Will an ECV and double stroller fit in a mini van??

[2nd Time Bride]

Our December trip will require an ECV for my FIL and a double stroller for my kiddos. We are renting a Dodge Caravan size mini van and I am wondering if everything will fit. Can someone help me out? Here are the details of my van "inventory":

- 3 wheel ECV
- City Mini side by side double stroller
- 2 kids, each in a convertible car seat
- 4 adults

We are staying at AKV Kidani on the Savannah and I have heard the hallways there are super long otherwise we would rent the ECV at Disney each day. My FIL is awaiting knee replacement surgery and I cannot imagine he will be able to enjoy himself without the ECV.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

No, to fit both you'd need to fold down the back seat.

 

[I Love Pluto]

I agree that the passengers will take up all of the seating. I don't see how you could also fit the baggage, scooter, & stroller with that number of people in the seats.

I own a Chrysler Town & Country which has the same layout as the Caravan. Sorry I couldn't give you a more positive answer.

I would rent a scooter and a stroller. That would leave room for baggage & passengers. Enjoy your trip!

 

[gap2368]

I would take disney transportation since you are staying on site and the magical express to the hotel if you need to go some were that you can not go with disney then get a cab or 2 and go the disney busses are not as bad as people make them out to be.

I am only giving you this suggestion since it dose not seem the van will work for you

 

[lanejudy]

I have a Dodge Caravan and agree that it would be a tight squeeze if it's even possible. The 3rd row splits 2/3, but I doubt one adult plus one car seat would fit on the shortened bench. Assuming the kids are in the 3rd row, would the stroller fit standing up between the 2 adults in the middle row? For a short distance (like resort to park) it might be do-able though probably not very comfortable and definitely not ideal.

Any chance you could manage with 2 umbrella strollers? Those fold up tightly enough that at the very least they could fit on the floor of the van under the kids' feet. The City Mini double is much bulkier when folded.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[2nd Time Bride]

Thank you everyone for your feedback! This is why I love the DIS boards!

Our plan was to rent the stroller and the scooter so the trip from the airport to AKV and back would be passengers and luggage only. We would need the stroller and scooter to fit into the van on the daily trips to the parks.

I am not sure what to do at this point, we are going back and forth about renting the van. We have always just relied on Disney transportation but this is the first trip with kids and someone with mobility challenges. Our thought was it would allow us to eliminate long waits for transportation, especially in the event of a meltdown, as well as allow us to go grocery shopping for my DD, who has specific food needs (the cost to have a grocery delivery service find her foods is almost as much as the van rental fee!).

 

[2nd Time Bride]

I would take disney transportation since you are staying on site and the magical express to the hotel if you need to go some were that you can not go with disney then get a cab or 2 and go the disney busses are not as bad as people make them out to be.

I am only giving you this suggestion since it dose not seem the van will work for you

We have never waited for the Magic Express at the airport but I have heard of people who waited hours. Since my FIL won't have the scooter until the resort, do you know if they will provide a chair to sit in while waiting? I also cannot imagine taking my kids off a 3 hour plane ride and then asking them to stand in line for hours. My DH is really nervous about the bus service as well, since we have heard the stories about how bad they are but again, we never had a bad experience.

I think I need to do some more research on what to do about groceries and that will be the make or break decision. I am shipping non-perishable foods ahead of time but my DD has very specific brands and types of food she will eat and I anticipate having to go to multiple stores for the perishable items. I am sure the folks on this board have dealt with this and have some good advice/suggestions.

 

[sunburnin]

Have you looked into renting a regular full sized van??

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

We just had a Chevy Equinox and the middle sat 3 the rear 3, we split the last row into one seat laying down. BUT, it seemed to me, even with a small scooter a double stroller could lay on top sideways. Check out the Equinox. I think it had more width and space then the mini van we typically get.It was through Alamo. With a last minute deal rental it was $149 for the week and came to about $189 for the week. I had a visa code too.
Reserve a larger SUV early and then watch the specials.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

We just had a Chevy Equinox and the middle sat 3 the rear 3, we split the last row into one seat laying down. BUT, it seemed to me, even with a small scooter a double stroller could lay on top sideways. Check out the Equinox. I think it had more width and space then the mini van we typically get.It was through Alamo. With a last minute deal rental it was $149 for the week and came to about $189 for the week. I had a visa code too.
Reserve a larger SUV early and then watch the specials.

