Bring ECV or rent??

[erikaren]

We are coming to WDW for our first trip ever in November. Been to Disneyland many times but preparing for the world is much different. I couldn't find this info in the sticky or in recent threads so I hope someone can help.

We are a group of 6. My mother uses a scooter much of the time. We are staying off site at Sheraton Vistana Villages and renting a minivan to get to/from the parks. My mom had planned on bringing her own scooter to get to/from the parks and then rent in the parks. At Disneyland her scooter wouldn't make it the whole day and there are very very few places to recharge. She go in trouble for it once and doesn't want a repeat!

So our options/questions are:

Do we bring her scooter and with 6 people+ luggage will we fit in a minivan? If so will they hold her scooter where we rent them at the park? Disneyland held hers and kept it plugged in at the rental area.

Do we bring her a wheelchair for the airport and rent from an outside vendor?

Do we bring her a wheelchair and just use it for transfers to the park? Will they hold a wheelchair or will someone have to run it back to the car?

Or is there somewhere that we can drop her off near the gate (she can walk a moderate distance with a cane if she can then sit somewhere) but I assume there is no where for her to sit while waiting to get inside. We could use the airport courtesy wheelchair at the airport if necessary.

Sorry so many questions. I'm just really unsure what the best option might be for all of us.

Thanks!

Karen

 

[jdb in AZ]

Do you have a friend with a mini-van so you could "practice" loading it with the scooter and luggage? That would give you a better idea if everything will fit into a rental mini-van.

Airports have wheelchairs you can use, tho you might be expected to have a sky-cap push it -- for a small fee.

If there's any doubt about fitting everyone/everything into a mini-van I would rent a wheel chair in Orlando and have it waiting for you at the hotel. Then you can unload the luggage before loading the wheel chair -- that will give you a lot more room. Or you could rent an ECV from off-site, assuming it can be folded/disassembled enough to put it in the mini-van.

The scooters DH and I have rented in the past have been able to hold a charge the whole day, but if/when they get sluggish we plug them into an outlet at a restaurant while we have dinner, then make sure they're plugged in all night so they're fully charged the next morning.

I don't know what Florida's policy is on honoring other states' handicapped hang-tags for your rental car? (I know it's not a problem in California.)

If you have a rental wheel chair for the hotel and transfer to a rental ECV in the parks, they should be able to store the wheel chair for you.

 

[powellrj]

There are links at the top of the page about renting ECVs off-site. They are much cheaper than renting from WDW and can be used all week at our resort.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

When were the batteries last replaced? Fresh batteries will hold a charge longer.

Also, most standard ECVs use two 33 or 35 amp hour batteries. When I have needed new batteries I have replaced them with 40AH which is the allowable limit from the manufacturer and gives me extra capacity. I can run around the parks all day (at high speeds) and not have any problem.

 

[Caseheidi]

We rented an EVC off site, and it was waiting for us at the hotel. Had no problem loading in our mini van, but it did take up quite a bit of space, and we only had 4 people in the van. When we got to the parks, we told them we had a passenger with an EVC, and we were directed to park in a closer lot after dropping my Mom off with the EVC curb side. And the battery on the EVC lasted all day without charging. We found the company listed on one if the sticky notes on this board. It was much more cost effective then renting in the parks, and was available for her to ride from the parking lot to the hotel room as well, which is often a long distance as well.

 

[stitchlovestink]

We are coming to WDW for our first trip ever in November. Been to Disneyland many times but preparing for the world is much different. I couldn't find this info in the sticky or in recent threads so I hope someone can help.

We are a group of 6. My mother uses a scooter much of the time. We are staying off site at Sheraton Vistana Villages and renting a minivan to get to/from the parks. My mom had planned on bringing her own scooter to get to/from the parks and then rent in the parks. At Disneyland her scooter wouldn't make it the whole day and there are very very few places to recharge. She go in trouble for it once and doesn't want a repeat!

