Disney eliminates outside vendor drop off/pickup services. Must meet vendor for drop off/pickup (mobility devices only so far it seems)

[bumbershoot]

The only way I could see Disney doing allowing it again is if Disney rents a space to the vendor (long term, like a multi-year lease minimum) for pick-up, drop-off and have the vendor staff the facility.

I’m certain that’s what they are heading towards.

I am ok with the changes. Our last few trips, the wait for bell services to come and pick up our bags was excessively long. Maybe now that the bell services staff doesn’t have to handle scooters and strollers, they can come up and handle luggage in a timely manner.

Seems unlikely.

Or, customers could meet the vendors outdoors. Plenty of room.

So people who cannot walk easily, and such conditions often go along with other conditions, are now supposed to wait outside, in the heat or cold, until their scooter gets there???

This makes me think ... what did everyone do 10 or 20 years ago?

They were 10-20 years younger. Their chronic conditions hadmt started or hadn’t worsened yet. They stayed home because maybe they didn’t realize how easy the world had made it to travel.

Seems to be a lot more people using these than in the past.

Yep. Isn’t it nice that they are available?

It is never a good idea to make things more difficult for people with disabilities. What is a single mom with mobility issues and young children supposed to do? Is she just not supposed to take her kids anymore to Disney if she can’t guarantee when she will arrive or if she is unable to pay a premium for the ecv company Disney partners with?

The person you were responding to was suggesting that the person get a scooter for home use and to bring that. Not that there was nothing to be done.

don't get me started on having to reserve FPs.

Isn’t that easier for those with mobility issues? So you don’t have to run around getting paper FPs?

Planning and going on a WDW vacation now feels a lot more like work than it does an actual vacation.

And has felt like that since my first trip in 2010!

We don’t really use a stroller at home

We didn’t use one at all at home, but bought one to take on Disneyland trips. Brought it for our first Workd trip when my son was 6, let it be his decision, and we never unfolded it at all. It was just something-in-the-corner at home, but useful at Disneyland.

Well, as the baby boomers start aging

They already are aging.

If you are arriving by air you may have to make your flights at a time that allowed you to meet with the vendor.

I feel like maybe you don’t fly or fly from the easy coast. When you get further away there are fewer options. And then there are delays...

I would love to know the date of this article.

Isn’t that the article from when they first made the precious changes? I think it was posted in response to a different question.

we hate to wait at the airport for them, because airlines are not exactly gentle on strollers

Gate check it and make sure you’re getting it at the ramp.

On our last trip, DH’s knee swelled up like a balloon on our last day. He got back to our room, but the next morning was in lots of pain. We called bell services for our luggage and told them about it. The bell services guy drove him on one of their golf carts to the ME pickup spot.

Would those be an option for people who arrive late at night and need to get to their room?

Not an option at the resorts with interior corridors.

Best travel advice I have ever heard, used, or recommended is to pack everything needed for your first 24 hours in carry on luggage.

So you have your carryons, your room isn’t ready, you want to go do something, you stash them with Bell, you come back ready to change for dinner, you call down to get the carryons, and... it takes an hour or more.

I'm surprised you haven't heard of Cloud of Goods Mobility. They come highly recommended by people right here on the DIS.

I check those threads and never heard of them Fwiw.

Same with a scooter. I remember when you might see 1 or 2 scooters on your whole trip. There were still disabled and elderly people there. I guess they either rented a mobility device from Disney, brought their own or maybe just used a wheelchair.

Or maybe they were decades younger and didn’t need them.

This also brings up an ADA issue as well. Especially if someone needs a wheelchair or ECV.

No. Unless they ban the use scooters, just changing where you can get them doesn’t cause an ADA issue.

 

[Dan Murphy]

New Policy is posted now.....Scooterbug is the lone preferred supplier!

