Still trying to accept that I have to have a ECV...

[arminnie]

First, I am 51 and use a ECV, No one really says anything about it, At WDW people are usually very kind, Rarely will you ever hear any comment. No big deal.
As for the parks, It is very easy getting around on a ECV. You will have a better trip because you won't be worn out. Go for it, Get one and enjoy the ride
Deb

Thanks Deb - Just reading about how other have used an ECV makes me remember the times that I didn't go to the other side of DTD or the Boardwalk because I was afraid I would be too tired. I'm looking forward to this next trip as I'm going to get to stay at BCV. Just because I can physically walk without pain doesn't mean that it isn't taking it's toll in fatigue. Tricia

 

[Itinkso]

My DD's 17 year-old BF went to Disneyland with us last week and used an ECV which I rented privately. He had a wonderful time...he hadn't been to DL since he was 7 - before he had surgeries which caused lower leg paralysis. He never wanted to have to use a wheelchair (he is ambulatory) but felt fine using the scooter (DD sometimes rode it with him!) They received a lot of positive comments as it was a sporty-looking Sundancer scooter. It went 2-3 times faster than the DLR's ECVs - most comments were "hey, I want one of those!" They could control the speed and never had problems manuevering through crowds...even the "after fireworks" crowds.

Enjoy using the scooter and have a fantastic time!

 

[zumbergc]

Worried about manevering the ecv. Don't worry about.

If you have another member in your party who is a good ecv driver, borrow them when things get difficult.

Since you are able to walk. Like when you load on the bus.
On some occasions, I can't park in the bus at all. Just keep missing,
and not parked good enough for them to strap it down. Hop out of the ecv and get some help.
One of two things happens. My husbands parks it better, or 2 the bus driver manuevers the ecv for me into the spot.

Other potential hard places to park.
Like if you parking next to a row for a show, or in between bolted down seating.
First off, try not to be nervous, take a deep breathe, turn the speed all the way down to the slowest speed. Gently press the lever for power, and slowly manever into position.
Don't worry, not everyone gets into position the first try. So just take a second attempt, and so on. Plus, your parking job doesn't have to be purfect, just be patient with yourself.

I'm usually rusty the first day, but then I'm good. Although some days I can't park at all. ALthough I have gotten some good parking advice
from some bus drivers.

 

[CF'er]

for the first time during ur last trip in April. I have Cystic Fibrosis which is a fatal lung disease. I had been in the hospital until 2 days before the trip. They let me out so I could go. I had to do IV antibiotics while there and go back in after I got home. (I'm 38 BTW) There is no way I could walk all around all the parks all day. With the ECV I could keep up with everyone and really enjoyed the trip. I was still tired but it was at the end of the day and not half way through.

If you need it, rent it. I am trying to plan a trip for Oct 2007 and may rent one then too.

Kalen

 

[danalee]

This thread has been a god send!!!

My mom is 58 and a month after we came home from Disney last year she had a stroke, she is doing well now but walking any kind of "distance" gives her trouble.
She uses a cane and makes due but I have been worried about our upcoming September trip.(not for us but for her) So the other day I tell her that renting a wheelchair or ecv at disney is the way to go. She was afraid, like many of you, what people would say or think (she looks healthy also) I tried best I could to give her the "who cares what people think speech" but she was still on the fence, (although I was getting it for her no matter what ) because I want her to have a wonderful time from start to finish and not worry about trying to keep up.

So anyway, I just printed this thread for her and I think this will seal the deal!!!!!

Thank all of you so much!

 

[donnabres]

I am so glad that I found this. I just came back from a 2 week cruise, and found that everytime I got off ship, I could not walk very far without getting bad back pain. I have breastcancer which has spread to my spine. I have been having a lot of back pain since last fall. I too look healty, but it's next to impossible now for me to stand in lines for any length of time.
I am taking my grandson down in Aug., and have been nervous about it because of the walking. We'll be there for a week. Now, I really think that I will be renting a ECV. Seems like it will be the smart thing to do as this is a once in a lifetime trip with him, and I want him to enjoy it.

Should I call the travel agent and request a handicapped room? We are staying at All Star Movies. That's where I took my granddaughter a few years ago, and he wants to stay at the same place. His choice!!!!!!!!!

Thanks,

 

[SueM in MN]

Should I call the travel agent and request a handicapped room? We are staying at All Star Movies. That's where I took my granddaughter a few years ago, and he wants to stay at the same place. His choice!!!!!!!!!

Thanks,

Hope you have a great trip - it sounds like you could use one.

If all you are concerned about is being able to get the ECV in the room, then a regular room is OK. The doors to get into the room are not different in the handicapped rooms than the regular rooms.

