Advice - staying offsite and need scooter

[mickeymom629]

Hi all,

My boss is going to WDW at the end of July. He comes to me for WDW advice, but I don't have knowledge regarding renting scooters (ECVs?)

There will be 4 or 5 of them staying offsite. At least one of them needs a scooter. They are not early morning people, so they won't be arriving to the parks at RD.

Can they reserve a scooter at the parks? They are also going to Universal, which I know extremely little about.

I don't know if they plan to rent a vehicle, take a bus or take their resort shuttle (not sure where they are staying). He mentioned that he had help getting the scooter on/off the bus/vehicle the last trip but I'm not sure if that's because he traveled with strong people. This time he is not going with anyone young and strong (there are 3 in their 70s and their young nephew).

Any advice...please? Thanks!

 

[bidnow5]

Staying off site you can get a scooter from a lot of different scooter places however they would most likely need a rental car some off site hotels provide transportation but it isn't always easy to get a bus that is scooter friendly

 

[lanejudy]

There is a list of ECV rental companies is the disABILITIES FAQ thread stuck near the top if this forum. In-park rentals cannot be reserved ahead, and they do run out by midmorning, so an off site rental will be his best option. As PP mentions, it will be easiest if they have a rental car rather than relying on shuttles or other transportation.

 

[mickeymom629]

Thanks for the replies! Will scooters fit in a rental??

It seems like a big hassle for them. I was really encouraging them to get to every park at opening but I don't think they can manage that, it seems.

I guess they'll figure something out; I don't think cost is an issue for them.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

You cannot reserve ECVs at WDW.

I don't know about reserving at Universal, but they should be advised that I've seen several recent reports that Universal is strictly following their "no ECVs in queues" policy. So if the ECV users want to go on rides (I think they're also not allowed in Ollivander's or the queue to enter), either they have to be able to walk the queue or other members of the party need to be able to push them in wheelchairs through the queues.

If they rent a car, I'd suggest renting at least one ECV from an offsite vendor. The offsite vendors will deliver to their hotel (it doesn't matter that it's off-property for WDW). They can ask for one that will be transportable in a car. To do so they do need to be able to take the ECV apart (at least partially) and put it together. Depending on their weight, they may be able to rent ones where the heaviest part is 35lbs and the battery can be charged without bringing the entire ECV into their room at night. The heaviest piece is usually the one containing the battery so it is the one they'd have to bring into the room, but if even 2 together can carry 35lbs, it would work. A single ECV that can be broken down should be able to fit into the trunk of most sedans. Even only having one is better than getting to the park too late to rent any. With one, at least the members of their party who need an ECV can switch off who uses it.

If they aren't renting a car and rented an ECV from an offsite vendor, they'd really only be able to depend on taxis. While legally any hotel that provides free transportation to guests to WDW and Universal must provide it for guests who use a wheelchair/ECV as well (even if their normal transportation isn't accessible), in practice it's difficult and tends to mean a fight (often it means the hotel ends up paying for a wheelchair/ECV accessible taxi). Mears, the main taxi company in Orlando, does have wheelchair accessible taxis that can accommodate an ECV (without breaking it down into pieces). Taxis are expensive, however, and are best if they can call ahead to schedule a time. I've never had a problem calling ahead to schedule a wheelchair/ECV accessible Mears taxi, but when I've called to ask for one at that time I've waited up to about an hour. Mears has a limited number of accessible taxis and if they aren't close to your location or all have passengers, there isn't anything dispatch can do.

It's hard to give any more advice without knowing more specifics. I hope this, at least, gives everyone ideas to think about.

 

[mickeymom629]

Thanks, WheeledTraveler!

I will let him know. If I find out where he is staying, I will post it here, in case that helps with any further information.