While never discussed, everyone that utilizes a mobility scooter (which runs on battery power) can do their part and make a significant difference.

Mobility scooters utilize batteries that must be charged overnight for use again the next day.  By selecting the newest technology, lightweight, innovative designed mobility scooters for your Walt Disney World, Universal, and/or Sea World Orlando rental you can get a full size scooter and also be environmentally friendly and “green” too!

Scooters that weight 150 to 200 plus pounds translates into needing and using more battery power and correspondingly more electricity every night to charge those bigger batteries.  New, advance designed scooters that are lightweight require much less battery power and the less weight the scooters have to move, which includes it’s own weight, the smaller the battery power required and the less battery power the less amount of time and energy/electricity it takes to charge each night. Translation, being “green” and environmentally friendly.

When on vacation the last thing you really want to concern yourself with is your “carbon footprint” and energy savings but there are still simple things we all can do and consider.  Turning off the lights in our rooms before we leave them and not leaving a window or balcony door open with air-conditioning on are easy to do on vacation as we all most-likely do those things at home already.  And another easy thing you can do when preparing, researching and making your reservations for your Walt Disney World, Universal, or Sea World Orlando mobility scooter rental is ensuring you are selecting an advanced designed, lightest-weight, mobility scooter which you feel will be the best for our planet.

Look for the Best-In-Class environmentally friendly “green” scooters and do your part even while on vacation!

• It is estimated that the average miles of walking a day at Disney World is 13 miles, yes 13 miles.
• Disney resorts are huge!  It can be a 15 minute walk just to get to the buses to get to a theme park.
• All Orlando resorts are huge ranging upwards to 20,000 rooms!
• the average temperature in Jan is 72 degrees, nice, but anywhere starting in April through October you can be in the high 80’s or 90’s with 100% humidity!

There is no shame in utilizing a mobility scooter for a Disney World, Sea World, Universal Florida Orlando Vacation.  The best thing to do is to arrange to have one delivered to your hotel, resort, timeshare, or private home and be able to use it anywhere, anytime.  Prices start as low as $25 a day and there are both scooters that can fit in a car trunk if you are commuting to the theme parks or specialty models that can only be transported via buses such as the Disney on-property transportation.

The scooter no longer look like they are for old-people and invalids.  There are now models which are sporty looking and not so bulky and the 3-wheeled version are best for maneuverability and speed.

• February around President’s Day weekend
• March-April for spring break
• May Memorial Day and school summer vacations begin
• June & July for summer family vacations
• August until school resumes
• October & November
• December from the second week through the first week in January

During these peak times scooters get sold out everywhere…from external companies as well as on-site at the theme parks.  Most external companies provide a cancellation policy of 48 hours without penalty, so it is best to go ahead and reserve in advance and cancel if you need to at the last minute.  This way you ENSURE you get the best scooter, one that fits your individual needs and preferences and you can get it from the company of your choice, with a large fleet and many model choices and excellent service commitments such as:

• Long operating hours – should open early in the morning, prior to theme park opening and till park closing

• Service commitment guaranty for maintenance, repair and/or replacement of 2-4 hours

• Ability to service you inside a theme park (not make you come to them)
• A variety of scooter models, just in case you find the one you selected does not meet your needs

Don’t be one of the many that think about it, try to go without one and then ruin your vacation because you decide at the last minute you really would like to rent a scooter for Disney touring but now they are all sold-out.  If you do find yourself in this last minute situation and have to settle for what might be left to rent, do your best to find out:

• how old the scooter is,
• how large the battery charger is,
• what condition the seat is in and is it cloth (they get wet and then you are stuck with a wet seat the whole time) or vinyl, and so forth.

Unfortunately during peak busy times many rental companies pull out their old units that should be retired just to have something to rent to you.  While you may have to settle for one, do your best to find the best from what is left.

