My ECV disney experience

[Buckimion]

True, there's no brake lever on an ECV, but there's automatic brakes. .

Speak for yourself. My old Struck Mini Beep had a thumb button for a throttle and hand brakes that could stop on a dime and give you five cents change.

And before anyone comments on how old that scooter is, let me point out how old this thread is.

 

[POOHsie]

Speak for yourself. My old Struck Mini Beep had a thumb button for a throttle and hand brakes that could stop on a dime and give you five cents change.

And before anyone comments on how old that scooter is, let me point out how old this thread is.

Kinda looks like the old ice cream scooter that used to go down our street in the '60s, except without the freezer box!

 

[Dismom55]

Hmmm good to know about the power chairs, I have trouble with balance and I thought renting a power chair would be my best option as getting on and off a scooter could land me sitting on the pavement. Perhaps I need to figure out a way to get some practice before our trip next year as walking and entire day is out of the question anymore and I am terrified of running over someone as it is and this thread has been enlightening as well as confirming what I suspected.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Did you get the 3 wheeled or 4? I am trying to decide...

The rental company will discreetly ask how large a person you are. I rent a 3-wheel but DH needs a 4 wheel -- sturdier frame, larger motor.

 

[peemagg]

A good way to get practice is at places like Walmart or other stores that have the ones with a basket on the front. If you can handle these behemoths well, then the ones that you rent will be of no problem.

 

[roshb]

POOHsie - Thanks for the tips, definitely some sound advice which I can use and be more prepared.

Yes, it is difficult to grasp the size of the place although I've been told it's massive but your comparisons to SF & Manhattan certainly help to put into perspective.

Buckimion - Was that really how they used to look? Lol.

Hurricane Isaac aside I'm looking forward to it now. Now time to rent the ECV and hope that it fits in the rental car when we are there!!!

 

[Buckimion]

Buckimion - Was that really how they used to look? Lol.

chuckle...not sure just how far back scooters go. That one was sold "new" in 1991 and although the sales brochure was full of "happy" seniors (judging by the testimonials) tooling around a retirement village, it was also intended for jobsites and warehouses..sort of "all-purpose". Not exactly loaded with comfort, but that steel could take the punishment and a standard U-1 tractor battery would last a full day at Disneyland.

 

[justtobeme2]

Rosh, not sure what size rental car you are getting but we actually got the Pride Victory in a Honda Civic with the seat of the scoot in the back seat of the 2 DOOR Civic. Not much room for much more so if your rental is bigger than that and you have a full size scooter it'll fit just don't bring any luggage..lol..j/k

 

[pampam]

Sounds like on the whole most people have had a decent experience with an ECV. I'm going to be visiting the US and WDW for the first time next week. Really looking forward to it but at the same time I am quite apprehensive about getting around. I have been researching into renting an ECV (I have problems standing/walking for more than an hour) but I am just worried about knocking someone by accident. I have not driven one before and I've read that there is no brake lever! To top it off - as if I wasn't already nervous - I was at the Mall today and someone on an ECV nearly drove in to the back of me. I was walking down a slope so I assume the scooter had sped up because of that. Luckily she steered enough to just brush me. I was completely unaware she was behind me and I had't cut in front her so I can see that in some situations it it's not always the surrounding persons fault.

Anyway, I'll be travelling with a few friends so I guess that I could get them to act as a force field when needed. I also wanted to ask whether there is anyone that has preferred using a wheelchair instead of ECV? Would it be too much for someone to push me around for the day? I weigh about 145 pounds and I guess my friends would be able to take it in turns. Would it be possible to wheel myself around for sometime too? I realised some of these questions might have been asked before but would be great to get some other opinions.

Also, with an ECV..is there plenty of shelter or places to park in the event of rain? I've had a look at the weather for next week and it says rain from 11-5pm? Will the showers last that long?

Any advice much appreciated.

I push DD in a wc all day with no problem. Mind you, I've been doing it for 41 years so I've had lots of practice. She now weighs about 140 lb. One thing you might want to consider is when you are being pushed in a wc, you have lost control of where you go. As an example, if you are shopping and want to look at an item, but the person pushing you wants to look at something else, then unless you speak up, you could end up looking at the other item with her. However, since you can walk some, for those times you might just want to park the wc, or propell it yourself, or push it yourself.

It is true, WDW is 45 or 47 square miles, but the public only is allowed into certain areas (the parks, resorts or downtown disney), so don't concern yourself about the size of WDW. Break it down into parks, resorts or a shopping area. I think if you rented or borrowed a wc it would be less stressful. You wouldn't have to drive or worry about bumping into people. If the person pushing you bumbs into someone, it is usually only a nudge. Since a WC is not a motorized vehicle, it goes when pushed and stops when someone stops pushing. It's like pushing a baby carriage or stroller, except a wc is more finely balanced, so it can be guided with only a finger or light touch if necessary. If you or your friends have had experience with a stroller, you should be ok.

 

[roshb]

Buckimion - Lol, yes it does look it was built from a tractor or bulldozer.


justtobeme2 - We have upgraded from a Kia Rio to a Toyota Corolla which will have a much larger trunk space. There will be 4 of us in the one car but won't need to carry any luggage and at the moment looking at the Pride Revo which I read is about 43 inches in length.


pampam - My friends are relatively young and fit (29-30 yrs) but don't have the experience of pushing someone around all day, and in the heat too. Definitely has its pros though more for me than my friends. I guess we could try it out for a day and then maybe see whether it's better to get an scooter or not.

We are arriving on Tuesday and staying for 2 weeks btw. Ideally I should have sorted this out ages ago but just been having problems deciding and had initially thought I would just see how it goes when I'm there.