New to the scooter life

[Momloveshockey]

I have recently found myself needing a cane to walk and struggling with walking in general. We have a Disney vacation booked and I want to know as much as I can about using a scooter. We have 4 days booked at the parks.
Should I rent from Disney or an outside company? Can scooters go into most queues? Specifics: Tiana’s Bayoo…or do I park it somewhere and walk? How big a pain is it to take on the bus? Do the batteries last for a full day in the parks? Basically any experience that a newbie should know, I’d like to hear it.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I have recently found myself needing a cane to walk and struggling with walking in general. We have a Disney vacation booked and I want to know as much as I can about using a scooter. We have 4 days booked at the parks.
Should I rent from Disney or an outside company? Can scooters go into most queues? Specifics: Tiana’s Bayoo…or do I park it somewhere and walk? How big a pain is it to take on the bus? Do the batteries last for a full day in the parks? Basically any experience that a newbie should know, I’d like to hear it.

I would look into offsite rental. Most rides you can take scooter thru line and if not looking at Pirates you can use a wheelchair there at the ride. Look for a Mamabunny book type post for all you need to know for first time

 

[maxiesmom]

I use Golds Mobility. I have not had a problem with battery life, but I do bring the charge cord along just in case. Golds Mobility also provides a poncho and cover for the controls, in case of rain. And their scooters all come with a fan, which is great.

There is a small learning curve when it comes to the buses. Just listen to the bus driver. Most of them will help you park on the bus, as they do it all the time and are super fast at it.

I purchased a foldable cane to take to WDW as well. It is great for times where I can walk but still need a smidge bit of help. I used it last time I rode Splash, and they took it from me right at boarding, and then handed it back. Maybe that is an option for you?

 

[only hope]

You are welcome to park it and walk if you like. Typically this will be with stroller parking though some attractions do have designated mobility device parking. Driving a scooter/electric chair is a bit tiring due to so many not paying attention and walking in front of you. Crowded areas are hard. It’s harder to enjoy your surroundings because you are focused on not hitting people. Renting from an outside agency for a four day trip will be cheaper and guarantee that you have a scooter. They often run out in the parks. Cast members at most attractions will ask if you can transfer and depending on the attraction, if you can walk on a moving belt. Most belts can be stopped or slowed but not Peter Pan. Be sure to tell the CM your needs as you may be directed to a different loading area depending on how far you can walk and if you do need the belt slowed/stopped.

 

[mmouse50]

Is there a place to plug in your scooter while eating at restaurants? Or if I am low on a charge during the day at the parks? Is there anything lists a plug location?

 

[only hope]

duplicate

 

[maxiesmom]

Is there a place to plug in your scooter while eating at restaurants? Or if I am low on a charge during the day at the parks? Is there anything lists a plug location?

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

I have recently found myself needing a cane to walk and struggling with walking in general. We have a Disney vacation booked and I want to know as much as I can about using a scooter. We have 4 days booked at the parks.
Should I rent from Disney or an outside company? Can scooters go into most queues? Specifics: Tiana’s Bayoo…or do I park it somewhere and walk? How big a pain is it to take on the bus? Do the batteries last for a full day in the parks? Basically any experience that a newbie should know, I’d like to hear it.

