What do I need to know and to do regarding scooter/ECV rental?

Ziggie said:

Thanks so much MB for your great post! So much terrific and helpful information

I've never, ever rode/rented/owned a scooter before. I walk just fine in my everyday life.... however! I don't spend a lot of time at malls or things like that, because that gets to be too much. The only reason I want to rent a scooter for this particular Disney trip is I know there's a lot of walking at EPCOT. I was planning on riding the boat over (or motoring over like Bethany did) and using it there for the day.

I did just notice that the rental requirement is "2-Day Minimum". Hmm.. not sure what to think about that as I won't need it for 2 days

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You can always "practice" by trying one of the big ol' electric shopping cart scooters at your local Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, Home Depot or grocery store... I've said it before, and I'll say it again - if you can master one of those giant wheezing beasties, then you will have no problems with any rental scooter at WDW!

If you really only need it for the day at Epcot, you could consider just renting from Disney. Their daily rental prices are higher - and the scooters they rent are bigger "heavy duty" units that aren't as quick or nimble as the typical rental, but those are available on a first-come, first-served basis at all 4 Theme Parks and at one location at Disney Springs. Typically we don't recommend them around here simply because most folks will need an ECV for the length of their stay, and it is often useful to have away from the Parks - especially at the larger Resorts where you may have to walk quite a distance to get to/from dining options and/or transportation.

If I were in your shoes, I might go ahead and call a vendor (or two!) and see if you can rent from an offsite vendor for just the amount of time needed. I know that most of the websites have a two-day minimum, but it certainly can't hurt to hop on the phone and ask "in person". Plus, that gives you the chance to explain that both you and your hubby will be using the scooter, and ask for their opinion regarding which scooter they would recommend as best in your situation.

If you all are flying in, please remember that airports can have looooooong walks to/from/between gates, and TSA lines (especially departing at MCO, where it seems to be an *art form* to see how long they can grow that line) can cause a lot of standing & walking. Have a plan for the airport if you are flying, so that you don't start and/or finish your trip with a problem!

One final thought... I used to be one of those people who didn't go anywhere. Due to a rather sad state of affairs, my legs no longer work "as advertised", and increasingly my world was limited to only that which I could reach in a few painful steps at a time. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase my own personal mobility device. It's a super lightweight scooter that (once the seat taken off and disassembled into it's 3 original components) can all fit into a golf bag. Now that I have my Angus (yep, named him after Princess Merida's horse because he always gets me home from my adventures safe & sound!) I go and do things again. I go shopping, I go to museums, to festivals, fairs & events... and I go to WDW. (I just take him right down to the door of the plane, and he flies gate-checked everywhere I go) I resisted getting Angus for a long, long time. It wasn't until I realized that using an ECV is no different than using glasses to help me see, a calculator to help me do math, or a hearing aid to help me hear. It's a tool to help me do what I want/need to do. Nothing more. I am happier now than I thought I could be again, simply because I no longer feel "trapped". I can go wherever I want to, whenever I want, and I no longer have to worry about how far I have to walk to get there, or if there will be a bench along the way. It's changed my life for the better. I urge you - use all the tools at your disposal to get out and live your life. (((hugs)))

mamabunny said:

You can always "practice" by trying one of the big ol' electric shopping cart scooters at your local Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, Home Depot or grocery store... I've said it before, and I'll say it again - if you can master one of those giant wheezing beasties, then you will have no problems with any rental scooter at WDW!

If you really only need it for the day at Epcot, you could consider just renting from Disney. Their daily rental prices are higher - and the scooters they rent are bigger "heavy duty" units that aren't as quick or nimble as the typical rental, but those are available on a first-come, first-served basis at all 4 Theme Parks and at one location at Disney Springs. Typically we don't recommend them around here simply because most folks will need an ECV for the length of their stay, and it is often useful to have away from the Parks - especially at the larger Resorts where you may have to walk quite a distance to get to/from dining options and/or transportation.

