Does Disney rent out ECVs to anybody?

[DisneyMissy]

On my last trip we were in the MK one night and a teenager got busted from some castmembers for using a wheelchair when he didn't need one. He was using it so he could get on rides faster by getting to the head of the line from what I heard. They took the wheelchair from him and then I saw him again after I got off ot Big Thunder and he was bragging to his buddies that he got busted. That just es me off that people do stuff like that. It makes it bad for the people who really need it.

 

[Nicole]

Maybe the rule needs to be that you can't drink alcohol if you are utilizing an ECV. That would stink for those people who truly need it and just want a glass of wine with dinner, but it would prevent the new game "drinking and driving around the world."

 

[Mystic]

Before given their ECV to ride in the park, guests who wish to drive one are required to drive an ECV through an obstacle course. The course includes a cone slalom, sharp turns, uneven terrain, sudden stops, and a high speed ring.

If the guest fails the obstacle course, then they are allowed to rent the ECV in the park.

I find this really hard to believe considering my mother was run into by someone in one of these ECV's and she wasn't even moving at the time. We had stopped on Main Street down near the hub by Cinderella's Castle to catch the end of Cinderella's Surprise Celebration. We were standing near the horse drawn trolley with no one else around us save the driver and one other person we later learned was a cast member. There was no one behind us or really on either side of us save the 2 cast members. We were stationary and this woman drove her ECV right into my mother, who could have been seriously injured. The woman driving could barely speak English and couldn't figure out how to drive the ECV. Luckily my mom was wearing her running shoes which took the brunt of the impact. If she had been in her sandals, God only knows what having one of those machines ram into her ankles would have done. It's quite obvious that this woman never would have passed this test you speak of and yet she was driving a motorized wheel chair.

 

[jozzmenia]

While I understand your point, I do disagree. Sometimes just a regular wheelchair can be too much for the person that is forced to push it - be it another person or the person in the chair. My father is partially paralyzed from a stroke so an ECV is really not an option and believe me it becomes a major undertaking to drive that wheelchair around all day. If an ECV were an option for him I would jump on it - so for those that it is an option - I can't blame them at all for getting one.

I agree. I couldn't imagine trying to manually operate a wheelchair all day and navigate a hot park. I think it's a bad overgeneralization to say that "MOST" people who rent ECV's don't know how to drive them. Even so, being a perfectly capable non-disabled person who has the luxury of being able to walk, I would prefer to dodge one or 2 ECVs during the day than to make make disabled people struggle just so that I can avoid a minor inconvenience.

And yes, I do get annoyed at the thought of non-disabled/lazy people renting them and engaging in horseplay :fork:

 

[jozzmenia]

If the people really need it to get around that's one thing, its the people who take advantage of the situation. Im 25 and I saw people my age renting them then driving around world showcase stopping at each country for a beer or glass of wine.

What'd u do follow them to each country? Stalker.
J/K

But I don't see the big issue. Keep in mind that people who are disabled do drink too. They also might mess around, play pranks, and have a good time like everyone else. If I saw it, I might be a little bit annoyed, but that would be the end of it. I got bumped in a grocery store by someone in one of those motorized things once and they looked about my age (26), I didn't see any clear disablilty, but that doesn't mean there wasn't one. They apologized, and I smiled and said "oh no problem!" And guess what, I survived!

 

[DopeysGirl1226]

Nah, not a stalker.

We were just lucky enough to be traveling in the same direction around world showcase. My husband is a avid fan of drinking around the world. He does it walking though!

Having a drink here or there is one thing. Getting intoxicated and driving them is another. They should be treated with the same respect as a car is. But, of couse that solely relys on the guest driving.

 

[sring]

Common Curtosey

They apologized, and I smiled and said "oh no problem!" And guess what, I survived!

There's the key. Too many time I have been bumped into by both wheelchairs and ECVs. I might have been standing still for quite some time and I get the hairy eyeball from the operator like it was my fault I was in their way, forget that they were looking at some ride and not where they were going.

