Oh yes, scooter rental advice requested...

[digiMom]

Hi, all. I'm sorry to add yet another scooter thread. Here's the deal: I'm going in January and renting a scooter for the first time for my mom. I'm sure that we could rent from any of the companies on the FAQ thread and be just fine. However, these are the things that are important to us.

Comfortable. My mom is not too big; probably a little over 150 lbs or so. She is about 5'4" and short wasted. She needs one that is able to adjust either the seat or handle bars. Are all capable of this? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I just don't know.

Battery Life. We're "all-dayers." It'll need to be able to make it through a whole day.

Rain. Waterproof is nice, but my understanding is you can also use a poncho to cover the handle controls...??

Service. If this thing goes down, there's no one in the group that can push it. I need a company that can come to us or at least get the scooter and provide us a replacement. Without one, my mom will probably last about .5 to 1 hour walking. I have tendonitis in my elbow, so me pushing a wheelchair is not a great idea either.

Headlight. Would be nice...

Value. For me cost is important, but value is too. If I get better product and service for a little more money, I'm fine with that.

Ease of use. We'll be using Disney transportation and occasionally taxis.

Delivery. We won't get to our resort until between 6-7 pm. We would like to have it that evening for practice at the resort and an early start to the parks the next day.

I think that's it. Any advice for first-timers is greatly appreciated.

 

[Disney4us2]

My ECV is adjustable. It is like one of the smaller scooters that the rentals have. My seat is adjustable and so is the tiller. I don't have a headlight on my scooter. The larger scooters have those. I went to a sporting goods store and put a bicycle headlight on the handlebar of the tiller (I have a wrap around type).

For rain (we were there this August), I used two ponchos that I took the hoods off of and sewed a seam where the hood was. It worked perfectly and I really didn't need them that much.

I bring my own ECV with me now, but the first time last December, I rented from Apple scooter. I had the larger scooter and didn't really like it. I needed my seat adjusted and couldn't do it. They were at my room in like 20 minutes to fix it. Great service.

For ease of use... I would go with the smaller scooter as it can be broken down to fit in taxi's. I tried to get a taxi to go from OKW to AKL, took forever and they never sent one that was accessable. Ended up going to AK park and then to AKL... Thanks to our bus driver, she took us there after the drop off for AK park. Disney at it's best

The scooter rentals are left at bell services. Just let your rental company know what time you want it dropped off and picked up. You will leave it at bell services on your departure.

Have a great time.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

1. Seat heights are adjustable. You will have to remove the seat to make the adjustment. Method will vary by make/model but with the seat off it should be obvious.

2. The tiller angle will adjust, all you have to do is figure out the most comfortable angle for her.

3. Since you will be running around all day I would suggest a full-size ECV rather than a small transport as it has much larger batteries. Also turn off the key when stopped for a few minutes or longer.

4. January is "dry" season. When it rains I put on poncho on me with part of it covering the back of the seat and the front going over the tiller. It keeps me dry (except maybe my lower legs).

5. Any of the ones listed in the FAQs are good value and good service; they are there because many members have said good things about them.

6. If I use taxis and the driver does the breakdown/reassembly (under my direction, of course) I will give a larger than normal tip.

7. Headlight is not really very useful, but it does warn people you are there.

8. When you make your reservation tell them when you are arriving. Normally they will deliver the ECVs to the Resorts late in the afternoon. Explain that you really don't need it until the next morning, but that your mother would like to familiarize herself with driving it. More than likely they will not charge for those few hours.

 

[digiMom]

OK, so two more questions then:

(1) Since we're arriving in the evening, should I pick a company that delivers to resort without us having to be there? Is it only Randy's that has this requirement? Or will they deliver that late and it's a good idea to have a little in-person instruction since this is our first time using one?

(2) If there's a problem in one of the parks, which companies will come to us inside or at least at the entrance?

Last time there, we rented a reclining lift chair from Care Medical and had good service. Their scooter rentals seem a little more expensive than some of the other options, though.

