ECV rentals - a few questions

Yes - the only place in Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios is at the Park entrance.


And if you don't want to stand out, here's a tip: Rent a plain, black scooter from an outside vendor (like Walker, Buena Vista, Apple, etc.) and don't rent a Park unit. The Park (Disney owned) scooters are HUGE, grey beasts and stand out for their relative size and lumbering slowness.

But hey, what do I know? I've only been doing this for *years* now... :upsidedow
Well this is good to know. Thank you again.
 
Thank you so much, words can't explain how much this means to me. I still am trying to accept the thought of having to use it, but it's making me feel less anxiety and less panic knowing there can be a way if I find I cant do it while there. That thought had me literally wanting to cancel the trip. :( I am embarrassed, I am hoping I don't run into anyone. I won't even park in the handicap spot often because I fear people who know me will see me and wonder what is wrong with me. I don't exactly look disabled and I am a very private person, if they only knew my struggles in life. So I hide it all as often as I can, I just want to be "normal" and not someone who requires special assistance. :( SO thank you so so much. Glad to hear I can step away from it for pics.
another way to look at using an ECV would you be upset at having to wear glasses in the park cause you couldn't see? you need help walking what is the difference seeing or walking? and yes I have been there and done it. also other than your family who are you going to see that you will be seeing again? go and have a great trip making memories with your family! you will not have to have ECV in pictures unless you want it. again been there done that many times. I forget the age of your child but don't be surprised if they want a picture of you on it, just be prepared. one thing that I found very helpful to me last trip was a folding cane as I have balance issues. I used to help me balance getting in and out of boat rides and also the ones with moving ramps.
 
Some things to remember. Nobody knows you at WDW and you will never see these people again, so don’t give it a second thought. Once you have been on an ECV for a few times, you will realize nobody is paying attention to you. If they were, they wouldn’t be walking into you as often as they do. Lol!

The biggest problem I had the first time I used an ECV was my family was worn out and ready to end the day, and I felt great and could have gone a few more hours.

Don’t give it a second thought and enjoy your trip!
 
SO not 'giving in' but showing your family that you are smart enough, strong enough, and DETERMINED enough to have as much fun as you can! Anyone else that is there that you don't know does NOT matter. You get a sideways look? Smile pretty and wave. Tell them they were out of the giltter sparkle handle bars, have they seen any? Just ENJOY your vacation and don't let your concern over what will others think ruin your trip. The only one that matters to you and your family is YOU and the memories you all create.
 
some really great advice in this thread. I am in the same boat at the original poster. Dealing with some unexpected mobility issues that have come on at a really bad time(a month before our trip). I have no idea if I will be able to walk the parks. We've also discussed postponing the trip until summer when hopefully I'll be stronger. Being a Mom, I get the part about disappointing the kids with either postponing, not being able to keep up and in pain in Disney and also having to use a scooter. My husband could push me in a wheelchair but I am not sure that is fair either. I really don't know what the next 4-6 weeks will bring and we are still weighing the pros/cons of postponing vs scooter/wheelchair.
 


some really great advice in this thread. I am in the same boat at the original poster. Dealing with some unexpected mobility issues that have come on at a really bad time(a month before our trip). I have no idea if I will be able to walk the parks. We've also discussed postponing the trip until summer when hopefully I'll be stronger. Being a Mom, I get the part about disappointing the kids with either postponing, not being able to keep up and in pain in Disney and also having to use a scooter. My husband could push me in a wheelchair but I am not sure that is fair either. I really don't know what the next 4-6 weeks will bring and we are still weighing the pros/cons of postponing vs scooter/wheelchair.

Postponing into the summer will mean it's so hot and miserable... Plus you'll miss Flower & Garden!

I don't think your kids will be disappointed that you have to use a scooter - it will most likely be a novelty for about 15 minutes, until they see how many other folks are using mobility devices at Disney World, and then - kids being kids - they will shrug it off, and go on, and jump into the Magic!

But if you aren't sure, I would ask them: Would you rather go to WDW as we planned, *but* Mommy has to use a scooter this one time... OR would you rather wait to go to WDW, and Mommy won't have to use the scooter - but we have to wait longer to go to Disney World?

