A few questions about traveling with family using scooter

[SweetJulia23]

I’m sorry if these questions have been asked a million times. I’ve been planning a trip for 13 months and FIL just told be he will be renting a scooter for the entire trip. I’ve made all our plans involving multiple parks in a day and some late dinners I figured we could uber back from if Disney transportation wasn’t running anymore. Now I’m stressing out about the logistics.

How is the skyliner with a scooter? Do they have special cars or do they all accept them?

How does the line for busses in the morning work? We’re at the boardwalk and I don’t remember ever seeing a separate line. People usually just run up to the doors when the bus arrives.

Can he get from boardwalk to the studios on the path? I’ve walked it many times but never paid attention to its accessibility.

Is the wait for a bus at the end of the night
generally longer?

thanks!

 

[gap2368]

I’m sorry if these questions have been asked a million times. I’ve been planning a trip for 13 months and FIL just told be he will be renting a scooter for the entire trip. I’ve made all our plans involving multiple parks in a day and some late dinners I figured we could uber back from if Disney transportation wasn’t running anymore. Now I’m stressing out about the logistics.

1How is the skyliner with a scooter? Do they have special cars or do they all accept them?

2 How does the line for busses in the morning work? 2B We’re at the boardwalk and I don’t remember ever seeing a separate line. People usually just run up to the doors when the bus arrives.

3 Can he get from boardwalk to the studios on the path? I’ve walked it many times but never paid attention to its accessibility.
Is the wait for a bus at the end of the night
generally longer?



thanks!

Yes they have ( for the most part ) a separate line for scooter there is a long thread on this board that I can link latter ( if someone else dose not)

2 just like everyone else. 2b the driver will see him poke his head out and ask if you are going to thst park. Your FIL should be where the drive can see him or when the puss pulls up let the driver know

3 yes the path is accessible
3b depends on how many people need the spot for tie down could be none could be most in line ( it happened one time)

 

[Lizgistix]

There is a separate loading area for wheelchairs and ecvs. Once everyone is situated, a car is taken off the line and your car will join the line in its spot.

Ecvs board at the doors in the back half of the bus. They will be loaded first, along with anyone in their party. The bus driver closes the front door to prevent people from boarding while they attend to the ECV. There is a painted square at the resort bus stop for ecvs to park in. Only two can be loaded on a bus so there may be a wait.

The path to HS and EPCOT has ramps, so it's accessible for ecvs.

It can be, depending on how many people want to take the bus. You can also take the Friendship boat. They are capable of loading an ecv through a ramp at the back of the boat. (to/from HS and Boardwalk)

 

[Bjkandma]

Disney transportation runs up to two hours after the parks "offical" closing time, including extra magic hours and * "special ticketed eve nts". If you are looking for transportation back to your on site resort, stop and ask a cast member at exit (while walking to bus area) or security. They will direct you.

Also, buses from Disney Springs runs til 2am. Although around midnight, they seem to run less often. Again, just locate a cast member or security for assistance.

Disney will not leave you stranded!

 

[kaytieeldr]

board at the doors in the back half of the bus. They will be loaded first, along with anyone in their party.

However, please be considerate of other guests already waiting, and be willing to adhere to the requested, "...and up to five members of their party" request. Be willing to split up, if necessary, or at least dont all grab seats right away. If th ere are more than six in your party, only take five seats until you see how full the bus is.

 

[Selket]

I stayed at the Dolphin recently and I use an ECV in the parks. I had no problems scootering to DHS or Epcot but it's also very easy to take the boat as well (and seemed faster to me but YMMV on that). For the boat the person in the scooter waits in the same line as everyone else and when you come up board they put a ramp down for you. There's scooter parking in the inside rear of the boat. I've never not been able to board and have space.

Generally I've also been able to get on the first bus that comes when leaving the resort - sometimes there are already two ECV's waiting for the same park. Sometimes I keep one family member with me and the rest go in the que - sometimes they all go in the que and leave me - haha! Usually we all get on the same bus - if not it's me that gets left behind and I just meet up with them (usually is this great cause I want Starbucks and my son can go ahead and get I line so it's ready for me when I get there!). I don't like taking more than one family member with me to board first - although usually they stand up anyway (they are older boys) and don't take the seats.

Getting back to the resort can be challenging if you leave from a park that has a night time show or fireworks and you're taking the bus. The line of ECV;s can be long. I usually send my family ahead - that way they can get showers so the shower is free by the time I get there. Sometimes they also take an Uber/Lyft while I wait for the bus.

