Questions about scooter rental About This Page:

[joelsmom]

A little background...

So, my mom has decided to travel with us on our late May/early June trip to UO/IOA and WDW. She's doing what I call the modified plan, only doing one park day at Universal and one at WDW, while Joel and I will do two full days each place. On the days she doesn't go with us, she's going to hang around the resorts...shop, read, general r&r.

So, SHE (I wasn't going to bring it up...aging is a delicate subject!) mentioned that she has a friend who travels with kids/grandkids, and she always uses a scooter in the parks. Then she said, "I realize that there might come a time when I might need something like that." HUH?? Say WHAT?? Talk about shocked...I never thought I would hear my mother admit something like that. So, I sort of picked up that train of thought and rode it a bit farther. "If you decide that you want to do that for this coming trip, especially for Disney (She's going to Epcot with us), I can tell you that you can rent from independent companies, and they will deliver directly to your resort. You could take that first WDW day, when we'll be checking out at Universal and moving over to Disney, and try out a scooter around the resort." Get the picture? So, she's going to keep it in mind, and if her knee (the most pressing problem) is a problem, she might just do a scooter.

So, I have scooter questions.

1. What's a good company?
2. How far in advance would we need to book?
3. Will they rent for just a day or two?
4. What's a ballpark figure per day?
5. How tricky are they to operate? She is concerned about operation, because she is generally mobile. It's just that long periods of time and long hours can wear on her.
6. Would we want to request an accessible room to more easily accommodate a scooter?

Anything else I'm missing? As usual, thanks in advance.

[cattailmarsh]

I know from experience with my grandma & ailing step father it truly depends upon the person. Most scooters are very simple (at least the basic ones that ypu would be renting). However the operation success would depend on the person. My sickly step father had no issues bit my gram who was in better health but failing mind had issues with them. So is your mom basically of sound mind (all of us question our parents sanity now and again)? If so I would say renting is a great idea. Most malls & larger grocery stores have them and while these model are larger and a little clumsy she would get the idea of their operation. They take a little getting used to. So you recommendation of her using day 1 to get used to it around the resort sounds like a great one. And they are great for DS & the Boardwalk area.

As for the renting specifics it's been a while so I will leave that for another PP to answer. But remember to get a poncho for her & the scooter for those daily Orlando showers & some tht have the canopy (while a little extra) give a lot of benefit especially in the parks where shaded areas are few and far in between.

[Her Dotness]

Originally Posted by joelsmom

So, I have scooter questions.

Very thoughtful questions, btw. You asked virtually all the essential ones.

1. What's a good company?
2. How far in advance would we need to book?
3. Will they rent for just a day or two?
4. What's a ballpark figure per day?
5. How tricky are they to operate? She is concerned about operation, because she is generally mobile. It's just that long periods of time and long hours can wear on her.
6. Would we want to request an accessible room to more easily accommodate a scooter?

1. We liked Randy's Mobility when DH rented before buying his own scooter.

2. You can set up the rental online as far in advance of your arrival as you wish. For busier seasons, I'd get it done as quickly as possible for optimal selection.

It's really easy to book one online, basically follow your nose.

3. & 4. Of course, although a longer term may work out to a better daily rate. I'm not sure since we only rented for 5 days or slightly longer. We paid around $125 for that long, so they're not terribly expensive.

5. Not very difficult at all. However, the trick is getting a sense of the bulk of a scooter so as to gauge how fast is a safe speed. It's VERY easy to get overconfident when inexperienced and go too fast for the situation, especially in crowds. It's easier to run into heels or over feet than one thinks. Also easy to ram one's own toes into closed doors because you got too close too quickly (as I once did running DH's into our apartment--painfully.)

What your mom might do is go to a store which sells them if there's one near her and pretend she wishes to buy one. The Hoverround powerchair type are very easy to maneuver and really do "turn on a dime" as advertised, all the more reason to try one to get some operational sense in advance. This type is also the easiest to misuse because they are so speedy to respond.

Consequently, I DO NOT recommend renting from one of the Disney authorized companies that drop off the scooter at your resort before your arrival, or if you do, emphasize that your mom is a new user and needs a how-to session. The non-approved companies will send an agent to meet her at an arranged time for delivery so that she gets a tutorial on its operation, how to connect the charger and what to do should it develop a problem.

6. Doesn't sound like an accessible room is necessary for her. There are only a few at each resort, and they are designed for those needing more accommodations than it sounds like she would need--things like a roll-in shower that someone confined to a wheelchair would need.

