I am taking a nearly legally blind friend with mobility issues due to diabetic neuropathy and her 13 year old son to the Magic Kingdom next month. She can walk short distances on her own but I'm sure the walk from the parking lot to the tram and the tram to the scooter rental will be too much for her without her walker. Is there a place to store her walker at the scooter rental or other place she can check it? Or is there a courtesy wheelchair available to her in the parking lot? This is a new situation for me at Disney. Thank you in advance for your advice.
Getting from the parking lot to the wheelchair rental?
- Thread starter Beejie
- Start date
PatMcDuck
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 12, 2000
There are usually courtesy chairs in the parking lots. You are driving? Does she have a HC parking placard? If so, use that to park in the HC area, I think that is where the WC are placed. MK is a real pain in the butt though. I have no insight in the walker other than to say they do have lockers, and I dont think the rental place would store it for the day.
Bete
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 1999
I would borrow a wheelchair from home; ask around and you may be able to use one for the trip. There are portable travel wheelchairs that fir into car trunks. I would ask at church or neighbors.
If not I would rent a wheelchair from an offsite vendor and get one that will fit your car. Then you will have it for the parking lot and the park.
If not I would rent a wheelchair from an offsite vendor and get one that will fit your car. Then you will have it for the parking lot and the park.
Thank you for your advice. My friend has a voucher for a free rental of an electronic scooter so she will be using that. She does have a hc parking card and we do plan on parking in the HC parking section. I was just worried about getting her from point A to point B so she could get her free scooter. She's been trying to make this trip for her son for a couple of years and she can't see to drive. Her adult daughters aren't interested in going. So when she told me she was going to pay $250 plus tip for a taxi to drive her 90 minutes each way to get to MK I told her I'd take her. We're going the weekend after her 50th birthday so that will be an extra special thing for her.
Sorry if this is an inappropriate question but if she is "nearly legally blind" and "cannot see to drive" how is she going to deal with driving the ECV? Given the conditions at WDW (crowds, many little children, people not paying attention to where they are going, etc.) driving conditions are hard for everyone. I cannot imagine doing it with such limited sight.
Betty Rohrer
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 19, 2010
the Handicapped parking at MK is a hike from parking to either the monorail or ferry plus it is slightly uphill. you will be walking on a walkway along side a driveway with cars going by. no tram in that area. I have never been lucky to find parking lot wheelchair. there is no way to drop them at gate of MK. there is a way to drop of near ferry and monorail from what I have been told but have never done. MK is worst park for getting handicapped to front gate without using Disney buses.
She can see some which is why she is "nearly" legally blind. I plan to walk near her and run interference for her, help her with getting on the rides, etc. Her 13 year old son will also help. That was a concern of mine as well.
mamabunny
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
You are very kind to help your friend pre-plan; I'm sure it will help alleviate some of the stress for both of you.
First of all - don't plan on the courtesy wheelchairs that are (supposed to be) in the parkings lots being at all available; we have many reports here that indicate that frequently none are to be found... or if they are, they are broken and either unstable or nearly so. Plan on whatever works best absent a parking lot courtesy wheelchair, and *if* you happen to find a good one, then it's just extra bonus!
Secondly, I too share @SirDuff concern about your friends' use of the ECV. Can I recommend that you, her son, and she all head to a local Wal-Mart, Target, or grocery store, and have her drive one of the ECV shopping carts through the store at a busy time to see how she does? This should give you all a much more realistic idea of her abilities; although the ECVs you will rent at WDW are somewhat more nimble, they are still larger than a standard external (non-Disney) rental, and move at closer to the same speed. If she has trouble negotiating the store, I can assure you that she will not be able to handle WDW as the crowds will be even more intense at times, and even more closely packed. I'm a very experienced ECV driver; I own my own units; and I use them daily... but there are times at WDW when the crowds are still overwhelming to me.
Remember also that the Disney Parks ECV rentals often "sell out" fairly early in the day; hence the popularity of off-site rental vendors. You can "hop" a Disney Parks ECV rental from Park to Park each day, but again there is no guarantee that an ECV will be available at the next Park you want to go to.
Next, I have some concern for her nighttime vision - remember that not all areas of the parks are brightly lit, and the headlights on most ECVs do little to compensate. If her night vision is at all impaired, she may not be at all safe to drive the ECV at night. There are many places around WDW where the lights are intentionally dimmed to bring your attention to a feature, attraction, or view - and if she cannot see at night well, she will not be able to drive.
