Travel to Hoop De Doo w/ ECV

[Mobbane]

What is the easiest way to get to Hoop De Doo in an ECV? My mom will be arriving on property by car and meeting us at Hoop De Doo in Fort Wilderness. Thanks for any advice/tips.

 

[kaytieeldr]

1. Drive to Fort Wilderness, park at the Outpost, take internal bus to HDD.
2. Bus to MK, boat to FW.

 

[ttintagel]

The *big* challenge I had using an ECV at the HDDR was that *lots* of parents were letting their little kids play and run around unsupervised on the wheelchair ramp. Because it's a grassy, yard-like area around the building, they seemed to think they should just let the kids act as if they were at home. The little'uns would see the approaching scooter, hear the smiling lady driving it say, "Excuse me!" and stare blankly like deer in headlights. If someone in your party is able to walk up ahead of you it might be helpful.

(Yes, I know kids play on ramps all over WDW, but this location was particularly egregious.)

 

[Betty Rohrer]

What is the easiest way to get to Hoop De Doo in an ECV? My mom will be arriving on property by car and meeting us at Hoop De Doo in Fort Wilderness. Thanks for any advice/tips.

I would park at OutPost and take the internal bus any color to the Settlement. short walk/ride over to HDDR. if you are riding boat over from MK and want to meet her, just walk past HDDR and you will come to bus depot on the other side from the dock. one other tip be prepared to use the secret door at Trails End to get into HDDR as there are steps at all other doors. would also be sure to use restroom before entering as restrooms are outside of HDDR. make sure your Ressie if not cat 1 is for downstairs as there is no elevator to second floor for part of cat and all of cat 3

 

[Groot]

1. Drive to Fort Wilderness, park at the Outpost, take internal bus to HDD.
2. Bus to MK, boat to FW.

The boat to Fort Wilderness can’t take scooters, unless it’s the big one.

 

[SueM in MN]

The boat to Fort Wilderness can’t take scooters, unless it’s the big one.

There are 2 boats that go there.
We’ve taken the big boat with a wheelchair multiple times.

 

[bluecruiser]

The boat to Fort Wilderness can’t take scooters, unless it’s the big one.

There are 2 boats that go there.
We’ve taken the big boat with a wheelchair multiple times.

Even the larger resort boats can be tricky to maneuver using a scooter due to their size. Once you're on the boat the path is narrow with two tight turns, and you have to time your exit carefully (the CM will tell you when to exit) since the level of the boat changes as people get off. It always makes me nervous.

 

[RaySharpton]

There are 2 boats that go there.
We’ve taken the big boat with a wheelchair multiple times.

I always take the big boat, too. The small boats aren't accessible like the big boat and you have to take stairs down.

At the Disney cast member's direction, I slowly drive through the door entrance and carefully turn to the front of the boat in front of the Captain's tower where the large boat Captain sits.

Sometimes there is a removable chain is up to show where you stop or markings on the floor. They don't like you to stop or park in front of either of the side doors.

There are two entrances depending on which side of the dock the boat docks. One time the large boat had to dock on the other side because the wind was too strong and I guess the Captain didn't want to have the wind push him into the dock. It was easier for him to dock against the wind on the other side.

Both sides are about the same looking.

They have a center Captain's tower between the two doors.

Disney cast members usually direct to me to carefully and slowly drive toward the front and to stop at the chain or yellow markings before reaching the opposite of the boat's other door. There are also some yellow markings on the floor.

When you arrive you don't have to back up.

Depending on which door opens at the dock when you are ready to exit, you can either drive around the captain tower and exit. Or if the door in front of you is used, then just drive through that door without going all the way around the Captain's tower. That is why you don't have to drive in reverse to exit the door.

I have driven toward the back where there is a large area behind the Captain's tower and where the guest's benches begin.

Sometimes a lot of folded strollers are in the way. Other times I just maneuver my scooter so that I am against the Captain's tower wall or against one of the side windows. I make sure not to back up into someone that may be behind me sitting on a bench. I usually have plenty of room.

But for the most part, I just follow directions and drive my scooter toward the front. It is a lot easier to turn with my three-wheel scooter than a four-wheel scooter. But I really have to be careful when entering or exiting the larger boat doorway because they don't use a ramp like on the monorail.

My three-wheel scooter tends to tip a little bit when I drive across the boat entrance in a sideways direction. The Captain's tower takes up a lot of room near the doorways and the boat's doorway has a slight angle from one side to the other.

Most people don't have a problem unless they are not paying attention to what they are doing and if their speed is too fast.

This the larger boat. You can see where the Captain's tower is located. The front and back of the larger boat have outside seating. The side door in front of the Captain's tower is the entrance for everyone. You might see how the flooring could be a little curved upwards going from back to front. That is what I was talking about when you should drive carefully. The opposite side is next to a dock and looks the same as this side.

The small boat has steps to walk down to board. You'll usually see this boat at MK going to Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Wilderness Campground resorts.

Disney watercraft provide transportation to and from the Magic Kingdom, the TTC, and the resorts surrounding The Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake.

Gold Flag: The Seven Seas Lagoon Gold Flag boat loop makes stops at the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and the Polynesian Village Resort. Typical hours of operation: 8:30 a.m. until 60-90 minutes after park closure.

Blue Flag: The Bay Lake Blue Flag loop operates between Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds. Typical hours of operation: 6:45 a.m. until 11:30 p.m.

Green Flag: The Green Flag boat travels between Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Magic Kingdom. Typical hours of operation: 8:30 AM until 60-90 minutes after park closure.

Red Flag: The Red Flag boat operates between Wilderness Lodge and the Magic Kingdom. Typical hours of operation: 8:30 a.m. until 60-90 minutes after park closure. Boats do not run for Extra Magic Hours.

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There are other boats with ramps, but those are in the EPCOT to DHS area with the resorts in between.

They are called Friendship boats.

This is an old photo of a friendship boat and they no longer allow you to park in the outside like this. They usually allow two wheelchairs/mobility scooters to enter the rear covered designated area.

 

[dizneefan13]

If this has already been said, I apologize for the repetition. Minnie Vans can take you directly to Hoop De Doo from just about anywhere on property or nearby.
Its more expensive to use MV's now, but sometimes worth it. Minnie Vans have accessible vans now too that ecv's can be loaded easily into the back.

 

[Selket]

We tried to take a boat from the MK to HDDR 2 summers ago and missed the last boat - which was fairly early in the evening. Could they have stopped boat service earlier than usual due for some reason? Or maybe temporarily for a few hours? The weather was excellent so it wasn't weather related. Our only choice at the time was to take a bus - we had to walk over to the MK bus stop and get the bus. I honestly don't remember how we got there other than that but the boat shut down quite early. We made it on time though for our show but it was very stressful.