WDW with a scooter - never used one before

[elmoandzoey]

Hi all,

I hope someone here can help me with a little insight. We have booked a trip to WDW with our 3 kids for upcoming April. As life goes, I had an accident shortly after we booked the flights. I broke my ankle pretty badly and now have screws that are holding the bone together. I am not allowed to walk without a cast for 3 months and my prognosis is that I won't be able to walk without crutches for a year.

Of course that has put a big big damper on our plans.

Right now we are unsure what to do. Our flights are non-refundable and since we are coming over from Europe we'd lose about $3,000 for the flights. Since I know I will not be able to walk more very far, even on crutches, I was thinking maybe a scooter would help me on the trip? I really want this trip to happen but I am really torn at this very moment.

I have never used such a thing before so I don't know anything about them. I don't even know where to begin so I hope someone can help me answering some questions I have?

Will we be okay in a Disney Joel with a scooter if we have to rely on Disney transportation? We wanted to stay off-site in a friend's time-share but with a scooter that would be a no go as their Disney transportation can't accommodate that. A rental van large enough to fit a scooter won't be in our budget if I have to get a scooter.

What's the battery life on these things? That's one of my main concerns that the battery won't last the whole day. Can it easily be recharged while at WDW? Or are there possibilities for spare batteries that can be changed? We'll probably be at the parks from opening to end and I'll be up and about with the kids. Would that even be doable? I really don't want to have to return to the room after a half day just to charge the scooter.

Would be a DAS be necessary if I need to take the scooter into the queue? I don't mind the wait but I am not sure how long I could actually wait in line just relying on crutches. If a DAS is needed, what kind of info would I need to provide to be eligible for the DAS?

I'll be bringing crutches for those instances when I can't use the scooter (e.g. Going through short queues or into shops, restaurants, etc.). My wheelchair has some sort of holder in the back for the crutches - is there a similar thing for scooters? I couldn't find that info, I just found baskets that rental companies offered but those won't do me any good.

As I mentioned above, I am really unsure if WDW would be doable for us at all. I have always seen a lot of scooters at WDW but since I have never used one or needed one, this is all very new, confusing and also frightening for me. A big part of me wants to make this all happen but the other part is worrying this just won't work out the way we want it to.

Maybe someone can put my mind at ease??

 

[lanejudy]

to the disABILITIES Forum!

So sorry to hear you are injured, however you should be fine using an ECV at WDW. You can rent from off-site, which is likely to be less expensive. In-park rentals can run out by mid-morning, so keep that in mind if you decide to stick with an in-park rental. It also cannot be taken out of the park to transportation, so you would have to be able to navigate getting to/from your car or bus at each park, which can be a bit of a hike.

Disney-provided transportation should be able to accommodate an ECV; usually at least 2 on each bus, sometimes 3. The monorail is fine, and the larger boats also accept ECVs. Transportation to Disney from a timeshare should also allow you to bring an ECV -- if they provide transportation they must accommodation for those with mobility needs. It may not be the "regular" bus and you may need to let them know in advance that you'll need accessible transportation. There are ECV models designed to be broken down to fit into a car trunk, so if you will have a rental vehicle you might be fine using that. When you reserve the ECV you'll want to inform the rental agency about the size of vehicle you will be using and that the backseat is full of passengers so it needs to fit in the trunk, and see what they offer.

A good ECV battery should last the full day in the parks. Be sure to turn it off while stopped (parades, meals, rest-breaks, etc.). You should be able to find a location to charge at the parks if that's necessary, though most ECV batteries should not be "topped off" during the day.

DAS is not necessary for mobility issues, and in fact mobility needs will not qualify for a DAS. There are details about the DAS on the WDW - Disability Access Service thread pinned near the top of this forum.

Another thread of interest is the disABILITIES FAQ sticky.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[elmoandzoey]

Lanejudy, thanks for the answer!

Reason I asked about DAS was that I was not sure if all attractions have queues that can accommodate an ECV. If they do, no need to get a DAS

Going will be just me and my kids, DS12, DS8 and DD3. We are looking into my mother joining us so I have a bit help with the kids, especially DD.

I am not sure I will be able to actually store an ECV in a rental (or my mother for that matter) so that option is out of the question

My friend called the timeshare about transportation and was told it would be a one time there in the morning and one time back at night at a fixed time if we needed special transportation. Times needed to be arranged two days in advance. I don't really want to commit to that since with kids you don't know how fast they get ready in the morning or last at night. Without the ECV transportation would be much more flexible.

If transportation around WDW should not be an issue with the ECV, I think that's the way we will probably go then.

We will skip Universal then (which is probably going to break DS12's heart because he LOVES Harry Potter) but I don't see a way of getting us and an ECV to Universal.

 

[lanejudy]

You're welcome!

