Best ECV for all day use?

[angelofjoy23]

We need to get my mom an ECV while we're visiting next month. However, I'm worried about the battery dying while we're at the park. Do you have a recommendation for one that can go from rope drop to fireworks? Also, any particular company? Is it better to rent from one of the "Disney approved" companies? Thanks for the help!

 

[Bete]

I feel it's better to do a Disney approved vendor because they have access into the park if you need a replacement scooter. Also, they and you can leave the scooter at a Disney resort without you having to be present with the scooter company.

There are scooters with two batteries and they would last all day if not abused. One model is called the Pride Victory scooter. Fortunately, that model still comes apart in case you need to put it in a car. The weight of the person will dictate to a degree how long the scooter will last, too. Also, you need to remember to shut the scooter off while enjoying a show, parade or fireworks; this will conserve battery power. A larger scooter will be more comfortable. You get a better seat and a little more leg room.

A two battery scooter will cost more and ride line queues and Disney bus transportation buses will be harder to maneuver because the scooter is bigger.

The scooter will need to be thoroughly charged each night to make sure you have a full charge each day to last for a long day in the park.

 

[jdb in AZ]

DH and I both rent ECV's in the parks. Because of his size he needs a larger scooter which has a heavier frame and stronger battery. Those scooters have 4 wheels and are much harder to maneuver tight corners in the line queues than the 3-wheelers I rent. He also thinks his is slower than mine. Not that we would ever race, cough cough.

The rentals come with a power cord for recharging, and we keep those with us at the parks, just in case we need an emergency recharge. If the ECV gets sluggish we plug in at the parks when we're about to have lunch or dinner. There are outlets all over the parks -- just ask a cast member when you need help. As mentioned above, the scooter will need to be plugged in all night every night to fully recharge.

 

[gap2368]

We need to get my mom an ECV while we're visiting next month. However, I'm worried about the battery dying while we're at the park. Do you have a recommendation for one that can go from rope drop to fireworks? Also, any particular company? Is it better to rent from one of the "Disney approved" companies? Thanks for the help!

it will depend on what your mom needs are someone who is small will need a different chair then some one much bigger

as fair as the battier I would be sure to turn it off when not in use so when eating waiting for the parade taking a break on rides you get the idea if you are really worried bring the cord and plug it like if you can find a place to rest for a bit you can slo find a plug and plug it in while resting. but I have heard most people go all day with just using it smartly and turning it on and off when needed

 

[kaytieeldr]

I feel it's better to do a Disney approved vendor because they have access into the park if you need a replacement scooter

This is misleading. Any medical equipment company's representative can enter any park to replace a faulty scooter or wheelchair.

There are no Disney Approved vendors, there are some Disney Featured vendors which pay a fee to Disney to be able to drop off and pick up with Bell Services. To designate these companies as anything more positive than featured provides the strong but wrong impression that the other extremely reputable firms not meet some nonexistent standards

 

[StirlingSilver83]

I had to rent an ECV for our last trip bc I had a bad ankle. I rented from Walker Mobility. They are not Disney Approved vendors but they were very helpful on the phone and the scooter lasted a long time. I always carried my charger with me into the parks just in case I needed it (which I never did). Just make sure if you are waiting for a parade or waiting in a line for a ride that you shut the ECV off to preserve the battery power. I used the ECV all over the place. We were staying at the Grand and the monorail system was down so we walked from the grand to the poly for a breakfast reservation and then walked from the poly to the TTC to hop on a bus to take up to Epcot and then stayed in epcot pretty much the whole day. Thats a long day! I was almost at the end of my battery power when we were heading home but I never once felt like I was going to run out, just was low thats all. I think most ECVs that you rent as long as you are cautious with the battery power they should last all day. Also don't forget to recharge them at night too.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

We need to get my mom an ECV while we're visiting next month. However, I'm worried about the battery dying while we're at the park. Do you have a recommendation for one that can go from rope drop to fireworks? Also, any particular company? Is it better to rent from one of the "Disney approved" companies? Thanks for the help!

A "Disney approved" company is really just a company that pays to be on a list.

There are many wonderful companies that aren't on the list.

Last time I was there, I rented from Walker.

They were wonderful. I never had a power problem. They showed up when they said, both for delivery and pick up.

And yes, we went from rope drop to fireworks.

 

[angelofjoy23]

Thanks for the clarification on the "approved" companies! That really helps! My mom is overweight, but not that bad. I don't think she would need a larger scooter. We are staying off site so we won't be using Disney transportation other than the monorail. So we would definitely need one that is easily collapsible for the back of our rental van.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Since you're staying offsite, whether a company is on Disney's list genuinely doesn't matter. My approved list includes Walker, Randy's Mobility, and Scooterama.

