Dad coming w/ us, he needs a scooter-help

[MOMO2DK]

Hi,
My Dad, just recently has decided to join us for our April trip. I reminded him that there is alot of walking (he has a bad hip), and asked if he would need/want a scooter- he said no. His sister told him he better get a scooter- lot's of walking (why listen to me??).

I've never had to rent a scooter, nor research this topic- please help.

Is there a scooter rental at each park, and how much?
Is it better to rent on a daily/weekly basis from an outside service?
If we rent at each part, what are the chances they will run out of scooters?

thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Caskbill]

Yes you can rent scooters at each park. I don't know the price for sure but think it's around $40 for the day. If you park hop, you can turn in the 1st scooter, go to the 2nd park and get another scooter as part of the original $$ payment.

Others may be able to specifically answer your other questions.

You can also get plain wheelchairs if you want.

 

[TR Denise]

I am also interested in ECV. We convinced my mom to come with us in Oct. for food and wine. She has congestive heart failure but you would never know it walking to long is to much for her . She really liked the idea I'm going to look for outside places to rent one . People on these boards are great and that seems to be the way they say to go. Supposely you can get one dropped of at your resort and they pick it up after your stay. Your countdown timer say your going to OKW remember they have no elevators I told member services I needed a first floor room or one of the buildings with elevators for medical reasons its noted on my reservation have a great trip

 

[njziggy]

I would definately get the scooters for your folks. My folks were hestitant to get them but loved the freedom they gave them. They were thrilled that they were able to keep up with the grandkids. When they wanted to walk a bit, we would park the scooter & come back for it or someone would drive it ahead & meet back up with the group. We have found that the scooters at the parks run a bit slower than the ones you rent from outside companies (they are more expensive too). Check out the Disabilities board for suggestions of the outside rental companies. They will deliver the EVC to your resort & pick it up when you are through- very easy. The only downside scooters are they are sometimes difficult to drive onto the buses (for novice drivers).

 

[disvaclub92]

Hi,

We have rented from Walker. http://www.walkermobility.com/ We have evaluated other places, but there service and price were the best.

My mother has a hard time walking and we have rented from the parks - but that does not help when you need to get back to the resorts.

Walker will deliver to your resort and will pickup. In addition, if you have any technical difficulties, they will come and repair or replace with a different scooter. (Actually had this happen to us.)

Really nice people. Good Luck.

PS. We usually stay at the BWV or BCV - that way Mom does not have to try to get on the Bus. Her favorite park is EPCOT.

 

[JudithM]

There is a disABILITIES section to this bb where you will find an FAQ about ECVs plus lots of first hand info about ECVs at WDW.

I have a knee condition, and I rent an ECV while on vacation at WDW. I would definitely rent an ECV from an off site supplier. I have only rented from Walker Mobility & have been pleased each time (6-7 times).

I started using an ECV at WDW by renting one at each theme park. I rented from Disney for about four trips & learned over time that renting from Disney presented a few "issues:"

*no guarantee the park will have an ECV regardless of time of day; I was at EPCOT Mother's Day 2002 a half hour after the park opened & no ECVs available at either entrance; another time I entered the Studios in the early afternoon on a week day in early December & no ECVs available;

*if you want to park hop there is NO guarantee of an ECV at the second park;

*four wheels on a Disney ECV vs. three on off site one (at least the ones I have rented from Walker); three wheels gives me a better turning radius;

*battery holds up a whole lot better on the rented ECV vs. the Disney one; I can tell you where in each of the four parks where my Disney ECV "died;"

*if you rent an ECV you will have it every where you want it - the parks, Downtown Disney, other resorts, etc.

As I mentioned I have rented from Walker Mobility. My experiences have been very good. The ECV has been delivered to the WDW resort in a timely manner; the battery has lasted all day & night; the cost is similar to Disney, & I have the ECV more than just in the parks; etc. Walker provides a battery charger that I use at night. At OKW Walker leaves the ECV key with the front desk.

