ECV tips

[Angielou1079]

Alright fire away...send me any tips or suggestions you may have....my dad will have an ECV (he's had 7 back surgeries and is in his 60's) he can walk just has problems with walking long periods of times which is why we're getting the ECV....we're staying at the Music Resort in the family suites so we'll be taking the buses...staying from 12/23/08-1/2/09 so we're expecting crazy crowds....I think I read he can ride the scooter right onto the buses and the monorail, that they have the 5 plus rule meaning he and five other people can get on which will be me, my mom, DBF, our son who will be 2 and our newborn, we're renting from an outside company, I read where all of the electric outlets are, I made a tag to put on his ECV, is there anything else we should know or consider? OH and bringing him a cushion for his seat and an extra poncho....

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Sounds to me like you are ready to go. The ECV rider plus 5 doesn't apply to the transportation, just to the rides/shows in the parks. All family members can enter the transportation with him, no matter how large the party is. I don't think the 2 "babies" count towards that rule either, but not sure.

I'm curious, what it the extra poncho for?

Suzanne

 

[Angielou1079]

Oh....I thought that was for the buses....I must have gotten confused....now I'm worried about us all getting on the same bus
Extra poncho I guess to put around the ECV in case it starts to rain...one for him and one for his ECV....

 

[phisigprincess]

I'm actually going to piggyback your post with a question. Do we need to alert our restaurants that we'll be an ECV party now? Do there need to be any accomodations made in that regard?

 

[let'sgo]

Went with my mom (in her 80's and not able to walk long distances) and also rented a ECV from an outside company. We plugged it in each night in the hotel room, and it was ready to go the next day. It lasted the whole day with no problems. The basket on the front was convenient for carrying any purchases.

You can also take any of the larger boats with it, but there was a sign saying that sometimes the water level is such that the boat isn't at the right height at the dock and you will have to go an an alternate way. They have a piece of metal they put down to even things out for loading, and we never had any problems taking the boat.

It worked out great! Mom had such a good time and got around everywhere.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I'm actually going to piggyback your post with a question. Do we need to alert our restaurants that we'll be an ECV party now? Do there need to be any accommodations made in that regard?

There is no need to alert restaurants.

There are three possibilities.

One is a person can park the ECV in the lobby or outside and walk to a table.

Second is the person would have to drive to the table and another member of the party can take the ECV out to the lobby or some other area to park it.

Last is the person would have a very difficult time transferring and has to remain seated in the ECV.

In situation one above I would suggest parking inside the restaurant if possible, especially if you expect some rain.

For situations two or three you would have to let the person at the podium know when you check in that either you would have to have a clear path to the table for the ECV or, for situation three, that you need sufficient parking space for the ECV at the table as well as a clear path. Since the seating is priority seating and not real reservations there are no table assignments planned until you check in.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Oh....I thought that was for the buses....I must have gotten confused....now I'm worried about us all getting on the same bus
Extra poncho I guess to put around the ECV in case it starts to rain...one for him and one for his ECV....

Don't worry, you can all get on the bus together. December is the least rainy month of the year in Orlando, but if you have a cheap poncho, I guess it doesn't hurt to pack it, I had just not heard of doing that. We have been able to take our ECV in most any ride with us, so it wasn't outside, but one reason for that is mom and I can't stand for a long period of time.

I'm actually going to piggyback your post with a question. Do we need to alert our restaurants that we'll be an ECV party now? Do there need to be any accomodations made in that regard?

No, you won't need to let the restaurant know. Most of the time, you will need to park the ECV outside the restaurant, there isn't much room to brin them in.

I can't think of any other accommodations you need to make.

Went with my mom (in her 80's and not able to walk long distances) and also rented a ECV from an outside company. We plugged it in each night in the hotel room, and it was ready to go the next day. It lasted the whole day with no problems. The basket on the front was convenient for carrying any purchases.

You can also take any of the larger boats with it, but there was a sign saying that sometimes the water level is such that the boat isn't at the right height at the dock and you will have to go an an alternate way. They have a piece of metal they put down to even things out for loading, and we never had any problems taking the boat.

