Where do YOU plug your ECV in at in the parks

[Evita_W]

The elevator area in the Land Pavilion was a hot mess when we were there - not sure where the outlet is you are talking about, but the alcove that has the actual elevator barely fit one scooter waiting for the elevator with space to let the people/ecvs on the elevator room to get off and make the turn to the pavilion. If the outlet is in that alcove, there's no room for people using the elevator.

I think you have the wrong elevator, the outlet that is being suggested I think would be near the elevator by Garden Grill on the upper floor or the exit of Living with the Land on the lower floor. There are also outlets in the food court and on the columns in front of Living with the Land. This is actually one place with A LOT of outlets that as far as I know are ALL functional.

 

[binkeecat17]

We have rented from several rental scooter companies in past with less that good condition scooters, and we spent the days chasing outlets to plug in all day long. Missing endless activities over the years. Not the way you want to spend your vacation. The company we use now we just simply charge the scooter overnight and the Scooter battery last us all day and all night. We never need to plug in ever. We leave the resort after breakfast and we are present for rope drop. We travel all day we watch the fireworks and normally return back at 11PM. With plenty of battery power left. It really comes down to renting from a company that maintains there rentals and uses the extend range batteries. Before finding the company we use now, we didn't even realize there was a scooter that lasted all day.

Can you mention the company that worked well for you??

 

[cdurham1]

I just reserved a scooter from Buena Vista scooters and they sent me this list of places to charge inside the parks. Doesn't seem like many spots. I am guessing there are probably more hidden spots a CM could help you with in event of emergency.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I used an electric plug in The Living Seas Pavillion. I once had a rented ECV that did not hold the charge all day in spite of having it plugged in and charging all night. It looked good to go in the morning but it was NOT.

 

[TCRAIG]

I only use my ECV at Disney (avg 4-5 week long visits a year) and I buy new batteries every year to year and a half. You know you need new batteries when either the charge doesn’t last like ‘normal’ or it takes way way too long to fully charge. Rental companies change theirs out much more frequently. Batteries should last all day unless you’re heavier or carrying heavy stuff consistently that puts you over or near the weight limit for your ECV model and/or you go up a lotta hills.

 

[Bethctraveler]

Lessoned learned here - We were also that couple driving around mid day everyday looking for an electrical outlet to charge our scooters with a dead battery. We accepted this as the normal result for about 4 years and probably 8 visits to WDW. One day I asked a fellow scooter driver where they plugged in their rental scooter at that particular park and they said they don't. They were renting a Gold Mobility Scooter and claimed they charge their scooter at night, and it never runs out of charge during the day. Next time we rented from Gold Mobility to try it out, and sure enough we ran those scooters 7AM-11PM and still had power left everyday. They put bigger batteries in them, and replace them more often than most. Since then we have rented them 20 times, and always the same results and best service we have ever experienced. Scooters always look like new.

We would never bring the scooters we have at home because the airlines in the past tore them up. Our home scooters unless we changed the batteries for the big expensive long range ones, and changed them constantly they would never achieve the range we have become use to with the Gold Mobility ones.

 

[DisneyOma]

I just reserved a scooter from Buena Vista scooters and they sent me this list of places to charge inside the parks. Doesn't seem like many spots. I am guessing there are probably more hidden spots a CM could help you with in event of emergency.

That list says there are lots of outlets in Norway Pavilion - I'm trying to think of one place you could plug an ECV in there that would be okay - you'd have to have a reservation for the restaurant there (if it's even open yet), the gift shops and bakery are way too tight and you'd block an accessway, and I'm thinking if they have any outdoor outlets they'd be heavy duty ones that could be dangerous? Anyone know of a safe place there?

 

[cassidy57]

Has anyone had bad service from Scooter bug. This is my first time renting and I do not know anything about scooters. I saw scooter bug drops off at resort and you don't need to be there. I am a park open to park close person and I am very worried about the battery dying before we exit the park at the end of the night.

 

[nekonekoneko]

Has anyone had bad service from Scooter bug. This is my first time renting and I do not know anything about scooters. I saw scooter bug drops off at resort and you don't need to be there. I am a park open to park close person and I am very worried about the battery dying before we exit the park at the end of the night.