Don't know about your house, but at my house the answer would be "Saddle up and ride, Mom - we're going to Disney World!" LOL

Wheelchair with your spouse pushing can also work, and for a lot of people feels "better" because you aren't using a device that a lot of people consciously or unconsciously associate with the elderly. If you actually look at the folks who are driving ECVs at WDW however, you will see that many of us are still quite young. And because WDW is a special use case to begin with, I firmly believe that the majority of folks who use an ECV at WDW never use one in their "real" lives. It's just that WDW is - whether any of us want to admit it or not - physically taxing. The average Guest walks between 3 & 10 miles per day, often in very hot or rainy conditions that would keep most folks indoors at home! But a wheelchair can work as a mobility device - just make sure that you and your hubby have thought through all of your contingencies (what if one of the kids gets tired, and needs to be carried by daddy? what if you all decide you want to rent a stroller for the kids?) before you commit to a wheelchair. You in an ECV gives you a level of independence that the wheelchair removes, and it keeps your hubby's hands free to do other things that may prove helpful.
 
some really great advice in this thread. I am in the same boat at the original poster. Dealing with some unexpected mobility issues that have come on at a really bad time(a month before our trip). I have no idea if I will be able to walk the parks. We've also discussed postponing the trip until summer when hopefully I'll be stronger. Being a Mom, I get the part about disappointing the kids with either postponing, not being able to keep up and in pain in Disney and also having to use a scooter. My husband could push me in a wheelchair but I am not sure that is fair either. I really don't know what the next 4-6 weeks will bring and we are still weighing the pros/cons of postponing vs scooter/wheelchair.
as another poster said what if a child needs to be carried? how are you going to make that happen and still have you pushed? are your kids going to be able to walk by selves in crowd leaving the park where someone could get between you and the kids? as most likely you will not be able to hold hands and walk together. been there and had husband walk with kids while I scootered and meet up near bus stop out of the crowd when we got separated. what about child falls asleep on bus and cant be woken up are you ready to wait at bus stop while husband carries child to room then leaves child in room to come back for you? that walk from bus stop can be a long one so you will most likely want a scooter at resort not just at the parks. do you think you will be able to handle the heat in summer even if you are stronger? and yes I have had to use a scooter at WDW when I have very and I mean very seldom use one in normal life and how many of the people at WDW are you going to see again in real life? we have to go in summer for other reasons and I can tell you the heat is a killer unless you live in the south and we are from Pa put that into your pros/cons
 
as another poster said what if a child needs to be carried? how are you going to make that happen and still have you pushed? are your kids going to be able to walk by selves in crowd leaving the park where someone could get between you and the kids? as most likely you will not be able to hold hands and walk together. been there and had husband walk with kids while I scootered and meet up near bus stop out of the crowd when we got separated. what about child falls asleep on bus and cant be woken up are you ready to wait at bus stop while husband carries child to room then leaves child in room to come back for you? that walk from bus stop can be a long one so you will most likely want a scooter at resort not just at the parks. do you think you will be able to handle the heat in summer even if you are stronger? and yes I have had to use a scooter at WDW when I have very and I mean very seldom use one in normal life and how many of the people at WDW are you going to see again in real life? we have to go in summer for other reasons and I can tell you the heat is a killer unless you live in the south and we are from Pa put that into your pros/cons

I understand what you are saying, but I have gone with small kids numerous times and the way to prevent that is to take is slower and not push your kids to that limit. There is no rule that says you have to go at rope drop and stay until closing. A person should know their kids and what they can and can not handle. And err on the side of caution, especially in the circumstance where one of the parents is in an ECV. I really really do not mean to sound rude but this is actually common sense.
 
