Help. Airport troubles

[Evita_W]

My friend does tip well. And before I got my Hot Wheels, we also tipped well. I recognize not all disabilities are visible and don’t presume they are faking. The only reason I mentioned that particular woman is because I’ve known her since I was 18 years old. I just feel so bad for those who really need a wheelchair at the airport and can’t get one due to someone using it and doesn’t need one. Oh well. Such is life.

Funny thing about the tipping is before DH got his ECV, he had some people who push the wheel chair refuse to tip (and he is heavy and always tipped well as a result) and yet while I did say we had issues at MCO, I will also mention that one time when we did rent a car, the person pushing DH from the gate to the rental car stayed with him the entire time he waited for the rental car line (about an hour there, won't do that that way again) and helped us load everything into the rental car and still tried to refuse a tip, we obviously insisted as he went way above and beyond and even showed us how to put down the back row of seats, something even the rental company didn't show us.

 

[Evita_W]

The maxima scooter is rated for up to 500 lbs.

The victory 10.2 is about 400 lbs. Obviously the closer you are to the limit, the faster the battery will drain.

 

[Lewisc]

The victory 10.2 is about 400 lbs. Obviously the closer you are to the limit, the faster the battery will drain.

Is the Victory 10.2 the ecv gold rents? Gold told me anything over 300 lbs impacts battery life. 400 lbs can cut thr life by half

 

[iuki]

She has a mini-golf cart she putts around in at her retirement trailer park. She's very obese, so would need a heavy duty ECV that would be able to hold over 275 lbs (she's only 5'2") One of the models goes up to 300 lbs, but would the battery last all day?

The Fold & Go, and The Falcon, and Eagle hold up to 400 lb. They are all foldable and great for traveling.

 

[Evita_W]

Is the Victory 10.2 the ecv gold rents? Gold told me anything over 300 lbs impacts battery life. 400 lbs can cut thr life by half

It is, and yes, 400 lbs can cut it by half, meaning at the end of the day you may be down two lights instead of one to none.

My guess is they play it conservative because they have found:
1. People lie about their weight and then blame Gold Mobility when the battery doesn't last when someone who is 500 lbs is using it, especially when combined with the next item.

2. People love to use scooters as pack mules, butting heavy backpacks on them, lots of heavy items in the baskets, even having kids ride with them, even though they shouldn't for safety, etc. All of this adds to weight and impacts battery life.

DH is a bit over the 400 lb weight limit and can go all day to theme parks with his own victory 10.2 and he only has the 40 AH batteries, as when he needed to replace his batteries that was all that was available. He does watch his speed and how much he uses his lights and such, but definitely doable.

Considering that Gold Mobility uses 60 AH batteries, so that is an extra 40AH, you should be fine if you are reasonable and don't expect to go jack rabbit everywhere.

 

[Lewisc]

Gold said where you use your scooter makes a difference in battery life. AK is hard on.batteries.

Sane with the pathway from EPCOT area resorts to EPCOT

 

[Evita_W]

Gold said where you use your scooter makes a difference in battery life. AK is hard on.batteries.

Sane with the pathway from EPCOT area resorts to EPCOT

This is true too, the more hills, the harder it will be, the rougher the ground, the harder it will be. AKL is very difficult. Disney does a great job with theming the ground to the different areas, but they do a terrible job about considering how said theming will impact accessibility.

 

[Groot]

2. People love to use scooters as pack mules, butting heavy backpacks on them, lots of heavy items in the baskets, even having kids ride with them, even though they shouldn't for safety, etc. All of this adds to weight and impacts battery life.

My mom LOVES to do this to me. She tells me to ”Come here, I wanna show you something.” I go over to look, next thing I know *CLIP!* I’m now holding her purse.

 

[Evita_W]

My mom LOVES to do this to me. She tells me to ”Come here, I wanna show you something.” I go over to look, next thing I know *CLIP!* I’m now holding her purse.

DH and I have seen some crazy things on scooters, including TWO full grown (not lightweight) adults and a child (DH Saw it, not sure how they did this, apparently one was on the back of the scooter) with about 4 backpacks fully loaded on a single Victory 10.2. DH estimated they probably loaded about 600 lbs onto the scooter, maybe a bit more.

That one was rented from Gold Mobility and he heard the people calling Gold Mobility to complain that it wasn't going very fast and that the battery was almost dead even though they fully charged it the night before. I wonder why it was slow and the battery wasn't lasting? Hmm......

This incident is one of the ones that makes me think Gold Mobility tries to play it more conservative than they technically need to, but I think they have to go that route because of people like that.

 

[Groot]

Wait, you’re saying that you saw 2 adults along with a kid plus all their stuff loaded onto ONE scooter?!

 

[Evita_W]

Wait, you’re saying that you saw 2 adults along with a kid plus all their stuff loaded onto ONE scooter?!