If I were in your shoes, I might go ahead and call a vendor (or two!) and see if you can rent from an offsite vendor for just the amount of time needed. I know that most of the websites have a two-day minimum, but it certainly can't hurt to hop on the phone and ask "in person". Plus, that gives you the chance to explain that both you and your hubby will be using the scooter, and ask for their opinion regarding which scooter they would recommend as best in your situation.

If you all are flying in, please remember that airports can have looooooong walks to/from/between gates, and TSA lines (especially departing at MCO, where it seems to be an *art form* to see how long they can grow that line) can cause a lot of standing & walking. Have a plan for the airport if you are flying, so that you don't start and/or finish your trip with a problem!

One final thought... I used to be one of those people who didn't go anywhere. Due to a rather sad state of affairs, my legs no longer work "as advertised", and increasingly my world was limited to only that which I could reach in a few painful steps at a time. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase my own personal mobility device. It's a super lightweight scooter that (once the seat taken off and disassembled into it's 3 original components) can all fit into a golf bag. Now that I have my Angus (yep, named him after Princess Merida's horse because he always gets me home from my adventures safe & sound!) I go and do things again. I go shopping, I go to museums, to festivals, fairs & events... and I go to WDW. (I just take him right down to the door of the plane, and he flies gate-checked everywhere I go) I resisted getting Angus for a long, long time. It wasn't until I realized that using an ECV is no different than using glasses to help me see, a calculator to help me do math, or a hearing aid to help me hear. It's a tool to help me do what I want/need to do. Nothing more. I am happier now than I thought I could be again, simply because I no longer feel "trapped". I can go wherever I want to, whenever I want, and I no longer have to worry about how far I have to walk to get there, or if there will be a bench along the way. It's changed my life for the better. I urge you - use all the tools at your disposal to get out and live your life. (((hugs)))

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MB, what a wonderful post! Thanks for sharing so much helpful information! I really, truly appreciate it.

About me.. I'm able to get around and walk just fine.. just not for long distances. For instance, hubby and I just got home from a 4 hour shopping trip. My feet and knees are a little sore, but I'm upright and cooking in the kitchen The ECV is more like a vehicle that will drop me off at each attraction without having to walk the countless miles inside EPCOT.

I think calling some of the vendors is a good idea and I'll probably do that as our arrival time draws closer. I want to be assured of having the scooter, so I will likely rent from Buena Vista. I like the idea of it being right there when we arrive and the convenience in dropping it off in the lobby. We drive to WDW (we live only 2.5 hours south of it) so flying/airports aren't a concern.

I also want to say that I applaud how you've taken control of your life! Enjoy it to the fullest! You deserve nothing less ((hugs))

You have been given some great advice. I am a long time ECV user at WDW a couple of things I found useful are remember to use sunscreen on your hands and knees if you are wearing shorts. The Florida sun can get very hot you may not realize that your hands are getting burned. The arm rests on the ECV can also get very hot. Have a great trip.

A few points. I hire from an ex-pat couple as they have the best prices (Florida Mobility Rentals) plus I get 10% discount as a returning customer. When the guy dropped off my Victory Pride it was drizzling and I asked about waterproofing and what I should do if it really started to rain. He said 'just drive it'. He assured me only a torrential downpour and me driving through 2" puddles would be likely to 'kill' the motor - and then all I needed to do was turn it off, wait a couple of minutes, press the reset button and off I would go again.

I take a pretty floral backpack on the back of the scooter which we use to carry the rain ponchos, the rain cover for the scooter, fleeces, suncreen and snacks and bottled water. I never put anything of value in it, but do have a combination lock with a 1m retractable cable that I can use to lock the bag onto the back of the seat (and even through the zip loops if need be) so no-one can make off with the bag. My handbag and cupped drinks (and my folding stick) go in the small front basket, and these go with me whenever we park the scooter up.

