Scooter choices

[LauraVV]

Hi,

We're planning a trip to Disney World in late January. We're staying at the Polynesian. My daughter uses a Convaid Cruiser. Both kids (9 and 19) use service dogs. I walk well but get fatigued going to the store. There's no way I can walk around Disney all day. I thought about renting a scooter at the parks but looked at ebay and there are several scooters there that cost the same or less than renting a scooter at Disney. My hubby will be able to push my daughter.

How do you choose a scooter? How many miles of battery power do you need to comfortably travel a park? We'll be there 6 nights and probably spend most of the time at Magic Kingdom. We've never been to Animal Kingdom but my daughter is an animal nut.

Some of the available choices are Sonic Pride, Jet 3 Ultra Power, Pride Rally, Pride Victory, CTM HS 580, and Invacare Pronto M 51.

What is the weather like in late Jan/early Feb? They gave us free water park tickets but I can't imagine that it'd be warm enough to use them.

Thanks!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

OK, I've never used an ECV myself, but I'll offer you what advice I can, until someone more experienced comes along to help out! Some things you will need to look at when choosing an ECV are: price, weight limits, comfort, maneuverability, ability to transport easily and aesthetics (hey, it's got to look purdy ). 3 wheel ECVs tend to be more maneuverable than 4 wheelers, though there are 5 wheeled ECVs that have been released recently, which are apparently very good (though have probably not hit the second hand market yet, and may cost a fair but).

Have you tried looking for reviews of the makes you are considering? Just try typing the product name and "review" into Google and see what it spits out.

I've heard all sorts of estimates for how far you walk in the parks. Most people tend to settle for between 4 and 8 miles a day, though that could be more or less depending on how much you do in a day. As a guideline, it's a bit under 2 miles to walk around the World Showcase lagoon (with no stops or detours, just going once around). AK is by far the biggest park; I have heard that you could fit all of the other three parks within its boundaries ! It's also a bit bumpy in places, so be warned.

As for weather, have a look at this site:
http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/weather.html
It can get a bit chilly towards the lower temperatures, but if you got a good day, the temperature should be fine (DISCLAIMER: These are the views and opinions of a Brit, who is not used to warm weather, and will wear shorts any time when her legs won't turn blue).

Hope some of this helps. As I said, someone a little more useful will undoubtedly come along soon.

Have a great trip!

 

[SueM in MN]

I have looked at this website when we were shopping for a new power wheelchair for DD: www.usatechguide.org
They have some specifications and also a few (in some cases, very few) reviews.
This is the page for the Invacare Pronto M51. That one is actually a power wheelchair and drives with a joystick. The Jet 3 Ultra Power is also a power wheelchair.

A few things to keep in mind with power wheelchairs:
- they are usually cost a lot more than a scooter
- they are heavy (200 pounds or more) and most don't come apart for transport
- you can't just lift them into a trunk or the back of a van, but will need a van with some kind of lift or ramp to get them into a van
- joysticks in general take a bit more practice to learn to use. The joystick can often be programmed for things like how quickly the wheelchair accelerates. If it does too quickly, it can be jerky driving - getting the programming the way you want it can sometimes take some trial and error.

Many (but not all) scooters can be taken apart for transport. If you want to be able to take it apart to put in a trunk, things to think about include how heavy the biggest piece is, how big it is and how difficult it would be to lift into a trunk or van. There are lifts that can do it for you. One big company that makes wheelchair vans and lifts is Braun.

Except for the Invacare Pronto, the ones you noted are all Pride Mobility products. Pride started out making scooters and has gone into the power wheelchair market after making scooters for many years. Pride is one of the biggest sellers of scooters in the US.
Invacare started out making manual and power wheelchairs and are the biggest US maker of both. They started making scooters a while ago and make a brand of light scooters called Lynx microportable scooters.

Some other companies that have made scooters for many years:
Rascal
Amigo

Another thing to consider it service - the best scooter may not be the best scooter to have if there is no one nearby for service. So, that's another thing you want to check out.

As far as the distance for WDW in a day - it's actually 1.1 miles around WS (I think OneLittleSpark was thinking of the meter equivilent); estimates are between 3 and 12 miles per day, so 8 or 9 miles is probably pretty realistic. If you are worried about running out of power, you can bring the charger along and just plug it in while you are eating. My DD's power wheelchair is supposed to get about 12 miles on one charge. She gets considerably more than that since she is less than 100 pounds and is mostly on pretty flat surfaces. As you increase the weight the wheelchair or scooter carries, go on hills or on bumpier (more demanding) paths, it used power more quickly.