Non WDW Scooter Rental...last all day?

[DunkinNut]

We arrive in TWO DAYS!! SO SO happy! : ) Having said that, I have rented ECV's at Disney before and broken the BANK doing it. I'll need one each day for my whole stay (7 days) and I do need it all the way to our resort (on property). I am unable to turn it in and then walk to the bus/boat. I'm looking at Walker Scooters and Apple Scooters. Generally when my family "does" Disney - we hit the parks early and stay out all day. Sun up to sun down...park hopping and having a grand time. The websites for the scooter rental places typically quote 12 miles a day for how long the scooter will hold up before needing a recharge. Is that reasonable? That doesn't sound like enough. Even with the "5 mile per day" rule of thumb that most people quote for area covered while at the parks...is this enough? HELP? Any thoughts or suggestions?

[DunkinNut]

And also...can't I just find somewhere to plug it in at the park if needed for a mid-day charge?

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

My Mom rents an ECV when she's at the park (also from an off-site company) and we've never had an issue with battery life. We are careful to charge it every night, but it hasn't needed charging during the day.

If you happen to find that it isn't lasting long enough, call the company and they can swap the battery for you.

Since we've never had to charge in the parks, I'm not sure, but I have heard that there are some places (restaurants, First Aid) that will let you charge, but I'm not sure. Great Question - I'm going to be glad for the answer too!

[ransam]

try apple scooters. they will deliver to the park or to any resort and you can have it your whole trip.
I can't recomomend them high enough. they are cheap and the customer service is awesome.
as far as staying charged there is no problem. i am very heavy and i usually use it from morning to late at night and the charge line rarely moves.
if it did, you can plug them into any resturant, i've done that while i ate or whatever.

have a great trip.

[Itchy]

Here is another vote for Apple Scooters.

I will be renting one again in Sept for my lady friend from them. Never an issue with the battery and the charging unit is in a pouch on the back of the seat. Apple also includes the hazard insurance as part of the price. I just noticed that Apple had a price reduction from last year. Depending on how fancy a unit you want they have them from $135 to $185 for 7 days. They are like new units and they will deliver directly to your resort free and pick it up there when you are done.

Oh! did I say they were great folks to work with.

Happy planning and hope this helps..

[ElenitaB]

The one reason I rent with an offsite company (and specifically, Apple) is due to my own ECV''s horrid battery life. I have used their ECV's all day and have often not seen the needle move from "fully charged." Honestly, I was in awe and only wish my own ECV functioned as well.

As for charging mid-day, it's not all that easy to find a spot to plug in (I once did in the Pirates gift shop) and found that the battery (again, on my own equipment) needed more than a quick charge.

[cuteduck223]

we always use apple for my brothers ECV too. They're super great to work with. He usually does need to charge his at night (after all days at parks, especially when he's cruisin epcot) but he's also been able to plug it in all over if necessary. He stresses easy, so the first day or two, he charged it more because he didn't want to be stranded...but he never had a problem.

[PETE FROM NYC]

I have used Apple my last 2 trips, after learning about the company on INTERCOT. I also did my own research of a few other companies and found out that I got the biggest bang for my buck at Apple.
As for charging during the day, simply ask any cast member where to plug in for a while. Quite often, I will ask to plug in during a meal, and have never been given a hard time.
Now a small warning:
NEVER PLUG INTO ANY OUTDOOR OUTLET WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE DIMMED FOR A NIGHT PARADE BECAUSE THE VOLTAGE HAS BEEN LOWERED.

[DunkinNut]

Thank you all sooooo much! I had read in another thread that Apple was the way to go - but it feels "safer" to have more people agree!

I just rented mine online - it'll be at my resort at 10:00 a.m. hehehe How's that for last minute?

I had called Walker because I saw it listed on a very busy Diz board....but I just got a bad "feeling" when I spoke with the guy there. When I looked them up there were many compliments - but a few complaints as well. I just didn't feel comfortable - so I'm glad ya'll convinced me to go with Apple! I'll let you know if I run into any glitches....or I'll chime in with compliments! : )

Disney - look out! Here I come a-scootin' along!

[ransam]

For what it's worth, not much, i have used Walker and Randy's Moblity before, and both were fine. No problems at all. Expeically Randy's, they were very nice.

but Apple has blown both away. For me when i go to disney, i am very aware of deals but more importantly i kind of love the personal touch and GREAT customer service and i haver found that with Apple. not to mention, it's so much cheaper. (i even got a christmas card from them. lol)

someone mentioned that the needle didnt' move, and that is the #1 thing i lloved last time. I did recharge at night in my resort, but so often w/ other scooters i would have recharge at a resturant while eating or something, often barely making it back to the resort, but never had that w/ Apple.

have a great trip!

[Gator]

Apple Scooters worked great for my mom on our last trip. Good prices and good service. Just charge it up each night and you"ll be fine.

[DunkinNut]

Thanks to all that suggested Apple! I arrived at my resort (The Dolphin) and it was right there waiting for me! Used it for 8 straight days with no probs! The only glitch was my fault...forgot to charge it one night and didn't have time during our afternoon break for a full charge so I called them and they had a new battery out to me in less than 30 minutes. LOVE Apple Scooters....and though I hope I can get my foot healed up and get back to the gym and increase my endurance (fibromyalgia) so that I don't need a scooter next time...it's nice to know what a GREAT company they are in case I do need one! Boo....I'm home. Back to reality! : )

[Allenfow98]

i know im a little late to post, but just wanted to put my two cents in for anyone else who might read it in the future.
Apple scooters can not be recommended enough..there was a little snag in the very beginning with the delivery but we did it after hours and needed it the next morning. But once we got it there was no problems what so ever. The delivery guy was awesome in explaining everything. They are so easy to take apart for transportation, and the battery lasted forever, we did charge it every night, except one night we forgot, but even then the battery needle never came off of full charge. And also, the turning radius seemed to be a lot smaller than Disneys scooters, which makes it even easier to maneuver around the parks.

[CaptainSad]

Apple Scooters... They will last 25 miles per charge.. THat of course if you run it 25 miles sraight.. You don't do 25 miles in any of the parks in one day. It may seem it.. Got one for my mother a couple of years ago. Had only one problem. Went to DHS and when we got there it stopped running. Called them and 15 minutes later we were off and running again. Some wire was shorting it out. I would do them again in a heartbeat..