It worked out great! Mom had such a good time and got around everywhere.

For the boats, if the water level is off all they have to do is let a few peopple on or off to make the level right and then you have no problem getting on or off and the other people can get back on. That was all they had to do for us and we never had to take alternate transportation. Not all of the boats have the metal ramp. The ones at WL/FW do not and they do sometimes use the smaller boat that cannot accommodate an ECV.

Suzanne

 

[Vijoge]

Extra poncho I guess to put around the ECV in case it starts to rain...one for him and one for his ECV....

Definitely bring the extra poncho for the ECV. You'll want to keep the seat dry in case of rain but more importantly you need to keep the electronic control box dry or you run the risk of shorting out the whole system. It can handle sprinkles without a problem but not a real rain.

 

[mrmagicmph]

For the boats, if the water level is off all they have to do is let a few peopple on or off to make the level right and then you have no problem getting on or off and the other people can get back on. That was all they had to do for us and we never had to take alternate transportation. Not all of the boats have the metal ramp. The ones at WL/FW do not and they do sometimes use the smaller boat that cannot accommodate an ECV.

Suzanne

The WL boats (the larger ones that can accommodate ECVs) do not always level out right by letting a few people on or off. We had that happen on our last trip, & my wife & I had to lift the thing off (without any help, or even a CM to just make sure that we didn't hurt ourselves, without personally touching the ECV). We were not warned by any CM when we first loaded at MK that the water level might or might not be at the right level to get off at WL. When we lifted the ECV, my wife got hit in the head with part of the ECV... NOT a good thing.

Enjoy the Magic, but just be warned.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

The WL boats (the larger ones that can accommodate ECVs) do not always level out right by letting a few people on or off. We had that happen on our last trip, & my wife & I had to lift the thing off (without any help, or even a CM to just make sure that we didn't hurt ourselves, without personally touching the ECV). We were not warned by any CM when we first loaded at MK that the water level might or might not be at the right level to get off at WL. When we lifted the ECV, my wife got hit in the head with part of the ECV... NOT a good thing.

Enjoy the Magic, but just be warned.

We have never had that problem and we have used that boat on many occassions. They were always able to level it out for us, not matter the boat capacity. Sorry you had trouble, i think it just takes the right CW to work with you.

Suzanne

 

[SueM in MN]

there is more information about boat loading in the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

For the WL boat, there are quite a few things they can try, but there are times that the water level and dock level are just too different for boarding. It's usually only in extremely low or extremely high water levels. That happened to us when we were there. The CM tried, but the ramp was too steep and it was not safe to go up on the ramp. Between DH and I, we were able to lift DD in her wheelchair into the boat. She's pretty light (under 90 pounds) and her wheelchair is a lightweight one. We're also used to lifting her if we have to.

So, even though they can often get a wheelchair/ECV on, not being able to is a possibility.

 

[mmmbop]

Both my grandmother and my uncle rent ECV's during our trips. They both like the independence of it, rather than me having to push them. We stay at ASMu. My uncle had a horrible time with the HC rooms, but we didn't (we requested a normal room).

At ASMu, we usually stand to the left of the lines for the busses. I believe for MK they have a separate line. I always follow other people in WC/ECV and assumed that was a "WC" line of sorts. Because other people stood there, I stood there. Big hint though, it's easiest if he backs onto the bus. I even heard a few drivers recommend that last time, too.

My grandmother rents from Walker, I believe. They always provide a small "rain coat" (for lack of a better term) for the control box. I'm not sure where my uncle rented from, or if one was provided for his.

When I made my reservations, I let the resturants know that the party included a person with an ECV. They said it wasn't a big deal. When we arrived at CP, my grandmother pulled up to the table. She thought she'd stay in it, but then decided to move to a chair. She can never make up her mind. She, by the way, ended up getting TONS of hugs from Pooh and friends, while I got none!! I cried to Eeyore, and he gave me a hug at least