There are several external companies that rent mobility scooters a.k.a. electric wheelchairs, electronic convenience vehicles, ECVs for use at Walt Disney World.  Here is a quick reference of tips for deciding which type of scooter to select and which company to rent from:

• Select a company that has several models to choose from.  Everyone is not the same size, so just like a shoe, different people need different sizes and fit.
• Most rental companies only offer one or two different models.  This makes it easier for them! Less parts to keep in stock for repair, less training and knowledge needed for the staff for maintenance and repair.
• If a company touts that they have been in business 10, 20 + etc. years, you will want to make sure the scooter they are renting you is NOT THAT OLD!  Older rental scooters have been seen at Disney World with the renter carrying with them a charger the size of a car battery!
• Make sure their website has plenty of pictures and videos of the scooter models they rent. Nothing is better than a video of the actual models both being ridden around and if they are transportable, videos showing you how they disassemble and reassemble.
• Do you need to transport your scooter?  If you will be transporting in a car, once again make sure you see a video of how it fits into a car and make SURE the car is truly a car and not a MINI VAN with the entire back area folded down and check the total weight of the scooter!
• If you are staying on property, you may want to select one of the new specialty on-property models with the larger wheels and big luxury seat which equates to a much more comfortable ride. However, if there is a chance that you might want to take a taxi to a local shopping area or a restaurant off-site, still consider a transportable model that will fit in a taxi trunk but make sure it is truly lightweight and transportable.  Most all mobility companies are now stating their scooters are transportable but forget to mention that they weigh 100-200+ pounds!
• Ensure the scooter has a quick charge capacity and charges from flat in about 5 hours.  Once again this capability is an additional cost to the scooter rental company but imperative to you the renter.   Many times you will get in late from a day at the parks and might only have a few hours between coming home at night and going back first thing in the morning.  You want to make sure the scooter you rented has the latest technology and that includes the capability for quick charging.

Lastly, make your reservations as early as possible to ensure you can get the scooter model and type that best suits your needs.  You typically can cancel up to 48 hours before arrival without penalty so, if your vacation plans change you can adjust or cancel your reservation if need be.

If you have been to Florida in the summer then you know it is the rainy season. Typically it is a welcome relief in the late afternoon where thunderstorms will pass through the area for 20-30 minutes and drop the temperature to the 70’s, making for a bit cooler evening.  So don’t think of it as a intrusion on your vacation, instead watch the skies and plan around it.  For instance. try to hit one of the many indoor, covered shows at a park or pick a great store to shop in for your souvenirs, or a restaurant or snack place for afternoon refreshments. Rarely does it rain all through the evening.  But how does this affect your mobility scooter rental, electronic convenience vehicle (ECV)? Mobility scooters manufacturers design to government ADA (American Disabilities Act) standards and more importantly requirements for those getting insurance or government medical assistance purchase assistance.  Believe it or not, for a person to qualify for monetary assistance in a purchase of a mobility scooter, a doctor has to confirm it is medically necessary for the mobility scooter to be needed for getting around inside their own home!  And guess what, it doesn’t rain inside their home! The point is, it is best to either be under cover during a heavy downpour or get one of those nice big rain ponchos which is usually big enough to fit over you and the front of your scooter where the driving mechanism is. This will keep both the driving mechanism, the seat and you from getting wet! And also don’t forget that Orlando scooter rental models that have vinyl seats are best, due to the rain.  Once the cloth seat versions (which are typically less expensive for the rental company to purchase and require less maintenance) get wet, it can take up to several days in the hot sun for it to dry out.  And believe me there is nothing worse than sitting on a wet seat all day!

Mobility Scooters are engineered and also submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to get it’s 510(k) rating.  To ensure you are renting your mobility scooter for your Orlando vacation and use at Walt Disney World, Universal, Sea World or any of the area attractions or resorts from a reputable source, it is advisable to ensure the rental company is adhering to the manufacturers maximum weight capacity for the model of the scooters they rent. This in particular applies to the higher weight capacity scooters, above 450 pounds.  It is recommended that you check with the scooter rental company to confirm the scooter model you will be renting and then check the manufacturers website to ensure the weight capacity maximum represented by the renting company is accurate.

