Any recent experiences with Disney ECV's with sensors?

anonymousegirl

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 14, 2008
Going on a solo trip in September. Last year I had to unexpectedly rent an ECV from Disney when I had back trouble and could not walk far, or stand for long periods of time. i do not need a ECV every hour of the day, nor at the resorts, so off site rental isn't a good fit for me. But now I hear about these new sensored Disney ECV and how bad they are with their constant stops due to crowds.
Does anyone have recent experience with the sensored ECV's and whether Disney has adjusted the srnsor to be less sensitive?
 
This post is probably the most recent information we have from a member.

From an overall standpoint, what I have been hearing (from friends in other online communities) is that the sensors seems to be disabled at the moment; we had another member here whose grandson ran in front of her Parks ECV, and the sensors did not stop it, so it seems as though the sensors have been either disabled or removed. At least for now :)

The Parks ECVs have historically been kind of slow and lumbering beasties; they are heavy duty units, meant to hold up to a lot of abuse. They remind me a lot of the supermarket shopping cart type scooters, but without the giant basket on the front! :)
 
Going on a solo trip in September. Last year I had to unexpectedly rent an ECV from Disney when I had back trouble and could not walk far, or stand for long periods of time. i do not need a ECV every hour of the day, nor at the resorts, so off site rental isn't a good fit for me. But now I hear about these new sensored Disney ECV and how bad they are with their constant stops due to crowds.
Does anyone have recent experience with the sensored ECV's and whether Disney has adjusted the srnsor to be less sensitive?
i would still look at offsite rental even if you don't need at resort. the park rental will not help you at end of day when you need to wait for transportation be it to your car or buses or monorail. there is no place to sit and wait. you could always leave ECV in room when go around resort. plus the rental price is usually cheaper by quite a bit. I have not had it happen myself but have read that some of park rentals are having trouble making up some of ramps because their speed is so slow
 
i would still look at offsite rental even if you don't need at resort. the park rental will not help you at end of day when you need to wait for transportation be it to your car or buses or monorail. there is no place to sit and wait. you could always leave ECV in room when go around resort. plus the rental price is usually cheaper by quite a bit. I have not had it happen myself but have read that some of park rentals are having trouble making up some of ramps because their speed is so slow
If I have the seat/scooter throughout the day, I can usually make it all the way back to my room without problems. My issues tend to flare up after a long day of walking/standing. I have to admit while I don't mind using the ECV in the parks, I am petrified on driving the unit onto a bus, given that I don't use one at home, and am not proficient at maneuvering.
 
If I have the seat/scooter throughout the day, I can usually make it all the way back to my room without problems. My issues tend to flare up after a long day of walking/standing. I have to admit while I don't mind using the ECV in the parks, I am petrified on driving the unit onto a bus, given that I don't use one at home, and am not proficient at maneuvering.
been there and done that driving onto the bus. one thing with offsite rental they are usually smaller than park rentals which makes them easier to drive on bus plus most bus drivers are very helpful once you get up the ramp. I also do not use one in "real life". getting back to resort is major problem for me with no where to sit and wait for buses plus the walk out to bus stop.
 
I have my own and I still struggle with the bus ramps - too fast is not enough control - too slow and it seems to lock up - we usually drive so I haven't used the bus lately - but I am contemplating a solo trip soon so my plan is to WALK my scooter up the bus ramp!
 
If I have the seat/scooter throughout the day, I can usually make it all the way back to my room without problems. My issues tend to flare up after a long day of walking/standing. I have to admit while I don't mind using the ECV in the parks, I am petrified on driving the unit onto a bus, given that I don't use one at home, and am not proficient at maneuvering.

Remember that you can - like @TCRAIG said - walk the scooter up and down the bus ramps. (and if you do, you may want to consider walking backwards down the ramp when it is time to get off the bus - with both hands on the tiller of the ECV so that you can "steer". And don't turn the wheels until you are certain that the back wheels are completely off of the ramp)

But, I promise that you can (easier than you think) get used to boarding and disembarking while seated on the ECV. Disney bus drivers are *experts* in getting you, on a scooter, safely on and off their bus. They do it all day, every day, and their number one goal is *always* your safety!

Always let your driver know that you are a new scooter driver - and it's ok to admit that you are nervous or worried :) Drivers are not supposed to help you get the ECV on or off the bus (other than verbal instructions), so any "extra" help you get should always be counted as Pixie Dust.

When you board, remember that at the Resorts, there is a white painted rectangle with the handicap symbol on the ground; usually, the drivers try to stop the bus with the back doors at/near that rectangle. You can park inside the rectangle (if no one else is) to indicate that you are ready to board the bus. At most Resorts, one stop handles buses to several destinations, so if the bus approaching you is NOT going to your destination, try to make eye contact with the driver, and shake your head "no" to let them know *you* aren't waiting for them. They may still ask you directly, that's ok. When your bus arrives, give the driver a "thumbs up" or a big smile and a nod to let them know you are ready to go!

