General travel advice with Papaw

[WDWAurora]

We are traveling to WDW later this year with our family of 4 (DH, myself, and two boys-5 & 3) and my father. We will have a room, and he will have a room. We have booked POR, garden view. My dad has Parkinson's and tires easily. He also has spinal stenosis that causes him back and leg pain. He is leaning towards a scooter. We will also probably have a stroller. Would you rent the scooter from an outside company and deal with it on buses, or just rent in the parks? I am concerned about battery life. Also, I'm concerned about dad getting around at the resort, but stressed about getting him and the stroller AND the boys on the bus. We can definitely pack lighter with "stuff" this time based on kids being (mostly) potty trained and not needing special drinks or cups. I don't know, just stressed and would love input.

 

[anonymousegirl]

As I am dealing with spinal stenosis right now, I say get the scooter off site. Even if your dad uses a Disney scooter during the day, the walks to and from the buses, and just around the resort to the lobby or pool can be long.
As for the bus, I suggest one parent sticking with dad to help guide onto the bus ramp, and one that deals with the stroller. You should ahem plenty of time to fold the stroller while dad is getting on the bus. Also, if he is nervous about driving the scooter onto the bus, either you or your DH can do it for him--it is quite common to see this, especially when the rider is not accustomed to driving one.

 

[WDWAurora]

Great info, thank you. I should mention that dad did have surgery for the stenosis, but I can't tell that there has been significant improvement yet. He says he has less pain, but his stamina is non-existent. He can walk, but will likely barely be able to complete the required walking (into and out of bathrooms, rides that require transfers, etc), although he has a few months to improve.

Dad used to drive buses (school principal) and continues to drive lots of farm equipment, etc., so he is probably a better ecv driver than DH or myself.

 

[minnie mum]

Driving a bus or a tractor is nothing like steering a scooter. If he is unfamiliar with them, have him practice on the ones available in big stores like Walmart. Once he can drive those ( especially with backing up and steering into a tough parking spot like on the buses) he can drive one at WDW much more easily.

I'd also recommend getting one from an off site vendor. Cheaper. Smaller, easier to use models. And he can avoid the long walks at the resorts and between the bus and the park gates.

You might want to request a ground floor room for him so he doesn't have to worry about finding an elevator. This would be an absolute necessity if you are in the AB section of POR.

Battery life can be greatly extended if he can remember to turn the key OFF whenever he is stationary for more than a minute or so. He should also remember to take the key with him any time he gets off the scooter.

 

[WDWAurora]

I guess I was using those vehicles to illustrate that he is a good driver and able to maneuver just about anything. He does use them at grocery stores (I believe).

I do want to add 1st floor to the reservation. I'm waiting until discounts are released to ensure that we definitely stay there before adding requests to the reservation.

 

[Pappa Bear]

From one "PaPa" (the way my GrandGirls say and spell it) to another, I understand exactly where he is coming from. This year, for the first time ever, due to knee replacement and spinal stenosis, I had to use an ECV. I can say without reservation that an ECV saved the trip for us. I can only imagine the problems PaPaw has when Parkinson’s Disease is added to those ailments.


We rented our unit from Buena Vista and were extremely pleased with their service and prices. They delivered to a Hampton Inn near Universal and then picked up at Cabana Bay 5 days later on time each time. We had no problems with their equipment plus the staff is very customer focused.


Getting the ECV on and off of the busses was not as big a problem as we thought it would be. The key is to take your time and go SLOW. Yes, it may hold up the line somewhat but that is unavoidable and necessary for safety’s sake. You handle the stroller and PaPaw and the bus driver will take care of getting him in and secured. We had zero problems with that. Also, follow the tips in minnie mum’s post especially the one about prolonging battery life. We charged overnight every night and turned it off regularly in the park as often as practical and never had an issue.


Hope this account of our experiences is helpful to you.

 

[mamabunny]

Yep. What Pappa Bear said - just make sure you charge every night, turn it off whenever you will be sitting for more than a minute or so, and the ECV should easily last the day every day.

If you rent from one of the Disney-recommended vendors, they will drop it off at the resort for you, and pick it up - you don't have to be there at a specified time.

Also, in the unlikely event that the scooter does have a mechanical or electrical issue, most Orlando rental vendors will come out to the parks and either repair or swap out the unit.

I have my own ECV now. (I named him Angus, after Princess Merida's horse! LOL) It was wonderful to have it with me all the time - we went to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs and at the airport it was invaluable! I too have spinal stenosis and Degenerative Disc, along with a whopper size serving of arthritis and a knee that needs to be replaced... so I understand!

I hope you all have the most Magical trip possible!