You don't need to hire a really big one for your husband. The Pride will take up to 400lbs and I don't really need one that big - but it has a bigger and more comfortable seat for me and I'd rather have the security of knowing that the batteries will definitely last the full day. I could very easily get a smaller scooter (which would go into the car more easily), but I know the seats aren't as comfortable, they're not as fast (ie powerful) and don't feel as stable. Most importantly, I couldnt guarantee the batteries would last right through until late night and I don't want the stress of worrying whether I'm going to need to find somewhere to trickle-charge during the day. If you and your husband went for a Pride, for example, they're very easy to adjust for your different heights: the seat will adjust forwards and backwards, and you can adjust the tiller for longer/shorter arms. Incidentally, the Pride's wheels are wide enough that they don't get stuck in the tram tracks.

Definitely go for a three-wheeler, though - you can manoeuvre round the hairpin bend queues anywhere with one of them. They're easier to steer for parking on the buses, too.

Regarding parking inside or just outside rooms, a lot of people park up at the nearest electrical outlet to their room. I've been told that the DVC studios are very pushed for space, and I'm a bit concerned where I'm going to be able to park up and charge at the same time. It's a bridge I'll have to cross when we come to it.

Nanajo1 said:

You have been given some great advice. I am a long time ECV user at WDW a couple of things I found useful are remember to use sunscreen on your hands and knees if you are wearing shorts. The Florida sun can get very hot you may not realize that your hands are getting burned. The arm rests on the ECV can also get very hot. Have a great trip.

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Oh, God! Yes! Not my knees (as I never get my legs out), but I always come home with burned hand backs because I didn't top up the sunscreen after washing my hands. Driving is a killer, too - perhaps you can't tan through glass - but you can certainly burn through it!

Nanajo1 said:

You have been given some great advice. I am a long time ECV user at WDW a couple of things I found useful are remember to use sunscreen on your hands and knees if you are wearing shorts. The Florida sun can get very hot you may not realize that your hands are getting burned. The arm rests on the ECV can also get very hot. Have a great trip.

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Yes, sunscreen for sure! I'm a Floridian so I definitely understand what you're saying

Toffeewoffy said:

A few points. I hire from an ex-pat couple as they have the best prices (Florida Mobility Rentals) plus I get 10% discount as a returning customer. When the guy dropped off my Victory Pride it was drizzling and I asked about waterproofing and what I should do if it really started to rain. He said 'just drive it'. He assured me only a torrential downpour and me driving through 2" puddles would be likely to 'kill' the motor - and then all I needed to do was turn it off, wait a couple of minutes, press the reset button and off I would go again.

I take a pretty floral backpack on the back of the scooter which we use to carry the rain ponchos, the rain cover for the scooter, fleeces, suncreen and snacks and bottled water. I never put anything of value in it, but do have a combination lock with a 1m retractable cable that I can use to lock the bag onto the back of the seat (and even through the zip loops if need be) so no-one can make off with the bag. My handbag and cupped drinks (and my folding stick) go in the small front basket, and these go with me whenever we park the scooter up.

You don't need to hire a really big one for your husband. The Pride will take up to 400lbs and I don't really need one that big - but it has a bigger and more comfortable seat for me and I'd rather have the security of knowing that the batteries will definitely last the full day. I could very easily get a smaller scooter (which would go into the car more easily), but I know the seats aren't as comfortable, they're not as fast (ie powerful) and don't feel as stable. Most importantly, I couldnt guarantee the batteries would last right through until late night and I don't want the stress of worrying whether I'm going to need to find somewhere to trickle-charge during the day. If you and your husband went for a Pride, for example, they're very easy to adjust for your different heights: the seat will adjust forwards and backwards, and you can adjust the tiller for longer/shorter arms. Incidentally, the Pride's wheels are wide enough that they don't get stuck in the tram tracks.

Definitely go for a three-wheeler, though - you can manoeuvre round the hairpin bend queues anywhere with one of them. They're easier to steer for parking on the buses, too.

