ECV'S causing Blindness

[kaytieeldr]

No, you can make really tight circles really fast in a safe area.
At least as long as you keep all the wheels on the ground. When the front wheels are off the ground, that's a wheelie.

Whew! I mean, I was doing it with the full approval of two (really cute, by the way) CMs at Mission: Space... so, if Josue or (I think) George is reading this, and will still be there in September... see ya!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Hey, freepixie - I like the singing idea! I mean, I can't... so my attempts should clear out my path VERY quickly! Well, I'm off to practice more really bad singing...

 

[SueM in MN]

Hey, freepixie - I like the singing idea! I mean, I can't... so my attempts should clear out my path VERY quickly! Well, I'm off to practice more really bad singing...

Although, that may just make you an invisible noise and they still won't know to avoid you.

 

[HappyGramma]

I am considering renting an ECV for my trip in Sept. I have been having terrible problems with my knees this past year and seeing as this will be a solo trip there will be no one to push a wheelchair for me. I am worried about the two conserns mentioned in this thread; my possibly hitting someone and not being seen by others. When I was at Epcot a few years back, someone on an ECV ran right into someone walking. I am not sure if the person got hurt but there were several people screaming. I have never used an ECV and am afraid that it would be difficult to handle; especially going in and out of shops and restaraunts. I hope that my doctors appointment tomorrow will put to rest my need of renting one.

 

[aPiratesLife4Me]

I am considering renting an ECV for my trip in Sept. I have been having terrible problems with my knees this past year and seeing as this will be a solo trip there will be no one to push a wheelchair for me. I am worried about the two conserns mentioned in this thread; my possibly hitting someone and not being seen by others. When I was at Epcot a few years back, someone on an ECV ran right into someone walking. I am not sure if the person got hurt but there were several people screaming. I have never used an ECV and am afraid that it would be difficult to handle; especially going in and out of shops and restaraunts. I hope that my doctors appointment tomorrow will put to rest my need of renting one.

Here's hoping you will get good news at your appointment and not need to rent an ECV! However, if you do think you will need one, there are other places to try to them out first so you can get the feel of one before you arrive at WDW. Even the local grocery store or Walmart is far less crowded than WDW to test one out.

Actually it is both ECVs and wheelchairs that the people become invisible or with an expectation of muteness.

Judy would always get very annoyed when people would ask her a question about my preferences. She got to a point where she would say, in an irritated tone, "He's in Mensa, why not ask him?!"

And why, when I'm at a turnstile and a person in either a wheelchair or ECV comes in to the park I will speak directly to them and remind them that racing is not permitted in the park. In about 99% of the cases the people will come back with a remark about how that rule disappoints them, and they, and their party, will have a good laugh.

And if they are in a wheelchair and apparently unable to drive themselves, I will also point out they they are responsible for their Chauffeur's actions; if in an ECV I will point out that drag racing or doing wheelies will get them ejected.

Well here's hoping we have the pleasure of seeing you during our upcoming trip, because my husband and I and our two children would love your sense of humor!!

I've offered to take photos for people during previous trips, I always think it's such a nice thing to do/have done for you. One time when I said "I could take the photo for you if you'd like to be in the picture with your family", this woman kinda looked like she was unsure....well, I couldn't help it, I blurted out "I won't RUN away with your camera..." then I burst out laughing, so did she, and then she handed me her camera.

 

[mechurchlady]

And you could politely dispute that with, "But I'm NOT smoking, I'm merely carrying a lit cigarette - and there are no rules against that!"

Note to self: no more wheelies within view of Cheshire Figment... oh, wait - what's a wheelie? Not really tight circles really fast in a safe area, right? Whew!

Doughnuts or Donuts is what you was doing. I have done those in a car and maybe a bicycle but definitely the most fun is in an ECV. I heard about bus drivers doing donuts in some out of the way parts of WDW.

I got to take notes for my San Antonio trip. Anyone got pliers and aligator clips? I am sure i can put a boom box on a wheelchair, lol.

 

[mullertwin]

Other ways to get yourself noticed:

Wave your arms madly in the air, preferably on a downhill slope, and preferably with vocal accompaniment (e.g. screaming)

Wear a novelty disguise kit (the ones with glasses, false nose and mustache are preferable): people will notice you, but won't recognise you if they see you again (also a good backup plan for aforementioned bank robbery)

Shout: "look out, cripple coming through!" (I only use this term to describe myself, not others, and even then only in jest)

Shout: "How do you drive this thing?!" whilst careening down a hill

Shout: "Is that bit meant to come off?"

