Potential of Daily wheelchair rentals running out?

[Stinkomann20x6]

heya, so going with family in September, and my mother has some pretty big issues with fused vertebrae and other back problems that at times make it difficult to stand all day. So we are looking at wheelchair rentals.

I see there are daily rentals, vs length of stay rentals. The daily rental option is only $2 more but run the risk of maybe running out any given day. The length of stay rentals are nice for the guarantee of having one every day (assuming they offer it) but my mom doesn’t know if she wants the hassle of dealing with getting it on transportation and being responsible for lugging it back to the resort each day since she wouldn’t really need it back there (PVB) for her, she’s thinking it would be worth the extra $2 a day for that. But I’m a little more worried about not having one if they run out. Does anyone have any experience with or any idea on how often wheelchair rentals might run out? Thanks!

 

[mamabunny]

First of all, to our little corner of the DIS

I think y'all may be a wee bit confused about how wheelchair rentals work at WDW.

If you rent from WDW, then you pick up the chair at the entrance to the Park (MK, AK, HS or EP) and use it for the time you are in the Park - it does *not* leave the Park with you, not even to go back to the buses. So, you can rent them "daily", or for "length of stay", but it's still just to pick the chair up at the Park entrance.

The Resorts no longer have "loaner" chairs, either - so you need to plan ahead if (for example) she finds that she doesn't have the ability to walk to breakfast, and then stand in line, or she is too tired at the end of the day to walk from transportation to the room.

So, if your Mom is going to need (for example) a place to sit while waiting for buses (either after leaving the Parks, or at the Resort), or if she can't stand/walk for long distances at the Resort (or Disney Springs, which is so much bigger than it used to be) then you would be better served renting from an outside vendor, so that she has it at the Resort. Remember that you can easily wait 20 minutes for a bus - and even staying at a Monorail Resort, you may still have to wait (and have the long walks up the ramps to the stations at MK & Epcot)

Personally, I recommend an ECV (scooter) because she won't be able to self-propel (people forget how many hills and slopes there are at WDW, not to mention curb cuts and ramps) after about the first day; her arms and shoulders will feel like limp noodles at best. ECVs tend to actually have more comfortable seats for folks with back problems, unless your Mom is bringing a thick gel cushion (or similar); the "sling" style seat in a standard rental wheelchair could become quite uncomfortable for her by the end of the day if she needs both cushion and support for her back. An ECV would give her freedom to go where she wants, without someone pushing her, and will fit easily into the hotel room to be recharged every night. Gold Mobility is highly regarded by many people here; you can find a post that is full of recent testimonials about their prices and service levels.

 

[Mrsjvb]

heya, so going with family in September, and my mother has some pretty big issues with fused vertebrae and other back problems that at times make it difficult to stand all day. So we are looking at wheelchair rentals.

I see there are daily rentals, vs length of stay rentals. The daily rental option is only $2 more but run the risk of maybe running out any given day. The length of stay rentals are nice for the guarantee of having one every day (assuming they offer it) but my mom doesn’t know if she wants the hassle of dealing with getting it on transportation and being responsible for lugging it back to the resort each day since she wouldn’t really need it back there (PVB) for her, she’s thinking it would be worth the extra $2 a day for that. But I’m a little more worried about not having one if they run out. Does anyone have any experience with or any idea on how often wheelchair rentals might run out? Thanks!

actually you are incorrect. the length of stay is just a discount on the rental, it does not guarantee you will have a chair whenever /wherever you want it. furthermore they are not permitted outside of the parks themselves. and the walks/line standing for transportation can be brutal. that alone means you'd bet FAR better off renting from an offsite company.

one, it'll be cheaper. two, she will have the use of it at all time ( depending on resort , there could a be a butt ton of walking from your room to the transportation hub or even the pool)

I have my own chair and I do not need it at the resort ( my preferred is AKL,) but having it going to and from by and of itself is worth it. while yes, it is possible that buses may be full, she can always fold it up and sit down on a seat rather than take up one of the spaces.

 

[jo-jo]

Just to add , if you go the EVC route, it is possible that disney will run out.

