EM Lawrence
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2018
I recently got back from my first trip to Disney that included a scooter. Many thanks to the people here who helped me feel prepared for that experience. I thought I would do a sort of report on how it went in the hopes that it might help someone else.
First, I used Gold Mobility Scooters for the rental after hearing them recommended in this forum. Because this was my first time using an ECV, I wanted someone to give me an orientation on how to use it instead of just picking it up from bell services. Their customer service was excellent, I would not hesitate to use them again. But I may use Scooter Bug simply for the convenience of being able to pick up and drop off with bell services in the future. Gold Mobility met me exactly at the prearranged times at my resort, but it would have given us more flexibility on arrival and departure day to not be bound to a set pickup/drop off time.
I rented a Go Go Sport 3 wheel model. After using it for half a day at Epcot, I realized that its battery would not be sufficient for my needs, or at the very least the batter life would cause me unnecessary worry. I practiced good battery hygiene, but the indicator light was almost at the halfway point after roughly 2.5 hours of use. Epcot is a big park and we walked around a lot. I got pretty stressed out at the thought of getting stranded with a low battery and not being able to make it back to our room. So I reached out to Gold Mobility and they met me right away with the Pride Victory 10 three-wheel model. I was really happy with the switch! At most, the Pride Victory 10 lost two green lights after a long, full day in the parks. I would definitely choose it again for the long lasting battery. I originally chose the Go Go Sport so that we could disassemble it and put it in our car if we decided to drive to the parks. But since I upgraded to a larger model, we just used the busses and the monorail.
Overall, using the scooter was a positive experience, particularly since it was the only way that making this trip was possible at all. I feel like I got some stares, but nothing obnoxious. I am relatively young and don’t have any obviously visible reason to require a scooter, so I think it was just mild curiosity. Most people were very courteous and helpful. I did get a few anxious/annoyed looks one time when my group came up to a bus queue. I know we got loaded before people that waited longer, so I understand the frustration, and I felt bad about it. But I was obeying the bus driver who pulled me out of the line, and I did not want to make a big scene.
Speaking of which, All of the bus drivers were extremely friendly and helpful. I‘m not sure what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised by how courteous and accommodating they were. They were all willing to negotiate my scooter into the right position on the bus and unload it from the bus for me, which was a huge help! I had been worried about that beforehand, and did not realize that the drivers would do it for me. The first driver I encountered offered to load the scooter for me, and I gladly accepted. After that, I would always ask and the drivers were always happy to help. I think they actually preferred it. Or maybe they could just tell I was inexperienced and wanted to get it done quickly!
After having to make use of handicapped ramps and automated doors, I have a huge question for those of you who travel solo or get around solo in an ECV. How do you handle getting your scooter into your hotel room by yourself?? I made a rookie mistake with mine and ended up running over one foot and ramming the other ankle with the scooter while trying to get it into our hotel room. I was standing, trying to hold the door open with my body weight and guide the scooter. It was extremely awkward!
After I ran over myself, I did not dare go off alone without my husband or a child with me to help open doors. Most stores and restaurants either had automated doors or employees nearby to help, so those were fine, but the hotel room door was always a problem. Are there hotel rooms that have automated opening doors to avoid this? I am genuinely curious!
Also how would you handle the rides that require you to transfer to a wheelchair to navigate the ride queue? My husband pushed me through the Pirates of the Caribbean line, but I was not expecting to have to transfer and I wondered how it would be handled if I was solo. Would I just wheel myself in the wheelchair? That might have been awkward for me with zero experience!!
I was very thankful that the crowds were light during our trip so that navigating in crowds was fairly easy, and I have a whole new respect for those of you that have to make it though thick crowds. Even with the crowds so low, I got cut off by people a couple of times and had to come to an abrupt stop. This happens when I’ve been on foot too, so its not unique to being on a scooter. But its so much easier to change your speed or direction on foot vs on a scooter.
Finally, the Boardwalk makes for a bumpy ride and so does all the texture on the walkways at Animal Kingdom! Ha ha! I was not expecting that!
Thanks again for all of the helpful information found here ahead of time. It really did help me to feel confident about my first vacation which required mobility assistance.