On our last 2 trips (October of last year and late June/early July of this year) we’ve used an offsite service called ScooterBug Rentals, and have been pleased with them.
I can walk and stand, but not for long periods of time, as I have neuropathy in my feet and lower legs, along with back issues, and my wife has a bad knee (even after surgery).
I used it almost exclusively on our first trip with it, and my wife and I traded off towards the last half of our last trip.
I actually did better on the recent trip than the last one, in regards to standing and walking, due to a bit of (intentional) weight loss.
Anyway, there’s definitely a bit of a learning curve when it comes to “driving” one.
But, by the second day of our first trip with it, I had it down pretty good, even on and off busses.
There’s a speed control that also helps, and braking is achieved by simply letting off the throttle.
From my experience with most attractions we went on, you can ride it through the queue, and park it somewhere towards the load/unload area. You just park it, turn it off, and take the key with you.
Keep in mind though that some of the queues can be tricky, in regards to both switchbacks and lighting levels.
The scooters were used extensively on both trips, I plugged them in to charge in our resort room every night, and the charge indicator light barely ever left the highest green level during use.
Back to the busses…
I’m pretty darn good at driving them on and off, but my wife doesn’t even want to try. I can usually do both in 2 moves, and have actually been given compliments by bus drivers.
However, a couple of drivers, with already crowded busses, have asked if I was capable of getting off so they could park it, which, in my case anyway, I was fortunately capable of doing.
One bus driver was really impressed with my scooter skills, and said he gets too much “bing, bang, bong” from some guests on scooters…!!!!!
Also, the thicker the crowd, the more careful you, obviously, have to be. Too many faces of all ages are buried in phones these days, and scooters are still rare enough to where the vast majority of people aren’t looking out for you.
When we were in Epcot during our first trip with a scooter last October, it was pretty crowded.
When out on the promenade, a guy cut directly across the front of me, and his daughter followed instinctively. I let off the “gas” immediately, but still clipped her ankle. Her dad was upset, but with his daughter and not me…when he had just done the same thing…!!!!!
I made sure she was OK (she was), and moved on.
Also, I used a rain poncho to cover the handlebar/controls and front basket area in case of rain or impending rain. I didn’t worry so much about the seat, as it folds down and stays mostly dry. Any residual water could be wiped away with napkins.
Also, one last thing…
I have 2 telescoping, collapsible stools that I can take with me into a queue if I need to, which I did a few times, actually. I have 2 because I forgot it on our last trip, so we had another one delivered to the resort…!!!!!
You can find these stools on Amazon from about $25, and even less. We paid $25 for the first one and $15 for the last one.

ETA…
Currently, on the ScooterBug site, I’m seeing $191 for 6 days, which is how long we had it for.
According to my wife, we ended up paying $204.30 including tax.
That was with a $36 damage waiver (I’m told some customers beat them up pretty good), but also a $22 discount for being repeat customers.
Also, there was an issue (IIRC, it was one of the wheel lock levers) with the first scooter last October, but they promptly switched it out for another scooter, which worked fine for the rest of the trip. Again, overall, we have been pleased with ScooterBug’s service.

That’s about all can think of for now, but you said to lay it all out there, so…!!!

And, above all, I hope y’all have a great trip…!!!

 

[Tiggerish]

Sometimes a CM will ask if you can stand for a short time or walk for a short distance instead of having you take your scooterall the way to the ride car. Be careful saying yes, their idea of how long is generally way more than mine. If in doubt, say no, "I need to take it to the ride car". That is also when a folding cane is helpful, you can give the CM your scooter, use the cane to get to the ride car, then they will take it and return or tell you how to stow it safely.

 

[Selket]

Should I rent from Disney or an outside company?

Most will recommend an outside company - especially if you're staying on Disney property. You will have it to go from your room to the parks and back which eliminates a lot of walking. You also will have a seat on the bus with it. It depends on how bad your issue is really... my problem is my knees and I couldn't stand in a moving bus at the moment. I use a walker to get through the airport and that's about my limit of walking. I've had one knee replaced this year and the other one is being replaced in September.

I cannot recommend Scooterbug. They are the only offsite company that can drop off with bell services at Disney hotels but both of my experiences with them have been awful - terrible scooters and customer service. I tend to take short trips so I would love to be able to use them but both times I have I really - REALLY - regretted it. It eats into your already short trip having an unusable ECV. Pretty sure the earliest they will replace one in that case is next day so you're out of luck. I personally use Gold Mobility and haven't had any big issues. They also include a damage waiver with all rentals and their batteries have always lasted the entire day for me without additional charging. There are other good companies too - read some of the reviews on here. Both times I rented from Scooterbug I lost park time and spent as much if not more than I would have spent renting for an entire week from Gold Mobility.

There's lots of info out there on what attractions will not allow the ECVs in line or handle them differently - but there aren't too many of those. For the ones that don't - usually they have a WC there you can borrow - sometimes if I'm alone I've pushed the WC like a walker if I thought I could make it through the line. It's easier to shop if you park and walk inside with your cane. If you need to stay in the ECV to shop, I'd shop early in the morning when the stores are less crowded. Unless you really cannot walk more than a few steps, I wouldn't take the ECV into a sit-down restaurant because most are not set up for it. Some of the QS places are large enough that I have taken mine in but it depends on the crowd levels. I prefer to park it and walk in (or have someone else grab your food and sometimes you can drive it to a table - especially if there are outside tables).

