Mobility Scooter Rental or Power Chair Rental ?

[AngelaMouse1991]

My mom and dad are coming down for the first time to visit me since I relocated last year to the Disney World area. Last Disney visit as a family we rented both my parents wheelchairs at the parks because they just tired out after a couple hours. It was no picnic taking turns pushing wheelchairs from attraction to attraction. By the end of the day my brother and I were both totally exhausted. That was in February last year when it was cool outside. They are coming the first two weeks August for a family get together, and they rented 2 Cabins at the Fort Wilderness Cabins for 7 days (we requested assessable cabins) and then 7 more days at the Polynesian. Its a staycation for me, and a vacation for them. My brother and his two kids 3 & 5 are also coming. I don't want to go the route of pushing them in a wheelchair ever again, I love my parents but is was absolutely pure torture. I can only imagine what its like in the dead heat of the August sun with the heavy crowds. Both my Mom and Dad can walk short distances maybe 1/4 mile at best spread out over an entire day. They will never make it walking 5 miles a day to keep up with the grandkids. I’m trying to plan ahead and have a few questions if someone has some experience.


1. Should I rent them a power chair or a mobility scooter ? They don't have any experience with either one except for the ones they use at the grocery store when shopping? Are they hard to use? What would be the best choice in everyones opinion that has experience with using either one them? Pro's and Con's

2. Should I rent from the theme parks, or an outside company? I was told the park rentals have to stay in the park at all times, and we would need to transfer them to a wheelchair to get back to the hotel and that seems like a bit of a hassle. Plus I was told there is no way to guarantee they would have a rental available and it was first come first serve.

3. (If I rent from an outside company) Is it easy to transport them to the theme parks? I read that the busses that go to Fort Wilderness will hold 2 scooters at a time, does that mean they will have to wait a long time at the bus stop for wait for mutable busses? (not worried about the Polynesian because I’ve seen people using them on the monorail lots of times)

4. (If I rent from an outside company) I was told there was a boat that travels between the Fort Wilderness cabins and the Magic Kingdom, does anyone know if a power chair or scooter can travel on that boat? Would it be a shorter wait than the busses?

5. On a separate note does anyone one have any suggestions in battling the heat of August? My dad has issues with heat, the only reason they are coming in August is my brothers son starts kindergarten late August, and they didn’t want him to miss school. I’m just a little concerned about the heat (he had a stroke last year).


I thank everyone in advance for your advise and suggestions!

 

[SteveMouse]

1. Mobility scooters (ECVs) are generally more available and are usually rented to folks who do not regularly use a power chair- the two types of devices are operated quite differently. Some ECVs can be readily dissambled for transport in the back of a car. Power chairs, especially those available for rent in Orlando, do not collapse or disassemble.

2. You will probably find it preferable to rent from an outside vendor. As you noted, wheelchairs and ECVs rented at a theme park must remain within the gates and cannot be used to get a guest back to their hotel. See the sticky at the top for a list of vendors. Note that Disney Preferred Vendors can leave equipment for pickup by the guest, as well as pick equipment up from the hotel. Other vendors require that the guest be present for pickup/drop-off.

3. Fort Wilderness has an internal bus system used by guests to get around the Fort. The boats to the Magic Kingdom depart from the Settlement. Buses to the other theme parks depart from the Outpost. There is no parking for personal cars at the Settlement. Guests are expected to use the internal bus system, walk, bicycle, or a rented golf cart to get around the Fort. Your parents will probably need to use the internal bus,especially for the Settlement.

4. Typically, Disney alternates an accessible and non-accessible boat between the Fort and the Magic Kingdom, although they can just use accessible (larger) boats, depending on projected guest volume.

5. Frog Togs or other cooling fabric will help. Any CS location will gladly give you a free cup of ice water. Start early and take a mid-day break. Animal Kingdom has the most natural shade of any of the parks (Pandora is still new and the trees haven’t had a chance to grow).

Have a good trip!

 

[gap2368]

My mom and dad are coming down for the first time to visit me since I relocated last year to the Disney World area. Last Disney visit as a family we rented both my parents wheelchairs at the parks because they just tired out after a couple hours. It was no picnic taking turns pushing wheelchairs from attraction to attraction. By the end of the day my brother and I were both totally exhausted. That was in February last year when it was cool outside. They are coming the first two weeks August for a family get together, and they rented 2 Cabins at the Fort Wilderness Cabins for 7 days (we requested assessable cabins) and then 7 more days at the Polynesian. Its a staycation for me, and a vacation for them. My brother and his two kids 3 & 5 are also coming. I don't want to go the route of pushing them in a wheelchair ever again, I love my parents but is was absolutely pure torture. I can only imagine what its like in the dead heat of the August sun with the heavy crowds. Both my Mom and Dad can walk short distances maybe 1/4 mile at best spread out over an entire day. They will never make it walking 5 miles a day to keep up with the grandkids. I’m trying to plan ahead and have a few questions if someone has some experience.


