Leave in 7 days, Broke ankle Yesterday! Help!

[cindarella]

Okay here is my sob story I broke my ankle apparantly two weeks ago. Went to the dr. yesterday. He gave me 2 shots in the ankle!! Blah, blah blah. Now I am in this MONSTER boot and I have to wear it for our trip that we leave for in 8DAYS!!!!!! What do I do. Friends have told me that an ECV is the way to go!

Feeling sorry for myself Please help! I would appreciate anything you guys can tell me! Thanks in advance.

 

[Cleokitty]

We're in the same boat except it was DD10 who broke her foot last week and has one "big honkin' boot" (as she calls it). Lots of good info on this board and many helpful people.

Have a good trip!

 

[mrmagicmph]

cindarella,

As cleokitty said, there are a lot of good posts to be found on here. My strong recommendation (as someone who is using a cane & will be for my trip to WDW next month) is that, so long as you are at least 18 years old, rent an ECV from an off-site company. You'll find in the FAQs a listing of good companies. It'll save you money over WDW's rentals, and more importantly, you'll have it with you not just at the parks, but also to help get you to and from the parks, around your resort, when/as/if you go off site, etc. Most of the companies will even deliver the ECV to your hotel's bell desk and have it waiting for you when you arrive.

Good luck & remember, you're there to enjoy yourself... do whatever it (reasonably) takes to make sure you do!

 

[SueM in MN]

Check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Besides info on where to rent ECVs, it also has information about boarding rides and other helpful stuff.

Good luck on your trip.

 

[granball]

I had a torn ligament in my ankle. A scooter is the way to go. We used Care medical and it was fine. You can really have a good time at Disney using a wheelchair. Disney is really helpful to the needs of those in wheelchairs. You can either rent a van with wheelchair access, or use Disney transportation - almost all of it takes wheelchairs.

Have fun and relax!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

You can either rent a van with wheelchair access, or use Disney transportation - almost all of it takes wheelchairs.

You do not need a van. Any ECV or wheelchair from an off-site company is designed to either be broken into parts to put in a car's trunk (ECV) or folded and put in a trunk (wc). All Disney transportation is designed to handle ECVs or wheelchairs, although some of the smallest boats may not be able to handle ECVs depending on water level.

 

[granball]

I would think that it could be physically demanding for some folks to break down the chair or scooter and lift the parts into the car. I know it would be for me and my husband. I'm sure some could handle it just fine - but it would be easier to have a lift for us. Those chair bases can be really heavy with the weight of the batteries.

 

[jayna22]

I'm going to jump in on this thread because I will be arriving at Disney in 11 days with my left foot in the big boot! I know I won't be riding Space Mountain as it is hard for me to get in and out of without the boot, but what about Splash? Is there room for my foot? I'll be riding by myself, so there will be plenty of room, I just don't know if it will foot.

Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Jana

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would think that it could be physically demanding for some folks to break down the chair or scooter and lift the parts into the car. I know it would be for me and my husband. I'm sure some could handle it just fine - but it would be easier to have a lift for us. Those chair bases can be really heavy with the weight of the batteries.

The batteries come out. The heaviest peice is just 39 pounds and designed to be lifted. The battery packs are 24 pounds each.

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm going to jump in on this thread because I will be arriving at Disney in 11 days with my left foot in the big boot! I know I won't be riding Space Mountain as it is hard for me to get in and out of without the boot, but what about Splash? Is there room for my foot? I'll be riding by myself, so there will be plenty of room, I just don't know if it will foot.

Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Jana

This is a picture of the Splash Mountain boats from allearsnet.com

That boat is moderately hard to get into because there is not much space between seats and it's kind of a long step in and out past the side of the boat.

 

[cindarella]

Guys! Thanks SOOO much for all the info. I did call the scooter company and found out some great info. My worry is that we are a Grand Gathering of 13 and I really don't want to ruin everyone else's trip. We have been planning for a long time and I feel horrible about making everyone wait for me. From reading the boards it sounds like if I rent outside the park it takes longer to wait for transportation. Any comments!!

 

[SueM in MN]

It may take longer, but the monorails have a wheelchair car and almost all the buses are equipped to handle ECVs (up to 2 wheelchairs or 2 ECVs per bus). With a party that large, if you are going at a busy time, it's possible you might not all get on the bus anyway. You are going soon, so it should not be really, really busy.

 

[shovan]

I have been using ECV'S for 20+ years. I definately would recommend a rental co. near WDW. Randy's Mobility has quality scooters & wheel chairs to rent. They pick up & deliver.

Remember to specify if you want one that can be "broken down" to put in a car trunk. The scooters they rent are much better than the ECV'S that you can rent at the parks, PLUS you can take with you from park to park. It is my experience that the PRIDE or PACESAVER scooter can do a whlole day at EPCOT (the most demanding park) on one charge. You will need at least 8 hr charge on good batteries.

Good Luck & Have a Great Time.

 

[zumbergc]

I think your better off w/ the offsite rental.

You are going to be able to move easier at the resort, move quicker to
get around the resort, get to the bus/monorail, boat (depending on where you are staying). Compared to walking w/ the boot on.
I would think that it would take more time if you were to try to walk that distance than use the offsite rental sccooter and then may or may not have an extra wait w/ the bus.
We've done scooter rental on several trips and most of the time 90% of the time we didn't have to wait for another bus because there were already 2 ecv's on the bus. Most of that was when we were at the boarkwalk area hotels, which share buses for AK and MK. But, never had a problem because it was a short walk/ecv ride to MGM and epcot.


Then when you get to the park, waiting in the line to get the parks ecv.
I guess I don't see the time saving by renting on site.

Plus, at the end of the day. YOur going to be happy that you have the offsite rental. I'm guessing the getting up and out of the scooter, maybe short walks, out of the scooter will probably have you tired, and maybe an achy ankle cause after all you have a broken ankle.

That walk to the buses, and from the buses to the resort room would not be good for a tired you and a tired ankle.

You will have a great time w/ your grand gathering.

Don't worry, having the scooter will be fun too. All the people in your group will be envious about half way thru the day when their feet and legs are getting tired.
OF course I'm sure you would prefer to be up and moving about on your own. Just take it easy while your injured, and you'll be feeling better after the injury heals. Just be patient w/ yourself.

 

[granball]

Renting an outside scooter gives me a feeling of freedom. Instead of folks waiting for me, I have to wait for them. I have to work to keep my speed down. Those scooters are actually fun and fast. I haven't been able to run for years and I feel like I'm sort of running in the scooter.

There are some things that do take a bit more time such as being loaded on the bus, but it's possible they'd have to wait anyway for someone else in a scooter to be loaded. Some amount of patience is required at Disney anyway. There's usually lots of lines and waiting. There are times when those in chairs and their party do get into places quicker and more easily. Not always, but sometimes.

Lastly, the resorts can be huge. If you are staying on Disney property, you'll have a much better time if you rent a chair for your entire stay.

Have a fabulous time!

 

[cindarella]

I can't thank you enough! You have convinced me! I ordered my scooter today! See you at the park

 

[mouskamom]

I'm practically in the same boat - but I have a green cast up to my knee and will be leaving in 11 days!!! my Dr. informed me that my leg is broke "in a good place" - big help - want to use cane part time and wheel chair if I need to - (most likely will) - I'm sure my family will regret the free dining after pushing me around for a bit!! Want to do as much as I can - so will play it by ear.