Hello All,

Need to rent an ECV for my Mom for our upcoming trip in April. Does anyone have any recommendations as to where to rent from? We will be staying at AKV, and wont have a car so drop off and delivery is necessary for sure.

Any other tips you can share about touring WDW with someone who is using an ECV?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Check out the link in my signature. It is everything you need to know about disabilities at WDW. Page #2 discusses recommended location for renting ECVs. At least it is a much wider choice than at DL.

As a follow up.
Got the scooter from Walker Mobility (http://www.walkermobility.com/new/) and we could not have been happier. Ordered it about a week before we arrived and it was waiting there when we checked in. The price was good and the scooter worked very well. Dropped it off with Valet Services at the end and hopped on our DME bus.

Mom would never have been able to get around the World without it. It was a lifesaver.

I understand there may be electric carts or something like that you can rent at the parks. Is that true? I may need to rent one because of a painful condition I have with my heels. It's starting to get bad again and I just don't know what to do when I hit the parks this August.

Anyone out there ever rent or use one of these during crowded and hot times in the park????

I have severe plantar fasciitis and a ruptured tendon in my ankle. Although I am not "handicapped" in most senses of the word, I have no problem with renting an ECV at the park. At first, I felt a little self-conscious, but that was only my own pride. I decided that I would rather be there on an ECV with my kids than not be able to be there at all, and my kids think the same thing. Plus, you can use the ECV to help pack-mule your stuff, lol. I say, go for it!

that's exactly what I have! It hurts so bad sometimes, I don't think I can stand it. I have custom made inserts for my shoes, and even still I have the pain. I can't wear sandals, or go barefoot - that's going to be a bear in August. Can I ask you what the rental cost is for the ECVs? I'll also check into it...

Terri,
If you think you will need an ECV for more than just internal park usage, you might want to take a look at a thread of mine (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=97449) from the recent past. I mention that because the scooters you rent at the parks can only be used at the park you rented it from. (You can take your receipt for that day and use it to get another scooter at another park, subject to availability.)

The interesting thing is that you might think that you would only use it in the park but even getting to/from transportation or getting from point A to point B at the resorts can include long walks. If that is the case than getting a ECV from a outside vendor will be a good value.

The current price for ECV Rental at WDW is $45 per day with a $20 refundable key deposit. However, for a lot more information follow the link in my signature and look at Page 2.

Just wondering, has anyone flown to WDW and brought their own EVC?
Or brought their own EVC on the airline anywhere?

Just wondering, has anyone flown to WDW and brought their own EVC?
Or brought their own EVC on the airline anywhere?Good question. I don't know if you can. I have a friend who is wheelchair bound and uses a power chair. She left her chair at home, used a manual from the airlines though the airport, and had a rental chair waiting at the other end (Disneyland!)

Just wondering, has anyone flown to WDW and brought their own EVC?
Or brought their own EVC on the airline anywhere?

I would contact your airline for information about this.

I am certain that you can do it somehow because I had two aunts visiting recently, one in a power wheelchair, and one in an electric scooter. I don't know which airline they flew, but you should just call the airline you plan to fly. I know my dad has flown with his as well. The one thing is that there IS a possibility that it could get damaged, so you should look into some kind of insurance or a backup plan. Here is a link that I found just with a google search that offers practical tips for traveling with a power chair. Tips (http://www.catfishchapter.org/news/AirTravel.html)

I have a friend who flies with his. It is a hassle, but he prefers to have his own chair instead of dealing with the quirks of a rental chair. The link that HisKid1 provided is spot-on with regards to what you'll need to do to work with the airline.

AVP

Thanks everyone!
DH has his own EVC and in planning our trip, we figured that's a good $150 savings if we brought it, but I don't want a headache and I definitely don't want to risk damage to it!
I'll check out the link too!

What you need to do is "gate check" the ECV. Do not check it at the normal luggage check. Thgis was you can take it all the way to the plane's entrance, and they will have it waiting for you when you get off.

For more information follow the link in my signature.

What you need to do is "gate check" the ECV. Do not check it at the normal luggage check. Thgis was you can take it all the way to the plane's entrance, and they will have it waiting for you when you get off.Yes, this was extremely well covered in the incredibly helpful link (http://www.catfishchapter.org/news/AirTravel.html) posted by HisKid1 yesterday.

AVP

Thank you all, the information was tremendously helpful!
I did get a chance to look over the tips page from the links....and it seems that it would be MUCH less trouble, since he's able to walk short distances, to just rent at our destination!

Just bumping to see if any one has any new info.
We are going in November/December and DH's Grandfather may go with us.
His over all health is pretty good but he will be 87 years old when we go and can't walk as far as he used to.
He does use his Jazzy Scooter at home so he is used to driving one. I figure it will be best to rent one off site to save the hassle of doing it every day and then the possibility of them being out.
Any info/tips are very much appreciated!
Katrina:)

I am in agreement that you should get one from an off-site source. Take a look at my threads above for a link to the company I used - and highly recommend.

They may not be the cheapest that you can find out there but I would not change a thing if I had to do it all over again.

Going to WDW in October--due to broken foot will probably need to rent an ECV while there and I will need one to get around on the busses as well as at the parks so do not want to wait and try to rent at the parks. Has anyone rented in Orlando? If so, please advise about the best and most reliable rental service--i am not trying to cheap out, want realibabilty most of all

You might want to check out a past thread of mine. (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=97449) Hope that helps.

There was recently a discount code for one of the companies that rent ECVs on mousesavers you might want to check. Mousesavers usually has relationships with the companies they work with so they should be reliable.

I believe that Scooter Vacations (http://www.scootorlando.com/mouseplanet.html) (a MP sponsor) is also offering MP'ers a discount as well. Their prices are lower than what I paid and they appear to have more choices as well.

I was hoping my MIL would make just one decision for this trip but it looks like it's up to me to rent the ECV for GFIL.
I will go back and read all the links on here and check out the discounts here and on Mouse Savers to see what I can get for the best price.
How far in advance should I rent it? We will be there Friday November 28th (day after Thanksgiving) until Saturday December 6th.
Any new info any one has to share is always welcome! :)

How far in advance should I rent it? We will be there Friday November 28th (day after Thanksgiving) until Saturday December 6th. I would make your reservations as soon as you possibly can. I don't know about other companies, but when I was speaking with Scooter Vacations (http://www.scootorlando.com/mouseplanet.html) a few weeks ago she said that they are selling out quite frequently, and I'm sure holiday weeks are worse.

AVP