Scooter Rental

[Callie]

I hope I am using the right term for an electric wheelchair rental.

My family has been to the world many many times, and besides when we took my grandma on vacations (last time was 10 years ago), we have never rented any wheelchairs. I think the time might be up.

I've been looking into a trip for next year, and my mom has recently had some health issues. She is fit, loves to workout, but has issues with walking for more than 30 minutes.

She gets terrible terrible foot pain, and also has been having issues with a nerve in her back/neck that causes bad pain/numbness. I suggested a scooter rental, and was wondering if you think that would be a good option? She said she would be fine with a basic wheelchair, and have us push her, but that might get tiring.

Is it possible for her to park these outside a ride? Like I said, unless she is having a flair up, she can do some walking, so she should be fine waiting in lines.
Also, how much a day does Disney charge for a basic wheelchair rental? Just trying to slowly get this idea to be ok with her. I want her to have an enjoyable trip, and not worry about pain.

 

[SueM in MN]

I hope I am using the right term for an electric wheelchair rental.

What you want is a power mobility scooter, also called an ECV.
Scooters are steered with a handlebar, somewhat like steering a bicycle.

An electric (or power) wheelchair is different. They are steered by a joystick, which also controls the the speed at the same time. Because of that, they are more difficult to learn to drive. In most cases, the companies that rent them will only rent them to people who are familiar with using one.

My family has been to the world many many times, and besides when we took my grandma on vacations (last time was 10 years ago), we have never rented any wheelchairs. I think the time might be up.

I've been looking into a trip for next year, and my mom has recently had some health issues. She is fit, loves to workout, but has issues with walking for more than 30 minutes.

She gets terrible terrible foot pain, and also has been having issues with a nerve in her back/neck that causes bad pain/numbness. I suggested a scooter rental, and was wondering if you think that would be a good option?

She will need something if she can't walk more than 30 minutes,but what would be best really depends on her.

If she drives a car, learning to use an ECV would be fairly simple. Steering is done the same as with a bicycle, by turning a handlebar. ECVs have a throttle that allows you to go and controls the speed you go. There will also be some type of lever, slider or knob that changes the top speed from high to low ( turtle for slow and rabbit for faster). There is a separate control for backing up.

If she wants to try one, I would suggest practicing in a store like Target, Walmart or a grocery store. The ones they have are much larger than the rental ones you will find at Walt Disney World, so if she can drive one of those she would feel comfortable using whatever she encounters at the park.

The driver does need to stay alert and ready to stop at any time. People do walk out in front of scooters and wheelchairs very suddenly, so the driver needs to be ready.
If she has any vision or hearing problems, an ECV might not be the best choice because it would affect how quickly she could react.

She said she would be fine with a basic wheelchair, and have us push her, but that might get tiring.

If she is not sure about driving and ECV, she may be more confident sitting in a wheelchair and having you push her. That also gives the additional benefit of her being able to look around and see all of the attractions, without having to watch where she is going.
Some people are very independent and don't like the idea of having someone push them. But if she's okay with that and you have several people who can trade-off and pushing, it doesn't need to be tiring. There are a few hills at Walt Disney World, but most are not that steep and pushing a wheelchair is not as difficult as you may think.

Is it possible for her to park these outside a ride? Like I said, unless she is having a flair up, she can do some walking, so she should be fine waiting in lines.

You would have the option of parking the wheelchair or ECV in the stroller parking area if she wants to walk in line. Keep in mind that some of the lines are a long distance. For example, Soarin is over one quarter mile from the beginning of the line to the point of boarding and an equal distance from the exit all the way back out.

Also, how much a day does Disney charge for a basic wheelchair rental? Just trying to slowly get this idea to be ok with her. I want her to have an enjoyable trip, and not worry about pain.

Follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Post 2 in that thread is about renting wheelchairs and ECVs There is information about renting them from the parks or from one of the offsite rental companies.

 

[ibcrazie4dizney]

we stay off property at a time share. we have rented ecv's for the length of stay from Walker Mobility and they would deliver them to our resort before we checked in. the price is better than Disney and you don't have to spend time renting each day. it comes apart and fits into trunk or suv. we just carried battery in each night to charge it. if you don't have a handicap liscense plate, see if your dr will authorize a temp handi cap tag so that you can park in handicap section so you are close enough to ride in. last time I was there, I had a broken foot, so I much needed the ecv, it was well worth it and wow what a difference from having tired aching feet each night. easy to ride and park by each attraction.