Hey, accidents happen. In a place like Disney you're going to get walked into, bumped and the like. All I ask is that if someone is driving an ECV, watch where you're going and if your not, stop blaming the victim.

As for the guest drinking around the world, I'd apply some sort of DUI rules.

 

[CoffeeJedi]

I got bumped in a grocery store by someone in one of those motorized things once and they looked about my age (26), I didn't see any clear disablilty, but that doesn't mean there wasn't one.

Thank you! yes, this is very true, and something that my wife fights with alot; she's 25, slender, pretty, and smarter than i am , so people often give her a shifty look when she pulls into a handicapped space or drives a cart at the store. I'm afraid that when we go to World Showcase and she's seen sipping a glass of wine while driving, people will think she's just lazy or abusing the system.

 

[shopgirl]

I sympathize for the people who do need those wheelchairs and I think they should be completely accessible for them-- however! That being said, when I was at WDW last year with my friend we watched two elderly men take those damned motorized scooters into the living seas and tried to manuever them through that winding walkway before the show! THey got stuck, they went in reverse, the blocked everyone from going in their wives literally were trying to push the carts out of the way-- we eventually got by them and when they came into the auditorium where the show was they literally hit us with those things-- we left. Plenty of people without any need for them rent them on a continuous basis-- because they can. Also-- people use them to cut ahead in lines-- which we also see.
My mother and I were there a few months ago and this fat woman riding around on her rented motorized cart stops in front of us as we are sitting on a bench in World Showcase-- she stops and says to my mom and i "it's the only way to travel through the parks" and keeps going. maybe they shouldn't remove the fast food-- because those of us who can eat it and take care of ourselves shouldn't have to suffer at the hands of lazy people who rent those carts and ride around on them and gain 500 lbs! Generally-- the majority of the people I see driving the rented ones are just lazy-- the people who genuinely have a problem usually have their own or the rent one and drive like a sane person.

 

[Ariellen]

I think they are often warranted, but a lot of people seem to think that they no longer have to be courteous, they can just plow through in the ECVs. But the same is frequently true of people who are pushing strollers through the park; I've seen a stroller (with a child in it) used to repeatedly, deliberately ram into another guest until he moved out of the way of the guest with the stroller.

Courtesy is the name of the game; WDW does need to rent strollers, and sometimes people do need an ECV as opposed to a regular wheelchair. Everyone should be able to enjoy the parks.

 

[shopgirl]

I think they are often warranted, but a lot of people seem to think that they no longer have to be courteous, they can just plow through in the ECVs. But the same is frequently true of people who are pushing strollers through the park; I've seen a stroller (with a child in it) used to repeatedly, deliberately ram into another guest until he moved out of the way of the guest with the stroller.

Courtesy is the name of the game; WDW does need to rent strollers, and sometimes people do need an ECV as opposed to a regular wheelchair. Everyone should be able to enjoy the parks.

I agree with you completely! My ankles are sore many times when I leave the park because of parents and the strollers-- although my favorite is the parent who rents the stroller and is pushing around their 10 and 12 years olds in it! That always makes me laugh. Of course the best was the last time when I was there last year-- we are standing watching Wishes-- the show was literally just about to start and my mom asked me a question-- this obnixous family next to us tells my mom to be quiet because their infant was sleeping! Seriously! She asked me if I wanted to go to a ride after the show! I turned to them and asked if they were going to ask Disney to mute the fireworks and turn off the music.

 

[uncommon2000]

I find this really hard to believe considering my mother was run into by someone in one of these ECV's and she wasn't even moving at the time. We had stopped on Main Street down near the hub by Cinderella's Castle to catch the end of Cinderella's Surprise Celebration. We were standing near the horse drawn trolley with no one else around us save the driver and one other person we later learned was a cast member. There was no one behind us or really on either side of us save the 2 cast members. We were stationary and this woman drove her ECV right into my mother, who could have been seriously injured. The woman driving could barely speak English and couldn't figure out how to drive the ECV. Luckily my mom was wearing her running shoes which took the brunt of the impact. If she had been in her sandals, God only knows what having one of those machines ram into her ankles would have done. It's quite obvious that this woman never would have passed this test you speak of and yet she was driving a motorized wheel chair.

