Requesting ECV Rental advice

[robb24]

I am planning an 8 day trip to WDW in January of 2010. We will be staying at the Beach Club Villa's from Jan 13th - 21st. I will be taking my mother-in-law will need an ECV while in the park as she is unable to walk long distances.

I am trying to figure out is we should rent an ECV inside or outside the park.

The last time we rented an ECV at Disneyland a few years ago, she was not that great of a driver. Now that she is a few years older and would have to drive the ECV onto the bus, I am afraid that she will not be able to do this without getting frustrated.

Since we are going to WDW during the Value Season, I thought that maybe they would have some ECV for rent inside the park.

I am looking for any advice as I do not know what to do to ensure that my mother-in-law has a magical time.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. Post #2 discusses mobility and suggested locations for renting ECVs.

Or, if you want an easier route to the FAQs, click on the link in my signature.

Going in January will be thje slowest time of year and the time most likely to be able to get an ECV at any time.

That said, the distances just within the Beach Club, especially from the Villas to the main Lobby can be quite long. Also going to Epcot you would be walking to the International Gateway and when going to the Studios you would be walking over to the dock and it is a fair distance from the DHS dock to the entrance.

For the other two parks, is she has a problem getting the ECV on or off a bus another person in the group can do that driving. And note that most of the buses now have ramps and you drive both on and off while facing forward.

So still better off renting from off-site.

 

[dwarven1]

Personally, I'm a HUGE fan of Randy's Mobility since they treated me so well when I rented from them two years ago.

 

[RevRuss]

I just rented mine from Walker Mobility (lost phone #) walkermobility.com - they deliver and pick up from Disney resorts (I guess other hotel too)

 

[SueM in MN]

I just rented mine from Walker Mobility (lost phone #) walkermobility.com - they deliver and pick up from Disney resorts (I guess other hotel too)

Not to worry, the contact information for Walker Mobility is in post #2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
All of the companies listed there will deliver and pick up from Disney/Orlando area resorts.

This is a link to the Beach Club/Yacht Club resort map. As was already mentioned, it is a pretty long walk however you go to a park.
Walking to Epcot, you would go off the map to the right. If the map continued to show Epcot, it would be at least as far off the edge of the map as walking to the Yacht Club from Beach Club Villas. The dock for the boats that go to Epcot and the Studios are in front of the Yacht Club.
And, as was also pointed out, getting from the dock at the park to where you can rent an ECV is not a short walk.

So, I agree with the other posters that an ECV from an outside company would be the best choice.
As was already mentioned, someone in your party will have to get the ECV on the bus, but it doesn't necessarily need to be her. Also, keep in mind that you will only need to take the bus to AK and MK.

 

[Bete]

then I would rent at the parks. It costs more but you get a little easier time for it. I will try to give the pros and cons, here.

It is more expensive to rent inside the Disney park. You need to get there early to make sure you get one; it's first come; first serve. Epcot can be the toughest on this count. With that said I only had to wait once at HS and in an hour I had a scooter. I've done Disney scooters at least on 10 trips. I did have a breakdown of a scooter once and Disney replaced it in an half hour. You won't get that service renting from an outside source. The Disney scooters are industrial strenght and they can take more abuse like a heavy rain downpour. With a park scooter you are not responsible for charging it up everyday. You already know you don't have to take it on the bus, either.

 

[Earstou]

You could consider using a wheelchair to get from the resorts to the parks. Then leave it at the ECV rental area until you are done with the scooter.

Also, as was already suggested, let someone else in your party drive the ECV onto the bus. I let my dh drive mine on, on the days when I'm not doing as well and don't want to worry about messing up!

 

[robb24]

Thanks for all of your feedback and advice. If we go with an outside vendor, which scooter should I get her? I saw the "Dreams" scooter. It sounded very nice and easy for her to manage. I have no idea if it's a sale pitch or reallity. What are the Pros/Cons with the "Dreams" scooter? Any information on this scooter or any others would really help me out.

 

[lisam427]

we are going to disney this coming september. we also are renting from randy's mobility. my aunt is in need of a ECV and a wheelchair. originally we called a place we used 4 years ago. they were very expensive.

we then called randy's mobility. we are saving close to $400.00 over the first place we called. also the person who helped me had excellent customer service skills at randy's. we called on a sunday evening at 8;30 pm and we got a return phone call five minutes later. i will defenetely book with randy's mobility again. outstanding price and excellent customer service.

 

[robb24]

I am taking my mother-in-law to WDW in January for 8 days and could really use some advice.

I am looking into renting a Dream scooter for her.

The last time we rented an ECV at Disneyland a few years ago, she was not that great of a driver.

Now that she is a few years older and would have to drive the ECV onto the bus, I am afraid that she will not be able to do this without getting frustrated.

I am looking for any advice as I do not know what to do. I am not looking to save money, but to ensure that she has a magical time.

What are the Pros/Cons with the "Dream" scooter?

Is it really better then the other ECV's?

When getting on a Disney bus, are you only able to back or can you drive forward onto the chair lift?

Does anyone have any current pictures of the Dream ECV?

Thanks for your time.

Robb

 

[maroo]

can we merge this thread with the other thread on this subject?



Looks like the past posts about this particular scooter indicate it may be too big to take on the Disney transportation?

And it is quite heavy - at almost 300 pounds - too heavy to try to load into a vehicle without a large enough ramp or lift?

 

[SueM in MN]

I am going to combine this with a thread the OP started on 8/12 about ECV rental advice.

There are several past threads about this scooter, which I will post links to:
- first thread discussing Dream Scooter when it first came out.

- post from someone who returned it because it was too big and difficult.

- post from an experienced user who liked the Dream Scooter. He posted many pictures and you can see from the pictures just how tight a fit it is on the transportation.

Also, note that the ADA definition of a "common wheelchair" includes that a "mobility device does not exceed 30 inches in width and 48 inches in length and does not exceed 600 pounds occupied." That size is the ADA standard for transportation, so that is the size that boats, buses, etc are set to accommodate.
The WDW website and Guidebooks for Guests with disabilities says that "Some motorized wheelchairs and ECVs are too wide or too long for the bus lift. The standard lift size is 32" x 48". The poster in the 3rd thread did find that he could use the Dream Scooter on the buses, but needed to turn the front wheel so that it did not exceed that length (you can see that on the bus picture he posted). You can see in his pictures that it is a pretty tight fit.

Also, be aware that the ADA definition for 'common wheelchair' includes a weight that "does not exceed 600 pounds occupied". This ECV with someone weighing 350 to 400 pounds on it would exceed 600 pounds since it appears from what I have found that the ECV without anyone on it weighs close to 300 pounds.

This is a picture I took in October of someone using a Dream Scooter in October 2008. We saw him in several shows and the ECV did take more space than the (very large) WDW park rental ECVs.

I would NOT recommend this scooter for anyone who does not already have considerable experience using an ECV. We have seen a few of them in the parks and they are very large. When we saw them in shows, they could only fit in certain spots for parking and even then, they extended further than the other ECVs.

 

[KPeveler]

I saw several people with the dream scooters - they did not seem to work in stores at all! They were 10 inches wider than the powerchair i am getting, and they are REALLY big. They are also not going to fit in almost any handicapped stall, so she would have to park and walk into restrooms, even if there is a line.

also, in some of the older shows, i am not sure it would fit. For example, Tiki Room is tight.

I would think that it would be better to get something smaller and lighter that you know will actually fit places!