1. Should I rent them a power chair or a mobility scooter ? They don't have any experience with either one except for the ones they use at the grocery store when shopping? Are they hard to use? What would be the best choice in everyones opinion that has experience with using either one them? Pro's and Con's

2. Should I rent from the theme parks, or an outside company? I was told the park rentals have to stay in the park at all times, and we would need to transfer them to a wheelchair to get back to the hotel and that seems like a bit of a hassle. Plus I was told there is no way to guarantee they would have a rental available and it was first come first serve.

3. (If I rent from an outside company) Is it easy to transport them to the theme parks? I read that the busses that go to Fort Wilderness will hold 2 scooters at a time, does that mean they will have to wait a long time at the bus stop for wait for mutable busses? (not worried about the Polynesian because I’ve seen people using them on the monorail lots of times)

4. (If I rent from an outside company) I was told there was a boat that travels between the Fort Wilderness cabins and the Magic Kingdom, does anyone know if a power chair or scooter can travel on that boat? Would it be a shorter wait than the busses?

5. On a separate note does anyone one have any suggestions in battling the heat of August? My dad has issues with heat, the only reason they are coming in August is my brothers son starts kindergarten late August, and they didn’t want him to miss school. I’m just a little concerned about the heat (he had a stroke last year).


I thank everyone in advance for your advise and suggestions!

1 Most places will not rent power chair to someone that does not use them on a day today. The are harder to use ( for about 99% of people) so an ECV will be the way to go. if they use them shopping they are ahead of a lot of people at Disney. have them use them at the resort some so they can get a feel for how they work

2 yes rent form off site much cheaper and you will have the ECV when you need one,

3 you should be fine the busses at the fort run constantly and keep wait times low I think each loop ( there are 3 ) have 2 busses on them

4 yes there a is a bigger boat that mostly go to FW to MK and a smaller one that mostly got from resort to resort the bigger one can take 2 maybe more ECV on it if you need to go to the resort arrangement can be made ( the smaller one might go to the fort from MK too so then you will have to wait.

5 get a clip on fain for his ECV, cooling cloths, a wide brim hat light color clothings, take a break during the heat of the day plane for inside things then too drink a lot of water then drink some more maybe do a sit down luch latter in the afternoon

 

[gap2368]

I should add I have family that live an hour from Disney and they will often spend a week at the fort and never go to the park so taking an afternoon break at the fort can be just as fun and the parks are. the beach had a really cool view of the fireworks and it is not crowded at all

 

[arminnie]

I’ve been told that the rental companies will not rent a power chair to someone with no experience. A power chair requires a pretty steep learning curve to operate safely. I am a pretty experienced ECV user, but there is no way I would try to use a power chair in the parks.

When I was a 1st time ECV user I did not want to just pick up from bell services. I wanted instructions on how to operate it and how to dismantle it.

It is best if they practice at the resort before they go to the parks. If they are intimidated by getting on the bus and parking one of you can do it for them. I always notified the bus driver if I was new to the process. Now a year later when I am a pretty experienced ECV user I still find that the drivers assume nothing and give detailed instructions.

I bought a small clip on fan for my ECV from Amazon for about $15. Take advantage of the a/c in shows and shops. That plus the Frogg Togg keeps me relatively comfortable.

Let your parents determine if they need a morning or day off. You don’t have to be together 24/7. You will still have many, many great memories.

I am in my 70s so am most likely older than your parents. Have a great trip.

 

[AngelaMouse1991]

I should add I have family that live an hour from Disney and they will often spend a week at the fort and never go to the park so taking an afternoon break at the fort can be just as fun and the parks are. the beach had a really cool view of the fireworks and it is not crowded at all

Thanks for the tip on the fireworks! After the tips so far I think its a good idea to rent the Scooters from an offsite. Seems the power chair is not the best option in our circumstances. The Clip on Fan and Cool cloths sound like a plan too. Starting my research today to find a good company to rent from offsite. Thanks!

