Offsite ECV rental: convenient when NOT at the parks?

[chaospearl]

Hey everyone,

I have debilitating systemic rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, so I usually rent an ECV to get around during my Disney trips. I've always rented by the day at each park, but for my upcoming trip this summer, I'd like to get an offsite ECV for the week and I was wondering how that works. I've heard that some of the rental places will bring the ECV to your resort and drop it off, which would be necessary because I won't have a car (no license) and I'm traveling solo. Do all\most of the offsite rentals provide that service or only a specific company? Is there an extra fee for it?

How (in)convenient is it to have an ECV at the hotel? Do I just zoom down the hallway corridors and drive the thing right into my room, or do I have to park it in the lobby? Can it go into the hotel elevators and such?

How about getting the ECV to and from the parks each day? Does the normal Disney transportation -- the buses and boats -- allow for offsite ECVs, or would I have to make special arrangements with the hotel desk in order to get my ECV to the park and back? And if that's the case, is that a complimentary service provided by Disney (as in a particular bus in the fleet that's designated for handicapped persons and their equipment), or would I have to pay for an outside taxi or van service to transport me with the ECV?

The main reason I'd like to rent offsite this year is because my health is a bit worse now than it has been during my previous Disney trips. I expect I'm going to need some extra time in the mornings after waking to take a long theraputic shower, stretch and limber my joints, give my morning dose of medications time to start working, and generally take it easy until my joints aren't so stiff and painful. The days in college of rolling out of bed at 8am to make an 8:15 class are long gone! I also don't want to worry about having to limp and waddle through the "first wave" of early morning crowds -- especially because my osteoporosis is so severe that if I trip (or am 'accidentally' shoved) and land on my butt, I'm likely to shatter more than one bone and there goes my vacation! Unfortunately if I'm not at the park at opening, there's no guarantee that there's a Disney ECV available to rent. They're usually all "sold out" within an hour of the park opening, sometimes quicker during busier times of year.

I've never had to deal with an ECV outside the parks, so I'm wondering if it becomes a huge hassle to manuever the thing on the Disney transportation and around the hotel accommodations. I'm not sure yet which hotel I'll be staying at; I'm currently speaking with a lovely lady who may have a place for me in her Beach Club Villas reservation (a studio, not a 2-bedroom), but if that doesn't work out, it'll be one of the cheaper Disney hotels, likely the Pop Century or the All-Stars if I must. Although I'm just learning about the concept of renting DVC points, so if there's any way possible for me to stay at a monorail resort on my Social Security income, I'll find it!!!

Thank you,
Jenni

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Don't worry - it is easy to rent from an off-site company!!

The ECV will be left with the baggage ppl of the resort you stay at - for some resorts that means you have to go to the main building (check in, luggage, etc.) to get it (you might be able to do it when you check in, since you won't be parking a car within the gates of the hotel) while other resorts are just one building. It is easy.

You will store your ECV in your room for the night where you should charge it every night (the charger is included with the rental, as is a rain cover for the controls). You'll drive it onto the elevators (if you're not on the first floor) and into your room.

To and from the parks, you'll take regular Disney transportation (buses, boats, monorail). Just like with a wheelchair, your ECV will be strapped onto the bus - you will be asked to transfer to a regular seat for your own safety, if you can do so.

It is not a huge hassle at all - and I've never rented a Disney ECV, but I think an outside ECV rental is much easier and better. (I rented one from Walker Mobility for my friend this past May. She has MS and really appreciated having the ECV in more than just the parks. She never would've been able to go to Disney without having an ECV to use there.)

 

[SueM in MN]

Besides the information you already got, pretty much all the answers you are looking for are in the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

Do all\most of the offsite rentals provide that service or only a specific company? Is there an extra fee for it?

There is a list of off-site companies in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. All of them will pick up and drop off at your resort. There is no extra fee; it is part of the service.

How (in)convenient is it to have an ECV at the hotel? Do I just zoom down the hallway corridors and drive the thing right into my room, or do I have to park it in the lobby? Can it go into the hotel elevators and such?

You can bring the ECV any place that you can walk.
You will need to plug it in to charge it each night. Some people suggest bringing an extension cord along (make sure it can accomodate a three prong plug) or power strip with. That allows more places you can park the ECV in the room, since you won't necessarily have to be right next to the outlet. It's also easier to reach a power strip that is sitting on a table or chair than to reach down to the outlet each time you need to plug it in.
You don't need a handicapped accessible room to have an ECV in the room with you (unless you need the features of the handicapped room - the ECV won't need anything special).
You may need to move some furniture to make it easier to get into the room with the ECV, but that's not a big deal.

How about getting the ECV to and from the parks each day? Does the normal Disney transportation -- the buses and boats -- allow for offsite ECVs, or would I have to make special arrangements with the hotel desk in order to get my ECV to the park and back? And if that's the case, is that a complimentary service provided by Disney (as in a particular bus in the fleet that's designated for handicapped persons and their equipment), or would I have to pay for an outside taxi or van service to transport me with the ECV?

There are sections of the disABILITIES FAQs thread that talk about transportation by bus, monorail and boats.
As was mentioned, it is free (just the same as for other guests). Almost all of the WDW buses are wheelchair accessible.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

In addition to everything others have mentioned, the ECVs from the off-site rentals not only cost less that Disney's, but they are much more maneverable since they have three wheels and not four. And about racing down the corridors, be carefulas the Disney ECVs are limited to 2.0 mph while the rentals can go about 4.5 mph.

And the idea about bringing a power strip is very good. More and more ECVs are coming with built-in charging units. With external chargers there was normally a cord of about six feet from the charger to the wall outlet, and a six foot cord from the charger to the ECV, so you could have the front of the ECV as much as 12 feet from the outlet. Newer ECVs, with built-in charges, have limited distance (maybe six feet) from where the cord is (in the back) to the plug. Most short extension cords may not handle the amperage necessary for charging the ECV.

 

[toocherie]

Will the offsite ECV rentals also drop off to the DVC resorts? (i.e., AKV, SSR, WL, etc.)?

 

[SueM in MN]

Will the offsite ECV rentals also drop off to the DVC resorts? (i.e., AKV, SSR, WL, etc.)?

They will drop off to most Orlando/WDW area resorts. If you were staying an hour away from Orlando, maybe the Orlando area ones listed in the disABILITIES FAQs thread would not go that far, but anywhere near WDW will not be a problem.