Scooter Newbie

[EM Lawrence]

I’ve been reading some of the previous threads about ECVs and they have been extremely helpful. My family has a trip to WDW coming up in early November and I will need to use an ECV for the very first time. I’m nervous about it, but it is the only way my family will be able to make the trip. I’m nervous both about the actual driving of the EVC and about people’s reaction to me. I look perfectly healthy and I am young. But I can only walk very short distances right now, and become exhausted very easily. My kids are so excited about this trip, I don’t want to reschedule it. They have been stuck at home with a sick mom for months and thinking about this trip has brightened everyone’s mood.

I’ve seen people mention that you can charge your EVC while in the parks, but can anybody be more specific about where to do that or what that looks like? I’m paranoid about running out of battery power.

When going to the pool at your resort, how does that work? I would need the ECV to get back and forth to the pool, but probably could manage inside the gates. Should I just leave the ECV out of the way outside the gates, or is it ok to bring it near the pool loungers? Because I lack stamina in addition to having limited mobility, I think DH and I will spend more time sitting by the pool than we normally do on our trips.

We will have a car, so how difficult is it to put the ECV in the back of an SUV? Would it be better to only take Disney transportation?

We will be staying in a 1BR at BWV. I have requested a high floor because we find them less noisy. Should I request a ground floor room instead? How are the elevators working in the Covid era? Are the elevators at BWV tricky with an ECV?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Tiggerish]

When going to the pool at your resort, how does that work? I would need the ECV to get back and forth to the pool, but probably could manage inside the gates. Should I just leave the ECV out of the way outside the gates, or is it ok to bring it near the pool loungers? Because I lack stamina in addition to having limited mobility, I think DH and I will spend more time sitting by the pool than we normally do on our trips.

You can drive your ECV all the way to the lounger or table and chairs and park it right next to you. Save your stamina for other things. It is probably better to have it next to you where you can see it than leave it unattended outside the gates. Also it is better to have it near you in case you want to make a trip to the bathrooms, are combining it with doing laundry or visiting the pool bar.

 

[MulanMom]

That's great you are willing to use an ECV to enable your family to enjoy a trip to WDW. Although I was actually the first in our family to use an ECV in the parks (broke an ankle during a trip), my husband has a chronic medical condition where he's used one for about 15 years now. We started with renting off-site for the length of stay, then we drove and used our own ECV. Next trip will be a first with using our own ECV with air travel.

DH is a big guy so his ECV is heavy duty. We can break it down and place into an SUV, but the batteries weigh alot. When we've used our own car, we had a rack placed on the back that allowed us to drive the ECV on and off. I must say, usually while we are at WDW, we mostly rely on the busses, monorail and boats for getting around.

I know we've charged the ECV in the parks but I don't recall specific places, etc. I think our charge lasts my husband the entire day, but we make sure it gets fully charged overnight. With the pools, my DH has driven his ECV into the pool deck area and kept it beside a table as well as leaving it outside the gate. All depended on the configuration of the pool deck and the amount of walking. He can only walk short distances.

As for room location, in buildings without elevators, first floor is something we absolutely need. For elevators, my husband doesn't really care which floor we are on. I tend to keep an eye on where we are placed and what we will do in case an emergency happens. My husband can do stairs...not many and he's very tired afterwards. So it really hasn't been an issue as yet.

And please don't feel badly about needing to use an ECV. I understand. We've had to tune that out for years. Concentrate on your family. My husband resisted using an ECV for years, walking around in a MAFO (hard, rigid) leg brace. When he finally used the ECV, it was like a different trip for us as he finally had the energy to enjoy the time we spent together.

Good luck! Have a great time!

 

[RaySharpton]

I’ve been reading some of the previous threads about ECVs and they have been extremely helpful. My family has a trip to WDW coming up in early November and I will need to use an ECV for the very first time. I’m nervous about it, but it is the only way my family will be able to make the trip. I’m nervous both about the actual driving of the EVC and about people’s reactions to me. I look perfectly healthy and I am young. But I can only walk very short distances right now and become exhausted very easily. My kids are so excited about this trip, I don’t want to reschedule it. They have been stuck at home with a sick mom for months and thinking about this trip has brightened everyone’s mood.

I think it's normal to be nervous.