So our options/questions are:

Do we bring her scooter and with 6 people+ luggage will we fit in a minivan? If so will they hold her scooter where we rent them at the park? Disneyland held hers and kept it plugged in at the rental area.

Do we bring her a wheelchair for the airport and rent from an outside vendor?

Do we bring her a wheelchair and just use it for transfers to the park? Will they hold a wheelchair or will someone have to run it back to the car?

Or is there somewhere that we can drop her off near the gate (she can walk a moderate distance with a cane if she can then sit somewhere) but I assume there is no where for her to sit while waiting to get inside. We could use the airport courtesy wheelchair at the airport if necessary.

Sorry so many questions. I'm just really unsure what the best option might be for all of us.

Thanks!

Karen

I've never been to Disneyland but it is my understanding that it is MUCH smaller than Disneyworld! That said, if her scooter doesn't last at DL, I wouldn't bother to bring it to WDW if it were me. What I would do is arrange for a rental to be delivered to your hotel. I used to rent from Walker until I purchased my own ECV. And I would just make arrangements at the airport for her to have someone from the airline assist her with the wheelchair. I know with SW that can even be arranged when you book your ticket online. You'll need to give the person offering her assistance a tip though. But still worth the help they are offering because they will take you thru the HC TSA security line which will be MUCH shorter!
The upside to renting the ECV when you get there is you will not need to have it in the van at the same time as the luggage so it shouldn't be a problem transporting it. I'm sure if you decide to use Walker and explain your needs to them, they will match you up with the right product!
If she has a HC hang tag, those are reciprocal in all states in the US. So you just show that when you are entering the parking lots and they will direct you to the HC parking area. You can unload the ECV and she can ride that right from the van directly into the park...problem solved! It will also be MUCH more cost effective to rent from an offsite vendor than to rent from Disney each day too!! HTH and I hope you have a Wonderful trip!!

Do you have a friend with a mini-van so you could "practice" loading it with the scooter and luggage? That would give you a better idea if everything will fit into a rental mini-van.

Airports have wheelchairs you can use, tho you might be expected to have a sky-cap push it -- for a small fee.

If there's any doubt about fitting everyone/everything into a mini-van I would rent a wheel chair in Orlando and have it waiting for you at the hotel. Then you can unload the luggage before loading the wheel chair -- that will give you a lot more room. Or you could rent an ECV from off-site, assuming it can be folded/disassembled enough to put it in the mini-van.

The scooters DH and I have rented in the past have been able to hold a charge the whole day, but if/when they get sluggish we plug them into an outlet at a restaurant while we have dinner, then make sure they're plugged in all night so they're fully charged the next morning.

I don't know what Florida's policy is on honoring other states' handicapped hang-tags for your rental car? (I know it's not a problem in California.)

If you have a rental wheel chair for the hotel and transfer to a rental ECV in the parks, they should be able to store the wheel chair for you.

bolding is mine....
HC placards issued in any state in the U.S. are reciprocal to all other states in the U.S. Everyone recognizes everyone else's HC tags. Now not everyone has the same laws regarding things such as 'free' parking in metered spaces for HC tags and things such as that. But the HC tag itself entitles one to "use" the HC spaces in any state. Hope that I made sense.

 

[lanejudy]

...My mom had planned on bringing her own scooter to get to/from the parks and then rent in the parks. At Disneyland her scooter wouldn't make it the whole day and there are very very few places to recharge.

...If so will they hold her scooter where we rent them at the park? Disneyland held hers and kept it plugged in at the rental area.

...Do we bring her a wheelchair and just use it for transfers to the park? Will they hold a wheelchair or will someone have to run it back to the car?

Or is there somewhere that we can drop her off near the gate (she can walk a moderate distance with a cane if she can then sit somewhere) but I assume there is no where for her to sit while waiting to get inside. ...