Mob one of the Year of a Million Dreams' CMs for their uniform - you'll get a whole entourage of stalkers in no time

Rig up a stereo system on your chair / ECV and play loud music from it

Use aforementioned stereo to announce that a special surprise parade will be coming through soon, then just take to the road as everyone runs to grab a space on the curb.

Attend the MGM Jedi Knight Training School, then use the force to clear people out of your way

Steal the AT-AT walker from outside Star Tours, and use that to cruise around the park

If you can't get the AT-AT walker, steal a parade float instead

Don't pay too much attention to where you're going: once you've run over a couple of people, news of you will travel fairly fast.

WARNING: Trying to take this author seriously can lead to headaches, irritability and uncontrolled bouts of rage.

How about a big tally board to hook onto the front of the ECV with the title: Number of people knocked over today (YOU can be next)

 

[cmwade77]

I've offered to take photos for people during previous trips, I always think it's such a nice thing to do/have done for you. One time when I said "I could take the photo for you if you'd like to be in the picture with your family", this woman kinda looked like she was unsure....well, I couldn't help it, I blurted out "I won't RUN away with your camera..." then I burst out laughing, so did she, and then she handed me her camera.

Did you start to act like you were going to take off at that point?

 

[freepixie]

How about a big tally board to hook onto the front of the ECV with the title: Number of people knocked over today (YOU can be next)

LMAO! Just returned from WDW and I had to push my aunt in a wheelchair - she didn't have enough energy to steer a ECV through the crowds - and let me tell you I ran into 7 people who cut me off at the last minute or who were walking backwards too fast and I'm yelling and they dont listen!!

My favorite was a cute Brazilian kid was walking backward, I'm yelling, "whoa whoa" cuz I'm coming down a ramp and cannot stop, he twirls around the last second and literally jumped out of the way! And I'm apologizing profusely and so is he, then we just had to laugh about it!!

 

[mechurchlady]

I so want to put on mom's wheelchair a semi-truck horn. OOOGAAH.
I had a half ton little Ford Courier and I would scare people with my semi truck horn blaring away.

Freepixie did they have a deer-in-the-headlights look? People just do not understand that things with wheels are things that move, lol.

LilSpark, lol, I take her serious as deep down I want to do most of the things she said on her list. I am more for putting stickers for each downed pedestrian.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

LilSpark, lol, I take her serious as deep down I want to do most of the things she said on her list. I am more for putting stickers for each downed pedestrian.

Don't we all want to do these some days? In fact, I have done a couple of them, mainly of the flailing and screaming variety, but most of them are still only dreams

Maybe the scientists among us should invent glasses that will cure this blindness, and hand them out at the park gates? Anyone with me?

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Maybe the scientists among us should invent glasses that will cure this blindness, and hand them out at the park gates? Anyone with me?

Yes, but as far as I know, there is no cure for the Lack O' Common Sense Disease yet. Really, just some chlorine in the gene pool would work wonders, I think....

 

[lovetoscrap]

I absolutely agree with all said her! I was wearing a sparkly pink tiara for Mickey's sake and I was still invisable. Do people not recognize a princess on her coach any more???


Even worse or those that think while waiting in line or standing somewhere they need to be as close as possible to those around them. Annoying as all get out when you are standing, but I really do NOT need your back side in my face! I know your eyes apparently do not move downwards in WDW (especially during the fireworks) but really, find that common sense thing. I left a few feet beteen us so I could have some personal space, not so your group could spread out and Dad could lean over on the railing right next to me and give me an upclose end view-- I wish I was the blind one at that moment!

Shugardrawers was in a manual wc for the fireworks and was happily watching and a couple came up and stood directly in front of her. The footrests had to be digging into their heels! Someone had to come and move her so she could see more than their hind ends.

I keep threatening to pull out my camera and take photos of all the rears that get stuck in my personal space. Maybe this next trip. . .

 

[Talking Hands]

I have to say I have seen more than enough butts in my times at Disney. In a wheelchair and standing as I am SHORT! First time i went to see Wishes a sweet CM placed me right on the rope of a cross walk so no one would be in my face. Unfortunately some very nasty guests refused to vacate the crosswalk area when the fireworks started. They just shoved back into me. Then some others decided they wanted to leaved and started to climb over me in my wheelchair and a small baby in a stroller. I'm yelling there are people here you can't get through but boy did they. They just decided that my wheelchair was great to climb on and over me. I hate SGs

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Yes, the personal space thing can be a real headache. One thing that I found helped me quite a lot last trip, was my fancy wheelchair decorations. This wasn't just because it made my chair look oh-so-cool , but because I have a load of little feather pom-poms on stalks on the back wheels. That meant that any time I went past someone, their bare legs would get tickled, and they'd give me a bit more room

The only other option is to speak up for yourself loudly and repeatedly. Thankfully most of the guests who caused a problem for me, did so accidentally, and were very apologetic as soon as I explained what was wrong. However, if you do run into any properly nasty Guests, either get a CM to help you, or cause enough of a scene to get everyone staring at the meanies - nobody likes being the subject of glares.

