what scooter do you recommend?

[momz]

I am traveling in March with my husband and kids ages 18 and 20. We are staying at Pop and will be there for 8 days. I have MS and RA. While I don't need any mobility aids in my daily life, I am concerned about my energy and being able to keep up with my people. I see there's a lot to choose from. I want a scooter that will go fast enough to keep up and has a battery that will last ALLLLLLLL day. If I'm walking, I can't stay all day, but with a scooter, it is possible. I expect we will primarily use Disney transportation to the theme parks. But, can a scooter go onto the skylift thingie? also, I have some concern about the busses because I've read that the wait times are pretty bad for scooter users. All in all, if it is feasible I would like to use disney transportation, we have an SUV in case we need to drive, but we have no plans of leaving WDW. I see there are 4 wheeled scooters and 3 wheeled scooters. Is there an advantage between these? There are several companies to choose from, gold, buena vista and scooter bug are the ones I have found. How do these compare? I weigh 220 lbs and can transfer on and off of the scooter independently. I have driven scooters on occasion but only a handful of times when my health was worse....mainly the kind that is available at stores.

Give me all your advice on type of scooter, which company and driving tips....anything else you can add.

 

[Evita_W]

We have tried most of the companies through the years, but Gold is hands down the best in our opinion. They have the best prices, especially when comparing like for like and customer service, as well as nicest equipment. They include damage and theft insurance, most other companies charge extra for damage insure and don't even offer theft insurance. They add fans, cup holders, cell phone holder and undercarriage lighting, which really makes a hug difference at night, not so much for you seeing, but others seeing you. As for 3 vs 4 wheel, 4 wheel are generally considered more stable while 3 wheel have a better turning radius. DH uses a 3 wheel and has never had an issue. Remember the max weight listed includes not only your weight, but anything you pack on the scooter and the weight of the scooter and battery itself, if you are getting close to the weight limit, I would go up to the next higher model. In general the Pride Victory is a good choice for most. All models from Gold Mobility can go on all modes of Disney Transportation, including the skylines. But if push comes to shove, the Victory 10 can be put in the back of an SUV, but it will require at least one person with some upper body strength, two is a lot easier, but one is doable. DH puts his in neutral, the gets the front wheel up on the back bumper and then is able to lift the back and push it into the car. He has done this with a Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Kona. But the back seats will need to be folded down for this method. It can also be disassembled and that would make it more doable for a person with less upper body strength.

 

[Simba's Mom]

First off, the company-like many others here, I'm a BIG fan of Gold Mobility Scooters. Yes, you have to meet them in person-Keith was waiting for me as I stepped out of my Uber. He explained how to use the scooter, and answered any questions. I've rented both the Go-Go Sport and the Pride Victory 10 on separate occasions. The Go-Go Sport is easier to maneuver and transport. but the Victory 10 easily goes all day, comes with more accessories, and is more comfortable. For either scooter, I prefer the 3-wheel. Better manueverability and turning radius. Either scooter fits fine on the Skyliner. One tip I have is to put a colorful bandana on the scooter so you can identify yours. When you exit rides, there may be 4-5 scooters parked nearby-exit may be in a different location that where you boarded, or the CM may offer to get yours. It's so much easier to say "Mine"s the one with the pink bandana on it" (or whatever). And when you're getting on buses, especially, remember the turtle is your friend! I'll let mama bunny give her suggestions for the first timer-extremely helpful!

 

[Lewisc]

Although the Go Go is rated for 250 lbs anything above 200 will significantly lower battery time.
Skip the rear basket

I suggest 3 wheel victory from Gold

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I am traveling in March with my husband and kids ages 18 and 20. We are staying at Pop and will be there for 8 days. I have MS and RA. While I don't need any mobility aids in my daily life, I am concerned about my energy and being able to keep up with my people. I see there's a lot to choose from. I want a scooter that will go fast enough to keep up and has a battery that will last ALLLLLLLL day. If I'm walking, I can't stay all day, but with a scooter, it is possible. I expect we will primarily use Disney transportation to the theme parks. But, can a scooter go onto the skylift thingie? also, I have some concern about the busses because I've read that the wait times are pretty bad for scooter users. All in all, if it is feasible I would like to use disney transportation, we have an SUV in case we need to drive, but we have no plans of leaving WDW. I see there are 4 wheeled scooters and 3 wheeled scooters. Is there an advantage between these? There are several companies to choose from, gold, buena vista and scooter bug are the ones I have found. How do these compare? I weigh 220 lbs and can transfer on and off of the scooter independently. I have driven scooters on occasion but only a handful of times when my health was worse....mainly the kind that is available at stores.