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/ecv-rentals/
Disney Featured Provider
Guests who use a stroller or mobility device when visiting Walt Disney World Resort have a variety of options including using a personally-owned stroller or mobility device, renting through ScooterBug—the Disney Featured Provider—or renting from another third-party company.
ScooterBug, a private mobility rental company in the Central Florida area, is the Disney Featured Provider to offer stroller, ECV and wheelchair rentals at Walt Disney World Resort theme parks and Disney Springs in addition to length-of-stay rentals for Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels. When Disney Resort hotel Guests choose to rent through ScooterBug, the Guest does not need to be present when the equipment is delivered to the Resort hotel. ScooterBug will work with Disney Resort Cast Members to manage deliveries and returns of rented strollers, ECVs and wheelchairs. Pre-orders and deliveries of mobility rentals through ScooterBug to Disney Resort hotels are available by visiting scooterbug.com/orlando or calling (800) 726-8284.
What recently changed about the Disney Featured Provider program?
We recently modified the Disney Featured Provider program to enhance and simplify the vacation planning process. The program previously included several Featured Providers offering rental options to Guests. Effective October 1, ScooterBug, who is the current provider of rental strollers and mobility devices in our theme parks and Disney Springs, will also become the Disney Featured Provider for our Resort Guests.
I already reserved a mobility device for my trip to Walt Disney World with another company. What does this mean for my existing reservation?
Disney Resort hotel Cast will continue to manage equipment deliveries and returns for reservations made on or before September 30, 2019 with the following vendors: Apple Scooter, Best Price Scooters and Strollers, Buena Vista Scooter Rentals, Kingdom Strollers, Magic Strollers and Orlando Stroller Rentals. Please contact the vendor directly with any additional questions about your current or future reservations.
Will vendors still be able to deliver my pre-ordered stroller, ECV or wheelchair rental and arrange delivery at Disney Resort hotels in the future?
Yes. Guests who rent from our Disney Featured Provider, ScooterBug, do not need to be present when the equipment is delivered to the Resort hotels. ScooterBug will work with Disney Resort Cast Members to manage deliveries and returns of rented strollers, ECVs and wheelchairs. Guests who rent through other vendors will need to be present when the equipment is delivered. Please contact those third-party vendors directly for information about their rentals.
Do I have to be present to receive my mobility device?
Guests do not need to be present for deliveries when they rent through ScooterBug. ScooterBug will work with Disney Resort Cast Members to manage deliveries and returns of rented strollers, ECVs and wheelchairs.
For reservations made with the following vendors on or before September 30, 2019, Walt Disney World Resort hotel Cast Members will continue to manage the equipment deliveries and returns on the Guest’s behalf: Apple Scooter, Best Price Scooters and Strollers, Buena Vista Scooter Rentals, Kingdom Strollers, Magic Strollers and Orlando Stroller Rentals. Please contact the vendor directly with any additional questions about your current or future reservations.
Can I still bring my personally owned mobility device?
Yes. Guests can use a personally-owned stroller, ECV or wheelchair. As a reminder, strollers and ECVs must fall within the guidelines outlined on our Property Rules page on Disneyworld.com.

Thanks for posting.

 

[MotherKnowsBest]

My parents have both rented ECVs from Scooterbug numerous times and have had zero problems with them. They have lasted all day. Just info about scooters from Scooterbug, no comment on the policy per se.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

My parents have both rented ECVs from Scooterbug numerous times and have had zero problems with them. They have lasted all day. Just info about scooters from Scooterbug, no comment on the policy per se.

How long is all day? I am genuinely asking because I am trying to figure out how I am going to handle it. We spend at least 12 hours in park most days.

 

[MotherKnowsBest]

How long is all day? I am genuinely asking because I am trying to figure out how I am going to handle it. We spend at least 12 hours in park most days.

I couldn't give you an exact amount of time. They only charged them overnight and used them to get around the resort as well as the parks. They also loved the sunshade that you can add on.

 

[NYMommy80]

The stroller companies can probably figure this out -- will be less convenient, but if they are offering 3 times every morning and afternoon to pick-up/drop-off, I'd say people can make that work. For us, we rent a double stroller but don't absolutely need it the second we step off Magical Express. And we generally don't go to the parks our first day.

I'm more worried about my Amazon Now orders. Disney does not have the kind of food my mom needs to eat. We order almost everything from grocery delivery. I wonder if they can manage the same with six drop-off times per day. I sure hope so! We have a trip booked and too late to change anything about it now.

Anything more on whether "all vendors" means Amazon, Garden Grocery?

What's annoying is how precious time is on your Disney vacation. We can calculate the money (generally) before the trip and plan for it. But this is going to cost folks time -- with no way to pay their way out of it. It will breed a different kind of frustration than the constant increases in prices.

I think this means you will just have to be at your resort when the delivery comes. Amazon now can be there within an hour.

 

[kaytieeldr]

They were 10-20 years younger. Their chronic conditions hadmt started or hadn’t worsened yet. They stayed home because maybe they didn’t realize how easy the world had made it to travel.

Ten/twenty years ago, there were people the ages we older people are now.

They already are aging.

Yep. Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964 (I have a sibling who is literally one of the last Baby Boomers - and who ruined our parents' New Year's Eve plans). So Baby Boomers are currently between 55 and 74!

My parents have both rented ECVs from Scooterbug numerous times and have had zero problems with them. They have lasted all day.

I couldn't give you an exact amount of time. They only charged them overnight and used them to get around the resort as well as the parks. They also loved the sunshade that you can add on.

I know the Scooterbug site says 5-6 hours, but that's cumulative. Few people are going to have it running continuously for five hours. You drive it somewhere. You stop (parade, show, meal...) You turn it off and take the key.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I know the Scooterbug site says 5-6 hours, but that's cumulative. Few people are going to have it running continuously for five hours. You drive it somewhere. You stop (parade, show, meal...) You turn it off and take the key.

No, not continuously, but in a 12 hour park day, I can see myself actually driving that much. You have to have it on in ride lines, ect. The only time its really turned off is parked while on the ride, waiting for a show or parade, or eating. Being stranded by a dead battery is a scary proposition.

 

[sponica]

What recently changed about the Disney Featured Provider program?
We recently modified the Disney Featured Provider program to enhance and simplify the vacation planning process. The program previously included several Featured Providers offering rental options to Guests.

