Fitting EVC into a minivan

[habg1]

Has anyone done this instead of taking the Disney buses? My parents are going to have 2 EVCs and we are concerned about 2 EVCs getting on the buses. So, we are renting a minivan and are hoping they fit.

Anyone with any experiences out there?

 

[rkmassa]

We had our own minivan on a trip with my mom. She rented an EVC for the week, and we loaded it up each day/evening---we were staying off site. We had our middle seats out of the van, so we just loaded it up in one piece after taking out the heavy battery and placed it in the middle section. It was a pain, but doable. You would have to take apart both EVC's to make them fit in a van. It can be done, depending on how much room/seats you need after taking them apart and loading.

We have also had to breakdown (taking out battery, seat, etc.,) my mom's EVC when we rented a full size car to put it into the trunk. It took some time taking it apart and loading each part every time. It was stinking hot--July. Not as easy as loading it in one piece into the van.

 

[ElizabethB]

With rental vans, you need to be very specific when renting that you need a minivan that will accommodate an ECV because most don't unless you remove the back seats -- and most car rental agencies won't let you remove the seats. We rented from Dollar and they had larger minivans that accommodated mom's scooter. You will not be able to get two ECV's into one minivan unless you break them apart each time you load them and, even, then, you may not be able to fit two ECV's. Also, the larger 9 and 12 passenger vans will not accommodate ECV's because there is not enough space between the back seat and the back door, and the seats are not removable.

And, I agree with the previous poster, trying to take the ECV's apart every time you want to load them is a huge pain. If using cars and staying off-site, you may want to consider renting ECV's at the various parks rather than renting your own and trying to transport it. If you have a handicapped parking privilege in your state, bring it with you and you can park in the handicapped parking at Magic Kingdom. There are usually wheelchairs available to transport someone from that parking area to the front of the park where you can rent a scooter.

We found it was such a pain to transport mom's ECV that we now simply spring for a monorail resort when we take mom. I also recently bought Mom a TravelScoot, which breaks down easily into 3-4 pieces and weights only 30 pounds total, with battery. We're going to try using that in September. My only worry with it is how to avoid getting it stolen because it is so light and portable.

Unfortunately, trying to transport two scooters won't be easy. And, like you, I can't even imagine trying to use the WDW buses.

 

[zumbergc]

We got 2 ecv's in a toyota hylander. Dad and Dh had to take them apart when we drove. We drove to sea world, AK. We had a long wait time at epcot and ddd, so thats why we drove .

It was a tight squeeze in the trunk area and i think they had to stack some things up. They got pretty quick at it , however , it all depends on how much a person dis-assembling can safely lift w.out causing injury to themselves and how mechanically inclined one is.
Dad could put things together, apart much faster than husband, and has great spacial skills to pack it into the back of the hylander. Dh, had a rough time getting one ecv into the same space, go figure. Always, moving things around over and over.

 

[Vijoge]

We got 2 ecv's in a toyota hylander. Dad and Dh had to take them apart when we drove. We drove to sea world, AK. We had a long wait time at epcot and ddd, so thats why we drove .

It was a tight squeeze in the trunk area and i think they had to stack some things up. They got pretty quick at it , however , it all depends on how much a person dis-assembling can safely lift w.out causing injury to themselves and how mechanically inclined one is.
Dad could put things together, apart much faster than husband, and has great spacial skills to pack it into the back of the hylander. Dh, had a rough time getting one ecv into the same space, go figure. Always, moving things around over and over.

Quite right. My DH could easily fit two ECV's in any minivan! Heck, he might be able to do three!! He can fit three adults, luggage for these three adults for one week, and my ECV in a Pontiac Sunfire (so there, Alamo!).

However, the OP (I think) mentioned transporting these two ECV's from park to park rather than using Disney buses. We use Disney transportation exclusively while at Disney and don't find it to be bad at all. DH says he would rather wait a few minutes for a bus than load and unload my ECV multiple times a day and then still have to drive.

