ECV newbie questions

[aubriee]

I'll be taking my 73 y/o mom for her first ever trip to WDW in about a week. She can walk some, but will be renting an ECV while we are there. I have a few questions: Thanks in advance!

1. Where are the best places to view each parade in an ECV and how close could I be to her? How soon should we get her in her spot?

2. How can I make sure we both get on the same bus?

3. How difficult is it to get the ECV onto the bus? or boat or monorail? Remember she is a newbie (even though she has been practicing with an ECV at Wal Mart) and I don't have a clue how to drive one.

4. Are there places to park the ECV while we go into restaraunts, shows, rides, on an Illuminations cruise, CP, etc?

5. She is also a brittle diabetic and will have snacks, insulin, and syringes with her. Is the basket on the ECV big enough to hold one of those little six pack size coolers?

6. I plan on waiting until the parks empty a little each night before leaving, but any suggestions on maneuvering in crowds. I'd hate to lose her. She isn't exactly senile, but panicks VERY easily and has absolutely no sense of direction.

7. As I said she can walk, but only for short distances and has a bad left knee and hip that gives out on her. (She has a really hard time supporting herself on that left leg.) What rides can be stopped so she can get on? Moving sidewalks scare her.

Thanks again! I can't wait to see WDW through her eyes!

 

[SueM in MN]

I'll be taking my 73 y/o mom for her first ever trip to WDW in about a week. She can walk some, but will be renting an ECV while we are there. I have a few questions: Thanks in advance!

1. Where are the best places to view each parade in an ECV and how close could I be to her? How soon should we get her in her spot?

The designated parade spots are marked on all the parks maps. Before the parade or Illuminations, they will be blocked off with ropes/chains. Usually the CMs park the wheelchairs and ECVs in a row, right next to each other right in back of the rope/chain (except for Illuminations, where they are parked along the fence around WS).
How busy they are determines how early you need to be there - and keep in mind that the park can be busy with people with disabilities when it maybe isn't busy otherwise.
If it's only you and her, you will be able to say in the designated area with her, probably standing right behind her. Sometimes if it's busy, they limit the number of people who can come in to one plus the person with a disability.

2. How can I make sure we both get on the same bus?

3. How difficult is it to get the ECV onto the bus? or boat or monorail? Remember she is a newbie (even though she has been practicing with an ECV at Wal Mart) and I don't have a clue how to drive one.

If you haven't checked out the disABILITIES FAQs thread, it does have info about the buses. Basically, to get on the same bus, stay with her while she is waiting and then get on while the back door is open.

If you are renting from one of the off-site companies, the ECVS they rent are much smaller and more manouverable than those she is used to driving at WalMart.
We have lots of frequent posters who are ECV users and can give good info about getting on the bus, etc.

4. Are there places to park the ECV while we go into restaraunts, shows, rides, on an Illuminations cruise, CP, etc?

I'll let the frequent users explain more, but wanted to mention that if she takes the key with her, no one can drive the ECV without it.

5. She is also a brittle diabetic and will have snacks, insulin, and syringes with her. Is the basket on the ECV big enough to hold one of those little six pack size coolers?

You could email the company you are renting from and ask for sure.

6. I plan on waiting until the parks empty a little each night before leaving, but any suggestions on maneuvering in crowds. I'd hate to lose her. She isn't exactly senile, but panicks VERY easily and has absolutely no sense of direction.

That is a good plan. That's what we do. Waiting an extra 10 or 15 minutes makes a BIG difference. The path is not packed with people, the first few buses have left, so the one you get on is not going to be as busy. You basically will get back to your resort not much later (maybe the same time) as if you has rushed out.

7. As I said she can walk, but only for short distances and has a bad left knee and hip that gives out on her. (She has a really hard time supporting herself on that left leg.) What rides can be stopped so she can get on? Moving sidewalks scare her.

The disABILITIES FAQS thread near the top of the board has some links that will help you. One is to the official Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities, another is to an older disABILITIES Board thread about boarding rides for someone who needs extra time (mostly about the moving walkway rides).