April 11, 2024 • 46 mins
The idea of renting or needing a wheelchair or ECV (scooter) at Disneyland can be daunting. Today we have two guests to share two different perspectives on wheelchair and scooter rental at Disneyland. First up is Mica, a dedicated Disney fan with a mobility limitation, who shares her wealth of knowledge on using mobility aids in the park. We'll guide you through the essentials of scooter rentals and wheelchair navigation, ensuring your trip is as smooth as the ride on Dumbo the Flying Elephant. And for those moments when you need extra help, we delve into how Disney's Disability Access Service (DAS) can enhance your park experience.
John from Amos Scooters drops in with his expertise operating Amos Mobility, a company that rents scooters and strollers to the hotels near Disneyland. We also provide valuable insights into the accessibility of local transport options, such as ART and EVE buses, and the sensitive conversations surrounding the usage of mobility aids that can lead to a more enjoyable trip for everyone involved.
Right now, our tools are just for Disneyland, but we hope to expand to other parks soon. Disney changes policies, prices, and shows often. Be sure to visit our website at Parkmagic.com or Disneyland's Website for more information.
Park Magic is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Enterprises, Inc. Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Mickey Mouse are all registered trademarks of Disney Enterprises, Inc. Any use of third-party names or trademarks is for identification purposes only and does not imply, nor is it intended to imply, any affiliation with, endorsement from, or business relationship with any third party, including with Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Enterprises, Inc.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to the Park Magic Podcast, your place for
insider tips for your nextDisneyland adventure.
Whether you're a first-timer orfirst-time-in-a-while visitor,
we're here to unwrap the secretsto creating and simplifying
your dream Disneyland vacation.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Welcome to the Park Magic Podcast.
Today I'm excited to talk toyou a little bit about scooters.
I've actually got two amazingguests.
The first is Mika.
Mika is a longtime Disney fan.
She's been coming to the parksforever and she's experienced
the park with some physicaldisabilities that caused her to
need a scooter.
We're also going to be talkingto John from Emo Scooters.
(00:52):
I just want to acknowledge youfor being so gracious to be
willing to share with otherpeople so that they can have a
great experience at Disney.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Yeah, no problem.
Thank you so much for having meToday.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
we're talking about wheelchchairs and scooters and I
know that one thing that youtalked about was you know,
disney does treat the ECVs, theelectric wheelchairs, just as
wheelchairs, and I know thatthat was a big concern for you.
Can you talk a little bit?
You know, because I think mostpeople who end up renting the
scooter are probably not inwheelchairs day to day, because
(01:23):
people who are in wheelchairsevery day probably have their
own wheelchair or have their ownECV that they would be bringing
to the park.
So in talking about renting ascooter and how you know it
works at Disneyland, what weresome of the things that went
through your mind when you hadto start renting a scooter?
You know, and I can share alittle bit about what kind of
went through my mind as well,and I can share a little bit
(01:43):
about what kind of went throughmy mind as well.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Yeah, absolutely so.
I've actually used bothwheelchairs and ECVs at
Disneyland.
The first time that I used awheelchair, it was a manual
wheelchair and it just was notgreat.
My partner had to wheel mearound and there's a lot of
bumps on the road and a lot ofareas where it's very easy to
(02:06):
tip a wheelchair over,especially if you're not used to
wheeling somebody around aswell.
So the next time that I went, Idecided to rent a scooter
instead and it was just so mucheasier and so much better.
The speed itself was slow andsafe, which was always great
(02:27):
just because there are so manypeople at the park.
Additionally, the ability tojust be able to kind of stand up
and either have my wife, havethe scooter and her driving
around for a little bit wasreally good.
So my biggest problem with myknees is I have osteoarthritis
(02:48):
in my knees and I also haverheumatoid arthritis.
So sitting for too long with myknees bent is a problem,
because my knees will swell, myfeet will swell.
It's not a fun time for anybody, but standing in line is also
really, really hard for me aswell.
So being able to have an optionwhere I can fully enjoy the
(03:08):
parks and be able to get aroundwith as little issue as possible
is really just game changingusing a scooter or the one time
with the wheelchair.
It really was a lot of.
Okay, let's go stand in lineand then after the ride I would
(03:33):
have to sit or rest for about 30minutes to an hour, which is
crucial here at Disneyland.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I think this would be a good time to talk about the
two different kinds ofaccommodations.