1. Make sure you don’t have to put up with a wet seat!  Florida is hot and summer season is rainy season.  Make sure your rental scooter has a water repellant, vinyl, seat.  Many scooters that are rented have the less expensive cloth seats and while they are sold as more comfortable in the heat, reality is you cannot wipe them dry when caught in one of the afternoon thunderstorms that rolls through (and cools things off a bit) and you end up sitting on a wet seat.  Ick.
2. Ensure you have enough battery power!  Scooters are built by manufacturers for individual’s, not rental companies and an individual using it for their personal use aren’t driving around huge area’s for 12 plus hour days. If you start out at 8 am to get to the theme parks by typical opening time of 9 am and go till a midnight closing, that is 15 hours of battery power needed.  Make sure the rental company quotes battery usage time.
3. Size does matter!  The older technology scooters are all very heavy, about 200 pounds.  The heavier the scooter, the larger the batteries needed, the more weight the scooter has to move (person and batteries) which all contributes to making the scooter heavier – it is a vicious cycle.  Older technology, lighter weight scooters which were built with transportability in mind are small, really small.  No extra foot room and if you are larger in height or statue you look like a giant riding on a kids tricycle.  New technology scooters provide room, usually more leg/floor room than the older, heavier scooters and are lightweight.
4. Don’t get roped into the sunshade canopy.  Florida is sunny, theme park paths go in all directions: north, south, east & west.  It is estimated that a sunshade canopy will provide shade less than 5% of the time which is not worth the problems they can pose and they do not protect you from the rain. Issues include when going indoors such as the great theme park shops, the canopies tend to get caught on items higher up on shelves and clothing racks. Imagine Mickey hats raining down around your ears (pun intended:)).
5. Using your scooter basket.  All scooters come with baskets.  All older versions have them on the front which many people like but when they are on the front they have to be smaller.  Newer technology versions have them on the back and can optionally put one on the front if you so desire.   If you aren’t sure about basket placement for the rental you are considering, call and ask and if you want it on the back versus front or vice versa, or want the to have both, just call and ensure the company you rent a scooter from in Orlando will accommodate your request. Recommendation:  Ask for both and therefore you have your choice!

Most importantly, make sure the orlando scooter rental company has detailed descriptions and videos of the actual scooter model you are going to rent on their website.  Watch the video and make sure that is the best model for you!

1. Rent a scooter inside the Disney World theme park you are visiting on a daily basis or
2. Rent a scooter from an external mobility scooter, electronic convenience vehicle, ECV, electric wheelchair, company

Following is a few things to think about to help make your decision.

• Can the person walk enough to get inside the park?  This may include getting from their hotel to a bus, from a bus to just inside the park where you can rent a scooter.  If coming by car, walking from the parking lot to the park entrance or to a tram, monorail etc.  (In the handicap parking lots, Disney does provide wheelchairs for use in the lot on an as available basis but you must relinquish them before you get to the park entrance or transportation area.)  If the answer is yes they can walk that far, then you might consider daily rentals from the park, if it is no, you should consider renting a scooter from an external company so you can use it to also get to and from the park.
• Is it imperative that the person has a scooter for touring the park? During busy times the park scooters do get sold out and they are rented on a first come first serve basis.  If you absolutely have to have a scooter the only way to guaranty you will have one for your use would be to arrange to rent one from an external company where you can order your rental as far out as 1 year.  The external rental companies typically have a 48 hour cancellation policy, so you can make a reservation in advance and cancel at the last minute if your plans change.
• Would the scooter rider benefit from having a scooter to get around at their hotel or resort?  External Orlando scooter rental companies deliver scooters to your hotel so you can use them not only to get to and while at the parks, but also around the hotel, which most of them are quite large!
• Are you staying on or off-property?  If on-property, you should consider whether you will always be on-property or if you might want to take a car or taxi to somewhere off-property such as a shopping mall or restaurant etc.  If you might want to go off-property, make sure you rent a truly lightweight and transportable scooter that will fit in a car/taxi trunk.  If you are staying on-property, you can still rent one of the sportier, luxury transportable models or one of the new specialty on-property models that have the new large luxury seats, dual baskets and large wheels for the smoothest ride ever!

When renting from an external company make sure they:

• have a wide variety of scooter types to choose from
• provide details and videos of the actual model you want to rent
• operate 7 days a week, including (especially) holidays
• their hours of operation match park operating hours to ensure they will be available to support you should you have a question or issue from early morning to late night
• provide a time guaranty for repair or replacement, if needed
• will come into the park to provide service or support
• have an on-line ordering process insurance coverage C-O-M-O-D-O SSL SECURE certificate. This certificate provides coverage for you the renter, when placing your on-line reservation.  If they have this C-O-M-O-D-O certificate a logo should be displayed on the order page.  You should be able to click on the Certificate logo to find out if they have truly provided insurance coverage for you and the amount.  Check for it before you begin entering any information! Make sure your scooter rental company cares about and has taken steps to help protect your information.

