Bringing my Mom to WDW for a long weekend in December. Based on my last experience with her in-park, where she had to nope out of a big part of one day due to mobility concerns, and where she rented at the park for the last two days, I will insist on her having a scooter for the entirety of this trip.
I know that ScooterBug is the one company I can rent with and not have to be on premises to take delivery. And that is appealing for sure.
But, what is the best scooter rental company to rent from, in your experience?
For reference, we do not have to rent a car and can use Disney transport during our stay (using Lyft to get from/to the airport), we are currently booked at Pop but open to change if the dollars work out right, and are only planning to do Christmas things but will park and resort hop to make that happen.
I liked Gold Mobility. The scooters seemed better maintained and the batteries were much fresher.
I hated my Scooterbug rental. The only thing going for them is that they can drop off scooters with bell services, something the other scooter companies can’t do. But I think SB’s prices were quite a bit higher (at least 3 years ago), and the quality of their devices aren’t as good. I had my one rental die on me in the middle of Epcot after 6 hours. I had to plug it in at one of the DVC huts for like 30 minutes to get me enough juice to get out of the park.
They’re pretty good about coordinating a time to meet up so that you’re not waiting for very long. And the bus drivers are awesome at getting them in and out of the buses
Agree. They were cheaper than Scooterbug, and the price included the insurance and one add-on. I would use them again if I didn’t have my own power chair.
I used scooterbug twice with my mom. I didn’t have any complaints about the one we received.
That first trip with her I had reserved Buena Vista Scooters, but it was in between booking and traveling that Disney changed the rules. Buena Vista was at least good about canceling.
I really needed that Bell Service convenience. Mom would have essentially been stuck on a bench between arrival and getting the scooter. Same at the end of the trip.
Because we’ve always needed strollers too, I’ve used Kingdom Strollers. They were very helpful and gracious when we lost a charging cord during hotel swaps. Just brought us a whole new scooter and picked up the dead one.
I went with Scooterbug again this time, even though my previous experience wasn’t great, just because I can leave the pick up and drop off to bell services. I try, but I have a tendency to over-estimate what I can accomplish in the time allotted, and I’m afraid I’d end up missing my ride to the airport if I had to stop and deal with scooter pick up. If you have better time management skills than I do, I would maybe go with someone else.
The issues I had with Scooterbug:
I extended my trip months in advance. When I contacted them to pay the difference I was told that it was paid in full. I didn’t remember making the second payment, but I wasn’t going to argue with the guy who was looking at my account on his computer screen. Then I arrive, and no scooter. It wasn’t paid in full, and they weren’t going to deliver until it was. Fair enough. But then why was I told it was paid in full? And why did they send me a message that morning confirming that the scooter had been dropped off? I ended up on foot in Disney Springs to make a reservation, which was a rough start to the trip.
The scooter wasn’t fully charged when it arrived. I was only on it for 4 or 5 hours that first day and barely made it back to the hotel.
A guard or something came loose from the bottom of the scooter, and I ended up dragging it along in HS until it came off completely. I had to take a break from my day to go back to the hotel and swap for a new scooter. Although, to be fair, the new scooter was properly charged, and I didn’t have any problems with it at all.
I have given thought to if we had to rent a scooter in the near future. We typically do short trips as well so I see the convenience of bell services receiving and releasing the scooter to Scooterbug. Too bad they have the monopoly on that.
Her and in a few FB posts I have heard similar horror stories about the condition and charge status of their scooters. Leaving someone stranded when park time is limited is the opposite of convenience.
I think, if it were me, I would pick the company that you are most comfortable with their product and service. If you end up having to meet them at the hotel, maybe that’s worth it.
I didn’t catch where you were staying but my brain is telling me Pop. I wonder if the Minnie Vans that accommodate scooters pick up at the airport. I believe you can rent scooters at the airport as well. This could add some convinence back in. And it may even be less expensive than delivery service- offsetting some Minnie Van expense.
Just a suggestion to look into. I don’t know if what I’m suggesting is even possible.
I know they’ve added Minnie Van service to the airport, but as far as I know that’s only for deluxe guests. I struggled to get an accessible Minnie Van just around property, so I would be reluctant to count on getting one back to the airport, even if Minnie Van is an option.
I’m sad to hear that. Was it a busy time that you were there? Is it possible to set up one in advance? I was planning on using one on the 11th to get to Typhoon Lagoon instead of using the buses. I’m trying not to drive once we are there. Loading and unloading my powerchair and ECV aren’t easy. (I’m letting her use my ECV while there because her legs give way when she walks too much.)
That’s about $140 more than a regular Lyft. I can’t imagine you would save THAT much renting a scooter from the airport.
I thought they added this for Pop as well. But I could be wrong. Can’t find it mentioned. Didn’t they add something to Pop recently though? I’ll have to look it up.
I was there the week that the Christmas parties started, so not a slow week, but it wasn’t as wildly busy as I was expecting. I managed to get one on a Friday morning, but the one I tried to get around dinner time on Wednesday was cancelled by Lyft because there was nothing available. I think I tried to book in advance but wasn’t able to? The details are fuzzy at this point. I just know I ended up taking the Skyliner to HS and then a bus to Wilderness Lodge for my dinner reservation instead of the straight shot I was hoping for.
And the scooter, itself, as well. I just think that when Scooterbug got the “exclusive dropoff scooter of Walt Disney World,” they let the quality take a hit, as that part of the competition got stifled.
That’s about $140 more than a regular Lyft. I can’t imagine you would save THAT much renting a scooter from the airport.