ECV on the DCL Ship Fantasy

[connie1042]

I posted this on the cruise board, but got no answers. Has anyone ever used an ECV on a Disney Cruise ship. I keep going back and forth on this. I can walk, have a bad hip. Just wondering if it would be worth it, or is the ships hallways and decks to small to get through with a ECV. I know I have to put it where they say at night, then walk back to my room. We are on Deck 2 on the Fantasy. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[The Hunchback]

We have only sailed on the "Wonder" but there were often a lot of ECVs charging in the hall at night. She is older so expect "Fantasy" would be more ECV friendly.

I now use an ECV due to a bad hip. I would take my ECV on the cruise if it was me. We cruised a lot when we were younger and only had one Norwegian ship that would have made ECV use a challenge due to narrow hallways.

 

[connie1042]

Thank you Hunchback. I just think I would enjoy the cruise so much more.

 

[lanejudy]

My first question... do you have an accessible stateroom booked? Standard stateroom doors are too narrow for most ECVs, and once in the room most have a layout that doesn't allow much space to get an ECV around the bed and into the room so it would be stuck blocking the little hallway, closets and bathroom doors. If your ECV doesn't fit into your stateroom, you will need to park it in a more public area as it is not allowed to be left in the hallways. Someone else may need to be a "runner" for you if the designated location is not near your room.

You are correct that hallways are narrow. But you should be able to get through. If you can, book an accessible stateroom near one of the elevator lobbies, that will reduce the distance you need to travel in the hallways. Using the forward or aft elevators will likely be easier than getting on the (always crowded) midship elevators. Being on deck 2 may be helpful for you since there won't usually be anyone going further "down" as deck 1 doesn't have much public space.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[rochmom4]

My father in law used an ECV on the Fantasy. He had a HA stateroom which had a wide entrance and lots of floor space. He was able to easily charge his ECV in the stateroom. Although the hallways are somewhat narrow, he was able to comfortably maneuver the ECV down the hallways. If you don't have an HA accessible stateroom, disney will ask you to park and charge your ECV in the designated charge/park area on deck 2 in front of the Enchanted Garden restaurant. Disney does not allow storage of ECV's in the hallways as they would block the hallway and be a potential safety hazard. The restaurant staff was very accommodating for dad. Dad would drive the ECV right to our table in the dining room, the assistant server would park it outside the restaurant for him. At the conclusion of the meal, the server would go get the ECV, drive it into the restaurant right to dad so he could get right onto the ECV. Great service!
My father in law found it very valuable to have the ECV. He normally can only walk short distances with a cane and someone pushes him in a transport chair for longer distances. The distances were far between the two ends of the ship and he would not have been able to get around without the ECV. The ECV gave him independence. He was able to go on port excursions without one of us pushing him in his transport/wheelchair. I highly recommend having the ECV.