 

[SueM in MN]

As other posters mentioned, the companies that rent power wheelchairs almost always will only rent them to people who are already experienced- for example, someone who uses one at home, but does not want to travel with it.

My daughter is a full time wheelchair and uses both a manual and a power wheelchair.
Power wheelchairs look easy to drive, but they have a pretty steep learning curve.
With an ECV, you have a throttle to control the speed and a ‘yoke’ that is somewhat similar to a bike handlebar for steering. There is usually a switch to change from going forward to going backward. Most people find the ECVs pretty easy to control, especially if they have driven one in a store.

A power wheelchair has a joystick that controls all of those things at the same time. There is a pretty steep learning curve for figuring out how to do all those things at the same time.

 

[AngelaMouse1991]

As other posters mentioned, the companies that rent power wheelchairs almost always will only rent them to people who are already experienced- for example, someone who uses one at home, but does not want to travel with it.

My daughter is a full time wheelchair and uses both a manual and a power wheelchair.
Power wheelchairs look easy to drive, but they have a pretty steep learning curve.
With an ECV, you have a throttle to control the speed and a ‘yoke’ that is somewhat similar to a bike handlebar for steering. There is usually a switch to change from going forward to going backward. Most people find the ECVs pretty easy to control, especially if they have driven one in a store.

A power wheelchair has a joystick that controls all of those things at the same time. There is a pretty steep learning curve for figuring out how to do all those things at the same time.

Thanks for info! Quick Question, I have been calling the featured ECV providers on the list that I was directed to. They were all I felt fairly expensive for a 14 Day rental for two scooters especially with the insurance added. Does anyone know a lesser expensive rental company, or any coupon offers or specials going on for scooter rentals for August? Do the rental companies have to be on the list for you to be able to use other companies scooters in the theme parks? I found a few others renting the same exact scooters in the area online, but they are not on the featured list. One was like 50% less for the same exact rental scooters and one had a great reputation and brand new stuff, but that won't do me any good at all if my Mom and Dad can't use them in the parks or on the Disney buses, and we are refused entry.

 

[lanejudy]

“Featured” vendors are allowed to utilize Bell Services at WDW resorts for drop-off and pick-up. Other vendors will arrange to meet you personally for that. That is the only difference. You may use whichever vendor you choose. There is another thread fairlybrecent discussing a lower-priced vendor — at least according to the posts, I have not looked into that vendor and have no preference to recommend.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Note that Disney Preferred Vendors

Not Preferred. Featured. The original term implies a status of level of service which simply does not exist, and which even Disney has not used in well over a year.

 

[AngelaMouse1991]

“Featured” vendors are allowed to utilize Bell Services at WDW resorts for drop-off and pick-up. Other vendors will arrange to meet you personally for that. That is the only difference. You may use whichever vendor you choose. There is another thread fairlybrecent discussing a lower-priced vendor — at least according to the posts, I have not looked into that vendor and have no preference to recommend.

Enjoy your vacation!

Thank you so much that made my decision so much easier. I found the other company that I think you were talking about in several other posts, and everyone seemed to have a great experience with them that has used them. Their reviews were spotless also. I called and booked both scooters for the first two weeks of August. Their scooters actually also came with two accessories that I needed for my dad, a built in fan and a sun canopy. The price was half what the "featured vendors" were for the exact match rental with the insurance. They meet you in person at whatever time you need them to day or night. They seemed really nice and helpful over the phone to. Wish me luck Thanks so much again!!!

 

[cmwade77]

“Featured” vendors are allowed to utilize Bell Services at WDW resorts for drop-off and pick-up. Other vendors will arrange to meet you personally for that. That is the only difference. You may use whichever vendor you choose. There is another thread fairlybrecent discussing a lower-priced vendor — at least according to the posts, I have not looked into that vendor and have no preference to recommend.

Enjoy your vacation!

The other thread describes the vendor we went with based on all of the reviews and while our trip 8snt until January, they have been good so far.

Looking at the featured vendors on BBB, something that seems to have become an increasing issue is having Bell Services loose an ECV and you get charged for the full value of it until it is sorted out, which can be weeks. And several featured vendors have been charging deposits without disclosing they were doing so.

This is part of why we went a head with a non featured vendors, as if they drop off and pick up in person, it can't go missing on Bell Services watch. They also were substantially cheaper, but overall that wasn't really a major factor, it really came down to service.

 

[SteveMouse]

Suggestion: as you drop the ECV off with bell derives, take a picture of it with the tag Bell Services puts on it- that wat you have some proof that it was turned over as well as an identifying ticket number. You could also put a tag on it that indicated the ECV was being returned and shouldn’t be given out to another guest.

