Just curious-ECV in room or hallway?

[mamabunny]

In the resorts section, in the Polynesian thread I asked people about the amount of room I would have for the evc in our standard villas. Everyone that responded in that thread said the hallways were extra wide and to leave it out there, plugged in and take the key. I don't know if their hallways are wider than other resorts but the response I got was unanimous.

It's not just about the width of the hallways.

It's about leaving a high-ticket item unattended in a public space, where it could potentially cause a traffic flow issue. I double-dog dare you to call any Fire Marshall in this country and ask *their* opinion. They are going to tell you that it either has to be in the room (and not blocking the door) or down in an open, public space (like the Lobby, which Disney won't allow) or in a specially designated area (which Disney does not provide, because you are supposed to park it in the Resort room.)

It's about leaving the very piece of equipment that you are relying upon to be your legs at WDW out of your control all night long. What if someone comes along in the middle of the night, and unplugs it? You will spend the next day constantly searching for outlets in the Parks instead of having fun. That, BTW is the best case scenario. They could also move it - down the hall, or to another floor or building, or even push it into the pool. They could hide it in a Guest room, and until the Resort was searched, room-by-room, no one would know where it was.

Yes, WDW *is* a safe place - the vast majority of Guests there never have a problem with the security of our personal items. But that doesn't mean that it can't happen... and leaving an item like a scooter unattended all night could pose an opportunity for mischief that needn't have happened.

It's about taking good care of the ECV you rented, and returning it to the vendor for another person to rent, knowing that you took good care of it. I was raised on the Golden Rule, and was taught that you ALWAYS return anything that was borrowed or rented in at least the same condition as you received it in, if not better. This board has many sad stories of people who have rented scooters in good faith, only to have to trade them out because the scooter has been treated so harshly by a previous customer, and as a result, those people have lost hours - even days - of their vacation time at WDW.

It's about being an adult, and taking responsibility for this large piece of equipment. Yes, we all come to WDW to live inside the "bubble" for a few days, and escape reality, but that does not mean that we can just ignore our basic adult responsibilities.

Two final thoughts: Just because you *can* do something, doesn't mean that you should.

and...

Just because "everyone said so" on the DISboards doesn't mean that it's WDW policy. Ask at the front desk of your Resort if it's OK. You will be told to park the scooter in the room. It is not incumbent upon Disney to allow you, or any other Guest, to potentially cause a traffic issue in a Resort hallway just because you don't want to bother with moving the scooter in and out of the room.

Sometimes, doing what is right takes a bit more time or inconvience than what is easy. Do the right thing, every time. We have enough folks in the world who try to take the easy way out.

 

[TCRAIG]

I was just wondering where people left their ECVs overnight. On our first trip, I always brought it into the room, I only left it outside if DH was leaving before me. Then I'd get up with him, and put it in the hall right next to our room. That's because it was a 2-person job to get my ECV out of the room (maybe it was my first ECV experience-I was a "rookie"). However, on this last trip to OKW, I noticed a plug right outside the room, so I sometimes left the ECV outside (after checking the weather report-it was covered but wind could blow in some rain). Besides, OKW has a small step up at the villa door, and it just didn't feel comfortable sometimes, bumping up that rise. DH was convinced we were really taking a chance and should always bring the ECV into our villa. Which way do most people do it?

I always take mine into the Villa (DVC) EXCEPT OKW - because of the lack of elevators. If we're staying at OKW and don't get one of the elevator buildings - I keep my ECV in the car (it's mine - not rented) and my husband brings up the battery for me to charge.

 

[01spirit750]

Ask at the front desk of your Resort if it's OK

Actually we were surprised when we picked up my wifes ecv from bell services at the GF at WDW, bell services instructed us to park it in the hallway outside our room and use the outlets there. We were staying at the DVC wing at the GF so I am not sure if the hallways are wider than the GF main building. We also thought this was odd, but did notice other ECV's in the DVC wing also parked in the hallways.

 

[gratefulfred]

It's not just about the width of the hallways.

