Taking my parents on their first trip..questions

[mom2smjn]

Hello!

I am finally taking my parents to see Mickey! YEAH! However I am concerned as my mom is on 24hr oxygen and uses an ECV

I wondered if they should rent a car for flexibility rather than use the buses and wait(she is also new to the ecv and is mortified if there is a big production getting on and off the bus)

If they do drive where do they park? They have a handicapped parking permit but mom is worried about being really far from the entrance and to be truthful I never noticed where the handicapped parking was.

She can walk(just not far) so she will be able to go on most thing right?

And what about riding rides with her oxygen...is that ok?

I so want this trip to go well because she thinks she will be a burden and that is so not true...so I want her to feel all went smoothly....

Any other things that you think I should consider?

Thanks!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

You may be better off renting an ECV from off-site. The three locations below are full-service medical supply/support companies. Not only can you rent ECVs from them, but they will also be able to give you information on oxygen and provide it.

Here are the urls and phone numbers:

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

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

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.

Other than Magic Kingdom, the medical parking is about the same distance from the actual park entrances as where the Disney buses let off passengers. For the Magic Kingdom medical parking is at the Transportation and Ticket Center and from the parking area it is fairly close to both the monorail and ferry.

Note if you go to any of the deluxe hotels, they will waive the daily valet parking fee if you have a handicap hang tag. However, the valets are tip positions. Normally I will tip the valets a couple of dollars both when I drop off the car as well as when I pick it up. However, if it is necessary and they assist with the ECV disassembly and loading into trunk, or unloading and assembly, I will tip $5.00. (If help is necessary and they don't assist, not only is there no tip but also discussion with a supervisor.)

Others will probably chime in with their own advice.

I can't answer anything about oxygen on rides, but someone else might be able to give you that information or where to look.