Give me all your advice on type of scooter, which company and driving tips....anything else you can add.

for battery life talk with the company about your plans and your weight and what they would use. if one is close to your weight for limit go with the larger one. I would use one that meets you so you can ask any questions when you see it. another to not get the rear basket. main thing with buses make sure you are clear the ramp with rear wheels before you turn. one last thing when using scooter take it easy on the walkers in your group, do not tire them out too much

 

[Lewisc]

I asked Gold. If you're looking to maximize battery life figure 200 lbs for the go go 300 lbs for the Victory and 400 lbs for the max. The scooters are rated for higher weights, but your battery life might be halved.

 

[Selket]

I'd rent the regular ECV from Gold - you should be fine. My kids are around that age and I have been able to go all day with them. They should be able to go all day on an overnight charge. Don't get the rear basket. DO get a THREE wheel...it is SO much easier to maneuver in the ride lines - better turning radius. Don't bother with the sun shade either IMHO but I hate those things.

When you pick it up, practice driving it around the resort. Practice parallel parking (you'll need to do that on the bus) and practice getting in and out of elevators (reversing out).

I was there early December and have used an ECV at WDW for years. I've not had significant issues with taking the bus. Yes you may end up waiting if others are in front of you with mobility devices. My family usually just gets in the regular line and sometimes ends up in the park before me because I had to wait for the next bus.... but I send them to Starbucks to get my coffee lol! .

You can take the ECV into most ride lines. I usually try to park it and walk into shops because it is easier to shop that way. If you need to stay in it, perhaps shop in the mornings when it's not as crowded.

Getting the ECV into the room at the Values is a bit of a tight squeeze there by the door with the table bed down but it is doable. It's about impossible to make a graceful exit out of the room on your own with the ECV if someone is asleep in that bed however. If you're going to leave before the person sleeping wakes up - have the table bed in the upright position when you arrive at night and turn the scooter around to face the door so you can drive out - which might help.

 

[Bethctraveler]

I suggest and recommend Gold Mobility Scooters hands down, they are the best mobility rental company we have ever used. Gold is by far superior in every way. They do have to meet you in person, but they were right on time standing by as we showed up at the resort. We had one new scooter user in our group of 4, and she got the hang of using it in 15 minutes. The delivery driver patiently spent 10 minutes with her answering all her questions as she was a bit nervous, and he kindly recognized that, and made her comfortable. We had no issues going anywhere.

 

[momz]

It sounds like everyone here prefers Gold. Will they bring the scooter to Pop? I can park and walk the ride queues and can walk in the shops. Is there a place at Pop to plug it in outside of the room, or is that not allowed? Years ago we stayed at an All Star and i seem to remember seeing them parked outside the room.

 

[gap2368]

1It sounds like everyone here prefers Gold. 2 Will they bring the scooter to Pop? 3 I can park and walk the ride queues and can walk in the shops. 4 Is there a place at Pop to plug it in outside of the room, or is that not allowed? 5 Years ago we stayed at an All Star and i seem to remember seeing them parked outside the room.

1 yes most on here seem to prefer golds

2 yes they will bring it to pop,

3 yes you can park it and walk around or have one of your adult kids ride it. as some times ride lines can be much longer then they look/ say

4 I would not leave it out side I have seen kids joy riding someone ECV poor soda on the set. just not a good idea to leave something like that out over night

5 yes you will see this too at pop but like I said not a good idea plus it gets in the way of others

 

[Evita_W]

1 yes most on here seem to prefer golds

2 yes they will bring it to pop,

3 yes you can park it and walk around or have one of your adult kids ride it. as some times ride lines can be much longer then they look/ say

4 I would not leave it out side I have seen kids joy riding someone ECV poor soda on the set. just not a good idea to leave something like that out over night

5 yes you will see this too at pop but like I said not a good idea plus it gets in the way of others

I agree, with all of these points and yes, the ECV can fit inside any room on property, in some you may need to move furniture or ask housekeeping to do so though.

 

[Bethctraveler]

I agree, with all of these points and yes, the ECV can fit inside any room on property, in some you may need to move furniture or ask housekeeping to do so though.

Yes i was told they will help move furniture also.