If you would benefit from a roll in shower (basically a large open shower area with a fold down seat), then you would want to request an accessible room with a roll in shower.

They also have handicapped rooms with tubs with grab bars. If a good soak helps your back at all, you would want a tub.

 

[Ann Hess]

How do you rent one? My husband recently pulled his hamstring and we are considering bagging our trip (tomorrow) due this injury. How much do they cost per day?

 

[Piper]

How do you rent one? My husband recently pulled his hamstring and we are considering bagging our trip (tomorrow) due this injury. How much do they cost per day?

Look in the FAQ sticky at the top of this board. There are several providers listed that will deliver to your resort. The cost is about $30 at day. You may be able to get it for a little less depending on who you go with and for how long.

 

[danalee]

You also may be able to rent one at home and take it with you, that is what we did. It was much cheaper, and it helped in the airport as well. So check your local drugstores and medical dealers that may be the way to go.

 

[leanan]

There were a lot of people with ECVs who got out to sit in a normal seat. When we were in line for the Haunted mansion I was asked politely by staff what my limits were. If I could stand for 5 minutes then I would enjoy it more if I left the chair and did the whole thing starting from the back entrance. I could not do the 10-20 minutes standing in line so I was sent down the chair line.

Nobody can tell what you are capable of just by watching you walk a few feet. A lot of my problems right now are minor stuff that is further annoid by the pregnancy. So normally I can do a half day walking. Right now standing in one spot is hell on earth and walking for more than 10 minutes is often too much for me on a bad day. You can not tell though from watching me walk across the house or even down the block. By the time I got down the block though my hip would hurt so bad and my back would be screaming.

My DBF is sensative about what other people think. For me I know to accept my limits. My mom had Guillium Barret when I was 8. I got used to people thinking she just had her disabled pass for parking because she was a Drs wife. They did not know and they could not tell. People are morons sometimes and you have to remember not to let what they think affect your enjoyment or ability to enjoy.

 

[donnabres]

Thanks for your reply. A real hot shower directed on my back is as good as soaking in a tub, so I don't need one.

If we are on any floor other than the bottom, I take it that the scooter will be able to navigate the elevator, and the walkways to the room. So I guess that I will not need the handicapped room.

Knowing about the rentals have made me look forward to this trip much more than I was this past week. Sometimes it's harder to admit it to yourself that you can't do what you used to do just a little while ago. Last time I went to DW was in Oct. and walked around with no problems at all. What a diffrence 7 months makes. Teaches one to live and enjoy each and every day of the rest of your life. Not to take them for granted.

Donna

 

[Mami2Princesa]

I am so glad I found this thread. I think I have a heel spur and I am going to need to rent an ECV. Walking long distances all day long and standing in one place for a long time will be really painful. I am too concerned about the stares I will get since I will be able to walk onto the rides but I think it's more important that I am not in pain can enjoy my dd's first trip to WDW.

 

[danalee]

My mom was very worried about what others would think because she too "looks healthy" but she was soooo glad that she didnt let it stop her. It took a little while for her to warm up to the idea but I printed this thread and a couple others and it put her a little more at ease. When we go back in December the chair will be coming as well.
Oh and when she did get up from time to time we (mostly my son) took a sit-down for a few minutes!

We had a wonderful time and the wheelchair was great thing, and it was a big help! She made it through the day and enjoyed herself, so please, please if you need it get and enjoy your vacation to the fulliest!

 

[Belle1997]

I use a ECV at WDW. Bought my own travel scooter since if I used it for two years it would pay for itself. Funny how prospectives change. Alot of times I need a walker to help me walk. With the walker I feel very disabled, but with the scooter I do not. I can keep up and feel the wind blowing my hair lol.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Belle:
I feel the same way you do about using my scooter. I actually feel more capable when using it. I own my scooter but only use it on vacation. I guess I'm lucky because my disability is obvious (I walk with a cane) and people know I'm not faking it.

My kids were so funny this last vacation (we just returned from two weeks in Disney). They are 9, 6 and 22 months. My middle son says "boy, I feel bad for kids who don't have a handicapped mom. Can you imagine walking from the back of the parking lot, waiting in all those lines and not being able to ride on mom's lap when you get tired?" I couldn't stop laughing when my oldest chimes in "I wish I was born with a disability so I could have my own scooter". I guess this means I'm raising well adjusted children!

Don't be afraid to use your scooter. It will allow you to enjoy Disney to its potential!