There are also Minnie Vans that can fit ECV's and many people - they are about $30 a ride but can be worth it if you're somewhere say like AKL for dinner and need to get back to the BC and there's no direct route at all. This would be good also for your late dinners but double check how late they run. They also pick up/drop off at the parks too of course. You might look for the Minnie Van threads here if that sounds like something you'd want to do.

I think in the end it may be a good thing your FIL rented an ECV - otherwise he may have not been able to keep up and do the things you have planned which would have slowed folks down or split them up, etc. He can also go in almost all of the lines with the ECV for the rides/shows - ask a CM if you're not sure and check the FAQ here about it. If your party splits up (like for transportation reasons), send a Disney veteran with him or someone who understands the system well. Cast members are also very helpful if they have questions.

 

[SweetJulia23]

Wow thank you for all the detailed replies everyone!! I’m feeling a little less stressed about it today. I’ve been checking wait times recently and the parks seem Christmas crowded so I was already stressing about that before I got this news. I’m used to going in September so we’ll see how getting around the parks in February works out.


I think the two biggest worries were taking the skyliner from the Studios to Riviera for dinner, and also getting back from a late dinner at Boma. The Minnie van might be a good idea. I didn’t know that they could pull cars off the skyliner and exchange them. Seems like a really cool design.

We only have 6 total in our party so we won’t be breaking any rules. Also MIL and FIL usually leave the parks before we do so most of the time it will just be two of them.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I didn’t know that they could pull cars off the skyliner and exchange them.

Well, except at Riviera. They will either slow or stop the line momentarily.

 

[TCRAIG]

Wow thank you for all the detailed replies everyone!! I’m feeling a little less stressed about it today. I’ve been checking wait times recently and the parks seem Christmas crowded so I was already stressing about that before I got this news. I’m used to going in September so we’ll see how getting around the parks in February works out.


I think the two biggest worries were taking the skyliner from the Studios to Riviera for dinner, and also getting back from a late dinner at Boma. The Minnie van might be a good idea. I didn’t know that they could pull cars off the skyliner and exchange them. Seems like a really cool design.

We only have 6 total in our party so we won’t be breaking any rules. Also MIL and FIL usually leave the parks before we do so most of the time it will just be two of them.

Thanks again everyone!

SkyLiner cars for ECVs aren’t ‘pulled off and exchanged’ - they’re the same cars everyone uses - they just use a little different track for loading and unloading.

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

Well, except at Riviera. They will either slow or stop the line momentarily.

Yeah, they really need to improve the “system” at the Riviera. It was the very end of the night, and there was only one “marked” vehicle left. One CM wouldn’t let me try to board until the Skyliner was slowed down as much as possible, which the other CM kept claiming it was... until it was nearly ready for takeoff again. So, I put Bessie into high gear and raced on!! The CM quickly set the block behind me & I was off. I used the Skyliner on several other occasions and they never stopped completely for me at the Riviera. It wasn’t a big deal, but my chair was a tight fit, so it was slightly nerve-wracking every time I got off there. I really enjoyed the Skyliner everywhere else though

 

[Selket]

Yeah, they really need to improve the “system” at the Riviera. It was the very end of the night, and there was only one “marked” vehicle left. One CM wouldn’t let me try to board until the Skyliner was slowed down as much as possible, which the other CM kept claiming it was... until it was nearly ready for takeoff again. So, I put Bessie into high gear and raced on!! The CM quickly set the block behind me & I was off. I used the Skyliner on several other occasions and they never stopped completely for me at the Riviera. It wasn’t a big deal, but my chair was a tight fit, so it was slightly nerve-wracking every time I got off there. I really enjoyed the Skyliner everywhere else though

All I can say to that is .... wow. That's astounding that this is how they load and unload scooters at the Riveria... wow.

 

[GranJan1]

Yeah, they really need to improve the “system” at the Riviera. It was the very end of the night, and there was only one “marked” vehicle left. One CM wouldn’t let me try to board until the Skyliner was slowed down as much as possible, which the other CM kept claiming it was... until it was nearly ready for takeoff again. So, I put Bessie into high gear and raced on!! The CM quickly set the block behind me & I was off. I used the Skyliner on several other occasions and they never stopped completely for me at the Riviera. It wasn’t a big deal, but my chair was a tight fit, so it was slightly nerve-wracking every time I got off there. I really enjoyed the Skyliner everywhere else though

We’re staying at the Riviera next week. I wasn’t aware of the wheelchair loading process there when I booked it 7 months ago. I’ve been concerned about it since that information became available. So much so that I’m thinking we’ll just walk over Caribbean Beach so loading with my power chair will be easier. Do you have any idea how long a walk that will be? I hate to have to do that since the ease of riding the Skyliner was why we spent so many of our DVC points to stay at the Riviera. Nerve-wracking isn’t something I handle well so we’ll do whatever we need to do. There have been very few reports from wheelchair users experiences with the Skyliner. This seems strange to me since usually when something new opens, there’s lots of reports back on how it went.