I didn't, but DH did, he said it was impressive, dangerous as all get out and obviously not good for the scooter, but impressive. He wishes he got a picture, but he was more shocked to hear them then complain about the scooter's performance.

 

[Moose66]

Just got home from Florida on Sat. (Not Disney). Flew Delta. Returned car to Alamo. I can not walk without severe pain for very long.Also have COPD. Returned car at Alamo. Walked to terminal and asked for assistance. NO one would help us. No one would call for help, unless we were flying with the airline. We asked people that were not connected to a airline, and they would not help. We put luggage on cart, so I could lean on it. I was in tears. We ended up walking all the way to the Delta counter, where they finally helped us. Had to use inhaler. The next day I woke up and could not walk. It took most of the day moving slowly to get the pain out of my leg. I am retuning to Florida in 3 weeks to go to Disney with my daughters family. We were going to use sunshine flyer, but I can NOT walk that again. My daughter will also need assistance, but flying Suncountry. What can we do. Don’t public places have to help people with disabilities? It’s making me not wanting to go! Help

Go to the Delta website and ask for help before the flight. There is an online form to request mobility assistance. You'll need to input your flight #/time of departure and arrival and a brief explanation of your needs.

Just got home from Florida on Sat. (Not Disney). Flew Delta. Returned car to Alamo. I can not walk without severe pain for very long.Also have COPD. Returned car at Alamo. Walked to terminal and asked for assistance. NO one would help us. No one would call for help, unless we were flying with the airline. We asked people that were not connected to a airline, and they would not help. We put luggage on cart, so I could lean on it. I was in tears. We ended up walking all the way to the Delta counter, where they finally helped us. Had to use inhaler. The next day I woke up and could not walk. It took most of the day moving slowly to get the pain out of my leg. I am retuning to Florida in 3 weeks to go to Disney with my daughters family. We were going to use sunshine flyer, but I can NOT walk that again. My daughter will also need assistance, but flying Suncountry. What can we do. Don’t public places have to help people with disabilities? It’s making me not wanting to go! Help

If you're flying Delta, go here and request mobility assistance in advance of the flight: https://www.delta.com/my-trips/search

 

[Bjkandma]

We travel yearly to MCO with Delta. Going to resort, you will have wheelchair assist throughout the airport to Sunshine Flyer. Getting from Sunshine Flyer through airport to Delta is a problem. Delta has no way of knowing when you actually arrive at the airport. You will find white phones on the wall - just lift and wait for someone to answer. You are just connected to an operator - not working for Delta (we honestly don't think they are even in the airport). Myself, (wheelchair), 16 year old daughter and large (check) luggage. In July she pushed me and pulled suitcase throughout airport - no one came from our phone call). Delta did help once we reached their counter. Years ago Disney offered you to get boarding passes and check luggage in at the resort. Disney did away with it!! It was so bad on us, that the decision was made no longer to travel to Disney. (Delta and Disney are well aware of our needs - I require wheelchair assist, an aisle chair and accommodations in my room. Magical Express and now Mears Connect know I need a chair lift to get on bus. This happens even with pre-order registering my needs with Delta and Disney). If any one has any suggestions, I am open to listening.

 

[Lilsia]

Sunshine Flyer is great about mobility devices and disabilities, you don't need to worry with them.

The long walk issue is one of the things that finally drove DH to getting his own scooter, we waited for something like an hour for someone to get him from the gate one time. The other issue was when local theme parks out here in CA started charging $100+ per day for rentals (no deposit and not Disney). Between all of that, he bought a Victory 10.2 from Gold Mobility and it made a world of difference, especially in MCO. Last time he went, he flew on Southwest and he said he saw both the pilot and copilot end up pushing people to their next gate just so they wouldn't miss their connections. He was talking with the flight attendants while waiting and they said Orlando and Phoenix are two of the worst when it comes to wheelchair service.

Yes, he had to wait for his scooter to be brought up, but at least it wasn't an hour+, I think he said it was about 15 minutes or so.

An option if you don't have your own device is to rent locally and take it with you and return it when you get home.

But, if you don't bring your own device, you should notify your airline that you will need assistance now and if you do bring your own device, let them know that now as well.

I think that SWA has a lot more people "needing" wheelchair assistance because of their open seating policy. People don't want to pay for early bird and will say that they need assistance. I have seen so many youngish(50s 60s) people ask for wheelchair. Saw this one couple around that age at MCO be pushed to the gate, which was one of the very last ones down the terminal. The woman got up and walked all the way back to the food court and brought back food, then sat back down in the wheelchair. So she walked the length of the terminal twice, but needed to be pushed to get there? I see this more at MCO then any other airport.
I agree with you that it so much easier to have your own device because you never know if they will have enough wheelchair pushers.

 

[Lilsia]

I didn't, but DH did, he said it was impressive, dangerous as all get out and obviously not good for the scooter, but impressive. He wishes he got a picture, but he was more shocked to hear them then complain about the scooter's performance.