You could practice using the larger ECVs in a store near you like turning corners or passing nearby customers or backing up.

Or if it is possible or can if you can afford it rent an ECV near your that is the same as you would rent on your trip.

People's rude reactions do happen, but I have found far more guests being friendly and kind.

Rude reactions usually come from people that are rude all of the time as part of their everyday life.

I just smile and move on. It's not worth my time to respond.

I actually feel sad for rude people having to live with that type of character and their family. So sad.

Enjoy yourself and your children at WDW.

You don't have to explain anything nor respond to anyone. Just ignore them and roll on.

I’ve seen people mention that you can charge your EVC while in the parks, but can anybody be more specific about where to do that or what that looks like? I’m paranoid about running out of battery power.

You can ask any cast member for a spot, but most ECV's last all day.

But you must plug your ECV in at the end of your day. That should be the very first thing you do when you are back at your resort and you are finished using your ECV for the day.

Make sure your ECV recharging block and cord are correctly connected from the wall's electrical outlet to your ECV. Get to notice the color of the lights on your ECV recharging block before and after you charge your ECV. If there is no light then recheck your connections or change to another electrical outlet. The colors are usually red > yellow > GREEN. The next morning it should be green and ready for your day.

When going to the pool at your resort, how does that work? I would need the ECV to get back and forth to the pool, but probably could manage inside the gates. Should I just leave the ECV out of the way outside the gates, or is it ok to bring it near the pool loungers? Because I lack stamina in addition to having limited mobility, I think DH and I will spend more time sitting by the pool than we normally do on our trips.

Some resorts your resort magicband to unlock the pool gate with plenty of width to enter.

If opening the gate toward you drive straight to reach the handle and keep your arm stretched out holding the gate and use your ECV to slowly back up to open the gate.

Once you reach the backup limit, use your foot to move your hand over to the inside of the gate to hold it open as you roll forward.

When pushing a door open you can use both your hand and foot to help push the door open. Then use your hand to keep the door open as you pass through the doorway.

I would park the ECV next to your lounge chair. No problem.

Whenever driving in close quarters, I would get familiar with your speed control knob and use it like a car's foot accelerator to slow down or speed up. It comes in handy instead of constantly adjusting your handgrip on the forward/reverse lever. You don't necessarily need to keep your hand on the speed control knob, but it can easily limit your maximum speed when squeezing the forward/reverse lever. Especially in tight crowds or when using a bus ramp or parking.

Or you could pull off to the side when the crowd gets to busy and people watch.

You will physically and mentally feel so much better at the end of each day

We will have a car, so how difficult is it to put the ECV in the back of an SUV? Would it be better to only take Disney transportation?

Ask the ECV rental vendor you rent from for help.

Chose the correct ECV based on the occupant's weight and backpack/bags to hang onto the ECV. It makes a difference.
Are you going to lift the ECV by your self?
Does the ECV disassemble into parts?
How heavy is the heaviest part?
Do you want to disassemble and reassemble every time you travel to a park and back to your resort and other destinations?

There are a lot of nice, newer, lighter ECV's to rent.

We will be staying in a 1BR at BWV. I have requested a high floor because we find them less noisy. Should I request a ground floor room instead?

The one-bedroom is much larger than a studio. If available, I do the same thing as far as noise, but the boardwalk or main pool could be noisy regardless of the floor.

Are the elevators at BWV tricky with an ECV?

Just drive straight in near the wall so you can reverse and use the wall as a guide when backing out. I do the same thing using the Skyliner, but I use the bench to gauge the space when backing out. Or you could use a small mirror to see behind you

 

[Simba's Mom]

As far as worrying about other peoples' reactions to you, no one could be more worried than I was the first time I rented an ECV. I was on a solo trip, and the first thing I did was call home, crying, and said to DH "Guess what-I had to rent an ECV!" Then I started driving around with that chip on my shoulder, just daring anyone to say something-I just KNEW someone would. But you know what? No one did. Finally, I had to make my first trip to the restroom, and I had no idea what to do with my ECV. Eventually, I "scootered" up to a group of ECV riders, and they were so helpful, directing me, asking if they could help in any other way. And people were constantly running up to open doors. So my chip was gone by the end of the day. Oh, and I only recharged my battery once-that was when I'd forgotten to recharge the battery overnight. I learned that most restrooms (except Animal Kingdom-I'm not sure) have outlets in the little "lobby" area before the restroom. Park your scooter facing out and you can people-watch while you do a little charging.

