Wheelchair or scooter?

mydisneyanytime

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 30, 2012
My son, 13, is mobile for very short distances but is almost always in his chair in Disney. I don't mind pushing him at all and it makes it easier so that he can stay in the chair on some rides. He also can take a nap if needed. He does get tired out easily. I can move him onto the ride as he is only about 49" and about 60 pounds. However, he has recently gotten a scooter and is really good with it as we use it to take walks as a family frequently and go to the zoo. He has asked to use it the next time that we go to Disney. I am concerned about the ease of getting on rides and not being able to take the scooter up to the ride as he can't walk the ques. We do get a DAS for other disabilities. My question is: what is better for the purpose of rides and ease keeping in mind I don't mind pushing him at all. Is it better for riding/ques for a manual wheelchair or for him to use the scooter?
 
My son, 13, is mobile for very short distances but is almost always in his chair in Disney. I don't mind pushing him at all and it makes it easier so that he can stay in the chair on some rides. He also can take a nap if needed. He does get tired out easily. I can move him onto the ride as he is only about 49" and about 60 pounds. However, he has recently gotten a scooter and is really good with it as we use it to take walks as a family frequently and go to the zoo. He has asked to use it the next time that we go to Disney. I am concerned about the ease of getting on rides and not being able to take the scooter up to the ride as he can't walk the ques. We do get a DAS for other disabilities. My question is: what is better for the purpose of rides and ease keeping in mind I don't mind pushing him at all. Is it better for riding/ques for a manual wheelchair or for him to use the scooter?
I am not sure about your son's age and using his own scooter but he would not be able to use a rental as you have to be 18. if he would be able to use you can take scooters up to ride at most rides and the ones that you cant have chairs that you can use at that ride. as you know there are a couple that you cant use wheelchair People Mover comes to mind. as too your main question it is going to depend on if he is allowed because of his age
 
And either Randy's or Walker (I think the former) might be willing t rent one for him, since he already uses one. Call both companies and ask. Phone numbers in the pinned WDW FAQ.

Any attraction where he can't take the scooter right up to boarding will providd a wheelchair for him to transfef to.

But he won't be able to nap, so you might be better of with a wheelchair.
 
My son, 13, is mobile for very short distances but is almost always in his chair in Disney. I don't mind pushing him at all and it makes it easier so that he can stay in the chair on some rides. He also can take a nap if needed. ... My question is: what is better for the purpose of rides and ease keeping in mind I don't mind pushing him at all. Is it better for riding/ques for a manual wheelchair or for him to use the scooter?

If we're talking about a standard ECV size mobility scooter, they tend to go wherever a wheelchair can go.

I wonder if this is maybe a little more about him wanting more control over his mobility. And... maybe a little bit of mother bird just wanting him to stay in the nest just a bit longer? I don't know; and I wouldn't judge in any case.

A guy I built a chair for told me he spent 6 weeks recovering from the injury and he was fine. Happy. Upbeat. The whole time he 'knew' his legs would never work right again. But the first time he had to load himself into a chair and couldn't do it alone, he broke deep inside. He stopped feeling like a person. That sort of existential hurt terrifies me.

13 year old kiddo says he wants to keep his hand on the wheel... overriding him would feel like a lack of trust. If you honestly think he's setting himself up for failure, then bargain with him. Let him have his way but review it at the end of each day and reserve the right to veto his decision then if you find his health is suffering. That's a fair and compassionate compromise.
 


Bringing his own personal ECV should be fine (provided it fits within Disney's sizing box at the bus depots) but do be aware that ECV users frequently find that they Cast Members will NOT allow them to ride their personal mobility device onto a wheelchair enabled ride vehicle, and will require a transfer.

Just want to set that expectation early, because it caught me off guard the first time I took my personal device to WDW. I purposely bought the smallest, lightest, easiest to handle device I could find, and I am still not allowed to take it on to the majority of "wheelchair rides" at WDW. There are a few where I am allowed to drive it on, but most of the time, the Cast Members require me to transfer to a manual wheelchair "for safety", and no amount of discussion will change that.

If, however, you show up in your own wheelchair, there seems to be much less pushback on using your own chair.