So there are mobility things,which we're going to be talking
primarily about today, and thenthere's non-mobility issues.
So let's say you have some sortof disability or health
impairment that causes it sothat you're not able to wait in
a long period of time.
Now Disney has a program calledDAS Disability Access Service
(03:57):
and in DAS, what it does is itallows you to bypass the queues,
not in you don't stand in lineor not, that you don't wait,
it's just that you don't wait inthe traditional queue.
So you'll wait.
If the line is 60 minutes long,you'll still wait that 60
minutes, but you won't have tobe standing in the queue.
There are some people like Mika, that have both mobility and
(04:19):
other issues that cause them toneed this.
Maybe it might work that youneed both, but just know that
both of those things are anoption.
And with the wheelchairspecifically, what they will do
is for there's going to be somerides where you get a return
time and some rides where youwait in the traditional queue.
(04:39):
If you just had a mobilityissue so if you just had a hurt
knee or you just couldn't walkor you just had a broken leg and
you were in a wheelchair forthat.
So let's talk about both ofthose.
When you rent a wheelchair atDisneyland, you might be in a
couple of different situations.
You might be where you justcan't walk that long of a
distance, and so there'ssometimes in that case you might
(05:00):
rent a scooter and then youmight get off the scooter to
stand in maybe a regularlightning lane because you can
stand.
You just can't do the longdistance walking.
There are some people that willuse the scooter but then are
able to get up and transfer andget in the regular ride vehicles
, so you would basically stand,you would ride the scooter
through the line or to the exitand then you're able to stand up
(05:24):
and do that short walk.
And then there's some peoplethat aren't able to transfer at
all, and so, if that's the case,on Park Magic we've indicated
and Disneyland has this on theirwebsite too what rides require
you to get up.
There are a couple rides thatyou have to transfer out of your
wheelchair in order toexperience, and there are some
that you can bring yourwheelchair specifically on the
(05:46):
ride.
You don't have to transfer, andthose are really great for
people who are not able to leavetheir chair.
There's some rides that werebuilt like after the ADA was
passed.
So for those rides like,especially like the newer rides
that are in California Adventure, or the rides that are in, like
the newer rides that are inDisneyland, like Rides of the
Resistance, those lines, thosequeues, were designed to be wide
(06:09):
enough for a wheelchair to waitin the regular queue with the
rest of your family.
If it was not so, for thoserides you would just stand, you
would be in your wheelchair inline just like a regular person,
unless you had kind of accessto the desk because you had an
additional issue.
And then for the rides that you, that don't they, you kind of
(06:30):
drive up to the cast member atthe front and they give you a
return time and then you comeback and they will put that into
your ticket online and then youwill have them scan that or
check that return time and thenthey will board you through
either the exit or through maybekind of a little shortcut,
unless it's a ride where youneed the wheelchair to be
(06:54):
transferred over to as well.
I think that one thing thatpeople struggle with is like
knowing how being in awheelchair or an ECV will be at
the park.
You know, I know my aunt wasreally worried about it slowing
things down or slowing the groupdown, and it can to a degree,
(07:15):
but at least for us her being inthat ECV really did make it.
So we were actually able tomove faster overall because she
needed to take less breaks andshe was in less pain during her
day.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Yeah, I completely agree with that.
I totally understand fromsomebody who is not an everyday
wheelchair user that sometimesit is a little bit difficult.
I feel like there's two parts.
There's the one part, like youwere saying with your aunt,
where you're scared to slow downyour group, and I feel like
(07:52):
there's also another part wheresome people feel a little bit
embarrassed about using ascooter or a wheelchair,
especially if they are mobilewheelchair users or mobile
scooter users.
So that meaning being able toget up and walk from the
wheelchair or from the scooterJust because I feel like there
(08:14):
is a lot of societalexpectations that if you use a
wheelchair, whether it's ineveryday or if you're a mobile
wheelchair user in every day, orif you're a mobile wheelchair
user, that you shouldn't be ableto walk if you're using a
wheelchair or a scooter, which Ifeel puts a lot of people
feeling either embarrassed orworried about what others will
(08:37):
say, especially in a place likeDisneyland where there really is
a lot of people.
