Most & Least Accessible WDW park for scooters

[TheBearNecessities]

This forum is great! It looks like WDW is very accessible.

My extended family is going to Disney in Orlando for a week. Four rambunctious little kids, 7 marathon runners, and my Dad. Dad has back problems & just had a heart procedure.

Problem is that my Dad is stubborn & doesn't want a scooter. Last time we went to a Six Flags park, he missed 1/3 of the rides because he was sitting on benches in the midway & told us to go ahead without him.

So I told him that I'm renting a scooter for the week for me. I told him it will make it easier to carry my 2-year-old (Dad knows this is a nonsense excuse; we don't even own a stroller & I've carried 2-year-olds through amusement parks many times). If it just so happens that my Dad needs *my* rented scooter.... you get the idea.

But I don't want to lug a scooter around if I don't have to.

So my question is: of the 4 Disney parks, is any of them more difficult (or easier) to get a scooter around? Or are they all about the same? I'm thinking of doing the easiest park for scooters on the first day, just in case Dad doesn't actually need it.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I think you're almost asking two different questions, even though you don't realize it.

"Which park is most/least accessible" is a different question than "which park is easiest/most difficult for a scooter for someone who isn't experienced using one."

Where my mother-in-law had the most trouble was in the shops around Epcot World Showcase. She felt like they were much smaller and more confined than the shops in other parks. She crashed into a ton of stuff and we were following her around picking up all of the merchandise she knocked over.

 

[tobikaye]

Difficultly really has more to do with people than the park itself. My sister has used her scooter at all WDW parks and has not had any issues getting around due to the park specifically. The number of people in the area has more of an impact on how to get around the parks. So, basically each park has the chance to be the easiest or hardest. So, Main Street around parade or firework time can be harder to get around people. Galaxy Edge when packed can be difficult. Epcot World Showcase when people are milling about between food booths and shows can be difficult. If you find an area with low crowds, it is going to be the easiest park or area.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Easiest to hardest when crowded. Ak --> Epcot --> MK --> HS

 

[Selket]

You (him) can always park the scooter and walk (like in the shops) then get back in and drive to the next location. I do this often and parking is usually with the strollers - although you can park outside a bathroom (off to the side) to run into the bathroom, etc. There are a few out of the way spots that leaving an ECV while you go into the store is fine. I try to find a spot up against something (wall) and not where people want to sit.

I think he should take the ECV into ride lines because that can be the most standing and waiting. The line at FoP for example, is a steep walk up and down - and a long walk - even in the LL (old FP lane).

I find it hardest to navigate in Pandora (small and lots of people). The new Star Wars area is similar although there's more wide open spaces there. A good place to park and walk but use the scooter for rides). Epcot is the hardest for me overall. When it is crowded it seems with the wide spaces that people zig zag all around me or something. However it's one park where the ECV is most needed (for me) because it's so large. Just to get to the place where you board Soarin feels like a million miles away - definitely take the ECV all the way through.

The MK is probably the easiest without the scooter for me - the park seems smaller and there's more rides/shops/food bunched together. I think I've gotten good at parking and walking around each land.

Some rides won't let you take the eCV into the line (Pirates, Buzz, etc). I believe there is a disabilities FAQ. If your dad will use the ECV some it will let him keep up with everyone and do everything he wants - and give him a place to sit and hang out as well. I hope he will find a use for it!

 

[ttintagel]

MK was the hardest for me; all the others seem about equal.

Just a word of warning if you really are planning on carrying your child on the ECV with you at any point - while you do see that happening sometimes without CMs intervening, you’re really not supposed to, and it’s possible you’ll be stopped.

 

[mamabunny]

This forum is great! It looks like WDW is very accessible.

My extended family is going to Disney in Orlando for a week. Four rambunctious little kids, 7 marathon runners, and my Dad. Dad has back problems & just had a heart procedure.

Problem is that my Dad is stubborn & doesn't want a scooter. Last time we went to a Six Flags park, he missed 1/3 of the rides because he was sitting on benches in the midway & told us to go ahead without him.

So I told him that I'm renting a scooter for the week for me. I told him it will make it easier to carry my 2-year-old (Dad knows this is a nonsense excuse; we don't even own a stroller & I've carried 2-year-olds through amusement parks many times). If it just so happens that my Dad needs *my* rented scooter.... you get the idea.

But I don't want to lug a scooter around if I don't have to.

