Most people plan to rent a
scooter or wheelchair from off-site if they will need it each day. Besides being less expensive, you would also have it available for other places like your resort or DD. Here are some of the places DIS posters have rented from:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com
RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/
Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html
Some of these sites have pictures which may help if you don't really know what a scooter looks like.
Some of the pros and cons I can see (but keep in mind I do not use a scooter. I have a DD who uses both a manual and a power wheelchair):
Scooter:
Pro: More independence; no one has to push it; fairly comfy seat (like an office chair); driver is able to keep up with the rest of the group
Con:Some people don't feel comfortable driving a scooter; driver has to be alert all the time to drive; needs to be charged every night; takes up a little more room in the hotel room than a folded wheelchair; he won't be able to walk along behind it; he may get stiff if he's riding all day (and he may be riding all day if he can't walk without something to hold onto); need to take it apart and lift into car to transport if you are driving (not a problem if you are using WDW transportation -except the WL boats); more expensive to rent than a wheelchair; some parks (MK, in particular) are crowded and have narrow paths, making driving more of a challenge; some rides that he could ride in a wheelchair (like the MK trains, Small World) can't load scooters (you can trade the scooter at the ride entrance for a manual wheelchair)
Wheelchair
Pro: less expensive; doesn't need any care; can trade off drivers so no one has to be the "always alert" driver; he could switch off between riding and walking along pushing wheelchair whenever he wants
Con: Someone would have to push whenever he is riding; dependent on someone else to move; some people find the wheelchair seats uncomfortable (basic seat is a sling seat and back)
Some of the pros or cons might depend on your situation. For example, if he doesn't really care all that much whether he is being pushed by someone -then lack of independence isn't a con for a wheelchair. Also, you might have a lot of potential wheelchair pushers in your party, so then pushing the wheelchair might also not be much of a con.
Another ideas would be to have both a wheelchair and a scooter.
- for the crowded, smaller parks like MK, a wheelchair might be better
- for Epcot, which is large, spread out and has nice wide paths, a scooter might be better
You might be able to get a wheelchair loaned by your resort you are staying at a WDW resort. Some people have had good luck with this, but since you can't reserve them ahead of time, some people have ended up with nothing available, the wheelchair not in the best condition or what was available was not appropriate (like needing extra wide and getting narrow).
If you choose to go with a wheelchair, you might be able to rent a scooter at the parks. They are first come-first served, so there is no guarantee that you would get one, especially if you will be there in a busy time, park hop or get to the park later in the day. You can also take the rental informationa long with you and call to rent a scooter a few days into your stay if the wheelchair doesn't work out.
Here's some "Help you figure out what to do" Pixie Dust. Hope you all have a great time.
