Epcot for the old and decrepit (sp?)

[ewspy87]

My mother is going to visit a good friend of hers at the end of March and they found a great deal on a one day bus trip from Ft Myers, Fl to Epcot. The bus drops them off around park opening and they all leave after the fireworks. She has never been there and has heard nothing but good stories about how great it is from her children and grandchildren.

Here is the problem. She is 65 years old and doesn't walk well. What I mean to say is she has a condition where she can stand around pretty good but as soon as she starts walking her legs get very tired after about a half mile or so. It is an issue with blood circulation in her legs.

It has never really been a problem before but she has noticed that as she is getting older it is getting worse and worse for her. At her age their is a surgery but it is not easy.

What I am finally getting to is that we suggested her renting one of those scooters and using that for the long treks and then getting off to walk around the shops and such. They are paying about $100/each for the day trip plus they have to buy their own meals in the park. Plus the scooter rental which is about $30 or so.

My real question is what everyone thinks about the scooters...

 

[MisunderstoodLilo]

Sorry to hear you think of your mother that way. She should get a scooter from Guest Services as soon as she arrives. I think in spite of her age and mobility issues she will have a wonderful day at Epcot.

 

[ewspy87]

Sorry to hear you think of your mother that way. She should get a scooter from Guest Services as soon as she arrives. I think in spite of her age and mobility issues she will have a wonderful day at Epcot.

She actually thinks of herself that way. I should have put in a smiley face that it was in jest. Its too early int he morning here at work for me

Thanks for your reply.

 

[MisunderstoodLilo]

She actually thinks of herself that way.

Well...in that case...

I hope she has fun!

 

[ewspy87]

That's what I told her, she just has some concerns (never having used one before) about the real mobility. I know Bob from the podcast uses one, and he doesn't seem to have a problem. I was wondering what others peoples experiences were. I guess it is really too early for me to be clear in my writing.

Thanks again!

 

[Karnak]

I'll be 75 on my next vist to WDW, and plan to walk throughout my solo six day tour of the parks, as I have in the past. (I hope my health continues to allow me to do this, and expect that it will.)

However, Epcot is a huge park, and there's more than enough walking required for anyone. With the lady you described, I would advise renting an ECV. (For any of the other three parks, I would not advise the ECV, but would schedule rest breaks along the way.) The walkways at Epcot are wide, and there should be no problem using an ECV in that park.

Hope y'all have a great time.

Karnak

 

[ewspy87]

I'll be 75 on my next vist to WDW, and plan to walk throughout my solo six day tour of the parks, as I have in the past. (I hope my health continues to allow me to do this, and expect that it will.)

However, Epcot is a huge park, and there's more than enough walking required for anyone. With the lady you described, I would advise renting an ECV. (For any of the other three parks, I would not advise the ECV, but would schedule rest breaks along the way.) The walkways at Epcot are wide, and there should be no problem using an ECV in that park.

Hope y'all have a great time.

Karnak

Thank you very much, this is exactly the kind of response that will help.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Don't forget there is a lot of walking at Epcot. Just once around the World Showcase Promenade is over 1-1/3 miles.

I would sugggest that beforehand she go to a WalMart (or similar) or a large grocery store and use one of the ECVs they have available there. Be aware the ones in the stores are much harder to use than the ones at Disney.

And you can get a lot of additional information in the disABILITIES Forum; if you want to follow the link in my signatures to the FAQs thread in that forum.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have been to WDW many times, and not a youngster (63). Never had any problems with mobility but last year had a herniated disc in back, VERY difficult walking, or doing anything for that matter. I rented a scooter from the onsite Boardwalk location, used my whole trip. It was great. And very easy to use and get around with, never a problem. Disc is better now and probably will not need scooter again, but would highly recommend for anyone having mobility issues. I could absolutely not have done my trip without one. Best wishes for your mom.

 

[disnut8]

She should definitely rent the scooter. We are fine with walking but we go to Epcot a lot and see the scooters around a lot. We see various levels of "expertise" of the users. We've never seen a person so confused that he/she couldn't use it properly. As mentioned, the walkways at Epcot are very wide so there's not a problem with her getting around. It's not like at Animal Kingdom with narrow paths.

If either of you is really worried about it - there is a Id paper thing that comes with the scooter rental. Along with her name, she can write "Student Driver" on it.

 

[ms*mountaineer]

definitely get the scooter!

We just returned from a trip with my in-laws. My father-in-law is 82 and a lot of walking is not good for him. Just daily activities he has no problem with, and he can walk a hole or two for a golf game, but more than that will give him trouble. My inlaws went by themselves to AK one day while we went to MK - they did NOT get the scooter and regretted it.

The next day we all went to Epcot together and they got the ECV scooter - WONDERFUL CHOICE!!! It made the day SOOOO much more enjoyable for everyone. He was able to just zip along to wherever we were going - he could park it when he needed to get out and go somewhere. They even let us all bypass the long line for Spaceship Earth because he was using the handicap entrance for it.

The ECV was very easy for him to learn to use. And it was easy to find a place to park it for the places that you needed to get out and walk.

It's just a LOT of walking - so much more than normal day-to-day activity - so if there is any question, get the scooter and enjoy the day.

Lee-Ellen

 

[kimysbug]

I will second what cheshire figment said. Go to walmart or the alike & have her ride one around.
We took my mom 73 years young and we just pushed her around in her wheelchair we had the best time.

 

[MinnieForMe]

As someone who has a permanent childhood disability and needs to use a scooter for distances, I can tell you that she will probably find the scooter liberating. The feeling of being able to keep up with everyone is wonderful! Of course, I have a sleek, little scooter not the monsters they rent at the park but I can't imagine Disney for someone with mobility problems with no scooter.

Encourage her to try it. It will allow her to save her energy for when she really wants to walk. Besides, all the shops are accessible so she could stay on it the entire day!