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Old 05-22-2012, 01:13 AM   #1
DisneyGirlKaylyn
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First time scooter/wheelchair tips?

I have had ankle issues for many years now and have enjoyed numerous trips to WDW. Well a few months back, my issues got much worse, and I was diagnosed with severe ankle instability (which basically means the tendons and ligaments in my ankle don't work anymore. I can be standing still and my ankle give out causing me to fall). I am putting off surgery to accomadate my school schedule, so when I visit WDW in October (for 8 days, our longest trip yet) I will have to watch myself very carefully. Pain is to be expected, but I absolutely cannot injure my ankle. I have already been advised to get off my feet if it even swells. Thus, I am facing the possiblity of having to use a scooter or wheelchair for the first time in WDW. I was just wondering if anyone had any helpful stories or tips on either saving my ankles (probably similar to tips for avoiding sore feet) or dealing with wheelchairs and scooters? I am trying to be as informed as possible and all my PassPorter buddies are always so helpful

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Old 05-22-2012, 09:46 AM   #2
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I used a scooter for the first time last Sept.....it was easy to use and get around. I have severe arthritis in my spine and hips and now shuffle when I walk, so walking around the parks would almost be impossible. The only negetive I can say is that you have to be aware that you become INVISIBLE. People will suddenly stop in front of you, cut you off, cross your path or turn around......You have to be really aware because even at "snail pace, which I drove...new driver" these scooters can hurt someone.Also, my "handicap/disorder" is hidden as I ride along, so I got satcastic and some rude remarks about being on a scooter. But my DH (when he was able) used a scooter at WDW and he has MS. Looking at DH you would not know anything was wrong. He was very healthy looking, trim anf fit......and we always got remarks, so I was aware of what could happen. Just don't let it bother you.....
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Old 05-22-2012, 10:02 AM   #3
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I tore my ACL and had to use a scooter last October.

I agree with the previous poster - be a defensive driver as people will stop in front of you and jump right in front of you and push their stroller with their child right in front of you and then stop. the scooters don't have a brake! All you can do is take your foot off of the 'gas' petal and/or turn down the speed. I frequently drove with one hand and had the other on the speed dial, in case I needed to reduce speed quickly.

Rent from an off site company so you will have the scooter for the resort. Our hotel room was NOT close to the lobby or bus stop, so it was very helpful to have at the resort.

I also tried to go the shows and such early, so there was more room / less crowds around to park as the cast members will usually take scooters and wheel chairs in first or in the back row if you are there waiting. We also usually waited until the crowds dispersed after the shows, as it was less frustrating / stressful leaving the theaters after most of the crowd cleared out the exit.

Enjoy your vacation!
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Old 05-22-2012, 01:13 PM   #4
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We rented a wheelchair for me a few years back when my chronic plantar fasciitis flared up and I was experiencing severe pain when walking even moderate distances.

My husband had our DS...just shy of 12...push the wheelchair, and I will tell you now that a wheelchair propelled by a near-teenager is the scariest ride in the park! Once he even gave it a little push at the top of a hill and ran down beside it. I was afraid to stop myself with my feet, because you can break an ankle that way easily. He even accidentally pushed the chair into a man's ankle at one point. That's very easy to do, because it's hard for the pusher to see where the foremost point of the chair is.

Anyway: Make sure your "driver" knows to be careful and is old enough to not want to try to do "tricks" with it. Help him/her figure out how far ahead the prow sticks out to avoid injuring innocent bystanders (the guy we winged was a big baby about it; it was definitely DS's fault, no question, and I know it hurt, but you'd have thought he was dying ).

Good luck, and do whatever it takes to take care of yourself.

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Old 05-22-2012, 03:49 PM   #5
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Just a thought about a wheelchair.....The first time DH (has MS) needed assistance with mobility, we used a resort wheelchair. I never pushed a wheelchair before and let me tell you, by the end of our week at WDW, I had blisters on both feet and on the palms (just under thr fingers) on both hands.....and DH hated that he was dependant on others. On following trips we rented scooters which gave him independance and a better attitude and me freedom and no more blisters.
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Old 05-22-2012, 04:41 PM   #6
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I found buena vista scooters to be a god send. After a long day at the parks walking to the transportation and then to your room, which can be a hike at times, is painful. Renting a scooter you do not have to leave in the park is awesome. They deliver to your hotel and pick it up at the end of your stay. Oh and very important it is cheaper then getting one each day in the park. The parks are about $45 a day and the scooters from them start at $31 a day. Less hassle standing in line to get one each day. Less hassle, less money, and less pain. Good luck and enjoy your trip.
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Old 05-22-2012, 04:47 PM   #7
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Here are a few general tips, most of which are also covered in Driver's Ed.