This is not to complain - even with required transfers to an attraction supplied manual chair, WDW is by and far the easiest place for me to vacation. (Not to mention, a favorite since childhood!) But I don't want you (the OP and your son) to be surprised if you take the ECV and then find he must still walk or use a manual chair.

It's true that an ECV will give him much more freedom; as long as he pays attention, and remembers that other Guests at WDW will *not* be - they will tend to walk into him, or right in front of him, so he will have to be more vigilant and much more ready to stop to avoid hitting someone - then he will be fine. But pretty much everyone here has at one point or another suffered from someone walking INTO them, or RIGHT in front of them because they weren't paying attention, and it doesn't occur to them that we can't just stop on a dime. Building a "bubble" (where family members walk surrounding the ECV) helps to prevent that kind of issue.

If he does tire easily, the stress of driving an ECV at WDW may be difficult for him; it can be exhausting for full-grown adults who are used to driving cars!
 
Thanks for your replies! We have our own scooters/wheelchair so won't need to rent so age isn't an issue. It isn't about a mama bear mentality (though I am not above it) as I want him to be as self sufficient while he can. We just went today for a motorized wheelchair evaluation so he will have his own motorized chair instead of a typical scooter. I am just thinking about some of the ques and using a device with a motor. He is small so some of the wheelchairs that they have you move into are so big and are uncomfortable depending on how long he has to be in it. Ultimately, it will be his decision I am just trying to think ahead to our next trip and what would be best for everyone including him - and the easiest. Thanks again!
 
Thanks for your replies! We have our own scooters/wheelchair so won't need to rent so age isn't an issue. It isn't about a mama bear mentality (though I am not above it) as I want him to be as self sufficient while he can. We just went today for a motorized wheelchair evaluation so he will have his own motorized chair instead of a typical scooter. I am just thinking about some of the ques and using a device with a motor. He is small so some of the wheelchairs that they have you move into are so big and are uncomfortable depending on how long he has to be in it. Ultimately, it will be his decision I am just trying to think ahead to our next trip and what would be best for everyone including him - and the easiest. Thanks again!

For the most part, Disney queues are designed to be able to handle a scooter as well as they handle a chair. There are a few that aren't at DL, and a few at WDW where they make you transfer into a manual chair for the queue instead of driving a scooter or a motorized chair through the line. If I remember right, the big ones there are Pirates and FOP. (At DL it was Star Tours which was frustrating because that's our go-to looper). The rest of the rides may make him transfer into either the ride vehicle or into a manual chair to board the accessible ride vehicle, but even then he would only be in the big wheelchair for the length of the ride plus a few minutes, so if transferring doesn't bother him/you then that shouldn't be a major problem. Aside from Pirates/FOP he wouldn't be in the large chair for the length of the queue.
 
For the most part, Disney queues are designed to be able to handle a scooter as well as they handle a chair. There are a few that aren't at DL, and a few at WDW where they make you transfer into a manual chair for the queue instead of driving a scooter or a motorized chair through the line. If I remember right, the big ones there are Pirates and FOP. (At DL it was Star Tours which was frustrating because that's our go-to looper). The rest of the rides may make him transfer into either the ride vehicle or into a manual chair to board the accessible ride vehicle, but even then he would only be in the big wheelchair for the length of the ride plus a few minutes, so if transferring doesn't bother him/you then that shouldn't be a major problem. Aside from Pirates/FOP he wouldn't be in the large chair for the length of the queue.
I just wanted to add that I have also seen that if an ECV had to transfer to their wheelchairs, then anyone in a motorized wheelchair had to transfer as well. However I did notice that people were less likely to run into or cut off the wheelchair. I had to drive my husband's ECV to him a couple of times in MK and I have to say that it was a very stressful experience!
 
Is your son ready to handle whatever mobility device at Disney? Even though there will be less people there right now he needs to be very careful watching for those who dart out right in front of you. Children especially will dart. Then, the ride queues have some hard turns to get through.

Are you willing to do less hours in the park if he gets tired more? Disney parks can be harder then other places. I would definitely go as early as possible to the park. Maybe, take a rest mid day and come back would be better for him.
 
