Personal convenience vehicle rental

[figmentmom]

I'm taking my 78-year-young dad to WDW for his first trip in November! He is in good health, but has arthritic knees. We'll be staying at All-Stars Music. I was originally planning on renting a personal convenience vehicle - if I'm calling them by their correct name! - at the parks each day to eliminate as much walking as possible, but I am now considering renting one for our entire stay from an outside medical equipment company. (They would deliver it to the resort for him.)

Has anyone had any experience with this? I've never stayed at ASM before, so I don't know how much walking we'd be doing from our room to the bus stops, food court, etc. I don't think Dad would have trouble walking from the bus stops at the parks to the entrances, but if ASM is really spread out, maybe it would be too much for him. I'm also worried about availability of the vehicles at the parks. We will be there several weeks before Thanksgiving, and I don't know what the crowds will be like. If I rent a vehicle from an outside company, are most Disney buses equipped to handle transporting it to the parks?

Help!

 

[Yellow Shoes]

I think I would rent from an outside company.

It's not just the walking from the bus stop to the room--it's also walking to the food court or pool within the resort.

Also, if you wanted to go to Downtown Disney or the Boardwalk you wouldn't have the ECV there.

I've never done it, but I've looked at the websites for medical supply companies in Orlando.

The price is close to a daily rental at the parks, and you can't beat the convenience of having it delivered to the resort.

There shouldn't be a problem getting it on Disney transportation.

 

[Testtrack321]

All parks rent the electric scooters thingies, but hotel's don't, and ASM is BIG. You can ask around and see if you can get a wheelchair for the hotel and just keep it in the room for when you need to get around.

 

[lovesdisney69]

ecv

we went last year a week before thankgiving. my mother rental a ecv from disney and never had a problem getting one in the morning. they have hundreds for each park. they have bus that you can get ride on with your scooters. it depends on where your room is at in the hotel. if you get one in the back it is like about a 1/4 miles from the bus stop and the food court is right there too. did you tell disney that you was traveling with someone who has problem walking and they will try and get you up front if you didn't ask for a preferred room.

 

[barnum42]

I think I am correct in saying that an ECV rented at one park stays in that park, so he would have to surrender it at the exit and pick up a new one at the next park should you go hopping.

I've been told it's cheaper renting them from an outside company. If you are using a car they do ones that will break down for transportation.

My Mother looked at renting an ECV but used the money to buy a nice manual wheelchair which provided me with extra exercise pusing it around the parks :lol:

 

[jordanyosh]

Our large family used an outside company for our trip. They delivered them and picked them up. They were very convenient for the older folks in our group. However, we did also have a rental van which made transportation to and from the parks pretty easy. I really don't know how it would be getting the ECVs on and off busses.

 

[TURKEY]

If staying at Music, I would pay to be in a preferred room no matter what.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

There are a few really good offsite rental places.

Walker Medical 1-800-334-9501
Care Medical Equipment 1-800-741-2282
LifeAir (407) 298-9496

I would call each one for pricing, etc.

Pam

 

[Hakunamatata]

There are a few really good offsite rental places.

Walker Medical 1-800-334-9501
Care Medical Equipment 1-800-741-2282
LifeAir (407) 298-9496

I would call each one for pricing, etc.

Pam

Isnt Pam great!!!!!!! :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[tigger248]

You can rent a manual wheelchair from the hotel front desk. I don't think there's a charge, but I could be wrong on that because my parents always take care of that. So, if you do choose to rent the ecv from the parks, you could get the manual one for getting around the resort. That way it would fold up in the room, providing a little more space. If you end up with one from an outside company and use the buses with it, most every bus is equipped with wheelchair seats. They put you on the bus first to use the lift. Each bus has room for two wheelchairs. If those slots are full you have to wait for the next bus. Sometimes, this creates a longer wait than if you didn't have the chair. Othertimes, it helps out because you get let on first so you know you will have a seat.

You could also get a preferred room at the resort. That would guaruntee that you'd be close to the bus stop, food court, and pool. It would still be a little bit of a walk to the bus stop, but it would be significantly closer than if you ended up with a room in the back. From the preferred room area, I don't think it would be too much farther than walking from the bus stops at the parks to the front gates.

 

[Debbie]

When I was trying to convince Mother-in-law and Father-in-law to go again, I figured I'd bring the push kind with us on the road, and use it for everything outside the park. Then when we got to the park, inquire about leaving it there, and renting the ECV for the parks. By the end of the day; my patience are worn with the ECV and her and I don't know if I could tolerate her trying to back in and out of the busses. I'd rather push her to the bus and the hotel room then deal with the ECV.

 

[figmentmom]

Thanks, everyone! I think we're going to go with the ECV rental at the parks, mostly because Dad does not want to call attention to himself by needing special assistance on and off buses. Barnum, I'm assuming that an ECV rental is much like a stroller rental, in that you pay to rent it for the day, leave the one you rented in that park, and then pick up a different ECV/stroller at the next park (hope I'm right!) (Thanks, Pam, for the phone numbers of rental equipment companies - you've been a tremendous help throughout this whole trip planning process!)

I also think we're going to go for the preferred room, if we can reserve one at this late date.

Again, thanks, everyone!!! :wave:

 

[figmentmom]

MANY, MANY THANKS TO PAM AT KINGDOM KONSULTANTS!!! :sohappy:

Pam got us rooms at Port Orleans Riverside!! I'm very familiar with that resort, so I know exactly what we're looking at in terms of walking to the bus stops, food court, etc. We're definitely going to go with renting the ECV at the parks now.

THANKS AGAIN, PAM!!! :wave:

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

You are very welcome!

Pam :kiss: