Ques about using ECV rental

[Goofy4WDW]

Hi, I'm usually a lurker on Rumers Board and Collectors Board but a need arose for me to come out of lurking and ask for some assistence on answering a couple of questions.
We need to rent an ECV for my DW. She has a very bad back and can not walk long distances. My lurking has lead me to believe that a rental from Walker Rentals seems to be the best choice. Now for my Questions:

1) With a rental other than Disney, does the battery charge last for the whole day or do we need to return to the All Stars to re-charge the battery mid-day. What happens if the charge runs out while motering around the Parks?

2) And speaking of charging the battery. Do you take the ECV into the room or remove the battery from the ECV? We'll have a car so we'll more than likely be using our own transportaion and not the WDW buses.

3) And lastly, speaking of transportaion, since we'll have our own auto but do not have any handicap tags, How do we go about getting the ECV from the parking lot to the Park entrances? We would probably need to be near the front of the lots to unload and disembark?


Any and all help would be greatly welcomed. Thanks in advance.

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome out of lurking.
I can answer some of your questions, but we've never rented an ecv (DD has her won wheelchair). We do have lots of lurkers and readers who DO use ecvs who will help you out.

You will need to bring the ecv into your room to recharge it. Most people just do a little furniture re-arranging (move a table or chair) to make a parking spot close to an outlet. You don't need to take the battery out to re-charge.

For parking, the parking lot CMs do save some spots on the ends of rows close to the entrance. Ask when you enter the lot and then tell every directing CM you see that you have an ecv and need to be close to the entrance. You shouldn't have a problem. You might want to take the bus to MK. If you drive, you will be parking at the TTC and then have to take the boat or monorail to the park. The buses drop you off right at the park entrance.

 

[Nanajo1]

I've rented from Walker's several times. The ECV come fully charged. The charge lasts all day and into the night! You can get more than 15 mi on a charge and if you've walked your companions more than that they will need a ride! If for some strange reason your ECV does run out you can go to the first aid/rest stations and they will let you charge it. There is a free wheeling lever that allows the ECV to be pushed. I plug mine in for the night and it is ready to go in the morning. I would also encourage you to take the bus to MK. It drops you off right in front much less of a hassel.
Enjoy!

 

[travelitis]

Disney let us park in the disabled lot without a plaquard since we had an ECV with us. The first time I rented off site I had trouble with the battery and had to carry the charger around with me. It's amazing how many outlets are available at Disney, and anytime I could I just pulled up and charged, and no one ever said anything about it. I eventually called and they delivered another ECV. You do need to charge your ECV nightly. They come apart in 2 sections and can be stowed easily in a van or SUV, which was what we rented. Even with taking the ECV apart and having to lift it, (not a light item) we felt that was more convenient than dealing with Disney buses. It can put a strain on your back, though.

 

[Talking Hands]

If you need to charge during the day, and EPCOT is the only park I find this necessary, there are numerous outlets to plug into. Just ask a castmember and they will gladly help you. In fact, they are wonderful about it. On my last trip my power wheelchair was almost out of power and all I had to do was ask and I was able to plug it on while I ate at Germany and then watched Tapestry of Dreams. When I finished it was ready to go again.

 

[JudithM]

Have you considered asking yoru doctor about getting handicapped tags? I was pleasantly surprised how easy the tag was to get. Also, I would be very careful about parking in the handicapped section of any parking lot without a handicapped license plate or a hanging tag. A management CM told us one time that Orange County police DO give out tickets in the handicapped lots if the vehicle does not have the appropriate tags.

 

[plummer925]

I have a stupid question....

I posted my own post about a knee problem and a great person gave me advice to rent an ECV, but I'm not 100% sure what that is - I'm assuming it's the same thing my local grocery store has for use - if so, that seems awfully LARGE...can I get on the busses with that? I'm not 100% sure I'll need it, so it almost seems silly....

Do any of the local rental places rent electric wheelchairs? That almost seems easier (lighter/smaller) as I wouldn't HAVE to use it all the time - I could walk and just push it (CAN you just push the electric ones?)...????

As you can tell, this isn't something I normally do, but I have a knee injury and, frankly, I'm concerned (and scared) about walking around the parks and standing.....

Thanks!!

