ECV versus wheelchair

[Arland259]

My mother is going to Disney she has problems walking long distances and uses a walker. We will be staying at a Disney resort.
We are trying to decide which is better to rent a push wheelchair or ECV?
Is it easier to use the push wheelchair on the transportation system or ECV?

 

[ttintagel]

One factor to consider is how many people you have available to push, and their strength and stamina.

One trip, I broke my foot upon arrival at the resort. After spending the evening at the ER, I decided to try a manual wheelchair for our park day, with my group’s support.

It turned out that there were a LOT more hills, ramps, and uneven surfaces in the parks than we had counted on. Even splitting it up between me self-propelling when I could and switching off between anyone else in the group who was able to, it was just physically too much for us.

And some of those ramps are REALLY steep! The ramp to get into Soarin’ made us feel like Sisyphus impersonators! We’d have to put the brakes on the wheelchair every time the queue stopped to keep from rolling back, then take them back off and dig in to start again. I’m not a tiny person (5'10"), but I’m at my target BMI, and I’ve got reasonably strong arms. The friend who did most of the pushing was a six-foot man raised on a farm.

I called the rental company that night, and they brought an ECV the next morning.

If the pushee is small and light, and the pushers strong and athletic, it may not be the issue it was for us.

 

[lanejudy]

How is mom with driving? Does she still drive a car? Can she be alert the whole time while in a park? It takes a lot of concentration to "drive" an ECV, which can be tiring. If you are considering an ECV, I suggest mom try one out at a local grocery or big box store -- those are typically harder to maneuver than the ones in the park, but will give her an idea of whether she's up to that all day or not.

Pushing can be tiring, the parks are not as flat as one might think. But it might be the best option if she's not up to driving the ECV all day.

As for transportation, the wheelchair might be slightly easier because it could be folded and held, therefore you aren't restricted to the few (2-3) tie-down spots available per bus. But if you are going at a crowded time of year, you may still find yourselves waiting for the next bus so she can have a seat. If she is concerned with "parking" the ECV on the bus, maybe another member of your party could do it for her? It's not terribly difficult once you've done it a couple of times.

Enjoy your vacation!