ECV Rental

[jsternad]

Since the ECVs are first come first serve, are they hard to get? Even if you're there close to opening? We're going with my 75 yo mom and she'll need one. We won't have an easy place to keep it, we're 5 in a studio as it is, and the reason I paid so much for WL was the option for the boat ride to MK.

Has anyone gone to get one and there not be any? Even if you were there early?

And if you make dining reservations and can get into the park early, can you rent one early?

 

[mamabunny]

Since the ECVs are first come first serve, are they hard to get? Even if you're there close to opening? We're going with my 75 yo mom and she'll need one. We won't have an easy place to keep it, we're 5 in a studio as it is, and the reason I paid so much for WL was the option for the boat ride to MK.

Has anyone gone to get one and there not be any? Even if you were there early?

And if you make dining reservations and can get into the park early, can you rent one early?

Parks rentals tend to sell out due to reasons like the time of year, and which Park(s) have the most folks in the them. The first week of May might be quiet, and no problem. Mothers Day at EPCOT and MK will probably rent out pretty quickly, Memorial Day weekend for sure. So it's not a given, but if it's a make-or-break requirement for your trip, then best to be there as early as possible, especially on potentially busy days.

You cannot reserve one in advance, and you cannot take it outside the Park you rented it at, but you can "hop" the rental fee (on the same day) from one Park to another - just not the scooter itself.

If your Mom has trouble walking long distances, or up hills, allow extra time from the MK boat dock to Security and on to the rental counter.

If you decide to rent a scooter from an outside vendor in Orlando, rest assured that it will fit in the room at WL; you can always call Housekeeping upon arrival and they can help move things to create space to park the scooter in the room. Never leave one unattended in the hallways at a hotel; it is a major hazard if there is a fire, not to mention some folks can't resist messing around with them. Protect it by keeping it with you in the room (and be sure to charge all night, overnight, so Mom has a great day the next day!)

I cannot speak to the current time that the counter will open, however most "services" will be open if the Park is open to Guests.

Here is a link to the official Disney World page for scooter rental

 

[jo-jo]

Does your mom use anything at home? There is quite a walk from the room, to dock, to security, to rental desk.

Even if she doesn't, and you don't want to deal with an offsite rental, perhaps buy a rollator to use for the distance from room to park. Amazon have several in the $50 - $75 range with thousands of good ratings.

I have never done this, but people say disney will hold onto the rollator while you have the scooter for the day.

ETA.....if you do want to stick to park scooters and your morning is running a bit slow, maybe one adult should go over earlier to be sure to be at rental desk at opening.

 

[pens4821]

If you decide to rent a scooter from an outside vendor in Orlando, rest assured that it will fit in the room at WL; you can always call Housekeeping upon arrival and they can help move things to create space to park the scooter in the room. Never leave one unattended in the hallways at a hotel; it is a major hazard if there is a fire, not to mention some folks can't resist messing around with them. Protect it by keeping it with you in the room (and be sure to charge all night, overnight, so Mom has a great day the next day!)

I was just wondering if this was something they tell you or not. I’m not trying to say you’re wrong so please don’t take it that way. I’m just looking for thoughts.

We had a rental scooter for the first time last month (dad just had knee surgery). Both the staff at Yacht club and Sports told us we could park the scooter in the hall (or outside at Sports). We left it in the room at YC because the rooms are more spacious. At Sports we left it outside by a plug to keep it charging at night. We also saw a couple scooters in the halls/walkways at both places. Just wondering if we shouldn’t do this if we ever have a scooter there again.

 

[lanejudy]

DH is a retired firefighter. Anything parked in the hallway is an impediment to evacuation. I believe a poster was in a hotel with a fire alarm in the night and personally experienced a bottleneck of guests trying to get through the hallways. Unfortunately, the CMs at Bell Services or even the front desk may tell you to leave it in the hall -- because they apparently are either trying to give you the answer you want or they are simply uninformed about fire code. The argument about housekeeping carts doesn't apply because those are considered to be "attended" with the housekeeper nearby to move it if needed. A guest asleep in their room in the middle of the night is not "attending" to the ECV.

At Sports -- or any value or moderate resort with exterior corridors -- you further run the risks of weather and animals, plus it may be easier for someone to simply ride off with it from an outside corridor vs indoors. If you wouldn't leave your own personal belongings such as a laptop or cell phone plugged in outside your room overnight, then it's not appropriate to leave a piece of rented mobility equipment there either.

 

[jsternad]

Does your mom use anything at home? There is quite a walk from the room, to dock, to security, to rental desk.

Even if she doesn't, and you don't want to deal with an offsite rental, perhaps buy a rollator to use for the distance from room to park. Amazon have several in the $50 - $75 range with thousands of good ratings.

I have never done this, but people say disney will hold onto the rollator while you have the scooter for the day.

ETA.....if you do want to stick to park scooters and your morning is running a bit slow, maybe one adult should go over earlier to be sure to be at rental desk at opening.

She doesn't use anything at home and actually gets around really well, but she has lung/breathing issues and gets out of breath easily. She lives on a big pond/small lake and doesn't really have any trouble making it around it (about a mile). I just know if we're in a hurry to make a ride or reservation she'll have to lag behind, and I know she doesn't want to be a burden.