And I think that for mepersonally, that was one of my
worries.
I'm a very anxious person andthat was definitely one of those
things.
Like you know, is somebodygoing to somehow challenge the
fact that I am able to stand upand walk out of my wheelchair or
(09:00):
my scooter, are people going tothink that I'm, you know,
faking something or somethingalong those lines?
But after talking to the castmembers at City Hall and letting
them know what exactly myphysical limitations were, they
were very gracious and tellingme you know, it sounds like a
scooter or a wheelchair woulddefinitely benefit you.
(09:23):
And after trying it out thatfirst time I I did not look back
.
It just made everything so mucheasier.
On the one hand, a scooter isslower, but as my arthritis
progressed I noticedrealistically it's not really
slowing me or my wife or me ormy friends down when we go, just
(09:47):
because I would have to take alot of breaks or I would have to
walk a little bit slower for alittle bit of the day, or I
would have to completely missout on rides because I just
couldn't make it to whateverride they wanted to go to.
So it really was putting alimit into my own enjoyment of
Disneyland and I think it wasalso putting a limit on the
(10:10):
enjoyment for my friends and mywife as well, because they
didn't want to have to go onrides without me if I wanted to
purchase something, but for somereason I couldn't make it into
the shop or there was just toomany people in there for me to
be able to walk as slow as Ineeded to walk at the time.
So I think that there'sdefinitely a multitude of
(10:30):
reasons why people are worriedor scared about using a
wheelchair or an ECV slashscooter, and I think that, at
the end of the day, the thingthat really helped me realize
that I was just worrying toomuch about it was the fact that,
after trying the scooter outfor the first, the newer rides
(10:52):
like you were saying, robin, forthe ones that were a little bit
older, like peter pan or spacemountain being able to go
(11:13):
through the back and justknowing, hey, I can actually go
in and enjoy this ride.
Uh, was it?
It's a world of difference.
Just because disneyland is alsovery, and the way that they
place the rides, sometimes it'svery hard to get from some of
your favorite rides to the otherof your favorite rides, like
(11:33):
for me.
Personally, I love the HauntedMansion and I also really,
really love Space Mountain, butgetting from one to the other
really is quite a trek.
Getting from one to the otherreally is quite a trek.
So if you're somebody who isdealing with any sort of
physical disabilities or fatigue, that is definitely a great
option to be able to keep yourenergy, keep your stamina, keep
(11:56):
your pain low and be able to gofrom your favorite rides to your
favorite rides.
So I definitely think that ifanybody who has, you know, a
disability where fatigue or painor mobility come into play,
using a scooter will definitelydefinitely improve your time at
(12:16):
Disneyland and it's going to begreat for you and it's going to
be great for everybody in yourparty as well, because they'll
be able to see that you're alsoenjoying yourself and I think
that that's huge.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
There are times where , maybe, post-surgery, where I'm
like I physically could walk,but I would have been in so much
pain, I wouldn't have beenhaving any fun, and my husband
definitely wouldn't have beenhaving fun, because when I'm in
pain, I'm not super fun to bearound, and so it's it's not
even it's it's, it's not evenjust could you physically do it,
but can you do it and enjoyyourself, and that's really what
(12:49):
the accessibility is about ismaking sure that you have the
same access to experience thepark that everybody else is.
If you're perfectly healthy,then renting the scooter will
slow you down, and I wouldn'trecommend it.
If you need it, though, then Ithink that it is a good idea,
and if you get halfway throughyour day, or halfway through
(13:10):
your first day, they have themat the park that you can rent.
Did you want to talk a littlebit about the process of renting
at the park?
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Sure, I also did want to add most people who go to
Disneyland also go as not asingle day.
They go for multiple days.
So if you end up in pain at theend of your first day or
completely fatigued, you may notbe able to participate the rest
of the week, and that kind ofsucks because, aside from you
know not being able to spendthat time with your family or
(13:39):
friends, Disneyland also doeshave a price tag that comes for
a lot of people who are not fromthat area in Southern
California.
So you may as well make thebest of it while you're there
and if using you know theaccessibility that is available,
why not Might as well?