I understand what you are saying, but I have gone with small kids numerous times and the way to prevent that is to take is slower and not push your kids to that limit. There is no rule that says you have to go at rope drop and stay until closing. A person should know their kids and what they can and can not handle. And err on the side of caution, especially in the circumstance where one of the parents is in an ECV. I really really do not mean to sound rude but this is actually common sense.
some of the worse crowds leaving that we have run into came as we tried to leave MK after the afternoon parade so it does not have to be at close. as we have found if you think it is a good idea you can be sure others are doing the same thing. not sounding mean but there are a lot of times when common sense makes more sense to use a ECV over a wheelchair for one parent which was where I was coming from
 
some of the worse crowds leaving that we have run into came as we tried to leave MK after the afternoon parade so it does not have to be at close. as we have found if you think it is a good idea you can be sure others are doing the same thing. not sounding mean but there are a lot of times when common sense makes more sense to use a ECV over a wheelchair for one parent which was where I was coming from

My issue was not the use of an ECV or wheelchair. It was the fact that the poster was saying that the OP might have to carry an exhausted child which would be impossible to do with one. My point was not to let the child get to that level. I get how kids are, we have been travelling with ours since they were little and we never carried them out. We were more mindful of what they needed then what we wanted to do.
 
My issue was not the use of an ECV or wheelchair. It was the fact that the poster was saying that the OP might have to carry an exhausted child which would be impossible to do with one. My point was not to let the child get to that level. I get how kids are, we have been travelling with ours since they were little and we never carried them out. We were more mindful of what they needed then what we wanted to do.
Sometimes you just do not know when a child will need to be carried. There were times my parents carried me not because I was physically tired but emotionally tired. Some kids also hid being tired very well until they are very tierd and by this time it might be too late. So there are a number of reasons why someone might have to carry a child and it is not always they pushed there child too fair and the child is just too tired and the parents pushed them way too much.
 
Sometimes you just do not know when a child will need to be carried. There were times my parents carried me not because I was physically tired but emotionally tired. Some kids also hid being tired very well until they are very tierd and by this time it might be too late. So there are a number of reasons why someone might have to carry a child and it is not always they pushed there child too fair and the child is just too tired and the parents pushed them way too much.

Ok, but just because they WANT to be carried, does not mean that have to be. Especially with "emotionally tired"?? What is that? Your legs don't work because you have had too much fun today? Come on. We need to stop raising a bunch of whiny brats. My kids are teens and are not in any way emotionally scarred because they got tired at WDW and had to walk to their rooms on their own two feet. This is silly.
 
as another poster said what if a child needs to be carried? how are you going to make that happen and still have you pushed? are your kids going to be able to walk by selves in crowd leaving the park where someone could get between you and the kids? as most likely you will not be able to hold hands and walk together. been there and had husband walk with kids while I scootered and meet up near bus stop out of the crowd when we got separated. what about child falls asleep on bus and cant be woken up are you ready to wait at bus stop while husband carries child to room then leaves child in room to come back for you? that walk from bus stop can be a long one so you will most likely want a scooter at resort not just at the parks. do you think you will be able to handle the heat in summer even if you are stronger? and yes I have had to use a scooter at WDW when I have very and I mean very seldom use one in normal life and how many of the people at WDW are you going to see again in real life? we have to go in summer for other reasons and I can tell you the heat is a killer unless you live in the south and we are from Pa put that into your pros/cons

My kids are 13+ so I think we'd be just fine if Dad was pushing Mom! Heck, the kids could take turns pushing! Many years ago we rented a wheelchair for one day because plantar facilitis was acting up and my then 8 year old took turns pushing. Good point though if you have very young children~ we are in a wait and see mode to see how things progress over the next 3-4 weeks and we will go from there in terms of what we decide to do-if that's postponing, scooter, wheelchair etc.
 
Ok, but just because they WANT to be carried, does not mean that have to be. Especially with "emotionally tired"?? What is that? Your legs don't work because you have had too much fun today? Come on. We need to stop raising a bunch of whiny brats. My kids are teens and are not in any way emotionally scarred because they got tired at WDW and had to walk to their rooms on their own two feet. This is silly.
I am not going to get into a debate with you but just be glad your child does not have a Disability like ASD or SPD I will leave this conversation at this because it will not help anyone to go back and forth.


I will add ( just in case you do not know anyone with ASD, SPD) that it is kind of like someone with a bad Hip ( or whatever) some people will need to walk because if they do not use it they lose it but you can not feel pain coming on this part of your brain does not work you go from being fine any pain at all to the most pain you ever felt in your life in a step or two. someone with ASD or SPD might be fine one second and then not the other nothing helps then but for someone to phiscly help them ( carry them away from where they are.)

