ECV Charging in the parks?

[StirlingSilver83]

Hi everyone next year will be the first disney trip that I am renting an ECV from a 3rd party vender. My biggest fear is that it will run out of battery power while in the parks. We do plan on taking afternoon breaks so I plan on going back to the hotel after lunch to charge it some and go for a swim with the kids before going back to the park. Most places I have seen their ECVs have a 5 hour charge on them. So that makes me a little nervous. Any advice on keeping a charge for a little longer and also where I can charge the ECV in case I need to. Also on the rides when I transfer to the ride vehicle I know the CMs usually park the ECVs...do they turn them off to save some of the power? Any other tips will be awesome, thanks!

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I've only rented on site, so bear with me.

When I rented from the parks, their batteries never moved off of "full." They never slowed down, the green light never went out.

Then I stopped for any length of time, I turned the machine off. When I was waiting for a parade, in a line that stops and starts, when I was talking to someone, I just turned the key. When I got on a ride, I took the key with me. The CM pushed the scooter to wherever they needed it. They didn't drive it.

There were only two rides that they asked to keep the key, I guess they needed to drive it. Both times, the scooter was off when I received it. They didn't waste any battery.

When I spoke to Walker about my next trip, they assured me that their scooter would be fine for a full day. And that I only needed to charge it at night.

 

[bidnow5]

It depends on the size of the batteries and the weight of the user. You need to make sure you have a big enough scooter. It's never a good idea to top off the batteries it shortens the life of the batteries

 

[Bete]

You can get a better scooter that will last longer. Some scooters have one battery and some have two. Obviously, a two battery scooter will last longer. Of course, the two battery scooters cost more. As the previous poster has stated the weight of the person is important to the charge of the battery, too. If you get a scooter where you are maxing out on the weight capacity of the scooter then you should get an upgraded one. Also, don't try to add too much extra weight to the scooter like stuffing the basket of the scooter or adding a heavy backpack to the back of the seat of the scooter. By no means let someone else ride the scooter with you. Doing ramps and inclines and such take more energy and will use up the battery faster.

You need to be diligent about charging your scooter every night without fail. You want a complete charge every day.

Most important is your good use of the scooter. At a show you need to shut off the scooter. For a parade you need to shut off the scooter. The same is true of fireworks. You need to conserve the battery and it will do well by you.

When you go to a ride you will actually park the scooter somewhere close to where the ride will be. Then you walk to the ride. On some rides the cast member will move the scooter because you don't exit at the same place.

If you can walk some you can always park the scooter with the strollers and let the scooter have a break. That will save on the battery charge some.

There is a manual override that allows you to push the scooter more easily if your battery poops out. Then, you need to get somewhere to boost the charge if you have to do it. If you watch you gage you will know if you are running low on the battery charge and avoid getting low is the best policy. If you are having problems this way then you need an upgraded scooter.

Keep the phone number handy of the scooter company you are renting from in case of a disaster. If you are renting from a Disney approved outside vendor they can come into the park in an emergency.

If something horrible happens with the scooter you can always try to rent a Disney scooter for the day; until, you can get the problem resolved. Of course, you pay for this privilege, but at least you can continue to enjoy the park that day.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

We were out at the parks from morning until midnight sometimes, and the battery indicator only once went down by one light - and that was because I was going up a long slope to the bus park to come 'home' from MK late at night.

Every time we stopped for a few minutes I turned the key to 'off', even in queues. I never worried about running low.

The key is to make sure you get the right size of scooter for your weight: I am about 240lbs and the Victory 10 takes from 350lbs to 400lbs (depending on whose website you read). I could have gone down a size, but wanted to be sure the battery would last all day for one thing, but more importantly that I had a comfortable seat - some of the smaller scooters have such thin, narrow seats I knew I'd have an aching tuche by the end of the day.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

You can get a better scooter that will last longer. Some scooters have one battery and some have two. Obviously, a two battery scooter will last longer. Of course, the two battery scooters cost more. As the previous poster has stated the weight of the person is important to the charge of the battery, too. If you get a scooter where you are maxing out on the weight capacity of the scooter then you should get an upgraded one. Also, don't try to add too much extra weight to the scooter like stuffing the basket of the scooter or adding a heavy backpack to the back of the seat of the scooter. By no means let someone else ride the scooter with you. Doing ramps and inclines and such take more energy and will use up the battery faster. You need to be diligent about charging your scooter every night without fail. You want a complete charge every day. Most important is your good use of the scooter. At a show you need to shut off the scooter. For a parade you need to shut off the scooter. The same is true of fireworks. You need to conserve the battery and it will do well by you. When you go to a ride you will actually park the scooter somewhere close to where the ride will be. Then you walk to the ride. On some rides the cast member will move the scooter because you don't exit at the same place. If you can walk some you can always park the scooter with the strollers and let the scooter have a break. That will save on the battery charge some. There is a manual override that allows you to push the scooter more easily if your battery poops out. Then, you need to get somewhere to boost the charge if you have to do it. If you watch you gage you will know if you are running low on the battery charge and avoid getting low is the best policy. If you are having problems this way then you need an upgraded scooter. Keep the phone number handy of the scooter company you are renting from in case of a disaster. If you are renting from a Disney approved outside vendor they can come into the park in an emergency. If something horrible happens with the scooter you can always try to rent a Disney scooter for the day; until, you can get the problem resolved. Of course, you pay for this privilege, but at least you can continue to enjoy the park that day.