I have seen two people on one scooter, they each had a butt cheek on the seat. LOL

 

[Groot]

I think that SWA has a lot more people "needing" wheelchair assistance because of their open seating policy. People don't want to pay for early bird and will say that they need assistance. I have seen so many youngish(50s 60s) people ask for wheelchair. Saw this one couple around that age at MCO be pushed to the gate, which was one of the very last ones down the terminal. The woman got up and walked all the way back to the food court and brought back food, then sat back down in the wheelchair. So she walked the length of the terminal twice, but needed to be pushed to get there? I see this more at MCO then any other airport.
I agree with you that it so much easier to have your own device because you never know if they will have enough wheelchair pushers.

Ah, yes, the “Miracle Flight”. Where people “Need” a wheelchair to get to the gate so that they can be first on the plane (and take advantage of pre-boarding), but since you’ll be the last ones OFF the plane, they’ll be well enough to get off on their own.

Seen this way too many times.

 

[DisneyOma]

We travel yearly to MCO with Delta. Going to resort, you will have wheelchair assist throughout the airport to Sunshine Flyer. Getting from Sunshine Flyer through airport to Delta is a problem. Delta has no way of knowing when you actually arrive at the airport. You will find white phones on the wall - just lift and wait for someone to answer. You are just connected to an operator - not working for Delta (we honestly don't think they are even in the airport). Myself, (wheelchair), 16 year old daughter and large (check) luggage. In July she pushed me and pulled suitcase throughout airport - no one came from our phone call). Delta did help once we reached their counter. Years ago Disney offered you to get boarding passes and check luggage in at the resort. Disney did away with it!! It was so bad on us, that the decision was made no longer to travel to Disney. (Delta and Disney are well aware of our needs - I require wheelchair assist, an aisle chair and accommodations in my room. Magical Express and now Mears Connect know I need a chair lift to get on bus. This happens even with pre-order registering my needs with Delta and Disney). If any one has any suggestions, I am open to listening.

It sounds like you need to travel with more support? And have you tried a private transport service, like a town car? My mom will not travel alone anymore, as she knows she needs more support to get through the airport and on the plane. Luckily, she has a friend who will travel with her most times. I think I'm going to have to be her travel buddy in the future, which will be tricky since I live in New England and she lives down south!

 

[ttintagel]

Wait, you’re saying that you saw 2 adults along with a kid plus all their stuff loaded onto ONE scooter?!

One time I saw an entire family of five piled onto one ECV, driving around and around the bowling pin pool at POP and yelling “BEEP BEEP!”

 

[Groot]

Last time I was in Florida, I saw one of those multi-person scooters (2 seats single file) and the guy driving was giving the kids in his family (it was a big group) joyrides.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

Ah, yes, the “Miracle Flight”. Where people “Need” a wheelchair to get to the gate so that they can be first on the plane (and take advantage of pre-boarding), but since you’ll be the last ones OFF the plane, they’ll be well enough to get off on their own.

Seen this way too many times.

Okay, I was trying to stay out of this but I can't anymore.

First of all, unless we're talking about aisle chairs (which very, very few people use), folks with wheelchairs aren't the last off a plane. At most airports, the long line of pushers are on the jetway towards the beginning of deplaning. Even I, who have to wait for my chair to come up from under the plane, am almost never the last one off. Usually about halfway through deplaning, actually. So no, that's not really a factor.

But second and more importantly, you have no idea what a person's needs are by looking at them. None at all. A person may be able to walk on their own but not quickly, so they request a wheelchair to get to their gate (when time is a factor) but don't use it to get off the plane because they can take their time. They may be able to walk just fine but can't stand safely - such as in line at TSA or at the gate. Maybe they have a condition that flares up so they requested assistance when they booked their tickets (instead of the day of, because that's what you have to do if you want it guaranteed) but are having a good, non-flaring day when they actually arrive at the airport and therefore can walk back to get what they need. In the case of the two people with chairs where one walked back down the terminal: do you know how fast the pushers go and how hard it is to keep up with them if you're the ambulatory partner? I have watched my partner half-sprinting down the concourse with all our luggage because the pusher just took off to the gate with me in tow but without him. If he had difficulty walking, he might well request assistance rather than hurting himself to keep up. Ambulatory wheelchair users exist, and we get really tired of people either claiming we're faking it or making "miracle!" jokes.

Moreover: given the number of people on this board who do not need accommodations, mobility devices, or other assistance in their daily lives but need it at Disney parks, you really don't get to judge those same forms of assistance at an airport. Why do people need this help at Disney but not at home? Because a day at the parks isn't like being at home: it's a lot hotter, further to walk, longer on your feet, more noise, more crowds, different foods, less control, less routine, etc. All of those factors apply to airports as well. So kindly keep your eyes on your own yoga mat and stop assuming that you know why a person needs accommodations - or doesn't.