Have a few questions please?

[micknpluto]

Me my Mom and a friend are going to WDW in October. We are staying at the Pop Century Resort. Of course my Mom is familiar with all the walking this trip will entail. She rented an ECV last trip while in the parks. This is the first time she will be staying on site and I already requested a "preferred room" meaning,,close to the main building/pool/foodcourt. While at the parks shes planning on ECV rentals but I never think about how much walking there is between park entrances and the bus stops and what if they run out of ECVs? I would gladly push her in a wheelchair but she feels bad and would rather use the auto. ones...


She had hip replacement surgery last summer plus she has bad arthritis, so you can just imagine what that feels like when you have to walk long distances. I thought about renting an ECV off site somewhere but after reading and already knowing how other people are going to feel when getting on and off the buses is just too much and my Moms not going to be comfortavle with that either. Im not going to be strong enough to lift it on and off and I wont know how to assemble and dissasemble it when when needed.

I know for a fact, at least the last time she was there with us, they didnt have them available at Downtown Disney, only wheelchairs..and I can remember her getting tired and not being able to walk the first day we were at the marketplace..

What should I do???

Also, how much do they cost to rent for a week (7 days) and by the way, we will not be renting a car,,Just relying on Disney Transportation..
Thanks

 

[Anne MN]

I have been starting to research this for end of December. My MIL will need an ECV. We have found that during busy times that ECV's are hard to come by in the park. We are renting one from off site. we will be there for 8 or 9 days. Most of the services deliver and pick up. I also have a child with heart condition and other med and stamina issues, so I do not want to use wheelchair for MIL. Child uses stroller like a wheelchair, plus we have her twin and a 3 yr old. MIL and child can wait for rest of us when they can not ride due to health conditions. MIL also has heart, mobility issues.

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Rent an ECV fom an offsite company like Walker or Care. They are about the same cost as renting each day in the parks and you get to have it 24/7 at your resort hotel as well as in the parks.

Someone else will, I am sure jump in with costs & phone numbers.

Despite everything you might have heard on these boards about boarding Disney Buses with powerchairs, you will find boarding with an ECV a doddle. All disney buses, the monorails and most of the boats carry ECVs without dismantling them, You can even stay seated in them if you wish. The renta companies deliver right to your hotel.

A few years back, my wife, who also has arthritis used an ECV at Disney becaus of a failed hip. Here in the UK we are lucky to have no-cost state health care, but you have to wait on line for non-life threatening operations. She had to wait 18 months from diagnosis to replacement hip, and during that period she was in a lot of pain and couldn't walk very far.

I have sympathy for your mom.

Andrew

 

[cupcake]

Walker is $199/week. I understand Randy's is less but you need to be there for drop-off/pick-up. Since you are going at a non-peak time, if you rent from WDW, if you get there when the park opens, you should be OK. If not, your mom will have to rent a WDW wc. Note that you aren't saving any $ renting from WDW plus the 4 wheel WDW ECVs are harder to manage than the 3 wheel offsite ones, which are great. The marketplace only offers wcs, I believe. If your mom absolutely will not rent offsite, try borrowing a wc from your resort. They statiscially tend to be in better shape than the park ones (although this definitely may not be the case with your wc!), they are easy to take on a bus, & your mom will always have a seat to wait for the bus and a wc for the trek to the gate.

BUT . . . re the buses, it is time for a pep talk! You say you know what people will think, so you don't want to take the EVC on a bus. Well, sure there are a few insensitive, mean people out there. There are people everywhere who feel that it is their place to judge others, whether it is mobility, age, gender, race, or whatever. It does not make it right, and ***it does not mean that everyone feels that way***. Based on my experiences, they don't! It is your vacation!!! You can't make an insensitive person "get it" and you, your mom, and your family have every right to be able to get around. If someone has to wait a few minutes so your mom's EVC can be loaded, so be it. Yes, we all understandably don't want to inconvenience others but we also are entitled to be able to get around and also enjoy our trips. You are overwhelmingly likely the person who is paying the most attention to the ECV on the bus, and if I am wrong and you have a jerk with you, than that's the way the cookie crumbles. Maybe you will educate him/her (likely not, they "know best"), and if not, who cares??? Why should someone's prejudiced views make your mom spend her vacation sitting on a bench???

