ECV / Scooter Tips and Tricks - share yours here!

Hey Peeps! I’m starting a thread here based on a suggestion from another thread. Please feel free to add your own tips and tricks about renting an ECV (Electric Conveyance Vehicle), Scooter, or manual wheelchair in the WDW complex.

The most IMPORTANT factoid that I learned is that if you rent on-the-spot at a theme park entrance (aka - Magic Kingdom park), you have to return it to that location. If you are park-hopping, you have to take your receipt to another Disney park to get a scooter at that park if it’s on the same day. There are NO GUARENTEES that you will be able to get one at all on the initial park visit, or if you park hop.

If you need assistance going from the gate to the parking lot, they will lend you a wheelchair with a huge pole on it. The party gets wheeled to the front of the parking lot, you go get the car, you pick up the injured party, and you put the manual push-chair in the coral. At least, that’s the most courteous way to do that procedure. Some guests are far less magical, and they leave them roaming free like rouge shopping carts in the night… cars beware!

I’ll add more, but please, yes, please, add your knowledge to this thread. There’s plenty to learn when you haven’t rented a scooter before, and most importantly, you want everyone to feel loved and have fun. No need to be self-conscious, get in the scooter, and enjoy the world!

:partying_face: :tada: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :world_map: :european_castle: :fireworks: :heart_on_fire:

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I’ve copied the following from another thread… hope it helps someone. :heartpulse:

I was injured for (2) of our trips, and very self conscience about using an ECV. Don’t be… it’s great. TAKE THE CHAIR EVERYWHERE YOU GO. There’s a learning curve, but people are very willing to help, and if you’re not sure what to do in any situation, a Cast Member (CM) is very near, just ask.

If you want a little break from the chair, park it where they park strollers, turn it off and take the keys (really, REALLY important), and go in the shop, whatever.

EVERY RIDE CUE IS SUITIBLE FOR AN ECV. For ones that are not, like Star Tours, they will route your family down another entrance (without stairs or dangerous ramps). I was able to navigate the cue for flight of passage, every cue… BRING THE ECV. You forget how much walking, but particularly, how much STANDING is involved. Bring, bring, bring the ECV.

(and don’t get a regular wheelchair, you’ll regret it… hills and heat and running feet, don’t do this to your family member or yourself… rent the ECV every time you need one.)

I see you rented from Scooterbug (a Disney approved vendor), so that solves a couple of questions and answers right off the bat. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

When Disney Resort hotel Guests choose to rent through ScooterBug, the Guest does not need to be present when the equipment is delivered to the Resort hotel. ScooterBug will work with Disney Resort Cast Members to manage deliveries and returns of rented strollers, ECVs and wheelchairs.

That is really, really great! If you aren’t around for pick up or drop off, you can leave it at your hotel’s Bell Services desk, and they take care of it between you and the rental company. I’ll save the horror stories of NOT doing this for another thread.

They are going to deliver the Scooter (ECV), a charging cable, a key on a wristband, and some other goodies. You can sometimes get extras (basket, water holder), it’s up to you. If it is the variety that can be broken down into 3 pieces, then you can rent any uber/lyft with a big trunk, or a mini-van. That’s sometimes the thing at the end of the night when you are just tired and want to go back to the room, but no worries if you don’t rent the kind that breaks apart. You just need to build in time to your transportation from X to Y throughout your trip.

  • ECV tips you need to drill into your DS’s head
  1. Bring a bag that can go into the basket (things that you will leave in the ECV)
  2. BRING your charging cord - you eat at a restaurant? Plug it in, plug it in… hills eat up batteries
  3. If you can, run it slow - kids and strollers and yes, adults, pop in front of you, all the time.
  4. BRING BLING - Ribbon, a balloon, I’ve seen people use zipties that they later cut off to attach stuffies to the back of the chair. THIS WILL HELP YOU FIND YOUR CHAIR if you leave it outside.
  5. BRING A HUGE CLEAR PONCHO for you, and one for your battery. keep your battery dry.
  6. BRING A WASHCLOTH OR HAND TOWEL for your bag. You don’t want to sit in a wet ECV for long
  7. Nap time? Pool time? Resort time? Meal time? Plug in your ECV for a little charge. Ask, there are plugs in the strangest places, CM’s know where they are.
  8. Every night, without fail, plug in your ECV to charge it. People do it in the hallways at Animal Kindgdom Lodge, I’ve seen it everywhere that’s dry, the hallway is a GREAT place to charge your unit. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR KEYS IN THE UNIT EVER, or it will disappear
    FINALLY - 9. The CM’s do NOT need your key to move your chair. If you leave it in a stroller area, and then it’s missing, look or ask for where they moved the strollers or ECV’s. Chances are they flipped the little switch (ask, they’ll show you how) to make it possible to move the ECV by rolling it like a stroller. This is great - safety is priority #1 in the kingdom!

