Renting a scooter for the whole trip vs at the parks

[robndani]

Hello. We are taking my grandma to Disney in January. She doesn't use a scooter at home and only uses a wheelchair in the airport so she doesn't have to walk such a long distance. She wants a scooter in Disney but I was thinking of just renting them daily in the parks to make getting everywhere easier for us.

I know some of the walks from the bus stops or Uber drop-offs may be far but we can take our time. Is there anything I'm not considering with this plan? We've never traveled there with anyone using a scooter or wheelchair.

Thanks!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Cost. It's probably 40% or so cheaper to rent from a vendor for a week, than from Disney by the day.

It's not unusual at all for the parks to run out by 11 or so.

 

[robndani]

Cost. It's probably 40% or so cheaper to rent from a vendor for a week, than from Disney by the day.

It's not unusual at all for the parks to run out by 11 or so.

I didn't think of them running out. We would have to take Disney transportation everywhere if we do that. We'll be at OKW so it might be a pain

 

[redberyl]

If shes in a scooter she will board the bus first and be guaranteed a seat. Otherwise it might be standing room only on the bus

 

[Lewisc]

Rental scooter will probably be newer, faster and have a longer battery life. Rental scooters might have some extras like an extra basket or even a USB port for charging.

 

[Groot]

The biggest thing with the park scooters is that they’re on a first come first served basis, so that if you get there too late, you could be out of luck until one becomes available and depending on your grandma’s mobility situation, she could be stuck sitting on the bench all day.

I’d say renting from an offsite company like Gold would be a good idea. It also would help if she got some practice with the ones at Walmart, Target, etc.

 

[mamabunny]

@robndani - please remember that there *is* a learning curve to using a mobility device at WDW (or anywhere for that matter)

She will need to be able to watch out for the folks who *will* inevitably walk into/in front of her while she is moving. (BTW, they will blame her for their inattentiveness, this is par for the course) (There is a "cure" for this, called "The Bubble", which we can discuss later )

She will need to be able to do a bit of "precision" driving when traversing the queues, and especially in crowded shops, and dining venues.

Would she be better served, and more comfortable with a rental wheelchair that is pushed by a member of your travel party?

I never want to discourage someone from utilizing a particular type of mobility device - certainly I treasure the freedom of movement that I have from using my own device daily - but it can be overwhelming for some folks. You are in control of a vehicle - and just like when driving a car, you must remain vigilant and be ready to act at any moment in response to those around you.

If the thought of driving the electric shopping cart at WalMart or the grocery store for more than a hour is out of the question for her, she may be better served by a wheelchair with a volunteer pusher.

 

[Bjkandma]

I'm going to recommend renting a scooter from an outside source. Your grandma will have it for her length of stay. Getting from the room to the bus stop and in the evening (tired) great at not having to walk. When you rent from the parks, the scooter must stay in that park. I've rented my scooter from Gold Mobility, but there are many to chose from.

 

[robndani]

All good points! I'll have another chat with her and the strong dudes who would be pushing her. She won't need anything for the queues, stores or restaurants... it's more for the long distances. If we did a wheelchair we could also fold it to fit in an Uber.

 

[orlandojan]

If you are going to the park early morning you will be able to rent a scooter from the park itself. Cost will be higher but so much convenient than dealing with 3rd party vendors like Scootaround, Cloud of Goods etc.

 

[minnie4ever]

I don't need one on a day to day basis, but in the parks is a whole different story. The walks from the buses are getting longer, especially from Hollywood Studios and after a long day, it is nice to have that ride instead of walking. With a scooter, she will feel much more independent then having someone push her all the time. Trust me I know. I wrenched my knee 3 days into our WDW vacation and had someone push me in a wheelchair for a day or so. Hated it! Felt so ancient and dependent on that person. I would absolutely rent from an outside source. Make sure you use a scooter company that can enter the
parks if you loose a key (like I did) or when the scooter has a problem. I used Apple scooters and was very pleased with them.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I’ve done both, and I found the in-park scooters to be bigger, bulkier, not as maneuverable. Off-site scooters are usually easier to maneuver

 

[Staren]

I’ve done both, and I found the in-park scooters to be bigger, bulkier, not as maneuverable. Off-site scooters are usually easier to maneuver

All of these points, plus the off site scooters have the edge in simple speed as well when you can use that. The park scooters tend to crawl at best speed.

