Scooter at Disney? Need advice

[bafleyanne]

We have been to Disney many times. DH and I are both on the larger side. We've never had any issues with mobility until our last trip in October of 2013. I ended up absolutely miserable by the end of our trip and needed to use an ECV for the last few days (there was something badly going wrong with my legs--I had a pinpoint rash all over them, they were swollen from knee to foot, and really painful to walk). Dealing with the park ECVs was a bit of a hassle, though. First of all, of course, they are quite expensive. Then the day we were at Epcot for Food and Wine, my ECV lost its charge after only about 2 hours and we ended up getting stuck over by the America pavilion for over an hour waiting to get a replacement. Not a fun day to say the least.

So now we're planning another trip in Nov. of 2014. I am hoping not to need the ECV this time, but my physical condition is not significantly different from our last trip and since we definitely want to do Food and Wine again as well as MVMCP, I am wanting to plan ahead. So several questions for the ECV veterans!

-Is it normal to experience battery issues with the ECVs in the parks? It was very frustrating to have that happen and was a major inconvenience for my DH and kids having to wait there with me (we were in the hot sun, no place nearby to sit down, and could not leave the vehicle while we waited for a replacement).

-I am thinking of renting an ECV for the week from an outside company. We will have a car (my SUV, a Honda CR-V) but I understand it is difficult or impossible to get any ECV except the portable one (which I believe I am too heavy for) into a small SUV. How much of a hassle is it to travel to and from the parks on the bus transportation with an ECV? Are there types of transportation you cannot take with the ECV? Above all I am worried about causing more hassle for my family and slowing them down.

-I am trying to weigh the cost of renting from Disney vs. the hassle of using the ECV on Disney transportation. The only place I really NEED it is in the parks--I generally do not have much trouble walking to and from the room, parking lots, etc. Any thoughts on this?

-How easy is it to find a place to charge an ECV not rented through Disney midway through the day? We plan to spend a large part of each day in the parks and I know it will need to be charged at some point.

Thanks for any insight you may be able to provide!

 

[bidnow5]

The ECV will be dependent on your weight we rented victory 9 scooters from Apple last year and fit 2 in a Chevy impala both of them lasted all day they are smaller then the victory 10 scooters but have the same range. When we rented them they said over 275 pounds they might not last all day but no problem at just above that. They don't list them on the website you have to ask

 

[bidnow5]

I wanted to add topping off the charge on a scooter shortens the battery life they should be charged overnight

 

[ttintagel]

-Is it normal to experience battery issues with the ECVs in the parks? It was very frustrating to have that happen and was a major inconvenience for my DH and kids having to wait there with me (we were in the hot sun, no place nearby to sit down, and could not leave the vehicle while we waited for a replacement).

I've never spent a full day in the parks without having to do SOME recharging. It seems like so many of my late-night memories are of waiting for someone in the party to get enough juice in the battery to make it to the bus stop! (That includes me on the trip I was using an ECV, and I'm within my target BMI and don't carry a heavy park bag, so it's not ALL about weight.)

-How easy is it to find a place to charge an ECV not rented through Disney midway through the day? We plan to spend a large part of each day in the parks and I know it will need to be charged at some point.

We usually were able to find an outlet without too much trouble; usually a CM will be able to point you to the nearest one. Maintenance CM's are better at this than other CM's just because they use the outlets more often.

Flower beds are generally good places to look (feel around for boxes). The ones I remember using the most are in the arches under the train station in the MK, by the pressed penny machine outside the MK gates, and in the EPCOT Future World flower beds. All the outlets have covers, so you have to look carefully.

I've heard that there are outlets in the handicapped seating areas of Columbia Harbour House, and on the toadstool seats by the Tangled restrooms (all MK), but haven't checked those out myself.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

I'm sorry, but if your scooter can't make it through the day without running out, then you're either unlucky with the battery or you're too heavy for the scooter you're hiring.