So my question is: of the 4 Disney parks, is any of them more difficult (or easier) to get a scooter around? Or are they all about the same? I'm thinking of doing the easiest park for scooters on the first day, just in case Dad doesn't actually need it.

So... does Dad have prescription glasses by chance? (I'm guessing that he does)

Does he wear them willingly?

Does he complain if he misplaces them? "I can't see a darn thing without them!"

Tell Dad that his glasses are a tool that he uses to see better. And, just like any tool that he has ever used - whether it was a calculator to do math, or a hammer to pound a nail, an ECV is a tool for when we need assistance to get around (for whatever reason).

Like your Dad, I used to creep around WDW - from bench to planter to curb to bench. Never realized until one day at Epcot that I was holding my family back. *I* was why we were missing out on so much stuff. Everyone was always waiting for me to finish resting for "just a minute".

The day I finally broke down and had to use an ECV at WDW, we were in Epcot, and not kidding - I *ugly* cried. I did not want to use that thing. And then a relative pointed out to me that it was a tool to have a better vacation. Nothing more.

Ironically, that night, I was still full of energy and ready to go grab an Adult Beverage. My family was shocked that I still wanted to keep going. And then next morning, I didn't hurt as much as I usually did at Disney World. And at the end of that vacation? I didn't need a vacation to recover from my vacation! Because I had the ECV, I helped preserve my energy, and my health. It was a revelation.

Thousands of people every day at WDW use ECVs, and the majority of those folks never need or use one at home in their everyday lives. They do, however, use one at WDW because the average Guest walks between 3 & 10 miles *per day*.

You can rent the ECV; as our friend @Selket mentioned above, the "Park & Walk" is very popular with folks around here - parking the scooter in a central location, and then walking around that area, and then moving the scooter when you are ready to explore another part of that Park - is a great "starter" strategy.

And another thing for Dad to know is that no one is going to pay a bit of attention to him (literally - they will walk right in front of him, and sometimes right *into* him when they are too busy on their phone!). Your Dad, on a scooter, is a non-event at Disney World. On any given day, there are thousands of people who use mobility devices of some kind at Disney World. I promise, no one will care. If you do catch someone staring at you when using a scooter? Chances are that's an exhausted adult who is not really seeing you - they have gone deep in to introspection about whatever possessed them to bring 3 children under the age of 7 to a theme park!

Now, not everyone should use an ECV. Some folks are better served with a wheelchair; others might get by just fine with a Rollator (which is a walker with a seat, and often a storage bag or net under the seat). And for kids, the "stroller as a wheelchair" option often takes care of their needs. But, it sounds like you know what your Dad needs; hopefully, once there, he will realize that it's no big deal to use that scooter.

If you have any more questions about using an ECV at WDW, just let us know!

 

[TheBearNecessities]

Thanks to everyone! The "park & ride" strategy sounds good for most of the rides.

Other than the Pandora ride, are there any other rides that you'd recommend taking the scooter through the line?

 

[Lewisc]

I have a different interpretation. Some attractions, PotC for example, require transferring to a wheelchair before entering the que. Some attractions require transferring in order to enjoy the attraction, HM for example. Some let you stay in your ECV, CoP for example.

Categorizing the attractions, making scorecard, would determine which parks are most and least accessible.

Another way to differentiate..AK requires more walking, has more hills and no internal transportation. EPCOT has boats. MK might, at some time in the future have the RR. A guest might be less likely to require an ECV in those parks

 

[mamabunny]

Thanks to everyone! The "park & ride" strategy sounds good for most of the rides.

Other than the Pandora ride, are there any other rides that you'd recommend taking the scooter through the line?

Take it through all of them where you think it might be needed. There are very some very long queues now - for example, Remy is charming, but even with LL, it's a long time to stand/walk.

I would also say either of the attractions at Galaxy's Edge, most everything in Toy Story Land (especially Midway Mania) and Runaway Railway.

 

[jo-jo]

Does Dad use a cane or anything now? Even it he doesn't, I'd invest in a folding cane, keep in backpack. If he chooses to park scooter and walk a bit. the cane may be of help.

With so many other people going, it is possible for Dad to get a wheelchair and have people take turns pushing? He may be more willing to walk/ride with wheelchair, than just to use scooter all the time.

