electric scooters

[diberry]

I'm waiting for knee replacement surgery and, knowing how much walking we do at WDW, I'm wondering about the possibility of renting an electric scooter if I can't manage to walk very well some days. Does anyone know how much they cost please and how easy or difficult it is to rent one in the parks - I believe numbers are very limited. I'm hoping I can manage without one but, just in case, I thought I'd see if anyone has any experience of these please.

 

[Bob P]

Hi,

Have a look here for plenty of information:

http://allears.net/pl/ecv_faq.htm

 

[diberry]

WOW!!! That was quick! Thank you very much Bob - that's a huge help!! I appreciate it.

 

[Mischa]

When we went down in Dec. 2006 we rented a scooter for the week from an outside (of Disney) source. They were great - delivered the scooter to our resort before we arrived and when we were leaving we left it at the check-out counter with a CM and they took care of it. No problems. It was the best $125 we ever spent! And we didn't have to hope there would be one at the parks.

I'll try and find the name of the place we used, but I did find it on the DIS' disABILITIES forum. http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20

 

[diberry]

Thank you very much Mischa! I never thought of looking on the DISabilities thread! I'll have a look on there now.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

We were at WDW in April and took my mom along with us. She rented a scooter from Walker Mobility. The scooter was delivered to the front desk of the resort and we just stopped in and picked it up our first day there. At the end of the trip, we dropped it back off with the front desk and Walker came back and picked it up. And at $30/day, it was significantly cheaper than it would have been renting a Disney one every day. And for what it's worth, the scooters from offsite companies are typically smaller, faster, and easier to maneuver than the Disney ones.

 

[diberry]

Thank you, that's a really useful tip! I've just found them on the Internet! http://www.walkermobility.com and also the other one that's been mentioned http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/scooters.htm

 

[SkyGirl]

I have to use a scooter due to the damage that chemotherapy did to my heart and bones. I rented it each morning at whichever park we were at and they were $40 with a five dollar refund when we returned it. (Although I believe that price was increased for this year.) I didn't rent one from off-site because I feel I am a crappy driver and getting on and off the bus would be very difficult for me. They are definitely limited in number at the parks, though. I had used one all day in Epcot and wanted to go to EMH hours at Magic Kingdom. They were out of scooters and had a huge waiting list. Now we don't park hop anymore due to that.

Good luck!

 

[KPeveler]

i would suggest going to your local zoo/mall/walmart/grocery store that has a scooter and try it out too... just so you can give it a shot before you're navigating the crowds at disney.

 

[diberry]

Thank you Skygirl and KPeveler - both very helpful and things I hadn't thought about.

I'm just realising I'll feel really selfish if there aren't many available in the parks and I use one when other people need them more. Maybe I should just walk when I can and sit and enjoy just being there when I can't!

 

[powellrj]

Thank you Skygirl and KPeveler - both very helpful and things I hadn't thought about.

I'm just realising I'll feel really selfish if there aren't many available in the parks and I use one when other people need them more. Maybe I should just walk when I can and sit and enjoy just being there when I can't!

Please, rent the ECV. I have had both knees replaced and used an EVC before my surgery. It made a huge difference in my trip. I had used the walk to a bench and rest touring plan and it made me and my family miserable.

The trip with the EVC was just like the old days before my knees were shot.

Go over to the DISabilies board and get the number of an off-site vendor and call and arrange to have one delivered to your resort.

 

[SkyGirl]

Thank you Skygirl and KPeveler - both very helpful and things I hadn't thought about.

I'm just realising I'll feel really selfish if there aren't many available in the parks and I use one when other people need them more. Maybe I should just walk when I can and sit and enjoy just being there when I can't!

You're welcome!!

I think you should rent one! It will save your knees and that isn't selfish at all! It was hard for me to accept at first, feeling as though I had a "DISability", knowing I did, but when I accepted it (and named it Mater ) it was great. If it hadn't been for the ECV, I would have had to miss Disney. Rent one and have a great time!

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Please, rent the ECV. I have had both knees replaced and used an EVC before my surgery. It made a huge difference in my trip. I had used the walk to a bench and rest touring plan and it made me and my family miserable.

The trip with the EVC was just like the old days before my knees were shot.

Go over to the DISabilies board and get the number of an off-site vendor and call and arrange to have one delivered to your resort.

I agree. My mom also debated whether or not she should get one because she thought maybe she could walk it. A day at Epcot and a day at Animal Kingdom was all it took to convince her she did the right thing by renting one. She saw so much more than she ever could have if she had tried to walk it. And she enjoyed it a 100 times more since she didn't have to hobble around on her sore ankle for 7 days and wasn't completely wiped out at the end of each day.