I hired the Victory 10 at about 50lbs under the maximum weight and we literally went from 9am through to midnight without having to top up or anything. In fact, only once did the indicator go down one notch. Every night the scooter came into our hotel room and went straight on charge, where it stayed until we went out again in the morning.

That said, I was advised to turn the scooter off if I was going to be immobile for a while, so I did.

 

[Bete]

There are pros and cons to renting a scooter at a Disney park or renting from an outside vendor.

The Victory scooters have two batteries; so, they last longer. They're bigger than Pride to go scooters. They come apart and they are portable. They are heavier and you will probably need two people to handle it in and out of the car. Sometimes, you have to get creative with carrying a scooter in your car by using a car seat or whatever to hold the battery or chair. You may have to hold a scooter seat in your lap.

When you rented at Disney you may not have received a fully charged scooter. If you go this way then make sure you have a full charge before leaving the rental location.

Always shut off the scooter when you are at a show, parade or fireworks.

If you have a problem with an outside rental on a scooter it's likely they will expect you to meet them at the entrance of the park. If it's a Disney rental a CM will help and get it replaced for you. More than likely it will take longer with an outside rental to replace a scooter.

Some of the smaller boats won't allow scooters. All other Disney transportation will be fine with a scooter.

Make sure on an outside scooter rental that you do a full charge each day overnight.

 

[bafleyanne]

I'm sorry, but if your scooter can't make it through the day without running out, then you're either unlucky with the battery or you're too heavy for the scooter you're hiring.

I hired the Victory 10 at about 50lbs under the maximum weight and we literally went from 9am through to midnight without having to top up or anything. In fact, only once did the indicator go down one notch. Every night the scooter came into our hotel room and went straight on charge, where it stayed until we went out again in the morning.

That said, I was advised to turn the scooter off if I was going to be immobile for a while, so I did.

Yeah, I rented I think 4 days our last trip and that was the only day I had a significant problem, so I'm guessing I got unlucky with the battery. One day we were at MNSSHP until 12:30 am and the battery was JUST starting to get really low when we turned it in. That day at Epcot was just weird. We spent about an hour or a little more in Future World after renting it, and a good portion of that time it was off, and then got about halfway around World Showcase and it conked out.

 

[bafleyanne]

There are pros and cons to renting a scooter at a Disney park or renting from an outside vendor.

The Victory scooters have two batteries; so, they last longer. They're bigger than Pride to go scooters. They come apart and they are portable. They are heavier and you will probably need two people to handle it in and out of the car. Sometimes, you have to get creative with carrying a scooter in your car by using a car seat or whatever to hold the battery or chair. You may have to hold a scooter seat in your lap.

Good to know that they do come apart. The last time we went, we ended up driving to the parks most days because our room was pretty far from the bus stop. It would be nice to be able to do that again this time, especially since it looks like we may be at CSR this trip and I know it is big. I will have my DH with me as well as my 13 year old DS so I have no worries about lifting it in and out of the car.

 

[wergoin2camouse]

Having been a couple years ago with family and having two scooters to manage on Disney bus... Just prepare for possible seperation to get to and from parks. Only about half the time were we able to have both scooters on same bus... Sooo many people need them nowadays

 

[The Hunchback]

We have rented from Walker for many years. I have never had a dead battery but we are careful to charge them fully. We did have a belt break one time. They were able to meet us at American Adventure for a swap. They have models that will dis-assemble and fit into a small SUV. I do not know the weight restrictions on those models. Call Walker and they can help you.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I've been using Walker for many years and have not had any significant problems, I did have a dead battery once, but they came right out and swapped them and I was on my way. I rent the larger ECV with the extended range battery, because we love to spend a good majority of the day at the parks and on into the late evening. They also include a protable charging cord, but I've not had to use it, they really last all day.

We have a minivan, so it's easy to put it in the back, but I prefer to use Disney transportation and it isn't that much of a hassle.

They aren't a Disney preferred provider, but working with them to meet the delivery driver is very easy and I wouldn't give up great customer service to have one ready when I get to the resort.