I've also read that POP (where we're staying this time) has had issues with bell services giving out scooters to the wrong people. Do you think this common or rare? That has me a little concerned, especially given the time of our arrival.

Thanks again for your help....

 

[jlevis]

I can't speak for all the companies but when we've rented our scooters were at our resort when we arrived. We just left them at the check-in desk when we left. I'm sure if you discuss your concerns they will make accomadations for you.

We've never had a problem with Walker Scooters but they will come out. We did with a scooter from Scooterama and they came out a swapped out the scooter. We were at EPCOT when that happened - flat tire.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Randy's is the only one that requires you be present when they deliver.

All the companies listed in the FAQs will give good service if you have a problem.

You might want to go to a large grocery store, or a Walmart, Target or similar, and use one of their ECVs while on a shopping trip. Just be aware that the in-store ECVs are much slower and harder to use than the off-site rentals.

 

[SashaFarce]

We've rented from Disney and a couple of offsite companies and we prefer Apple Scooter so far. We use their smaller scooters which do not have a headlight but I have honestly not needed one even though I have problems seeing at night. We have contemplated getting a bike light to put in the front just in case. Their larger scooters do have headlights.

I know the smaller scooters are fully adjustable - you can position the tiller forward as well as slide the seat forward.

Battery life will get you through most of the day, but last time we got one with an older battery. We brought one of the chargers with us and plugged it in outside of the TS restaurants we were eating at (Yak & Yeti and Restaurant Marrakesh respectively. After being shown what the outside plugs look like we were able to ID them ourselves.)

We do bring ponchos just in case of rain to cover it, and as far as service goes - last trip my battery flaked out and they came out to the park within an hour. Apple could come in or, since we were already within sight of the gate when my battery went kaput, we just rolled it out and they switched it for us. So far they have been flexible on delivery as well.

They are extremely easy to disassemble and reassemble if necessary, and one day we took the bus from DHS to AK and by the 2nd trip I knew exactly how to perfectly park my scooter.

Apple tends to be less expensive, has newer scooters, and pretty darn good customer service. Hope this helps.

 

[dlhvac]

Apple scooter is the best

 

[aubriee]

I can't speak for all the companies but when we've rented our scooters were at our resort when we arrived. We just left them at the check-in desk when we left. I'm sure if you discuss your concerns they will make accomadations for you.

We've never had a problem with Walker Scooters but they will come out. We did with a scooter from Scooterama and they came out a swapped out the scooter. We were at EPCOT when that happened - flat tire.

We've always used Walkers--never had a problem and highly recommend them. Apple gets good reviews on here too.

 

[Bete]

I'm not trying to be mean, but you will not be able to go to any outside rental scooter company and have a sure proof guaranteed rental on getting a scooter that will not fail or even be replaced quickly. Scooters are mechanical; so, they can fail. The expectations have to be realistic. You can help yourself by doing all the right things like giving your scooter a full battery charge each night. Don't drive a scooter in the rain; you need to seek shelter until the rain ends. Ponchos help keep the scooter dry, but going over rain puddles can cause issues down below and the poncho won't help in that instance. I still recommend poncos, but that's not sure proof, either. You need to remember to shut off your scooter during times like a parade, fireworks show, or live entertainment shows and so forth to conserve battery power. Bring your battery charger with you everywhere you go. Remember, it can take a very long time to recharge; you don't want to be waiting around at the parks for this process; so, do a good job of recharging every night. I believe Apple Scooters has access to go inside the parks and they have done so as reported here, but not all rental companies do this if the scooter fails. I don't think any rental company is fond of going into the parks and you will wait and wait and wait. Many expect you to manuallly get the scooter back to the resort or whereever somehow. There is a manual lever that allows you to push the scooter in a bad situation. Please verify this aspect of coming right into the parks with whoever you pick; you don't want to be sorry later on. I believe there are some reports on this disboard where people have found kind Disney cast members that have pushed a non-Disney scooter for the guest, but not back all the way to the resort. As a backup, you can get a Disney scooter rental on the spot if there are any left in the park. I know this can defeat the purpose, but at least your person won't have to walk wherever. The process of getting a rental scooter replaced is not a fun situation. Again, the reports on this board ocassionally have shown us this is not a perfect world. For the reasons above some will rent a Disney scooter and pay the extra dollars. There's more peace of mind renting at the parks if there is failure of a scooter and a Disney cast member will help to get the scooter replaced for you. We had this happened and it took about 35 minutes. Again reports here have stated long waits and in some instances misunderstandings from the rental company and they never showed up; until, numerous calls later. It can be a drag if something goes wrong with the scooter. Most of the time none of this happens, but there's that moment every once in a while where it does happen.