 

[SueM in MN]

We’re staying at the Riviera next week. I wasn’t aware of the wheelchair loading process there when I booked it 7 months ago. I’ve been concerned about it since that information became available. So much so that I’m thinking we’ll just walk over Caribbean Beach so loading with my power chair will be easier. Do you have any idea how long a walk that will be? I hate to have to do that since the ease of riding the Skyliner was why we spent so many of our DVC points to stay at the Riviera. Nerve-wracking isn’t something I handle well so we’ll do whatever we need to do. There have been very few reports from wheelchair users experiences with the Skyliner. This seems strange to me since usually when something new opens, there’s lots of reports back on how it went.

We used the Skyliner multiple times with a wheelchair during our trip in late October - early November. Between catching back up at work, the holidays, bad weather and some minor illnesses, I haven’t had much time to write.
The Riviera station was not one we used - other than to ride thru it. We used it between the Studio, Epcot and Caribbean Beach. It was very easy and worked well

 

[Euby]

Yeah, they really need to improve the “system” at the Riviera. It was the very end of the night, and there was only one “marked” vehicle left. One CM wouldn’t let me try to board until the Skyliner was slowed down as much as possible, which the other CM kept claiming it was... until it was nearly ready for takeoff again. So, I put Bessie into high gear and raced on!! The CM quickly set the block behind me & I was off. I used the Skyliner on several other occasions and they never stopped completely for me at the Riviera. It wasn’t a big deal, but my chair was a tight fit, so it was slightly nerve-wracking every time I got off there. I really enjoyed the Skyliner everywhere else though

All I can say to that is .... wow. That's astounding that this is how they load and unload scooters at the Riveria... wow.

I have never understood why all of the other stops have a "pull-out" for loading wheelchairs and ECVs, but Riviera does not. That seems like a big "Oops" moment to me.

 

[MichaelWill&Megan'sMom]

I stayed at the Dolphin recently and I use an ECV in the parks. I had no problems scootering to DHS or Epcot but it's also very easy to take the boat as well (and seemed faster to me but YMMV on that). For the boat the person in the scooter waits in the same line as everyone else and when you come up board they put a ramp down for you. There's scooter parking in the inside rear of the boat. I've never not been able to board and have space.

Generally I've also been able to get on the first bus that comes when leaving the resort - sometimes there are already two ECV's waiting for the same park. Sometimes I keep one family member with me and the rest go in the que - sometimes they all go in the que and leave me - haha! Usually we all get on the same bus - if not it's me that gets left behind and I just meet up with them (usually is this great cause I want Starbucks and my son can go ahead and get I line so it's ready for me when I get there!). I don't like taking more than one family member with me to board first - although usually they stand up anyway (they are older boys) and don't take the seats.

Getting back to the resort can be challenging if you leave from a park that has a night time show or fireworks and you're taking the bus. The line of ECV;s can be long. I usually send my family ahead - that way they can get showers so the shower is free by the time I get there. Sometimes they also take an Uber/Lyft while I wait for the bus.

There are also Minnie Vans that can fit ECV's and many people - they are about $30 a ride but can be worth it if you're somewhere say like AKL for dinner and need to get back to the BC and there's no direct route at all. This would be good also for your late dinners but double check how late they run. They also pick up/drop off at the parks too of course. You might look for the Minnie Van threads here if that sounds like something you'd want to do.

I think in the end it may be a good thing your FIL rented an ECV - otherwise he may have not been able to keep up and do the things you have planned which would have slowed folks down or split them up, etc. He can also go in almost all of the lines with the ECV for the rides/shows - ask a CM if you're not sure and check the FAQ here about it. If your party splits up (like for transportation reasons), send a Disney veteran with him or someone who understands the system well. Cast members are also very helpful if they have questions.

