ECVs for 71 year olds?

[javaj]

My parents are going on our October trip with us, they have never been to WDW. Last time they went to Disneyland was over 10 years ago.

They are in fairly good shape for 71...my Mom exercises more than my Dad, regular paced daily hour walks. We're staying at SSR for 7 days. I figure they won't do as much park touring as the rest of us...but it still is park touring with a lot more walking than they're used to. Neither have used ECVs before. Are they good candidates for ECVs?

Any previous experiences with this? Can anyone give me tips? If ECVs are recommended, do we get them from Disney or rent them for the week from a different place?

Thanks!!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILTIES!

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. The top item is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information, including where people rent ECVs. We tend to recommend that people rent ECVs from off-site as they are better and less expensive than Disney's and are available all the time.

 

[javaj]

Thanks for that info. If it wasn't for the availability issue, I'd prefer to go with onsite rental, so we wouldn't have to do the bus/ECV thing. My parents would just really need the ECVs for walking in the parks. But I guess the availability is huge so we'll probably go with an offsite rental.

 

[daisyduck123]

We spent 9 days in May at WDW with both my parents & DH's parents.
(Also stayed at SSR).

We started out from the beginning with 2 weekly scooter rentals from Walker Mobility because my FIL wanted one from the beginning (I think he's around 67yo). DH needed one because he broke his big toe the day we left for our trip!!

Well, about the 5th day into our stay, my dad decided he wanted one to use to get around Epcot, so on that day we got him one too. He loved it!! They're not hard to use at all.

The only problem with ours was that the two that we rented for the week were a pain to disassemble & put in the car each day to take to the parks. By mid-week, my FIL stopped using his from Walker & we had the company come pick it up. Then my FIL just rented one at the park each day. Much easier!! DH needed one all the time because he could barely walk, so we had to use it all week.

**If you can get to the parks early, before the rentals are gone for the day....that, IMO, is much easier.

 

[SueM in MN]

A lot depends on your older people.
In April, we went with my mother and my MIL, both mid 70s.
My mother is pretty active, but my MIL is not. We are not exactly 'power tour-ers', but they didn't have much trouble keeping up with us. We did try to take some extra rests, but they didn't need a lot.

My FIL rented a park ECV when he came with us. He preferred the park ones because he would not have to deal with the buses and he was also more comfortable driving those because they were slower. He never did feel comfortable driving one at MK because the park is more congested and busier. Epcot is a good park to start with because it is very open and not as crowded. We rented one from Randy's one year for him, but he didn't like it and ended up renting one in the parks anyway.

 

[grumpyvet]

We were in WDW Jan 2007 with my parents. My mom is 71 and a big walker...so she was fine (a bit tired, but tough), but my dad who is 76 has about every arthritic condition known to man-kind, so has a lot of mobility issues. We rented a scooter from Walker and it was perfect. I think my dad had more fun on this trip than he has had in YEARS!! No bench sitting for him!! We started at POFQ and moved to the BC. They had no trouble leaving it at one resort and picking it up at another...not even a wrinkle.
My dad needed the help around the resort as well as at the parks, so having one with us was what we needed. We had our own car, so only used the Disney boats, so didn't have to deal with busses and the ECV. As for taking it apart and putting it in the car, no big deal for us as my DH is super handy and can easily hurl about pieces that weigh 50lbs. I think without him, it would have been a nightmare. We would have had to brave the busses.
So, if you really only need the ECV for in the park...renting one there might be better..but if you could use one for navigating the resort...order one offsite!