ECV & Wheelchair Access On A Disney Cruise Ship

A friend of mine told his mother about my blog and website. His parents rent mobility scooters (ECV’s) when they go to Walt Disney World, and he thought this information would be helpful to them. Soon, his mother, Leigh, showed interest and spent time reading through all my posts to date. As a result, she then asked if I had any thoughts about using an ECV on a Disney Cruise ship because of a trip their family has planned for March 2021. His mother was also curious if I had any knowledge about Castaway Cay and mobility scooter access. Hence, Castaway Cay will be the topic of my next blog post.

However, I really couldn’t provide any feedback except noting that they probably had many places that are accessible on a Disney Cruise ship with an ECV or wheelchair. Besides, I’ve never been on a Disney cruise, so I didn’t have any first-hand knowledge to contribute. I know it was a vague answer, so I decided to make it a point to find out more information and write this blog post to address Leigh’s questions and further my Disney knowledge!

You Are The Judge Of My Efforts

Another benefit of my research was to see if I could write something of substance without ever having participated in that experience. For instance, could I collect enough useful information from other sources and put them together in a meaningful manner? In brief, I set out and challenged myself to find out. For the most part, you are the judge of my efforts.

To begin with, I don’t want to get ahead of myself by telling you all about Castaway Cay. You’ll need to get there first! In the general context of this post, you want to use a mobility scooter or wheelchair on the island and the ship. For the most part, that’s easy, right? First, you’ll have to get it to the vessel. Then you’ll have to get it aboard the boat, maneuver it around, fit into your stateroom, get up and down the gangway, and then travel to the island amongst other places. It does sound exhausting but is easily doable!

Click on my “Guide To Safely Operating A Mobility Scooter.” It provides you with all the information that you need to know regarding basic safety, operating controls, and battery charging procedures of your mobility scooter. It will also help you determine if a 4-wheel or 3-wheel scooter is best for your needs.

Disney Cruise Ships Do Not Rent ECV’s Or Wheelchairs

Disney Cruise ships do not rent mobility scooters (ECV’s) or wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are on board, but they are for emergency and temporary guest use only. You’ll have to bring your personal owned ECV or wheelchair with you, or you can rent one beforehand. I did some on-line research, then made some phone calls and found two companies that could satisfy your rental needs. Gold Mobility Scooters, and Scootaround, were those two options. I already had some information about Gold Mobility Scooters, but I needed more details. When calling Scootaround, I asked the same questions as a means for comparison.

I would highly recommend renting your scooter or manual wheelchair from Gold Mobility Scooter (GMS) in Kissimmee. However, unless you were staying at a location that they would deliver to or pick up from, you’d have to pick it up and then return it to their store. That is the only downside. Though, it is only a minor inconvenience for what you’ll receive in overall value!

Another small issue with Gold Mobility Scooters is that they will not allow an electric wheelchair to be self-transported. They would have to bring it to you and pick it back up. It precludes the possibility of renting from them for theme park use and then putting it onto a car carrier or in a van for transport to the cruise terminal.

Personal Experience With Gold Mobility Scooters

I’ve had previous rental experience with Gold Mobility Scooters, and I can vouch for their integrity, professionalism, and equipment quality. Many Disney cruise passengers visit the theme parks before or after their cruises, so one rental expense could cover both experiences. What I mean by that is, you can use it at the theme parks first. When ready for your cruise, pack it up and bring it to the cruise ship with you. Conversely, go on your ocean voyage first, then pack up the scooter and head to the theme parks, etc. Besides, Gold Mobility Scooters is only one hour away from the Port Canaveral cruise terminals, so when you think about it, it’s not that big a deal! Click on this link, “How To Transport Your Rented Mobility Scooter Or Manual Wheelchair,” for useful tips.

Inspection, Test Ride And Personalized Operating Instructions

However, once you read the rest of this post, you’ll understand why I make this recommendation. It all has to do with better pricing, the ability to inspect the equipment before renting and test riding it upon pick up. Plus, you’ll receive instructions on how to use and properly maintain the mobility scooter on your trip.