 

[Tallis]

Off site rental is the way to go for many reasons already listed here. Disney transportation is easy and convenient, even when using an ECV.

 

[Staren]

Disney transportation is easy and convenient, even when using an ECV.

I use a manual chair rather than anECV, but I can definitely attest to this. Disney transportation is very easy with a mobility device. I would say it's easier than driving.

 

[Christine]

My father only needs one in the parks. he has severe arthritis in one ankle. He's fine day to day, but a day on his feet is rough. He rented from an outside source for the week. It was cheaper and it was guaranteed. He ended up using the ECV a lot more. Disney Springs was a BIG area that he needed it. Also, depending on your resort, they are just big and that was a lot of walking. Cumulatively during a day, it's a lot more action then most people are used to. I'd get it for the whole time from an outside source. You'll be glad you did.

 

[gillep]

If, for whatever reason, she does decide she only wants to rent in the parks I highly suggest keeping the phone number to a couple outside vendors with you just in case. My husband's grandmother was convinced she would be fine as she never uses any aids in day-to-day life and is very active, but by the time she got to the room from the Magical Express drop off she was changing her tune and I had to call a vendor. She went with a regular wheelchair, which was fine as there were a few of us who could push her, which dwindled to just myself and DH by the end of the trip, but that's another story.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

From what I've noticed about the huge park scooters (comparing situations with my rented 3-wheeler), they're extremely difficult to drive - especially if you're petite or fairly frail. I have seen the following:

* Grandson parking/retrieving the scooter from a corner for his grandmother as there was no way she could manage to do it herself;

* The tiller is not adjustable and smaller/shorter people seem to be very uncomfortable driving these huge 'tanks' as they are at full armstretch and holding their arms up at what for me would be a very uncomfortable height. If they are, in fact adjustable - why don't the CMs show them how to do it so they'd be more comfortable? It would probably be a lot easier to manoeuvre if they were configured properly;

* Last year I watched an older man in one of these 'crash' park one of these things in the back row of the Little Mermaid show. If he hit the back wall once while reversing, he hit it a dozen times - each time with a loud 'bang'! I was cringeing (as was the CM trying to help him);

* Because of their size, it is very difficult for anyone to get past them when parked across the row (ie backed into the wall) so you have to wait for them to 'fiddle-faff' for a long time before you can leave yourself. If it took 5 or 6 attempts to get the tank into position to watch the show, it will take the same amount of attempts to leave again. Especially as most of these renters appear to have absolutely no idea what they're doing!

No, hire off site. Believe me, it'll be so much better at the end of the day - and if your grandmother is a slighter person she'll be much better off on a smaller scooter which can be manoeuvred easily by her.

 

[tseitel]

The off site companies have portable models that break down and fit in your car trunk, plus they are less bulky and easier to maneuver. (As long as you have someone that can lift it).
I had my mom practice with the scooters at the grocery store, turning, backing up etc.
On our first trip where my mom needed assistance we took a wheelchair. She only weighs around 120 lbs, but I will tell you it was exhausting pushing it all day, and 3 of us took turns.

 

[Evita_W]

I didn't think of them running out. We would have to take Disney transportation everywhere if we do that. We'll be at OKW so it might be a pain

We were at OKW and it was quite easy to use Disney transportation with two ECVs, a couple of times they called a bus just for us, but lost of the time we would get there just a few minutes before a bus showed up for where we were going.