 

[msr709]

I travelled with my sister and we both had ECV's at WDW and used the buses and never had any problems. We always made sure we were first on line to avoid the "looks" and waited for another bus if it got crowded before we got there. Try to travel at off-times either early early or later in the day and you should be fine. The WDW buses are equipped to fit 2 ECVs so don't worry about that. I used Randy's Mobility Scooters and they even delivered 2 different ones when we moved over to Universal after our stay at WDW. I recommend them highly (and they seemed to have the lowest prices). HTH

 

[Talking Hands]

You can do 2 ECVs in a minivan if you have the middle seats out. Problem is you then have to crawl over them to use the seats. I have a ramp equipped Dodge Caravan and can easily place 2 in the van. But I don't take out the batteries so can manuever the ECVs inside the van

 

[habg1]

Thanks for the super help guys! We're renting a Dodge Caravan from Dollar on Nov. 20th.

So, we know 1 probably will not be a problem fitting, but 2, will be a problem it sounds like.

When we were down there last Nov. we had a lady with an EVC getting onto a bus and people were not very patient with her let me tell you. The bus driver was nice and told the other people that they could not get on til the scooter was on.

While we had no problem waiting, others were not so nice. We just figured we'll save the hassle. But we will probably have to end up taking the buses. To stay at the Poly it's $3,000 more than what were paying now. POR is where were staying.

The extra money might be worth it, but my bank accounts are screaming NOOOOO!

 

[Kimann]

Thanks!

 

[Kimann]

With rental vans, you need to be very specific when renting that you need a minivan that will accommodate an ECV because most don't unless you remove the back seats -- and most car rental agencies won't let you remove the seats. We rented from Dollar and they had larger minivans that accommodated mom's scooter.

I have the EXACT same situation as the OP and also appreciate all the great feedback.

ElizabethB-We too are renting from Dollar-how do you let them know that you need a specific type of minivan? Did you call them?

Thanks!

 

[ElizabethB]

Sorry, Kimann, I just spotted your question. As I recall, I had them note in my reservation that I needed a minivan big enough to hold a scooter at the back. I reiterated at the time we rented and we were given one. It was not a regular Dodge Caravan, which won't hold a scooter without taking out the back seats. It was a bit more like a panel van, sorry I don't remember the make or model. The scooter did fit fine back there without disassembling it and without taking out the seats.

I would recommend you simply make sure that it is noted in your reservation that you need the larger style van. If you book over the internet, make sure you call reservations and have it noted.

We recently rented from Thrifty rather than Dollar in Orlando and that didn't work out so well. They had the larger vans but charged us extra at the rental location to upgrade. Dollar didn't charge us extra for the larger van (but that was 3-4 years ago).

One other hint -- we always valet-parked the van at the resorts. That way, a valet was on hand to help lift out the scooter. They are very heavy and need two or three people to lift them out of the van.

 

[Kimann]

Thanks so much-I'll call Dollar to have them note our reservation. And good tip regarding the valet, we can always use another set of hands.

Kim

 

[disneygirl_wdw]

We fitted 2 ECV's in our van. We have stow and go seating, which the seats fold into the floor instead of removing them each time. We just folded the 2 middle seats in or one back and a middle seat and had no problems. We love this van and it is a life saver sometimes. I would reccommend trying to put a request in for a stow and go van. I don't think they can guarentee them though. We rented 2 in Hawaii, so I know some rental companies have them. Ours is a Dodge Grand Caravan.
One thing with transporting ECV's you have to break them down, which cuts in on time. It took us an hour or more to get anywhere. It was much easier using the busses, which we did on the park days.

 

[Vijoge]

One thing with transporting ECV's you have to break them down, which cuts in on time. It took us an hour or more to get anywhere. It was much easier using the busses, which we did on the park days.

Practice helps. I guess. My DH can break down my ECV and have it stowed in the back of our Dodge Caravan in less than three minutes.

 

[SueM in MN]

A regular Doge Caravan does not have a lot of room behind the rear seats. A Grand Caravan is longer and has more room. They do rent them with Stow and Go seats, where the seat folds flat into the floor, leaving you a nice flat place to put your ECV.

And, if you plan to rent an ECV in the park, it may actually be easier to park in the regular parking lot rather than the handicapped lot if you are able to step up onto the parking lot tram. The tram will drop you off closer to the entrance of the park than you will get by parking in the handicapped lot and walking (there are no trams at the handicapped lots and there is no guarantee they will have any wheelchairs in the lot).