An Equinox has less cargo space than a minivan. We have both and the Equinox trunk is mostly taken up by our single stroller. I would not recommend stacking the stroller on the scooter. You run the risk of damaging either the scooter, stroller, or scratching up the inside of the vehicle if you have to cram them both in

 

[2nd Time Bride]

My neighbor has a Caravan, she was suggesting we stow or remove one of the middle bucket seats, put the scooter there and then put the stroller in the back. One person would then have to squish between the two car seats in the back row. Do-able?

DH called Alamo and they said the next size up van has less cargo space and the only other van option they have is a 12 seater and you cannot remove the seats at all.

We talked to the in-laws and they were actually saying, depending on the lines, they would rather take the buses to the parks so they don't have to deal with the parking lots. DH offered to go with them and I would have the van with the kids. Definitely not ideal but I think it's going to be less of an issue than I imagined.

 

[lanejudy]

One person would then have to squish between the two car seats in the back row. Do-able?

I'd say it's doubtful but might depend on the size of the adult and the size of the car seats. In my experience, there are very few vehicles with a large enough bench seat to fit 2 full-sized car seats plus an average adult. A small adult or teen might squeeze. It's easier with booster seats, if either of your kids might be able to use a booster rather than a full forward-facing car seat (I'm not suggesting you skimp on safety). If your neighbor has a Caravan, maybe she'd let you try fitting your seats in the back row to see how much space is left for an adult.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[2nd Time Bride]

I'd say it's doubtful but might depend on the size of the adult and the size of the car seats. In my experience, there are very few vehicles with a large enough bench seat to fit 2 full-sized car seats plus an average adult. A small adult or teen might squeeze. It's easier with booster seats, if either of your kids might be able to use a booster rather than a full forward-facing car seat (I'm not suggesting you skimp on safety). If your neighbor has a Caravan, maybe she'd let you try fitting your seats in the back row to see how much space is left for an adult.

Enjoy your vacation!

My DD has a booster we are bringing but my DS is still backward facing in a Diono Radian convertible. That darn thing weighs almost 50 lbs and requires a wedge when backward facing. We have a test run in the neighbor's van setup for this weekend! Thanks!

 

[keepswimming76]

We fit an ECV and a double stroller in a rented Caravan, but it was tight. My parents road in the front, my husband and two kids in the third row and I was in one middle seat. The stroller was places on top of the other middle seat and the ECV went in the back.

The only reason it worked was because we rented an ECV that could be quickly disassembled.

 

[2nd Time Bride]

We fit an ECV and a double stroller in a rented Caravan, but it was tight. My parents road in the front, my husband and two kids in the third row and I was in one middle seat. The stroller was places on top of the other middle seat and the ECV went in the back.

The only reason it worked was because we rented an ECV that could be quickly disassembled.

Do you know what model ECV you rented? TIA!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

We fit an ECV and a double stroller in a rented Caravan, but it was tight. My parents road in the front, my husband and two kids in the third row and I was in one middle seat. The stroller was places on top of the other middle seat and the ECV went in the back.

The only reason it worked was because we rented an ECV that could be quickly disassembled.

Were the kids in car seats?

 

[keepswimming76]

They were in boosters.

 

[keepswimming76]

Do you know what model ECV you rented? TIA!

It was this one:
http://www.walkermobility.com/mobility-scooter-rental-orlando/11/

It was quite heavy, but we needed it for the weight. As I recall, the steering wheel console folded down. We did have to remove the batteries each time and reassemble. The process took less than 5 minutes.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

They were in boosters.

OP's kids are in convertible car seats. My friend has a Grand Caravan and 2 kids in Convertible car seats and we were just discussing how no one else except her stick thin niece who is 7 can sit in the middle. I don't think OP could fit one of the adults between the car seats.

 

[keepswimming76]

True, that would be a squeeze for an adult!