We rented a wheelchair from WDW for a few trips. It was a bit of a hassle, waiting in line every morning. We now rent offsite. DH really likes having a chair to sit in while waiting for bus. We just fold it up and wheel it onto the bus.

 

[Stinkomann20x6]

Thank you for the responses everyone! For some reason I thought the quick places I looked at for rentals were more than at the park. That’s good to know it isn’t thanks! And I wouldn’t have to worry about taking back to the resort and stuff, but might be more of a hassle to get it each day, that might change things thanks so much!

 

[Stinkomann20x6]

First of all, to our little corner of the DIS

I think y'all may be a wee bit confused about how wheelchair rentals work at WDW.

If you rent from WDW, then you pick up the chair at the entrance to the Park (MK, AK, HS or EP) and use it for the time you are in the Park - it does *not* leave the Park with you, not even to go back to the buses. So, you can rent them "daily", or for "length of stay", but it's still just to pick the chair up at the Park entrance.

The Resorts no longer have "loaner" chairs, either - so you need to plan ahead if (for example) she finds that she doesn't have the ability to walk to breakfast, and then stand in line, or she is too tired at the end of the day to walk from transportation to the room.

So, if your Mom is going to need (for example) a place to sit while waiting for buses (either after leaving the Parks, or at the Resort), or if she can't stand/walk for long distances at the Resort (or Disney Springs, which is so much bigger than it used to be) then you would be better served renting from an outside vendor, so that she has it at the Resort. Remember that you can easily wait 20 minutes for a bus - and even staying at a Monorail Resort, you may still have to wait (and have the long walks up the ramps to the stations at MK & Epcot)

Personally, I recommend an ECV (scooter) because she won't be able to self-propel (people forget how many hills and slopes there are at WDW, not to mention curb cuts and ramps) after about the first day; her arms and shoulders will feel like limp noodles at best. ECVs tend to actually have more comfortable seats for folks with back problems, unless your Mom is bringing a thick gel cushion (or similar); the "sling" style seat in a standard rental wheelchair could become quite uncomfortable for her by the end of the day if she needs both cushion and support for her back. An ECV would give her freedom to go where she wants, without someone pushing her, and will fit easily into the hotel room to be recharged every night. Gold Mobility is highly regarded by many people here; you can find a post that is full of recent testimonials about their prices and service levels.

Thanks for the advice! From my understanding my mom said the walking part might be good for her. But when it comes to standing in line for a while is when she’d have the most trouble. I don’t fully understand it. But it’s what she mentioned to me. For the chair I’m assuming we’d take turns through out the park if she needs it then as well.

 

[Stinkomann20x6]

actually you are incorrect. the length of stay is just a discount on the rental, it does not guarantee you will have a chair whenever /wherever you want it. furthermore they are not permitted outside of the parks themselves. and the walks/line standing for transportation can be brutal. that alone means you'd bet FAR better off renting from an offsite company.

one, it'll be cheaper. two, she will have the use of it at all time ( depending on resort , there could a be a butt ton of walking from your room to the transportation hub or even the pool)

I have my own chair and I do not need it at the resort ( my preferred is AKL,) but having it going to and from by and of itself is worth it. while yes, it is possible that buses may be full, she can always fold it up and sit down on a seat rather than take up one of the spaces.

Yeah I don’t think she’d want to wait for a spot on the bus just to be in the wheelchair. That’s good advice on folding it up and taking a regular chair. Thanks!

 

[jo-jo]

Thanks for the advice! From my understanding my mom said the walking part might be good for her. But when it comes to standing in line for a while is when she’d have the most trouble. I don’t fully understand it. But it’s what she mentioned to me. For the chair I’m assuming we’d take turns through out the park if she needs it then as well.

Does your mom need anything day by day at home? With my DH, knees are really shot, back aches, etc. We get a wheelchair only at disney and he uses it about 80 % of the time. There are times he gets tired of sitting, so will walk for a while, pushing it himself like a walker. There are hills that I can't manage so he walks those too. We take it into rides and such. Great while waiting for rides, buses, fireworks, shows etc.

 

[Stinkomann20x6]

Does your mom need anything day by day at home? With my DH, knees are really shot, back aches, etc. We get a wheelchair only at disney and he uses it about 80 % of the time. There are times he gets tired of sitting, so will walk for a while, pushing it himself like a walker. There are hills that I can't manage so he walks those too. We take it into rides and such. Great while waiting for rides, buses, fireworks, shows etc.