We bring a bicycle light with us that can clamp on the scooter. This way you can get a smaller, portable, travel scooter and still have light at night. You can manage without a light if you are very careful. It is easier and better to have a light. A bicycle light cost us less than $10 and it didn't take up much space in the luggage. Bring extra batteries for the headlight. We never had to change our batteries on the light, but it's better to be safe.

I think to me it sounds like you would benefit going to a local mobility store that sells scooters and doing a test run there of a portable, travel scooter. They will let you do this for free with the hope you will buy one. I never feel funny about doing this; because, I will buy a scooter sooner or later. The salesperson will guide you through the process; so, you shouldn't need a rental company at Disney to show you how. Usually you ride around their parking lot of the business to try one out. One of the most popular smaller scooters for rental in the Disney area is a Pride to Go travel, portable scooter. Make sure you learn how to start the scooter; make sure you understand the battery gage and finally make sure you can take it apart and handle it into a car and so forth. Even the lightest scooters can have a piece that weighs 35 pounds. The base of the unit is a little bulky to handle, as well. Usually, the scooters break down to 4 or 5 pieces. Sometimes, this dictates the size of the scooter you will be using. The bigger the scooter the heavier the components are. From your description I think your mom will be fine with the smaller scooter, but it does have less leg room. That's why taking a test drive at a local dealer will help you. All taxi drivers are not willing to dismantle and load a scooter for you, either. Also, you can try out scooters for free at local grocery stores and such for some practice. These scooters are not the same as a portable, travel scooter, but it gives you a little bit of an idea of what to expect. The grocery store scooters are reported to be harder to handle than a lightweight portable travel scooter. Finally, if you can do it many zoos have smaller rental scooters that will be similar to what you might rent for Disney. A day at the zoo would be a wonderful practice session for Disney. Nothing can really prepare you for doing a scooter on and off a Disney bus; this can be challenging for some. In our case, we had to do this for our mother in law; she could not handle getting the scooter on and off the bus. She was still car driving at the time, but she was not use to a scooter and this was difficult for her. I will admit she was 86 at the time; so, maybe, you will have less issue this way with your mom. Don't expect a bus driver to take over the scooter and do this for you; it's a rarity that this would occur. Infact with my MIL, there were other instances where we drove the scooter for her like parking it for an attraction. Even at inside shows we would park it for her and then she would sit on it for the show.

I'm not trying to scare you, but rather I'm trying to prepare you. The scooter is a wonderful answer to enjoy Disney for those with mobility issues, but it's not a perfect world. I hope the pixie dust goes your way and you don't have any issues.

 

[digiMom]

Thanks to all of you that took the time to respond. The information you gave was exactly what I was looking for. And trust me, I realize that even with the best preparations, things will not necessarily be perfect. I build and design websites and if I expected to never have any problems, I would have gone into something else a long time ago. I also know that ultimately the only thing we have control over is how we handle things. (A DD with special needs and mom who's a cancer survivor has taught me that.) So again, thank you and the advice is received in the spirit it was given.

I have considered just renting from the parks, but we'll be doing some park hopping. I'm worried about availability at the park we hop to. Getting some practice in is a good idea.

Thanks again...

 

[Bete]

It can be a long enough day without park hopping. You can try it, but it can get rough playing around with the scooter everywhere you go. It's like you are doubling your efforts on that count.

I would stick with one park; unless, you take a nice nap in between at the resort. if you park hop after a nap it's not as bad.

