ECV Usage at the Parks

[leslieboehm]

Hi all! Was hoping to get some advice/tips for using an ECV at the parks. My mom and I are taking my kids at the end of October, and we just found out she has knee displacement that will require surgery, which she cannot get until after the trip. This is the first time we've run into any mobility issues, but walking to a certain degree, and standing for longer periods of time, will definitely be an issue. My questions are:
1. How do you know which lines are ECV accessible?
2. Are there places designated for parking ECVs outside of attractions/restaurants?
3. Do ECVs generally stay charged for an entire day at Disney?

I'm completely clueless on the use and "etiquette" of ECVs (other than the obvious rule of watching where you are going/not ramming people, of course), so any helpful hints would be appreciated. Thanks!

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[Eeee-va]

My mom uses an ECV at the parks for fibromyalgia, hip, and I think maybe knee problems. When we have gone, she has been unable to walk for long distances but could walk some and wait in short lines. Our style has been to park the ECV (near strollers, usually) and then walk through queues/use Fastpass. When she was feeling better, she'd maybe park it in one land and then explore that land, then come back to the ECV and go to another land...but lately she's not done so much of that.

This guide appears to be rather dated (it has the Orange Stinger and does not have Cars Land!) but it has some disability info. http://adisneyland.disney.go.com/media/dlr_v0200/en_US/help/disabil_gdebk_3_08.pdf

On Radiator Springs Racers, you can actually navigate the single-rider line with an ECV, and eventually you're diverted to the disabled boarding. (It is a good thing she took her ECV into the line, because the ride broke down so the wait was almost an hour, which was a lot longer than anticipated. This was a couple years ago and it sounds like breakdowns are less common now, but it's worth at least considering taking the ECV through the queue even if your mom is feeling OK, just in case.)

For World of Color several years ago, with a Fastpass, we were able to get in to the viewing area early because of her disabilities/ECV. There is a separate disabled viewing area but we were also allowed to choose any other spot from which we would like to view the show (we went to the bridge). She stayed in her ECV through the show, no problem.

The walkways in DCA are generally wider and more accessible; I find I enjoy that park more than Disneyland when I'm with my mom due to it being easier/less stressful to navigate with an ECV. If all things are equal and you don't have dining reservations, then if there was any time/day when your mom was more tired/stressed/in pain but still wanted to DO things, I'd consider heading over to DCA.

Mom's rented ECV from Deckert's always kept a charge all day at Disneyland. The battery charge status was indicated by a series of lights (one or two red, one or two yellow, and several green). Only one day did her ECV even lose one of the green lights, and we stayed a healthy walk off-site. If it's her personal ECV, I don't know about that, but Mom had no problem at all with hers.

 

[leslieboehm]

Thanks Eeee-va! She doesn't have her own, since we anticipate this being a temporary disability (Doc says after surgery and recovery, she should be like new), so we will be renting from Deckert's, so the charge info is great news. She is also bringing a cane, so, if she's feeling up to it, she can use that. I know she would prefer to just use the cane most of the time, but I'm afraid she'll overdo it and end up in more pain.

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[bapcap]

Please encourage your mom to use an ECV, it will make her trip some much more enjoyable. I used one back in March, a few months after knee replacement, and was so glad to had it. Not only did my knees not give me any pain, but my legs and feet felt so much better. I too was able to just park the ECV and wait in most lines no problem. It just helped so much with all the walking around and navigating the crowds was not as bad as I thought it would be.

 

[Eeee-va]

I'm glad your mother has already decided to get an ECV! But if she tries to overdo it on foot because she'd rather not be using it, you can try sharing Cheshire Figment's logic with her. It's more for people who are on the fence about getting an ECV in the first place, but I love it and think it holds true if people are self-conscious at all. Even my mom liked it. (Taken from http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3201777)

Please ask yourself the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!