Crystal

 

[Figaro]

Hi again, Crystal!

I seem to be the only one around tonight(smile) because my spouse is off at a movie with our "baby" (soon to be 22 year old) before she heads back to school.

ECV's are the ones in grocery stores, and people tell me they are fairly easy to use. We rented one for my 70 year old mother when we took my parents to WDW for their 50th anniversary, and she had no problem getting used to driving one. I know that people have suggested trying one at the grocery store to get a feel for it first.

If I remember correctly, electric wheelchairs are MUCH more difficult to manage and rental companies just don't rent them out to people who don't have one of their own.

If you have a "pusher" the on-site resorts have wheelchairs available for the length of stay on a first come, first serve basis that they don't charge for. When I was using them (before I got my own handy dandy wheels)(smile), they would usually put about a $250.00 charge on my credit card and then remove the charge when we returned the wheelchair at the end of our stay.

Good luck!

 

[plummer925]

Thanks again Figaro!!

I think the idea of getting one from my hotel and paying a deposit sounds best - at least the money doesn't have to be paid....and I can walk if needed (and if I want) - and I should be able to figure out how to attach my backpack to the chair which will make life a lot easier (water bottles, food, etc)....

Thank you again for your help!!!

Crystal

 

[Nanajo1]

Just a quick note about the ECV. The grocery store versions are a bit larger. The basket on front is oversized and the speed is very limited. So, it is a good idea to test an ECV at the local store but I have found the off-site rental ones much easier to use.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If you go to one of the web sites (especially Walker) listed you will be able to see pictures. The rentals are much smaller than the ones in the supermarkets.

Normally an electric wheelchair is MUCH more expensive, customized for the user, and usually can be rented only if you are already used to one.

Advertisements I have seen for ECVs tend to indicate about 25 miles on a full charge. I have had some nights when I knew I had not much actual driving, and did noty expect a whole lot the next day, and let it "sleep" in the car's trunk overnight and it still had plenty of charge the next evening.

The following part is a "stock" reply ith lots of detailed information:

You may be better off renting an ECV, as pushing a wheelchair can get very tiresome, especially if you are not used to it. Also it depends on the weight of the passenger and the condition of the pusher(s). Some information for off-site rentals are:

Here are the urls:

Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/

Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com

RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html

I have used Walker a few times. They will ask for a credit card and charge it the day before arrival. They will deliver the ECV to your hotel bell services before your arrival and pick it up there after your departure. Their rates, especially for longer than a week, are much better than Disney's. Also, their scooters are much better.

If you are using a car for getting around, the ECVs break down into five pieces, the heaviest about 39 pounds. They take about a minute or so to take apart and about two minutes (once you are used to it) to put it together.

Another suggestion is find out your state's requirements for a temporary disabled hang tag and get the paper work and have your doctor sign off on it. The tag will allow you to use any of the handicap parking areas (which will be a necessity). Also, with the policy of charging for valet parking, with a handicap hang tag the fees will be waived. Also the valets will usually volunteer to assist in loading/unloading an ECV. In Virginia I printed the required form from the DMV website. When I took the completed form to the DMV Office it took less than 15 minutes from the time I walked in until I had my tag.

You can use a bungee cord to help keep crutches or a folded up walker on the EVC or wheelchair. Usually it would be a short walk with the crutches from the wheelchair or EVC.

Good luck and let us know what finally happens.

 

[SueM in MN]

I was gone for 2 days and just got back, but it looks like all the new questions were answered here. I'll just add a little more.

Do any of the local rental places rent electric wheelchairs? That almost seems easier (lighter/smaller) as I wouldn't HAVE to use it all the time - I could walk and just push it (CAN you just push the electric ones?)...????

The answers to both questions is no. Power wheelchairs look easy to drive, but they require a lot of practice since you drive with a joystick. As others said, they are only rented to people who already have one since they need to be individually set up for the person using them and you really have to know what you are doing to drive one. They are also quite heavy, so you don't want to push one if you don't have to. My DD's power wheelchair is over 300 pounds without her in it. That's fairly typical for power wheelchairs.
You will find some good pictures of ecvs on the websites that Cheshire Figment posted. The rental ones are smaller and more manouverable than the ones you can use in a store.