 

[MS_Warrior]

I am traveling in March with my husband and kids ages 18 and 20. We are staying at Pop and will be there for 8 days. I have MS and RA. While I don't need any mobility aids in my daily life, I am concerned about my energy and being able to keep up with my people. I see there's a lot to choose from. I want a scooter that will go fast enough to keep up and has a battery that will last ALLLLLLLL day. If I'm walking, I can't stay all day, but with a scooter, it is possible. I expect we will primarily use Disney transportation to the theme parks. But, can a scooter go onto the skylift thingie? also, I have some concern about the busses because I've read that the wait times are pretty bad for scooter users. All in all, if it is feasible I would like to use disney transportation, we have an SUV in case we need to drive, but we have no plans of leaving WDW. I see there are 4 wheeled scooters and 3 wheeled scooters. Is there an advantage between these? There are several companies to choose from, gold, buena vista and scooter bug are the ones I have found. How do these compare? I weigh 220 lbs and can transfer on and off of the scooter independently. I have driven scooters on occasion but only a handful of times when my health was worse....mainly the kind that is available at stores.

Give me all your advice on type of scooter, which company and driving tips....anything else you can add.

Hi, I also have RA and MS. I use a cane in normal life, but can no longer even walk the airport, Riverwalk, etc so I started with renting scooters, to buying one, and this trip a wheelchair.

I agree with the tips on renting a 3 wheel. Just keep in mind, they aren’t as stable as a 4 wheel and can tip. Just be cautious. I always used the 3 wheel because they were easier to maneuver. I have used the larger Pride scooter and then the bought the Go-Go because it was easier to fit in our vehicles. I was very happy with my Go-Go Elite Traveler.

Keep in mind, the scooters in stores go very, very slowly. The rented scooters will go up to 5mph in rabbit mode. This trip I’ve seen some accidents and near misses because people failed to control their speed.

When you are in the lines or going on and off the buses, please keep the speed in turtle mode. On the bus, you won’t need to depress the lever completely. The slower you go, the easier and safer you will be. I saw a woman trap her leg between the wall and scooter because she went too fast trying to get off the bus. Another woman almost went off the ramp, but she had the scooter turned up and wasn’t creeping. You’ll be great as long as you go slow. If you’re going slow, it’s not that hard to park them, but if you get in trouble, ask the bus driver and they will help you. They usually won’t unless you ask, though. I think it has something to do with company rules.

In the queues, people stop and start very quickly. I always kept my scooter and now my wheelchair, in turtle mode and then rarely even use full turtle speed. So far, I have not run over anyone and that’s my goal. I’ve seen too many people get hit.

Going through the parks, keep in mind, you become a tad invisible. I don’t think people mean to be rude, but they will step in front of you and sometimes just stop. I honestly think most people are oblivious, but you do need to pay attention at all times.

Now, I’ve told you the stressful parts of using an ECV, I’ll move on to the good parts. It will give you freedom in the parks, and make the trip doable. Without an ECV, I wouldn’t make it from the bus stop to the park. This will make your trip much better. You’ll last long and be able to enjoy your family more. I resisted for way too long.

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[MulanMom]

You've gotten some great information. I just wanted to add, in Aug 2021 we rented from Scooterbug because they can drop off and pick up from bell services. It worked best for us that trip. A lot of people have had issues with them but I'm happy to say, we didn't. We received a new Pride Victory scooter and there were no issues. It was at bell services when we arrived, and we left it with them when we departed.

Just wanted to comment on another option.

 

[JenLT]

We have tried most of the companies through the years, but Gold is hands down the best in our opinion. They include damage and theft insurance, most other companies charge extra for damage insure and don't even offer theft insurance. They add fans, cup holders, cell phone holder and undercarriage lighting, which really makes a hug difference at night, not so much for you seeing, but others seeing you. As for 3 vs 4 wheel, 4 wheel are generally considered more stable while 3 wheel have a better turning radius.

I was just coming on here to ask about this very thing! I saw under the info about insurance from another company that it only applied to minor scrapes etc and not theft. I was a little worried. So if someone crashes into your scooter, will that be covered too? I've never rented a scooter before and I'll probably go with Gold if they have better insurance.

 

[Evita_W]

I was just coming on here to ask about this very thing! I saw under the info about insurance from another company that it only applied to minor scrapes etc and not theft. I was a little worried. So if someone crashes into your scooter, will that be covered too? I've never rented a scooter before and I'll probably go with Gold if they have better insurance.

With Gold, pretty much everything is covered, unless you intentionally damage the equipment or are negligent by leaving it in places where you shouldn't like the hallway at your resort, even then they will likely cover it, as they tend to err in favor of the customer. But intentional damage (and I mean flat out vandalism), I can't imagine anyone covering that.

 

[JenLT]

With Gold, pretty much everything is covered, unless you intentionally damage the equipment or are negligent by leaving it in places where you shouldn't like the hallway at your resort, even then they will likely cover it, as they tend to err in favor of the customer. But intentional damage (and I mean flat out vandalism), I can't imagine anyone covering that.

