Wheel Chair Questions

[millerglass]

We are planning a trip to US / IOA somtime late this year or early next year. Will be going with my brother who is 49 years old and has a very bad knee which requires him to use a wheel chair. My questions are as follows:

Should we rent a regular wheel chair or an ECV?

Should we rent from US / IOA or an outside company?

Are most rides wheel chair accessable?

Will we get front of the line perks or should we look into staying at one of the on site resorts?

Should we bring any kind of doctor's forms explaining his condition?

Thank you so much, Sue

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I can answer some of your questions. Last October we stayed at the HRH & my daughter was on crutches & needed a wheel chair. The hotel itself has none. You need to rent from the parks. They have both, ECV & standard. You do not need to bring documentation for a wheel chair. As far as FOTL.... we stayed on property so I cannot tell you if they do it as a comp service for a wheelchair bound person. I know Disney does not. Disney does however have wheelchairs at the hotels that you can arrange to have prior to going to the parks. If you stay off site Universal, just remember the hike from the parking lot to the parks is far. They do have a wheelchair rental station that is just off the parking garage before going on walkways. If you can get one there, I would do that or be ready for a long walk into the theme parks. For us staying onsite, it was terrible. The ferry was a long haul from the park on crutches. The bus wasn't bad but if it wasn't there, you would have to wait a while for it. We got from the HRH to Universal Studios faster walking with her on crutches...it was the haul back for her that was bad.

 

[Figment22]

Originally posted by millerglass
Should we rent a regular wheel chair or an ECV?
Should we rent from US / IOA or an outside company?
Are most rides wheel chair accessable?
Will we get front of the line perks or should we look into staying at one of the on site resorts?
Should we bring any kind of doctor's forms explaining his condition?

A few years back, after my husband had foot surgery, we rented an ECV from Walker Mobility. They were very reputable and comparable in price to renting from the parks themselves. They delivered the ECV directly to our hotel just prior to our arrival and picked up at the hotel when we checked out. In the past, we had rented both wheelchairs and ECV's at the parks (for my in-laws) and I can say that IMO it is much easier to rent from an outside company because then you have it 24/7. Here's the link to Walker Mobility so you can have some of your questions answered:

http://www.walkermobility.com

Here is the link to the Universal page for Guests With Disabilities.
Assistance for Guests With Disabilities

From this page you can actually download the Rider's Guide which gives info on each individual ride and attraction in the parks. For most of the shows you can take a chair or ECV right in. There are limits for many of the rides however.

If you aren't staying onsite, you do not get front of the line access just because your brother is in a wheelchair/ECV. They are, however, very accomodating if you have someone in your party in a wheelchair.

Depending on how limited his walking ability is, you may want to bring a doctor's form to see about obtaining a Guest Assistance Card from Guest Services. For example, this can allow you to use the elevator on the Hulk instead of having to walk up the ramps to the ride. We didn't feel the need to do this as my husband was able to walk a bit although not very long.

Hope this answers some of your questions. Have a great trip to Universal.

 

[SueM in MN]

Here are some more of the off-site places that DIS posters rent ecvs and wheelchairs from:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
Phone (407) 856-2273 • Toll Free U.S and Canada (800) 741-2282

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

RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html
(800)747-0246

http://www.scootaround.com/ Not much feedback. Several people who reported they had no problems.

ECVs are more expensive to rent, but they give more independence and no one will get tired out from having to push.

 

[msr709]

I've rented 2 years in a row from the parks and now I'm trying Walker Mobility to have an ECV 24/7. The ECVs in the parks are OK but they are bulky and they DO run out after a certain time of day so if you go from one park to the next the second park you may have to wait for an ECV to show up. This happened to me twice and naturally it was when my knee was at its worst! As the day progresses and it gets more humid my knee swells so I figured this time I'd play it safe. We are also staying on site at both Universal and Disney and I'm hoping this makes it easier. I know we can get around the parks and Citywalk with the ECV with no problem, and not having the need to wait for a bus like at Disney. I tried once a wheelchair but that is too burdensome for the one pushing and the one sitting down. The ECV give you more independence, at least IMHO. Good luck.

 

[Cebhfhionn]

They normally will not give a Guest Assistance Pass for wheelchair guests because all of the lines are ADA compliant. So, wheelchairs/ECV's will be able to maneuver through the lines just like the people that are standing.