Considering a ECV for first time.

[Betty Rohrer]

I know its not ideal but by any chance has anyone rented a scooter and rented a full size truck to be able to skip the buses? Still not feeling like being in a bus full of people in a tight space. The scooter we have rented comes a part I see but I don't want to do that all the time. We will be staying at BoardWalk so 2 parks are perfect but worried about AK and MK. We will be moving to Poly on are MK night so that works out great.

you will need ramps or a lot of strength to lift into bed of truck. with the ramps not sure where you could park without having them out in drives. tailgate is about 3 feet off the ground when open. we own a F150

 

[Rich M]

you will need ramps or a lot of strength to lift into bed of truck. with the ramps not sure where you could park without having them out in drives. tailgate is about 3 feet off the ground when open. we own a F150

yeah that was what I was worried about. The video on how to dissemble seems easy enough. Wonder if it would still be easier to have a truck or if an SUV would work.

 

[MS_Warrior]

To answer your questions, the buses aren’t terrible with a scooter. Sometimes you do have to wait for a 2nd bus because there are wheelchairs/scooters in front of you.

I now use a motorized wheelchair, but I did use scooters for many years. I started with rentals and as my MS/RA progressed, I bought one for use in airports, etc. On the scooter, we hung a backpack on the back of the chair. I’ve never had anyone at Disney mess our stuff. You’ll see strollers/scooters parked with backpacks, etc hanging off them without locks.

I will say, getting on and off the bus, please turn the scooter to turtle mode and then don’t depress the level fully. You can do just fine by barely pressing it. It will give you much more control. We are at Disney now, and I have seen two incidents that could have easily resulted in vacation ending accidents because riders failed to control their speed on and off the bus. If you are struggling, just ask the bus driver to help you. However, you’ll be fin as long as you go slow.

Another issue with scooters, when you’re in the park, peopled will step in front of you and sometimes stop. You will need to be watching the entire time. When I used a scooter, I kept it very close to turtle mode all of the time and then never fully depressed the lever in crowds. I easily kept up with my family. Same with my wheelchair. I do frequently get cut off and lag a little behind, but I catch up quickly.

Please don’t be discouraged from renting one, it will make your trip much more enjoyable. If you think of any questions, please feel free to ask on here, or DM me. I have years of experience with them and will be happy to help you in any way that I can.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

yeah that was what I was worried about. The video on how to dissemble seems easy enough. Wonder if it would still be easier to have a truck or if an SUV would work.

SUV would most likely be lower. I would not want to have to lift one into bed of my 150. it would be easier to take apart than lift

 

[bsmcneil]

I have a neuromuscular disorder that has progressed to the point I am considering renting a ECV for our upcoming trip. I can walk but usually blow out by the end of the first day and am then miserable the days after. I am thinking of renting a ECV to use going long distances ... entering the parks, land to land, etc. and parking it when I get to a central spot and venturing from there. I'd like to be able to leave a bag on the chair with jackets, drinks, etc (nothing incredibly valuable). I know the ECV will have a basket but should I bring/get a bag that will attach to the chair? What do ya'll use? Do you lock a bag on? What's your setup look like? Any advice for a first time renter would be appreciated. We are staying at Sheraton Vistana this trip so I'd like one that can go in the back of our SUV. Is there a company that will bring to the Sheraton and drop it off prior to our arrival? I welcome any guidance!

This had very much been my plan/idea (helping with the longer distances, getting it to a central area and going from there). I hope it worked out for you!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

This is our first trip renting an ECV full time from an outside vendor. My last trip we should have rented one as DW hurt her knee. We had to rent in the park. I advise against that - unless we were there at RD, the ECV's were all rented out. Even at DS, we got the last one. Heck at EPCOT, they didn't even have any wheelchairs left! ***????

So plan ahead and get an outside one.

 

[Bethctraveler]

My Sister and Brother in-law just came back from a two day trip, I can also confirm that both days they had no in park scooters or wheelchairs available at the theme parks at all for the two days. This is considered slow season, so no way I would count on or depend them having any available. Definitely plan to get one from a reputable outside vendor.

