Anyone want to help me think through ECV/crutches + DAS + infant? Feeling overwhelmed ...

[Betty Rohrer]

You’re talking about walking short distances, but that isn’t really what getting a scooter is. It’s parking the scooter down by the carousel and walking back over to Pooh and then standing around for 30 minutes with nowhere to sit. If you have a rental scooter (as opposed to a wheelchair), it won’t fit in the queue. Well, I think it does fit in Pooh, but you know what I mean. A wheelchair goes up to the ride vehicle pretty much anywhere. They park it at the ride exit, and you’re back in it a few minutes later.

Id have a serious discussion with your doctor about whether you should be standing around half the day and walking the sometimes significant distances to scooter parking. Scooter parking for dining, for the restroom. A wheelchair makes a significant difference in the time on your feet. Even if the Pooh line isn’t much distance, it’s still standing around for 30 minutes and every ride is figuring out where to park and what to do. They’re supposed to put you in Disney wheelchairs after you park your scooter at some rides, ugh. I’d just start with a wheelchair.

A motorized wheelchair takes the pressure off, (almost) always fits in the queue, and you’re the packhorse for all your kids, which is convenient for everyone. To me, an injury this serious wouldn’t be worth risking with a half-solution like a scooter.

in most lines scooter can go all they way to ride also. yes I have done it. there are a couple of rides where you have to change to wheelchair and those are the ones where they can not get scooter to ride exit. and yes they can move a scooter without the key. been there and done that many times

 

[TillyMarigold]

in most lines scooter can go all they way to ride also. yes I have done it. there are a couple of rides where you have to change to wheelchair and those are the ones where they can not get scooter to ride exit. and yes they can move a scooter without the key. been there and done that many times

I used to be a CM we loved it when we got to move the scooters around, although especially when we had a key for them and could actually drive. (Partly because that was the only time we could sit down.)

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I used to be a CM we loved it when we got to move the scooters around, although especially when we had a key for them and could actually drive. (Partly because that was the only time we could sit down.)

that is where I am lucky at the small park I work at I get to sit for a lot of the day running the dishwasher for the stand I work at

 

[maxiesmom]

Now, given new info about walking without crutches (though so far I can only stand without them), I'm wondering if I should still take them on the trip just in case. Or take a cane. I'm terrible with the crutches but maybe it would be useful to have a cane in case my ankle is feeling overworked?

Thank y'all for all your help and for being my sounding board and my place to keep all my notes in one place.

Before my trip I got a foldable cane off of amazon. It was great for the airplane, and for walking around a bit.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Spent two hours on hold last night to talk to someone about putting a request for first floor or near elevator on my SSR reservation, and the extremely nice woman who answered was trying very hard to help but had to put me on hold to check something and accidentally hung up on me Guess I'll have to try again.

 

[lanejudy]

Spent two hours on hold last night to talk to someone about putting a request for first floor or near elevator on my SSR reservation, and the extremely nice woman who answered was trying very hard to help but had to put me on hold to check something and accidentally hung up on me Guess I'll have to try again.

If you are renting points, the owner or broker will need to add that request.

 

[TillyMarigold]

If you are renting points, the owner or broker will need to add that request.

I got through to the reservations line today (only an hour and 20 minutes on hold) and she was able to explain to me that I can call when I'm within 10 days but only the owner can do it now.

 

[lanejudy]

I got through to the reservations line today (only an hour and 20 minutes on hold) and she was able to explain to me that I can call when I'm within 10 days but only the owner can do it now.

Within 10 days? I've never heard of that. Good luck!

 

[SueM in MN]

I got through to the reservations line today (only an hour and 20 minutes on hold) and she was able to explain to me that I can call when I'm within 10 days but only the owner can do it now.

If you are renting points, the owner or broker will need to add that request.

Where were you calling?
If you rented points, the regular reservation line can’t help you.
Requests or changes have to be done thru DVC Member Services by the DVC member or broker you rented thru/from.

Within 10 days? I've never heard of that. Good luck!