Last, if she has trouble walking, she may require the assistance of a mobility device just to get around at the Resort, let alone in the parking lots. There are options - renting a lightweight, folding wheelchair, or even a Rollator might be something to consider so that you have it with you outside the Parks. If you decide to go to Disney Springs, remember that it is now nearly twice the size it was just four years or so ago - so you will want/need to have a device available there too. You didn't say if you were staying onsite or not, but regardless, it might be beneficial to consider other options for her. A lightweight chair that her son could push (at 13, he may be strong enough - and 13 year olds bounce back A LOT faster than grown ups do! LOL) might be much safer, and less stressful for everyone.
I hope that you all have the best trip possible - don't rent an ECV just because it's "free" (and I'm curious how she got a free Parks rental? Never heard of a voucher for that!) and then have a stressful time trying to help her navigate the Parks. I hope you find a solution that will be safe and comfortable for everyone who is a part of your trip!
You are very kind to help your friend pre-plan; I'm sure it will help alleviate some of the stress for both of you.
First of all - don't plan on the courtesy wheelchairs that are (supposed to be) in the parkings lots being at all available; we have many reports here that indicate that frequently none are to be found... or if they are, they are broken and either unstable or nearly so. Plan on whatever works best absent a parking lot courtesy wheelchair, and *if* you happen to find a good one, then it's just extra bonus!
Secondly, I too share @SirDuff concern about your friends' use of the ECV. Can I recommend that you, her son, and she all head to a local Wal-Mart, Target, or grocery store, and have her drive one of the ECV shopping carts through the store at a busy time to see how she does? This should give you all a much more realistic idea of her abilities; although the ECVs you will rent at WDW are somewhat more nimble, they are still larger than a standard external (non-Disney) rental, and move at closer to the same speed. If she has trouble negotiating the store, I can assure you that she will not be able to handle WDW as the crowds will be even more intense at times, and even more closely packed. I'm a very experienced ECV driver; I own my own units; and I use them daily... but there are times at WDW when the crowds are still overwhelming to me.
Remember also that the Disney Parks ECV rentals often "sell out" fairly early in the day; hence the popularity of off-site rental vendors. You can "hop" a Disney Parks ECV rental from Park to Park each day, but again there is no guarantee that an ECV will be available at the next Park you want to go to.
Next, I have some concern for her nighttime vision - remember that not all areas of the parks are brightly lit, and the headlights on most ECVs do little to compensate. If her night vision is at all impaired, she may not be at all safe to drive the ECV at night. There are many places around WDW where the lights are intentionally dimmed to bring your attention to a feature, attraction, or view - and if she cannot see at night well, she will not be able to drive.
Last, if she has trouble walking, she may require the assistance of a mobility device just to get around at the Resort, let alone in the parking lots. There are options - renting a lightweight, folding wheelchair, or even a Rollator might be something to consider so that you have it with you outside the Parks. If you decide to go to Disney Springs, remember that it is now nearly twice the size it was just four years or so ago - so you will want/need to have a device available there too. You didn't say if you were staying onsite or not, but regardless, it might be beneficial to consider other options for her. A lightweight chair that her son could push (at 13, he may be strong enough - and 13 year olds bounce back A LOT faster than grown ups do! LOL) might be much safer, and less stressful for everyone.
I hope that you all have the best trip possible - don't rent an ECV just because it's "free" (and I'm curious how she got a free Parks rental? Never heard of a voucher for that!) and then have a stressful time trying to help her navigate the Parks. I hope you find a solution that will be safe and comfortable for everyone who is a part of your trip!
I take my friend to Walmart so she can do her shopping and she is able to maneuver the store good. She's experienced with a scooter. She got a free scooter rental because she had a bad experience about 2 years ago at Disney and she complained about it and they gave her the voucher for the free ticket.
We live 90 minutes away so we're only going for the day, so we will not be going to the resorts. I would imagine we'll be going home before it gets too dark. We plan on being there for rope drop so she can get a scooter right away and to maximize our day. She's really excited about going and I just want to help her have a the best possible trip since this will probably be her last trip to Disney because of her disabilities and finances.
Thanks. That's a good idea. I appreciate everyone's help!
I want to thank everyone for their advice. I took my friend yesterday. When we got there, there were LOTS of complimentary wheelchairs in the handicapped parking. My friend felt comfortable walking with her walker. We were in the first row of handicapped parking. She was able to check her walker at the rental shop. She was able to navigate the crowd pretty well. After dark was harder, but we managed. If I had to do anything different, I would only recommend she not try to drive the wheelchair through the maze at the Little Mermaid ride. It was darker and harder to see. She had an absolutely magical day and I thank everyone for their help in making it so.
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