She might not need one everyday, but I'd rather have it and not use it much than need it and not have it. We might just play it by ear. We usually do breakfast buffets, The Crystal Palace and Garden Grill are our favs, so hopefully I can get reservations before the park opens and get in line sooner. I'm also considering a wheelchair, that might be the better option. I just want her to have a place to sit when she needs to.

 

[lanejudy]

I just want her to have a place to sit when she needs to.

If she doesn't really need it for mobility and getting place-to-place, a manual wheelchair that someone pushes could work, or have you considered a rollator? Either of those options would allow her to sit when needed but also walk most of the time if she prefers. (A rollator should not be pushed with a person on it, so a wheelchair is more appropriate if she possibly would need to ride.)

 

[jo-jo]

If she doesn't really need it for mobility and getting place-to-place, a manual wheelchair that someone pushes could work, or have you considered a rollator? Either of those options would allow her to sit when needed but also walk most of the time if she prefers. (A rollator should not be pushed with a person on it, so a wheelchair is more appropriate if she possibly would need to ride.)

Just to add for OP, a wheelchair will more likely be in stock vs a scooter but you'll still will probably need to wait in line first thing in the morning.

 

[elvispursley]

A rented wheelchair would not take up as much real estate in a room either

 

[mamabunny]

She doesn't use anything at home and actually gets around really well, but she has lung/breathing issues and gets out of breath easily. She lives on a big pond/small lake and doesn't really have any trouble making it around it (about a mile). I just know if we're in a hurry to make a ride or reservation she'll have to lag behind, and I know she doesn't want to be a burden.

She might not need one everyday, but I'd rather have it and not use it much than need it and not have it. We might just play it by ear. We usually do breakfast buffets, The Crystal Palace and Garden Grill are our favs, so hopefully I can get reservations before the park opens and get in line sooner. I'm also considering a wheelchair, that might be the better option. I just want her to have a place to sit when she needs to.

Are y’all flying in to Orlando? Just a thought - not only is Orlando quite a hike from the gate to the curb (and back again for the flight home) but your home airport could also be a long walk as well.

You can buy a decent manual wheelchair for a reasonable price on Amazon, or you can check Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist, NextDoor, etc. to see if you can find one for cheap (or even free if you get lucky). There are also community lending closets - often based out of churches, service organizations (like the Moose Lodge, The Elks, The Masons and/or Shriners) that will frequently have a lending closet as well. United Way organizations that are centered around helping disabled folks and seniors may also have resources for rental/lending.

Your Mom could push the manual chair when she wanted to walk, and ride when she needed to sit. It will fly for free on any domestic flight; typically it will be gate-checked, so she could take it all the way to the aircraft door. The same is all true for a Rollator.

°O° °o° °o° °o° °O° °o° °o° °o° °O°

As far as the issue with parking scooters in the hallway… I’m the person. We were in a crush of people at AKL during a fire alarm. There was a scooter that had been left in the hallway, and a woman who was trying to evacuate got “trapped” by the scooter, and could not get around it to get back out in the flow of traffic down the hallway and through the lobby, to go outside. You can read my original post about what happened here

So, yeah. I know of what I speak. I have been through a couple of other fire alarms at WDW hotels, but those were the direct result of construction workers accidentally setting off the system during the day. And I have escaped, and lived to tell the tale, from 3 different burning buildings (where there was visible flames & smoke) in my 60+ years. I take it very seriously.

 

[MICKIMINI]

I'd say it's a 50/50 shot for an ECV rental if you are not there at rope drop and even then, depending on the crowd it might not happen then. International Gate at EPCOT is the worst. CM's have told me there was no consideration made when Skyliner came into the picture AND there is minimum storage for them.

Just to clarify, yes you have use of an ECV at another park or the Springs IF one is available so keep your receipt. If you leave a park and plan to return let the CM know and they will keep your ECV for you when you return.

I don't know which is worse getting a wheelchair while you wait or just sitting and waiting as the clock ticks.

Best of luck

 

[maxiesmom]

Unless you are used to it pushing a wheelchair is very tiring. If your mom cannot walk long distances renting an ecv from an outside company is the way to go. They are typically nicer and easier to drive than the park ones anyway.

 

[serenitynow]

Unless you are used to it pushing a wheelchair is very tiring. If your mom cannot walk long distances renting an ecv from an outside company is the way to go. They are typically nicer and easier to drive than the park ones anyway.

Also, many of the ground surfaces are difficult to travel pushing a wheelchair. Wooden paths, bridges, hills, the streetcar tracks on Main Street in MK, etc. Animal Kingdom has the most challenging terrain.

I think you will both have a more enjoyable visit with an outside company ECV. It is cheaper than in park rental and you can use it outside the parks.

I would recommend Gold Mobility. We have always had excellent service and ECVs from Gold.

 

[BigOnDis]

We were there over spring break this past March, the week before Easter, so I would consider it a fairly busy time, and as long as we got to the park close to opening I had no problem getting an ECV.

 

[maryblanchard49]

I recommend getting them from a 3rd party vendor so you don't have to worry about them running out at the park. I always rent from Walker Mobility Scooter Rentals. They have never let me down. I go all day in the parks with their scooters.

 

[ttintagel]

If you do decide to rent a manual wheelchair or ECV from a third-party company and find out that the option you chose isn't working for you, they are really good about coming and switching you to the other. I started out a trip in a manual wheelchair once but found that there were more steep ramps and hills than I could cope with. The company had an ECV to me later that day.