Ecv and the MK

[3DisneyBuggs]

So I most likely will have ecv at WDw this July due to back issue and foot drop. My biggest fear aside from running into people is tipping over. I am especially wary of driving it over the tracks on Main St. Am I overthinking this Please tell me these ecvs dont tip over easily. If I get a wheelchair my family will have to push it and I dont want to burden them. My DS hurt his foot at Disney six years ago and we had to push him in the heat and it was hard.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

ECVs don't tip over easily.

That said, where are you renting from? Disney(onsite) or and offsite rental? If you rent from Disney, which I do not recommend, it is like driving a personal tank. They are large, bulky and I think it would take 5 strong men and a steep hill to tip them over. Although I am sure that you will have people here talk about how it almost tipped for them.

If you rent from offsite, they are a little more easily tipped. I've "almost" tipped my personal scooter. But I was on a grassy hill, and I was going a little too fast.

At Disney you will not be driving on hills that are steep or grass. You will be on pavement or the like. As long as you don't go off of a curb or get your wheel stuck in the railroad tracks, you will be fine.

Quite literally there are thousands of ECVs at Disney every year. And very, very few have any problems.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Get the 4 wheel ECV. Although it has a larger turning radius, it is much more stable than the 3 wheel.

In fact, Disney only rents the 4 wheelers. Any 3 wheelers you see are from offsite. But you have the choice. For stability the 4 wheeler is preferable.

 

[Hoodie]

Just be aware of the curbs and edges of the pathways. The only time I saw an ECV tip over was at AoA and the driver skirted the edge of the path too closely and the wheel fell off the paved part, causing the whole thing to tip over.

And go to your local stores and practice.

 

[tobikaye]

If you need to cross tracks, the best thing to do is go perpendicular and not parallel. This is for any wheeled device. When my sister has one of her mobility devices at MK, we stay to the side of the street on Main Street and if she needs to cross over, we make sure she can angle so as not to get her wheels stuck.

As others have said, just be cautious of edges and you will be fine. The only time my sister about tipped her EVC was when she was driving off the ramp of the bus and she turned before she was all the way off.

 

[FortForever]

If you need to cross tracks, the best thing to do is go perpendicular and not parallel. This is for any wheeled device.

This. Cross the tracks at an angle.

The three wheeled ones do not tip easily, or I would have for sure tipped one by now. I have accidentally went down curbs, twice, in the dark. I also do lots of 180 turns and never even had one feel unsteady.

The only possible way to tip one is have one side higher, like sideways on a steep slope, or catching one of the rear tires on something like a curb. If it was easy to tip one, I am positive I would have accomplished it by now.

 

[mamabunny]

This. Cross the tracks at an angle.

The three wheeled ones do not tip easily, or I would have for sure tipped one by now. I have accidentally went down curbs, twice, in the dark. I also do lots of 180 turns and never even had one feel unsteady.

The only possible way to tip one is have one side higher, like sideways on a steep slope, or catching one of the rear tires on something like a curb. If it was easy to tip one, I am positive I would have accomplished it by now.

Yep. Exactly. Me too.

Also, to the OP - remember that anytime you are worried (maybe about crossing the tracks on Main Street in MK, or loading/unloading the ECV from Disney transportation, etc.) you can always get off the ECV, turn it off, and push it manually.

The only time I have ever seen a three-wheeler tip over is the time my hubby tried to pop a wheelie on my personal ECV, and he tumped over backwards. I laughed so hard I almost fell over myself. I had zero sympathy for him the next day when he was all achy and sore! LOL

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

This. Cross the tracks at an angle.

The three wheeled ones do not tip easily, or I would have for sure tipped one by now. I have accidentally went down curbs, twice, in the dark. I also do lots of 180 turns and never even had one feel unsteady.

The only possible way to tip one is have one side higher, like sideways on a steep slope, or catching one of the rear tires on something like a curb. If it was easy to tip one, I am positive I would have accomplished it by now.

Exactly. When we bought my scooter, the salesman said that unless you have balance issues, you should go with 3 wheels.

Yes, the 4 wheeled are more stable. But that also have the turning radius of a tank.

 

[arminnie]

When I bought my personal ECV I had not used one in over a decade. My first use of it was for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I was terrified every time I drove over the tiniest bump. I just knew that I was going to tip over. But I didn't. Now I am not a speed demon - and I realize that as long as I am driving straight, not on an incline, and going relatively slow I'll be okay.

 

[Bete]

Definitely go with a 4 wheeler. You can get a heavier duty scooter like the Pride Victory model. Those will help with stability.

You can avoid the tracks at MK by using the sidewalk. It's harder because there will be more people on the sidewalk. Let your group help clear a path for you down the sidewalk.

The castle has curbs; so, make sure you use ramps around the castle. Watch we're the wheelchairs are going there.

 

[katmittens]

If you don't want to do curbs in MK take the sidewalk all the way around. I recently purchased my own scooter and I am more careful with it since it is mine, although I did catch the cup holder that is attached to the armrest, and put it in forward into the bed at AKL but it still looks new. You will be fine.

 

[JenLovesMM]

I used an ECV at WDW for the first time earlier this month and it was a rental from off site, the 3-wheel type. I did pay attention to not roll close to the curb edge, etc. and of course you need to pay attention at all times to people around you because they will walk to the front of you and then suddenly decide to stop, that happened to me many times. However I never felt like I may tip over. I also liked that I could turn around very easily with the 3-wheel type, it was easier to operate than I expected.

Someone mentioned that the ones rented directly in the parks are big and they are. I had never noticed the different types of ECVs during past trips but once I did, I was glad that I was not using that type.

I did not use any boats or monorail on this trip but I did take the bus back and forth to the parks each day. We had a rental car and I had rented the type of ECV that can be dismantled and placed in a trunk in case I felt uncomfortable using the bus, however it all went well. The drivers were very patient and nice with me. In most cases I simply told them that I wouldn't mind if they helped me park it once inside the bus to speed up the process for the other guests waiting to embark and in most cases they were very happy to do so. As another poster mentioned, when you get off a bus with an ECV, it is important to keep it on low speed (I turned the speed dial to the lowest setting so I couldn't accidently speed up) and keep going straight until both back wheels are off the ramp. Once that done, they you can start turning into the direction you want to go.

I was very anxious at the thought of using an ECV at Disney, and knew that I would need to exercise a lot of patience while using it in crowds, however it went better than I thought it would be and it allowed us to go all around the parks and stay much longer than I would have been capable of without it. It's not always easy to accept and decide to use ECVs, but it many cases it can make the trip much better both for yourself and others in your party.