First, I used Gold Mobility Scooters for the rental after hearing them recommended in this forum. Because this was my first time using an ECV, I wanted someone to give me an orientation on how to use it instead of just picking it up from bell services. Their customer service was excellent, I would not hesitate to use them again. But I may use Scooter Bug simply for the convenience of being able to pick up and drop off with bell services in the future. Gold Mobility met me exactly at the prearranged times at my resort, but it would have given us more flexibility on arrival and departure day to not be bound to a set pickup/drop off time.
I rented a Go Go Sport 3 wheel model. After using it for half a day at Epcot, I realized that its battery would not be sufficient for my needs, or at the very least the batter life would cause me unnecessary worry. I practiced good battery hygiene, but the indicator light was almost at the halfway point after roughly 2.5 hours of use. Epcot is a big park and we walked around a lot. I got pretty stressed out at the thought of getting stranded with a low battery and not being able to make it back to our room. So I reached out to Gold Mobility and they met me right away with the Pride Victory 10 three-wheel model. I was really happy with the switch! At most, the Pride Victory 10 lost two green lights after a long, full day in the parks. I would definitely choose it again for the long lasting battery. I originally chose the Go Go Sport so that we could disassemble it and put it in our car if we decided to drive to the parks. But since I upgraded to a larger model, we just used the busses and the monorail.
Overall, using the scooter was a positive experience, particularly since it was the only way that making this trip was possible at all. I feel like I got some stares, but nothing obnoxious. I am relatively young and don’t have any obviously visible reason to require a scooter, so I think it was just mild curiosity. Most people were very courteous and helpful. I did get a few anxious/annoyed looks one time when my group came up to a bus queue. I know we got loaded before people that waited longer, so I understand the frustration, and I felt bad about it. But I was obeying the bus driver who pulled me out of the line, and I did not want to make a big scene.
Speaking of which, All of the bus drivers were extremely friendly and helpful. I‘m not sure what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised by how courteous and accommodating they were. They were all willing to negotiate my scooter into the right position on the bus and unload it from the bus for me, which was a huge help! I had been worried about that beforehand, and did not realize that the drivers would do it for me. The first driver I encountered offered to load the scooter for me, and I gladly accepted. After that, I would always ask and the drivers were always happy to help. I think they actually preferred it. Or maybe they could just tell I was inexperienced and wanted to get it done quickly!
After having to make use of handicapped ramps and automated doors, I have a huge question for those of you who travel solo or get around solo in an ECV. How do you handle getting your scooter into your hotel room by yourself?? I made a rookie mistake with mine and ended up running over one foot and ramming the other ankle with the scooter while trying to get it into our hotel room. I was standing, trying to hold the door open with my body weight and guide the scooter. It was extremely awkward!
After I ran over myself, I did not dare go off alone without my husband or a child with me to help open doors. Most stores and restaurants either had automated doors or employees nearby to help, so those were fine, but the hotel room door was always a problem. Are there hotel rooms that have automated opening doors to avoid this? I am genuinely curious!
Also how would you handle the rides that require you to transfer to a wheelchair to navigate the ride queue? My husband pushed me through the Pirates of the Caribbean line, but I was not expecting to have to transfer and I wondered how it would be handled if I was solo. Would I just wheel myself in the wheelchair? That might have been awkward for me with zero experience!!
I was very thankful that the crowds were light during our trip so that navigating in crowds was fairly easy, and I have a whole new respect for those of you that have to make it though thick crowds. Even with the crowds so low, I got cut off by people a couple of times and had to come to an abrupt stop. This happens when I’ve been on foot too, so its not unique to being on a scooter. But its so much easier to change your speed or direction on foot vs on a scooter.
Finally, the Boardwalk makes for a bumpy ride and so does all the texture on the walkways at Animal Kingdom! Ha ha! I was not expecting that!
Thanks again for all of the helpful information found here ahead of time. It really did help me to feel confident about my first vacation which required mobility assistance.
I am in the same boat and definitely get plenty of looks- I just smile and nod 
The thing is only $12 and would save me a lot of trouble!!
But a manual chair is NOT an option for me... so I’d probably just skip those queues (instead of begging CM’s for help 
). 