OK, off my soapbox.

Cupcake

 

[BelleNBama]

I'm leaving Sunday for a five night trip to WDW. I asked on this board about renting from Disney or offsite and ended up calling Walker's (1-800-SCOOTER). The girl on the phone was very nice and helpful. She emailed my confirmation while we were talking and I was able to print it out before hanging up with her.

We'll be back at Disney in late June/early July. If there are no problems with the ECV from Walkers, I will rent from them again for that trip.

 

[micknpluto]

As much as it sounds very tempting to just rent an EVC from an off-site company, I dont know if I should bother??? Meaning, we are going to use the Disney buses as our main use of transportation. WE may rent a car for 1 day or take a taxi to go off property for maybe 1 day, and obviously an EVC is too heavy for me to lift and wont fit into a regular car. I'll leave it up to my Mom, if she decides she wants to rent one for use the whole time, then i will inquire more about the rentals and gather names and phone numbers...

Thanks for your help...I always appreciate the help from my fellow DISers

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would STRONGLY suggest the off-site rental.

First of all, use of an ECV will give your mother much more of a feeling of independence than a wheelchair, and it is available to her at all times.

Most of us replying have been ECV users for years (Andrew uses a powerchair) and although we may have not met physically, we know each other from the boards. Cupcake also posts (and helps people) a lot. Basically Disney Transportation is extremely good for people with disabilities.

Distances can be very deceiving. The walk around World Showplace at Epcot is more than a mile. Most people do between eight and ten miles a day at WDW.

The rental ECVs break into five parts. The heaviest is just under 40 pounds, and the total weight is about 120 pounds. You are provided with a set of instructions, including pictures, about disassembly and assembly. If you want, I can e-mail or PM a set of instructions.

If you will rent a car at all, the trunk of a full-size, four-door sedan (Buick Century or larger) can hold a diassembled ECV. If you will be using a taxi for off-site travel for a day, they have large trunks and the driver can handle the disassembly, etc., for you (just add about $5.00 to your usual tip for the special help).

Below is a listing of the off-site rental companies:

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

Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
407-856-2273, Toll Free U.S and Canada (800) 741-2282

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

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

ScootAround
http://www.scootaround.com
Toll-free, US and Canada 888-441-7575

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 are much better than Disney's. (For a 350 pound capacity scooter it is $30 per day but stops at $ 199.50 for a week; rates go down for a longer period.) Also, their scooters are much better.

Think about one thing, you have asked for help and all of us have basically said the same thing -- there is a reason.

 

[micknpluto]

You are right! I will start looking into everything, Ill look around on the websites you have provided me and take it from there..


Hey, thanks again!
You guys are the best

Chris

 

[JudithM]

I cannot agree more with the "regualar" posters here who use an ECV, wheelchair, powerchair, etc.!! I really hope you & your mom will look again at the possibility of renting an ECV off site.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with a knee condition. I read this board as a lurker. What I learned first & foremost is that I need to do whatever I can to make my trip enjoyable for me & for the others with me.

Before my next trip I talked to my orthopedic doctor about a handicapped parking permit. I would not have even thought about it if it weren't for people here. My doctor signed the papers & I got a handicapped tag from Motor Vehicles. I know you said you won't have a car at WDW, but for those of us who do, it helps to park in the handicapped section with the off site rented ECV (I rent from Walker.).

Using an ECV saves my knees, so it not only makes me more comfortable, but helps my husband & friends have a more enjoyable trip because they aren't worrying about me & my knees. EVCs come with a basket to hold various odds & ends like water bottles, sun tan lotion, rain ponchos, cameras, pin bags, etc.

Initially I rented an ECV at each WDW park we visited. Guests are NOT guaranteed an ECV if you park hop in one day. I was fortunate that I almost always got an ECV in the next park the same day. Many times either I or a CM, at the park I was leaving, would call ahead & "reserve" an ECV. From what I understand Disney no longer provides this service. I can certainly appreciate the hassles this might cause.

