Questions about ECV's at Disney

oskee2004

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 3, 2018
We're headed to Disney in May with our three boys, my mother-in-law, and my brother-in-law. We've taken the group several times, but over the past year, my brother-in-law has gone into end-stage renal failure and is awaiting a transplant. He's looking forward to the trip but expects to struggle with the long days, and we're looking into getting a ECV for the long days at the park. It's not that he can't walk, just that many miles a day in the Florida sun will surely wipe him out. I've read some of the FAQ's from Disney but wondered if anyone had experiences to share, "things to consider," or other tips for using ECV's on the trip. Thanks for the insight!
 
Sending good vibes to your BIL. In my experience the ECVs at Disney that you rent at the parks have to stay there, and sometimes might run out on busy days if you’re not there early, and are clunky to drive and maneuver especially on tight lines.

He will most likely also need to use it at hotels because a lot of them are spread out or you might be waiting for elevators or placed far from the lobby.

I rented mine from Gold Mobility Scooter Company and they were great. They bring it to your hotel and meet you and they pick it up from you at the end. Highly recommend that. Also search ECV on here and you’ll see other companies some people have used, but I had a great experience with them and I was happy I rented one in general.
 
Sorry if I'm saying something you already know, but we would highly recommend a third-party rental for the entire trip, not just something for the parks. My parents were extremely delighted they did that a couple years ago - made the trip infinitely more enjoyable for them.
 


Definitely a third-party rental rather than in-park. It can be a l-o-n-g walk to transportation (WDW or the parking lot) plus back to your resort room. And as PP mentioned, potential availability issues in-park. Lots of ECV users and advice on the disABILITIES Forum linked above.

One suggestion: if he’s tired, schedule breaks. One super-long tiring day in the parks is quite different than a vacation full of those days. You may need to adjust expectations and allow for more breaks or a slower-paced day.
 
Took my 85 year old dad in March and rented the ECVs at the park. We were staying offsite, so driving the car and parking in handicapped. We did two days at Epcot and one day a SeaWorld. He didn't want to do the ECV from a third party as we'd have to figure out how to transport it, put it together, store it. Might be easy, but we didn't check. That means we just rented when we arrived at the park and the old ECVs they have worked just fine for him. // They at Disney had transport chairs I could use to wheel dad from the handicapped parking spot to the ECV rental place as it's a long walk. At SeaWorld they didn't have those transport chairs for going in (made for a long walk for him), but I borrowed one on the back end to take him back.

Theme parks are the one vacation dad still likes to do because of the ECVs. He's always loved the theme parks and we had a great time.
 
Definitely a third-party rental rather than in-park. It can be a l-o-n-g walk to transportation (WDW or the parking lot) plus back to your resort room. And as PP mentioned, potential availability issues in-park. Lots of ECV users and advice on the disABILITIES Forum linked above.

One suggestion: if he’s tired, schedule breaks. One super-long tiring day in the parks is quite different than a vacation full of those days. You may need to adjust expectations and allow for more breaks or a slower-paced day.
I agree, it can be a very long walk, as in a mile or more or so it feels. We didn't get one at MK two weeks ago in the evening with 67 on the wait list! EPCOT wasn't much better with 35 on the list. We got one at AK the other day and DS today (early both days). Just walking from the Lime Garage was exhausting and it was really hot today.

If you can accommodate an ECV in your villa it will take a lot of anxiety out of the equation for everyone.

Happy trails!
 


I don't know much about scooter other than if you have the option, rent a 3 wheeled scooter. They have a better turning radius which makes navigating the parks easier. More importantly it makes getting off and on to Disney Transportation way easier.
 
A tip from personal experience - the average ECV does not fit through the main entrance of the Imagination Ride at EPCOT. And it makes a loud and noticeable clang when you hit the bars on each side... not that you'd do any such thing.
 
I don't know much about scooter other than if you have the option, rent a 3 wheeled scooter. They have a better turning radius which makes navigating the parks easier. More importantly it makes getting off and on to Disney Transportation way easier.
Agree. The four wheeled ones at the place I rented - I found out - are inclusive of plus sized folks and I think maybe thats why the Disney ones are four wheels but it’s slightly harder to navigate w them vs just having the one wheel in the front. So unless the 4 wheel is a necessity go w 3.
 
We just got back with a friend who'd just had unexpected knee surgery. He rented one from the park each day. I'll just reiterate a few things - we had to get one by 10:00am or there was a good chance they would run out. That makes park hopping almost impossible, because you can't take them between parks and your next park quite likely won't have any available. There are courtesy wheel chairs near the bus stops and parking lots, but they are frequently not actually there, and it IS a long walk to get in the park and get the ECV rented. Renting one full time would have been better, but we did not have a rental car at all (we Ubered everywhere), nor would we have had a car capable of transporting one, and were staying off property. Staying on property, with the buses, would have been better if we'd known we were going to need an ECV.