BUS SERVICE - They all (Disney) have the bending bus situation, but if they are still renting Myers busses (think magical express) still, that may be up in the air. Just get in the normal cue for a bus, and because one member of your family has a wheelchair, you will ALL get in the line for the wheelchair bus connection. They are marked, usually look for the beginning of the boarding line for a bus (the next ones to board), and you’ll see the straight line next to their winding cue, with a handicap blue painted wheelchair symbol… that’s your line, take your entire family to that line, with the wheelchair in front.

They will load your ECV first onto the bus, lock it in safely, then seat your family, and then the rest of the bus. When it’s time to depart, they let everyone off the bus first, and then they come to unhook your chair, and you get off the bus on the lowering ramp. Note if you are not all getting off on the same stop (don’t think this applies to your family resort situation), just let the bus driver know where you’re going, and he will make sure you get there. We had to do this for Caribbean Beach Resort, which had multiple stops, as we were staying in Martinique (stop one - yay!!!)

FOR SAFETY, LISTEN, ASK QUESTIONS, AND DON’T BE SHY . This goes for all Disney transportation. The monorail system is a bit easier going TO the parks, but coming home to the ticket center at MK after fireworks may be a little bit of a wait.

AT THE END OF THE NIGHT , the bus managers are scoping people to see who needs extra transportation help to get busses running to the resorts as fast as possible to clear the park. When in doubt, just stop and ask, the CM’s are very helpful and friendly.

SKYLINER IS AWESOME in an ECV . Very easy, the easiest on the trip… you have your own line, you go in the middle of a special car, they lock you in, and boom, you’re flying!

DS13- he’s 5’8” and about 150 pounds

No problem, he’ll fit in any ECV they have

Staying at AKL Jambo house for 5 nights

we charged our ECV in the hallway, you will appreciate the extra room if you need it, see above, DON’T LEAVE THE KEY in the ignition. You can charge w/out a key.

Arriving around noon on our first day and not going to parks until 4:00 that afternoon

Great! You’ll have time to play with the ECV to learn how it works, and yes, plug it in for a few minutes to charge it!

We planned on using Disney transportation only, (bus to and from resort and skyliner/monorail between some parks),but we will have our vehicle there if needed.

Unless you have the break apart into 3-pieces ECV, you can’t really use your car to get the ECV to and from… but if you get one, you can put it into your trunk in pieces, no problem!

You mentioned jerky rides, that would be up to the comfort level of DS and you as the parental units. You can also ask about it at the front of the cue for, say, FoP. I see ECV’s use the bottom ramps once they get into the final cue, so you’re at the bottom of the “theater”. Not sure if they are able to stay in the chair or not, but if not, the thing that holds you in place on the dragon (seat like a bike with a calf press and a back/buttocks press to keep you in place) might not be comfortable.

I hear Guardians of the Galaxy is jerky too…maybe ask how stabilized the mobility device is on the leg, and play it by ear. You can always get off or out of cue if need be, they are very nice about everything.

Sorry, that was long, I have so much more I could share, let me know if you have any questions or other thoughts… but let your DS know that ECV’s do make the trip not only doable, but it will ease the mind on injury and pain. You’ve got this!!! :partying_face: :tada: :partying_face:

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Here is my two-cents. If you are traveling solo with a rented ECV, stay on property, not a good neighbor hotel. You’ll have a better time, believe me.

Some of the older resorts have very small elevators with doors that close very quickly. Be careful. The worst one I encountered was at CR.

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One thing a recent guest suggested to me is to find out the size of the person needing the scooter. Now, I’m not sure how I’d go about asking this without being insensitive. But the general idea was that the person in their party who needed the scooter (that I helped organize) was slightly Pooh-sized and might have been more comfortable in a different scooter, more than the one that seemed designed for a more average-sized person.

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READ THE FINE PRINT - Weight matters

No shame, I’m currently a pooh-sized Mousekateer. Weight absolutely, positively matters when you are shopping for an ECV rental.

Make a list of your must-haves, your would-be-nice to haves, and your deal breakers before you start shopping for an ECV rental. Here’s an example:

  1. Must have a weight limit of over (fill in your weight plus a little more… you’re bringing a bag, you’ll be holding most every heavy bag if you get a basket)

  2. Must hold a charge for (fill in your expected park day - some older models need more TLC than others).

  • Note - you will still want and need to charge your chair during the day. When you eat, find a plug, charge it… take a nap? Charge it. At the pool? You get the idea.
  1. Are you wanting to take your own car, or use a ride share service for transportation during your trip? If so, get one that breaks into 3-pieces
  • Have the rep or the CM TEACH YOU how to do this, and practice with a family member, before you have to do it at the end of the night, in the rain, etc.

I got one of the recommended vendors once for a rental for the MNSSHP in 2019, and they left it for me at the POLY (where we were going to dinner before the party). It was easy to pick up from guest services, and then monorail or boat to the party. Afterward, we dropped it at the guest services desk at the POLY, and went back to the hotel. YOU HAVE TO USE AN APPROVED VENDOR FROM MY DISNEY EXPERIENCE if you want to do this… so if you’re a bit shy on the first go round, pick a vendor from the website, book your order in advance, and use the guest services / concierge pick-up and drop-off, which you will coordinate with the vendor in advance with your payment.