For a mobility scooter, GMS recommends its more compact model called the Pride Mobility Go-Go Sport. It also can be taken apart at the end of the day. When disassembled, the five components could be stored beneath the bed or in a secluded corner freeing up valuable floor space. That would come in very handy in smaller cruise ship staterooms. You’d still have the capability of charging the unit while apart.

The Pride Mobility Go-Go Sport Mobility Scooter 3-Wheel And 4-Wheel Versions

The Pride GO-GO Sport portable rental scooter is the most dependable mobile ECV on the market. It is the BEST mobility scooter for flexibility and transportability in the mobility rental market. The Go-Go Sport offers the highest weight capacity for a portable mobility scooter at a maximum of 325 lbs. Some other features worth mentioning include the most legroom, solid no flat tires, swivel seat, and the biggest battery. The GO-GO Sport is the #1 choice of mobility scooter renters when it comes to needing a scooter that is fully transportable in the trunk of your car, taxi, UBER, LYFT, or the back of your van.

GMS Rental Fee Plus Choice Of Free Accessory

GMS upgrades the GO-GO Sport Scooter with a built-in USB charging port for your phone, a phone holder, a cup holder, undercarriage LED lights and an extended range battery pack. You’ll also be able to add a no additional charge accessory when renting. Options include an Oxygen Bottle Holder, a Cane, or a Walker Holder. There is an extra fee for these add-ons with other companies. Additionally, you can rent the Pride Go-Go Sport, 3-wheel, or 4-wheel versions at the same low price.

Gold Mobility rents the GO-GO Sport mobility scooter for a flat rental rate of $149.99 plus tax for up to seven days. The fee would include white-glove in-person pickup and delivery based on your schedule plus 24-hour concierge service. Again that depends if you are staying in the Kissimmee area before or after your cruise.

At Gold Mobility Scooters Damage Waiver and Theft Insurance is included in your rental fee. You’ll never receive a surprise bill on your credit card at the end of your rental if your scooter is damaged or stolen. This coverage is provided free of charge with no deductible and full coverage. You’ll also receive four complimentary rain ponchos, and a cover to put over the controls in the event of rain. Additionally, there is no charge in the event you cancel your reservation!

After six months or twenty-six rental periods, scooters are taken out of service and replaced. Customers receive a like-new rental ECV every time. All rentals come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee! Vick, the principal owner of Gold Mobility Scooters, told me they have never had a scooter or wheelchair breakdown occur with a cruise ship client. The reason is simple; their equipment is newer and never pushes the extended rental life that some companies choose.

Specifications Of The Pride Go-Go 3-Wheel And 4-Wheel Scooters

For reference purposes, here are the dimensions of the Pride Go-Go Sport 4-wheel drive scooter. Total length is 45″ by 21.25 inches wide. When taken apart, the most significant piece weighs 44.0 lbs.

By comparison, the Pride Go-Go Sport 3-wheel drive scooter measures 43″ long. It, too, is 21.25″ wide. When taken apart, the most substantial piece only weighs 35.8 lbs.

Opting For A Higher Weight Capacity Scooter

Gold Mobility Scooters has other scooters that you could rent if your needs require it. For instance, you could rent a Pride Mobility Victory 10 model in the 3-wheel and 4-wheel configuration. Doing so would increase your weight capacity to 400 lbs. The scooter, although more significant, is only 22.25″ wide, still enabling it to fit through a regular stateroom door.

Even though it is transportable, it’s not as portable as the Go-Go Sport. However, like the Go-Go Sport, it can be disassembled for transport. You would need a larger vehicle to transport with, and the individual scooter components will be more substantial. The front section of the Victory 10 4-wheel model weighs about 62.0 lbs. The front part of the Victory 10 3-wheel model weighs 56.5 lbs. At $179.99 plus tax, the weekly rental fee for the Victory 10 is a great value. Included in the total price are all of the features previously mentioned.