I rented from Scooterbug this past January for the first time, and, I hate to say it, but it will be my last. They gave me a fairly old model, and the batteries would not hold a charge. They did exchange it for another one, but that one didn't fare much better. They never gave me the cane holder that I asked for, and paid for. The speed was not constant, in either model.

Honestly, once they became Disney's exclusive provider, their quality took a major hit.

 

[cassidy57]

I rented from Scooterbug this past January for the first time, and, I hate to say it, but it will be my last. They gave me a fairly old model, and the batteries would not hold a charge. They did exchange it for another one, but that one didn't fare much better. They never gave me the cane holder that I asked for, and paid for. The speed was not constant, in either model.

Honestly, once they became Disney's exclusive provider, their quality took a major hit.

Thank you very much for that information. It does make sense that once they became Disney exclusive it would go down hill. I was just looking into them since they drop off and pick up without you having to be there. Do you recommend anyone? thank you very much

 

[Lewisc]

Gold is the go to company. Gold, and others, can use bell services at Swan, Dolphin, Reserve and the DS hotels.

 

[cassidy57]

Gold is the go to company. Gold, and others, can use bell services at Swan, Dolphin, Reserve and the DS hotels.

Thank you I have read good reviews with Gold. I am going to check into that one. Thanks again

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I charge it at night only, and it runs all day long. There has never been a situation when the battery died suddenly somewhere in a park.

I agree only time I had one quit in the park it was not the battery. and company came and met me in the park with replacement

 

[cassidy57]

Hearing that they last all day in the parks as long as I charge at night makes me very happy!!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

I think you have the wrong elevator, the outlet that is being suggested I think would be near the elevator by Garden Grill on the upper floor or the exit of Living with the Land on the lower floor. There are also outlets in the food court and on the columns in front of Living with the Land. This is actually one place with A LOT of outlets that as far as I know are ALL functional.

I agree
There is waiting area on the upper floor by Garden Grill near the elevators and restrooms. It can be crowded at times, but is pretty spacious.
The area right by the elevators near Living With The Land is a tight little hallway, but there is space outside of that area near the exits of Living With The Land and Soarin

 

[cdurham1]

I just finished day 5 at Disney with the ECV and the ECV performance is a bit mixed. I rented the kind that you can transport in your trunk from Buena Vista Rentals. A few points -

-The ECV is not going to last over 5 hours without a charge. I guess if you sit in one place for long periods of time and shut it off, you can stretch the time. But, if you move around like a very active guest, no way it last all day (unless your all day is 5 hours)

- The battery indicator is not a gas gauge. It will basically show full for 3.5 to 4 hours. Then, once is starts dropping, you better find a charging spot, as it will start dropping quickly.

- Charging seems to be front loaded. Charging for a full 8 hours overnight is terrific, but it seems like 90% of the charging is in the first hour. This is good in that if you run low in a park, finding a spot to charge for even 30 minutes will rescue you from getting stuck.

-If you can, plug in every time you can. There is no harm in topping off your charge.

-Cast members generally have no idea where outlets are. A couple told me to check with guest relations. These can be somewhat stressful interactions because once you start running low, the last thing you want to try is to drive halfway across the park to ask guest relations who are also not likely to know where outlets are.

-In general, I don't think Disney does a terrific job around this issue. There are tons of people using mobility scooters. Disney could make the experience a lot better and less stressful by having some areas clearly designated for limited time recharging.

-if you spot an outlet in a restaurant, gift shop, etc., just hook up to it. Don't think that just bc your battery is showing all green that it is actually fully charged.

-I opted for the model that could be transported because we had a car and were doing off Disney things, too. If I were staying in the bubble and using Disney transportation exclusively, I would have opted for a bigger model, focusing solely on the biggest battery range I could find. Even Gold mobility, which several posters have recommended, has a portable model that only has a 5 hour range.

