ECV Options

[HeiHei2018]

Please help me think through ECV options. I can walk up to about a mile at a time, but it gets painful after that (and pain builds as the mileage builds up). This is new for me; we walked 10 miles a day our last trip. Is it better to rent an ECV for the whole trip (3.5 days/3 nights), with the risk of having to wait for the next bus if all ECV slots are full? Or should I try to rent at each park, which means walking from resort room to bus stop and bus stop to ECV rental? If I do a full week rental, it would have to be the preferred vendor that drops off at bell services. I don’t want to spend time on such a short trip waiting for delivery and pick up. I haven’t bought our tickets yet because I am unsure if the ECV can work with all the park time we have planned.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Too many times there had been no ECVs at a park when we arrived, so DH has decided to rent for the stay. We have had to wait for the next bus, but really, not that often. Our worst experiences have been coming home from Epcot. I always rent for the length of stay.

 

[maxiesmom]

I would get an ecv for the whole time. But I wouldn't use the preferred vendor. Most off site renters will let you know the pick up and drop off times that are available, so there isn't a lot of waiting around. I've read to many posts from people who say the preferred vendor is good--until you have a problem.

 

[Artuitus]

ECV saved my March trip-tried to go without it realized first day it wasn't going to work. This next trip I have rented one for the entire 2 weeks I'll be there. I only had to wait once for a bus-and that wasn't because ECV were already on board but rather after fireworks at MK and there were lots of people already lined up for the bus before I got there and I was fine with that.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Plus, renting for the entire trip is by far the better value. In-park rentals cost $65/day. At least you only pay that once a day. If you go to a second park the same day, just save the receipt and you don't pay again. However in 4 park days, you've paid $200 on park rentals. And sometimes it's a very long walk to the park bus stop after you turn back in your ECV. You'd pay roughly that, maybe a few dollars more, for a full-time one week rental from an off-site vendor. Much better financially.

 

[Selket]

I don’t want to spend time on such a short trip waiting for delivery and pick up

I do short trips of the time (my son is a CM and I go to visit with my AP) and I've tried the preferred vendor Scooterbug twice. BOTH times I had problems that took more time away from the park had I rented from a vendor that drops off. The first time I got an ECV that would uncontrollably roll backwards/forwards on slopes - or wouldn't work at all - couldn't get a replacement until the next day. Second time I lost the key (my fault) in the morning on a ride and spent the entire day trying to talk to ANYONE at that place who could help me. Never got a call back. Ended up leaving the ECV at the attraction and my family (thankfully were with me this time because often I'm alone) pushed me in a WC. Spent so much time on the phone, had to rent an ECV from Epcot anyway. Never got a call back from Scooterbug but they did drop off another ECV for me the next day at the resort - without telling me. I happened to send my husband over there to check on a whim which it's good I did.

Just keep in mind that if you rent from Scooterbug and have an issue - it could wipe a day off your trip. Plus the ECV's I got were in awful shape. I won't try them again. Gold mobility has gone to shorter rental option and I'll stick with them as I can choose my drop off and pick up time and they're usually within 30 mins of it.

 

[lovingthemouse]

We have decided to rent an ECV for our length of stay, it will be a life saver! Has anyone had experience with a company called Amusement Park Rentals? They offer a military discount at a very reasonable price. Am looking for some feedback. Thanks very much.

 

[SueM in MN]

We have decided to rent an ECV for our length of stay, it will be a life saver! Has anyone had experience with a company called Amusement Park Rentals? They offer a military discount at a very reasonable price. Am looking for some feedback. Thanks very much.

I have not heard of that company and have not seen any posts about it

 

[Evita_W]

Haven't heard of them, but check with Gold Mobility, they have really good prices and may also offer a discount, not sure about that, but their equipment is in great condition and customer service is top notch.

 

[lovingthemouse]

I have not heard of that company and have not seen any posts about it

Thanks for your response. I got their name off the shades of green military board.

 

[lovingthemouse]

Haven't heard of them, but check with Gold Mobility, they have really good prices and may also offer a discount, not sure about that, but their equipment is in great condition and customer service is top notch.