Also, SkyGirl makes a good point about park hopping. If you rent the Disney ECV's, you have to pay at each park. If you go to two parks in a day, that's $90. (It's $45 per day now with a $20 deposit.) And you take the chance that the second park might not (and likely won't) have one available. If you rent your own, you can park hop to your heart's delight! We typically stay offsite and park hop, so it was nothing to throw the ECV in the rental car and drive off to the next park. Disassembles and reassembles in less than 5 minutes. If you're staying on site and using Disney transportation, you may not be park hopping as much, but it can still be done with an offsite ECV you keep with you. Might just take you a little longer to get from place to place. As for getting on and off the bus with an ECV, the three-wheeled ECV's have a lever that disengages the gearing and allows you to push the ECV. You can always have someone push you on and off if you're nervous about driving it on and off the busses and Monorails. But my mom had never driven one before and she did just fine pulling onto and backing out of the Monorail.

 

[JNorris]

My DH rented one from an offsite company in Feb of 07, because he had just broken his toe and was on crutches. Absolutely, rent the ECV! You don't want to ruin your family's vacation by being in pain, trust me!

It was not that difficult to get on and off the Disney buses with the ECV. They help you as much as they can to get it on and off the lifts. Someone else suggested you go practice with one, that's what we did. Went to Walmart one day and found out it was very easy to maneuver.

 

[SueM in MN]

I agree. My mom also debated whether or not she should get one bec If you rent the Disney ECV's, you have to pay at each park. If you go to two parks in a day, that's $90. (It's $45 per day now with a $20 deposit.) And you take the chance that the second park might not (and likely won't) have one available.

If you rent a Disney park ECV, there is no need to pay twice if you park hop.
You have to leave the ECV at the park you rented it at, since they can't be removed from that park. When you get to the second park, show your receipt and you can get an ECV at that park at no additional cost (so you only pay once per day).
The 'iffy' part is that park may not have any ECVs when you get there.

The disABILITIES FAQs thread has a lot of information about ECVs from the park and also phone numbers and links for the off-site companies that DIS posters have recommended over the years.

 

[beeayekay]

I agree. My mom also debated whether or not she should get one because she thought maybe she could walk it. A day at Epcot and a day at Animal Kingdom was all it took to convince her she did the right thing by renting one. She saw so much more than she ever could have if she had tried to walk it. And she enjoyed it a 100 times more since she didn't have to hobble around on her sore ankle for 7 days and wasn't completely wiped out at the end of each day.

Also, SkyGirl makes a good point about park hopping. If you rent the Disney ECV's, you have to pay at each park. If you go to two parks in a day, that's $90. (It's $45 per day now with a $20 deposit.) And you take the chance that the second park might not (and likely won't) have one available. If you rent your own, you can park hop to your heart's delight! We typically stay offsite and park hop, so it was nothing to throw the ECV in the rental car and drive off to the next park. Disassembles and reassembles in less than 5 minutes. If you're staying on site and using Disney transportation, you may not be park hopping as much, but it can still be done with an offsite ECV you keep with you. Might just take you a little longer to get from place to place. As for getting on and off the bus with an ECV, the three-wheeled ECV's have a lever that disengages the gearing and allows you to push the ECV. You can always have someone push you on and off if you're nervous about driving it on and off the busses and Monorails. But my mom had never driven one before and she did just fine pulling onto and backing out of the Monorail.

I used a scooter the last trip due to knee problems and a day standing during the Backstage Magic Tour!! On return of the scooter, I was given a receipt that would insure me a scooter on availability when we hopped that day to the next park. I never paid at both parks. We didn't have problems with scooter availability either as we arrived at the first park early in the morning and hopped around dinner time.

Good Luck at Disney and with your knee surgery!!

Babs

 

[Dan Murphy]

Last year I had a herniated disc and could barely walk. I did rent a scooter from http://www.buenavistascooters.com/ after I read this thread on the disABILITIES board here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713. They are located right on the WDW Boardwalk. As with the other firms listed, they delivered right to my resort and picked it up there when I left. It was a trip saver, worked great.

Do get one, you will be so happy you did.

 

[domiii]

DM has used one for years. She has had both knees replaced. It took her a few trips before she REALLY got the hang of it. I recommend the grocery store for practice. Some of the turns in the queue lines are sharp.

We laugh now, but when she ran over a few people at first, it wasn't so funny. Not that running people over is funny. DM would get nervous and squeeze hard which made the cart go faster.

BTW, pedestrians DO NOT look where they are going, so some of her accidents we not her fault.

Next trip we are renting from off property - saves a lot of money!

 

[KPeveler]

definitely rent a scooter - it is NOT selfish to use one if you need one. I understand having a hard time accepting things... i am 23 and facing needing a wc for the first time for things other than disney... what is important is not what you think other people might think of you using it. if anyone gives you a hard time, remember this:

Its the Happiest Place on Earth and POOH on the rest of the world...

 

[diberry]

Oh wow! I didn't look on here yesterday evening and I'm just overwhelmed by so many kind and helpful replies. I really appreciate it so much! Thank you!!! As many of you have correctly read between the lines I'm having a hard time accepting that I need help getting around - hopefully only temporarily. So I'm trying to pretend I'll be ok but after being on my feet a lot at work the last 2 days and really feeling the pain, I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet! Thank you so so much for all your fantastic help - I appreciate it so much!
(BTW - I LOVE this

POOH on the rest of the world

)