One party with 3 ECVs

cmwade77

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 1, 2005
Recently found out we are going to have three ECVs in our party instead of two.

I believe most busses can only accommodate two and since we are being signed in, we all have to go in together and wondering if there are any tips so that we can help others in our party avoid having to wait for the third one to get there.

I am thinking staggering the times we leave will be the best option at this point, with us leaving first as I would rather be waiting on the people signing us in to get there than the other way around. I just didn't know if there are other options that would be better.
 
I saw mostly buses loading only two wheelchairs/mobility scooters per bus even though I saw very few buses with the ability to care at least three wheelchairs/mobility scooters. This was last month in December 2019.

And there were times when others were in front of me and I had to wait, but you probably already knew that sometimes you have to wait if others are in front of you.

A few times I saw a cast member at the bus stops with a tablet to call buses. Maybe you could ask at the front desk for suggestions.

I don't have an answer to your question since I usually travel alone.

I like your kind advice.

Maybe someone else can follow up with more ideas with personal experiences like yours.

Recently found out we are going to have three ECVs in our party instead of two.

I believe most busses can only accommodate two and since we are being signed in, we all have to go in together and wondering if there are any tips so that we can help others in our party avoid having to wait for the third one to get there.

I am thinking staggering the times we leave will be the best option at this point, with us leaving first as I would rather be waiting on the people signing us in to get there than the other way around. I just didn't know if there are other options that would be better.

IMG_7258-2-001.jpg


When you see three seats in a row, they fold up. You can also see the tie-down equipment on the floor. I see three in this photo. Two on the right and one on the left.
IMG_4372.jpg
 
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if you are staying at pop and maybe the sports they run the double bus to MK these take 3 mobility device another wise I would do what you thought and just go ahead and wait for them.
 
if you are staying at pop and maybe the sports they run the double bus to MK these take 3 mobility device another wise I would do what you thought and just go ahead and wait for them.
We are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, I am thinking that is the best option at this point.
 
We are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, I am thinking that is the best option at this point.
Yes, I would go before the others you can talk to the CM at AKL and let them know you have 3 people in your group with ECVandask then if there is something you should do.
 
The other option you have (that costs extra out of pocket) is to rent a 15 passenger and ask the rental company to remove the back row(s) of seats.

That might let you break down all 3 ECVs into their constituent parts and load them in (piece by piece) and then reassemble them when you get to the Park/Disney Springs/Resort, etc.

I would try to confirm with the rental company first that they will remove the back seat(s) before renting, otherwise you won't have enough room to put all three disassembled ECVs in the back
 


Yeah, there may be a couple of days we will do that, but we are there for 14 days, so that would get expensive to do that every day.
 
We are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, I am thinking that is the best option at this point.

One challenge I have noticed for parties with multiple ECVs is for those staying at Jambo house. Jambo is the 2nd stop on the buses headed to all of the theme parks (they stop at Kidani first), so there is often one ECV already loaded, sometimes two. Not sure which part of the resort OP is staying at but just bringing awareness. In the mornings there is usually a transportation coordinator at the bus stops, I would definitely speak to this person for assistance in this case.
 
Well, sorry in advance for those at Jambo house, we are at Kidani, so that will help some.
 
Keep in mind you might have others before you waiting, too. This could mean for the first go round for your party that only one scooter will get on. Then, the other two will get on the second bus.

Another option is to have one party rent at the park. Yes, it's more expensive and availability can be an issue if you don't go early. It depends if one in your party can make it to the park without a scooter.

Heck, even with two scooters you may be split up if someone is ahead of you.
 
Renting in the parks is not an option for any of our party, not just due to cost, which would be over 3 times more than we are paying for the same time frame, but they will be needed to get to and from the room.

And yes, obviously if someone is ahead of us waiting we would get split up with two ECVs or we could both opt to wait for the next bus, with three ECVs, we can't get them all on one bus as a general rule.
 
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Not seeing how renting one of three ECVs at the parks will triple the price, but okay.

It sounds as if all three ECVs are already owned or confirmed so there is zero flexibility in the equipment; that there is no flexibility in the mode(s) of transportation; andthat every suggestion offered has been shot down.

So, yes, it appears your party will need to expect to transport itself in stages
 
Not seeing how renting one of three ECVs at the parks will triple the price, but okay.

It sounds as if all three ECVs are already owned or confirmed so there is zero flexibility in the equipment; that there is no flexibility in the mode(s) of transportation; andthat every suggestion offered has been shot down.

So, yes, it appears your party will need to expect to transport itself in stages
We are getting our rental for about $250 for 14 days per ECV, 14 days of a rental in the parks would cost $700, so it would actually be just shy of 3 times the cost to rent in the parks vs the off site company.

And yes, the equipment is set and confirmed because it is the only option that works for our party, so we have to stick with the equipment. And I have not shot down every suggestion, I pointed out that renting a van wouldn't work due to the nature of the equipment, but I did say the Minnie Van could be viable on occasion, but I rightfully pointed out that 14 days of using it would get expensive as well.

And yes, we probably will need to trasnport ourselves in stages, but I was asking here in case there are options we didn't know about.
 
If you go at the right time like park opening or closing the buses come more often hopefully; so, the wait won't be too bad.

Go at off times and the bus wait will kill you.

If you switch resort reservations to a monorail resort then you would have a much easier time with 3 scooters getting on the same monorail at the same time. You won't be all in the same car but you would be on the same monorail. This will help with two of the four parks. This is really the only alternative.

By the way I think we would all appreciate knowing your scooter rental company. Your price seems to be very low compared to most vendors.
 
as to rental of portable ECVs-Because I had a knee replacement 7 weeks before our trip, and I HATE waiting for busses to the parks I rented a portable ECV from Gold mobility for 10 days and it cost me $169 ). The thing came apart into 5 pieces and was easily loaded into our small SUV. I also walked at the two most crowded parks ( HS and MK ) as well as not using it at resorts that we dined at. I was glad I did this because there were times that I would have waited for at least 2, possibly three busses had I been on a scooter when taking the busses due to the large crowds....
 
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Yeah, unfortunately we need the heavier duty ECVs, but luckily we are going at a slower time of year and while some walking will be doable, walking the resorts and parks isn't going to be doable unfortunately.
 
Some of the newer buses have room for three ECV spaces. If you are the first to enter, you pull up near the driver’s seat before backing into the front space on the left.
At the end of your ride, you back up all the way to the back door. The bus driver will back it up for those who need help.
 

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