For the sake of your enjoyment, use an ECV or wheelchair as a way of preventing further injury/re-injury, rather than as a "fix" for newly-inflicted pain. If you start your day walking and find yourself unable to continue while you're at the back of the park... you and your companions may pay the price for several days or more.

Practice in a safe location. If the first time you drive an ECV is at the entrance to the park, right after you rent it? It's like you're moving into rush hour traffic without having a chance to know what happens when you turn the wheel or step on the gas. A front-of-park rental also doesn't help you to get around your resort, make your way from the bus to the park entrance, etc. Consider renting for the entire week, and spend some time "behind the wheel" in a quiet area of your resort before moving out into traffic.

Be extra mindful of yourself and others. Many people will be walking around the park unmindful of their immediate surroundings and mesmerized by the beauty of Cinderella Castle ("I'm walking, there are no cars around, so what do I have to worry about?"). Or, they're simply unable to see you (you may be behind them, you may be hidden by the crowd, etc.). It can't be helped. While it may not seem fair to place all the responsibility on the driver, the basic fact is that an ECV plus passenger weighs several times more than most individuals on foot, it can accelerate very quickly, and it's harder to stop. Yeah, someone in front of you will unexpectedly stop short to take a picture; if you leave a few car lengths between you and the person in front, someone else will undoubtedly cut in; but as you know from driving a car, the insurance company probably won't cut you a break because the driver in front failed to check his rear view mirror.
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Old 05-22-2012, 04:55 PM   #8
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-Do NOT rent scooters from Disney for too many reasons. Use an off site company. They will deliver / pick up right from Bell Services at your resort
-practice in the parking lot before you venture forth
-there are several good rental companies in Orlando. We've only used Scootarama, but there are several others that are excellent. Our guys sent a repairman out to Epcot to swap out a not fully-functioning ciruit board
-be very wary of people around you, as most peiople ignore the fact that riders on RCVs exist
-if it rains, put a garbage bag over the console
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Old 05-22-2012, 07:10 PM   #9
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Lots of great advice from others. We've had family members with us that we've rented scooters for, both from the park and from an outside source. We've pushed wheelchairs with injured people in them, both those rented from the park and those borrowed from the resort (each resort has a limited number of manual wheelchairs available free of charge, but they are NOT in good shape, and should never be used for the parks, in my opinion).
What I've learned:
1. DO rent a scooter off-site Do NOT try to use a manual chair - as others said, the pusher ends up with blisters and sore feet and hands - and the pushee has little to no freedom
2. Do NOT be embarrassed and refuse to make arrangements ahead of time, only to give in on the 2nd day and have to rent a scooter quickly
3. Do practice - preferably before you even leave for your trip. It's not the best, but if nothing else, go to the grocery and drive their scooters around, including practicing backing up
4. Make sure to take your time getting on and off buses. It can be a little daunting (my father was so embarrassed and so flustered getting on the bus and the monorail that he refused to get on another one - limiting his experience to MK a little of EPCOT - it was his first time using a scooter).
5. When going by monorail, when you arrive at the stop you want, have a member of your party stand in the open doorway of the car. The CMs on the platform get a message or phone call about which car you're in and which stop you're taking, but sometimes they forget.
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Old 05-22-2012, 07:22 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by rella View Post
The only negetive I can say is that you have to be aware that you become INVISIBLE. People will suddenly stop in front of you, cut you off, cross your path or turn around......You have to be really aware because even at "snail pace, which I drove...new driver" these scooters can hurt someone.
Just the other side of the coin here - you are not invisible, but if a parent's eyes are trained on their children, they aren't necessarily seeing anything else. As a parent, sometimes keeping eyes on your kids is hard - kids are excited, they want to see everything, they're going in different directions, etc.

Also, WDW is overstimulation of all the senses, not just for kids, but for adults too. Its sensory overload and many people become distracted. Even as an adult, my first trip to WDW, I found myself feeling very distracted.
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Old 05-24-2012, 11:52 AM   #11
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The only negetive I can say is that you have to be aware that you become INVISIBLE. People will suddenly stop in front of you, cut you off, cross your path or turn around......You have to be really aware because even at "snail pace, which I drove...new driver" these scooters can hurt someone.
When DD Samantha was little, we spent a ton of time talking to her about how heavy her power wheelchair was and how much damage it can do.