 

[Shanti]

My mom used an ecv that I rented for her via Care Medical (they are Disney approved) and the experience was flawless. Lovely scooter that worked all day with no issue, with bonus points for a very reasonable price and good customer service.

 

[Sydney2977]

We've rented ecv's twice- once from Walker Mobility back in 2010 when DH had just had ankle surgery and the week before last from Apple because DS broke his ankle the week before our trip. At the time we rented DH's Walker delivered it to and picked up from the resort, and we wanted that same ease with DS's.
DH needed a bit larger one since he weighed about 240lb. at the time, but it lasted all day with only being charged at night and was about $30 a day. It was similar to the one they have on their site listed as the deluxe scooter.
We got DS a smaller one (I think on all the sites we researched they were suggesting under 170lb. for that size, and he's about 140lb.) and his lasted all day as well with only charging at night, and was $170 for 8 days. It was the go-go elite 3-wheeled version We had it delivered at 3pm on arrival Sat. and they picked up at 2pm after we departed the following Sun.
DH was in a boot and not supposed to be walking long distances, but he could walk through the lines that were too tight to maneuver the ecv. DS could get through just about every que with the smaller ecv so he didn't have to hobble through on his crutches. The others we just transferred him to a wheelchair. Both types we were able to put in the back of an suv with no problem the couple of times we didn't use Disney transportation.
If the one you rent doesn't have a light on it, I would recommend attaching something to it or using a flashlight at night. I swear, so many people were just about running over DS the first night that DH gave him a flashlight to use after that. The ecv he had rented had a light on it and we didn't even think about it being a problem.

 

[Bete]

Thanks for the clarification on the "approved" companies! That really helps! My mom is overweight, but not that bad. I don't think she would need a larger scooter. We are staying off site so we won't be using Disney transportation other than the monorail. So we would definitely need one that is easily collapsible for the back of our rental van.

In your original post you wanted a scooter that lasts longer. The scooters with two batteries are bigger and heavier. The Pride Victory model has two batteries and it does come apart. It's probably the smallest one with two batteries. It's not a giant size model (like the ones you can rent at Disney). I would call it a medium scooter. If you are handling the scooter all on your own you can do the Victory model but it is harder than doing a smaller scooter. If you have doubts go to a local medical supplier and check one out. Many suppliers carry the Pride scooters.

The smaller scooters are all with one battery. If you take great care by shutting off the scooter when possible it may be doable to go with a smaller scooter. I think most people use a smaller scooter for 6 to 8 hours. You do need to take your charger and watch your low battery indicator. I would not use the scooter at your resort before going to the park because you will be using up precious battery power.

 

[ArielSRL]

I had to rent an ECV for our last trip bc I had a bad ankle. I rented from Walker Mobility. They are not Disney Approved vendors but they were very helpful on the phone and the scooter lasted a long time. I always carried my charger with me into the parks just in case I needed it (which I never did). Just make sure if you are waiting for a parade or waiting in a line for a ride that you shut the ECV off to preserve the battery power. I used the ECV all over the place. We were staying at the Grand and the monorail system was down so we walked from the grand to the poly for a breakfast reservation and then walked from the poly to the TTC to hop on a bus to take up to Epcot and then stayed in epcot pretty much the whole day. Thats a long day! I was almost at the end of my battery power when we were heading home but I never once felt like I was going to run out, just was low thats all. I think most ECVs that you rent as long as you are cautious with the battery power they should last all day. Also don't forget to recharge them at night too.

My mom was thinking about renting from them. We're they able to just drop off the ECV at bell services or did you have to meet them in person?

 

[StirlingSilver83]

My mom was thinking about renting from them. We're they able to just drop off the ECV at bell services or did you have to meet them in person?

No unfortunately they are not 1 of the vendors that are able to use bell services for the Disney hotels. But it was really simple to make a reservation time and it only took like 5 minutes for them to drop it off and then again pick it up when we were finished. If I ever need to rent an ECV again then I will definitely rent from them. They had excellent customer service as well as a great ECV and what I liked was I was able to get my ECV in PINK!!! LOL I love pink so having an ECV that was pink was awesomeness lol

 

[ArielSRL]

No unfortunately they are not 1 of the vendors that are able to use bell services for the Disney hotels. But it was really simple to make a reservation time and it only took like 5 minutes for them to drop it off and then again pick it up when we were finished. If I ever need to rent an ECV again then I will definitely rent from them. They had excellent customer service as well as a great ECV and what I liked was I was able to get my ECV in PINK!!! LOL I love pink so having an ECV that was pink was awesomeness lol

Thank you!