Renting scooters

[mickeefan]

Does anyone know how much the scooters at the parks rent for daily? I understand you can rent them for a week at Medical Supply places and they are cheaper that way, I'm a little concerned that with two of them in our room we would not be able to move. We have also thought of renting one and swapping off during the day.
This will be the third year we have discussed doing this but always at the last moment when we get there we just say we can do it and don't rent them. We end up doing just part of what we had planned to do but hey it's Disney and we are very happy.We are thinking of just renting them on days where we would have much more walking like at Epcot or Animal Kingdom.
We set ourselves up a little kitty this year and by the time we go we will have enough to pay for them without cutting into our trip resources.
I guess it will boil down to not thinking about it and just going ahead and doing it. Neither of us can convince ourself we are ready for knee replacement so here are two experts at talking ourselves out of things.

[Snickerdoodlesmommy]

I personally have never rented them but I believe they are $40 per day or so. I do know that the ECV's go quickly, so you would want to get to the parks first thing, to guarantee that you would get one!

[BriarRose]

They are 35 I believe. I have MS and can't live without one on our long days. I don't usually get one from a medical supply place because I can't imagine getting around on the bus system yet. I think my biggest problem is I'm only 35 and don't look like anything is wrong with me and I ALWAYS get these looks from others. I know I shouldn't care but I want to say to them you always can't tell what is wrong with a person on the outside.

The worst thing is that on busy days they run out of them in the evenings if you are park hopping. So that would definately be a plus to renting one from another place.

I rent one for the full time in Las Vegas and it fits into the room just fine. You can always ask if it doesnt if they would remove the table. Disney is definately very accomadating to needs.

[Moley]

Hi Mickeefan,

I always recommend people budgeting for these since they really can make a difference if you have mobility or stamina obstacles you face.

So far as I know the rates for rental have stayed pretty standard the last few years. At the parks, you pay a $10 deposit and $30 per day rental.

From an offsite company, the well recommended Care Medical, which delivers and picks up the scooter, you pay two different prices depending on the scooter you need.

For people below the weight of 280, the rental cost is $30 per day and $200 for a week. For those who need the heavy duty model, the cost is $40 per day and $270 per week.

Here are some sites to help you in your considerations:

Intercot's Wheelchair Rental page (http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/specialneeds/default.asp)

Care Medical home page (http://caremedicalequipment.com/)

Deb Wills' excellent FAQ on ECV rental and use (http://allearsnet.com/pl/ecv_faq.htm)

Good luck in budgeting for this. I hope you can have some extra to make your stay more comfortable and restful. :)

[BetsyAnn]

Hi Mickeefan!

Moley - bet me to the information I was going to give you. :wink: So you are stuck with my 2 cents!

Care Medical is the one my uncle used. He hemmed and hawwed about it for weeks and even months - but after being able to do everything he wanted to do at WDW - he was very happy with his choice. Also one of the tires had a flat and they came to the park and exchanged the scooter - took less than 45 minutes for that to happen! I was very impressed with that!

We were staying at PO-R and there is no elevator in the building we were in. So they stored the scooter in the buggage storeage for us each night and re-charged it for us. This was just great. The bellhops could not have been nicer about it. My aunt and uncle did trade out on the scooter once in a while so that might work for you all or you could get two if that would make your enjoyment of the trip increase. You may want to check with the resort to see if they can store and re-charge the scooter(s) for you in the evenings.

Have a great trip!

[Joe]

Mickeefan, I'm sure that the Poly would store them for you in the luggage holding area if you asked. Their rooms are big, but I agree that 2 scooters might push it some.
Good luck and let us know what you find out.
Joe

[Lou-Ann]

Hi Mickeefan, I did just that in May of this year. What a joy it was to use it when needed and not when I was ok. I rented directly at the parks. ($40. per day with a $10 to be given back each day when you turn in the key). I had no problems at all. I did not wish to have something to have to cart from place to place and did not need or want it in the resort. I found them to have adequate supply. I was afraid that when I got to Epcot there may not be one but they reassurred me they have lots hidden in a building. I, too, after having one knee replaced am trying to put off doing the second and this is the way to go....best money I ever spent in the many times we have gone. I will not do without the scooter again as I found I had so much better stamina and could see and do so much more......Treat yourself and have a wonderful time..........It will be your Birthday, no???? I'd even buy a birthday baloon to go on it.........

[MissBianca]

The past two times I've been to WDW I've rented scooters for my whole stay and I so agree with Lou-Ann that a scooter is money well worth spending. It's a delightful way to add to your enjoyment. For example, you always have a seat to watch the parade plus a basket to carry those little extras like your water bottle and poncho.

This last trip, we stayed at the Poly and rented from Walker Mobility (http://www.walkermobility.com/faqs.htm) which has a very good relationship with Disney and very comfy scooters. The scooters are VERY manouverable and mine fit beautifully into the space in front of the unused door to the room adjourning ours. Two would be too much for one room, but there are spaces in the halls where they can be left to recharge--or the bell staff could keep them overnight.

Travel by monorail and boat with the scooters is very easy, although the small boat from the Poly to the MK does not accomodate them. Our bus drivers have been super nice about it but loading one onto a bus does take time.

Go for it Mickeefan! And let us know how it works for you.