If you can line up straight on the ramp going up into the bus, it makes it a lot easier - go as slowly as you can, for safety! - and the driver will tell you when you reach the top of the ramp when to turn to the right. If another mobility device is already on board, and will be staying on board, you may have to drive further forward into the bus. The driver will give you instructions on how to (basically) parallel park the scooter - just stay calm, and follow them :) Some drivers will, at this point, tell you to go ahead and take your seat, and they will tug the scooter into it's final position and then tie it down. (again, this is considered Pixie Dust)

When you get to your destination, the driver will open all the doors, and everyone will get off. Once everyone has gotten off the bus, the driver will close all the doors, walk to the back, "kneel" the bus, open the back doors, flip out the ramp, and then they will remove the tie downs, and it's time to turn the front wheel(s) of the ECV hard to the right, so that it makes almost a u-turn, and can line up to go down the ramp. Again, some drivers may Pixie Dust you a little and help with this - but if they don't, it's OK. Just try to be lined up as straight as possible to go slowly down the ramp. Make sure that your back wheels are completely clear of the ramp before you try to turn your front wheel(s) - otherwise, it can tip you over.

I can write descriptions of the process all day long, but until you do it yourself, it's hard to see that it can ever be easy! :) If you decide to rent off-site and have the unit delivered to the Resort, try to make your first bus ride after rope drop, or take a ride to a less busy destination (like Disney Springs or a water park). That way, there is less pressure until you have had a chance to practice a bit! And before you even try to board a bus, take 10 to 15 minutes at the Resort to get used to how the rental handles - and boost your chances at success with the bus by practicing on curb cuts or ramps and parallel parking. Just practicing how fast, but more importantly, how slow your rental scooter can go can be really helpful, and make you feel more confident!

You can do it - there are thousands of folks who do this every week at WDW! :)
 


Has anyone experienced using ECV during Christmas crowds? We are considering cancelling our stay at POFQ since it is probable that my friend would need to use an ECV and we are concerned about navigating thru parks and taking up additional seats on busses with holiday crowds. We are planning on being at parks prior to rope drop and only staying til around 10:30-11 ish. Also thinking of using uber to parks and then renting ECV at Parks.
 
Has anyone experienced using ECV during Christmas crowds? We are considering cancelling our stay at POFQ since it is probable that my friend would need to use an ECV and we are concerned about navigating thru parks and taking up additional seats on busses with holiday crowds. We are planning on being at parks prior to rope drop and only staying til around 10:30-11 ish. Also thinking of using uber to parks and then renting ECV at Parks.

How many days would you be there? I've been to WDW and used a scooter several times and I'd think the crowds were similar to the Christmas crowds (right around Easter we go - it was super crowded). If you're only there a couple of days then renting at the park is fine as long as the friend wouldn't need it to get from the room to the bus and from the bus to the parks. I generally try to travel on the busses at off peak times but in the evenings especially I'd be in the crowds going back after fireworks and such. I'd just wait my turn and Disney does a good job of spreading folks out. I'd also send my family through the regular line or they took an uber back while I waited for the bus - they usually got back before me and were able to shower and what not so it worked out just fine for me! There's also the Minnie Van service which can take a scooter - not sure how hard that is to get but we did use it once and it was fantastic (from the CR after a Chef Mickey's late dinner back to Pop). Navigating through the crowds with an ECV is fine - of course it's always nice for any traveler ECV or not to have fewer people in the parks but I wouldn't let that stop me if you cannot reschedule or you want to be there for Christmas stuff.
 
How many days would you be there? I've been to WDW and used a scooter several times and I'd think the crowds were similar to the Christmas crowds (right around Easter we go - it was super crowded). If you're only there a couple of days then renting at the park is fine as long as the friend wouldn't need it to get from the room to the bus and from the bus to the parks. I generally try to travel on the busses at off peak times but in the evenings especially I'd be in the crowds going back after fireworks and such. I'd just wait my turn and Disney does a good job of spreading folks out. I'd also send my family through the regular line or they took an uber back while I waited for the bus - they usually got back before me and were able to shower and what not so it worked out just fine for me! There's also the Minnie Van service which can take a scooter - not sure how hard that is to get but we did use it once and it was fantastic (from the CR after a Chef Mickey's late dinner back to Pop). Navigating through the crowds with an ECV is fine - of course it's always nice for any traveler ECV or not to have fewer people in the parks but I wouldn't let that stop me if you cannot reschedule or you want to be there for Christmas stuff.


Our trip is 12/18-25. Thank you for your comments very helpful.
 

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