As for using an ECV - please encourage your relatives to go for it! They have a need & the ECV will make the trip more enjoyable for everyone.

We stay at OKW, & it is very easy to maneuver the ECV around the resort. Be sure to make a note in your reservation that you need a ground floor room or an elevator building since you will have an ECV.

I used the busses to the parks. Initially I was hesitant, but the bus drivers were so friendly & very helpful. Usually the bus driver closes the front door of the bus & lets the guest with the ECV on through the back door with a ramp. There are two types of busses. Once you & the ECV are loaded & secure, then other guests are allowed to board the bus.

 

[zurgswife]

I recommeded friends to rent there ECV so they could use it everywhere...they were very glad they did....I wouldn't depend on a WDW ECV because you just don't know if they will be available...

 

[lck33]

Been there! My father-in-law who just had had open surgery went with us this past October and he originally didn't want the EVC, however I talked him into it and he was glad he got one!! We got his from an outside company, they had it waiting for us when we go to the hotel and picked it up after we left. He had trouble one morning with the battery not charging correctly. We called them and they had a replacement at our hotel within 20 minutes. They were fabulous!

Now, getting around on the buses was a bit tricky, sometimes we had to wait for a second bus or third (sometimes the chair lifts were broken on the buses). But we were patient and it really didn't bother us. We were on vacation and not in a hurry. Other bus riding guests seem to be a bit bothered because after waiting for the bus to arrive to take them to the park, they had to wait for the ECV to be loaded first then they could board, but oh well to them I say, because we waited too! sometimes longer for that second or third bus.

I say get the ECV!, you'll be and he will be glad you did!

 

[MOMO2DK]

Thank you so much for all your advice. You stories made it more obvious as to why my dad needs an ECV. All this good advice is another reason why I love DIS and all my DVC friends!!!

We have actually changed our ressie to SSR, hopefully this will also be an ECV friendly resort.

 

[Laurabearz]

We have also rented from Walker and a big two thumbs up from us!

Couple of things to take into consideration... first manuvering the EVC on to the busses was tricky for my FIL to do and was frustrating to him, with some people making comments about it taking so long... We offered to do it for him, but he was determind to do it so he could come and go as he pleased. Everytime we loaded onto the bus, someone said something... it was really amazing study in human nature.

The days we drove to the parks we were allowed to park in the handicapped spots without a handicap hang tag, because the scooters are not allowed on the parking trams. The scooter is large and the batteries are heavy, but it came apart and was put together quickly.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We had two trips where I needed an ECV. We rented from "Care", and they were wonderful. They had the ECV waiting for us at OKW when we checked in , and they picked it up after we left. I think it was only about $200 for the week. Their scooters are a little smaller than some of the others, and iIfound them easy to manouever on and off the busses. The second trip we did this, I had trouble with the battery not charging. They brought me a new one in about half an hour. I got the number right from Memeber services.

 

[kdonnel]

I guess I have to be the one to tell you to use someone OTHER then walker.

I had a BAD experience, then a good experience, then a bad experience.

I reserved and paid for the scooter for my mother for a trip over the Columbus day holiday weekend. We arrived at the BCV and asked the bell desk about the scooter. They looked but could not locate one.

I called the after hours emergency number and got a recording. Suprisingly I received a call back in about 10 minutes. I explained that the scooter was not at the hotel and the owner of the company explained that his driver never made a mistake and that the bell desk personel were wrong. I had them check again and they even called over to the Yacht Club side. No scooter.

I called the owner back and he told me I was out of luck. Disney must have lost the scooter. Since it was a holiday he had even rented out the ones he normally kept in reserve for breakdowns. As a COURTESY he would refund my money if Disney did not find the scooter by the next day at noon. At that point he hung up on me.

I tried calling the other scooter rental places but no one was in the office since it was after hours and a holiday.

At this point my mom got really down. She does not like having to rely on someone to push her in a wheel chair and did not want to give up her freedom.