I think I would take it slower; until, you know how it is going for your mom. She could even experience a mental drain doing Disney in a scooter for the first time.

 

[SueM in MN]

I haven't had much time to post lately, but wanted to add a suggestion to check out the disABILITIES FAQs thread. It is located near the top of this, board or you can follow my signature to get there.

Post one of that thread is an index that tells which post contains which information.

 

[digiMom]

We were just there last Oct (2010). We had a wheelchair and I pushed it for 9 days. My mom wasn't planning on going back to DW, but there were a few things we missed and some favorites she wanted to see again. Our family will probably go again in 2013 or 14 with DH instead of my mom. (My mom and DH don't vacation well together, so we split things up. ) But with free dining and some good airfares, we decided to sneak in a short trip. My mom figures this will be her last trip with me and the kids. (Of course, who knows. But DD is 15 and DS is 11, so the kids are growing fast.)

We'd do the wheelchair again, but I had an injury a while back where I stopped myself from falling down stairs at work by bracing and twisting my arm. My hand stayed in place while my feet continued down another 3 stairs. It's just getting to the point where it feels better, so I don't want to re-injure it.

So we have 5 days of actual park time. We only have a few things we want to see at HS, so we're going to start there one of the days and then head over to Epcot. I was thinking the boat. The last day we may split between two parks depending on what we missed on the previous days.

It can be a long enough day without park hopping. You can try it, but it can get rough playing around with the scooter everywhere you go. It's like you are doubling your efforts on that count.

We figured this out with the wheelchair. I think AK was the hardest, so expecting it to be so with a scooter as well. We went to our local zoo today (mom didn't want to try the scooters ). Anyway, she made it a little over two hours with her rolling walker. That's better than she could just walking without it, but I think DW is still too much.

 

[ctotty]

We rented from Scooter Vacation and had to have our scooter replaced twice in 8 days due to them breaking down.

 

[digiMom]

We rented from Scooter Vacation and had to have our scooter replaced twice in 8 days due to them breaking down.

Yeah, that's what keeps me from going ahead and reserving one yet. Can you share some details? Besides being incredibly inconvenient, I'm sure, how were they? Quick? Helpful? Rude? Thanks...

 

[heimlichfan]

Uh-oh. We are first time scooter renters - we went with Scooter Vacations too. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yeah, that's what keeps me from going ahead and reserving one yet. Can you share some details? Besides being incredibly inconvenient, I'm sure, how were they? Quick? Helpful? Rude? Thanks...

Different (reputable) company, but I had one of those experiences a few years ago, with one of the companies recommended in the FAQ (by us, not by DIS management).

First, an ECV just stopped working in Buzz one rainy night. CM called a manager, manger called the company(!) which agreed to pick up the broken unit at MK and drop off a new one at my resort, both the next morning. Then she had another CM bring an ECV to get me to City Hall, where yet another CM drove me to my dinner reservation!

A couple of night's later, I left Epcot with a flat tire on the new ECV. Based on my earlier experience, I stopped at Guest Services, they called the company, and I was met with a replacement!

 

[stargazertechie]

We're just back from an amazing 7 day trip with my dad. It was our first trip with a scooter.

We rented from Apple. The customer service was amazing (we had to change our trip dates 8 times, and they just went with it). The scooter was in fantastic condition.

I would definitely recommend the 3 wheel over the 4 wheel for maneuverability.

His had a headlight. It was more or less useless. It wasn't really necessary though.

We made sure to charge it every night, and even with FULL days at the park, he never went below 1/2 battery!

 

[ddgckg]

love Love LOVE Apple Scooters! It was waiting on us when we arrived at our resort. We spent all day at the parks, and it seemed to never lose any of it's charge, but we did plug it in each night just to be on the safe side. We were there in October when a huge storm came through. In fact, one day it rained more than 6 inches. The scooter (covered with a poncho) was a trooper! It was only $30/day for 4 days. I couldn't tell you if the seat or handles were adjustable or not since I had no trouble (I'm 5'4" and have short arms and legs). When it was time to leave, we just left the scooter with the bellman - simple as that!