Regarding parking inside or just outside rooms, a lot of people park up at the nearest electrical outlet to their room. I've been told that the DVC studios are very pushed for space, and I'm a bit concerned where I'm going to be able to park up and charge at the same time. It's a bridge I'll have to cross when we come to it.

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Great idea TW! I think this is something I might look into ~ appreciate your insight!

Toffeewoffy said:

Regarding parking inside or just outside rooms, a lot of people park up at the nearest electrical outlet to their room. I've been told that the DVC studios are very pushed for space, and I'm a bit concerned where I'm going to be able to park up and charge at the same time. It's a bridge I'll have to cross when we come to it.

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I take a power cord with a long extension so I have more options of where to plug in and great for other chargeable items,phones,I-pads etc.

Ziggie said:

I've never, ever rode/rented/owned a scooter before. I walk just fine in my everyday life.... however! I don't spend a lot of time at malls or things like that, because that gets to be too much.

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One thing I'd recommend before your trip is to go to a local grocery store and practice driving one of their scooter, just to get a feel of it. I rented a scooter one year, on a day-by-day basis at the different parks when I needed one. I was at AK the first day and went to an uncrowded spot to practice before going into the park.

OP, I know you've said several times that you plan to get a bigger scooter because of your husband's height. I'd still recommend talking to the rental company when you make your reservation, and explain your situation. I'm afraid that if you get one that's too big for you, it would be like driving a car all day with the seat pushed way too far back, straining to reach the pedals. Doesn't sound very comfortable to me. Would be worth asking about before you rent one, so you're not stuck with one that doesn't work for you. Just sayin'.

Toffeewoffy said:

...Regarding parking inside or just outside rooms, a lot of people park up at the nearest electrical outlet to their room. I've been told that the DVC studios are very pushed for space, and I'm a bit concerned where I'm going to be able to park up and charge at the same time. It's a bridge I'll have to cross when we come to it.

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I always feel very safe at WDW Resorts. Overall, I never worry about my personal possessions being stolen, or my personal safety, but...

Parking outside your room at night (leaving the ECV unattended in a hallway or breezeway at the Resort) is NEVER recommended.

First of all, you don't want anyone to mess around with the scooter; if it gets damaged - or worst case - stolen - you are on the hook with the rental company for that. You have rented it to be your "legs"; don't leave a valuable piece of mobility equipment unattended all night like that.

Next, Resort CM's could - and have! - moved scooters left unattended in hallways and breezeways to Bell Services. They don't know why it's been left there, or by whom necessarily, but it IS potentially causing a hazard if that building had to be evacuated due to a fire or other emergency. Although Disney Resorts are fairly generous when it comes to sidewalk size and hallway sizes, an ECV will still create a hazard in the event of an emergency, and WDW has to follow fire codes, period.

If your room feels too small, go directly to the Front Desk* and request that the table and chairs be removed from your room to make space for the ECV. Bringing along a heavy-duty extension cord is still a great idea, but use it *inside* your room; don't create a hazard, or put the Resort in the awkward position of having to move your ECV because you left it someplace you weren't supposed to.

If you still insist on charging the ECV outside the room, please work with the Front Desk at your Resort to identify a safe location to leave the ECV overnight for charging.

*The reason it is recommended to go directly to the Front Desk is that if you call the "front desk" from your room phone, you are actually redirected to a call center for the Resorts, and you do not talk directly to the Front Desk personnel. Far better to make the trip to the Front Desk in person to talk to them directly.

We're Brits, and while we bring a UK 4-way extension lead with us, I don't have a US one. I've only been hiring scooter for the last couple of years and haven't worried about it before. At OKW we had tons of space (1 bedroom), but I've been told the studios are a bit cramped. Certainly when we had our pre-purchase tour last March I did comment that there was barely enough room in the GFV studio to swing a cat, let alone park up and charge the scooter. It might be worth looking in Walmart for an extension lead - as long as it's cheap it's probably worth it.

ZoZo said:

One thing I'd recommend before your trip is to go to a local grocery store and practice driving one of their scooter, just to get a feel of it. I rented a scooter one year, on a day-by-day basis at the different parks when I needed one. I was at AK the first day and went to an uncrowded spot to practice before going into the park.

