Car rental with handicapped parking vs. Disney transport

[Cin]

Traveling with Mom and she has mobility issues from back surgery last year, She walks but very slowly and uses a cane for balance. She can not walk long distances, but she handles walmart and shopping like at larger stores like Penney's well, just moves really slow. She has a permanaent disability and has a handicap access tag on her car for close up parking. I know how much walking the buses have from the bus stops to the park's main gates and am wondering if we get a rental car it would be a lot less walking and standing in lines for her? I don't know how far the handicapped parking spaces are from the entrances and if it is going to be of any help. I know the MK uses a tram to shuttle folks from the regular lots but I don't know anything about the handicapped parking areas. I'm trying to decide if we should rent a car or not for her. That way I could park just outside our room door and distance to bus stops won't be an issue nor will the long standing required while waiting. If the access isn't much closer, then it is not going to help Mom and a waste of our money. I just can't decide to get a preferred room location and close to bus stops, or rent the car?

 

[jdb in AZ]

How does your mom feel about renting a wheelchair or an ECV for the parks?

 

[minnie mum]

Taking a car, even with Handicapped parking, would mean MORE walking for your Mom at MK: you have to walk to the TTC, then boat or monorail over, then walk to the gates. The bus would be shorter. Really, I don't think HC parking saves you much walking at the parks at all.

Are you renting a wheelchair for your Mom? It sounds like she could really benefit from one that you rent for the whole trip from an off-site agency. That way you wouldn't have to worry about distances at the resort, at the park, or in between. Then using the bus or car would just be a matter of preference.

 

[Dan1]

Taking a car, even with Handicapped parking, would mean MORE walking for your Mom at MK: you have to walk to the TTC, then boat or monorail over, then walk to the gates. The bus would be shorter. Really, I don't think HC parking saves you much walking at the parks at all.

Are you renting a wheelchair for your Mom? It sounds like she could really benefit from one that you rent for the whole trip from an off-site agency. That way you wouldn't have to worry about distances at the resort, at the park, or in between. Then using the bus or car would just be a matter of preference.

I agree on both counts, Minnie Mum.

My 24 year old daughter uses a walker inside and a wheel chair outside.

We have been lucky enought to stay once at OKW with the rest of the trips off site. For my daughter (and for me who pushes her) it was so much more convenient to stay on site.

Sadly, when we go (just her and I again) next spring we are off site because (A) DVC stopped letting Orlando based resort owners exchange with WDW DVC properties and (B) the cost of renting is outside of our budget.

I also agree about renting a wheelchair offsite. The ones in WDW are (A) on the large side and (B) don't appear that comfortable. Last year the tires on my daughter's wheelchair were shredding (shame on me for not checking before we left on our trip) so I tried to rent a wheen chair in Epcot. She is on the small side so the standard adult rental wheelchair was way to big for her.

I hope that helps, Cin.
Dan

 

[Cin]

LOL, when I asked mom about getting an ECV, she held up her cane and said I've got this! I think she ins underestimating her endurance and thought since a rental would be easier for us to get to our dining reservations at the different resorts, that maybe using it for the parks would be beneficial too. She has balance issues and I don't know whether she would benefit or need an guest assistance pass or not since with her cane it is obvious she has a disability, trying to budget and plan ahead since she and I are sharing costs.

 

[BillSears]

As a wheelchair user I feel that driving to the parks is faster than waiting for a bus an doing the tie downs in the HC spot. Except for the MK bus. It's much faster to take t he bus to the MK than it is to drive there.

 

[Selket]

We just toured with a friend who uses a walker and has a handicapped tag. We drove to all the parks but MK and parked in the HC parking when she was with us and that worked very well. There are courtesy wheelchairs to get a person from there to the entrance if needed however the parking was really close in those areas.

For the MK though you cannot park right there but at the TTC so we took the bus that day.

My younger son got blisters on his feet at the end of the trip and we rented a WC one day for Epcot cause of all the walking (he is too big for a stroller). It was no big deal just to push him to the next place and park the WC for him to walk around (or wait in line). Walking the parks is exhausting and the WC rental is no big deal - at least if you aren't sure you can always get one of the WDW chairs when you are there if your mom changes her mind.