It's about leaving a high-ticket item unattended in a public space, where it could potentially cause a traffic flow issue. I double-dog dare you to call any Fire Marshall in this country and ask *their* opinion. They are going to tell you that it either has to be in the room (and not blocking the door) or down in an open, public space (like the Lobby, which Disney won't allow) or in a specially designated area (which Disney does not provide, because you are supposed to park it in the Resort room.)

It's about leaving the very piece of equipment that you are relying upon to be your legs at WDW out of your control all night long. What if someone comes along in the middle of the night, and unplugs it? You will spend the next day constantly searching for outlets in the Parks instead of having fun. That, BTW is the best case scenario. They could also move it - down the hall, or to another floor or building, or even push it into the pool. They could hide it in a Guest room, and until the Resort was searched, room-by-room, no one would know where it was.

Yes, WDW *is* a safe place - the vast majority of Guests there never have a problem with the security of our personal items. But that doesn't mean that it can't happen... and leaving an item like a scooter unattended all night could pose an opportunity for mischief that needn't have happened.

It's about taking good care of the ECV you rented, and returning it to the vendor for another person to rent, knowing that you took good care of it. I was raised on the Golden Rule, and was taught that you ALWAYS return anything that was borrowed or rented in at least the same condition as you received it in, if not better. This board has many sad stories of people who have rented scooters in good faith, only to have to trade them out because the scooter has been treated so harshly by a previous customer, and as a result, those people have lost hours - even days - of their vacation time at WDW.

It's about being an adult, and taking responsibility for this large piece of equipment. Yes, we all come to WDW to live inside the "bubble" for a few days, and escape reality, but that does not mean that we can just ignore our basic adult responsibilities.

Two final thoughts: Just because you *can* do something, doesn't mean that you should.

and...

Just because "everyone said so" on the DISboards doesn't mean that it's WDW policy. Ask at the front desk of your Resort if it's OK. You will be told to park the scooter in the room. It is not incumbent upon Disney to allow you, or any other Guest, to potentially cause a traffic issue in a Resort hallway just because you don't want to bother with moving the scooter in and out of the room.

Sometimes, doing what is right takes a bit more time or inconvience than what is easy. Do the right thing, every time. We have enough folks in the world who try to take the easy way out.

If you read the post before this you will see that someone did ask at the Grand Floridian and were told to park and plug it in out in the hallway. So your post is just your opinion and not Disney policy you were making it up saying they wouldn't allow it, you don't really know

 

[Starwind]

The Florida Building Code, fire and life safety provisions have two provisions that seem the most relevant:

Corridors are required to be a minimum width to facilitate exit (Section 1018.2).

There is also a provision prohibiting obstruction of the required width of corridors (§1018.3): "the required width of corridors shall be unobstructed".

So it is possible that if a corridor was wide enough, an ECV could be parked along the wall and there still be enough corridor width remaining that the required width amount is not obstructed.

At a former place of work, management told employees they could store various things in stairwells and corridors -- except doing so was in violation of the building and fire code and when the fire marshall came and inspected there were some hefty fines imposed.

It isn't clear if ECVs parked in hallways at WDW resorts (or at some resorts or parts of resorts) is ACTUALLY allowed by law or if people being told it is ok is a result of uninformed/misinformed employees giving advice that is contrary to law.

SW

 

[stitchlovestink]

The Florida Building Code, fire and life safety provisions have two provisions that seem the most relevant:

Corridors are required to be a minimum width to facilitate exit (Section 1018.2).

There is also a provision prohibiting obstruction of the required width of corridors (§1018.3): "the required width of corridors shall be unobstructed".

So it is possible that if a corridor was wide enough, an ECV could be parked along the wall and there still be enough corridor width remaining that the required width amount is not obstructed.

At a former place of work, management told employees they could store various things in stairwells and corridors -- except doing so was in violation of the building and fire code and when the fire marshall came and inspected there were some hefty fines imposed.

It isn't clear if ECVs parked in hallways at WDW resorts (or at some resorts or parts of resorts) is ACTUALLY allowed by law or if people being told it is ok is a result of uninformed/misinformed employees giving advice that is contrary to law.