 

[gap2368]

I’ve been reading some of the previous threads about ECVs and they have been extremely helpful. My family has a trip to WDW coming up in early November and I will need to use an ECV for the very first time. I’m nervous about it, but it is the only way my family will be able to make the trip. I’m nervous both about the actual driving of the EVC and about people’s reaction to me. Most people will not notice that you are in an ECV they are to busy looking at there phones going to the next ride or whatnot. My friend also used an ECV and she looked young a healthy she too could walk just not all day at Disney I look perfectly healthy and I am young. But I can only walk very short distances right now, and become exhausted very easily. My kids are so excited about this trip, I don’t want to reschedule it. They have been stuck at home with a sick mom for months and thinking about this trip has brightened everyone’s mood.

I’ve seen people mention that you can charge your EVC while in the parks, You can charge them at the parks my fried charged her while on the safari ( they have a few places to charge when you get on the ride but you really should not need to charge it as long as you turn it off when still, even if it is a few seconds ( normally this is taking the key out just a little) but can anybody be more specific about where to do that or what that looks like? You can ask a CM if your battery gets low and you need to charge it but like I said turn it off if you're not moving for even a few seconds I am pretty sure you can go to the ECV rental place to charge your own or rented ECV if need be. I’m paranoid about running out of battery power.

When going to the pool at your resort, how does that work? I am not sure but I would find an out of place spot to park your ECV Either just inside the gate where you can see it so that you can make sure no one messes with it someone might come on with more information I would need the ECV to get back and forth to the pool, but probably could manage inside the gates. Should I just leave the ECV out of the way outside the gates, or is it ok to bring it near the pool loungers? Because I lack stamina in addition to having limited mobility, I think DH and I will spend more time sitting by the pool than we normally do on our trips.

We will have a car, so how difficult is it to put the ECV in the back of an SUV? most ECV comes apart in a few peaces and can be put in the back of the ECV my friend and I could do it in about 5 minutes Would it be better to only take Disney transportation? Disney busses where easer for my friend to use than taking it apart and putting it back together and we would take the bus even though we had a car in fact out last day I took the ECV on the bus and my friend drove the car to the park

We will be staying in a 1BR at BWV. I have requested a high floor because we find them less noisy. Should I request a ground floor room instead? Are you talking about the boardwalk if so I am pretty sure you will be fine with the elevators How are the elevators working in the Covid era? Are the elevators at BWV tricky with an ECV?

Thank you in advance!

The red is mine replay I just wanted to add that this will be a different trip with an ECV but it will still be a good one and you will have a good time. I would also spend a few minutes at the resort when you get the ECV just driving it around the area without the crowds just to get used to it this dose not need to belong just a few minutes is all.

 

[Tiggerish]

I’ve seen people mention that you can charge your EVC while in the parks, but can anybody be more specific about where to do that or what that looks like? I’m paranoid about running out of battery power.

Here is a link to a thread from the past about charging in the parks. It also has some tips about getting the most out of your battery.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/how-easy-is-recharging-scooter-in-wdw-parks.3754251/#post-60718620

 

[MonkAdrianMonk]

You shouldn't need to charge a properly working battery during the day if you
Fully charge it every night
Turn it off when you're stopped for more than 15-30 seconds (like waiting to enter a show or intermittent loading ride)
Remove the key when you stop for a long time (in a show) when you leave it to ride something, while dining)

 

[EM Lawrence]

Thank you all for the kind and helpful responses!

One of the rental companies advertised a lighter, smaller ECV that had a range of 12 miles. I hope this does not sound silly, but I have no good context for that. Would even that range be enough to make it an entire day if I practice good battery hygiene ?

 

[Tiggerish]

It should be plenty. My power wheelchair has a range of 9 miles and that has been enough for most of my Disney World trips. However, the stated range always assumes that it is a new battery, that your weight is well within the recommended weight for that ECV and that you do the appropriate battery saving procedures. If one of those is off, your range will be reduced.

