Scooter speed question

[lepidop]

I'm going to be renting a scooter for a future trip to WDW, and I was planning on getting a portable one since we'll be driving to the parks each day. I'm not a fan of the busses, plus I like being able to leave without waiting in the long transportation lines.
I'm seeing that the portable scooter has a top speed of 4.5 mph, but the regular scooter's is 6mph. I use the scooters at the grocery store and get frustrated with how slow they move, I can't keep up with my kids! I'm not sure how fast they go, but I'm guessing the 4.5mph speed of the portable is going to feel like a slow crawl if the kids are really wanting to get on their next ride. Any experience with this, or advice?
Is it even possible to break down the standard size rental scooters to fit into a regular minivan?

 

[grnflash]

Average walking speed is 3.1 miles an hour. If your kids are going over 4.5, given how congested the parks can be, them going slower seems like a better option you going faster in consideration of other park guests.

 

[powellrj]

4.5 is really fast and it’s to fast to drive through the parks. I know when I go to stores, the scooters there drive me crazy they are so slow. They have to be so people don’t run everyone down. When I drive my personal one I will turn the speed all the way up when I am in an open space like a parking lot, and turn it down when I am around people.

We drive a Ford Fusion and a standard one fits fine.

 

[lepidop]

Ok, thanks! I feel a lot better about the portable now. I was worried it would be like my last trip to costco, which was so painfully slow that the kids were literally walking circles around me.

 

[I Love Pluto]

If you were to drive a scooter at 4.5 mph - you would be knocking down anyone in front of you!
My scooter is 4.5 mph, and does parades - even uphil!!!
Yes - 4.5 mph is fast enough. Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[FortForever]

Supermarket scooters are painfully slow. Rental ones are nothing like that at all.

 

[bucky1023]

my mom rents a regular scooter when we head down and for the most part she has to keep it on low speed so she doesn't run anyone over. the only time she ever takes it up to full speed is if we are in an open space like parking lot

 

[JenLovesMM]

OP thanks for asking this question. I need to use a scooter on my next trip and I'm a little nervous about it. I love when other people ask questions that I hadn't thought of yet!

 

[lepidop]

OP thanks for asking this question. I need to use a scooter on my next trip and I'm a little nervous about it. I love when other people ask questions that I hadn't thought of yet!

I figured that at some point, someone would have had the same or a similar question, but I didn't see it when I searched. So, I'm glad it was able to help you too!
I was supposed to have my own wheelchair with power assist wheels by now, but the insurance company dragged it out and then there were problems with ordering it. I would rather have the chair because it's compact and lightweight and I'm able to walk for a little while if I use it as a walker. With the scooter, I'll have to ride it the whole time unless I park it and risk being stuck without it if I get too weak. But, I'll be at Disney, so however it works out, we'll have fun.

 

[arminnie]

I like having the big basket at grocery stores or at Costco, but I prefer using my own ECV that moves faster and does not beep when I back up. I do not have a lift on my van yet so my DH has to manually get my ECV out. I tell him it is his choice as to lifting my ECV out or dealing with the slow ECV provided by the store. He usually picks getting mine out.

 

[SueM in MN]

My daughter’s power wheelchair is capable of going up to 7.5 mph.
During the set up process for the power wheelchair, you can set a lot of parameters, including top speed.
She has 2 driving programs - an indoor one with (I think) a top speed of 3.5 mph and an outdoor one that I think is set at 5.5mph. When she puts the outdoor setting all the way to rabbit (the fastest), I practically have to jog to keep up with her.

 

[FortForever]

I like having the big basket at grocery stores or at Costco, but I prefer using my own ECV that moves faster and does not beep when I back up.

I have become an expert and tandem shopping. I drive and steer with my right hand and loop my left arm over the side of the shopping buggy, so it rides right next to me. We are as one. I do have DH that can run the buggy when he's in the store, but often we go our separate ways. It's much easier than it sounds.

