Scooting Around the World: A ScooterBug Review

In November 2022 we booked our first trip back to Disney World since the pandemic. I was so excited to go but also so nervous. Avoiding travel and going out in general during that time took a toll on my physical and mental health. I sank into a depression and spent my days not leaving my couch. When it came time to get moving again, my mobility was shot. I couldn’t stand for long periods of time and walking more than 10 yards caused my lower back to completely seize up to the point I couldn’t move. This made me even more upset and made it so I didn’t want to leave my house for fear of the pain moving around would cause. You can understand why I would be nervous to go back to Disney World. In previous years, I had walked something like over 20,000 steps (or over 10 miles) in one day. How would I be able to survive a trip to Disney when I didn’t even know if I would be able to walk from the hotel lobby to our room?!

A friend of ours had mentioned that they used a scooter the last time they went to Disney World when they got some bad blisters from all the magic. I thought about it and decided it would be a good idea to investigate what it would look like for me to use a scooter during our trip. Through my research I learned that you can rent an Electronic Conveyance Vehicle (ECV or scooter) at the front of all of the parks! There were a few drawbacks to this option. First, ECVs were rented out on a first-come, first-served basis and while I am usually only a morning person at Disney, I’m not THAT much of a morning person to get in line prior to rope-drop in order to snag an ECV. Also, the ECVs are only to be used at the park you rent them at. You cannot take them out of the park to go back to your hotel. The walk from the resort bus drop-off to the entrance of the park is about a quarter mile. That is a long walk for someone who needs a mobility aid and doesn’t have one. I was starting to feel discouraged and like I wouldn’t be able to do this trip after all. 

The more I thought of it, the more I wondered if there was another way to get an ECV for our trip. I knew there were lots of companies that rented strollers to families. There had to be a company that rented ECVs and wheelchairs to folks, right? So I went to someone I knew would know, my very good friend, Dr. Google! One of the first hits was a company called ScooterBug. Their name was cute and their website looked easy to navigate so I thought I’d give them a try. I ended up looking them up more and saw that lots of folks on Disney boards recommended them. After using them for both our trip to Disney World in January 2023 and Disneyland in November 2023 I totally agree with the recommendations! You know who else agrees? Disney themselves. ScooterBug is the Disney Featured Provider listed on the ECV page of their website. Here are some things that I really loved about ScooterBug:

Cost

I didn’t know what to expect when it came to how much it would cost to rent an ECV for our whole vacation. To rent an ECV at a Disney World park it is $65 per day. The one day rate for ScooterBug in Orlando is $61. However, ScooterBug’s pricing model is similar to bulk pricing, the day rate goes down the more days you rent for. For example, on our January 2023 trip we originally rented the ECV for 5 days and it was about $33 per day. We felt that $166 was a really great price to pay for my piece of mind and comfort throughout the trip. At Disneyland, it is $60 for a park-based ECV rental. ScooterBug’s one day rate is $55 and has a similar bulk pricing model. 

Accessories

Each ECV comes with a front basket. This was so convenient to hold my water bottle and popcorn bucket! There are other accessories you can rent or purchase for your ECV from ScooterBug in Orlando. We opted for the rear basket as well. This was a game changer to hold a layer (it was chilly at night in January in Orlando) as well as all the treasures we purchased during our days at the parks. Other accessories that are available for Orlando include rentals for a sunshade and holders for a cane, crutch, or oxygen tank; a rain cover, bag hook, and cup holder are available for purchase. In Anaheim you can rent a holder for a cane or an oxygen tank.

Convenience

One of the best parts of renting an ECV through an outside vendor is that you get the scooter for the entire length of your stay. I really loved the idea of having the ECV while at our resort. Disney resorts are not small by any means and sometimes just getting from your room to the main building for a meal is a hike! It was comforting to know I could easily get around. Because ScooterBug is a Disney Featured Provider they can drop off your scooter at your resort without you being there. If you were to rent from another vendor you would have to coordinate with them on drop off and pick-up. With ScooterBug, they drop your ECV off at bell services within your resort so it is ready and waiting for you when you arrive. Similarly, when your magical vacation is over, you just drop your ECV off at bell services at your resort on your way out. Easy peasy!

If you are on the fence about renting an ECV for your trip to either of the US based Disney parks I would highly recommend going for it. I was so nervous at first thinking that other people would judge me but I quickly got over that. Using the scooter really allowed me to focus on making magic on both of our trips instead of worrying about how my body was going to handle all the walking. It was also cost effective and super convenient. Give yourself the piece of mind and rent an ECV before you leave on your trip!