When renting a mobility scooter, if you are not sure that the fleet of scooters your rental company is renting are ALL newer models, new technology scooters, that fully charge quickly (around 5 hours) you might want to confirm something as simple as the size of the battery charger.  The battery charger is what you use to plug in your scooter at night to re-charge the batteries. Some of the older fleet rental scooters have chargers the size of car batteries!  Yes, car batteries.  You might have seen one and not even known what you saw… unfortunately they have been seen frequently on Walt Disney World rental mobility scooters from external rental companies that are using older scooters in their fleet and the riders have to carry around their “car-size” rental battery charger even with them while in the park which only leads you to believe the battery life of the scooter to begin with may not have been enough for a full day without plugging in or since these are older scooters and chargers, they take a LONG time to fully re-charge and the rider was not able to get a full-charge in overnight and therefore had to take their charger with them.  Ask the right questions, make sure you get a newer scooter, new technology, and a guaranteed quick-charge, small (smaller than a brick and much lighter weight) battery charger. 

As you may imagine, or already know, the parking lots and common areas you have to transit before actually going through the ticket gates into Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom are quite a long distance.  If you are travelling by car and have a handicap sign, bring it with you so you can park in the handicap lot.  The handicap lot has a location where you can get, if any are there, wheelchairs that you can use at no charge to get someone to the ticket gate.  However, even if you can get one to use, you need to be aware that the handicap parking lot requires you to travel down and back up an incline that is the walkway underneath a road bridge overhead and if you decide to take the monorail, you have an approximately two story incline up to the monorail platform.  And once you get off the monorail you have another decline back down to the entry area and another slight incline back up to the security checkpoint and ticket gate entrance.  From this author’s experience even pushing a 3 year old this distance up an down in a stroller is taxing. 

If you want to avoid the up and down to and from the monorail to get to the Magic Kingdom you can:

• Take the ferry boat instead of the monorail.  You may have to wait longer but can avoid the taxing up and downs. 
• Stay at a Disney on-site hotel where you can either walk or boat over (The Contemporary, Grand Floridian or The Polynesian) or any other Disney property that has bus service which drops you off at the Magic Kingdom entrance level.

The good news is right inside the ticket gates is the Magic Kingdom wheelchair and scooter rental area but make sure you get there bright an early as during peak periods they sell out first thing and have long wait times to even get one.  As of this article writing date, scooter rental is $65 a day (approximately $5 refundable amount included for key).

A better alternative if you know you or someone in your party will need walking assistance is to arrange for an Orlando scooter rental for your use during your visit.  Whether you are staying on-property or off, there are transportable mobilty scooters that are full-size, lighweight and can fold-up or easily disassemble and fit in a car trunk.  And even if you are staying on-property you can benefit by having a scooter you can use both in the theme parks as well as at your resort and getting to and from the parks.

Make sure you reserve a scooter as far in advance as possible to ensure you get the model that best suits your needs and select a company that has a wide variety to choose from and provides video overviews of each of their models so you know exactly what you will be getting.

Rentals have tripled from just 12 months ago.  More and more last minute calls are coming in for scooter rentals.  Walt Disney World has raised their prices for a daily in-park scooter rental to $65 a day (includes key deposit that you get back) and reports from customers are they are still running out first thing in the morning.  So if you are planning to rent a scooter at the park you either need to get to Disney first thing and get in line at the park you are visiting or renting a scooter like you might do a car and using it at your hotel or resort, all the theme parks including getting to and from either your car or buses, monorail, boats etc.If you do decide to rent your own scooter to use during your visit you need to consider if you are staying on-property or off.  If you are off-property, make sure you rent one of the newer advanced technology scooters that are aluminum frames which make them roomy yet full-size and light enough to fold-up or easily disassemble and will fit in a car trunk.  If you are staying on-property, consider whether you might ever want to take your scooter to a different location such as a mall, another theme park, a restaurant or perhaps decide to use a car, taxi or shuttle service rather than waiting for on-property transportation (maybe your running late and would like to just get there sooner by car or taxi).   If you MIGHT want to use alternative transportation and take your scooter with you, go for a transportable model, but if not, consider a fun specially outfitted on-property model.All the Orlando rental companies have websites and you should look for one that is the most informative, has long telephone/office service hours, commits to repair and replacement, will service you inside a theme park and finally offers detailed video clips of each model so you can make the best informed decision.