OP, I know you've said several times that you plan to get a bigger scooter because of your husband's height. I'd still recommend talking to the rental company when you make your reservation, and explain your situation. I'm afraid that if you get one that's too big for you, it would be like driving a car all day with the seat pushed way too far back, straining to reach the pedals. Doesn't sound very comfortable to me. Would be worth asking about before you rent one, so you're not stuck with one that doesn't work for you. Just sayin'.

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Thanks ZoZo, I appreciate your post. I might try my "skills (lol)" at Target before-hand, but I'm usually good at things like this. My main vehicle for over 20 years was a Corvette (still own it actually, it's in the garage) so I'm hoping a scooter doesn't bring me down lol!

The supermarket scooters are large and clumpy - and ours keeps omitting to plug them in to charge them! The one and only time I used one in my local shop it barely made it back to the check-out! I have never bothered getting one at Walmart although I suppose I could. I find it enough to lean against the trolley as if it was a walker. That said, the Walmart trolleys steer from the wrong end and I find them difficult to manoeuvre.

mamabunny said:

One final thought... I used to be one of those people who didn't go anywhere. Due to a rather sad state of affairs, my legs no longer work "as advertised", and increasingly my world was limited to only that which I could reach in a few painful steps at a time. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase my own personal mobility device. It's a super lightweight scooter that (once the seat taken off and disassembled into it's 3 original components) can all fit into a golf bag. Now that I have my Angus (yep, named him after Princess Merida's horse because he always gets me home from my adventures safe & sound!) I go and do things again. I go shopping, I go to museums, to festivals, fairs & events... and I go to WDW. (I just take him right down to the door of the plane, and he flies gate-checked everywhere I go) I resisted getting Angus for a long, long time. It wasn't until I realized that using an ECV is no different than using glasses to help me see, a calculator to help me do math, or a hearing aid to help me hear. It's a tool to help me do what I want/need to do. Nothing more. I am happier now than I thought I could be again, simply because I no longer feel "trapped". I can go wherever I want to, whenever I want, and I no longer have to worry about how far I have to walk to get there, or if there will be a bench along the way. It's changed my life for the better. I urge you - use all the tools at your disposal to get out and live your life. (((hugs)))

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This is probably the most well written thing I've read about the reasons to suck up your pride and go for a scooter if you need one. I only need one for trips like WDW or where I'll do a lot of walking. The rest of the time I look for benches 'rest stops' where I can sit. I read posts where it's obvious that people are going to push themselves beyond what they should because of the stigma of using the scooter and it makes me sad. I only wish I'd got over myself earlier. I ended up bed bound for a day on one trip, and on another it was after 2 days of excruciating pain I finally gave in and got one, and then had a great trip. Last trip I rented a wheelchair for the whole trip (unsure if a scooter would fit in my rental), and rented an ECV from the park on a couple of longer days, but next time it will be scooter all the way (more independence, less arguments about DH's lack of steering and stopping skills). I wish I'd given in earlier.

Edited for typo

chelynnah said:

This is probably the most well written thing I've read about the reasons to suck up your pride and go for a scooter if you need one. I only need one for trips like WDW or where I'll do a lot of walking. The rest of the time I look for benches 'rest stops' where I can sit. I read posts where it's obvious that people are going to push themselves beyond what they should because of the stigma of using the scooter and it makes me sad. I only wish I'd got over myself earlier. I ended up bed bound for a day on one trip, and on another it was after 2 days of excruciating pain I finally gave in and got one, and then had a great trip. Last trip I rented a wheelchair for the whole trip (unsure if a scooter would fit in my rental), and rented an ECV from the park on a couple of longer days, but next time it will be scooter all the way (more independence, less arguments about FH's lack of steering and stopping skills). I wish I'd given in earlier.

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Thanks for sharing this Chelynnah... such beautiful and empowering thoughts.