I need some ECV opinions/advice

Hi All,

My August trip is somewhat quickly approaching, and we are taking my Mom with us again on this trip.

She needs use of a (pretty well) full-time ECV while at Disney, and since we are staying at Fort Wilderness, we are hoping for one that can be transported in the car, so we can reduce the need for the internal/external bus situation at FW as much as possible.

We've used Buena Vista Scooter in the past, and were delighted with them. However, when we called to rent this time, they said that their ECV's are only guaranteed to last between 4 hours (for the one that breaks down) and 6 hours (for the one that doesn't). That doesn't seem too long. Is that 4 - 6 hours of running time? Will we be able to get a regular day of vacation out of it?

Are they just being cautious, or do we need to investigate something different? On other trips (to other places) she uses a cane or a walker, so the only place we're renting is Disney and this threw me for a bit of a loop. What advice can the exports offer?

I have never used Buena Vista Scooter, we have always used Apple Scooter. Their rates are cheaper and if you get one of there small ones they will break down so they can be put into a trunk of a car.

Our scooters we have gotten from apple have gone more than 4 hours, in fact unless we ran it really hard we did not need to charge it until we got back to our room. You can always take the charger with you and while you are having lunch or taking a break in the park put it on charge for a while.

I like Apple because they include damage insurance with the price. We have only had one issue where the ECV broke down and within 30 min we had a new one. They will respond to the resort or the park and handle the problem.

We have 2 reserved for our trip in Sept.

Hope this helps....:mickey:

Thanks for sharing! How long did the Apple people say it would last? (or did they give you any idea of time?)

We had a horrible Apple experience, and would be really hesitant to go back to them, but if they have what we need, we may have to think about it.

Hi (again!) Has anyone used Scooterbug? Any feedback?

am

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Originally Posted by ibelieveindisneymagic

Thanks for sharing! How long did the Apple people say it would last? (or did they give you any idea of time?)

We had a horrible Apple experience, and would be really hesitant to go back to them, but if they have what we need, we may have to think about it.

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I looked at their web site and it stated that the battery will last for 12 to 16 miles. That depends on the weight of the individual and terrain. If it helps we have gone to one park in the morning at 9 am and return to the resort and around noon. We did not recharge the battery. We would go to another park around 2 and return to the resort at 7 or 8 and we would recharge it then.

Sorry you had a bad experience I guess we have been lucky. I call them this time to reserve and we got a discount. Good luck...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ibelieveindisneymagic

Hi (again!) Has anyone used Scooterbug? Any feedback?

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Heather, I haven't heard of Scooterbug, but remember only certain ECV/wheelchair providers are Disney approved to deliver there. Apple and Buena Vista are both on the approved list.

Heather , I sent you a PM

I know you had a bad experience with Apple but we've had nothing but good experiences. Mom's battery actually lasted a 12 hour day, we just charged it every night. The only problem we had is we once tried leaving it outside our room plugged up and a kid unplugged it so her scooter died after a couple of hours in the park. We gave Apple a call and they were at the park within 30 minutes with a new battery pack for us. Good luck with whatever you choose.

From the official Disney website today, this is the current list of approved providers:

Best Price Scooters and Strollers: (866) 866-3434
• Apple Scooter: (800) 701-1971
• ScooterBug: (800) 726-8284
• CARE Scooter Rentals: (800) 741-2282
• Buena Vista Scooter Rentals: (866) 484-4797

Heather, I know you have posted before that you have had trouble with Apple Scooter in the past. I am a huge Apple fan and have rented from them 11 times and my brother-in-law 6 times. Maybe we've just been lucky but we have never had any issue with their equipment that hasn't been resolved within an hour.
I use the little Go-Go Elite Traveller which has the easier breakdown ability. The 3 wheeler has a tighter turning radius and the 4 wheeler more stability. There is a weight limit for it, but to be honest as my weight goes up and down like a yoyo, I'm often over the limit. It will go slower and not as far with added weight.
All that said I can go from our resort on the bus to breakfast at the Captain's Grill at the Yacht Club. Then zip through Epcot to the monorail out front and hop over to MK where we've been known to close down the joint at midnight or better and return to the resort. All done without any further need to charge the battery.
I am very, very careful about turning off my key while stationary.