I don't think you detected the fact that he wasn't serious.

 

[wdwcp2000]

Before given their ECV to ride in the park, guests who wish to drive one are required to drive an ECV through an obstacle course. The course includes a cone slalom, sharp turns, uneven terrain, sudden stops, and a high speed ring.

If the guest fails the obstacle course, then they are allowed to rent the ECV in the park.

That's interesting - - When I worked there in 2000 there wasn't anything like this. I worked at DAK and we would just rent them, never had any issues with people abusing the system.

 

[EpcotGrl]

That's interesting - - When I worked there in 2000 there wasn't anything like this. I worked at DAK and we would just rent them, never had any issues with people abusing the system.

I think a few people have misread this post as being serious:

Before given their ECV to ride in the park, guests who wish to drive one are required to drive an ECV through an obstacle course. The course includes a cone slalom, sharp turns, uneven terrain, sudden stops, and a high speed ring.

If the guest fails the obstacle course, then they are allowed to rent the ECV in the park.

:wave:

 

[The Mom]

Before given their ECV to ride in the park, guests who wish to drive one are required to drive an ECV through an obstacle course. The course includes a cone slalom, sharp turns, uneven terrain, sudden stops, and a high speed ring.

If the guest fails the obstacle course, then they are allowed to rent the ECV in the park.

:lol: I noticed the word FAILS in your last sentence, and picked up on the sarcasm. Perhaps you should have added a smiley?

 

[The Mom]

My mother uses a walker, and it still takes her 10 minutes to get from her apartment to the elevator, so the last time we were at WDW, she used a wheelchair with me pushing her. There was no way that I would let her use a scooter! (Momism of the day, "I can't find my clothes! ummm, did you try your closet? :lol: )

Of course, I'm a lot stronger than I appear. :lol:

 

[DisneyMarg]

I find it ironic that they stopped using the doubledecker bus in Epcot as transportation around the World Showcase, I assume because crowds became an issue. But, they let non-disabled individuals rent their own motorized transportation to drive through those same crowds.

However, back to the OP's situation, I always take some perverse comfort in the fact that it is likely that these guys will brag about this for the rest of their lives, and when they do, rather than thinking them smart or clever, most people will think, "Wow, what a jerk!". "

 

[MommytoMJM]

Before given their ECV to ride in the park, guests who wish to drive one are required to drive an ECV through an obstacle course. The course includes a cone slalom, sharp turns, uneven terrain, sudden stops, and a high speed ring.

If the guest fails the obstacle course, then they are allowed to rent the ECV in the park.

ROFLMMEO!!!!!

Even as an owner and user of an ECV I find that hysterical...

I own mine and use it all of the time, so I am a very good driver with it and have never run over or hit anyone...theough several people have run into me, including a mna who (I kid you not0 fell on TOP of me at Wishes!

 

[MommytoMJM]

I realize there are people that really need ECV's. However, I swear everytime I got on a bus, we had to wait while they loaded an ECV on. The people would go so far as to help pull the thing up and strap it down. Huh? We only encountered one wheelchair and about 20 EVC's.

ECV's and Power Chairs have given those of us who are disabled that freedome to go out in public alone rather than staying inside all the time. I think that is why there are more of them...also the median age of our society is getting older as well...

 

[peter11435]

ECV's and Power Chairs have given those of us who are disabled that freedome to go out in public alone rather than staying inside all the time. I think that is why there are more of them...also the median age of our society is getting older as well...

I just wanted to point out that I am all for people who need them using ECV's or power chairs. I am glad they exist and think those that have them should bring them to WDW and enjoy the magic just like the rest of us. I just don't think Disney should rent them because the majority of people who rent them have never driven them before and well like I said before Disney is not the place to learn.