Help!!!!

[jawbones]

I posted this a few days on the resorts page.

I guess I should have come to the experts. I got a few good responses, but not a whole lot that I did not know already. Please help.

What do I do? My wife and I have been planning our son's first trip to WDW (he turned 1 in April) with my mom and stepdad. Anyway, my stepfather got into a motorcycle accident, wrecked his new Harley and broke his leg. Now, they are counting on me to make arrangements so that everything runs as smoothly as possible.

Please help direct me on who to call, where to call, what to expect cost-wise and when to make these arrangements.

We are staying at WL. We requested non-smoking, castle view and connecting rooms. Now, they need a handicapped room. Can we still get the connecting and the other stuff in a handicapped room. Will they guarantee handicapped? Should I just get them the handicapped and go on our own as far as trying to get our other preferences met?

Where do we rent an ECV/wheelchair? Will it be there when we arrive? How much will it cost? People with experience please chime in. Has anyone ever used the chairs from the resort (more specifically WL)? Am I missing anything?

We are AP holders and WDW veterans. However, this is all new to us. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I know that I have not covered everything, so please make me aware of anything that I am forgetting. We leave on July 23rd!!!!!!!!!!!!11

THANKS!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Welcome to disABILITIES!

I am currently travelling, so I can't post some of my stock answers.

However, first of all contact WDW Special (medical) reservations at 407-939-7807. They will be able to guarantee an accessible room as well as a connecting standard room.

I don't have my list of all the EVC rental places, but I would suggest calling Walker Mobility at 1-888-SCOOTER (I think their URL is www.walkermobility.com) to set up a reservation. The costs is $30.00 for a standard scooter (up to 350 pounds) and a cap of $199.50 for a week. The daily price will go down for rentals longer than a week. They will deliver the ECV to the Bell Services at your hotel so it will be there before you arrive and they will pick it up after your departure.

Tell them that you will need a clamp for crutches on the ECV. I think there may be an additional chargfe for that.

We almost always suggest an ECV over a wheelchair for several reasons. It gives the user more of a sense of independence and does not cause a burdon on the others in the group. As a matter of fact, he will be able to run errands and carry stuff.

You might want to look at other threads in this forum where you can get more suggestions.

Also, if you will be driving I would suggest attempting, through your doctor and state motor vehicles department, to get a temporary disabled hang tag. Note that with a disability you do not have to pay the $6.00 daily valet parking fee, but should tip the valets, tipping more when they assist with the disassembly/loading or unloading/assembly of the ECV.

Please ask more questions as they come to you

 

[JudithM]

Welcome to the disABILITIES section of the board! Relax! Your son's first trip to WDW will be fine!

I rent an ECV while on vacation at WDW. I would definitely rent an ECV from an off site supplier. I have only rented from Walker .

I started using an ECV at WDW by renting one at each park. I rented from Disney for four trips & learned over time that renting from Disney presented a few "issues:"

*no guarantee the park will have an ECV regardless of time of day;

*if you want to park hop there is no guarantee of an ECV at the second park;

*four wheels on a Disney ECV vs. three on off site one (at least the ones I have rented from Walker); three wheels gave me a better turning radius;

*battery holds up a whole lot better on the rented ECV vs. the Disney one; I can tell you where in each of the four parks where my Disney ECV "died;"

*if you rent an ECV you will have it every where you want it - the parks, Downtown Disney, other resorts, etc.

As I mentioned I have rented from Walker Mobility. My experiences have been very good. The ECV has been delivered to the resort in a timely manner - it is either waiting at the resort or shows up shortly after we arrive; the battery has lasted all day & night; the cost is similar to Disney & I have the ECV more than just in the parks; etc. Walker provides a battery charger that I use at night.

I have used the WDW busses to the parks. Initially I was hesitant, but the bus drivers were so friendly & very helpful. The bus driver usually closes the front door of the bus & lets the guest with the ECV on through the back door with a ramp. There are two types of busses. Once you & the ECV are loaded & secure, then other guests are allowed to board the bus.

As for your room requests at WL - what is more important being next door to the grandparents or your other requests? You might actually like a little distance between rooms .

Have fun & enjoy your trip!!

 

[jawbones]

First of all, thanks for all of your input. One thing I did not realize is that my stepfather needs to have his leg straight/elevated at times. In other words, it would be really difficult to use an ECV for a long period of time. So, after talking it over, he decided that a regular wheelchair would be best, one with the ability to rest or lift one leg. Where can he put his crutches in one of these chairs? He figures that he may try one of the ECVs at the park to see if his leg can hack for a day or two. Now, the new question is should we wait and see if our resort has a wheelchair to lend (FREE) or should we rent one from Walker or some other company. Will the loaner from the resort (WL) have the leg option and an ability to hold crutches? Or, should we wait until we get to the resort, see if they have one and if they don't just call one of the outside places? Do they usually run out of wheelchairs? How quickly do they normally have it out to you if you call needing one ASAP? ANy help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Talking Hands]

Rent from Walker or one of the other outside providers. The ones at the resorts may not have the ability to raise the leg and they may not be available. If it is a necessity don't risk getting one from your resort.

 

[SueM in MN]

From what other people have posted in the past, the wheelchairs available at the resorts are just sort of basic and don't include things like crutch holders or elevating footrests. Some people have had good luck, but others have found that the available wheelchair didn't meet their needs at all (either not in good condition, or they needed an extra large and the available one was regular (or vice versa). People have posted it took anywhere from a few days to a few hours to get one that was more in line with what they needed.

I agree with the others that you should arrange for one from one of the outside rental places, since having one is a necessity.
If he is going to try renting an ecv in the parks, I'd suggest Epcot. It seems the least crowded because the walkways are wide and the people seem to spread out more. I would not try one at MK since that park is very congested.

 

[jawbones]

Thanks for all of the information and help. After considering all of our options, we decided that an ECV would be best. If this is not comfortable for my stepfather's leg, Walker said they would bring a regular wheelchair the very next day. Thanks again. Have fun planning! We're off in less than 40 hours. Very exciting!