The largest ECV that Gold Mobility Scooters rents is called the Pride Mobility Maxima. It has a weight capacity of 500 lbs. Naturally, it is significantly heavier with an overall weight of about 237 lbs with batteries. If this is what you’d require, I would give them a call at (407) 414-0287 and speak to them directly. The rental fee is $199.99 per week plus tax, and they will discuss your options for rental and transportability. The scooter is 25.5 inches wide, so a wheelchair-accessible stateroom would be necessary to get the unit inside the door.

Scootaround Rental Options For Your Disney Cruise

I then called Scootaround. They explained to me that Disney would not permit their equipment to be dropped off at the Passenger Terminal beforehand, pending your arrival. However, the agent I spoke with informed me they could only deliver the mobility unit to your assigned cabin on Disney Cruises. Hence you never see your rental until you get to your stateroom.

Guest Services will make the arrangements if the passenger is unable to walk to their assigned cabin. They’ll let you borrow an onboard wheelchair in the interim for assistance.

I asked about the potential for equipment failure during the trip. Scootaround claimed that it doesn’t happen often, but it could. While on the ship or shore excursion, you would get help if a mechanical or electrical problem occurred.

While at sea, you would have to go to the Guest Services desk. They would place a call to Scootaround for you through the ship’s communication system. Scootaround would lead you through diagnosing and fixing a simple problem. Scootaround told me that they could get someone aboard the boat to help, too, because of previous experience with similar issues.

The same would apply to shore excursions. A call back to the ship would bring someone to your aid. They said they might have extra equipment on board the vessel to replace breakdowns. However, it’s not always the case and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Don’t worry; they would not leave you stranded out there by yourself!

Pricing Quotes From Scootaround

With Scootaround, you can call for a quote or fill out an online form to get the quote and book the equipment. I chose to call and ask questions. To do so, you have to provide an itinerary with dates, departure locations, etc. I picked a week in March 2021 and chose Port Canaveral as my departure location with the Disney Cruise Line.

I discovered that Scootaround is more expensive when comparing equipment “apples to apples.” They claim that there is no tax charged. Well, someone has to pay the taxman, so I’m sure it’s built-into their pricing structure!

Scootaround will rent a transportable scooter (up to 325 lbs capacity) for a week at $175.00. Damage insurance will set you back another $80.00. If you opt for an accessory, in my scenario, a cane holder, they will charge you an additional $15.00. Add on the $10.00 fee for cancellation protection, and your total at this point is $280.00. At the Gold Mobility Scooters rate of $149.99 plus tax, it would come out to $161.24. The difference of $118.76 would allow you to buy a lot more souvenirs on your trip!

The Scootaround standard scooter (up to 400 lbs) or HD Bariatric model (up to 500 lbs) rents for $225.00 per week. Add in the extras, as listed above, and your total is now $330.00.

Wheelchair Rental Options For Your Disney Cruise

To begin with, I’m going to keep this section simple. Generally, most manual wheelchairs will not fit through the standard 23″ stateroom doors. Unless you can exit the wheelchair before entering the room, you’d have to book a wheelchair-accessible stateroom. Depending on user preference and capability, the person riding in the chair can have a companion push the wheelchair or propel it themselves. Here are the specifics for a regular manual wheelchair:

A. 16″ seat/24″ wide/weight capacity of 100-150 lbs

B. 18″ seat/26″ wide/weight capacity of up to 300 lbs

C. 20″ seat/28″ wide/weight capacity of up to 350 lbs

D. 24″ seat/32″ wide/bariatric model of up to 400 – 500 lbs (Model depends upon availability and who you rent from!)

A transportable wheelchair is of the type where the caregiver pushes the chair without the seated individual’s assistance. It is challenging for the caregiver, especially for extended periods and over substantial distances. I wouldn’t recommend this type unless it is necessary. If you were to go from point A to point B without having to go a great distance, then these chairs would be satisfactory.