SW

Then as I stated earlier Disney is violating the law too by allowing the housekeeping carts to sit in hallways. They are wider than my ECV and the mousekeepers I encounter do not bother to put them against the wall to allow people to get by easily. So the law is the law and applies to Disney and the mammoth housekeeping carts!!

 

[mamabunny]

If you read the post before this you will see that someone did ask at the Grand Floridian and were told to park and plug it in out in the hallway. So your post is just your opinion and not Disney policy you were making it up saying they wouldn't allow it, you don't really know

Sorry, but I do know - because when I rented my first ECV, I *asked* - at the front desk of the Resort we were staying at. I was told then that although I might see other Guests doing so, Disney prefers that *all* ECVs (personal or rental units) be stored in the room with the Guest who requires it. Since that time, I have, on occasion, asked at the front desk of various Resorts on-property at WDW that we have stayed at. Every time, the answer I was given was the same.

So although other parts of my post were an opinion - that was not an opinion. I'm not "making it up"... it is indeed a fact.

 

[Starwind]

Then as I stated earlier Disney is violating the law too by allowing the housekeeping carts to sit in hallways. They are wider than my ECV and the mousekeepers I encounter do not bother to put them against the wall to allow people to get by easily. So the law is the law and applies to Disney and the mammoth housekeeping carts!!

I am guessing lots of hotels end up in violation. At WDW more than once I have had to turn sideways to get past a housekeeping cart that was effectively blocking a hallway.

Maybe there is an exception somewhere else in the law for temporary obstructions where there is the responsible human present with the obstruction ? Kind of like the difference between stopping and parking a car curbside ? Nof idea, but it might make sense if there was such a thing. That said, I have see unattended housekeeping carts in hallways, and those are obstructing and there is no employee present.

According to this article apparently there is a trend in the hotel industry to move away from the large bulky carts... they even note the smaller ones being used keep the hallways clear and safe... http://www.hospitalityrisksolutions.com/2013/05/10/hospitality-industry-risk-solutions-hotel-housekeeping-carts-are-now-smaller-leading-to-increased-room-security-less-employee-injuries-and-reduction-in-amenity-and-towel-theft/

 

[gratefulfred]

Sorry, but I do know - because when I rented my first ECV, I *asked* - at the front desk of the Resort we were staying at. I was told then that although I might see other Guests doing so, Disney prefers that *all* ECVs (personal or rental units) be stored in the room with the Guest who requires it. Since that time, I have, on occasion, asked at the front desk of various Resorts on-property at WDW that we have stayed at. Every time, the answer I was given was the same.

So although other parts of my post were an opinion - that was not an opinion. I'm not "making it up"... it is indeed a fact.

Looks like there's a gray area then where some cast members don't know or there is no official policy written out on paper. I can't think of any other reason the employees at the grand Floridian would tell that couple to put it in the hallway and you not too. Have you ever been to the poly and gotten that answer? The people on that resort thread seem to be obsessed with it to the point where they know what the standard practice over there is. That being said when I originally asked the question on that thread I asked if putting the table and chairs out on the balcony would be an option if there wasn't enough room for the evc and the response I got was pretty much "don't you dare, put the evc in the hallway instead" the hallways there are wider than other resorts so it's ok. Also asked about putting the evc out there on the balcony and was told no. So there you go once again I can't make everyone happy and I'm not going to bother worrying about it. If there is room for it and I will do my best to make room for it I will bring it in otherwise I will park it in the hallway without a second thought.

 

[Starwind]

Looks like there's a gray area then where some cast members don't know or there is no official policy written out on paper. I can't think of any other reason the employees at the grand Floridian would tell that couple to put it in the hallway and you not too. Have you ever been to the poly and gotten that answer? The people on that resort thread seem to be obsessed with it to the point where they know what the standard practice over there is. That being said when I originally asked the question on that thread I asked if putting the table and chairs out on the balcony would be an option if there wasn't enough room for the evc and the response I got was pretty much "don't you dare, put the evc in the hallway instead" the hallways there are wider than other resorts so it's ok. Also asked about putting the evc out there on the balcony and was told no. So there you go once again I can't make everyone happy and I'm not going to bother worrying about it. If there is room for it and I will do my best to make room for it I will bring it in otherwise I will park it in the hallway without a second thought.