I can suggest that for the first couple of days, take the battery charger with you. That way you know you can find a place to recharge if your battery indicator says you need to and have the peace of mind that you have a contingency plan. After you have had a couple days usage, you will be more confident and may decide it is not necessary to bring it.

The ECV will have a series of lights green, yellow and red to indicate how much battery remains. I don't start to worry until I am using my last green and have made it home with a wing and a prayer on the last yellow. The later was the year that I had an old battery and I was with several family member and carrying all the water bottles for the group which put me over my weight category.

If during your first day or two your ECV is not making it through the entire day, call the provider and ask that they come exchange it because it is not maintaining a proper charge.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thank you all for the kind and helpful responses!

One of the rental companies advertised a lighter, smaller ECV that had a range of 12 miles. I hope this does not sound silly, but I have no good context for that. Would even that range be enough to make it an entire day if I practice good battery hygiene ?

I understand your question, and yes, the scooter with a 12 mile range will be fine. I suspect that's the GoGo Sport. Is it? If so, that's what I've rented several times, and it's always lasted very well all day. The scooter has about 6 little lights to show how charged your ECV is. By the end of a super-busy day, I might be down one of the lights when I go uphill. Otherwise it shows fully charged.

 

[TCRAIG]

Love my GoGo scooter - it’s very easy to drive and fits fine in the back of my Honda CRV.. I drive it everywhere at WDW and the charge will last you all day. I too always request a high floor and have never had a problem with taking it onto the elevator...I decorate my scooter for the season (dollar store stuff) and get lots of positive reactions from everybody.

 

[Bete]

First, you can go to a local mobility store and check out the different scooters. Pride is one brand of scooter that's very popular. You can probably get them to show you how the portable travel scooters come apart. Then, you can feel each scooter piece to see the weight of each piece. I personally feel more comfortable with two people handling the base of the scooter in and out of a vehicle especially if using a trunk. SUVs and vans are easier for transporting scooters.

If you have a local zoo I would go there and use it for practice. They rent scooters at the zoo. Hopefully, you can be dropped off close to the zoo entrance; so, you don't need to walk so much. Worse to worse, you can wait until your companion gets the scooter for you and brings it on the inside of the zoo entrance for you. If you can't do this then using store scooters will have to be what you can do to practice.

When you are stopped for a while you want to shut the scooter off like with a park show. For, example, watching the show, Halls of President in MK, you want your scooter off. This will conserve your battery power.

Using an offsite scooter vendor you will be responsible charging your battery everyday. This is crucial or you won't have much battery power for the next day. It does take a while to get full battery power.

Remember to take your scooter key with you when you are eating or away from the scooter.

Ride queues have a lot of turns in a small radius; so, you may have a learning curve, here.

With regards to elevators someone may have to hold the door open;so, it doesn't shut on anyone in your party.

Caution is necessary in the park regarding other guests. You will find people will dart out in front of you. You need to react quickly sometimes not to hurt someone. Fortunately, you are going during a calmer time; so, this shouldn't be as bad as normal times. It might be good to have a leader in your group out in front of you for safety purposes.

Scooters are wonderful in regards to allowing one to have the strength and energy to last a longer day at the parks.

 

[EM Lawrence]

I understand your question, and yes, the scooter with a 12 mile range will be fine. I suspect that's the GoGo Sport. Is it? If so, that's what I've rented several times, and it's always lasted very well all day. The scooter has about 6 little lights to show how charged your ECV is. By the end of a super-busy day, I might be down one of the lights when I go uphill. Otherwise it shows fully charged.

Yes, that is the one! The other scooters (Victory I think) advertise a longer range, which made me question whether the 9-12 miles would be enough! Thank you!

 

[EM Lawrence]

For a complete novice, do you think 4 wheels vs 3 wheels makes a difference? Based on what I read, the 4 wheel is more sturdy, but the 3 wheel has a sharper turning radius. For all of those long line queues with twists and turns, would both the 3 and 4 work just as well?

 

[RaySharpton]

Yes, that is the one!..[GO-GO]... The other scooters (Victory I think) advertise a longer range, which made me question whether the 9-12 miles would be enough! Thank you!

The Victory® 10 - 3-Wheel is a lot heavier at 133-lbs. The heaviest disassembled front section weighs 54-lbs And it has two larger 40-AH rated batteries that weigh 32-lbs each battery that extends up to 16 miles if you weigh less than 400-lbs.