If she thinks grab bars around the toilet or a raised seat might be helpful, you can request portable devices easily attached to the toilet from Mousekeeping. We were surprised to learn how many such are available for those without great need, just a little extra help.

Any Disney resort room will have enough space to park a scooter. It's just easier to do in the larger Moderate and Deluxe rooms than in those at the Values.

Looking for space fairly close (3-4 ft.) to an outlet is all that's necessary. Often, you can fit one between wall and bed so as to be more out of the way. Even the ones more like a mall or store scooter will usually fit in such a space.

It'll be much easier overall than you may think. Really!

[Her Dotness]

Meant to add that cattailmarsh's suggestion of a poncho is an excellent one. We found that the standard adult Disney Parks poncho works great to shield both DH's 6'3" 200+ lb. self and his powerchair. However, we also make sure to have a standard size shopping bag to slip over the controls. They are the vulnerable part that the agency's delivery person will advise you needs protection from moisture.

Leaving the poncho draped over the chair is a good idea when it must be parked outside an attraction so as not to get the seat too damp for comfort.

[rphstearns]

We just returned from a trip and my MIL rented from buena vista scooter which is authorized so it was left at our resort. Cast members are fairly versed on the operation of the scooters so a complete demo may or may not be necessary. Ours also had a speed control on it.While at the resort we had it set to a higher speed but while at the parks we used turtle mode (very slow). Turtle mode allowed for my MIL to look around while the rest of us walked in an arc around her to clear the path through the crowd.

[Her Dotness]

Rphstearns's MIL's experience was not typical.

A) It is most unwise to think a CM will know how the scooter you rent operates, certainly not where and how the charger connects. Some chargers are simply a unit with permanently attached cord. Others have a box-like thing that must connect to a removable cord which either plugs into an outlet or someplace on the scooter.

B) A cruise control must be a new feature on some scooters. It's not common on them and probably is available only on certain brands or models.

Even with one, scooter operation requires judgment about how far from someone's heels the scooter must stop. That degree of judgment comes from experience. I don't use one often enough but I'd be overly cautious were I to rent one because I know firsthand how easy it is to misjudge stopping distance.

If your mom were a frequent user, then neither of these concerns wpuld necessarily apply, but when she's unfamiliar with scooter use, I recommend erring on the side of caution.

[CinderAbby]

We like Walker Mobility because unlike a lot of the other scooters you can rent, you can get a canopy from Walker which IMO is a must if you're going in the summer months. You'd have to schedule a delivery time for drop off but those are good because they can show you how to operate the scooter and remove the canopy, etc. As mentioned already, the longer you rent, the less you'll pay but I think it is typically anywhere from $25 to $40 per day from the outside companies but you can take it everywhere. The Disney park scooters are only for park use.

[joelsmom]

Thanks everyone.

Yes, my mom is definitely of sound mind. She is just overly cautious and uncomfortable with operating a scooter without some preparation.

If she decides to rent, I know she won't want it for the resort days, so we'd just pay daily rental for a couple of days. The cost isn't a concern. I just like to plan (really, you say?) for everything foreseeable. I'll look into Randy's and Walker's, so we can be prepared. I think I might even suggest we look at it together. I'm beginning to feel like she will want the scooter at Epcot, and I guarantee she will feel better at the end of a long day if she has used one.

Oh, and thanks Darlene for the suggestion of a cover...great idea, and I would not have thought of it.

[Her Dotness]

Even though you say she won't likely want it for resort days, I suggest renting it for the duration in case she discovers as she very well may how much easier and more comfortable it makes getting places.

Definitely for touring, certainly at Epcot as enormous as it is.

I wouldn't be so adamant were she familiar with how much of a boon having a scooter can be. Since she's largely unfamiliar with that aspect, she could easily say, "How did I manage without one?"

[joelsmom]

Originally Posted by Her Dotness

Even though you say she won't likely want it for resort days, I suggest renting it for the duration in case she discovers as she very well may how much easier and more comfortable it makes getting places.

Definitely for touring, certainly at Epcot as enormous as it is.

I wouldn't be so adamant were she familiar with how much of a boon having a scooter can be. Since she's largely unfamiliar with that aspect, she could easily say, "How did I manage without one?"

Oh, I hear ya, and I couldn't agree more, but I still feel I need to tread lightly until I can make her see that she will be glad she did it.

[SueM loves WDW]

Originally Posted by Her Dotness

Rphstearns's MIL's experience was not typical.