Apparently one can ask for the hotel to remove the table and/or chairs from the room if they are in the way of where you need to put the ECV. Or at least, I know of people who have made such a request and had it granted. It may depend on the resort though, in terms of how movable the table is.

Putting the ECV on the balcony would be problematic as there is usually a significant "lip" at the sliding doors frame, presumably in part to prevent rain and such from coming into the room. I recall it being something you are stepping over to get out onto the balcony, not a smooth transition like for the main door of the room.

At Beach Club we had plenty of room to put the ECV in the room without having to rearrange anything. The same would have been the case with our GF room had we had an ECV when we stayed there. Those rooms are nice and wide and big.

For WL, we fit it in the room but it took a bit of maneuvering -- but I was able to get it in between the table and the sliding doors to the balcony. Just. Carefully. The table may or may not have gotten banged a bit. Er, and before "parking" it, carefully consider whether you drive in forward or back in and which will be easier for getting out.... One night I said the heck with it nad just left it in the room's entrance hallway near the bathroom area. While a person could slide past it, the space is not very wide and if there had been an emergency it would have hindered exiting the room quickly; won't put it there again.

For AoA Little Mermaid room it again fit no problem, this time up by the door/window to the room.

SW

 

[Simba's Mom]

Sorry, but I do know - because when I rented my first ECV, I *asked* - at the front desk of the Resort we were staying at. I was told then that although I might see other Guests doing so, Disney prefers that *all* ECVs (personal or rental units) be stored in the room with the Guest who requires it. Since that time, I have, on occasion, asked at the front desk of various Resorts on-property at WDW that we have stayed at. Every time, the answer I was given was the same.

So although other parts of my post were an opinion - that was not an opinion. I'm not "making it up"... it is indeed a fact.

That was a really smart thing to do-ask at the front desk. And based on the answers you got (same answer), I'll bring it in my room. Thanks!

 

[blondietink]

Regarding the housekeeping carts. I would think they would be a non-hazardous issue because an able bodied person is always near by that can move them. When I try and get my son in a wheelchair down the hall with housekeeping carts and they see me coming, they move them. If not, there seems to be plenty of room for me to get around them. Regarding scooters, if they are parked in the hallway, generally the key is out of it and they cannot be moved quickly in the case of an emergency, especially since many people seem to park them away from the wall. It becomes problematic if there is either 2 scooters in the hallway or a scooter plus a housekeeping cart.

 

[mamabunny]

Looks like there's a gray area then where some cast members don't know or there is no official policy written out on paper. I can't think of any other reason the employees at the grand Floridian would tell that couple to put it in the hallway and you not too. Have you ever been to the poly and gotten that answer? The people on that resort thread seem to be obsessed with it to the point where they know what the standard practice over there is. That being said when I originally asked the question on that thread I asked if putting the table and chairs out on the balcony would be an option if there wasn't enough room for the evc and the response I got was pretty much "don't you dare, put the evc in the hallway instead" the hallways there are wider than other resorts so it's ok. Also asked about putting the evc out there on the balcony and was told no. So there you go once again I can't make everyone happy and I'm not going to bother worrying about it. If there is room for it and I will do my best to make room for it I will bring it in otherwise I will park it in the hallway without a second thought.

You're exactly right - we often hear of conflicting answers being given when it comes to things like this at WDW - even 2 Guests at the same Resort may get 2 different answers depending on who they ask!

When we stayed at Poly, (almost exactly a year ago) I asked, mostly for fun, because I knew our room was large, and I had no need to park in the hallway. (For reference, we were in Niue, first floor facing Pineapple Lanai, HC w/ roll-in shower) The answer I was given was that I should park the ECV in my room, and not the hallway. I had no problem finding space in the room because it was so spacious.

