Scooter vs wheelchair

My family of 6 will be going to WDW in october. Several of us have been numerous times but we have never gone with someone with mobility issues. My aunt will be joining us for her first time and she has a bad knee and pulmonary issues. She will need either a wheelchair of a scooter. A wheelchair seems to be easier to transport and get through the lines but how big of a pain is it to push and is it going to be comfortable to her? My ECV concerns are having to watch for people so you don't run them over and getting it broke down to put in in our rental car. If we got a SUV can we just lift it in the back? We are wanting her to have the best time so we want make it as easy on her as we can. Any advice you have is appreciated. Thanks for your help.

It really depends on your aunt. My mom couldn't handle a scooter; so, we did a travel wheelchair. She never drove a car. I was in my late fifties and overweight and I managed for a week of pushing her. My mom weighed about 115 pounds. We alternated rides with shows; so, I could have a rest.

We were extremely determined to do it. We went in cooler months which helped. A few days we took a break in the afternoon and took a nap and returned to the parks for late evenings.

It sounds like you have multiple people who can take turns pushing the wheelchair. Your aunt would probably prefer this because she won't have to pay attention to the crowds and such.

If your aunt can drive a scooter and wants to then give it a try. Perhaps do something locally like going to a zoo and rent a scooter there and see how she does.

my answer would what would she prefer? if you go the scooter route make sure you order one that breaks down to fit in car. I know the suv we had did not have room to just lift in and close the hatch. one other thing is someone always going to be with her or could she be waiting some by self? how would she be able to move chair by self to get out of the rain for example. I so agree with having her try a scooter before the trip

Betty Rohrer said:

how would she be able to move chair by self to get out of the rain for example. I so agree with having her try a scooter before the trip

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It doesn't sound ( from the OPs brief description) like her aunt is paraplegic or otherwise permanently wheelchair confined at home. She likely would be able to stand up and push her own chair far enough to get out of the rain, should the need arise.

If she's used to walking around in everyday life, being stuck in a wheelchair all week while someone has to push might not be a good idea. It is very difficult to give up your independence like that when you're used to being able to go wherever you want. It can lead to resentment and frustration and normally loving families snapping at each other, which isn't a magical vacation. So definitely talk to her about it and make sure she understands the options before choosing.

Those giant slow scooters you find at Walmart and such are nothing at all like a normal scooter -- they're really big and difficult to steer. Ive had a personal scooter for many years and I can't even drive the store ones properly -- just wrenching the thing around to make a turn took all my strength and required enough space to maneuver an elephant. The type people use at WDW are much easier to handle.

chaoslobster said:

...Those giant slow scooters you find at Walmart and such are nothing at all like a normal scooter -- they're really big and difficult to steer. Ive had a personal scooter for many years and I can't even drive the store ones properly -- just wrenching the thing around to make a turn took all my strength and required enough space to maneuver an elephant. The type people use at WDW are much easier to handle.

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Exactly. If someone can maneuver one of the giant, wheezing beasties around a crowded Wal-Mart on a Saturday afternoon without trouble, imagine how *easy* a rental will be for them at WDW!

With any rental ECV - whether it is off-site, or one of WDW's - I would alway recommend to take a few minutes either at the Resort, or in a quieter area to get used to the ECV; how it turns, how it stops, how twitchy the throttle may or may not be. Practice an actual "panic stop", in case a child or a cell-phone addled adult walks right out in front of you. Practice turning a hard corner on a flat surface to see how it handles. THEN go into the Parks, and feel a bit more confident about using a strange ECV.

I too have my own ECV, and the few times I have had to use a store supplied ECV since have been miserable LOL. Really makes me appreciate my own ECV even more!

Thoughts....

• you might want to visit a rental place and try one of those scooters out. Then again, if you don't trust her to operate one responsibly.... a manual chair may be the way to go.
• there are wheelchairs and then there are transport chairs. Does your loved one have the ability to push themselves? If not... a cheaper and lighter transport chair may do the job. Transport chairs are great for travel, but can be a rough ride with the small wheels on uneven roads.
• there are also wheel rollators and walkers if you want to encourage them to be on their feet more. There's also a combo products.

xlxo said:

Thoughts....

• you might want to visit a rental place and try one of those scooters out. Then again, if you don't trust her to operate one responsibly.... a manual chair may be the way to go

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I truly don't mean to sound upset, but this is along the lines of what I meant about making it her decision. We're talking about a functional adult, not a child or a mentally impaired person. If her family decides by themselves that she can't be trusted to use a scooter and that they'll need to take charge of her life and push her in the wheelchair wherever they wish her to go? That's not only unfair to her, it's treating her like she can't even make her own choices.

Speaking as someone who is severely physically disabled, it's extremely frustrating when strangers assume that because my body is broken, my mind must be too. When it's my own family who does it? It's absolutely heartbreaking.

I know that you mean only the best, xlxo! Please don't take this as an attack on yourself. This entire thread seems to be offering answers as if the OP's aunt is somehow unable to do anything for herself just because she has a bad knee and pulmonary issues. Unless there's something the OP didn't mention, minor physical ailments don't mean a person can't be trusted to make responsible choices about what she's capable of doing. I quoted your post because it was the most recent and because I admit I felt a bit emotional when I saw the thread had ceased to be about making a relative's vacation as comfortable as possible, and turned into suggestions for caring for someone who can't care for themselves. I see it happening all the time and I just... I wanted to remind us all that disability does not mean INability.

I apologize if I've offended anyone, especially the person whose post I quoted. It was not intent. OP, I hope you and your aunt have a wonderful vacation! Choose whichever option she feels most comfortable with, wheelchair or scooter, and keep in mind you can rent either one in the middle of the vacation if it doesn't work out the way your aunt wanted.

