Help! Traveling with 2 new ECV users at peak crowd week!!!

[swi1231]

My mother just broke her ankle and our friend just had to have knee surgery. We are traveling to WDW Christmas week and WOW this has put a wrench in our plans. Based on the useful info on this site they are both renting ECV's from apple but have never used them before. I plan to have them complete an ECV "class" in the resort parking lot prior to venturing into the parks.

Some questions:

1. Will we be able to board the buses together or is there room for only one ECV per bus?

2. Do you park your ECV outside your door or in your resort room?

3. We are driving so do you recommend using WDW transpotation or breaking the scooter down each time and putting it in the car?

4. They can tboth transfer to a regular seat so would they mind if my mother and friend board the bus regularly and me or my husband board the ECV on the bus (I'm worried my mother will be too nervous if there is a crowd waiting on her)??

5. Are there any places or events we should particulary avoid?

 

[joandegennaro]

Maybe you could make them "licence plates" with a cute way of say 1st time driver.

Tell them flat out that regardless of how long it takes them to load and unload the bus they are entittled to have as much enjoyment as current able bodied guest and the extra time it takes to load the bus will ensure it. Right now they need the assistance all those who get upset about it should stop and think how lucky they are that they don't!

 

[swi1231]

Love the idea of license plates! Both my mother and friend will get a kick (NPI) out it.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

All of the buses can handle at leat two wheelchairs or ECVs. Some of the newest ones handle three. Possibly if a bus already has one person in a chair ahead of you the group will have to break up.

You cannot park the ECVs outside overnight for several reasons. One is that you need to be able to plug in the ECV to recharge the batteries; for most rentals you have to connect the charger to the ECV and not directly to the batteries. The other is these are corridors which should not be blocked. And third is that you are leaving a piece of equipment worth a couple of thousand dollars outside where anyone can fool with it (and at Coronado you tend to get convention groups where the members are "well lubricated" late in the evening.

Normally there is no problem fitting one ECV in any size room, even the value resorts. At a moderate it can also be doen, but some furniture, such as a table, may have to be moved. Note if you will be putting both on one room, I would suggest bringing a power strip with about a six foot cord so both can be plugged in.

You cannot get two standard size ECVs in one car. We tried this about ten years ago, and it would not work in any rental car, even a Cadillac. We ended up with one family taking a bus and the other using the car, and we would meet up. Unless we were going to another Resort for dinner and only needed the ECV for one person and then all six of us would fit in the car.

I was able to get two ECVs in a Ford Taurus, but mine was a standard size and Judy's was a transportable Pride Go-Go. However, not only was the trunk full, but both seats were in the car's back seat and the batteries for mine were on the floorboards in the back.

You might have them go to a WalMart (or similar) or large grocery store and practice using their ECVs. Just be aware that the rentals, especially from off-site, are much easier to use than store ones.

And if your mother feels she cannot maneuver the ECV onto the bus there is no problem in having someone else do the driving. Note that because of center of gravity locations it is unsafe to sit on the ECV when it is parked in a bus. Always move to a regular seat after it is parked.

 

[swi1231]

OMG! So much to learn! Silly me would have definitly left thje thing in the parking lot like a motor bike!

 

[swi1231]

Also, and remember this if a first for us so PLEASE don't flame me, but would it be in poor taste for others in our party (not kids) to use the scooters to get around CSR for the occaisional long trip to the main buildings. We don't want to do anything that may be determined to be disrespectful but it seems that it could be helpful seeing as everyone talks about how spread out CSR is.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You're renting it, you're responsible for it; as long as you don't mind coming back here and reading about so-called 'fakers' (well, not this specific subforum, but the DIS in general; it happens every few weeks), go for it. Operate in a responsible manner, only ONE PERSON on any ECV at any one time, nobody under eighteen...

 

[joandegennaro]

Never been to CRS but have been to CBR and just requested to be close to Old Port Royale which is where everything happens at CBR. We paid for a prefered location to ensure easy walking distance for the kids to go together without an adult. This might be a good option. As for a able bodied person using a scooter...really who's to say what anyone's disablity is. Yes some use it for necessaty and other use it for convienice. Now if you were having scooter races down the paths this just wouldn't be right