 

[lovingthemouse]

Thank you. I will keep looking.

 

[disney-inspired]

Please help me think through ECV options. I can walk up to about a mile at a time, but it gets painful after that (and pain builds as the mileage builds up). This is new for me; we walked 10 miles a day our last trip. Is it better to rent an ECV for the whole trip (3.5 days/3 nights), with the risk of having to wait for the next bus if all ECV slots are full? Or should I try to rent at each park, which means walking from resort room to bus stop and bus stop to ECV rental? If I do a full week rental, it would have to be the preferred vendor that drops off at bell services. I don’t want to spend time on such a short trip waiting for delivery and pick up. I haven’t bought our tickets yet because I am unsure if the ECV can work with all the park time we have planned.

I HIGHLY recommend renting from Gold Mobility - good ECVS and great customer service. They can meet you as early as 7am for pick up, sometimes they get there even earlier.
Right now they're having a sale where 1-3 day rental flat rate is only $159.99.
I have found their ECVs much more reliable than Scooterbug.

I'd rent it because it will be a life (and foot) saver!

 

[mamabunny]

Please help me think through ECV options. I can walk up to about a mile at a time, but it gets painful after that (and pain builds as the mileage builds up). This is new for me; we walked 10 miles a day our last trip. Is it better to rent an ECV for the whole trip (3.5 days/3 nights), with the risk of having to wait for the next bus if all ECV slots are full? Or should I try to rent at each park, which means walking from resort room to bus stop and bus stop to ECV rental? If I do a full week rental, it would have to be the preferred vendor that drops off at bell services. I don’t want to spend time on such a short trip waiting for delivery and pick up. I haven’t bought our tickets yet because I am unsure if the ECV can work with all the park time we have planned.

Generally speaking, your trip will be made better with the ECV. This is based on years of anecdotal evidence here on this forum; once someone starts asking the question “Should I use an ECV?” it usually means it’s time.

As far as the buses go, yes - there is a *chance* you may have to wait for the next bus. As long as you will be loaded on the next bus, that is about 20 minutes. You always have the option to get an accessible Minnie Van that will be able to carry you, the ECV and 4 or 5 others (depending on if you sit belted in on the ECV during the trip). You can see the wait times for the Accessible Minnie Vans (just like the “regular” Minnie Vans) in the Lyft App.

As others have explained here, Gold is preferred by many, if not most of our members because of the condition of their equipment, and their overall service. I would encourage you to reach out to them with any questions prior to making a decision. Gold may be able to drop off an unattended scooter at Shades of Green - I don’t know if that Resort operates under all the same mandates as the other Resort Hotels at WDW. Regardless, when you talk to them, tell them when you will arrive, and when you intend to depart, and see if their hours work with your schedule.

If you decide to rent at the Parks (as a reminder, the overall cost will be more expensive overall for the week) you can use a device like a Rollator (a walker with a built-in seat, so you can sit any time you are not walking) to get from your room to the bus stop, and from the bus stop to the ECV rental counter at each Park. A basic Rollator can be seen here. You can ask them to keep the Rollator for you while you are using the Parks rental ECV. You can “hop” a Parks ECV rental from one Park to another with 2 caveats:
- You don’t take the actual scooter with you - just the rental. If you get to the next Park and they are sold out, you will have to wait for someone to return one.
- You cannot hop a rental to Disney Springs; that is a whole different rental amount and deposit amount.

I know this is a whole new set of things to figure out, and it probably feels very stressful. You are in the right place to learn what you need to know. Welcome!

 

[sunburnin]

Please help me think through ECV options. I can walk up to about a mile at a time, but it gets painful after that (and pain builds as the mileage builds up). This is new for me; we walked 10 miles a day our last trip. Is it better to rent an ECV for the whole trip (3.5 days/3 nights), with the risk of having to wait for the next bus if all ECV slots are full? Or should I try to rent at each park, which means walking from resort room to bus stop and bus stop to ECV rental? If I do a full week rental, it would have to be the preferred vendor that drops off at bell services. I don’t want to spend time on such a short trip waiting for delivery and pick up. I haven’t bought our tickets yet because I am unsure if the ECV can work with all the park time we have planned.