@chaoslobster : You are absolutely correct. Every situation is different. Trying out different devices/aids to match the user is best.

In my situation.... the doctor encouraged mom to get out more and the short wheelchair trips to mall brought her spirits up. She might have discomfort at some moments. But grateful the following day as it helped challenge her mind. The lung cancer meant should could only walk for 60 feet before getting tired. The wheelchair greatly extended where she (and we) could go. As the cancer spread to the brain.... she had more mobility issues. Whether to the doctors, treatment, or cruises.... no regrets on paying for that wheelchair to give mom freedom from the house. It was in the basement when she did not want it, but quickly available in the car when she did.

I used to lead day trips for co-workers and newcomers. They like to bring their elder parents for these trips. They would rent transport wheelchairs for the day. This way the seniors would have no trouble keeping up with the main group's pace. At the end of the day, they were happy with the wheelchairs. It inspired me to get a transport chair for mom when she got ill.

If you rent a wheelchair and your aunt wants to walk for a while then she can use the wheelchair like a walker.

Also, how long you plan on being in the parks with her may make the choices different.

Renting a wheelchair is cheaper than a scooter. A scooter needs charging every night. She will need help getting the scooter in and out of her room. You may have to get the scooter on and off the bus for her if you use this transportation. It's a little bit of a task to do it. Finally, the crowds can make it very tiring using a scooter. People dart out in front of scooters all the time. She needs to move with ramps when using a scooter; you don't want to lead her into jumping a curb.

Bete said:

If you rent a wheelchair and your aunt wants to walk for a while then she can use the wheelchair like a walker.

She will need help getting the scooter in and out of her room. You may have to get the scooter on and off the bus for her if you use this transportation. It's a little bit of a task to do it.

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She probably won't need help getting the scooter in and out of the room. I have trouble walking more than a few yards at a time even with my cane, my hands are severely deformed, it takes me 20 minutes to dress myself... and I visit Disney for 10 days every year alone. I need my scooter whenever I leave the room, obviously. It's not difficult to move it in and out. You open the door, block it open with the chair, and drive in or out. Out is harder because you have to either shove furniture around until there's enough room to do a 180 and go forwards out the door (I don't recommend this just because it's a pain in the rear, but it's what I did for several years) or you have to back the scooter out -- but you're going to have to do that whether you're alone or have 10 people to help. Just put it on the slowest speed, move back a teeny bit at a time and adjust course as necessary until you get through the door. Expect to smack the doorframe lightly the first couple tries and don't worry about it when you do. Another option is to switch the scooter to manual drive and physically roll it out. Whether this is easier than driving it backwards is debatable, but try it and see.

The bus can definitely be aggravating with a scooter if you're new to driving it. The easiest thing here is to tell the driver that you need help and have him or her bring it into the bus for you. They'll step in anyway if you're having trouble, because it delays the bus if loading a scooter takes 10 minutes. Disney employees are extremely helpful and unfailingly polite, and the majority of scooters in WDW are rentals with inexperienced drivers, so the bus driver will know how to handle this.

Feel free to ask if there's anything you'd like to know about using a scooter at Disney. Not everyone is comfortable driving one and for those people a wheelchair or transport chair will be much easier. But they're really not scary or inconvenient at all. I'm one step away from bedridden and I have no trouble traveling solo with my scooter.

minnie mum said:

It doesn't sound ( from the OPs brief description) like her aunt is paraplegic or otherwise permanently wheelchair confined at home. She likely would be able to stand up and push her own chair far enough to get out of the rain, should the need arise.

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she can move her self around for sure just not able to walk long distances

Chaoslobster says: She probably won't need help getting the scooter in and out of the room. I have trouble walking more than a few yards at a time even with my cane, my hands are severely deformed, it takes me 20 minutes to dress myself... and I visit Disney for 10 days every year alone. I need my scooter whenever I leave the room, obviously. It's not difficult to move it in and out. You open the door, block it open with the chair, and drive in or out. Out is harder because you have to either shove furniture around until there's enough room to do a 180 and go forwards out the door (I don't recommend this just because it's a pain in the rear, but it's what I did for several years) or you have to back the scooter out -- but you're going to have to do that whether you're alone or have 10 people to help. Just put it on the slowest speed, move back a teeny bit at a time and adjust course as necessary until you get through the door. Expect to smack the doorframe lightly the first couple tries and don't worry about it when you do. Another option is to switch the scooter to manual drive and physically roll it out. Whether this is easier than driving it backwards is debatable, but try it and see.


And this is suppose to be easy for a scooter newbie? I feel so much better when someone is available to hold the resort door or even take the scooter out of the room for me. I'm not saying it can't be done alone, but why should the aunt do it when there is help available?

Bete said:

She probably won't need help getting the scooter in and out of the room.

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a thought... an accessible room will have wider doors than a regular room. I remember my transport chair had to be collapsed when entering a Deck 2 Oceanview room. It's very narrow for 10 feet between the entrance door and the bed.

xlxo said:

a thought... an accessible room will have wider doors than a regular room. I remember my transport chair had to be collapsed when entering a Deck 2 Oceanview room. It's very narrow for 10 feet between the entrance door and the bed.

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Very true on DCL - the cruise cabins have narrow doers and minimal space to maneuver a mobility device in a standard stateroom.

However, WDW resorts do have doors wide enough for a wheelchair or ECV, and there is generally space to park the device in the room. Maybe not space to move about the room and the bath room is not accessible. But s regular room should do fine if someone is able to move about the room and bath on foot. It may be challenging to go through the door if traveling alone.

Enjoy your vacation!