also if you are staying on site you can always use Disney busses which are all equipped with lifts.
Renting at the parks can get dicey, especially if you are park hopping and come in later in the PM. The ECV's can be all rented.

 

[SueM in MN]

My FIL rented an ECV from most parks last March without problem, but he was there before 10 and didn't park hop. We actually had rented him one from Randy's, but he had used the park ones before and did not want to use the one we rented (I think he was also afraid of getting on the bus with one).
Randy's does deliver ECVs directly to you. The person who delivered the one we rented would have shown us how to take it apart if we wanted.

If you really want to get one from the parks, you need to be prepared that they may not have one when you get there - especially if you are park hopping. They usually don't run out of wheelchairs, so that is always an option if there are no ECVs.

Walker Mobility has a page about disassembly of an ECV, if you want to see what is generally involved. If you do decide to transport it in your van, make sure to get a GRAND Caravan or GRAND Voyager, or some similar van with an extended wheelbase. They have more room behind the back seat than the 'regular' size vans. You could also ask the ECV rental place how much space would be needed to load it and then look for a van that matches.