If he has a motorized wheelchair and not a scooter, he will be allowed to take it through all the lines to the ride boarding area with the possible exception of Pirates. If the ride has a wheelchair accessible vehicle, he will be allowed to stay in the motorized chair provided it fits with that vehicle. A motorized wheelchair is treated the same as a manual chair. Scooters are treated differently.

For myself, personally, making the transition from scooter to motorized chair was a large improvement in the quality of my life.
 
I think a powerchair would be the best. For one thing, he wouldn’t get tired as easily if he pushed himself in a manual and he wouldn’t have a “nose” to worry about when driving a scooter.

Another thing is that a powerchair gives him more independence with going wherever he wants.

Now if you don’t have a full on van to transport the powerchair in, there are powerchairs that can fold up and be put in the back of a car/SUV trunk. *cough* Fold and Go *cough*
 
I just wanted to add that I have also seen that if an ECV had to transfer to their wheelchairs, then anyone in a motorized wheelchair had to transfer as well. However I did notice that people were less likely to run into or cut off the wheelchair. I had to drive my husband's ECV to him a couple of times in MK and I have to say that it was a very stressful experience!
Good point about the transfer requirement regardless of chair type. I'm personally not looking forward to that on our next trip as it's a completely nonsensical rule (e.g. my chair is the same size as a non-motorized wheelchair with a better turning radius) but it is definitely the rule at this point.

People cut off electric chairs, too. Or walk in front of one and slow waaaaay up or stop and then glare when my footplate nudges the back of their ankles. Really I think it's that people ignore anything that isn't them or their immediate family, it's just that wheelchairs and ECVs aren't as nimble as your average ambulatory person and are therefore less able to immediately stop/swerve/adjust to the sudden impediment.
 
Here's something to consider: if the ECV doesn't seem to be working out, you can always switch to a wheelchair mid-trip. If you're not able to bring both with you, it's been my experience that rental companies can get equipment to you pretty quickly.
 
Good point about the transfer requirement regardless of chair type. I'm personally not looking forward to that on our next trip as it's a completely nonsensical rule (e.g. my chair is the same size as a non-motorized wheelchair with a better turning radius) but it is definitely the rule at this point.

The need to transfer for Pirates is due to the entry and exits being in different places. There’s not really a good way to get a chair from one to the other.

i can envision that chair weight could pose some issues as power chairs can weigh quite a bit.

I‘m trying to recall other rides where a transfer to a Disney manual chair is required.
 
The need to transfer for Pirates is due to the entry and exits being in different places. There’s not really a good way to get a chair from one to the other.

i can envision that chair weight could pose some issues as power chairs can weigh quite a bit.

Yes but IIRC you can take your own manual chair up to the loading point for Pirates, which means it can't be about being unable to get the chair to the offload part.

Also some power chairs weigh quite a bit. Some weigh very little and fold up to the size of a stroller. And I remember someone talking about how they were treating manual chairs with power assist as electric wheelchairs/power chairs, and those assists weigh very little. I suspect it's a situation where they made a rule to deal with one specific type of chair and then had to apply it to all other chairs which yielded a nonsensical result. It is what it is, their park their rules and all that.
 
Yes but IIRC you can take your own manual chair up to the loading point for Pirates, which means it can't be about being unable to get the chair to the offload part.
Rarely. If your chair folds, and if it's small enough folder to fit through the tunnel, and if it's light enough for a CM at each end to place it in the boat; or if there's a genuine "spare" CM in the loading area who can move it - then yes, the occasional person has reported being able to use their own chair right up to boarding
 
Another factor is Disney CMs moving powerchairs vs. ECVs vs. manual chairs.

I really would not want anyone I did not know operating my powerchair. If it gets damaged, I don’t want to be mad at someone else, and they probably don’t want the responsibility of fixing it.

It’s usually a little harder to put a powerchair in manual. Some have knobs, some have levers, some have electronic controls to lock/unlock wheels. How is the CM going to know how every model/brand of chair operates? ECVs are a lot more standardized.

When I used to ride BTMR, the CM would usually let me ride twice so I’d end up back with my chair at the end of the second ride. It saved the CM from having to move my chair. Conveniently, it also saved a rather painful transfer for me as well.
 
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