There are times a parent will need to carry a child and it does not always mean the child is tired/ the parent over did there child.
 
Last edited:
My kids are 13+ so I think we'd be just fine if Dad was pushing Mom! Heck, the kids could take turns pushing! Many years ago we rented a wheelchair for one day because plantar facilitis was acting up and my then 8 year old took turns pushing. Good point though if you have very young children~ we are in a wait and see mode to see how things progress over the next 3-4 weeks and we will go from there in terms of what we decide to do-if that's postponing, scooter, wheelchair etc.
my friend just went down she hurt her self down there she had to get a wheelchair and the kids were almost fighting over how got to push mom/ aunt around. Sometimes kids find fun in things we do not.
 
I am not going to get into a debate with you but just be glad your child does not have a Disability like ASD or SPD I will leave this conversation at this because it will not help anyone to go back and forth.


I will add ( just in case you do not know anyone with ASD, SPD) that it is kind of like someone with a bad Hip ( or whatever) some people will need to walk because if they do not use it they lose it but you can not feel pain coming on this part of your brain does not work you go from being fine any pain at all to the most pain you ever felt in your life in a step or two. someone with ASD or SPD might be fine one second and then not the other nothing helps then but for someone to phiscly help them ( carry them away from where they are.)

There are times a parent will need to carry a child and it does not always mean the child is tired/ the parent over did there child.

What if, what if, what if. You are full of what ifs. IF any one of these possibilities exist then I am sure the OP would not be considering renting an ECV knowing that they need to be physically able to handle their child. And if something unexpected happens then I am sure they will handle it the best they can.
 
I have no idea what to do. I am so upset, I have been feeling so awful and no real answers (on top of what I already have wrong with me that I do know). I feel such pressure having to make this decision now and it's such a big one, go or cancel.

I know this is hard for you.

It was hard for me - and many others here - the first time we had to use a mobility device at WDW. I wasn't lying when I said that I cried!

But as I mentioned before, a strange thing happened - I had a great time at Disney World, even with a scooter! My family didn't have to wait for me, and I didn't hold them back anymore. And as the first day progressed into the first evening, I realized that it was actually smart of me to go ahead and use the scooter because we were still able to have a great time as a family, and we got to do so much more than we had the day before, when I was limping along, and had to find a spot to sit every 10 minutes.

You have to remember that (unless you live in the Orlando area) the chances that you will *ever* see anyone you know from your "real" life at Disney World are terrible! You literally have a better chance of getting hit by lightning *and* winning the lottery on the same day. No fooling.

It's a tool - that's all. It's a tool that lets you go on, and have fun, and make memories with your family. You don't have to use it full-time; you can certainly park it, and walk around in an area, and then move on to another area. You don't have to sit on it to eat meals; you can park it outside (or even near your table) if you want. You don't have to have your pictures taken (whether you use PhotoPass/Memory Maker or just take selfies) when you are sitting on the scooter - you can always hop off (make sure you turn it off and take the key!) and take pictures, and then get back on.

When Disney changed the GAC to the DAS, it ended most of the abuse that was causing other Guests to be unhappy with mobility device users. As a result, most able-bodies folks now just ignore those of us on wheels. Very rarely does anyone here report that they have encountered outright rudeness - and if you do, just give them a big 'ol southern "Bless Your Heart!" and go on. Karma will take care of them!

I know this is tough. I can tell that you really want to go, and you really don't want to have to use the ECV (or other mobility device). But if you have to have one, know that you won't be alone; there are literally thousands of ECVs and wheelchairs at WDW at any given moment.

If I were you (and I was, once upon a time) I would go, and rent the ECV. That's 20/20 hindsight talking, I know. But don't let your fear of the unknown stop you from going to Disney World! We will all be here to answer your questions, and help you through this. Maybe even just take a deep breath, and re-read this thread from the beginning again to see how many of your questions have been answered, and then let us know if you have any more questions that we can help with!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top