I really appreciate your response here - it can be frustrating when my family has been waiting a long time (sometimes already not making it onto a bus) and a family with a scooter who arrives after us gets on all together and all get seats. Your approach is fair and considerate. I wish more people approached this situation like you!

 

[lorenae]

I really appreciate your response here - it can be frustrating when my family has been waiting a long time (sometimes already not making it onto a bus) and a family with a scooter who arrives after us gets on all together and all get seats. Your approach is fair and considerate. I wish more people approached this situation like you!

Agreed. While most people are considerate, it’s happened where we waited for a long time for a bus at the end of the night (full ones left already), and a scooter comes up with 12 family members and we end up being five short of fitting on the bus. Very frustrating with a tired 5 year old.

My last visit last week was much better, so I don’t know if the way the queue is set up seems to discourage that, or if we just got lucky and the scooter users didn’t have big families this time.

 

[GranJan1]

I really appreciate your response here - it can be frustrating when my family has been waiting a long time (sometimes already not making it onto a bus) and a family with a scooter who arrives after us gets on all together and all get seats. Your approach is fair and considerate. I wish more people approached this situation like you!

I try to be considerate in my wheelchair but sometimes it doesn’t work out well. It’s usually just my husband with me so not a large group. Once when leaving MK, there were enough people in line to fill the bus so I didn’t want the driver to load me first with my wheelchair. We went over to the side where there were benches to wait for the next bus. Right before the first bus came, 2 scooters pulled up & got loaded before all those people in line. So instead of one wheelchair they ended up with 2 scooters because I was trying to be nice.

 

[Selket]

I really appreciate your response here - it can be frustrating when my family has been waiting a long time (sometimes already not making it onto a bus) and a family with a scooter who arrives after us gets on all together and all get seats. Your approach is fair and considerate. I wish more people approached this situation like you!

Agreed. While most people are considerate, it’s happened where we waited for a long time for a bus at the end of the night (full ones left already), and a scooter comes up with 12 family members and we end up being five short of fitting on the bus. Very frustrating with a tired 5 year old.

Thanks for saying that. I realize there are times that families need to board together but if you have a lot of extra family they really need to split up.

As @GranJan1 mentioned I've also done the same thing - see a long line already in place and no one waiting with a mobility device so I waited off to the side to let that bus fill up and go. I think what happened to her is just more likely to happen though - that someone else comes up anyway. At this point I usually just get in the line and go on.

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

I have never understood why all of the other stops have a "pull-out" for loading wheelchairs and ECVs, but Riviera does not. That seems like a big "Oops" moment to me.

I completely agree! Especially since the Riviera’s platform is shorter than the others... it kind of adds to the sense of urgency. My biggest issue is that my front wheels spin around when I head backward, but not always right away- so if they would happen to turn around at the time I was going through the door, I would get temporarily stuck (it did happen once), and needing to readjust on a short, slowly moving platform is what made it more “nerve-wracking” for me. Getting on (outside of the one late night, last marked vehicle issue) really wasn’t hard or concerning. Also, if you have someone that can help push you through, that would take away all stress (I was solo on most of my Skyliner rides).

I should’ve also mentioned that even though the Skyliner had been running for months, I was there during the first week of the Riviera being officially open and they had a few bugs to iron out. I’m sure it’s getting better/easier all the time, as they learn from their mistakes.

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

We’re staying at the Riviera next week. I wasn’t aware of the wheelchair loading process there when I booked it 7 months ago. I’ve been concerned about it since that information became available. So much so that I’m thinking we’ll just walk over Caribbean Beach so loading with my power chair will be easier. Do you have any idea how long a walk that will be? I hate to have to do that since the ease of riding the Skyliner was why we spent so many of our DVC points to stay at the Riviera. Nerve-wracking isn’t something I handle well so we’ll do whatever we need to do. There have been very few reports from wheelchair users experiences with the Skyliner. This seems strange to me since usually when something new opens, there’s lots of reports back on how it went.

I’m sorry if my Skyliner issue discouraged you at all! The Riviera was beautiful and the staff was amazing- I think you’ll have a fantastic time!! I do think they’ll keep improving the loading/unloading there... maybe at least for the loading process, while waiting for a marked vehicle, you could request a complete stop for your boarding. The Skyliner staff at the Riviera was just very new to the disability boarding process there... they’ve had more time to learn and work kinks out by now. I’m confident enough that I booked a stay there this coming fall!

I really don’t know how long it would take you to motor over to the Caribbean Beach station from the Riviera?? Sorry I can’t be of more help