A couple hours later we decided to get something to eat and called down to get our car. The person who answered the phone said they were just about to call. Our scooter had arrived. The driver, the one that never makes a mistake, had delivered the scooter to the wrong hotel.

Not once did we get a call from Walker Mobility saying they were sorry it had been their mistake.

The scooter did work great. It was in great repair and held a charge for the entire days driving.

We turned it into the bell desk fully charged as requested the night before we checked out.

About a week later I had a message from Walker Mobility on my answering machine. There were getting ready to charge my credit card for the price of the scooter. Their driver, the one who never makes a mistake, was unable to locate the the scooter. It was not at the bell desk of the hotel.

I called back and politely asked if he was trying to pick up the scooter at the correct hotel. I asked her if he was trying to pick it up from the hotel he had mistakenly delivered it to in the first place. She asked me what I ment and I explained how we had been treated. Again I did not get an apology. She just said she would have him check the Beach Club and hung up.

They never charged my card so I am guessing they found their scooter.

 

[Laurabearz]

I am so sorry you had a bad experience with Walker... Sucks. ((((Hugs)))))

To the OP I would pop over to the disAbilities section and poke around there for current reviews on ECV rental places.

 

[DeeDeeDis]

We have rented scooters for my mom twice and her bf once.
we used 1-800-scooter. price seemed fair and the scooter was there (valet area at bc). when we arrived at the resort, at the end of our stay we just returned the scooter to the valet parking area.

Do not know anything good or bad about any other company, just that we received good service from this company and very convenient.
good luck
deb

 

[Coach Rick]

We needed one for mom, and will need it again this coming August. We rented from Randy's http://randysmobility.com/homepage.html They were awesome. It was delivered as promised, and then picked up. My advice is also to rent from an off site. You can rent them at the parks, but it's very expensive, and you only have it while in the parks. I believe we paid $150 for the week, which was very reasonable. I just can't say enough good things about the service, equipment and experience. Mom loved her first visit to Disney because of her ECV.

 

[JudithM]

The days we drove to the parks we were allowed to park in the handicapped spots without a handicap hang tag, because the scooters are not allowed on the parking trams.

You were lucky that you did not get a ticket. The Orange County police have been patrolling the WDW park parking lots for a few years now, & they do give tickets for vehicles parked in handicapped spots without a tag.

 

[Laurabearz]

You were lucky that you did not get a ticket. The Orange County police have been patrolling the WDW park parking lots for a few years now, & they do give tickets for vehicles parked in handicapped spots without a tag.

That would be a ticket I would fight since it has always been WDW staff that has directed us to those parking spaces, when we have had an ECV.

 

[Tine731]

We took my Grandfather to WDW when he was a young 85 for his 1st trip (he is now 88) and suggested a scooter. To get himself comfortable with the idea he would go to Wal-mart and Target and practice on the scooter/shopping carts. He now is a pro scooter driver.....Now....my husband is another story...he is a horrible scooter driver and took out several disney guests, CM and attractions when he is behind the wheel. He is only allowed to use a regular wheelchair (back surgery) and I am able to burn off a few extra calories in the process.

 

[idratherbeinwdw]

From allears.net, ECV FAQS: http://allearsnet.com/pl/ecv_faq.htm

 

[SueM in MN]

That would be a ticket I would fight since it has always been WDW staff that has directed us to those parking spaces, when we have had an ECV.

In the "Medical Parking" lot (what Disney calls the Handicapped Parking lot), there are some spots that are marked with Handicapped parking signs and/of blue lettering painted on the ground. If you park in one of those without a valid Handicapped Parking Permit, you could get ticketed.
There are other spots in the Medical Parking that are not in the lot, but are not marked in any way. Those are the ones you can safely park in without fear of a ticket.
There are also some spots in the regular lot at the end of rows where the Parking CMs will direct people who don't have a handicapped parking permit.
Here is a link to the DIS Board disABILITIES FAQs thread.]
It includes information about how to rent wheelchairs/ecvs, with the places DIS posters most often recommend, information about transporting ecvs/wheelchairs to the parks and links to other helpful info.