 

[Evita_W]

yeah that was what I was worried about. The video on how to dissemble seems easy enough. Wonder if it would still be easier to have a truck or if an SUV would work.

Depending on the number of people in your party, an SUV can work, especially a full size SUV, easiest is you have few enough people to fold the back row down. But a minivan is easier, with this setup it can accommodate 4 people.

A Dodge Caravan can fit two Pride Victory 10.2s in with the back row folded down. What we did was fold the seat down and title the tiller down, put the scooter into neutral, then three of us lifted the scooter into the van. If you have stronger people, two can do it, possibly one, if you put the front wheel up on the bumper and lift. Important note is to take it out of neutral before driving the van. Also, if you only have one scooter, it should fit without putting the back seat down if you turn it 90 degrees, so it is going across rather than length wise, but it is harder to put in that way.

 

[Bethctraveler]

Depending on the number of people in your party, an SUV can work, especially a full size SUV, easiest is you have few enough people to fold the back row down. But a minivan is easier, with this setup it can accommodate 4 people.

A Dodge Caravan can fit two Pride Victory 10.2s in with the back row folded down. What we did was fold the seat down and title the tiller down, put the scooter into neutral, then three of us lifted the scooter into the van. If you have stronger people, two can do it, possibly one, if you put the front wheel up on the bumper and lift. Important note is to take it out of neutral before driving the van. Also, if you only have one scooter, it should fit without putting the back seat down if you turn it 90 degrees, so it is going across rather than length wise, but it is harder to put in that way.

We fit 2 Victory 10 4 wheel scooters in a minivan the day we went from Disney to Universal with no problem at all. They come apart very easily with no tools.

 

[serenitynow]

To answer your questions, the buses aren’t terrible with a scooter. Sometimes you do have to wait for a 2nd bus because there are wheelchairs/scooters in front of you.

I now use a motorized wheelchair, but I did use scooters for many years. I started with rentals and as my MS/RA progressed, I bought one for use in airports, etc. On the scooter, we hung a backpack on the back of the chair. I’ve never had anyone at Disney mess our stuff. You’ll see strollers/scooters parked with backpacks, etc hanging off them without locks.

I will say, getting on and off the bus, please turn the scooter to turtle mode and then don’t depress the level fully. You can do just fine by barely pressing it. It will give you much more control. We are at Disney now, and I have seen two incidents that could have easily resulted in vacation ending accidents because riders failed to control their speed on and off the bus. If you are struggling, just ask the bus driver to help you. However, you’ll be fin as long as you go slow.

Another issue with scooters, when you’re in the park, peopled will step in front of you and sometimes stop. You will need to be watching the entire time. When I used a scooter, I kept it very close to turtle mode all of the time and then never fully depressed the lever in crowds. I easily kept up with my family. Same with my wheelchair. I do frequently get cut off and lag a little behind, but I catch up quickly.

Please don’t be discouraged from renting one, it will make your trip much more enjoyable. If you think of any questions, please feel free to ask on here, or DM me. I have years of experience with them and will be happy to help you in any way that I can.

Totally agree. It’s not as difficult as you imagine and you will enjoy your trip so much more

 

[Bethctraveler]

Yes, please tell us. What kind of backpack did you order? I put a backpack on my own scooter, and the first time I used it, I lost the backpack. So apparently, mine wasn't the right kind. It was a rayon-type material, probably just slipped off.

Follow up as promised - I used the Yorepek extra large backpack I purchased it from Wall Mart. It was $40, and it worked great much much better than the rear basket. It held a lot more than the basket could ever hold. I purchased a plastic bag to put it in. Never needed to remove it on the busses like we had to do with the baskets in the past. It fit perfect on the back of the bigger high back seats that Gold Mobility provides on the rentals. 3rd rental with them and they continue to be the best. The new scooters are really nice.​