 

[Simba's Mom]

Sometimes a CM will ask if you can stand for a short time or walk for a short distance instead of having you take your scooterall the way to the ride car. Be careful saying yes, their idea of how long is generally way more than mine. If in doubt, say no, "I need to take it to the ride car". That is also when a folding cane is helpful, you can give the CM your scooter, use the cane to get to the ride car, then they will take it and return or tell you how to stow it safely.

I totally agree with this. I've made the mistake of believing the CM's idea of walking a "short distance", then regretting it. It never occurred to me that I could "take it to the ride car". Is this a possibility at "Journey Into Imagination", "7DMT", "Navi River Rapids", "Tiana's Bayou Adventure", "Kilimanjaro Safari", where else? I have a folding cane, but I sill have balance problems after a few steps.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I have recently found myself needing a cane to walk and struggling with walking in general. We have a Disney vacation booked and I want to know as much as I can about using a scooter. We have 4 days booked at the parks.
Should I rent from Disney or an outside company? Can scooters go into most queues? Specifics: Tiana’s Bayoo…or do I park it somewhere and walk? How big a pain is it to take on the bus? Do the batteries last for a full day in the parks? Basically any experience that a newbie should know, I’d like to hear it.

You've gotten lots of good advice here, but I wanted also to tell you, it's OK to park your scooter to go to the restroom. Or if you prefer, ride your ECV into the restroom (I don't like trying to walk on those sometimes wet and slippery floors). I remember the first time I needed a scooter, I was solo and didn't know what to do. Which brings me to my next point-other ECV riders are usually very helpful-since I didn't know what to do with my scooter when using the restroom, I finally drove up to someone else on a scooter and they told me. But always, always take your key with you. Also, it's best to attach something that makes your ECV unique. I attach a bandana/scarf of a certain color. Not only does it make it easier for me to identify, but I've had a few, very helpful CMs offer to get my scooter and bring it right to me. It makes it easier to say "It's the one over there, the one with the [color] scarf tied to the handle".
If you're going inside for a while (say 1/2 hour) and leaving the ECV outside, I'd recommend covering the seat at least, in case of rain. We went in to Tusker House once-sunny, no rain forecast, but for some reason there was a brief rain shower, and I came out to find a puddle on my ECV seat. So now I always assume it might rain.
Charge your ECV every night, and it'll last all day. Forget to charge your scooter once, and while it MAY last, I predict you'll be so worried about the possibility of the battery not lasting the second day, you'll never again forget to charge it. Ask me how I know that!

 

[Lewisc]

Charge your scooter every night. Make sure you don't plug it in to a switch controlled outlet. I made that mistake.

Take your key BUT it's not like a car key. One key will work many scooters and master keys are generally available

 

[Tiggerish]

totally agree with this. I've made the mistake of believing the CM's idea of walking a "short distance", then regretting it. It never occurred to me that I could "take it to the ride car". Is this a possibility at "Journey Into Imagination", "7DMT", "Navi River Rapids", "Tiana's Bayou Adventure", "Kilimanjaro Safari", where else? I have a folding cane, but I sill have balance problems after a few steps.

I think you can bring it to the ride car almost every where. I know that for Pirates and the People Mover you cannot. For Buzz Lightyear you cannot take the ECV through the line but they usually have a manual wheelchair you can use. Just ask the CM at the entrance and they will figure it out with you.

 

[SueM in MN]

I totally agree with this. I've made the mistake of believing the CM's idea of walking a "short distance", then regretting it. It never occurred to me that I could "take it to the ride car". Is this a possibility at "Journey Into Imagination", "7DMT", "Navi River Rapids", "Tiana's Bayou Adventure", "Kilimanjaro Safari", where else? I have a folding cane, but I sill have balance problems after a few steps.