Michelle

 

[ShhhQ]

I know the feeling of being leary of what others are thinking of you.... that is one of my biggest fears as well...
When my mom suggested we save up for a trip to WDW I was pleasantly surprised, but knew it might be a problem. My mother is 61 years old and has several mobility issues (recently also diagnosed with CHF) and I told her unequivically that we would be renting a scooter for her! (I pushed her in a wheelchair at the Indy zoo last summer and said never again)
Then a few months later, another damper, my Dr. informed me that my heel spurs were keeping my plantar faciitis from healing and I had 2 options.... have them surgically removed or live in pain. So in January of this year I had the heel spur on my left foot removed... as of now the insicion site is still tender but I can feel some improvement in the foot, just healing slower than I expected it to.... next January will have the other foot operated on (my job only allows up to 13 weeks paid medical leave a year and I was off for 10 with the first foot). I work at a job where I am constantly on my feet (cashier) and I know that I CAN do it, however most days I am in such severe pain by the time I go home that I can barely walk at all. As my mom already has handicap plates on the car we share, I have never bothered to inquire about it for myself so don't know if I would even qualify for a temp, but I have parked in handicap spots knowing that people will give me a funny look, but I really do need it.
Back to our trip.... we already are planning on paying for my mom to have a ECV, so I figured I would tough it out... but as my feet aren't improving as fast as I had hoped (right foot is actually getting worse as I favor the left). I keep thinking that maybe I should rent one too.... but if we can only afford one, she gets it... no bones about it!!!! I am afraid of both of us using one will be too inconveinent, especially in the room and on the buses.... besides that I absolutely hate the looks I know I will get.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I know the feeling of being leary of what others are thinking of you.... that is one of my biggest fears as well...
When my mom suggested we save up for a trip to WDW I was pleasantly surprised, but knew it might be a problem. My mother is 61 years old and has several mobility issues (recently also diagnosed with CHF) and I told her unequivically that we would be renting a scooter for her! (I pushed her in a wheelchair at the Indy zoo last summer and said never again)
Then a few months later, another damper, my Dr. informed me that my heel spurs were keeping my plantar faciitis from healing and I had 2 options.... have them surgically removed or live in pain. So in January of this year I had the heel spur on my left foot removed... as of now the insicion site is still tender but I can feel some improvement in the foot, just healing slower than I expected it to.... next January will have the other foot operated on (my job only allows up to 13 weeks paid medical leave a year and I was off for 10 with the first foot). I work at a job where I am constantly on my feet (cashier) and I know that I CAN do it, however most days I am in such severe pain by the time I go home that I can barely walk at all. As my mom already has handicap plates on the car we share, I have never bothered to inquire about it for myself so don't know if I would even qualify for a temp, but I have parked in handicap spots knowing that people will give me a funny look, but I really do need it.
Back to our trip.... we already are planning on paying for my mom to have a ECV, so I figured I would tough it out... but as my feet aren't improving as fast as I had hoped (right foot is actually getting worse as I favor the left). I keep thinking that maybe I should rent one too.... but if we can only afford one, she gets it... no bones about it!!!! I am afraid of both of us using one will be too inconveinent, especially in the room and on the buses.... besides that I absolutely hate the looks I know I will get.

Don't worry about what other people think, I too suffer form Plantar Fascitis (sp?) so I know how you feel, I also have had surgery on my right knee to repair a torn meniscus and I reinjured that knee last January, but in order for me to enjoy Disney I have to use an ECV. I am only 33 soon to be 34, and I don't worry what others say. If they don't have anything better to worry about, then that is their problem. I am also overweight, but that is not why I use the ECV, so many people probably think that is why I use the ECV. Go and have fun and use an ECV, it will make your trip much more enjoyable. Heck, you probably spent as much or more than most people to be able to go, so enjoy it in comfort.

Suzanne

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Off Topic, but MinnieForMe, I love the matching outfits in your picture.

Suzanne

 

[SueM in MN]

As my mom already has handicap plates on the car we share, I have never bothered to inquire about it for myself so don't know if I would even qualify for a temp, but I have parked in handicap spots knowing that people will give me a funny look, but I really do need it.

Just a thought -
you should check into whether your doctor will sign an application for you to get your own handicapped parking permit.
If one of the people who gives you a funny look decides to call and report you to the police, you could risk having your mother's handicapped plates taken away because the handicapped plates are registered to her, not you.

When we had handicapped plates on our van, someone reported me once for parking in a handicapped spot when I went in to pick up DD from school. They saw me walking in and didn't think I was "handicapped" enough to park in the van accessible spot. I'm not, but I had come to pick up DD who was ill and if I didn't park in that spot, I would not be able to lower the ramp and get her wheelchair into the van. The policeman saw me bringing her out and informed me that someone had reported me, but he could see that I had a valid reason for parking there.