My daughter uses a power wheelchair, so we're used to navigating the bus system. A lot depends on when you will be visiting and where you will be staying.

We were there May 10-17 this year and never had to wait for a second bus. Only once did one of our buses have 3 chairs/ECVs on simultaneously (after MK fireworks). The crowds were relatively low, and it was a really nice trip.

We stayed at the Beach Club, and I'd highly recommend any of the hotels in that area if you want easy access to HS and Epcot without any buses. There's a beautiful walking path between the parks and the Boardwalk area that offers a nice escape from the madness. You can also wait for the boats to transport you. The only buses we needed were MK and Animal Kingdom. Depending on whether you have park hoppers, we would walk through Epcot to take the Monorail over to MK.

 

[HeiHei2018]

We stayed at the Beach Club, and I'd highly recommend any of the hotels in that area if you want easy access to HS and Epcot without any buses. There's a beautiful walking path between the parks and the Boardwalk area that offers a nice escape from the madness. You can also wait for the boats to transport you. The only buses we needed were MK and Animal Kingdom. Depending on whether you have park hoppers, we would walk through Epcot to take the Monorail over to MK.

I hadn’t thought about that aspect of swan and dolphin. (Beach Club is not in our budget.) The boats are not accessible, correct?

 

[lanejudy]

I hadn’t thought about that aspect of swan and dolphin. (Beach Club is not in our budget.) The boats are not accessible, correct?

The Crescent Lake boats that run between DHS and EPCOT plus the resorts are accessible.

 

[Yinn]

Please help me think through ECV options. I can walk up to about a mile at a time, but it gets painful after that (and pain builds as the mileage builds up). This is new for me; we walked 10 miles a day our last trip. Is it better to rent an ECV for the whole trip (3.5 days/3 nights), with the risk of having to wait for the next bus if all ECV slots are full? Or should I try to rent at each park, which means walking from resort room to bus stop and bus stop to ECV rental? If I do a full week rental, it would have to be the preferred vendor that drops off at bell services. I don’t want to spend time on such a short trip waiting for delivery and pick up. I haven’t bought our tickets yet because I am unsure if the ECV can work with all the park time we have planned.

I’m in the situation and posted a similiar thing just a couple months ago.

I ended up deciding to buy, as the cost of a rental quickly adds up (AP holder) I managed to find some used ones at quite a bit of discount compared to new. I was able to try them out and resell the ones I didn’t like without taking a loss.

Allowed me to figure out what I like, without having to deal with rentals.

Unfortunately most of the used market is a result of someone passing. I tried my best to stay respectful and mindful and people were very willing to work with me on the pricing.
I bought the following devices used:
Zinger Chair ($300)
Zoomer Chair ($600)
Atto Scooter ($1000)

 

[HeiHei2018]

I’m in the situation and posted a similiar thing just a couple months ago.

I ended up deciding to buy, as the cost of a rental quickly adds up (AP holder) I managed to find some used ones at quite a bit of discount compared to new. I was able to try them out and resell the ones I didn’t like without taking a loss.

Allowed me to figure out what I like, without having to deal with rentals.

Unfortunately most of the used market is a result of someone passing. I tried my best to stay respectful and mindful and people were very willing to work with me on the pricing.
I bought the following devices used:
Zinger Chair ($300)
Zoomer Chair ($600)
Atto Scooter ($1000)

I was thinking about that, too. How do you transport the chairs? I am worried lifting in and out of the car will cause more injury.

 

[SueM in MN]

I was thinking about that, too. How do you transport the chairs? I am worried lifting in and out of the car will cause more injury.

Link to Zinger website - it's 47 pounds, including the battery.
Link to Zoomer - it looks like it's basically the same, just with a joystick instead of the levers the other one has. There is a bit of a learning curve for using a joystick since it controls everything - direction, steering, speed all at once.

In the FAQs, it says the battery weighs 4 pounds. Not that much, but removing it might make it weigh enough less for you putting it into a vehicle.