• Journey into Imagination - yes. Can go all the way to boarding. CM will move it to the exit for you
• 7 Dwarfs Mine Train - I believe guests need to transfer from ECV to wheelchair, but not sure
• Navi River - yes. Can go all the way to boarding. ECV can be brought to the boat. Loading is in the same place as unloading
• Kali River Rapids - assuming this was maybe what you meant by Navi River Rapids. Yes. It can be brought right to the load are and parked. There is a dedicated load dock/area where the CMs 'trap' one of the rafts for loading and unloading. It's still floating, so not completely still, but easier than the regular area. The boat comes back to the same dock at the end
• Tiana's Bayou Adventure - yes, as far as I know. I haven't been on it since it opened, but it's listed as transfer from wheelchair/ECV to ride vehicle, which generally means being able to go all the way to boarding. (I have seen photos of guests with wheelchairs boarding) Load and unload are in the same place
• Kilimanjaro Safari - yes. There is a dedicated load/unload area with dedicated Safari tram. You can park as close as you want to the tram, transfer and then let another member of your party move it out of the way. Unloading is in the same place

This is a link to the WDW mobility disabilities page, which has lot of helpful information

 

[elvispursley]

Make sure you know how to put your ECV back in “drive mode”. It happens all the time when we get back to the ECV after an attraction and the CM will have left it in “push” mode. The first time my mom used an ECV she had to ask for help because she didn’t know how to get back in “drive” mode. Now she makes sure she knows where the lever is (usually in the back underneath.

 

[elvispursley]

• Journey into Imagination - yes. Can go all the way to boarding. CM will move it to the exit for you
• 7 Dwarfs Mine Train - I believe guests need to transfer from ECV to wheelchair, but not sure
• Navi River - yes. Can go all the way to boarding. ECV can be brought to the boat. Loading is in the same place as unloading
• Kali River Rapids - assuming this was maybe what you meant by Navi River Rapids. Yes. It can be brought right to the load are and parked. There is a dedicated load dock/area where the CMs 'trap' one of the rafts for loading and unloading. It's still floating, so not completely still, but easier than the regular area. The boat comes back to the same dock at the end
• Tiana's Bayou Adventure - yes, as far as I know. I haven't been on it since it opened, but it's listed as transfer from wheelchair/ECV to ride vehicle, which generally means being able to go all the way to boarding. (I have seen photos of guests with wheelchairs boarding) Load and unload are in the same place
• Kilimanjaro Safari - yes. There is a dedicated load/unload area with dedicated Safari tram. You can park as close as you want to the tram, transfer and then let another member of your party move it out of the way. Unloading is in the same place

This is a link to the WDW mobility disabilities page, which has lot of helpful information

We’ve been able to take the ECV through SDMT vi the lightening lane entrance almost all the way. I remember we this as my mom had a hard time seeing the turns in that darkened queue. They had her off.oad before the last turn in the queue before you give the CM the number in your party.

And at Kilimanjaro Safari, they always try to make her unload where the stroller parking is. We always tell them she needs it all the way through the queue. And a good thing too, that can be a bit of a walk to the boarding area (and wait) for those with mobility issues.

 

[gap2368]

I have recently found myself needing a cane to walk and struggling with walking in general. We have a Disney vacation booked and I want to know as much as I can about using a scooter. We have 4 days booked at the parks.
Should I rent from Disney or an outside company? Can scooters go into most queues? Specifics: Tiana’s Bayoo…or do I park it somewhere and walk? How big a pain is it to take on the bus? Do the batteries last for a full day in the parks? Basically any experience that a newbie should know, I’d like to hear it.

rent off site disney tents to run out they are bigger then most off site rental yes they can go in most lines a few you will have to transfer to a wheelchair. disney buss most of the time the buss driver will park it for you most of the time you do not have to ask they will offer it for you yes the batteries last all day ( I use golds) if you tun it off when not moving ( remove the key)

I am sure @mamabunny will be on here soon with her how to ECV at disney book

 

[SueM in MN]

We’ve been able to take the ECV through SDMT vi the lightening lane entrance almost all the way. I remember we this as my mom had a hard time seeing the turns in that darkened queue. They had her off.oad before the last turn in the queue before you give the CM the number in your party.

And at Kilimanjaro Safari, they always try to make her unload where the stroller parking is. We always tell them she needs it all the way through the queue. And a good thing too, that can be a bit of a walk to the boarding area (and wait) for those with mobility issues.

That’s interesting. In all the times we’ve been to the Safari, I’ve never seen anyone with an ECV or wheelchair even talked to at the stroller parking area

 

[maxiesmom]

That’s interesting. In all the times we’ve been to the Safari, I’ve never seen anyone with an ECV or wheelchair even talked to at the stroller parking area

That is where I have been asked to leave my scooter as well. I wonder if it is because I tell them that yes, I can walk the rest of the way, it could be different for those who can't.