I’ve never heard that either. We‘ve been WDW members since 1993, but never rented points.
That doesn’t sound right to me. It sounds like she was quoting the ‘handoff’ information that applies to reservations made thru a travel agent (the agent ‘owns’ and controls the reservation until a certain point when it is handed over to the resort).

 

[SueM in MN]

Thinking about it more, I‘m pretty sure you were in contact with WDW Reservations, not DVC (Disney Vacation Club).
My husband is the one in our home who does all the DVC reservations and any contact with DVC. When he calls DVC, he needs to give the DVC member number right away when talking to the CM.
When we have a WDW DVC stay, all of our contacts are with Member Services all the way to check in. DVC reservations made on points stay in the DVC system, as far as I know, they don’t cross over at any point to the WDW reservation system.

 

[RoseGold]

I got through to the reservations line today (only an hour and 20 minutes on hold) and she was able to explain to me that I can call when I'm within 10 days but only the owner can do it now.

DVC members can do it in chat. I've requested a shower seat like this many times. DVC is pretty good about accommodations that aren't too much work. I would think ground floor is in that category.

 

[SueM in MN]

DVC members can do it in chat. I've requested a shower seat like this many times. DVC is pretty good about accommodations that aren't too much work. I would think ground floor is in that category.

Yes.
The member can contact DVC multiple ways, but non-members can’t. My husband did DVC Member chat the other day about a reservation.

Honestly, the best way for the OP to make the request would be to contact the member or broker the points were rented from and ask them to add the request.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Thanks everyone! I will try that. I was indeed calling Disney Reservations, which was the number Disability Services told me to call. The person I spoke to (do they use only Disney employees? it used to be a call center Disney contracted with, right?) was very clear in her explanation do I divergent l didn't think to doubt her; but I can certainly believe she may have been thinking of travel agent reservations. I wish I hadn't wasted all that time on hold, though!

By the way, the two women I spoke to on successive nights had such unusual send yet similar names that I had to wonder if they were fake. The first was Tanya-Joy and the second was Frankie-Gail. Two unusual double first names like that makes me imagine two big lists posted at Cast Relation, "pick one from column A and one from column B."

 

[TillyMarigold]

So last night I managed to take my first couple steps full weight bearing, and I've asked everyone I know to text me and remind me to practice walking so I can be as mobile as possible at Disney.

An hour or so ago, I managed (with my walker, maybe 50% weight bearing or so?) to get to the far end of my first floor and get down into the bathroom there (there's a tricky step down) for the first time in 10 weeks. And then back out and to my bed in the living room.

And I had a thought: [bleep] the crutches. I hate the crutches, I'm terrified of them, and I'm frankly terrible with them. I alternate between hoping I'll magically get better at them and hoping I'll be walking well enough not to need them (which may be very slightly more likely, but only slightly). I'm comfortable with my walker--heck, I'm *good* with the walker. I can almost walk at a normal speed. I'm going to get a more portable walker and take that. I'll change my scooter rental details to ask for a walker holder.

And darn it, I'm going to tell the mental voice that says I should be fit enough and coordinated enough to use the crutches and I'm such a [deleted] for needing to use a walker instead to take a long walk off a short pier.

 

[mamabunny]

So last night I managed to take my first couple steps full weight bearing, and I've asked everyone I know to text me and remind me to practice walking so I can be as mobile as possible at Disney.

An hour or so ago, I managed (with my walker, maybe 50% weight bearing or so?) to get to the far end of my first floor and get down into the bathroom there (there's a tricky step down) for the first time in 10 weeks. And then back out and to my bed in the living room.

And I had a thought: [bleep] the crutches. I hate the crutches, I'm terrified of them, and I'm frankly terrible with them. I alternate between hoping I'll magically get better at them and hoping I'll be walking well enough not to need them (which may be very slightly more likely, but only slightly). I'm comfortable with my walker--heck, I'm *good* with the walker. I can almost walk at a normal speed. I'm going to get a more portable walker and take that. I'll change my scooter rental details to ask for a walker holder.

And darn it, I'm going to tell the mental voice that says I should be fit enough and coordinated enough to use the crutches and I'm such a [deleted] for needing to use a walker instead to take a long walk off a short pier.