Um nobody felt the current process was difficult...at least not on the stroller side (I have no idea what the ECV side was like).

 

[eeyoreandtink]

FYI for anyone following this thread, scooterbug's inventory has completely changed as of this morning. They are now offering 3 different ECVs and have several strollers to choose from including single and double citi mini. The heavy duty is listed at a 25 mile range.

 

[Dan Murphy]

On the Scooterbug site, the portable scooter has a weight capacity of 300 pounds.

https://scooterbug.com/orlando/

 

[jeal]

eeyoreandtink - thanks for the info about Scooterbug. Hopefully it will calm people’s fears about scooter size and ability to last throughout the day.

 

[HopperFan]

FYI for anyone following this thread, scooterbug's inventory has completely changed as of this morning. They are now offering 3 different ECVs and have several strollers to choose from including single and double citi mini. The heavy duty is listed at a 25 mile range.

Huge expansion from yesterday's offerings .... what I had expected to be a condition of an exclusive type arrangement ....

..... this could end up a non-issue for most .... except those businesses that have to do drop off, and likely hurt by this.

 

[Lewisc]

Ten/twenty years ago, there were people the ages we older people are now.

Go back 20-25 years.
AK wasn't open.
Bus stops were closer to the park entrances. The size of the bus stalls increased to accommodate tandem buses and the number of stops increased. Introduction of bag checks and security moved everything further back.
The back 1/3of the studios consisted of a tram tour.
The abandoned 20,000 leagues ride was one boundary of the park.
You could use the RR to get from one end of the park to the park entrance. During much of previous constructions one station was closed and/or the railroad ran in "shuttle mode"

I think 20-25 years ago people were more willing to visit the parks for a few hours then call it a day.

Visible use of ECV have allowed more guests to consider renting an ECV as an alternative to a more limited itinerary.

 

[Lewisc]

Huge expansion from yesterday's offerings .... what I had expected to be a condition of an exclusive type arrangement ....

..... this could end up a non-issue for most .... except those businesses that have to do drop off, and likely hurt by this.

Exactly.

Only "issue" I see. Rear basket is listed as an accessory but isn't offered during check out. Not surprised, an ECV with a rear basket exceeds Disney's size requirements. Easier not to offer it then have guests discuss the situation with bus driver. FWIW the rear basket can generally stay on if there is only one ECV on the bus.

 

[sponica]

Huge expansion from yesterday's offerings .... what I had expected to be a condition of an exclusive type arrangement ....

..... this could end up a non-issue for most .... except those businesses that have to do drop off, and likely hurt by this.

The stroller inventory is definitely better but they don't offer accessories (snack trays/cup holders/etc).

 

[HopperFan]

The stroller inventory is definitely better but they don't offer accessories (snack trays/cup holders/etc).

I don't think we can make any judgements just yet. They have expanded their inventory considerably and actually updated their website ON opening day. I am sure they will make adjustments on inventory (say if some aren't renting at all) and possibly adding accessories ... and more options. They have been given a HUGE HUGE opportunity to be sole onsite provider, I think they will do everything they can to keep guests happy and keep their contract. If guests are not happy, it's Disney who will hear about it.

Just like we don't know how Disney will handle the location & process of drop offs ... we don't know what the final product/offering will be from Scooter. I think it would be fair to give Disney and Scooter time. And if guests don't want to they can still rent from the others.

 

[JoJoGirl]

On the Scooterbug site, the portable scooter has a weight capacity of 300 pounds.

https://scooterbug.com/orlando/

Glad to see the updated fleet! Stroller selection looks pretty good. Great to see the Freedom pushchair for special needs, this is a good option for kiddos on the autistic spectrum because it provides a little private space. Hope they are including the front swivel wheels because it would be very difficult to navigate the parks using the front jogging wheel as shown. (We used to have one, always used the swivels at Disney).

I’m having a hard time finding the specifics about each scooter model, though. When I click info, it just shows a small marketing blurb, three accessories, and the prices, but not weight capacity, range, and particular features. How does one find this?

Also, does anyone know if their prices have changed? Looks like about a $10 increase to me for 7 days, but I could be comparing different models. Would be interesting to see an apples-to-apples comparison.

Enquiring minds want to know!

 

[jeal]

If you can’t go to the parks without specific features (and unable to accept what is offered) on either ECVs or strollers then it would make sense to bring your own especially in the case of strollers. If you need certain accessories or wheels or whatever then use a company that offers those things. You have choices!

 

[kaytieeldr]

No, not continuously, but in a 12 hour park day, I can see myself actually driving that much. You have to have it on in ride lines, ect. The only time its really turned off is parked while on the ride, waiting for a show or parade, or eating. Being stranded by a dead battery is a scary proposition.

Should also be off at interval loading attractions, shows, meals, boat rides, buses... Oh, and the key removed, per vendor instruction.

Bus stops were closer to the park entrances.

Minimally, and not at all at MK, right?

the number of stops increased.

I'm confused. Where? Except the stop now at Kidani, and the new stop at CBR what changed?