It also has two smaller U1 batteries that would mean less than the possible16 miles if you weigh less than 400-lbs.



The Go-Go® Sport 3-Wheel is much lighter at 93-lbs. The heaviest disassembled front section weighs 35-lbs And it has two good 28-AH rated batteries that each weigh 14-lb and that lift out in a 28-lb battery pack that extends up to 14.5 miles if you weigh less than 325-lbs.

I think a very good design that takes advantage of lighter materials means less weight for longer possible distance. Add to that if you have the 28-AH rated batteries instead of the 18-AH rated batteries which would mean less possible distance.

For a complete novice, do you think 4 wheels vs 3 wheels makes a difference? Based on what I read, the 4 wheel is more sturdy, but the 3 wheel has a sharper turning radius. For all of those long line queues with twists and turns, would both the 3 and 4 work just as well?

I prefer the three-wheel for the reasons you describe, but others may have their own opinions.

There are several Pride Mobility brand Go-Go mobility scooters in both the three-wheel and four-wheel models.

But Rental mobility scooter Vendors don't carry all of the different types of Go-Go mobility scooters that are available to buy like the ones listed below.

Here is a link to one of the sellers to the Go-Go mobility scooter if your interested.

Go-Go Elite Traveller® 3-Wheel
Go-Go Sport® 3-Wheel
Go-Go® Ultra X 3-Wheel
Go-Go® LX with CTS Suspension 3-Wheel
Go-Go® Folding Scooter 4-Wheel
Go-Go® ES 2 3-Wheel

Below are direct links to the Go-Go Sport mobility scooters Brochure, Specifications, and the Go-Go Universal Manual.

You won't need them to rent, but this is how I research before I want to purchase or rent.

The Rental Vendors usually have a list of the mobility scooters they carry that you can also use in your research and decision making.

Go-Go Sport Brochure

Go-Go Sport Specifcation Sheet (US/Canada)

Travel Scooter Series Owner's Manual (US/Canada)

 

[EM Lawrence]

This is very helpful, thank you!

 

[cobright]

I’m nervous both about the actual driving of the EVC and about people’s reaction to me. I look perfectly healthy and I am young.

I have spent a great deal of time working on mobility tech over the last 10 years. It started as a hobby, a practical application of my somewhat eccentric skillset. For the last 4 years I have been working specifically on developing automated driver assistance for a powerchair system (primarily obstacle avoidance, but some self driving applications as well). I have hundreds and hundreds of hours of collected data on just how much people pay attention to ECVs and Powerchairs. If the computer co-pilot can know that a person sees it, it is better able to predict that person's behavior as they walk through the crowd.

I can't say what they think about seeing you in a ECV. But I can objectively state that, unless you are blocking a doorway, they will not see you much at all. I can measure '2nd party object tracking', meaning my Computer Vision can tell what the people around it are looking at. It can tell how long a person around it looks at the Powerchair and how long the same person looks at other people in the same area. Not seeing you isn't the same as not thinking bad thoughts about you but ... it does seem to indicate that they would rather concern themselves with other things altogether.

This feels like it should be an indictment against our species, but for the friend I am working on this most directly for, it's often quite liberating. And ... IMO we're far past redemption as a species but I keep those thoughts to myself around her.

People's rude reactions do happen, but I have found far more guests being friendly and kind.

I have found Mr. Sharpton's observations to be spot on ... if maybe a little over-generous.

For a complete novice, do you think 4 wheels vs 3 wheels makes a difference?

Without a great suspension system (like the kind rental scooters usually lack) 3 wheelers are likely going to be more stable in practice. An exception might be a heavier person who will need to really push against the chair, laterally, when getting in or out.

Closing notes ... you'll be fine. Driving these things is very intuitive and the learning curve short. Other guests are way more interested in themselves than you (unless you're blocking a door). There's always jerks but for the most part WDW offers better fodder than someone in a wheelchair. I'm a mostly horrible person, I love (discretely) pointing out people to my companion who I think are just awful and I don't think that person has been a wheelie more than a time or two. In my defense, that person released their child's mickey balloon because they had to run to make a fast pass on the little mermaid ride.

