Walt Disney World is HUGE, and if you are at all limited in your mobility it can be very daunting. Disney knows this and they not only provide wheelchair rentals, but ECV rentals at all four of their theme parks and Down Town Disney. In the parks you can expect to pay $50 for a full days rental and a $20 deposit you will get back when you return the ECV before park closing time. At Down Town Disney the price is the same $50, but you will have to put down a $100 deposit.
One of the most frequently asked question about renting an ECV in the park, is what about if you are park hopping, can I take my ECV to the next park with me? No you can’t , but you can take your receipt from one park to another park and they will honor your rental with another ECV. You will have to put another deposit down though, as the first one will have been given back when you returned the ECV at the first park.
One of the issues many guests with mobility issues have with renting their ECV from WDW is the lack of services provided for in the resorts. With so many of the Walt Disney World resorts being incredibly large, just getting to the main house for a meal can be quite difficult if you have an mobility issues. For this reason, many guests prefer to rent an ECV from an offsite company.
When using an offsite company for an ECV rental, you simply tell them where you will be staying and your dates. The offsite companies will bring your ECV to you and pick it up from your resort, whether that is a Disney resort or many of the off WDW property resorts, hotels and locations. Generally speaking the cost to rent with an offsite company is generally cheaper.
The recommended offsite ECV rentals companies that work with Walt Disney World
- CARE Scooter Rentals: (800) 741-2282
- Buena Vista Scooter Rentals: (866) 484-4797
- Best Price Mobility: (866) 866-3434
- Apple Scooter: (800) 701-1971
- ScooterBug: (800) 726-8284
In the Parks with an ECV
Once you have your ECV and you are enjoying yourself in the Disney parks, there are only a few things you need to know. At guest relations in each park you can pick up a handicap accessibility map which will direct you to where each rides special queues are, if there is one. Most of the Disney attractions have accessible queues.
There are special seats in the shows at all four parks that will allow for you to remain in your ECV, or a Cast Member will help you park your ECV and seat you in a location reserved for those needing assistance.
Those are the basic ins and outs of ECV renting and riding at Walt Disney World.
I have my own cart so I don’t need to rent one. (Hint) I have had problems with several of them and had to ask for one from WDW. and depending on the time. Depends if they have any available….usually not!
I was at WDW 2 years ago. I have serious knee problems & I rented a scooter from Apple. I was VERY pleased! They brought it too us at Animal Kingdom (where we were staying) & picked it up from there, too. Disney buses are completely set up to ride your scooter on!
We had 1 problem. Next to last day–my scooter stopped working (middle of the park in the middle of the day). Apple got right out & brought me a replacement! No fuss no bother!
With an ECV will you still need this new disability access card? My mother in law is traveling with us- she has mobility issues so we are renting a ECV from one of the offsite rental companies. She has no problems waiting in line, as long as she can sit. Transferring from the ECV to a ride will not be a problem. It really is just the vast amount of walking she will have problems with.
no – there is an accessibility line for queues that are not wheelchair accessible
I would get one anyway! Guest relations is right inside the gate. Better to have card & not need than be way in the park & need it!
Just a quick note: if you know ahead of time that you’re going to use an ECV for most or all of your journey, it is better to rent from an outside company. Oftentimes if you arrive at a park during the late morning/early afternoon, all of the in-house ECVs will have been rented out. At that point, your options are to either rent a wheelchair instead, wait for someone to return an ECV (in enough time for you to still enjoy the park), or go to a different park.