Wheelchair vs. ECV Question

[TaraG]

We will be going to WDW in December to celebrate my son's 5th birthday, 2 weeks after I finish radiation. My question is with all the walking I may need to rent a wheel chair or ECV for a while during our visits. I can walk for a while, but tire out quite easily. Do I have to have to have a doctor's note or anything stating that I may need one, or can I just go up and rent one? I know it probably sounds like a dumb question.

Thanks!

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's some pixie dust for a great trip. Sounds like you deserve one and your DS deserves a 5th birthday full of fun.
Not a dumb question at all!
And you are not even the first one to ask, so whatever other questions you can think of, go ahead.
You don't need a letter from your doctor to rent either a wheelchair or an ecv (scooter). At the parks, the scooter and wheelchair rental is first come, first served, with no reservations. Except in really busy times, there isn't a problem with getting wheelchairs (from what I've read; we don't rent because DD has her own wheelchair). Scooters are limited in number and one may not be available if you are getting to the parks late or park hopping.
Here's a link to the DIS page about touring with mobility disabilities , which includes info about renting at the parks.
Many people choose to rent from one of the outside medical equipment renatl companies. Heres a list of the ones DIS posters have reported renting from:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/

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

The advantages to renting from one of the outside places is that you always have the wheelchair/ecv available. It can be quite a walk from parking or the buses to where you rent in the parks (there is a trial program with wheelchairs to go from parking to the park entrance). Also, you would have one for the resort and DD where you can't rent.

A lot of people prefer a scooter because it gives a lot more independence. It would be especially helpful with a 5 year old not to have someone needing to push you in a wheelchair. They would have a hand free to hold his or push him in a stroller if needed.

 

[TaraG]

Thanks Sue for the info. I wouldn't need one for the whole day, just for a few hours at the most I would think. I can walk distances, but not for the whole day that it would take. Ya know?

Thanks again for the tips.

 

[tink2dw]

Keep in mind that everything is spead out a lot more than you would think!! I had injured my knee and thought I could walk to the tram,that was a mile away,then once you think your at the Front of the Park,it's another Mile to get through the gates!!

And my poor Dh,who was pushing my wheel chair, and I never knew that there were so many sharp hills on the walk ways in WDW.

I suggest you rent an EVC from an off site Company. You will feel that you have freedom to enjoy the Parks,without over tiring yourself. This is a time you need your energy to stay well.

 

[JudithM]

Keep in mind that each park at WDW is much larger & more spread out than you imagine while sitting at home . If you can handle "driving" an ECV/scooter, then I would recommend it. It will save another person from pushing you. Perhaps the other person can push a stroller for your five year . Plus you are independent & don't need to wait for someone to push you. By using an ECV/scooter all day, you save your energy & will probably enjoy WDW with your five year old even more .

I rented ECV/scooters from Disney for several trips. However, there are some restrictions - no guarantee of availability either when you first arrive or when you park hop. And it never failed to "die" at the furthest point in the park away from Guest Services like Conservation Station at the AK.

SO, last month I rented one from Walker. It was a very good expereince. The ECV was waiting at the hotel's guest service for me on my arrival day. This ECV has three wheels rather than four like the Disney ones. My first thought was maybe I wouldn't feel as balanced or whatever, but three wheels was so much better! I had a much better turning radius which helps in small spaces. The same handle is used for forward & backward (Disney has a separate button for reverse). It took a few minutes to get used to that - no big deal for me. We found the directions for taking the scooter apart the day we were returning it! I have since printed out another DISers instructions & will take them with me next time.

You do not need a doctor's note to rent an ECV or a scooter or to obtain a Guest Assistance Card (GAC) at any of the parks.

 

[SueM in MN]

As the others said, everything is a lot farther than you think. Just the walkway around WS in Epcot is over 1 mile. I've read that the average person probably walks 8-10 miles per day on a WDW vacation. Even if you don't think you will need a wheelchair or ecv, you can take the phone numbers for the rental places along with you in case you change your mind.
Think of your energy as a bank account and the wheelchair or ecv as an energy saving device. Why "spend" a lot of energy at just walking along when you could "spend" it on more fun things.
Another hint: if you get tired at the parks and need a rest, go to First Aid. They have nice quiet, dim little individual cubicles with cots where you can lie down. If you have a set of walkie talkies, you can lie down for a while while the rest of your party tours and then call them up again when you are ready to go. We've found that is much more restful for DD than making the effort to go all the way back to your room.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I will second (or third) most of the other statements.

Things are much further than they look. It is not just the walking, but also the standing in lines that can get very tiring.

Often, especially in the middle of the day, rental ECVs are not available in the parks. Also if you are far from the gate and decide you need some sort of wheels how will you get back to get them from the rental location.

If you are with one other person plus your 5yo, the other person cannot handle both a wheelchair and stroller and you may be too exhausted to handle a wheelchair, especially up hills.

I would strongly suggest renting an ECV from an off-site location for the entire trip.

If you decide to do this, please let us know if you will be using a car or WDW transportation, so we can give suggestions related to that, as well as (dis)assembly of the ECV.

 

[TaraG]

Thank you all for your tips on wheel chair vs. ECV. We are staying at the Contemporary (dh, me and 5 y/o son). We will be having a stroller for our son, since I know he won't walk the whole time and at 50+ pounds he gets quite heavy for dh to carry. lol

I'm going to check into renting them from off site. That way it will be available if and when I will need it.

Thanks again!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

You should not have any problems in the Contemporary, as the rooms are very large. You might want to move the table from near the day bed closer to the big chair and next to the window. Then drive the ECV straight in almost all the way to the window.

There should be an electric outlet near/behind the day bed. Plug the charger into the wall there. The two cords to the charger are each about six feet. You can leave the charger plugged in all the time and routinely plug it into the ECV anytime you are in the room.

Probably the easiest way to get out of the room is make a "Y" turn by backing it between the two beds and then out forward. If you feel you can't maneuver well backwards, you can put it into "freewheel" (see below) and have DH push it.

(Facing the ECV from the rear, on the top right of the motor/wheel assembly nearest to you on the right is a knob and a toggle switch. If you pull the knob up (about 2-3 inches) and move the toggle switch to the back you disable the braking system and it will move easily. Note that the scooter will NOT work unless the toggle switch is forward and the knob fully down against the drive.)

The elevator to the monorail is across the corridor from the monorail escalators, next to the Fantasia shop.

If you have any other questions please contact me, I have stayed over 100 nights in the Contemporary since 1991.

 

[SueM in MN]

You might not want to leave the charger plugged in when the ecv is not plugged in. The end where the ecv would be plugged in in a live electrical connection. (I'm kid of extra cautious about those things with a child araound - even a 5 year old).