Transportation to Riviera - wwyd?

[Ninjagrrl]

Hello everyone, hoping someone who has been recently can advise.
I have a Topolinos breakfast reservation coming up. We are staying at AKL. My son uses a stroller/wheelchair hybrid that is transit ready and we usually use the wheelchair space for him on buses. We were originally planning on just bussing to a park and then going on a bus to Riviera - which is what we've always done in the past.

But now, at the last minute, I will be using an ECV due to some knee issues. I'm nervous about getting 2 wheelchair slots on the bus. I'm considering an accessible Minnie Van just for that morning.

DH thinks that an accessible Minnie Van might be even harder to get than the bus and suggests maybe bussing to HS and Skylining to Riv.

So I'm wondering if anyone here has used an accessible Minnie Van recently and whether it was hard to get.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you do the bus to the Studio plus Skyliner, it’s hard to tell until you are actually waiting whether or not the bus tiedown spots will both be filled. Worst case scenario would be if there is only one spot, you split up and meet back up at the Studio - plan exactly where to wait.
Each Skyliner only holds one mobility device, so you will split up there, but will only be a few minutes between Skyliners.
The Skyliner from HS stops at the Caribbean Beach main hub. From there, you will transfer to the Riviera/EPCOT Skyliner. Guests can also choose to walk from the Caribbean Beach stop to Riviera.

 

[DisneyOma]

Do you have to have the ECV with you for the breakfast, or would it be easier to go without for this one time?

 

[Ninjagrrl]

Do you have to have the ECV with you for the breakfast, or would it be easier to go without for this one time?

I'd have to have it as we are planning to go directly to Epcot after.

 

[starry_solo]

How many are you in your party? Are you able to split? Are you willing to leave AKL an hour (or more) before the breakfast reservation to make it?
Can you change the breakfast reservation to a day that you are planning a resort day?

I think a Minnie Van might be your best bet for this.

 

[SteveH]

Book an accessible Minnie Van. We used it pre-covid when my wife had to use an ECV and we had an 8AM tour at MK. I see now they don't allow you to book ahead as they did pre-covid but I think it would still be my choice.

 

[Ninjagrrl]

How many are you in your party? Are you able to split?

We are 3, 2 adults and a child that also uses a mobility device.

Are you willing to leave AKL an hour (or more) before the breakfast reservation to make it?

This is how we normally do it. In 20+ years of visiting WDW, we've never understood the bus hate, but maybe that's because we live in an area where public transport is more common. But, this is the first time we've had to do it with 2 mobility devices.

Can you change the breakfast reservation to a day that you are planning a resort day?

I'm not giving up a reservation as difficult to get as Topolinos at this point. This was the only day I could snag it this trip as our resort day is at the beginning of the trip because of MNSSHP nights messing with park planning.

 

[mamabunny]

Hello everyone, hoping someone who has been recently can advise.
I have a Topolinos breakfast reservation coming up. We are staying at AKL. My son uses a stroller/wheelchair hybrid that is transit ready and we usually use the wheelchair space for him on buses. We were originally planning on just bussing to a park and then going on a bus to Riviera - which is what we've always done in the past.

But now, at the last minute, I will be using an ECV due to some knee issues. I'm nervous about getting 2 wheelchair slots on the bus. I'm considering an accessible Minnie Van just for that morning.

DH thinks that an accessible Minnie Van might be even harder to get than the bus and suggests maybe bussing to HS and Skylining to Riv.

So I'm wondering if anyone here has used an accessible Minnie Van recently and whether it was hard to get.

My advice is this: When you arrive, work with the Concierge at the Front Desk at AKL regarding the current situation with accessible Minnie Vans. They will either be able to assist you directly, or they may give you the contact information for the Minnie Van service so that you can reach out to them yourself.

 

[Selket]

This is the perfect case for the accessible Minnie Van. We used them for dinner reservations to get from resort to resort with our large group of one ECV and one rollator and 5 people.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I agree use the accessible Minnie Van. We used one August 31, on a very rainy evening. It took maybe 20 minutes to get to us. It probably took 20 minutes to load 2 ECVs as well.

 

[Ninjagrrl]

Thank you this is really helpful information so that i make sure i allow enough time for both arriving and loading!!

 

[AprilsZoo]

I think the skyliner is a reasonable option. The logistics kinda depend on whether you want to get off at Riviera, or if you are fine getting off at CBR and walking/scooting. And whether dd needs to stay in her stroller.

If you want to get off at Riviera you would have to split because although they slow the gondola enough to get a mobility device off, you could have trouble trying to get dd and your ECV both off in time.

On the other hand, if you can walk/scoot from Caribbean Beach resort, and dd can sit on a bench seat, and you can collapse the stroller, you’d likely be able to stay together. There they pull the gondola off the line, so you can take your time getting off.

It’s not like you’d be separated for long. Just for the duration of the ride plus maybe 4-5 minutes at most. If your DH goes in the first gondola, he can very slowly meander toward the restaurant and with you being on the ECV, you’ll catch up in no time at all.

 

[Evita_W]

The accessible Minnie Vans are usually super easy to get (at least they were pre COVID) and I would take one in that situation, even if it was only one mobility device, as it is much, much less stress than the bus and such.

 

[lanejudy]

Folks this is all good information -- but I just wanted to point out the original question was asked more than a year ago.

 

[Evita_W]

Folks this is all good information -- but I just wanted to point out the original question was asked more than a year ago.

I think we all just saw October and never paid attention to the year.....lol

 

[AprilsZoo]

Well, I’ll admit it, I’m the fool here. I think I got mixed up and replied to a thread from a forum search, completely forgetting to check. the. date.

Oops. Sorry.