ECV questions and more!!

[MSJoyce12]

My wife and I are interested in bringing my parents to WDW for their first trip on 20 years. They took me as a kid and now we are returning the favor. My Dad, however, has since developed a Benign Essential Tremor- like Parkinsons in that he shakes a lot, sometimes violently, and has balance issues, but is not fatal. As such, his walking is not very steady, and he needs a scooter. So my questions are:

1) Are there many places to recharge in the park? He's worried about it dying during the day and us having to push him (or it) somewhere.

2) As a result of his condition, or maybe just old age, he's not up for a lot of the more intense rides. I am more worried about him getting on some of the rides that don't necessarily ever stop but have moving platforms, like the Haunted Mansion, or rides that my be wet but not intense, like POTC or the River Rapids. Are there procedures available for them to stop the ride, or otherwise help him get on?

3) I think we'll be driving down. Will it be easier (or faster) to take my car and park in the handicapped areas of the parking lots, or even drive to another resort with monorail access (we'll be staying at OKW I think) rather than take the provided bus?

We plan on going in early October '07, so we have plenty of time to make any arrangements if we need to. Also, if anyone has any other recommendations I may not have thought of, I would appreciate any suggestions!!

Thanks

 

[Jennasmomma]

Only being there once I can only answer your first question about charging the chair. We had 2 ECVs on our trips. We only charged them over night we'd get in around 11pm and leave around 8:30ish am. The chairs were only charged for that long. they hold a LONG charge. We never had a problem about them dying during the day. So He should be fine with it just charged over night.

 

[kaytieeldr]

1) Yes, there are places to charge if needed, but a charge usually lasts ten to twenty miles so it shouldn't be an issue. But just ask to plug in the charger while you're dining.
More importantly, make sure you charge it every night (and make sure you remove the key during charging, NOT that I'd know from experience that this might cause a problem )

2) The only rides with moving walkways that don't stop are Peter Pan and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (and I could be wrong on the latter, but the ramps up and down don't stop). On the others - Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, Buzz Lightyear - the walkways can be slowed, or you may have to wait for certain cars for the belt to be stopped.
Kali River Rapids can corral a raft. You'll be directed off to the right as you approach the loading area. While everybody else boards their rafts from a slowly moving dock, your raft is entirely stationary. The CMs note which raft this is and corral it again when you get back, so you (he) can take as much time as needed to get in and out.

3) It's probably most convenient overall to use Disney transportation to get to and from the parks. You can only park at other (especially monorail) resorts for a limited amount of time, and only if you have business there, not to access the theme parks. Particularly with the Magic Kingdom, the bus will drop you off a few hundred feet from the park turnstiles. Driving, you'd park in the handicap parking area (with an authorized permit, the Orange County Sheriff's Department does ticket illegally parked vehicles) then make your way under the roadway, back up the other side, to the TTC, up the monorail ramp to the monorail or down to the left onto the ferry, then over to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Harvestmooner]

We went with my parents (their first trip to celebrate their 50th anniversary) last year. My Dad used an ECV which we rented off site-it was great, delivered and waiting for him when he arrived!!! We used the buses provided for us and found it much easier than using a car!!!
My dad would charge his EVC everynight and it held the charge all day and the place we rented from even said if we ran into a problem they would come and switch it with a new EVC if needed. I believe we used Walker Equipment in Kissemee-really good to deal with!!

 

[chipndales]

We went down in September with my mom who has a degenerative disease of the spine. We stayed at All Stars, and rented the ECV off site which they had waiting there for us. It was complete with a top to keep the sun off her and the charge held all day. We plugged it in each night and she had more than enough of a charge to go from park to park each day.

WDW is beyond accomadating. You can't imagine how helpful they all are. We used disney busses from the hotel to the parks and every single driver was more than helpful. They stopped and slowed down rides for my mother to get on and off, and took her EVC to the end of the ride so she could pick it up there.

It seems like nothing is ever a problem for the folks at Disney. They're always there to answer your questions too. You never have to feel bad about asking if it's too intense or too low for someone to get in or out of. Good luck.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

As far as intensity of rides goes, I'd recommend the 'if in doubt, ask' tact. The Cast Members (as has already been said) are great, they'll tell you everything you need to know (about the parks, anyway. I'm not sure if they know the air speed velocity of a laden swallow).

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The standard rental ECV batteries are large enough that they can handle capacity weight at maximum speed for 20-25 miles on a full charge. It would be exceedingly rare to go as much as ten miles in a day at WDW, and if you are with other people you will not be doing maximum speed.

I had times when I would not take the ECV out of my car at night and would get a second day with no power problems.

 

[Nanajo1]

. My Dad, however, has since developed a Benign Essential Tremor- like Parkinsons in that he shakes a lot, sometimes violently, and has balance issues, but is not fatal. As such, his walking is not very steady, and he needs a scooter. Thanks

Has your Dad used an ECV before? Are you confident that he can manage the ECV if/when he does have an episode of violent shaking? I was thinking a manual wheelchair might be a better choice. But only your dad knows if he can be comfortable with the ECV.
I've used one for years and found few rides that I can't get on. Peter Pan is the one I miss the most.

 

[MSJoyce12]

Thanks for all your replies. My Dad used an ECV in Vegas a year or two ago and loved it. There were apparently some restaurants where he pulled it right up to the table to eat. He's very familiar with them.

 

[SueM in MN]

Even though he has used an ECV before, if the shaking has become more severe, he may find that it is more difficult for him to use one now (or maybe not even possible).

I agree with the suggestion to use the WDW transportation - especially for going to MK. Taking the bus there is much easier than driving because of the fact that the bus lets you off at the park not at the TTC. For the other parks, it doesn't really matter too much as far as distance, but if you drive, you will have to be loading and unloading the ECV. If you take the bus, it is done for you.

If you haven't checked out the disABILITIES FAQs thread, I'd suggest it's a good place to look at. There is information/links about all the different places DIS posters frequently rent wheelchairs and ECVs from.
There are also some links to past DIS Board threads that may be useful (one about boarding rides and one about touring with a wheelchair might be helpful). There are also links to the officical WDW Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities for each park on the FAQs thread.

Another thing to be aware of is that even though Kali River Rapids is not that turbulent, it is possible to get soaked to the skin on that attraction. When we were on it last year, 2 out of 6 of our party got drenched from head to toe. Someone is likely to get very wet on each boat, but exactly who depends on the random motion of the boat (how it twirls around).