 

[cmwade77]

Suggestion: as you drop the ECV off with bell derives, take a picture of it with the tag Bell Services puts on it- that wat you have some proof that it was turned over as well as an identifying ticket number. You could also put a tag on it that indicated the ECV was being returned and shouldn’t be given out to another guest.

There were many other resasons we went with the company we did, they will meet us on our schedule, each ECV has a unique key which reduces the possibility of someone taking ours by mistake, but most importantly if there is a problem they are available 24/7, including holidays to bring a replacement anywhere on property if needed for some odd reason, they have extended range batteries on all models, they have great customer service by all reports and front my experience so far this seems to be true, they provide a free accessory such as a sun shade, etc. And the fact that they are by far the lowest price doesn't hurt either.

As I said, this was a factor and a large one, but not the only factor.

The reports in BBB do have people who have done as you suggest and still got charged. So why hassle with it if we don't have to, we want the trip to be stress free. They said text them when we get on Magical Express and they will be there when we get there. For pickup we text them what time we will be picked up for Magical Express when we get the confirmation and they will meet us at the appropriate time.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Their scooters actually also came with two accessories that I needed for my dad, a built in fan and a sun canopy

This is effective only a certain points, when the sun is at certain angles. The canopy also limits line of sight for both the user and people nearby.

Much, much, much better would be a summer bag with a wide brim.

 

[cmwade77]

This is effective only a certain points, when the sun is at certain angles. The canopy also limits line of sight for both the user and people nearby.

Much, much, much better would be a summer bag with a wide brim.

Actually the way theirs is designed doesn't reduce viewing angles, but it does indeed only work at certain angles. That being said, they can reuse the canopy between users, health and safety laws would prevent reusing a wide brim hat, which would increase costs, so while I agree with you, I understand why they offer their solution.

 

[AngelaMouse1991]

I think I'll buy my Dad one of those hats also to go along with the sunshade it comes with. It doesn't hurt to go one step further. Between the sun canopy, the built in fan, the hat, and forcing him to drink lots of water I think he will be just fine. The customer service person I talked to directed me to a picture of the sun canopy on their website, it appears to cover quite a bit.

 

[Bete]

Please realize there may be times you will need to take over on the scooters to help your parents. Getting on and off Disney transportation can be challenging. Parking it precisely on the buses and such is no easy task. Some rides like Soarin' in the Living Land requires taking an elevator to get to the ride.

It would behoove you to alternate shows with rides for two reasons: You will be able to cool off some doing a show and your parents will get a rest. It can be taxing to use a scooter all day. Ride queues have many twists and turns, for example. People will be darting out in front of the scooters and your parents will have to have quick reflexes to stop in time. If you can surround your parents and protect them from the crowds that would help.

Parks will be less crowded early in the morning; so, take advantage of the extra magic hours. Also, it will be cooler.

It might be a good idea to go to a local zoo with them and rent scooters at the zoo and get in some practice with crowds and such. Disney will be worse with their crowds, but it still is a good idea to practice there.

 

[AngelaMouse1991]

The scooter rental company we rented from is sending me a guide that I requested to get that I saw on the website. It helps you plan your vacation around using a scooter. The customer service person said it helps figure out what they with be able to do based on their level of mobility. Plus it explains operational tips in using the scooter and handling it around crowds. Its their first time renting a scooter so I figured it would help. He is also sending a set of handicapped access maps published by Disney World itself for all the parks. I figured all that might help them set in there minds a reasonable level of expectation on what attractions they will be able to do and what they can't do. We also plan to go early, and rest for a couple hours in the middle of the day when its higher temperature outside. In the group we also have 2 young grandchildren coming, they will also likely get tired. So I think the rest mid day plan will help.

 

[kaytieeldr]

That being said, they can reuse the canopy between users, health and safety laws would prevent reusing a wide brim hat, which would increase costs, so while I agree with you, I understand why they offer their solution.

What state laws prohibit two (or more) persons who purchase a hat from sharing it?
Especially states which allow multiple shoppers and perusers to try on, pose in and and even photograph themselves in multiple hats - without the use of any barrier, or any requirement to buy.

No idea why my statement about the one person in the party who [medically] requires Sun protection was interpreted as multiple persons sharing the hat which medical equipment rental companies don't even offer

ETA, would not be surprised at all to discover no added expense to something one already owns, and can keep after the trip.