I don't think I would ever chance leaving it in the hallway because someone could steal it/damage it or just steal the battery to have a back-up! I feel so relieved about the insurance coverage.

 

[Evita_W]

I don't think I would ever chance leaving it in the hallway because someone could steal it/damage it or just steal the battery to have a back-up! I feel so relieved about the insurance coverage.

Exactly and when you depend on the scooter, you don't want damage, even if it is covered.

We are currently at Disney World and DH brought his scooter (which was originally purchased from Gold Mobility) for this trip as he wanted them to check over everything and fix his undercarriage light that atopped working and just make sure all is well since we trust them to tell us the truth and not oversell services that arent needed and Southwest damaged the seat and bracket that holds the basket. Now granted we had already arranged for a loaner while they were looking at the scooter anyway, but he texted Gold to let them know what was going on when we landed. They picked up the scooter at 7 AM yesterday and had everything checked and repaired and returned to him before noon. And the scooter now looks brand new, they even fixed a couple things he didn't know about, such as a couple of little dings. And they are handling all of the paperwork with the airline and their insurance company. When DH told the airlines insurance company all of this, they said they will likely be using Gold for all of their repairs in the area if Gold is able and willing as they have been having a hard time finding a reliable company that can fix things in a timely manner (Southwests insurance companys goal is within 21 days and they can't even find that, so mere hours was beyond believable to them). It almost took longer to file the claim with Southwest than it took to repair everything.

I mention this to point out that even with all of that, it still is annoying when someone damages your Mobility device, but this also gives an example of the level of service Gold has, even with the labor shortage and supply chain issues and shows how they are able to offer such good insurance.

 

[pezaddict231]

I've rented from Scooterbug and Gold Mobility. Both were good, Scooterbug can leave it at Bell Services which is convenient but meeting with Gold wasn't a hassle. Overall I prefer Gold bc of the accessories and the equipment was newer. I've rented the Pride and the GoGo in the past. I prefer the Pride because it feels more sturdy and is more comfortable but it is a little bigger. I've had the 3 wheel most of the time and never had any issue with tipping.

The battery has always lasted all day for me but bring your charger with you just in case. Turn off the Scooter when you aren't moving, whether that's in line or if you're watching a show. You will need to be very alert while driving it because people do walk in front of you all the time. If it's really crowded I'll pull over to the side and wait a few minutes before going. There are no brakes so the Scooter can't stop on a dime so just be sure to allow for some room around you. I do park it and walk around during the day, make sure you take your key with you. If you can put something on your scooter to help identify it that's really helpful because they mostly look the same.

The buses are the hardest part but it's really not too bad at all. At each bus stop there will be a waiting area. Wait in the box on the scooter and pay attention when the busses arrive. I would usually make eye contact with the driver and nod or shake my head to let them know if I was waiting for that bus. It's also helpful if you have someone in your party that can let the driver know you're there. There have been times with the crowd blocks me and Scooters have to be loaded first. For the most part I haven't had to wait for a second bus but do allow for extra time because Scooters unload after everyone is off the bus so it can add a little extra time.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Bethctraveler]

I've rented from Scooterbug and Gold Mobility. Both were good, Scooterbug can leave it at Bell Services which is convenient but meeting with Gold wasn't a hassle. Overall I prefer Gold bc of the accessories and the equipment was newer. I've rented the Pride and the GoGo in the past. I prefer the Pride because it feels more sturdy and is more comfortable but it is a little bigger. I've had the 3 wheel most of the time and never had any issue with tipping.

The battery has always lasted all day for me but bring your charger with you just in case. Turn off the Scooter when you aren't moving, whether that's in line or if you're watching a show. You will need to be very alert while driving it because people do walk in front of you all the time. If it's really crowded I'll pull over to the side and wait a few minutes before going. There are no brakes so the Scooter can't stop on a dime so just be sure to allow for some room around you. I do park it and walk around during the day, make sure you take your key with you. If you can put something on your scooter to help identify it that's really helpful because they mostly look the same.

The buses are the hardest part but it's really not too bad at all. At each bus stop there will be a waiting area. Wait in the box on the scooter and pay attention when the busses arrive. I would usually make eye contact with the driver and nod or shake my head to let them know if I was waiting for that bus. It's also helpful if you have someone in your party that can let the driver know you're there. There have been times with the crowd blocks me and Scooters have to be loaded first. For the most part I haven't had to wait for a second bus but do allow for extra time because Scooters unload after everyone is off the bus so it can add a little extra time.

Have a wonderful trip!

It was seamless transition with Gold. Newer and nicer scooters, and they are very easy to work with.