IF YOU GO TO AN OUTSIDE VENDOR, please plan ahead for the meet-up (Resorts will NOT hold it for you at the guest services / concierge desk if you go this route) and the drop off. They are usually on a tight schedule, so you can be early, but never late… and expect them to be late in picking it up. You can save money this way, but you will have fewer options if it breaks down, if there is an issue, etc, if you go with an outside vendor.

Just go with a MDE approved vendor for the first go-around, and then you can choose to save money outside of the system, because you’ll have a bit of experience. The learning curve, my friends, is a lot, especially for the party in the chair and the parties that are trying to care for them and have fun at the same time.

FINAL NOTE, please, keep a copy of the contract pic in your phone, and the vendor after-hours info as well. If there is an issue, you will want to get help, and the CM’s can only do so much.

Have fun, take care, and go have fun out there!

T-H-I-S, especially if you’re going to eat at the POLY at 'Ohana or use that monorail. The elevators are slow, small, and it’s hard to get it and out of them.

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O-M-G, I was just writing that post when you replied… you are the best, @OBNurseNH :heartpulse:

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You shared much more detail. But I did think it was funny that we posted that about the same time!

It was honestly something that had never occurred to me (and honestly I’m surprised the scooter places don’t ask!) before this guest mentioned it

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The scooter places I’ve used most definitely ask.

Great thread! I wonder if this one warrants being pinned? @PrincipalTinker

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Interesting.

Which ones have you used.

It’s definitely not been in the information collected from me as an agent. I wonder if the guest-facing interface is a little different?

Scooterbug, Buena Vista, and Gold Mobility. But most of the ones I’ve looked at wanted to know weight. Or, maybe I am misremembering. They all tell you what the weight limits are, for sure.

Yes this, for sure.

But I’ve used both Scooterbug (recently ) and Buena Vista (it’s been a minute) before and never had them ask

Interesting. I have been experiencing Covid fog, so I may be miss-remembering. I looked at a lot of places while getting ready for my trip. They all run into each other.

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We used Gold Mobility Scooters (GMS) for a trip in Feb 2020, and they were excellent - very professional, reliable, reasonably priced, and helpful.

Length of time you will be out in the parks and in the seat can be a factor, and GMS offered the most reasonable pricing for a captain’s chair. In addition, if you have any sun sensitivity, they offer a shade attachment that works amazingly well, and is very easy to attach and remove when going into the hotel at night.

If you have the need to take a wheelchair in your own transportation (i.e. not a ramp-equipped bus / monorail / skyliner), the go-go style ECV is portable and can be broken down easily for transport. The tradeoff is that the battery life is half that of the full-size victory style ECVs.

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Based on @joefishing209 recommendation I believe, we used www.scootorlando.com when we took our bucket list trip June 2021. They were great! Insurance is included and not charged extra like Scooterbug. Also, they have extended life batteries, plus give you an extra one. Never ever ran out of charge the whole two weeks and did not have to plug in except at night! I think they have a discount if you follow their Facebook page. We used them for our Disney portion of our trip. They have the weight limits on their website for the different models. We highly recommend them!!

They SAVED our UOR portion of the trip! Because of wording at Universal it seemed like we would need to use scooterbug so when we switched to the HRH we arranged to return the Scoot Orlando ECVs at GF and pick up new ones from SB at HRH. Had set this up well in advance with times etc! Got to HRH, no ECVs ok, wait a bit. Told lobby we were expecting them to be delivered. More time, I tried calling or texting and got no response. Park day is being wasted. This went on for a bit. Panicking starting. Frustrating etc. I don’t remember all the details anymore. However, at one point, in desperation I called Scoot Orlando to see if we could get the 2 ECVs we had just returned back. Miracle of miracles out dates just fit and we could have them at Universal for the 3/4 days we were going to be there!! They came back and delivered them BEFORE scooterbug EVER showed up!! I was so upset and demanded refund etc. (which I think they gave but honestly I just wasn’t up for follow through at that point). I don’t believe they had a good excuse for the delay and not responding to my phone calls etc. In Orlando I will never use Scooterbug. (@OBNurseNH like Karmel in CA). In other places they seem to be ok.

We will be using Scoot Orlando (local company vs. chain) for our January 2023 trip and GSC trip with TP if/when that happens.

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Wow that sounds terrible :frowning: I’m sorry that happened to you!

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Thanks. I don’t think it made it in our trip report because I just wanted to focus on enjoying ourselves once Scoot Orlando came to the rescue. My anxiety/stress just wanted it to go away. Also, I was having leg swelling issues so my TR started to dwindle away while at UOR.

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@imaginette very good recap of ECV information btw.

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That’s terrible, thank you for sharing your story. I love that the customer service just took care of you, that’s an amazing success story! Hope you enjoyed your trip.

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