Scooter Newbie

[amykathleen2005]

Hi,

My husband has limited mobility due to a broken ankle in an air cast and a previously broken and now crooked knee. He usually walks with a walker.

We are going to rent an ECV during our stay at the All Stay Movies resort. Do you have any recommendations for companies to use for the rental? I definitely want to make sure that the battery isn't going to die on him while in the parks.

Can the ECV be brought into restaurants? I thought I saw a comment that sometimes they cannot but he wouldn't be able to get all the way inside without a walker and we can't really drag it with us throughout the parks.

Also my husband is very tall and thin. I don't know if there are scooters made for taller people or are they generally comfy for most people?


He has been on scooters in stores but has never been on one for longer then an hour or so.

 

[TheoDawg]

I've used Yellowscooters.com and the product was great. Their prices are the most reasonable I have found, $140-180 for 7 days after that it's $10-15 per day.

Many of their scooter have tall seats and the seats recline if you want to relax for a few minutes. I drove the one I rented at least 15 miles on a full charge and still had around half on the battery meter.

Not sure about taking them into the restaurants.

 

[Happy 2 B Me]

Not sure about rentals at WDW as husband brought his own ECV. He has an electric wheel chair now that he uses full time.

We were never denied access in to a restaurant. The staff would just remove one chair and husband would drive the EVC near the table just like he was sitting in a chair. There were times staff would suggest a table I would know would not be satisfactory to husband and the staff were always kind enough to move us. I always tried to sit him in an area that was not a waitstaff walkway.

If you are flying you could rent an EVC at home. The airlines will transport your EVC at no additional charge. Husband actually takes his to the side of the plane where he transfers to an isle chair that the crew use to get him to his seat.

We used to carry husbands walker with a bungie cord and a couple of hooks that attached to the EVC back of chair. There maybe attachments that who ever your rent from can put on the EVC for you just to carry the walker with you.

Make sure you carry the charger and cord just incase the battery did wear down. You can plug it in while eating. You can also plug it in at the care center.

If you rent from home and you are flying -- make sure it is a gel cell battery that is FAA approved.

One more thing -- since your husband is tall I would make sure to rent a 4 wheel EVC. The turn a bit wider but they are more stable on the sidewalks and streets of Disney. There are special parade viewing areas just for EVC users and up to 5 guests.

 

[SueM in MN]

Follow the link in my signature or look near the top of this board for the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
Post 2 of that thread is about wheelchair and ECV rental, both in the parks and from off-site rental places. It includes phone numbers, website links and information about the rental companies most commonly recommended by DIS posters.

ECVs can be brought into restaurants; many people who are able to walk the distance choose not to because it can be tight and hard to maneuver.
You will be able to bring it in, but if it is tight, someone may have to move it away from the table once he transfers to a chair (and bring it back when you leave). If you are eating at table service restaurants, mention when you check in that he will need to use the ECV to get to the table and/or whether he prefers to sit in it while eating. They will be able to choose a table that will be easier to navigate to that way.

 

[amykathleen2005]

Any experiences with Apple?

 

[aubriee]

Any experiences with Apple?

We've used Apple Scooters the last several trips for my mom's ECV. Never had a problem. We last used them last month (Dec 6th-16th) and will be using them again in late March.

 

[Minniekins]

I used Walker Mobility in Dec. I chose them after reading many threads/posts here. I'm very glad I chose them and I recommend them very highly! And the cost was a little less than half of renting at the parks. I charged my scooter every night in the room, and it was good to go for the next full day after an 8 hr charging. We did meet the walker rep with the scooter as soon as we arrived at the BCV. It was easy and I was glad to have someone there to ask last min questions such as asking about charging, driving onto buses, etc.

 

[nydancemom]

I used Apple in November for my first time renting non-Disney and it was awful. Scooter was old and worn. Only lasted about three hours before it died completely. Lost the whole next morning waiting for a replacement while multiple phone calls assured me the replacement was "on its way". The replacement was really banged up, even had a broken handle, but I was told that was all they had. At least it did drive.
Just this week I rented from Buena Vista scooters. It was great. Scooter was at bell services when I arrived, Looked brand new, drove great, held the charge so well I went three days at the parks without having to recharge and it still showed full battery. I am not a large person, not sure if that would make a difference. I rented the portable scooter since I had my car and only used Disney transportation to MK on the boat from WL. It easily disassembled into 4 pieces which my daughter or the valet could put into my car. I will rent from Buena Vista again in August for sure

 

[shoes99]

I just booked a travel scooter from Buena Vista for pick up this Thursday. We will have a rental car, so I need a scooter that can be taken apart.
Thanks for the good review. I was worried that the portable scooter would not hold a daily charge.
Last Sept we rented from Walker but decided to change to Buena Vista since they will deliver the scooter at 8AM on Thursday without us being there.
The customer service rep said I should pick up the scooter at Bell Services at the Caribbean Beach Hotel. I hope I can pick it up at the main building and not the check in building way across the resort.

 

[jelange64]

First trip needing a scooter was in 2008. Not researching on scooters beforehand, the concierge at GC at Disneyland was awesome and was able to get me one. After some research, used Apple Scooter in 2010 at WDW. Stayed at SOG and they delivered on time and even didn't charge me for the few extra hours of rental. Then Apple again in Jan 2012 at DH in Anaheim. Have been reliable and friendly for me. Will report on this trip at SOG again in Nov 2014.