Scooter question/experiences?

[Silly Little Pixie]

My MIL just fell and broke her ankle yesterday. Her doctor wants her to stay off the foot at all times, so we are going to rent her a scooter for the week while we are at AKV Kidani. She will also have a folding wheelchair with her on the trip. I have zero experience with scooter use, so I could use any tips fellow DISers might have!

Room- will there be room to park this in our 2 bedroom savanna view room? Will there be any trouble getting over thresholds, etc.?

Busses- do all have a lift for scooters? Or is it hit and miss? She can't do any type of stairs or steps at this point.

Restaurants- does the scooter come to the table with you, so she can transfer to a chair? Where does it stay during your meal? She is especially worried about CRT since we have never been there.

Any and all tips would be appreciated. I want to make this as comfortable as possible for her. Obviously this has turned into a different sort of trip, my kids and I (and my MIL) are usually much more commando style when touring. I'll need to strike a balance between the kids' wants and making my MIL feel comfortable. My FIL will be with us, but I recommended a scooter over the folding wheelchair as I have concerns he will re-injure his back pushing her over such large distances.

We leave tomorrow for our pre-cruise stay!!!

 

[Muhlenberg]

Room...there should be plenty of room to park the scooter in your villa. I don't remember there being a threshold into the room. If there is one, it won't be a problem for the scooter. Just remember to plug it in to charge it whenever you're in the room.

Buses...your only problem might be if the scooter spaces on the buses are already occupied. Then you'd have to wait for the next bus. But the park buses stop at Kidani first, so that really shouldn't happen.

Restaurants...I think you have to park the scooter and use crutches to get to your table, most of the time. Not sure how it works if you CAN'T use crutches. They have to have accessible tables.

Just take things at a slower pace, and all should go well. My hubby broke his ankle a week before a WDW trip in 2000. That's when we learned how to do WDW at a more relaxing pace. It helps to go by what the injured can do, and go at their speed. You could also split up.

Have fun, and don't stress about everything!

 

[Chuck S]

You may want to look for helpful info on our disABILITIES! board.

But to answer your specific questions...

There should be plenty of room in a two bedroom unit for the scooter, and thresholds should not be a major problem.

All WDW busses are equipped with lifts (older busses) or ramps. Most busses accommodate two wheelchairs or scooters, some accommodate three. Your MIL can load the bus seated on the scooter, but will need to transfer to a standard bus seat for safety reasons. Scooters tip easier than manual wheelchairs because the have a higher center of gravity. Guests can remain seated on the bus in a manual wheelchair, and be seat-belted in place. You may occasionally find a bus has reached its scooter capacity, or has a defective lift.

Some restaurants will more easily accommodate a scooter than others, but she should be able to remain seated at all of them. If it is too tight a fit, she can scooter up to the table and transfer to a chair, and another person in the party can move the scooter to a waiting area. My Mom is in a manual wheelchair when we visit the parks, and remains in it at all restaurants. A scooter will certainly be a better choice than a manual chair if the "pusher" has back problems, there are some steep ramps that can be killers. Like the bridge between UK and France at EPCOT.

The EPCOT monorail station has an elevator, the other stations do not, and the ramps are steep.

Theater shows can accommodate people seated on scooters, most scooter areas in in the back row, a few theaters have the seating up front.

She will need to transfer for most rides.

And for Pirates of the Caribbean, she will need to transfer to a manual w/c (supplied at the attraction) before entering the queue. Then she will need to step down into the boat. There should be another wheelchair available at the exit, then take an elevator up to street level, where you can reclaim the scooter at the ride entrance.

For Haunted Mansion, if walking is a problem, she and your party will go into a holding queue, then be escorted in through the ride exit, where they can stop the load belt while she transfers into a doom buggy. She may need to walk/hobble several feet with your assistance. The same is basically true of any belt load ride system, including Spaceship Earth, enter through the exit area of Spaceship Earth, and there will be a queue area there for those with mobility issues.

It may be best to avoid the TTA/Peoplemover and Peter Pan's Flight, as those load belts can not be stopped.

There is an elevator at CRT, so she should be able to remain seated, or transfer if she prefers.
Again, for more info, the disABILITES! Board is a good resource.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

Thanks SO much for all the help! Great ideas for the parks. I know she'll feel better when she sees how spacious AKV is going to be. And Chuck, thanks for reminding me about the DisAbilities board, too.

 

[disneydawn6]

I can't remember the company name but I have the phone number... 1 407 363 7388. I rented two scooters for both my parents when we were there this summer. They usually tire easily and have to go back to the room after a few hours being 80 and 82 so these scooters were wonderful. They could keep up with us and stayed with us almost the entire day. I believe they were only $25 a day which I though was a great price. There are two spots on each bus for them so they always got to ride together. They were both bad at getting the scooters on the bus, so usually my daughter and I would get them up the ramp on the bus to park them and they would also use the ramp to get up to the bus. They were delivered right to our hotel and were waiting for us at bell services. They will also keep them at bell services at night and charge them for you. Having two scooters was hard to keep in a one bedroom so we usually left them at bell services and my daughter and I would get them in the morning and bring them back the room for my parents. It was so nice to have my parents stay with us thoughtout our trip. It's been getting harder and harder for them to come with us lately and this was just a dream vacation for all....

 

[dianeschlicht]

We have rented a scooter from C.A.R.E in the past. They bring it right to your resort, and you drop it off at the front desk when you leave too. Very easy, and very reasonably priced.

I had to navigate with one for two trips, and was very easy on and off the buses etc. Oh, and while they might make you move to a seat on the bus, some of the buses are equiped with seat belts for the scooter occupant if they can't leave the chair.

 

[BroganMc]

Obviously this has turned into a different sort of trip, my kids and I (and my MIL) are usually much more commando style when touring. I'll need to strike a balance between the kids' wants and making my MIL feel comfortable.

Using a scooter can actually enhance your commando touring. I made my dad get one so he could keep up with me in my PWC. We can zig zag through parks, go on FP runs, have time to go on multiple rides while others are still slugging their way through the park.

Remember, scooters go 5mph and the occupant always has a comfortable seat. Plus you'll find that basket in front very handy as a drink/snack/map holder. Just don't leave anything valuable inside when MIL transfers.

Stop by Guest Relations when you get there and ask for a Guest Assistance Card. Then your MIL can take her scooter into the ride queue as if it was a wheelchair.

Only word of caution I give you is really for your MIL. Tell her to get used to driving defensively. Pedestrians at Disney walk in erratic patterns. You notice it more when your driving. They drift to the left when walking a straight line, swerve without looking, stop dead in tracks, backup without looking (to frame a picture) and often walk in the opposite direction of their eyes. You need to give yourself a good 5 ft buffer all around. Pass the lookeloos as quickly as possibly to avoid accidents.