As for renting in the park - I don't recommend it unless that is your only option. Unless you arrive early each day (prior to 10am or earlier) they often run out of ECVs to rent. If you leave one park to park-hop or take a break, you won't have to pay again when you return but there aren't likely to be any ECVs available. If they have one for you to rent, then yes I believe they will hold onto hers there, same with a manual wheelchair; I'd just make sure it was clearly marked with name and contact info (particularly for a w/c).

At MK in particular, there is no way to drop a guest off close to the gates, other parks are a little easier. But it will still be a bit of a walk from the drop-off to the ECV rental.

I'd suggest renting from off-site so you have the ECV to use to/from the parks as well as anywhere outside the parks (resort, DTD, etc.). If she is comfortable using a wheelchair at the airport, your rental can be waiting for you at the resort.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Bete]

I agree with the other poster that you may need replacement batteries for her scooter. If it's an older scooter you might be more limited on mileage with the scooter. What's also important is shutting the scooter off when it's not moving. For example, if you are seeing a 30 minute show you should shut the scooter off. The same is true of parades and fireworks and street entertainment. You have to conserve the battery charge. You need to be diligent about charging the battery full each night. You shouldn't skip a night; you should recharge every night.

If she is practicing all the above techniques then it means either you need new batteries or your scooter wasn't designed to take long days. Older and cheaper models were not made to perform as well as some better, newer scooters. Specifications are available for all scooters and you may want to check what it's rated for and then judge what is going on with it.

If you want to rent a scooter from Disney they go for about $50/day. All Disney rentals are based on first come, first serve. You will need a wheelchair to get back and forth from the parks if you rent from Disney. Outside vendors like Apple Scooter will run about $25/day for their lower end scooter. The outside vendor will probably be able to drop off the scooter at your resort. You can pick it up at their store, too. Apple is located close to the Disney parks. We actually picked up at the store; we didn't want to depend on delivery and pick up at the hotel.

You should try to avoid back tracking in the parks to conserve battery life of the scooter. Try to have a plan where you are not doing unnecessary mileage with the scooter. There are a lot of outlets around to give your scooter a boost if needed. As stated during meals would be a good time to do it. No matter what keep an eye on the charge level of the scooter; so, you don't get caught with a completely run down battery. If you take a mid day break from the parks then charge the scooter at that time.

I would be very careful about using the scooter around the resort a lot and then expecting it to do long days in the Disney Parks without charging it again.

With regards to fitting everyone into a mini van and having room for the scooter that all depends on the size of everyone. If you are using all three rows of the van for people then you will have to take the scooter apart probably to fit it into the back area. As previously stated try it out with someone's van at home and use your mother's scooter to see how it will all work for you. I don't think there will be a problem, but play it safe and try it out.

 

[MVC1225]

Personally, I would probably arrange for a courtesy wheelchair at the airport and rent from an offsite company that drops off and picks up the ECV at your hotel. You should have no issue loading into your minivan (especially since many disassmeble) to go to and from the parks. Renting in the park is risky since they can run out which would mean someone would need to push her in a wheelchair. Renting off site also means you can use it at your hotel.

If she does take her scooter, we have found multiple places in 3 of the parks (we are never in DHS long enough to even look for a place but they probably exist) where she can recharge the ECV for a bit (for example leave it recharging while you eat).

 

[I Love Pluto]

We just traveled from PA to CA with a mid-sized ECV. It was no trouble at all at LAX or PHL airports. The workers were very kind at both locations, and did everything in their power to keep my ECV safe.

A mid-sized scooter gives 15 to 20 miles per day on the batteries. They last all day at the parks without fail. (The small travel scooters get 7 to 10 miles per day.)

I would suggest renting or bringing a mid-sized ECV, not the travel one. You won't run out of power.

If using a travel scooter - you can always opt for the larger batteries or a second battery for a back-up.

Six people in a minivan plus a scooter is a very tight fit!