I will say the rides, etc, are really easy to navigate with the ECV. As much as Disney makes me crazy, I do appreciate their willingness to accommodate different abilities.
 
The ECVs do breakdown to be able to put into an Uber. I had the rep show me that when he brought it to the resort and it's not that bad. You do need one person with you that can lift it into the trunk (if they driver cannot or if you're unable to do that part yourself), but other than that, the three wheeler fit into a regular car trunk.
 
, but we did not have a rental car at all (we Ubered everywhere), nor would we have had a car capable of transporting one, and were staying off property. Staying on property, with the buses, would have been better if we'd known we were going to need an ECV.
Mears has accessible taxi vans equipped with ramps. Call or use their app. Same price as a regular taxi, GGenerally more expensive then ride share
 
Do you have your resort booked? If not, I strongly recommend a skyliner resort. It is so easy to use the skyliner with an ecv. Much nicer than using the buses all the time. Or book a boardwalk area resort and use the boats.
 
We were just at disney and i always rent an ecv from an offsite vendor (I’ve used Apple Scooter the last few trips).
Disney has a preferred vendor that I believe is the only one allowed to leave and pickup the ecv without you being present.

Definitely get an ecv that can be disassembled if you plan to use a car taxi uber or lyft. With the Mears app you can request a handicap taxi and you or the driver can drive it into the back. I’ve found that Mears actually cost less, and that is because I request using a ride share service I request an xl size vehicle after being refused a ride with a regular size many time, with xl size usually there is no doubt the scooter will fit when disassembled. I keep a video of how to disassemble because it’s easy to forget. Some drivers will lift into their vehicle, others will not, so it’s good to have someone that can physically handle it with you. There are Minnie vehicles on the lyft app that can handle ecvs. These are the most expensive.
If you have a full day at AK the scooter should be charged for an hour or 2 at some point because it will likely come close to dying you don’t. There are a lot of hills at AK that tax the battery. Same at Epcot and other parks if there from open to late close; I’ve actually only had a problem at AK and Epcot. Finding a place to charge the ecv isn’t hard.

I enjoy being able to explore my resort with an ecv, if I didn’t have one I’d see and a lot less.

If riding the monorail or gondola, be sure to set the brake, the operator cm’s don’t help on these.
 
A tip from personal experience - the average ECV does not fit through the main entrance of the Imagination Ride at EPCOT. And it makes a loud and noticeable clang when you hit the bars on each side... not that you'd do any such thing.
I don’t know how big of ECVs you’ve seen, but I see them all the time at the Imagination. The last time we rode in early November, there were 2 ahead of us and one behind. We saw another one come to the boarding area while we were waiting for the accessible vehicle for my daughter’s wheelchair. When there are people hitting things, they are usually going too fast.
The ECVs do breakdown to be able to put into an Uber. I had the rep show me that when he brought it to the resort and it's not that bad. You do need one person with you that can lift it into the trunk (if they driver cannot or if you're unable to do that part yourself), but other than that, the three wheeler fit into a regular car trunk.
If you plan to transport it on an Uber or your own vehicle, discuss it with the rental company so you are sure the one you are renting can be broken down for transport
 
If you have a full day at AK the scooter should be charged for an hour or 2 at some point because it will likely come close to dying you don’t. There are a lot of hills at AK that tax the battery. Same at Epcot and other parks if there from open to late close; I’ve actually only had a problem at AK and Epcot. Finding a place to charge the ecv isn’t hard.
Agree. I found the battery to run low at these parks too and I charged the ECV every chance I got just to be on the safe side.
 
I don’t know how big of ECVs you’ve seen, but I see them all the time at the Imagination. The last time we rode in early November, there were 2 ahead of us and one behind. We saw another one come to the boarding area while we were waiting for the accessible vehicle for my daughter’s wheelchair. When there are people hitting things, they are usually going too fast.

If you plan to transport it on an Uber or your own vehicle, discuss it with the rental company so you are sure the one you are renting can be broken down for transport
1. I wasn't talking about the boarding area. I was talking about the front entrance to the building. I thought my ECV would fit through the regular entrance. I thought wrong.
2. It was meant as a little self-deprecating humor. You seem to have missed that. Trust me, this family wasn't going to be kept off of the Figment ride!
 

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I will third the Gold Mobility Scooter recommendation. They delivered the long range model to our resort and it lasted all day everyday. It was barely down 1/4 of the battery after we walked about 8 miles. The bus drivers were also fantastic at helping my wife since it was her first time with a scooter. She became a pro by the end of the trip.
 

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