ECV - Backstage Magic Tour About This Page:

[ddavis]

Has anyone done the Backstage Magic Tour with a ECV? Just wondering if it is too inconvenient to do it with an ECV. Can I rent one at each of the 3 parks without holding up the tour? The guy I talked to on the phone had a couple of suggestions, but not sure they were very practical or doable.

He said that we could bring our own ECV, which means we would have to rent one from an outside source and bring it. He also said the tour begins and ends in Epcot, and that they MIGHT let us take the ECV on the bus to other parks, and bring it back at the end of the tour. I can't imagine they would let us do that, but maybe someone has some experience with this. Let me know!

Dorothy

[Eeyore Tattoo]

I have taken "keys to the kingdom" using my own ECV, No trouble at all.
I would also recommend renting from a outside company, much easier & a
smaller more maneuverable ECV that you will have with you for all the parks..
Check the "sticky" at the top of this forum for ECV info..

[mechurchlady]

Renting off site is cheaper and has the scooter at your hotel. It is a long walk from buses or other transportation to the ECV rental places and way cheaper. Disboards has a disability board that has FAQs that explain the rental sites.

The tour is supposed to be ECV and wheelchair friendly for the majority if not all of the tour. I think you should consider the off site rental and let the tour people know you will have an ECV so they can make arrangements. I have never heard of wheelchairs having trouble with that tour but sometimes Disney will say no ECVs because some ECVs come with canopies, baggage, are super heavy, and oversized. At Disneyland they say no ECVs on the train but they allow my Lark 3 because it is small enough to fit the train.

[ddavis]

This is our first time staying on property. In the past we have always rented from an outside source and hauled the scooter in our rented car or van. We were hoping not to have to do all that this time and just rent from the parks. But you have good points. I had not thought about the distance to the busses and other transportation.

So, tell me how much a pain is it to put the scooter on the busses? What if there are a bunch of us with scooters? How many can a bus accomodate? Is it hard to get on the bus. Do you have to drive it on?

Dorothy

[mechurchlady]

Normally it is not hard to drive the scooter onto a bus. You could freewheel it and have family push it in place but that is a pain. It is just like driving a car basically with the same parking skills but you can man handle an ECV into place some times. My scooter is light in front so I can tip the front pretty easy but that back end does not budge very much. I will get the front and lift it and toss it over to where I want it to go. I think they are easier than driving cars, lol.

two wheelchairs or ECVs per bus and only if the guests will move out of the area. I would say it is easy usually and if you have problems with the driver then ask for a manageer and note the name of the driver and bus number and the time of the incident and make sure if you have a camera to use it. If the driver says a bus is full and it is empty you have the picture. That is the only way correct the mistrained drivers.

I strongly recommend that persons not sit in the ECV while on a moving bus. Corners can be scary and even start tipping. I ride public busses and have had enough scares that I do not sit in the seat unless it is a straight line.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Hi!

Are you guys saying that if you rent an ECV from Disney, you must leave it behind in the parks, but if you rent from an outside company, you can take it back to your hotel?

[mechurchlady]

Originally Posted by Sandra Bostwick

Hi!

Are you guys saying that if you rent an ECV from Disney, you must leave it behind in the parks, but if you rent from an outside company, you can take it back to your hotel?

yep

At DLR you can rent in one park a stroller, wheelchair or ECV and park hop until around closing time at DCA. Eventually they stop letting people take the rentals out of Disneyland once DCA is closed.

At WDW you keep your receipt for a stroller, wheelchair, or ECV and have to leave the item behind.

With rentals from places like RAndy's and Walker you get the ECV or wheelchair delivered to the lobby or your room. You then can take the rental to Universal Studios, park hop, and go any place you want with it. It costs a lot less to rent off site and there is clear evidence from folks who have had problems with the item and they get it fixed right away.

There are also places that rent out strollers and pushchairs that drop the item off and you keep it for your whole trip.

It is much easier to have it dropped off at your hotel then you can test drive it and practice driving it. You can call and ask for instructions before geting into the parks. Last April I rented about $300 in ECV rentals from DLR and can tell you that owning your own or renting from offsite is far cheaper and less painful.

Someone asked me what I would do if I was in charge of hades and heaven. I said I would make a certain former corporate ninny for Disney have to daily push people up and down the monorail ramp at TTC. I still have nightmares about that after over 10 years,.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by mechurchlady

yep

At DLR you can rent in one park a stroller, wheelchair or ECV and park hop until around closing time at DCA. Eventually they stop letting people take the rentals out of Disneyland once DCA is closed.

At WDW you keep your receipt for a stroller, wheelchair, or ECV and have to leave the item behind.

With rentals from places like RAndy's and Walker you get the ECV or wheelchair delivered to the lobby or your room. You then can take the rental to Universal Studios, park hop, and go any place you want with it. It costs a lot less to rent off site and there is clear evidence from folks who have had problems with the item and they get it fixed right away.

There are also places that rent out strollers and pushchairs that drop the item off and you keep it for your whole trip.

It is much easier to have it dropped off at your hotel then you can test drive it and practice driving it. You can call and ask for instructions before geting into the parks. Last April I rented about $300 in ECV rentals from DLR and can tell you that owning your own or renting from offsite is far cheaper and less painful.

Someone asked me what I would do if I was in charge of hades and heaven. I said I would make a certain former corporate ninny for Disney have to daily push people up and down the monorail ramp at TTC. I still have nightmares about that after over 10 years,.

Thanks so much for answering my question! All this ECV info is very new to me!

[mechurchlady]

Sue has an excellent FAQ at disboards that you should read.

Lots to learn like never go down a hill at an angle, lol. I am one of the few people who can get an ECV up to the fort at Pirate's Lair in DLR but I do not recommend doing that in a Disneyland rental. I can do things with my ECV that are hard to do with Disney scooters and I also have driven sweeper trucks, motorhomes, and other vehicles off and on for over 35 years so I know a few driving tricks to use on a scooter. I am an ECV daredevil. Coming down the hill from the fort I just aimed for the tree and kept her straight down hill.

I also love doing donuts in my ECV.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by mechurchlady

Sue has an excellent FAQ at disboards that you should read.

I know a few driving tricks to use on a scooter. I am an ECV daredevil. Coming down the hill from the fort I just aimed for the tree and kept her straight down hill.

I also love doing donuts in my ECV.

I'll have to check that out.

Sounds like you are the Evil Knievel of the ECV!

[mechurchlady]

At taht time I was posting information on DLR for guests with disabilities and food related issues and also did WDW related disabilites and food.

i wanted to know if the area was accessible and it is if you know how to get up there. I just figured that the tree would stop me as that was better than going into the duck bathroom known as Rivers of America. However I would not recommend climbing up there an use the elevator to get to the bathroom and skip that hill. I plan to go back again and hike the interior without the ECV.

I am a daredevil but not going to let disabilities from me not having fun. first it is DLR then who knows as I would love to get a job instead of sitting here helping people plan vacations. I wish I could copy and paste here all my lists from that site as they helped so many.

My number one tip to disabled travelers is DO NOT EAT AT CAPTAIN KIDD'S.