I don't think you're invisible, but there are a few factors that make it seem so:
You're under other's line of vision. We almost all only look around us from about a foot under our height to our eye level. Scooters/wheelchairs put you lower than that.
People stop in front of you, dart in front of you, etc. when you're walking also. It's just that it's normal and our bodies respond INSTANTLY to the command to STOP. Others do not understand that scooters/wheelchairs can't stop on a dime like people can.
And - there's the all powerful what I call Shame. Some people are just uncomfortable talking to/looking at someone in a scooter or wheelchair. They don't know what to say (I know, sounds silly, but it's true). They also don't know if the person is able to communicate, so they just say nothing. They're ashamed of their inadequacies and it just goes down-hill from there. Can't tell you the number of times people used to ask me (and still do on occasion) "What happened to her?" "Can she hear us?" "Can she talk?" "Is her mind all there?" "Is she having fun?" and on and on. Most of which I would just respond to with : Why don't you ask her.
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Old 05-24-2012, 10:58 PM   #12
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If interested I wrote this for Passporter a while ago, WDW on a scooter:
http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post3492365
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Old 05-24-2012, 11:08 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Eeyore Tattoo View Post
If interested I wrote this for Passporter a while ago, WDW on a scooter:
http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post3492365
Thanks! I'll def read it

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Old 07-27-2012, 06:59 PM   #14
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I've been to WDW several times in the last few years and have had to use either a scooter or a wheelchair.

The first trip (Sept. 2010) we ended up needing a wheelchair early in our trip. We were staying at the Boardwalk and managed to borrow one from the concierge for the week. One major thing we learned was that it's not very easy to stop a wheelchair that's going down the little hills at EPCOT. It is also very tiresome to wheel yourself up the bridge and while it is fun going down hill it's not easy to stop a wheelchair. Also, if you are being pushed by someone keep in mind that when pushing a wheelchair you use a different set of muscles than you normally do when walking normally so bring extra Advil/Tylenol for inevitable achy leg muscles.

The next trip (Sept. 2011) we rented a scooter from walker mobility: Scooter Rental Orlando,Orlando Scooter and ECV Rentals
The scooter was a better fit for our needs, because it made navigating the crowds much easier. The scooter worked fine during the rain, it was one of the waterproof ones. The battery lasted all day on an overnight charge, and the people at walker mobility were nice enough to drop it off and pick it up from the Concierge/Bell Hop at our resort.

Last February (2012) we went for a weekend and needed to rent a chair from the park for one day. After using both the scooter and the wheelchair, I noticed how much longer it took to get anywhere with the wheelchair than the scooter. If I were planning to be in the parks for more than one day I would use the scooter.

One last thing, if you aren't sure how the scooters handle you can always test drive the scooters at your local Target or Wal-Mart. The ones at the parks can go much faster but will handle about the same when it comes to taking corners and maneuvering.
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Old 07-27-2012, 07:30 PM   #15
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I know it's been already said but it really can't be stressed enough - practice, practice, practice. Going forward, stopping, around corners, backing up. And practice in the busiets places you can find - the supermarket for people stopping suddenly and getting in the way, the local mall for the same reasons but also for getting on and off elevators. Getting a scooter at Disney and practicing in the parking lot or at the resort just won't do it unless you already have a familiarity with scooters.

When we went, we used Walker Mobility and I just can't say enough about them. From the first phone call to the thank you card we received when we got home, we were extremely satisfied with everything and don't hesitate to recommed them. It's too early right now but if we can make next years trip work, I'll be calling them again.

Another tip - get a scooter canopy. I know they're available at Walker but I don't know about the other companies. It may not make it any cooler in Disney but even that little bit of shade helps. It helps when it rains too. Talking rain, I know Walker gives little shower caps to put over the control box but we also took large trash bags to cover the controls and anything we might have put into the basket. Especially for attractions where you have to leave the scooter outside (we went in Nemo, it was sunny, we came out, everything was soaking wet).

And another tip - take a towel from the hotel with you for the seat. They're plastic/fake leather/whatever you want to call them. The towel will help to keep you from sticking and it should help your bottom from sweating too much too.

That's all I can think of for now, but if I think of more, I'll be back
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Disney 2018 TR COMPLETED 10-20-18 POSTS 266 - 273
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My Previous TripsAll WDW - July 1980 off property - July 1981 FW - July 1983 FW - July 1985 FW - August 1987 FW - July 1988 Treehouse Villas - July 1990 Treehouse Villas - July 1997 FW - August 2006 AS Sports, 1st time with DH and DD - August 2008 AS Sports - August 2009 AS Sports - August 2010 AS Sports - July 2011 AS Sports - August 2013 AS Music - August 2014 AS Music - August 2015 AS Music - August 2016 AS Music - August 2018 AS Music, Kate (lovewdw2) joined us for the weekend
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