No she doesn’t use anything at home. The walking when she can will be good for her. Maybe for circulation or something. Her biggest concern is just lines and all that stuff I think the standing and not moving might be what hurts her the most.

 

[gap2368]

No she doesn’t use anything at home. The walking when she can will be good for her. Maybe for circulation or something. Her biggest concern is just lines and all that stuff I think the standing and not moving might be what hurts her the most.

It sounds like your mom can walk just not stand for long. I think a wheelchair is a great idea. She can push it when she needs to walk and sit when she needs too. Not sure how may people are in your group but she will more then likely need someone to push her. I would get one off site she may not need one at the hotel but let ( after the fire works) the lines for the bus can be quite long and after a long day at the park she might find she needs more help then normal. Also she can fold the wheelchair on the bus.

 

[mamabunny]

No she doesn’t use anything at home. The walking when she can will be good for her. Maybe for circulation or something. Her biggest concern is just lines and all that stuff I think the standing and not moving might be what hurts her the most.

Maybe ask her to consider a Rollator? That gives her a seat whenever she needs it - plus (usually) storage under the seat (who can say no to storage? ) and the "walker" function helps support her.

Most Rollators can be folded for bus travel (as well as air travel) and are so lightweight that they can easily be lifted in and out of the trunk of any car.

Just an alternate idea

 

[cmwade77]

I personally would suggest an ECV, pushing any device can be difficult in the parks. If she needs to walk, someone else (whose feet might like a break at that point) can drive for a while, then switch back. And no matter what, I would definitely rent offsite.

 

[Stinkomann20x6]

I personally would suggest an ECV, pushing any device can be difficult in the parks. If she needs to walk, someone else (whose feet might like a break at that point) can drive for a while, then switch back. And no matter what, I would definitely rent offsite.

Thank you this is good to know. Maybe the few sites I looked at were more than renting from Disney. I’ll do some more research on where to rent. Thanks!

 

[Stinkomann20x6]

Maybe ask her to consider a Rollator? That gives her a seat whenever she needs it - plus (usually) storage under the seat (who can say no to storage? ) and the "walker" function helps support her.

Most Rollators can be folded for bus travel (as well as air travel) and are so lightweight that they can easily be lifted in and out of the trunk of any car.

Just an alternate idea

Thank you! I’m open to all suggestions to make things more comfortable for her!

 

[cmwade77]

Thank you this is good to know. Maybe the few sites I looked at were more than renting from Disney. I’ll do some more research on where to rent. Thanks!

Check out Gold Mobility at ********************************/

If you are going for more than 3 days, you should be ahead with them and their customer service is the best. I also doubt you will find a lower price from a reputable company and you definitely won't find a lower price with all of their added features.

 

[mamabunny]

I do agree with others here who have mentioned Gold - they consistently have great reviews here (which is a feat that is difficult to achieve LOL) for both customer service and quality of equipment, and seem to have very competitive pricing.

 

[Stinkomann20x6]

Check out Gold Mobility at ********************************/

If you are going for more than 3 days, you should be ahead with them and their customer service is the best. I also doubt you will find a lower price from a reputable company and you definitely won't find a lower price with all of their added features.

Sorry for late reply. My wife and I just found out we are expecting our first kiddo, so I’ve had some new things to do and not do on our trip lol. Thank you so much for the rec. I’ll check them out with my mother and see where to go.

 

[Stinkomann20x6]

I do agree with others here who have mentioned Gold - they consistently have great reviews here (which is a feat that is difficult to achieve LOL) for both customer service and quality of equipment, and seem to have very competitive pricing.

Awesome will check it out. Appreciate it!

 

[mamabunny]

Sorry for late reply. My wife and I just found out we are expecting our first kiddo, so I’ve had some new things to do and not do on our trip lol.

Congratulations!

 

[Stinkomann20x6]

Congratulations!

thanks much! Its been me and the Mrs for about 12 years of marriage. Friends and family at Disney are fun, but we are soooo excited to see the magic through the little eyes of one of our own