After 3 trips in 3 years, I'm starting to feel like an old pro with the ECV! My recent trip was just before Christmas when crowds are supposed to be low. I'm not sure what happened, but everywhere seemed plenty crowded to me!! It was a little difficult to get the scooter around at times with all the people but I have no major complaints.
One piece of advice, if you plan to use the wheelchair viewing for fireworks or parades, get there early. The cast members will put as many vehicles in those spaces as can possibly fit. We were packed in like sardines one night and there was no way out. My daughter started feeling sick to her stomach and thankfully she managed until the parade was over and we could escape.
Beware too when you are asked if you can park and walk through the queue areas. Some rides it's a cinch, other rides not so much! I think the walk to the front of the Soarin' fast pass line must have been in a different county because we walked and walked. In hindsight I should have ridden right through. I could have taken my ECV in but thought it would only be a short ride. So just beware, some areas are much longer than they appear from outside.
Everyone, and I do mean everyone, was very kind to me. Plenty of strangers opened doors for me, help me get something off a high shelf, waited patiently while I got on and off the bus, etc. I'm sure there are some disgruntled commando types that are unhappy to see the amount of scooters now running about at Disney World but to me it's a safe haven vacation. It's the only place I know where I can leave my room on my scooter, get from here to there and back again, all on my scooter, and not have to drive or disassemble the scooter. On top of that, the parks, the hotels, everywhere, is just set up for scooter users. It's very scooter friendly and the cast members and other guests are pretty friendly about it too.
One interesting thing, many people had their scooters decorated for Christmas. We were there Dec. 14-21. It never occurred to me to do anything. I saw some people with wreaths, garlands, tinsel, Disney beanie babies, stockings, candy canes, battery powered lights, etc. on the baskets of their scooters. It was very festive and something to consider for future holiday trips.
I did have one scooter use downside and it wasn't major. Our resort bus stopped at our bus and then continued on to Port Orleans Riverside. More than once I had to remind the driver I wanted off at French Quarter as he was about to drive away. They're busy and forget, I understand.
As an ECV user, I can't recommend Port Orleans French Quarter enough. It's a small, quiet resort with pretty little lanes to scooter around in. You can take a break from buses to and use the boat there to go to Downtown Disney.
I'm an avid fan of the ECV. I couldn't do my vacation without it. Thanks to Disney, I don't have to!! (I always rent offsite so I have my scooter at all times. There really is no other way!)
One piece of advice, if you plan to use the wheelchair viewing for fireworks or parades, get there early. The cast members will put as many vehicles in those spaces as can possibly fit. We were packed in like sardines one night and there was no way out. My daughter started feeling sick to her stomach and thankfully she managed until the parade was over and we could escape.
Beware too when you are asked if you can park and walk through the queue areas. Some rides it's a cinch, other rides not so much! I think the walk to the front of the Soarin' fast pass line must have been in a different county because we walked and walked. In hindsight I should have ridden right through. I could have taken my ECV in but thought it would only be a short ride. So just beware, some areas are much longer than they appear from outside.
Everyone, and I do mean everyone, was very kind to me. Plenty of strangers opened doors for me, help me get something off a high shelf, waited patiently while I got on and off the bus, etc. I'm sure there are some disgruntled commando types that are unhappy to see the amount of scooters now running about at Disney World but to me it's a safe haven vacation. It's the only place I know where I can leave my room on my scooter, get from here to there and back again, all on my scooter, and not have to drive or disassemble the scooter. On top of that, the parks, the hotels, everywhere, is just set up for scooter users. It's very scooter friendly and the cast members and other guests are pretty friendly about it too.
One interesting thing, many people had their scooters decorated for Christmas. We were there Dec. 14-21. It never occurred to me to do anything. I saw some people with wreaths, garlands, tinsel, Disney beanie babies, stockings, candy canes, battery powered lights, etc. on the baskets of their scooters. It was very festive and something to consider for future holiday trips.
I did have one scooter use downside and it wasn't major. Our resort bus stopped at our bus and then continued on to Port Orleans Riverside. More than once I had to remind the driver I wanted off at French Quarter as he was about to drive away. They're busy and forget, I understand.
As an ECV user, I can't recommend Port Orleans French Quarter enough. It's a small, quiet resort with pretty little lanes to scooter around in. You can take a break from buses to and use the boat there to go to Downtown Disney.
I'm an avid fan of the ECV. I couldn't do my vacation without it. Thanks to Disney, I don't have to!! (I always rent offsite so I have my scooter at all times. There really is no other way!)
