Epcot Wheelchair: Rent at Front Entrance, return at International Gate?

[journies_end]

My family and I will be visiting Epcot in 2 weeks and I had a question about how flexible their wheelchair rental/return policy is.

My father dad is able to walk short distances but he isn't able to stay on his feet for long periods of time so we will be renting a wheelchair at the parks for him during our trip. The day that we visit Epcot, we plan on using the wheelchair rental at the park's front entrance, however that day we have a lunch reservation at Beaches and Cream restaurant at Disney's Beach Club Resort. Since (from what I've researched) wheelchairs cannot be removed from the park we were wondering can wheelchairs rented from Epcot's front entrance be returned to the wheelchair rental at the International Gate? From there we will take the ferry to the Beach Club resort and from the dock it is a short distance to Beaches and Cream. After lunch we will return to Epcot via ferry to the International Gate. From there, will we be able to resume our wheelchair rental (am I correct in assuming all we have to do is show our receipt and are able to resume our park wheelchair rental for the day)?

 

[MissDisneyDora]

Yes. That is correct. Hang on to your receipt and just be mindful that availability can be limited especially on a busy day.

Dora

 

[mamabunny]

My family and I will be visiting Epcot in 2 weeks and I had a question about how flexible their wheelchair rental/return policy is.

My father dad is able to walk short distances but he isn't able to stay on his feet for long periods of time so we will be renting a wheelchair at the parks for him during our trip. The day that we visit Epcot, we plan on using the wheelchair rental at the park's front entrance, however that day we have a lunch reservation at Beaches and Cream restaurant at Disney's Beach Club Resort. Since (from what I've researched) wheelchairs cannot be removed from the park we were wondering can wheelchairs rented from Epcot's front entrance be returned to the wheelchair rental at the International Gate? From there we will take the ferry to the Beach Club resort and from the dock it is a short distance to Beaches and Cream. After lunch we will return to Epcot via ferry to the International Gate. From there, will we be able to resume our wheelchair rental (am I correct in assuming all we have to do is show our receipt and are able to resume our park wheelchair rental for the day)?

It is correct that you can hang on to the receipt - and if there are units available - resume the rental.

However, on WDW's page regarding ECV rentals, it states that you must return the ECV to the location it was rented from. I don't know if this will apply to wheelchairs, since that exact wording is not reflected on Disney's wheelchair rental page, but I would caution you to double-check when you rent to make sure, since Epcot is the exception with 2 entrances.

I also saw for the first time that there are now "length of stay" rentals for park wheelchairs that give a discount for multi-day rentals, which is nice.

 

[SueM in MN]

Since you are not actually leaving for the day, see if they can HOLD the same wheelchair for you.
Epcot has the different situation of having not only 2 entrance/exits, but 2 places where ECVs and wheelchairs can be rented.
The other parks have one area at the entrance and then have some other designated spots where a replacement can be obtained if yours has something wrong or gets taken.
Since they don't actually rent at those places, they don't have a mechanism for charging it giving credit.

 

[CJN]

What Sue said.
Make clear to them you are not returning the chair, but rather just want them to store/hold it until you return. Then it won't get rented to anybody else. This should be no problem since they have even stored my personal wheelchair for me on days when I rented one of their scooters.

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

I once upon a time worked wheelchair/stroller/evc rental at epcot. Now this was several years ago but yes like others have said keep your receipt so you can get a replacement when you return. And if for some reason they are out of wheelchairs when you return the policy once upon a time was that a wheelchair would be delivered to you at International Gateway (I made that hike from the entrance location a few times to bring one to a guest) so I wouldn't worry to much about it.

And yes take advantage of the multi day rental if you think you will need it. It can save $2-$4 per day.