anyone else charge scooter in hall???

[disneyobessed]

when we were at akv last year someone kept their scooter in the hall/ charging over night. Is this common? It certainly saves some room in the villa!

 

[sjs314]

Never, I always bring it into my room

 

[disneyobessed]

Never, I always bring it into my room

Same here! we keep my sons in the room.

 

[momto3gr8boys]

We saw three scooters being charged/left in the hallway at the BC this week.

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[bidnow5]

I've seen scooters in the hallway several times I always bring mine in the room

 

[SueM in MN]

If you are renting from one if the Disney featured ECV providers, you can leave it in the hall or store it in Bell Services.
This is copied from the official Disney website:
Disney Featured Providers
In addition to wheelchair rentals locations throughout Walt Disney World Resort, a number of local private companies offer wheelchair rentals.

ScooterBug: (800) 726-8284
CARE Scooter Rentals: (800) 741-2282
Buena Vista Scooter Rentals: (866) 484-4797
Best Price Mobility: (866) 866-3434
Apple Scooter: (321) 726-6837

If you are renting from another company, Bell Services will not be an option and ECVs parked somewhere could possinly be thought of as abandoned.

Even though it takes up space in the room, most people prefer to keep the ECV in the room to make sure it stays plugged in and to avoid anyone playing with it.

 

[Sydney2977]

We had to rent a scooter for DH a few years ago because he had ankle surgery 6 weeks before our trip and didn't want to change the dates. (He actually thought he would be ok walking by then, but his dr. and I convinced him otherwise) The scooter fit fine inside our room at CSR, and we wouldn't have been able to charge it outside the motel style room. I would be afraid of people messing with it.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

I wouldn't ever charge in the hallway. You don't know if someone's going to mess with it while it's charging (or unplug it). I wouldn't leave it with Bell Services, either, because I've heard too many stories from folks who've left them with Bell Services and then discovered that they forgot to plug the chair in or didn't leave it charging long enough. I'd rather deal with the reduced space keeping it in the room and know that it's being charged and that no one outside can mess with it.

 

[Schmeck]

Wouldn't a scooter in the hallway be considered a fire hazard? I'm surprised that WDW allows it. If you've got a scooter parked there, and a person coming down the hall in a scooter, isn't egress blocked?

 

[WheeledTraveler]

Wouldn't a scooter in the hallway be considered a fire hazard?

I would think so, at least for resorts with interior hallways. I know I was told I couldn't charge mine in the hallway in college due to it being a fire hazard. My guess is that it's very hard for WDW to do anything about. There's no way to know whose ECVs are in the hallway and the resorts are so spread out that there's no place for CMs to easily put the moved ECVs. As you point out, even if they aren't a fire hazard, it's a problem just as far as moving around.

I do think it would be smart for WDW to put up signs in hallways/information in resort rooms about not putting them in the hallway and other options. Then if CMs were able to move some of the ECVs, they'd have that as a reference point for any complaints. Last I was at a WDW resort there was nothing saying that it was not allowed so I could see a massive issue with complaints if they just started moving ECVs that were parking in the hallways. It does sound like this is something that has started being enforced more on the DCL, so I wonder if that will ever trickle over to the on-land resorts. I do understand why/how it's inconvenient for some people, but there are other options and it's not safe or fair for other people when ECVs are in hallways for hours charging whether on land or sea.

 

[ttintagel]

I personally wouldn't do it. Even if nobody deliberately interfered with it, somebody could bump into or trip over the plug accidentally and keep it from changing overnight, and have the same effect of a dead battery in the morning when I needed it.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Even though it takes up space in the room, most people prefer to keep the ECV in the room to make sure it stays plugged in and to avoid anyone playing with it.

Good point! And if someone's child tries to sit on it while it's in the hall, falls and gets hurt, someone might yell at you for leaving such an appealing non-toy. I really hadn't considered that problem, just that it would save room before.

 

[bidnow5]

Children will sit on it I've come out of restaurants or rides many times to find children sitting on or playing with my scooter and the parents don't say a word. Of course I have had adults sit on it too one guy didn't want to get off I had to yell at him to get him off my own scooter.

 

[bookwormde]

Scooters are not a special fire risk in hallways, but they do create a life safety hazard if they narrow a hallway that was used to rate the egress capability of the building beyond its minimum limits.

 

[MushyMushy]

I used to think it was odd seeing scooters in the hallway at AKL Jambo House, but when I had to rent one during our last trip, the front desk told me to charge it there and I confirmed it with another person later because I felt weird about it. Nobody messed with it in 8 days.

Maybe it's best to check with each individual resort.

 

[DvcDoc]

When we were at SSR in August, I left my chair in the hallway to charge. No one touched it for 10 days

 

[Simba's Mom]

Well, I'm at Jambo right now, and I just saw something about scooters in the hall that really surprised me. There were two scooters in the hall, one behind the other. They didn't look like they were plugged in (wouldn't they be visibly being charged?) However, on the back of each was a sign "$25 a day" and what appeared to be a pocket of business cards and a sign that said "Take one" and another on it "Rent me" All I remember is that both scooters had blue and white striped shades to block the sun. I was in a hurry, so I didn't stop, but I wish I had so I could have noted the company. I'll go by there tomorrow morning and see if they're still there.

 

[Talking Hands]

Just got back from Pop Century and I saw one ECV being charged outside the room. First time I have encountered that

 

[Kinziepoohsmom]

We typically charge my husbands ecv in the room but on our last trip at VWL our room was at the very end of the hallway so we charge it overnight in the hallway. It was not blocking access to any other rooms or an exit so we felt safe doing this.

 

[KPeveler]

It all depends on the hallway, but one time when I was in WDW (I forget which hotel) there were two scooters parked outside a door along the hallway. This was not only difficult for the Mousekeepers, but also for other people with wheelchairs!

It was an older hotel (I think the older part of SoG), and I had to actually get out of my wheelchair and have my dad lift it over the scooters. If I did not have this option, I would have had my dad unplug the scooters, put them in freewheel, move them to the end of the hallway, let me by, then push them back towards the right doors.

Also, if housekeeping needs those outlets to vacuum hallways or other reasons, they will simply unplug the scooter.

Unless the doorway is physically not wide enough (which in some of the *accessible* rooms in the Hilton DTD is it not), please bring the scooter into the room to charge it. Especially in a Villa, there is plenty of room. Disney will remove furniture from the room if you need them to (a chair, table, even a bed if you need it replaced with hospital equipment).

In a room at CSR (a moderate with a roll in shower, which means smaller bed room), I was able to fit a powerchair AND a manual chair, with all the furniture, with no problems.

And while one scooter may not be a fire-hazard on its own, several can be, or one could be placed in front of something important, like a fire extinguisher or emergency stairs.

It is entirely possible that your scooter will be messed with by people less well-meaning than hotel staff and other wheelies. I have seen children climbing and playing on scooters left in hallways in the past, and it would be very easy to throw a scooter into freewheel, steal it, then get a key made for it later. Scooters are not cheap, even used on eBay.

So for your own safety, the convenience, and the safety of those around you, PLEASE bring the scooter into your room at night to charge.