Shugardrawers was in a manual wc for the fireworks and was happily watching and a couple came up and stood directly in front of her. The footrests had to be digging into their heels! Someone had to come and move her so she could see more than their hind ends.

Arg!! I must confess that at this point I would have taken off my brakes, and started rocking my wheelchair back and forth a little; if their heels got in the way, it would be their own fault for putting them there!

I have to say I have seen more than enough butts in my times at Disney. In a wheelchair and standing as I am SHORT! First time i went to see Wishes a sweet CM placed me right on the rope of a cross walk so no one would be in my face. Unfortunately some very nasty guests refused to vacate the crosswalk area when the fireworks started. They just shoved back into me. Then some others decided they wanted to leaved and started to climb over me in my wheelchair and a small baby in a stroller. I'm yelling there are people here you can't get through but boy did they. They just decided that my wheelchair was great to climb on and over me. I hate SGs

Excuse me while I just pick my jaw up from the floor! How can people think that this is anywhere close to acceptable behaviour?! Do they seriously just stop thinking of us as human when we're in our chairs?! I think I'm going to have to go and read the 'Faith, hope, trust, and Pixie Dust' thread again to cool off a bit, and remind myself that at least some people retain the common decency and humanity they're born with !

Hugs to all those who have been victims of other's stupidity, mistakes or ECV blindness!

 

[SueM in MN]

I love the idea of the feather 'ticklers'. Keeps people from getting too close in a funny way without you having to say anything.

 

[mechurchlady]

I keep threatening to pull out my camera and take photos of all the rears that get stuck in my personal space. Maybe this next trip. . .

WDW Rumps R Us

That is the new website where people can post the images they see like the person in the theater who sees someone's tall hairdo or in your case Rumps.

Theme song has to be from Dumbo. Rumps they are everywhere instead of Heffalumps they are everywhere.

OneLittleSpark in an ECV <---
Guest who was a pest <----

 

[edcrbnsoul]

I suggested to DW that I decorate her ECV up like a SpectroMagic Float and I could hook an iPod to play the parade music...she wasn't keen on the idea???

 

[Vijoge]

I was on my ECV, waiting for Wishes. We arrived early, really early, so we could get a good spot (I'm short, and even shorter on my ECV). It started to rain. We put on our ponchos. It poured-we got wet. It poured a long time. We got soaked. Then we got cold. But we stayed in our chosen good spot.

Time for Wishes. The rain ceased. Three very, very, tall guys came and stood right in front of me. They had just gotten there. They were dry. They were tall. And they would not move!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Oh lovetoscrap, that reminds me, December 2006, mom, Dh and I had been waiting for the AK Jingle Jungle Parade for about an hour, we had staked out a place next to the side entrance of the Mercantile, next to the path to Camp Minnie Mickey, all of a sudden this really rude couple comes and stands right in front of me and mom on our ECV's and stays there. There is plenty of other areas to stand, but no, they stopped in front of us. They said that they had just gotten married, and could stand whereever they wanted, I was not so polite. They did finally get the hint as I started to roll into their heels. Besides that the CM's had already come along and put the rope out in front of us.

In August 2007, Dh and I had gone down for his birthday and we went to DHS. While he went to see the stunt show, I saw B&TB and then went to watch the parade, well, I found the HC viewing area about 100 feet in front of the hat under a tree and talke for 45 minutes to ths really nice CM, as soon as the parade this tall woman proceeds to pull out her huge golf umbrella and stand so I coudn't see around her or the umbrella and here I am trying to take pictures. Michael, the really nice CM stopped that very quickly. Well, there was also a little girl in her WC that couldn't see either.

I haven't found the HC area in the other parks, but just might have to make sure I do for our next trip, Dh is tired of being embarressed by my big mouth. Maybe I will borrow his "screaming meanie" alarm clock, that is even louder than a truck horn.

My cat has this toy with a little feather boa on a stick, maybe I will have to borrow that for my next trip and just tickle the back of the legs of the rude person that stands infront of us. Although We will have my 6 year old Autistic cousin and his oledr and younger sisters and he and the little one have big mouths on them and I am sure they will say something if someone gets too close, that just might be the cure all. If you have never had an opinionated 3 year old (going on 18) scream at you, you will be in shock.

Suzanne