Thanks so much for all your good information!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Keep the phone number handy of the scooter company you are renting from in case of a disaster. If you are renting from a Disney approved outside vendor they can come into the park in an emergency.

ANY vendor can meet a renter anywhere to replace a faulty ECV. Disney featured (not approved) vendors pay a fee to be able to use Bell Services/Luggage Assistance at the beginning and end of the rental instead of having to meet the renter in person.

 

[LANative]

So what does the user/operator do while the ECV is charging? Charging can take several hours.

 

[lanejudy]

Typically you charge an ECV overnight while sleeping.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[jdb in AZ]

In an emergency, you can charge your ECV while having dinner at one of the WDW restaurants. Just ask a cast member to help you find an outlet. The cast members are very accommodating.

FWIW, since there's a switch on the back of the ECV to move it without starting it up, the CM should be able to move it to the ride exit without asking you for the key. Unless the CM just wants to ride it instead of manually moving it. We've always kept our keys.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

In an emergency, you can charge your ECV while having dinner at one of the WDW restaurants. Just ask a cast member to help you find an outlet. The cast members are very accommodating. FWIW, since there's a switch on the back of the ECV to move it without starting it up, the CM should be able to move it to the ride exit without asking you for the key. Unless the CM just wants to ride it instead of manually moving it. We've always kept our keys.

Thanks that's good to know!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

one night, my scooter was running down and I asked a CM at Coral Reef about charging. She pointed me to a spot and I plugged it in while we ate dinner. I image you could take a break near the Tangled bathrooms and plug it in there if needed. It was the only time I needed to charge it in the parks after a full day in Epcot.

 

[lorijohnhill]

On our trip to Disneyland last month my mother and I both has rented scooters (both pretty beat up) from Apple. The first day mom's died on Frontierland. We called and were told that we had to get the scooter out to the Esplanade as they weren't allowed in the park. My 8yr old daughter had to push her out of the park. Thankfully we weren't all the way at the back of the park! It took about an hour and a half to get a new scooter and be on our way. The following night my scooter died in the middle of the crosswalk and I had to be rescued by some nice gentlemen. The next day we had tix to MHP and I ended up missing half of the party because the scooter wouldn't hold a charge. I was able to plug into the shop by Small World, but was very disappointed to be missing the party. The charge didn't hold so we had to leave.

After some research, I discovered that we had not received the scooters we had ordered. Both were lower weight limits. Mom's replacement was the correct scooter had she didn't have any other problems.

 

[WantToGoNow]

My dd is there now. The first day at Epcot her battery died abd they had to push it out. Since then she has left it sit and walk as much as she can. She said it's not left green since. I'm thinking it didn't charge the night before. They are at Epcot today and she went without it this morning since they plan to be back at one. She will then take it with her this afternoon.

 

[Nanajo1]

I have rented from several of the vendors. I have never had a battery fail me if I charged it over night. As PP said it is not a good idea to top it off as the battery will not fully charge. I have gone from rope drop to Illuminations without a problem. When you won't be moving turn it off. Have a great trip.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

One note is also to make sure you're back early enough the night before so you know you have time to fully charge the battery overnight. You should fully charge it every night (regardless of how much you've used it), anyway.

There will be a light on the charger and when it turns back to green, the battery is fully charged (even if you turn on the scooter and it claims to be full, it's the charger that's more accurate). I'd probably allow for at least 6 hours to make sure you have time for it to fully charge, but it could take less time.

The advice about renting a scooter where you're clearly under the weight limit is huge. I wouldn't ever rent a scooter where I wasn't at least 50lbs lower than the manufacturer's stated weight limit (I know Apple Scooters at one point figured about 50lbs additional over the weight limits they listed). If somehow you can't get the weight limit from the rental company, you can usually just search online for the model in question to get the limit. Not only will you put less strain on the battery, but it means you don't have to worry about what you carry sending you over the limit (it's easy to accidentally carry a bunch of things that are light individually, but add up to much more when all together).