Staying at SSR with MS

[jkfreeman33]

We have a reservation at SSR in October. One of the women in our group has MS and depending on the day.....walking can be a challenge.
Having never stayed there, I have no idea what location we should ask to be in. What would be the easiest for her to get to the boat, bus and restaurant.
Or....does it even matter?
We have always stayed at BWV and SSR seems so big and spread out.
Any help in this area would be appreciated.
I thank you and so does she.
Karen

 

[disneynutz]

I would suggest that she rent a ECV. It will be easier on her and she won't have to worry about holding the rest of your party back.

Bill

 

[ToddyLu]

When she rents a scooter (ECV) from a company in Orlando they will drop the scotter off at the resort lobby and she will get it on check in. Then she just leaves the scooter at check out with the front desk or bell services. There should be plenty of room an your SSR Villa to keep it plugged in while you are there. It was perfect for my FIL after hip surgery. A scooter was not something he needed at home, but in WDW, absolutely. It would give her a lot of independence, and she could save her strength. October is still pretty warm in WDW.

 

[ToddyLu]

I also think that if she rents a scooter in the park and keeps her receipt, she just pays for the one day and then if you park hop, she will not have to leave another deposit. I am not sure and I am know someone will correct me momentarily.

 

[disneynutz]

Renting from a off site provider is cheaper. I recommend the Pride Revo. I was so impressed with the unit that I ended up buying one for use mostly at WDW.

Bill

 

[wildernessDad]

My wife has MS. We bring our own wheelchair for her when she needs it. Sometimes she uses it as a walker. My advice would be to either bring a wheelchair (and have someone push) or rent an ECV.

 

[jkfreeman33]

Thanks for the info on the scooter. I will pass it along.
Does it matter what section of SSR we stay in?
Thanks again

 

[Brandis]

Also, if you rent a scooter at a Disney park, when you change parks, in theory you can get another scooter at the new park without paying, but you are out of luck if they have rented all scooters before you arrive. Happened to us before and it wasn't even high season.

 

[disneynutz]

Thanks for the info on the scooter. I will pass it along.
Does it matter what section of SSR we stay in?
Thanks again

The "Springs" is where the main building is, but with a ECV it won't matter. A ECV give a person with mobility issues the freedom to be like anyone else.

Bill

 

[ldo]

Springs would be closest to everything. Call MS 2 weeks ahead and put in a request--be sure to say guest has MS and that is for medical reasons--medical requests go to the top of the request list. Also, they do have complementary wheelchairs. They are 1st come, 1st served, but the concierge was willing to call other resorts to see if they had any for us.

 

[Disneypubgal]

Also, if you rent a scooter at a Disney park, when you change parks, in theory you can get another scooter at the new park without paying, but you are out of luck if they have rented all scooters before you arrive. Happened to us before and it wasn't even high season.

And you won't have a scooter travelling between parks!! We rented a scooter for my dad last February and it was much cheaper and he had it for the entire stay!!

 

[Chuck S]

The OP should also check out the sticky threads on our disABILITIES! board. There are links to ECV/Wheelchair rental companies that have been used by DISers.

I do agree with the others, that it would be best to have an ECV or wheelchair while at the resort, this way you'll have it if thye need it, and they can use it around the resort and at Downtown Disney.

 

[jkfreeman33]

Thanks for all the posts and ideas. If we can get our MS girl to agree to a scooter, we will be in business. It will help that her daughter will be there to help in this fight. My sister also has MS and both seem to feel that if they give in to the scooter, MS won the battle. Since I don't have MS, I can't understand their thinking. We keep encouraging her to get the scooter so we can go to the head of the attraction line.
Thanks again for all the posts. These boards are the best for questions being answered.
I think I will call MS and request the Springs.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks for all the posts and ideas. If we can get our MS girl to agree to a scooter, we will be in business. It will help that her daughter will be there to help in this fight. My sister also has MS and both seem to feel that if they give in to the scooter, MS won the battle. Since I don't have MS, I can't understand their thinking. We keep encouraging her to get the scooter so we can go to the head of the attraction line.
Thanks again for all the posts. These boards are the best for questions being answered.
I think I will call MS and request the Springs.

Actually, I've had to use an ECV on several past trips, and you do not go to the head of a line on attractions. Most of the time you wait with everyone else, or you get to go to the handicapped entrance and wait there. Most shows have seperate areas for parking the ECV right in the show. This is sometimes the back row (American Adventure and It's Tough to be a Bug), but sometimes it's front row (Festival of the Lion King and Flights of Wonder).

 

[Chuck S]

We keep encouraging her to get the scooter so we can go to the head of the attraction line.

To clarify, ECV/Wheelchair users do not go to the front of the line, except for a few cases in the Magic Kingdom where the older attraction queue can not accommodate wheelchairs. In fact, for some attractions, you'll be waiting longer than ambulatory guests. This is especially true at Space Ship Earth, and rides that have stairs along the ride tracks in case of evacuation. They only allow a limited number of non-ambulatory guests to ride at any time, so they can evacuate if needed. We have had to walk off SpaceShip Earth.

Most lines at Epcot, Studios and Animal Kingdom are mainstreamed, and you will wait in the regular queue.

 

[disneynutz]

To add to Chucks and Diane's post. A ECV user doesn't get special privileges, quite the opposite. Using a ECV can cause you to have to wait longer for some rides and also the transportation buses. The buses can only take two mobility units at a time.

What a ECV does do is enable the user to get around on their own without having to have someone in their party push them in a wheelchair.

Bill

 

[castleri]

The walking between rides and attractions is to me where the ECV would provide the most benefit. It might not be that bad for the lines where the ECV can't go as they move slowly anyway in most cases. It is the other walking that could really take a toll on someone with MS I would think. Hopefully you can convince the people involved that an ECV is a tool that actually helps maintain independence in that they do not need to rely on someone to lean on or push a chair but can get just about anywhere on their own. Good luck and hope you have a great trip.

 

[jkfreeman33]

Thanks again for all the advice. Called Member Service today and requested a room in the Springs. They also gave me a couple of names & numbers where we can rent a scooter.
Still hoping we get our wait list of either BCV or BWV. But since it isn't coming thru and both are booked solid for the week we are there, better work on Plan B which is getting to know SSR since it looks like we will be staying there.
Goes to show what I don't know.....I thought wheel chair and scooter people got right on the attractions. I don't have any problem with it, I just thought they went first. Learn something new everyday!
Thanks again!!