Do what you need to to be happy with yourself, but please remember these 2 things:

1. Use *all* of the tools at your disposal to have the best possible trip - whether that is a wheelchair, a Rollator, crutches, a scooter, and/or something else. WDW is *not* like everyday life at home; for starters, most of us don’t walk between 3 and 10 miles *per day* at home! Think of those “tools” like this: If you need glasses (to see better) you don’t hesitate to get them. If you needed hearing aids to improve your hearing, you would talk to your doctor about those, right? Maybe you want to hang a picture, so you grab a hammer… All of those things are *tools* we use every day to get a job done as easily, safely and correctly as possible. That includes crutches or a walker, or any other mobility aid!

2. “Normal” is a setting on the washing machine. Nothing else. Don’t worry about “normal” or what‘s “regular” or anything else. Right now, worry about what is *right FOR YOU* and no one else. You will not see those people at WDW again, I can almost guarantee it 100%. So what do you care? It’s not a race, it’s not a beauty pageant and it’s not anything other than a chance to act your shoe size, and not your age - so go have fun, however you can!!!

 

[TillyMarigold]

Thanks, mamabunny!

Thank you so much. Yeah, goodness knows I'm accustomed to the beat of my own drum--when I said "normal speed" I wasn't thinking of anything beyond my normal speed a few months ago. But the voice in my head that is trying to pass a value judgment on my mobility aids needs to sit down and shut up.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thanks, mamabunny!

Thank you so much. Yeah, goodness knows I'm accustomed to the beat of my own drum--when I said "normal speed" I wasn't thinking of anything beyond my normal speed a few months ago. But the voice in my head that is trying to pass a value judgment on my mobility aids needs to sit down and shut up.

your voice in your head needs to think about everything you use in every day life to help you out. you use what you need when you need it. you do not use the clothes washer if you are not washing clothes. wheelchair or ECV is like something you need now but you may not need next time. just as you do not use every tool every day.

 

[TillyMarigold]

your voice in your head needs to think about everything you use in every day life to help you out. you use what you need when you need it. you do not use the clothes washer if you are not washing clothes. wheelchair or ECV is like something you need now but you may not need next time. just as you do not use every tool every day.

Yes--the issue is specifically crutches vs walker.

 

[mamabunny]

Thanks, mamabunny!

Thank you so much. Yeah, goodness knows I'm accustomed to the beat of my own drum--when I said "normal speed" I wasn't thinking of anything beyond my normal speed a few months ago. But the voice in my head that is trying to pass a value judgment on my mobility aids needs to sit down and shut up.

I get it. I had to *grieve* over my loss of mobility - and I’m not joking when I say that I *ugly cried* the first time I had to use an ECV at WDW.

The irony was that it actually became our first “great” trip in a long time because I was no longer creeping from bench to planter to curb to eek out a few moments rest before I would try to go “just a bit more” to the next place where I would rest for “just a bit more…”. At the end of that first day of ECV, we were all still tired - but we had gotten so much more done! And once I realized that the ECV was nothing more than a tool that was going to let me be more like *me* than I had been in a long time… I got up the next morning, and we had the best Disney Day we had had in years.

It sounds like that - in time - you will be fully healed and rehabbed, and past this bump in the road, (is there a pun there? Bad dad joke? LOL sorry) and (no offense) hopefully we won’t see you for a long time around here! And boy do I wish that for you! But until then, I promise, it’s OK to be frustrated and exhausted from the whole situation.

If you can, just take *all* of your personal mobility equipment, so that you can find what works best for you; every day might be different. Be emotionally prepared to rent an ECV if it comes to that - and be prepared with the name & phone numbers of a couple of local Orlando vendors so you can have full use of an ECV when you aren’t in the Parks.

The whole goal of our Disney vacations is to arrive home, happy, full of Mickey Bars, and in the same or less pain than when we arrived! Here’s hoping that’s your outcome!!!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Yes--the issue is specifically crutches vs walker.

read and reread last paragraph of mamabunny's last post and hopefully you have a great trip using what ever you need to make it happen this time