The vast majority of queues at WDW are accessible. For the few that are not, you will be directed to an alternative entrance with your ECV. No need for DAS.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[gap2368]

also if the line is not wheel chair ECV then they may give you a comeback card that will have the ride the current time wait time and the time you can come back ( the rides I can think of that do this is at the MK big thunder space monition are the two that I can think of and at EPCOT space ship earth) but as lane said most rides you can take your ECV right through the line

 

[elmoandzoey]

Thank you all for the information! I'm having a much more positive outlook now. My biggest concern really was queuing with an ECV and battery life but those have been taken off my mind now.

Right now we're looking into accommodation for all of us. Disney hotel looks about 3-times as much as the time share would have cost us so we're trying to figure out how to do that.

 

[powellrj]

We leave in about 2 weeks, so I can tell you what we are planning to do. We had planned to stay on-site, but the budget person in me just couldn't spend the money so we are staying off-site.

The fact that you are only going to have 1 adult and 3 kids puts a wrinkle in the plans somewhat. Anything you rent will have to have a car seat for the 3 year old. I would read about renting a travel scooter that you can break down and put in the trunk so that you wouldn't have to rent a van and could just go with a car. Put the 8 year old in charge of getting the 3 year old out of the car and ready to go and have the 12 year old help you get the scooter out of the trunk and put together. Most scooters can be put together in just a few minutes.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[Lfsdromero]

Most of the ECV's break down into several pieces. When we went in 2012 I rented 2 ECV's offsite from Sun Mobility. I had a 4 door rental car and was able to take them apart enough for 1 to fit in the trunk and 1 to fit in the back seat.

 

[mamabunny]

@elmoandzoey Wow! I'm so sorry to hear about your ankle. I hope that you are firmly on the road to recovery!

My personal ECV is called a Travelscoot - its very light, folds up, and after you take off the seat, etc. the whole thing can fit in a space about the size of a golf bag. There is company that rents them: ScootAnywhere.com They also rent other models of scooters, and can drop ship to your off-site hotel.

You may find other scooter rental companies in the Orlando area that have small, lightweight, foldable scooters. Luckily, you have some time between now and April to find just what will work best for you!

Please remember that at WDW you are not allowed to carry children on an ECV for safety reasons, and all ECV drivers must be 18 years or older.

Good luck - let us know if we can help in any other way!

 

[elmoandzoey]

Thanks for all the insights. I'm going to research the ECVs that can be broken down over the weekend. If that's the route we'll go, I most definitely will see if there is a local vendor around here that carries that type so I can see if DS and I can actually store one or not.

I am not quite sure off-site plus rental car plus car seat for DD plus parking at WDW would eventually be cheaper than staying on-site but I'll look into it that as well. The other thing that has come to mind since is that I may not be even be able to drive because I broke my right ankle....

 

[gap2368]

I am not quite sure off-site plus rental car plus car seat for DD plus parking at WDW would eventually be cheaper than staying on-site but I'll look into it that as well. The other thing that has come to mind since is that I may not be even be able to drive because I broke my right ankle....

you also need to see about parking at the hotel as some make you pay to park. the gas it will take to drive, and you will not get any extra magical hours. just a few other things to look at

 

[elmoandzoey]

you also need to see about parking at the hotel as some make you pay to park. the gas it will take to drive, and you will not get any extra magical hours. just a few other things to look at

Thanks for the remindr on the parking charge. Right now it looks like staying off-site with the all the extra cost isn't going to be any cheaper - in fact, it's going to be more expensive. I am looking at the hotels in the DTD area as they seem to provide continuous shuttle service. I just need to see if they are accessible with an ECV. I emailed them but haven't received any usable info yet on that.

I can forfeit magical hours if it would give us a break on hotel charges. I rather have a little extra money left to be able to give the kids some special treats than having magic hours available which I am sure we will not be able to use much anyway because of DD.

 

[gap2368]

Thanks for the remindr on the parking charge. Right now it looks like staying off-site with the all the extra cost isn't going to be any cheaper - in fact, it's going to be more expensive. I am looking at the hotels in the DTD area as they seem to provide continuous shuttle service. I just need to see if they are accessible with an ECV. I emailed them but haven't received any usable info yet on that.

I can forfeit magical hours if it would give us a break on hotel charges. I rather have a little extra money left to be able to give the kids some special treats than having magic hours available which I am sure we will not be able to use much anyway because of DD.

if you are looking at staying on sit all the disney hotel have busses running about every 20 minutes sometimes more often. if you stay off site I think you will find they go about 3 times in the morning and 3 times in the evening ( about once an hour) and drop off at one park ( like EPCOT)

 

[lanejudy]

I am looking at the hotels in the DTD area as they seem to provide continuous shuttle service. I just need to see if they are accessible with an ECV. I emailed them but haven't received any usable info yet on that.

You can make arrangements for accessible transportation from the DTD-area hotels, but I don't believe their standard shuttles are accessible.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

DW also had her first experience with scooters on our B2B Fantasy cruise trip back in 2012 ... we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside the week before and Portofino Bay at Universal the week after ... and had rented scooters from two different companies for each resort. Getting around in either Disney or Universal on a scooter was no problem whatsoever ... (although she was not comfortable backing a scooter onto the water taxis at Universal so I did that for her - lol.) Disney transportation - shuttles, monorail etc - is no problem to get on if you have a scooter - which is a great feature when you are staying on-site.

