75 yr old - should rent ECV? and about wheelchair for my daughter

[zkat]

Hi all!

I am going to WDW with my 75 year old mom, and my 2 kids - 9 yr old and 4.

My mom is in good shape, but I am concerned that she will be worn out after 1 day of so much walking. So I thought about renting her a ECV. any thoughts? Is it a good idea?
Also - I KNOW she will object and have a hard time agreeing to "look" or "feel" old/disabled...Any ideas of how to make her understand it's just for comfort and to allow her to really enjoy?

Would you rent in the parks or from outside co.? She will only need the ECV in the parks and not all the time.

My 9 yr old fractured her growth plate in her ankle a week ago. The DR says she will be able to walk a little, but will need a wheelchair to do all the miles in the park.

Anyone with similar experience? Any recommendations?

My initial idea was to rent an ECV for my mom and stroller for my 4 year old...now I am not sure how the little one will get along, since I can't push a stroller AND a wheelchair!

Thanks!!!

 

[Nanajo1]

I think I would approach your mother with the tactic that it would help you if she used an ECV. As far as renting from the parks it depends on when you are going. They tend to rent out quickly. I rent from Walkers and have it 24/7. If you go during a slow season and truly feel your mother will only need it at the parks then you probably would do fine with the park rentals.
How big is your 9 yo? Could she fit in a double stroller with your 4yo? Some of the parks (MGM) have the open jogging type strollers. Or are you bringing a child's wheelchair with you or will you use a resort wheelchair? I don't think the resorts have small wheelchairs.
Pixie dust for a good trip.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Rent an ECV offsite, they're smaller and easier to operate. As somebody else pointed out, explain to your mom how it would make the trip more relaxing and enjoyable for ALL of you. Do note, though, that she can't have either of your kids ride on the ECV with her (never mind what you see other people do, it's prohibited by all the rental companies including Disney, AND it's dangerous, it throws off the center of balance of the ECV and makes it likely to tip).
If you're staying onsite, most bus drivers are very helpful getting an ECV on and off the bus - I've even had a couple steer it for me (even though I'm extremely capable of doing it myself, the driver, if he or she offers, can do it faster). One thing you might want to consider is renting a "large" wheelchair at any park or from the same offsite company as the ECV and pushing both your daughters in it when they can't or won't walk - instead of a stroller and a wheelchair. The seats come in different hip widths, but how well do they get along?
For offsite rental companies, see the DISabilities FAQ near the top of this board. Also, if your mom wants to walk some, maybe she could push the wheelchair and you could ride the ECV for a bit? And if she's never used one, probably your best bet would be Randy's Mobility - they will deliver the ECV to your room once you arrive, and show her how to use it, and how to take it apart and put it back together if you'll be transporting it in the trunk of a car Plus, they're $5 a day less expensive than most other companies.

 

[SueM in MN]

If she drives a car, she probably would be comfortable driving an ECV. Not that they are all that similar in how you control them, but that she would be used to watching the "road" while she is driving.
A lot depends on your mom though. My mom is over 75 and does fine walking the parks, but she is a pretty fit person and does walk around her town.
In fact, one time DH and I were buying something and asked her to just walk slowly ahead pushing younger DD's wheelchair and we would catch up. When we went to catch up with her, we couldn't find her. We didn't know if maybe she had gotten tired, stopped to rest and we had missed her or what. It turns out she was WAY ahead of us - her slow walk was a lot faster than we expected.
If you are not going to rent one from off-site, you might want to take the contact information from all the companies along with you. At least then there would be a chance of getting one from off site if you need one.

As for your 9 yr old, I guess I'd more favor the double stroller. A wide adult wheelchair is heavy and difficult to push. The rental wheelchairs also have sling seats - 2 kids sitting together in one wheelchair tend to slide to the middle of the sling seat.
One thing to be aware of if you are flying is that the gates are quite a ways to the trams that take you from the gates to the terminals. So, you might wnt to arrange something from the airline to be met by a skycap with a wheelchair.

 

[zkat]

Thanks for your replies!

My 9 year old is a 100 lbs "baby" almost 5 feet tall...so double stroller won't do! I think a wheelchair that can hold both my kids is a good idea.

I also liked the advice of waiting with my mom and seeing how she does the first day.

Thanks so much!!

Very exciting!!


I will check with Jet Blue about getting wheelchair. I was worried about the airport too.

 

[zumbergc]

The wheel chair idea to hold both kids is going to be extremely uncomfortable. Its a sling seat, its not a fixed or rigid flat seat. Its a sling. Hence the heavy kid is going to have the lighter kid kind of on top of him or smooshing the smaller kid into him. They aren't going to have any arm room, and the smaller child, and possible the larger child will have a hard time using the one arm rest on each because they are made for an adult size person. I'm 5'1" and i find some arm rest on push chairs to high.

I can't imagine 2 kids getting along that well for a whole day. I guess how do they behave together in the back seat of the car. If they don't behave well together back there, the sling seat will definitely not work either.
I guess be very realistic about your expectations in 2 kids, glued essentially at the hip sitting in the large wheel chair.

Good luck in your decisions,
Connie

 

[seashoreCM]

The fundamental problem you ahve is that there are not enough strong legs (just two, yours) in your party. Nothing will solve that problem other than more wheels with motors.

Can DD pilot an ECV or motorized wheelchair? With a regular wheelchair she cannot share with the 4yo and also propel the chair with her arms.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Nanajo1]

The fundamental problem you ahve is that there are not enough strong legs (just two, yours) in your party. Nothing will solve that problem other than more wheels with motors.

Can DD pilot an ECV or motorized wheelchair? With a regular wheelchair she cannot share with the 4yo and also propel the chair with her arms.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

People under 18 are not allowed to rent the ECVs from the parks or offsite vendors.
This may sound complicated but before I got my power chair when I went shopping my DD would push me in a manual chair and I would push the shopping cart. We looked like a big tandem bike. Maybe you could push DD9 in a w/c while she pushed the stroller with DD4. It would be awkward but if you take it easy it might help your situation.
Hope you find a solution.

 

[SueM in MN]

People under 18 are not allowed to rent the ECVs from the parks or offsite vendors.

The ecvs, whether from the parks or from off-site are rented for use by people over 18. A 9 year old driving an ecv would be like having a 9 year old drive a car.

Also, power wheelchairs are only rented by the off-site equipment places and they will only rent them to people who are experienced with driving them (basically people who have power wheelchairs at home and did not want to travel with it). They actually look easier to drive than they are.

 

[daisax]

Caution with the wheelchairs at the transportation center -- those monorail ramps are STEEP. More than once I saw people close to tears because they could not push their companion any further and had to enlist help. I assume taking the boat across is the smarter option if there's no electric vehicle available.

Hot and humid weather didn't help -- I know we were pooped just dragging our able bodied bodies up the ramp on foot.