Now... having said that, we weren't staying in DVC rooms, and we are not DVC members. It could be that DVC members are given a different answer than us "renters" It could also be that it's just one of those things were Disney has decided to allow it in the DVC buildings, but not the Resort room buildings? Who knows?

I personally wouldn't try to put the ECV out on the balcony, even if there was tons of space, just because it can get kind of damp sometimes at night, and electronics and damp don't play well together! Plus, I will never forget the year we were at WL and all of those tiny baby frogs were EVERYWHERE - LOL I would freak out if I was driving along and a frog popped out of nowhere onto me! LOL

I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but remember that if you call the "front desk" from your room phone, you actually are talking to a call center, and not a person at the Resort where you are. Any time you have an issue that you want to work with the Front Desk about, you might want to take a few minutes and go visit them in person. We rarely have had to do so, but the few times we have had to go down to the desk, things were handled swiftly.

I truly hope you have a great trip!

 

[mamabunny]

Apparently one can ask for the hotel to remove the table and/or chairs from the room if they are in the way of where you need to put the ECV. Or at least, I know of people who have made such a request and had it granted. It may depend on the resort though, in terms of how movable the table is.

Putting the ECV on the balcony would be problematic as there is usually a significant "lip" at the sliding doors frame, presumably in part to prevent rain and such from coming into the room. I recall it being something you are stepping over to get out onto the balcony, not a smooth transition like for the main door of the room.

At Beach Club we had plenty of room to put the ECV in the room without having to rearrange anything. The same would have been the case with our GF room had we had an ECV when we stayed there. Those rooms are nice and wide and big.

For WL, we fit it in the room but it took a bit of maneuvering -- but I was able to get it in between the table and the sliding doors to the balcony. Just. Carefully. The table may or may not have gotten banged a bit. Er, and before "parking" it, carefully consider whether you drive in forward or back in and which will be easier for getting out.... One night I said the heck with it nad just left it in the room's entrance hallway near the bathroom area. While a person could slide past it, the space is not very wide and if there had been an emergency it would have hindered exiting the room quickly; won't put it there again.

For AoA Little Mermaid room it again fit no problem, this time up by the door/window to the room.

SW

LOL I forgot about WL - I usually do a "bootleggers u-turn" and back into the room... and very carefully and slowly all the way across the room to park where you do! I want that area just inside the door to the room to be just a foot or two wider, and I think it would be the perfect parking spot!

At POFQ/POR, we typically "scrunch" all the chairs up under the table and "scrunch" them towards the fridge end of the dresser to make a parking space where I can back in parallel to the a/c unit.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Regarding the housekeeping carts. I would think they would be a non-hazardous issue because an able bodied person is always near by that can move them. When I try and get my son in a wheelchair down the hall with housekeeping carts and they see me coming, they move them. If not, there seems to be plenty of room for me to get around them. Regarding scooters, if they are parked in the hallway, generally the key is out of it and they cannot be moved quickly in the case of an emergency, especially since many people seem to park them away from the wall. It becomes problematic if there is either 2 scooters in the hallway or a scooter plus a housekeeping cart.

Uh...I have had to wait on more than one occasion for someone to come and move the housekeeping cart because it was blocking the way and I couldn't get around it. So it can and does happen. I go solo alot to visit family that are CM. When they are working I am on my own.
I have actually had to wait for someone to come move their carts on multiple occasions and they don't always come out of the room quickly.
And for the record, the code doesn't say you can block the walkway if someone is close enough to move said offending item. No blocking means just that...NO blocking. Period.

 

[lanejudy]

Actually, fire code does allow for "attended" items to be in the right-of-way because that is considered temporary. A housekeeping cart, during housekeeping hours, is considered attended. Now, in reality human behavior may not always be in compliance. That housekeeper may slow to respond when asked to move it, may have left it while taking a break, or be 3 rooms down watching TV, or whatever -- that isn't necessarily within code and could result in a violation on WDW if found on inspection. But in general, a housekeeping cart is considered "attended" with the expectation that the housekeeper is near and will move it. ECVs are generally considered "unattended" because the person to whom it belongs may or may not be present. That person may be watching TV, sleeping in a room, in the shower, may have walked downstairs for dinner or drinks, etc. It's unattended -- regardless of any individual guest's intent.

