ECV use at Animal Kingdom

[postalone]

Can someone out there help me please.... I'm trying to plan our itinerary for AK, and am not sure if an ECV can be used in certain parts of the park due to the "rough terrain". Has anyone used an ECV at:

Maharajh Jungle Trek and Pangani Forest Exploration Trail?

If a ride says "wheelchair accessible", is it safe to assume it is also ECV accessible? I am specifically referring to :

Festval of the Lion King
Its Tough To bE A bug
Tarzan Rocks

Thanks for any help!
Nancy

 

[kaytieeldr]

The roads and pathways aren't "that" rough - they're just not as smooth as in the other parks.

All three shows you list are ECV accessible. The Guest may remain in the ECV for the entire show.

All three Trails (you forgot Cretaceous Trail in DinoLand ) are ECV-accessible, although if you've got somebody to run interference, so much the better. Many people on foot simply don't "see" ECVs, never mind the size.

As for actual rides being accessible, to the best of my knowledge, ECVs will fit through the regular queue at all attractions (except you do branch off to a different, not necessarily faster, boarding area for the Safari) but Guests wanting to ride the attractions will have to transfer to the actual ride vehicle. On the Safari, I don' think an ECV will fit, but you could transfer to a wheelchair and then to a seat. VERY short ramp, maybe ten feet.

 

[graygables]

Just a note, the ramp leaving the Safari is NOT well designed for an ECV and I have seen several incidents of near-tip-overs and just general frustration while trying to make the hairpin curve. It helps to take your time!

 

[SueM in MN]

Just a note, the ramp leaving the Safari is NOT well designed for an ECV and I have seen several incidents of near-tip-overs and just general frustration while trying to make the hairpin curve. It helps to take your time!

Good point.
Another thing that would help is to be the last to leave the area. The Safari tram unloads one tram at a time. If you let all the other people from your tram go down the exit path in front of you, you can take your time without feeling rushed. There will be no one behind you for at least several minutes.

I agree with what the other posters wrote about accessibility. Here's a link to the official AK Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities. As you can see if you check it out, those attractions are listed as wheelchair/eccv accessible. The park maps will also have an icon that will help you. If it has a little icon of a wheelchair, it is wheelchair and ecv accessible. The attractions where you need to transfer have an icon of a person getting out of the ecv into a wheelchair (the attraction is wheelchair accessible, but not ECV accessible) or a person leaving the wheelchair and standing up (a transfer is needed to a ride car).

On the Safari, an ECV can't be loaded onto the ride "jeep". A wheelchair can, but since only the first row is wheelchair accessible, the CMs do ask people to transfer to a ride seat if possible (so the wheelchair spots can be saved for people who are not able to transfer).