For this upcoming trip we are again going on a Universal/Disney Cruise/ Walt Disney World trip. As it's been three years since we last rented a scooter, I had to do quite a bit of research to see which companies were still around etc. For WDW portion, we have booked with one of Disney's Featured ECV providers (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/ecv-rentals), Buena Vista scooters, which provides convenient "pick-up/drop-off" of the scooters. For the Universal portion we haven't decided yet.

But don't let the fact that it will be your first time on a scooter worry you too much at all - sometimes the problem is trying to discern which scooter is yours from the sea of other scooters parked outside the stores/rides etc - lol. We strap her cane to the scooter when she drives - and the majority of scooters have lights to make it easier to get around in the evening. Are you planning on staying at Universal also ?

 

[KProuty]

We are going to Universal and Disney and staying in a timeshare. First time where my husband needs an ECV. We are renting from an offsite company that is going to deliver our scooter to the timeshare. It comes apart and will fit in the trunk of a FULL size car. We don't pay for parking at the timeshare, but we will pay for parking at Disney. It is FAR cheaper to rent a scooter offsite. It is a Lite Rider – Portable Model and $222 for 176 hours total and that is with an extra battery. What is it, $50 a day at the parks? We do have a handicapped placard that will allow us to drive up to the front and then he can use the ECV to get into the parks. (Some of those walks are LONG to just get from the monorail or boat TO the area where you can rent an ECV.) We will be staying one night at Universal onsite. He can ride the ECV right to those parks. To get picked up at a Universal hotel, you have to set a time to meet them. Anyhow, not sure when you are going, but I'll be sure to make a full report to help others!

 

[elmoandzoey]

Thanks for all the input in here. You don't know how much more relieved I am not that we can actually make this happen. My accident has put a big strain on the vacation budget so making this with all the extra expenses was (and to some exptend still is) really really worrying me.

I am looking at renting off-site. I do not want to rely on Disney ECVs since we will park hop and I most definitely will not be able to get around without one. I do not want to take any chances not having one available when we get to a park later in the day. We'll probably be staying at either the B Palace or the Best Western in the DTD area - right now that depends where we can get a better deal for what we need. Staying there would at least take transportation with the ECV to the parks off my mind.

We originally also had planned to go to Universal for a couple days. It would have been easy to get there from the timeshire as they also offered transport there. Not being able to stay there has put a hold on those plans for now. My oldest was greatly disappointed when I told him that he may not get to see Harry Potter but he was very understanding that with my accident, we may not be able to make it work. It really hurt me to crush his little heart - he's been talking about it for so long, but right now I am not sure we can actually make this work. We'd probably need to stay closer to Universal meaning we'd need to switch hotels. How'd we do that with the ECV and then how'd we get from where we'll be staying to Universal? Those places that do offer shuttles don't seem to be particular keen on offering ECV transportation unless you pay a hefty extra fee and make reservations well in advance. I looked at the new Universal Cabana resort (they were just building that when we last went to Universal in 2013 - it looks pretty amazing finished!) but again, it's a bit outside of our budget to stay there.

Right now WDW is our priority. We already had to cancel our trip to DLP which was scheduled for October so I at least want to make this happen for the kids. If I will be able to drive by the time our WDW trip comes around (there is a big chance I will not be), we might revisit the option of putting Universal back into our plans though.

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

Yes, staying at Universal is quite pricey ... we're staying at Portofino so for that portion we're going to rent a full-size scooter as we have no plans of going off-site. For the Disney portion, we're renting the portable scooter from Buena Vista that breaks down easily and placed in the back of the mini-van we're renting for that period. It's easier for me to drive my DW around than to wait for Disney transportation plus we have plans on going off-site. Plus the fact that we're staying at a Disney resort means there are no parking charges at any of the resorts or parks that we may visit. Universal on the other hand charges for parking whether you stay at their resort or not. And yes, I prefer renting off-site ECVs than the park ones. You necessarily don't have to stay near Universal to go there but am not sure what your transportation options and what assistance is available to you to help you with portable scooters etc ...

 

[ttintagel]

...sometimes the problem is trying to discern which scooter is yours from the sea of other scooters parked outside the stores/rides etc - lol. We strap her cane to the scooter when she drives - and the majority of scooters have lights to make it easier to get around in the evening.

When my group was just two of us, both using ECV's, we got Jolly Roger flags from the gift shop at Pirates of the Caribbean and attached them to the back of the scooters. It made them easier to find, and gave us a laugh.

 

[elmoandzoey]

When my group was just two of us, both using ECV's, we got Jolly Roger flags from the gift shop at Pirates of the Caribbean and attached them to the back of the scooters. It made them easier to find, and gave us a laugh.

That is an awesome idea! I was thinking about just attaching a piece of colored fabric somewhere like we usually did with the stroller but doing something like that would probably make me feel a lot more confident about using an ECV