DH is retired but has worked in fire code enforcement. Not in FL and yes laws vary by state, however most general concepts remain the same. In his experience chatting over the years with personnel at WDW, Reedy Creek had much stronger requirements than FL state minimum allowed and also was considered to be a model for other locations/states. Interior hallways at WDW are generally wider than minimum code, but that does not mean guests' have the right to leave items in the hallways, it would still be against regulations.

Unfortunately, I think many of us are familiar enough with WDW to know that if you ask 3 different CMs you will get 3 different answers. Just because a CM says "go ahead and park in the hallway" doesn't make it right, unfortunately. I'd love for all CMs to always have the right info but that's just not the case. If a guest is at all able to get their ECV into their room, please do so. If that isn't possible (there's another thread about having 3 ECVs), speak with a manager about designated areas. Likely that will be Bell/Luggage Services, in which case detaching the battery to bring to your room for charging would be the best option to be sure it charges fully.

 

[BabyFu18]

So last year was our first year traveling with a scooter for my mom, we always kept her scooter in her room (at the GF, if it matters) but we did see other people with scooters parked outside their rooms, personally we just felt safer with having the scooter put away in the room it is her personal property and it was a big ticket item and we didn't want anything to happen to it so not leaving it in the hallway was just our perference. In a smaller room like a value we might have felt different, depending on space and whatnot, but I would still want to keep any scooters in the room if they fit.

However, in past years I have seen scooters in the hallway at other resorts as well. Maybe Disney doesn't have a hard and fast rule about parking in the hallways or outside your room, I'm not sure but for safety and security I'd suggest keeping scooters, wheelchairs, power chairs, etc. inside your room.

 

[bushdianee]

I want to point out that when I had the ECV at WL the man from bell services TOLD me to park it in the hall not in the room. I didn't ask. I had parked it in the room at CBR on a previous trip and had planned on parking in the room at WL also but was told to park it in the hall. Maybe door frames were being damaged or something. What was nice was that there was a little alcove right by the room where I could turn it around to get to the elevators. When I was at CBR it was with 2 other adults and a child and it was really cramped but we managed so with it being just me and a 9yo at WL I figured we'd have plenty of room

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Have done both ... when at PORS we park it inside as the hallways are exterior (plenty of room inside) ... when at the Portofino at Universal, park it in the hallways as they are interior even though our room had the space ... no problems with that either ...

 

[Toffeewoffy]

I found there was plenty of room to park the scooter in our rooms at CBR and our suite at AoA. The DVC studios, on the other hand, are really cramped and there is rarely anywhere to put it. When we went to the mock-up GFV studio when signing up for DVC, the first thing I said to the rep on looking around was, "Where on earth would I put the scooter?"

For our trip last August we stayed at studios at BLT and Jambo. At BLT there was just enough room in the mini corridor in front of the connecting door to park it, but at Jambo the whole place was so small I went in first with OH holding the door, he would then shut the door and squeeze past me and I'd then reverse back so I was nearly touching the door with the rear of the scooter. It was the only place to keep it in such small places - and there were at least power outlets nearby so I could charge overnight. The corridors at both resorts are very wide but I still wouldn't want the scooter out of my sight. Besides, I keep a backpack hanging off the seat back and often keep my handbag in the front basket, so this way I don't have to re-pack everything every day.

For this coming year we're staying at OKW for 8 nights in a 1-bed - and I've already lodged my preference for building 64 which has a lift (elevator). I was on the second floor there in November 2015 and the scooter rolled straight in without any noticeble 'lip' on the bottom of the door. We're then transferring to either a 1-bed at GFV or, if we can get it, a 1-bed at BLT. Again, there's plenty of room in the 1-bed villas and I just park against a wall with a convenient socket for charging.