ECV Questions, first time - line and rental questions

Long time Disney visitor - first time needing an ECV!

I was recently diagnosed with gluteal tendonitis which is extremely painful and there is no way I will make it through 2 days of walking the parks from open to close without an ECV. I have 6 weeks of PT ahead of me and our trip is in only 2 weeks.

My main question is - do you park your ECV outside of each attraction and then go stand in line or do the lines accommodate you "driving" your ECV through? We haven't been to Disney in quite a few years and I never paid attention because I didn't need one then.

Also should I get one reserved in advance through an outside company or should I just get one at the parks when I arrive? We are not staying at a Disney resort this time.

Thank you!

momof2intx said:

Long time Disney visitor - first time needing an ECV!

I was recently diagnosed with gluteal tendonitis which is extremely painful and there is no way I will make it through 2 days of walking the parks from open to close without an ECV. I have 6 weeks of PT ahead of me and our trip is in only 2 weeks.

1 My main question is - do you park your ECV outside of each attraction and then go stand in line or do the lines accommodate you "driving" your ECV through? We haven't been to Disney in quite a few years and I never paid attention because I didn't need one then.

2 Also should I get one reserved in advance through an outside company or should I just get one at the parks when I arrive? We are not staying at a Disney resort this time.

Thank you!

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1 it depends on the line some let you take the ECV in and some do not if they do not then you can borrow a wheel chair if you need one.

2 this depends on you remember the in park ones can not be taken out of the park and the line for busses carry monorail can be very long at the end of the night. and if you are driving then you can park close to the park in the preferred spot with out paying for it ( or was told by a CM last week when I was there so I have no tried this)

Please consider renting from an outside vendor. The parks run out of ECV units quickly at this time of year. We like Walker Mobility but there are many companies.

If you are driving to the parks, you will need an ECV that can be disassembled and fit in the space of your car trunk. Be sure to ask vendor for information on space needed in car and weight of pieces.

You can park in the handicapped lot if you have a permit. Ask your dr about getting a temporary permit before you leave home. It is not free to park at Disney. If you do not get a temporary permit, the ECV and yourself will need to be dropped off at passenger drop off location and then the driver will need to circle around and park the car. This can be time consuming so I would try to get the temporary permit from your home state.

How you handle each attraction is up to you and your abilities. I park in the area and walk to several on good days. Bad days, I stay on the ECV most of the time and walk only when I must. I stay on ECV in AK due to the rough concrete and narrow paths.

Hope you have a great time.

No matter where you park your car there is walking involved to get into the Disney parks. For two days, I would consider doing a wheelchair instead of a scooter if you have a pusher. Travel wheelchairs can fold up and get into car trunks. I pushed my mom for about 6 trips. The key is to do rides and shows and alternate to get a rest from pushing the wheelchair all the time.

Wheelchairs have access everywhere through ride queues. Your pusher could get you to the ride and park the wheelchair for you. Some rides allow the wheelchair right on the ride like the Great Movie Ride.

If you are intent on getting a scooter then make sure if you do an outside rental that you don't need a 3-day rental; there may be a minimum rental period.

Your body weight will dictate what style scooter you will need to rent. Pride is a popular brand model to rent. Their smaller go go scooters have one battery and if you plan on a long day in the parks you may have to step it up to the Victory which has two batteries and will give you enough juice for a long day. The Victory scooter weighs more, but can still fit it into a car trunk. We have a large trunk; so, you need to make sure you can fit whatever model into your car.

When you get an outside rental you are responsible for charging the scooter each night.

If you have a local mobility store where you live you can probably see both models. They will probably let you try it out.

I actually measured using a fitness band how much walking there really is when you decide to not rent from an offsite vendor and have it with you at all times. I was a little surprised that it came out as roughly 2 miles just to leave the resort, visit a park (where you rent something) and then get back. so if you also do a resort break, double that number. If you do any meals, shopping, pool and it just keeps going up. some resorts those numbers might be lower or higher but I think that's a fair average number (although I didn't test the furthest room but i'm sure robo has a map with all that info somewhere).

Rent something and have it with you at the resort. it will make your stay 10,000% better.

The Hunchback said:

Please consider renting from an outside vendor. The parks run out of ECV units quickly at this time of year. We like Walker Mobility but there are many companies.

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I second the recommendation for Walker-I just rented from them last week and had a great experience. Last year I rented at the parks, and found off-site scooters much more maneuverable. Last year, it was a spur of the moment decision (Figuring out that "No, I won't survive all week walking"). Fortunately, I didn't run into the running out of scooters problem, but in park is much more expensive.

The Hunchback said:

Please consider renting from an outside vendor. The parks run out of ECV units quickly at this time of year. We like Walker Mobility but there are many companies.

If you are driving to the parks, you will need an ECV that can be disassembled and fit in the space of your car trunk. Be sure to ask vendor for information on space needed in car and weight of pieces.

You can park in the handicapped lot if you have a permit. Ask your dr about getting a temporary permit before you leave home. It is not free to park at Disney. If you do not get a temporary permit, the ECV and yourself will need to be dropped off at passenger drop off location and then the driver will need to circle around and park the car. This can be time consuming so I would try to get the temporary permit from your home state.

How you handle each attraction is up to you and your abilities. I park in the area and walk to several on good days. Bad days, I stay on the ECV most of the time and walk only when I must. I stay on ECV in AK due to the rough concrete and narrow paths.

Hope you have a great time.

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Great post and I agree Walker is a very good company to rent from. We've rented from them numerous times now and never had any problems. Watch the weather and make sure to stay hydrated as the heat/humidity can get you before you realize it.