• 17″ seat/21.5″ wide/transportable model up to 300 lbs

• 19″ seat/23.5″ wide/transportable model up to 300 lbs

The model with the 17″ seat would fit into a regular stateroom, but the 19″ seat model would still require the person to get out of the chair before entering the room. Naturally, this will fit through the doors of a wheelchair-accessible stateroom.

Scootaround Weekly Wheelchair Rental Fee

You could rent one of these wheelchairs for a flat weekly fee of $75.00 from Scootaround. In this case, if you add in the cancellation insurance fee of $10.00 and the damage insurance of $32.00, the amount would be $117.00 for the week, with tax included in the price. Furthermore, Scootaround charges more for their HD wheelchairs. The weekly rental fee is $110.00 plus $10.00 cancellation insurance and $32.00 for damage insurance. Your grand total would be $152.00.

Gold Mobility Scooter Weekly Wheelchair Rental Fee For Your Disney Cruise

If you decide to rent any manual wheelchair from GMS, the weekly rental is $69.99 plus tax. In short, this includes any model from a lighter weight capacity to the bariatric model for a total of $75.24 per week, which includes tax. Furthermore, there are absolutely no other charges involved, including an added insurance cancellation fee in the event you cancel your equipment reservation. However, Gold Mobility Scooters does not offer a transportable wheelchair rental option. They just don’t have enough of a demand for this type of wheelchair to carry it in their inventory.

Stateroom Categories On A Disney Cruise Ship Are Concierge, Verandah, Oceanview And Standard

When you book your cruise, you’ll have four general stateroom categories from which to choose. Those categories are Concierge, Verandah, Oceanview, and Inside. However, within each group, there are a variety of stateroom types that differ slightly from ship to ship. Stateroom sizes vary quite a bit, but I understand that Disney staterooms are about 25% larger than cabins on other cruise ships.

Disney door widths on non-wheelchair-accessible staterooms are 23″. Their wheelchair-accessible staterooms have entry and bathroom door widths of a minimum of 32″, which meets ADA compliance. Even with more room, they are still smaller than the average comparable hotel room. When you bring a mobility scooter or wheelchair into the room, well, you see where I’m going with this; it’s going to get congested! However, remember that wheelchairs can fold up, and you can disassemble an ECV.

Wheelchair-Accessible Staterooms Using An ECV Or Wheelchair On A Disney Cruise Ship

I also discovered that wheelchair-accessible staterooms are approximately 50% larger than the others. A scooter that holds up to 400 lbs will fit through a 23″ doorway. Thus, bigger units, which can hold up to 500 lbs (Bariatric models), will require you to book a wheelchair-accessible stateroom.

Click on this link for some tips that can apply to a stateroom from my post about Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort. Look for information about doorstops and outlet extensions. Staterooms on many cruise ships usually are lacking sufficient electrical outlets. Remember that you have to plug in your ECV or electric wheelchair each day to recharge the batteries. Hence the availability of another outlet may come in handy.

As a result of my research, I’ve learned there are many reasons why you should set sail aboard a Disney Cruise Line ship! For instance, one important reason being the spacious staterooms on each ship. The width of both the entrance and bathroom doors in a typical stateroom is 23″. However, if you’ve booked a wheelchair-accessible stateroom, the minimum doorway opening will be more accommodating at 32″. By the way, that would include both the entry door and the door to the bathroom area. Likewise, another reason being Disney related. You’ll get all caught up in the Disney aura because they aim to please to make your trip magical!

Disney Ships Are Very Accommodating To Passengers With All Types Of Disabilities

In summary, there are options for mobility equipment rental when you need it. Don’t be afraid to book your Disney cruise because of mobility issues. Besides, Disney ships are very accommodating to passengers with all types of disabilities. For the most part, all areas of the boat are accessible to guests with disabilities. Finally, plunge ahead and take full advantage of what a Disney cruise offers. Lastly, click this link “Information For Guests With Disabilities And Medical Conditions,” for information directly from Disney Cruise Lines with more details.

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