To the west and south of Walt Disney World is a town called Kissimmee (pronounced Ki-sim-me, not Kiss-a-me).  Many hotels, resorts, timeshares, villas and direct private home rentals are there and their business is serving Disney visitors. 

While these accomodations can be as close as 2-3 miles from Disney, you do not have the benefit of Disney transportation.  Visitors staying in Kissimmee usually rent their own car, take a taxi or many of the properties provide transportation to and from Disney.  However this can pose a problem for a person who would like to utilize a mobility scooter a.k.a. electric wheelchair or electronic convenience vehicle (ECV) for their vacation.  Why?  One simple fact, most rental scooters are too heavy and do not easily disassemble for transportation.  But recently new lighterweight, better engineered mobility scooter rentals have become available that can allow a person staying off-property to easily transport.

Make sure you are truly getting a transportable model.  If it easily breaks down and fits in a car trunk you should be able to view your model of choice doing so via the Internet.  What a great thing the Internet is.  If you cannot easily find a video demonstration on a mobility scooter rental company’s website, call and ask how to see one or continue to look for another rental company.  You absolutely will need a lightweight, transportable mobility scooter rental if you are staying in Kissimmee.

Most of us who use a mobility scooter rental when visiting Orlando theme parks such as Walt Disney World, Universal Florida, or SeaWorld could benefit from using it both at the theme park as well as where we are staying.  Whether staying at a hotel, resort, timeshare, villa direct or private home, a mobility scooter a.k.a. electronic convenience vehicle (ECV) or electric wheelchair, would be great for getting around these places as well as any shopping malls we might visit.  But to do so you would need a mobility scooter that is transportable.

Transportable mobility scooters, models that fit into a car trunk, are the creme de la creme of rental models.  But don’t be fooled.  Now that mobility scooter renters know they exist and have made this feature a must-have for their rental, many scooter rental companies are now “claiming” their scooters can fit in trunks.

The easiest way to ensure you are getting the “real deal” is to see a video of the scooter you are going to rent in-action, being assembled, disassembled and ridden around.  Also when viewing these videos you should be shown the actual model fitting into a car trunk, and take notice as to what type of car.

If you have to rent a full size van to fit your scooter into then you may also need to rent a full size weight lifter to get it in there too!  And car rental upgrades are expensive.  You might pay a few dollars more a day to get the latest technology, lightweight, transportable scooter but that is a heck of a lot less than the cost of upgrading to a rental van.

Even if you are planning on staying on property and never leaving, having the flexibility to pop your scooter into a taxi trunk for a trip to a shopping mall, a recommended restaurant, or even around Disney or Universal property so you don’t have to wait for the bus (maybe your running late?)  is an advantage worth having at your disposal.

Florida is called the sunshine state for a reason…there is lots and lots of sunshine and therefore you might think it would be a good idea if not a neccessity to have a sunshade on your mobility scooter  a.k.a. electric wheelchair or electronic convenience vehicle (ECV) but there are plenty of factors to consider before requesting a sunshade on your mobility scooter rental.

1. The sun moves around the Earth (I know we all now know that), but what that means is the sun is moving all day long as are you when riding around theme parks such as Walt Disney World, Universal Florida, or SeaWorld.  There is a statistical probability that when using a sunshade compared to your position to the sun you will only be shaded 5% of the time.
2. Sunshades are a hinderance and wreaks all kinds of havoc when cruising through shops.  They get caught on hanging items, things sticking out from shelves, etc.  You can easily end up leaving a trail of destruction.
3. If you are transporting your mobility scooter, sunshades are screwed in and therefore you will need a screwdriver to remove and install it each time.

The best and most versatile solution…a hat and when leaving your scooter to eat or ride an attraction, make sure you park it in a shady spot so your seat and handles don’t get scorching hot.  And of course don’t forget your sunscreen either, it is Florida!