Most Orlando mobility scooters rentals for Disney, Universal, Sea World or Kennedy Space Center are too large and heavy and do not easily disasseble or fold-up.  However scooter rental companies that have the latest and greatest technology mobility scooter fleet are providing aluminum frame (which means lightweight yet sturdy) scooters which are engineered to either fold-up or easily disassemble to fit in a car trunk.  Also, if you are going on a cruise, you will absolutely want something lightweight and folds up to save space in your cabin.

These new fleet, advanced technology scooters are renters first choice and therefore get booked first, so make your reservation as far in advance as possible but even if it is last minute, give the company a call to see if they have something for you, reservations do change last minute.

Ask any experienced owner of a mobility scooter a.k.a. electric wheelchair, electronic convenience vehicle (ECV) and they will tell you that their batteries would never last a full 15 hours or survive forever in very hot or wet weather.  The mobility scooters sold for personal use and the companies that sell them rely on the manufacturers warranty, service and repair.  Rental is a very different beast.

Ensure the mobility scooter rental company has what you would expect (and more) from a vehicle type rental company such as:

• A wide variety of models to choose from
• On-line demonstrations of each model
• On-line ordering capability
• A repair time service commitment
• Long hours of operation that match with theme park hours
• Ability to service you inside a theme park location

You spend a lot of money for your vacation from the entrance fees to theme parks to accomodations and travel, so don’t just rent from the first company you find…or the cheapest.  Ensure you select a top notch mobility scooter rental company because not getting the best scooter out there from a true rental company can ruin your entire vacation.

• Does the medical equipment rental company have a variety of mobility scooter models available?
• Do they state the weight capacity and run time for each scooter model (how long they will last between charges)?
• Are the mobility scooters easily portable – fold up or easily disassemble for transport in a Car trunk or taxi?
• Does the company’s website provide details such as:
  • operational hours (park open hours are 8 am to 11 pm)
  • service commitment time
• Do they come into the theme parks (Walt Disney World, Universal Florida, SeaWorld) for servicing?
• Is the staff that answer the phones knowledgeable and friendly?
• Do they offer on-line reservations?

And most importantly do they show you detailed videos of the actual scooter models specifically being ridden and folding up or breaking down for transport?Orlando provides entertainment options that make vacation memories that can last a lifetime, make sure you take care in renting your medical equipment mobility scooter rental.

So how does it work?  For cruises departing from Port Canaveral, passengers are routed via Orlando International Airport (OIA) also referred to as airport code MCO.  Cruise Lines departing from Port Canaveral are Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line or Carnival Cruise Line.  A service oriented mobility scooter rental company will deliver the right type of scooter to you directly at the airport which allows it to be taken with you and your luggage to the port via bus, van or car.  And the most important aspect of having it delivered to you at the airport is being able to use it to go through the embarkation process (getting on the ship) which can be quite lengthy as well as a long walk and wait.  Your luggage may take awhile for the porter to get it to your cabin, but you get to use your mobility scooter to get onto the ship.  And once you return from your cruise, the mobility scooter rental company will either arrange to pick it up from you when you arrive back at the airport for your departure flight or if you tag on a few days at a local Orlando attraction and hotel, can pick it up from your hotel.

While on ship you will want to ensure the mobility scooter you rent easily folds up or breaks down for placement in your cabin.  Cabin space is a precious commodity on a cruise and you don’t want to impinge upon that valuable space with a mobility scooter that is heavy and unwieldy.  A good choice is find a mobility scooter rental company that offers several models to choose from so you can ensure the best choice for your needs.

Don’t let the daunting task of traversing a cruise ship keep you or a friend or a loved one from experiencing one of the best vacation options around, a cruise.

Mobility Scooters engineering has improved greatly and scooters that are lightweight and can fold up yet are still full sized and not flimsy little things are the perfect choice for a cruise.  A fold up model can easily be transported to and from the port, ridden onto the ship by the person who needs the mobility assistance, and folded up and stood on its end in the cabin to save precious floor space. 

Most Port Canaveral cruises which are typically Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line or Carnival Cruise Line route passengers via the Orlando International Airport (OIA) also known as airport code MCO to get to and from their cruise.  Mobility Scooter renters can pick up their scooter at the airport and benefit from having it to assist them through their embarking and debarking process, which can be lengthy.  Whether arriving to the Port via bus or car, standing and walking through the port and the embarkation and debarkation process can be daunting if not undoable for those who need assistance with their mobility.   Make the most of your cruise vacation or even better, enjoy the ability to take along a limited mobility friend or family member that otherwise would never be able to make the trip.