 

[RaySharpton]

I have spent a great deal of time working on mobility tech over the last 10 years. It started as a hobby, a practical application of my somewhat eccentric skillset. For the last 4 years I have been working specifically on developing automated driver assistance for a powerchair system (primarily obstacle avoidance, but some self driving applications as well). I have hundreds and hundreds of hours of collected data on just how much people pay attention to ECVs and Powerchairs. If the computer co-pilot can know that a person sees it, it is better able to predict that person's behavior as they walk through the crowd.

I can't say what they think about seeing you in a ECV. But I can objectively state that, unless you are blocking a doorway, they will not see you much at all. I can measure '2nd party object tracking', meaning my Computer Vision can tell what the people around it are looking at. It can tell how long a person around it looks at the Powerchair and how long the same person looks at other people in the same area. Not seeing you isn't the same as not thinking bad thoughts about you but ... it does seem to indicate that they would rather concern themselves with other things altogether.

This feels like it should be an indictment against our species, but for the friend I am working on this most directly for, it's often quite liberating. And ... IMO we're far past redemption as a species but I keep those thoughts to myself around her.


I have found Mr. Sharpton's observations to be spot on ... if maybe a little over-generous.


Without a great suspension system (like the kind rental scooters usually lack) 3 wheelers are likely going to be more stable in practice. An exception might be a heavier person who will need to really push against the chair, laterally, when getting in or out.

Closing notes ... you'll be fine. Driving these things is very intuitive and the learning curve short. Other guests are way more interested in themselves than you (unless you're blocking a door). There's always jerks but for the most part WDW offers better fodder than someone in a wheelchair. I'm a mostly horrible person, I love (discretely) pointing out people to my companion who I think are just awful and I don't think that person has been a wheelie more than a time or two. In my defense, that person released their child's mickey balloon because they had to run to make a fast pass on the little mermaid ride.

I think it is wonderful that you are working so tirelessly for your friend to find a solution to "developing automated driver assistance for a powerchair system (primarily obstacle avoidance, but some self-driving applications as well)."

I agree with you about other people not noticing us unless we are blocking their path.

In my experience of the very few times, a person cuts me off or hits me for not noticing me, far more people will stop and apologize.

Still, there is a rare occurrence, although a memorable experience, when a person swivels their head around in an "exorcist movie style" yelling "you people are always hitting me." Or yelling something that it was my fault as they rush on their way to get to where they are going.

The shock of one of those rare occurrences for me makes me feel sorry thor them and their family and their children because they must live with this type of attitude every day.

I can't recall it happening to me in the past two years.

I agree about the stability and suspension.

Before retiring and without a car, I had to buy a 4-wheel mobility scooter. Rolling over a lot of cracked sidewalks and a lot of slanted driveways and a few poorly designed street crosswalk ramps I switched to a heavy-duty 4-wheeler with a large, compfy captain's chair and suspension on all four wheels.

But because it was so big and heavy, I still took my over a decade old 3-wheel REVO mobility scooter to WDW. I thought it would be easier turning 180-degrees in the attraction queues.

The only time I felt like tipping over was on a WDW bus on an unusually fast, hard turn. My body lurched toward the ailse and my weight caused the 3-wheeler to tilt. That might have been harder in a 4-wheeler if that makes sence.

But over the decades of new designs, I saw a lighter 4-wheeler with a new turning mechanism that allowed a much smaller turning radius of 38-inches like the one below.



ZERO TURN 8 4-WHEEL (JAZZY ZERO TURN)

I have to say again, your friend, "has a great friend in you."

 

[Simba's Mom]

Regarding renting a 3 wheel vs 4 wheel (this is also true for potential buyers), the 4-wheel ones USED to be more stable. However, over the years, the 3 wheel ECVs have been built with better stability. Recently I purchased a 3-wheel Traveler Elite (or was it Elite Traveler?). Anyways, I asked the sales person about stability of 3-wheel vs 4 wheel. Even though the 4 wheel cost a little more, and she'd get more of a commission (LOL) she recommended the 3-wheel, saying it was just as stable. I'm a bird watcher, and often travel over bumpy paths, tree roots, etc., yet I've never had a problem. At the parks, I've rented the 4-wheel in-park monsters, and the much smaller 3-wheel off-site, and found the 3 wheel MUCH easier to maneuver.