A) It is most unwise to think a CM will know how the scooter you rent operates, certainly not where and how the charger connects. Some chargers are simply a unit with permanently attached cord. Others have a box-like thing that must connect to a removable cord which either plugs into an outlet or someplace on the scooter.

B) A cruise control must be a new feature on some scooters. It's not common on them and probably is available only on certain brands or models.

Even with one, scooter operation requires judgment about how far from someone's heels the scooter must stop. That degree of judgment comes from experience. I don't use one often enough but I'd be overly cautious were I to rent one because I know firsthand how easy it is to misjudge stopping distance.

If your mom were a frequent user, then neither of these concerns wpuld necessarily apply, but when she's unfamiliar with scooter use, I recommend erring on the side of caution.

I'm sure this isn't talking about cruise control - like on a car.
She's talking about the speed control that ECVs have. It's either a lever or a knob that allows you to set it either on low (often labeled 'turtle') or fast (often labeled 'rabbit'). That sets the maximum speed you are able to go.
Putting it in 'turtle' sets the maximum as a low speed and is kind of like putting your car in low gear - if it's in 1st or 2nd, the driver has to really floor it to go more than really slow.
That's very useful for situations like getting on the bus or in lines when you don't want to accidentally speed up.

'Rabbit' allows the driver to go slow or fast - all the way up to whatever speed is maximum for that ECV.

[Her Dotness]

Okay, yeah, silly me. I didn't think about that speed limit setting.

I'd still call that a type of cruise control although unlike a car's, an ECV's usually won't permit accelerating more than that speed setting. You must turn the little knob to a higher setting to increase the speed limit which remains constant unless you let up quickly on the joystick on DH's. As you indicate, where the knob is set is the speed limit.

You can, however, easily misjudge how much distance you need for the ECV to stop safely even in "turtle" mode. I did that when overly confident while just beginning to drive one. It is very easy to fail to react in time to keep from ramming someone's Achilles tendons with either the hood below the front basket or your toes or the front edge of a powerchair's footrest.

DH's powerchair has about a dozen slash marks enabling setting the speed limit from scarcely moving, slightly increasing from slash to slash to well past a jog speed for me. I walk at a pretty good clip, but he must set it just below the middle slash to prevent outrunning me.

[SueM loves WDW]

Originally Posted by Her Dotness

Okay, yeah, silly me. I didn't think about that speed limit setting.

I'd still call that a type of cruise control although unlike a car's, an ECV's usually won't permit accelerating more than that speed setting. You must turn the little knob to a higher setting to increase the speed limit which remains constant unless you let up quickly on the joystick on DH's. As you indicate, where the knob is set is the speed limit.

You can, however, easily misjudge how much distance you need for the ECV to stop safely even in "turtle" mode. I did that when overly confident while just beginning to drive one. It is very easy to fail to react in time to keep from ramming someone's Achilles tendons with either the hood below the front basket or your toes or the front edge of a powerchair's footrest.

DH's powerchair has about a dozen slash marks enabling setting the speed limit from scarcely moving, slightly increasing from slash to slash to well past a jog speed for me. I walk at a pretty good clip, but he must set it just below the middle slash to prevent outrunning me.

Yes, important for people to realize that, like a car, the faster you are going, the longer it takes to stop.

The difference between the speed setting and a car cruise control is that the ECV setting just sets what the top speed can be with the knob or lever in that position. The driver still has to engage the control to make it go and can make it go faster or slower up to that speed.

When the cruise control is set on a car, the car operates at the speed it was set without the driver dong anything to make it go (except steering) until the driver disengages cruise control.

My daughter's power chair has 2 ways to set the top speed. The first is in the computer controller that the joystick communicates with. She can have (I think) up to 5 different drive programs with things like the top speed, turning speed, backing power, etc. individually set for each drive program. Her top one has about 80% power (so goes like 5 mph). Her slowest program was for in the house and is a top speed that's really slow. I know on that one if the speed slider is set all the way to turtle, it barely moves.

[joelsmom]

Okay, we've been "in talks" about the scooter, and mom is definitely going to get one, probably even for the entire trip. Now, the question. Can and will a rental company, say Walker Mobility, pick up at Universal at the end of our 3 days there and deliver to WDW for the beginning of our 5 days there? Or, will we need to do two separate rentals?

I mention Walker because when I mentioned a canopy (thanks, Darlene), mom's eyes just lit up. "Oh, I think I would like that!"

I know I should probably just contact the company, right? Now that I've written this, that seems like the most logical course of action. It's just that I'm so used to just asking you guys everything!!!

[Eeyore Tattoo]

You should give walker a call & see what they can do for you & ask about a discount..