Then there was the issue of reliability of the ECVs Disney rents. I can tell you where in each park the Disney ECV died - Osborne Lights on a chilly December evening, Germany at EPCOT, Conservation Station at AK (I had to be pushed to the train & onto the train), Jungle Cruise at the MK, etc. I have yet to run out of battery power in the ECV I rent from Walker.

Then there were the times I planned on a Disney ECV only to find there were none available - Mother's Day at EPCOT a half hour after park opening; Studios mid afternoon on a Thursday in early December.

We had the pleasure of meeting Cheshire Figment at a pin meet. He & my husband spent time talking about ECVs & the plusses of renting off property.

I have now used Walker four or five times with nothing but praise. I call their toll free number to reserve an ECV. The ECV arrives at the resort where I am staying either before I arrive or about the time I arrive. My credit card is charged the amount discussed in the phone conversation on the day before my arrival. I return the ECV to the resort's bell staff early in the morning of the day I leave.

There are a few little quirks/differences to get used to between he ECVs I rented from Disney & the one from Walker. One difference I like is the three wheels on the Walker ECVs. Also, Walker loans you a battery charger. We charge it every night & as I said earlier we have never run out of power while away from the room. I have the ECV wherever we decide to go like downtown Disney, Sea World, another resort, etc.

Whatever you decide, have fun & enjoy your trip!

 

[micknpluto]

What did you do with the ECV when you went to Sea World and those other places?? I mean, how did you get it in and out of the car? Also, what were your experiences with getting on and off the Disney buses? I wish they could have a ramp that would come down where you could roll onto and off from the busses.

I live in NJ not far from the Jersey shore..Last summer we went to Ocean City, NJ for a week and we found a place that rented an ECV to us for the entire week and it was great,,The only problem was,,when we took road trips in the car, we left the ECV at home because I could not lift it, and didnt know how to take it apart. After reading your posts, I called my Mom and suggested renting for the whole week from an outside company,,Ya know what she said?? She says.."thats alot of money" (I told her it would be around $200 and they would deliver and pick it up)...Personally I told her its NOT alot of money considering shes going to pay $20-$30 a day at each Disney park IF shes lucky enough to get one each day and she wont have access to it at Dowtown Disney and all the other places...She doesnt want a wheelchair. so looks like she will be walking when she doesnt have the ECV...Shes the boss, I will continue to browse through the companies and look at prices, and let her decide...

I should make her read these posts!!! You guys know whats best!

Chris

 

[micknpluto]

I just looked on Walker and Randys sites,,Randys seems to be about $50-$60 cheaper for a week and they both say they will deliver and pick up at the resorts,,,Is one company better then the other?? The scooters seem to look the same??? What about the service??

Thanks again
Chris

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Walker is a bigger company than Randy.

Also, Walker will make sure that the ECV is at your hotel Bell Services prior to your scheduled arrival, and will pick it up from Bell Services after your sxcheduled departure. Randy's requires you to be prersent both when they deliver it and when they pick it up.

If, for example, you are having an evening arrival usually Walker's will not charge for the first day. If you have an early morning arrival it will be delivered the afternoon before and you can use it immediately on arrival.

I will send you a PM with instructions concerning disassembly and assembly. These ibnstructions will not make real sense until you actually do them. Note it breaks into five pieces, the heaviest being just under 40 pounds. It will fit in the trunk of a full-size, four-door sedan such as a Buick Century or larger. If you use a taxicab for off-site it should fit in the cab and the driver can handle it (however, I would advise tipping the driver an extra $5.00 or so for taking it apart, loading it in the trunk, unloading it and reassembling it.

 

[McCall]

Walker has fantastic service. Last trip we had to call on two different occasions, first when scooter got flat tire, they brought a new one to us [we were at the back of World showcase at the time] and they were there with it within an hour.
second time my husband broke off the key in the starter On A Sunday, and they got us help right away.
Can't say enough about the service.

 

[Talking Hands]

Walker is awesome. My personal power wheelchair broke down during my August trip. We called Walker and they had an ECV to me within 2 hours. They couldn't provide a power whelchair but the ECV was set up for my height and was a positive solution for the situation.