 

[mamabunny]

I just finished day 5 at Disney with the ECV and the ECV performance is a bit mixed. I rented the kind that you can transport in your trunk from Buena Vista Rentals. A few points -

-The ECV is not going to last over 5 hours without a charge. I guess if you sit in one place for long periods of time and shut it off, you can stretch the time. But, if you move around like a very active guest, no way it last all day (unless your all day is 5 hours)

- The battery indicator is not a gas gauge. It will basically show full for 3.5 to 4 hours. Then, once is starts dropping, you better find a charging spot, as it will start dropping quickly.

- Charging seems to be front loaded. Charging for a full 8 hours overnight is terrific, but it seems like 90% of the charging is in the first hour. This is good in that if you run low in a park, finding a spot to charge for even 30 minutes will rescue you from getting stuck.

-If you can, plug in every time you can. There is no harm in topping off your charge.

-Cast members generally have no idea where outlets are. A couple told me to check with guest relations. These can be somewhat stressful interactions because once you start running low, the last thing you want to try is to drive halfway across the park to ask guest relations who are also not likely to know where outlets are.

-In general, I don't think Disney does a terrific job around this issue. There are tons of people using mobility scooters. Disney could make the experience a lot better and less stressful by having some areas clearly designated for limited time recharging.

-if you spot an outlet in a restaurant, gift shop, etc., just hook up to it. Don't think that just bc your battery is showing all green that it is actually fully charged.

-I opted for the model that could be transported because we had a car and were doing off Disney things, too. If I were staying in the bubble and using Disney transportation exclusively, I would have opted for a bigger model, focusing solely on the biggest battery range I could find. Even Gold mobility, which several posters have recommended, has a portable model that only has a 5 hour range.

Sounds like you may have gotten an ECV with a battery that has begun to degrade. It's super important to charge any powered personal mobility device fully overnight, every night. That should give you the maximum use the next day. If that doesn't happen, I would contact the rental vendor right away so that they can either swap out the unit, or replace the battery on-site for you.

It's not recommended to plug *anything* in to just any random outlet at WDW; not all of them have the same type of electrical service (120) that is found in residential/hotel settings. There is a possibility of severe damage. Especially never remove any outlet cover, or try to defeat any device that prevents a plug to work. Some of the outlets at WDW have been changed to specifically power equipment that may have differing power requirements. (for example, for Christmas decorations, powered landscape maintenance equipment, etc.)

Most rental ECVs generally last at least 8 hours on a full charge, even those that can be disassembled into multiple pieces to be moved in a standard passenger vehicle.

 

[Lewisc]

I rented the kind that you can transport in your trunk from Buena Vista Rentals.

I rented the same scooter from Gold. Stayed at PBH. Used it to go to and between both UHS and IoA. "Charged" it overnight in a switch controlled outlet, off. It lasted most of the second day. I was allowed to leave it charging in rental location, even though I didn't rent it from Universal.

Gold replaces the scooters more frequently then other companies.

If the scooter weight is above 200 #, pax and stuff, battery life is reduced

 

[cdurham1]

Sounds like you may have gotten an ECV with a battery that has begun to degrade. It's super important to charge any powered personal mobility device fully overnight, every night. That should give you the maximum use the next day. If that doesn't happen, I would contact the rental vendor right away so that they can either swap out the unit, or replace the battery on-site for you.

It's not recommended to plug *anything* in to just any random outlet at WDW; not all of them have the same type of electrical service (120) that is found in residential/hotel settings. There is a possibility of severe damage. Especially never remove any outlet cover, or try to defeat any device that prevents a plug to work. Some of the outlets at WDW have been changed to specifically power equipment that may have differing power requirements. (for example, for Christmas decorations, powered landscape maintenance equipment, etc.)

Most rental ECVs generally last at least 8 hours on a full charge, even those that can be disassembled into multiple pieces to be moved in a standard passenger vehicle.

Swapped out the ECV in the middle of the trip due to a bad bearing. No, it is the model.

 

[DisneyOma]

Swapped out the ECV in the middle of the trip due to a bad bearing. No, it is the model.

Did you exceed the weight limit? Did you leave the EVC on when it was stopped?