If I don't plan on buying much, I will put one of the little carry baskets on my floor boards and prop my feet in front of it. You can fit much more in those than you realize. Between that, and the extra large metal basket I put on the front of my ECV, I can usually do really well.

All of our local store ECVs are almost always in use. If you do find one, it will be on such a low charge that it won't make it through the store. I just gave up on those slow, old monsters long ago.

 

[mamabunny]

OP - you will be fine! Remember that you can't take the rental scooter on the parking lot trams, so plan accordingly.

I have become an expert and tandem shopping. I drive and steer with my right hand and loop my left arm over the side of the shopping buggy, so it rides right next to me. We are as one. I do have DH that can run the buggy when he's in the store, but often we go our separate ways. It's much easier than it sounds.

If I don't plan on buying much, I will put one of the little carry baskets on my floor boards and prop my feet in front of it. You can fit much more in those than you realize. Between that, and the extra large metal basket I put on the front of my ECV, I can usually do really well.

All of our local store ECVs are almost always in use. If you do find one, it will be on such a low charge that it won't make it through the store. I just gave up on those slow, old monsters long ago.

My grocery store plan is similar, but until very recently* I would run with my right hand working throttle, and my left arm extended behind me, "towing" the grocery cart. The aisles at my favorite local grocer aren't very wide, so I can't really run with the cart next to me, unless I go in the middle of the night, after the stockers have gotten done restocking the shelves.

*broke my right arm/shoulder (and my right foot) in a nasty fall at home a couple of weeks ago. Had to cancel our February trip for our daughter's birthday I'm on the "no drive/no fly" list until at least Valentine's Day.

 

[FortForever]

*broke my right arm/shoulder (and my right foot) in a nasty fall at home a couple of weeks ago. Had to cancel our February trip for our daughter's birthday I'm on the "no drive/no fly" list until at least Valentine's Day.

I'm so sorry to hear that! Broken bones are bad enough, but the worst when you have to miss a Disney trip over it. If it's any consolation, it's still pretty cold down here. We have been having a hard winter. We are supposed to go in February, too, but I will cancel if it's not going to be at least 75 degrees. I can't stand being cold.

 

[arminnie]

Mamabunny I hate hearing that about your fall. I cannot believe that I have not broken anything as I have had at least 6-7 BAD falls in the past year. I used to think it was because I had strong bones, but I've recently officially been diagnosed with osteoporosis. So I think I've just been lucky. And we all know that luck runs out. I have landed flat on my face at least 3 times - so that proves that I am hard headed. Several stitches required but no broken bones - yet.

We've had some ice and snow here in neighboring Arkansas so I've not stepped out in the last 5 days. It's been down to 11 degrees here. We were headed back to New Orleans, but the freeze there shut down the major freeways into the city. And it took out the pump that is needed to get water to our 6th floor condo. So no running water there. At least I have heat and running water here in Arkansas.

My strategy at Costco - where there is never an available ECV - is to have my DH (who really hates shopping there) go with me but to position him with the basket at strategic locations. I go down aisles and load up what I can handle and then I go deposit my finds with him. We don't have Costco's in Arkansas so I don't go there all that often, but when I do I really stock up.

 

[mamabunny]

@arminnie - I haven't left the house in a couple of weeks except to go to Dr appointments - it's just been so dang cold! @FortForever we have had some sub-zero wind chills here, so y'all have still sounded "warm" to us! LOL

Luckily the sun has come out and the temperature has finally gone above freezing today!

 

[cobright]

3MPH is actually a brisk walk but if that's your top speed it can really feel constraining. 5MPH is a fair jog and you won't often want it to go much faster. Not often anyway ... but sometimes ... and a chair that's got a 5MPH fun-govenor on it is no fun at all when you're behind a family walking 4.9MPH. I tweaked my friend Aisling's chair to cruise at about 15MPH but she keeps that on the down-low inside the parks.