 

[barb969]

Most of the lines you can take the scooter. some rides like TSM one way has steps to the left. You will be sent right. Some rides ilike Star Tours do not permit scooters in the stand buy line and will give you a return for the LL line. BTM will send him to the exit.
I would ask if he knows anyone in the park, so what , what they think you will never see them again.In fact there are so many scooters most people would take no notice of him.
Also Disney parks look much better on a scooter. When I have one I can go anywhere. Long distances are no problem.
One of the best things about having a scooter is you have a comfortable seat any where in the park. Sometimes it very hard to find a decent seat.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thanks to everyone! The "park & ride" strategy sounds good for most of the rides.

Other than the Pandora ride, are there any other rides that you'd recommend taking the scooter through the line?

I would also Soarin take the scooter thru line. if fact any line that will allow with any longer wait as you will have a place to sit while in line

 

[ttintagel]

Yeah, the ramp in the Soarin’ queue is a lot steeper than it looks at first glance! That time I tried to do it in a manual wheelchair turned into a real fiasco.

The nice thing is, most attractions will have a cast member stationed outside, who will generally notice anyone using an ECV and approach to find out their needs and brief them on how the procedure works for that queue. I haven’t been back since the pandemic started, so I don’t know if staffing levels have gotten back to near-normal levels, so for all I know there may be fewer CMs doing this right now.

 

[RoseGold]

Other than the Pandora ride, are there any other rides that you'd recommend taking the scooter through the line?

Anything with a really long line. The standing around can be really tiring. Most of the rides have a spot to park them and you pick it right up when you leave. The ride I wouldn’t take it to is HM, because you skip the stretching room, my favorite part.

 

[ttintagel]

Anything with a really long line. The standing around can be really tiring. Most of the rides have a spot to park them and you pick it right up when you leave. The ride I wouldn’t take it to is HM, because you skip the stretching room, my favorite part.

That must be a recent policy change since my last trip. I WANTED to skip the stretching room in my ECV, because with my visual impairment the lighting in that area makes it completely unsafe for me to walk, let alone pilot an ECV. I was told no, that the area was accessible so I would have to go into the stretching room for the preshow, then drive back out into the sunlight (blinding me again) and then re-enter on crutches through the exit. I crashed into the wall of the stretching room three times trying to find the exit, and eventually one of the cast members ended up steering for me. (Maybe at that point he regretted denying the accommodation.) At least I had insisted on waiting until everyone else had left the room, or somebody could have gotten seriously injured.

I came back to ride later in the day, and left the ECV outside, going through the queue on my crutches. While I was parking, two CM‘s came out and tried to talk me into going through on the ECV again. They kept going on and on about how “everything is accessible! There’s no reason to leave the scooter!” I had to be really firm with them, and eventually they shrugged their shoulders and let me stay on my crutches. (Although this was the time where, when I was asking to have the loading belt slowed down for me, the CM I was talking to just turned on her heel and walked away in the middle of my sentence.)

Maybe enough people came through in my situation to make them realize how unsafe their previous policy was.

 

[ttintagel]

That must be a recent policy change since my last trip. I WANTED to skip the stretching room in my ECV, because with my visual impairment the lighting in that area makes it completely unsafe for me to walk, let alone pilot an ECV. I was told no, that the area was accessible so I would have to go into the stretching room for the preshow, then drive back out into the sunlight (blinding me again) and then re-enter on crutches through the exit. I crashed into the wall of the stretching room three times trying to find the exit, and eventually one of the cast members ended up steering for me. (Maybe at that point he regretted denying the accommodation.) At least I had insisted on waiting until everyone else had left the room, or somebody could have gotten seriously injured.

I came back to ride later in the day, and left the ECV outside, going through the queue on my crutches. While I was parking, two CM‘s came out and tried to talk me into going through on the ECV again. They kept going on and on about how “everything is accessible! There’s no reason to leave the scooter!” I had to be really firm with them, and eventually they shrugged their shoulders and let me stay on my crutches. (Although this was the time where, when I was asking to have the loading belt slowed down for me, the CM I was talking to just turned on her heel and walked away in the middle of my sentence.)

Maybe enough people came through in my situation to make them realize how unsafe their previous policy was.

 

[RoseGold]

We skipped it in October. They park scooters near the exit underneath the roof thing and you enter in the back entrance. You’re nowhere near the stretching room. There are rows of scooters. I don’t even see where they would park them if you were coming from the other direction from the stretching room.