Speaker 2 (13:57):
And I don't know about you, but especially when I
was post-surgery and I washaving a lot of pain walking,
when I was trying to walk it allday, I found that some rides
were not enjoyable anymorebecause in the way I was holding
my body to try to compensatefor the pain, it like tightened
up my back and so that the joltsof Space Mountain, which I
(14:19):
normally have no problem with it, was really painful because my
muscles were so sore thatbecause trying to over
accommodate from, you know,pushing what I was able to
physically do- Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
I had that same problem with Indiana Jones.
That ride became unbearable tome before I even had to use a
scooter or a wheelchair.
I already had knee issues andthat ride if we did it too late
in the day or too late in ourtrip, like day three or four, it
was just.
It was horrible.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
This might be a good time to talk about some of those
rides that we can circle backto the renting at Disneyland,
some of those rides that can bea little bit tough on your back,
so if you know that you haveback issues, disneyland does put
warnings on these, but I thinkthat Indiana Jones and
Matterhorn are the two ridesthat should come with a free
pass to a chiropractorafterwards.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Oh, absolutely, indiana Jones.
I used to enjoy it a lot when Iwas able-bodied and as soon as
I started having more knee pain,every single time that we went
on that ride, it's like they putyou in a little blender and it
just you.
Your knees get jostled around,your back gets jostled around,
(15:35):
and it's one of those rides thatdoesn't actually have like a
lap bar is just, it's reallyjust a seat belt and then you
have the little bar in front ofyou to hold on to.
But that is definitely notenough.
You get shaken up like a dollin there.
It's horrible.
Matterhorn as well.
I I know that they've changedthe seats for Matterhorn
(15:56):
multiple times, but they alljust suck.
No offense Disneyland, butthey're just an absolute
nightmare for your back and Iwant to say your butt too.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
They are difficult to get in and out of too
Matterhorn.
I always have to kind of bracemyself to get out if I have, if
I'm having joint issues.
But I think, and then you know,space Mountain is is is for the
most part a pretty smooth ride.
But as you're heading upthere's kind of a couple big
jolts where, like you're movingfrom track to, from kind of like
chain to chain or track totrack and it it's.
(16:32):
I find that it's more enjoyablefor me at the beginning of the
day versus the end of the day.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Oh, absolutely.
Uh.
The other one that I would putin there as well, if there are
any other adults that are braveenough to go on this ride, is
Goofy Skyskull.
Oh yes, that's definitely notin DCA.
Yeah, that one is rough,especially if you're trying,
because for people who haven'tbeen to Disneyland or DCA very
(16:57):
much, the ride doesn't stop whenyou are boarding or getting off
the ride.
So having any sort of jointissues or mobility issues while
trying to get off or on thatride is extremely hard and very
panic inducing.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Well, and Space Mountain is like that too, where
they you know they really haveto get people on and off very
quickly.
So if you know you're going totake longer to load at either
Space Mountain or Goofy SkySchool, make sure you, when in
doubt, use the wheelchair exit.
It will take you longer becauseyou have to wait for a specific
car on Space Mountain, but ifyou're worried about being able
(17:36):
to get in and out quickly, Ithink it's worth the anxiety.
For me, there's a special carthat gives you lots of time to
load and then they slide it overto the track.
It's actually kind of cool, butit does take a little bit
longer.
So if you don't need it, youknow, save it for those that do,
but it is something that isavailable.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that that SpaceMountain one is really great.
They have to find a spot for itto go in, so, realistically,
you can take as much time as youneed getting in or out of the
vehicle, which is great, becausethe vehicle is also so low.
You basically have to step downinto it, which again is a huge
problem for a lot of people withmobility issues.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
For the most part, most of the other rides are
fairly easy.
There are some things, you knowyou'd find even some things
that you would think that mightnot have accessibility options,
like, uh, you know if you mightthink that, uh, like the pirates
lair, which would be called tomsawyer's island um, there are.
There are a lot of accessibleareas there.
(18:34):
There are some areas that arewith stairs that are not
accessible, but disney doesreally go out of their way to
try to make sure as much of theexperience as possible is
accessible, like the tree housein Adventureland.
Obviously there's like 60stairs up, 60 stairs down, so
it's not great for people withmobility issues, but the cool
little ostrich that they have atthe bottom, that's part of the
(18:55):
accessible path that you can usewith a wheelchair.
So, you know, make sure youalways ask a cast member what's
available.
Like Nika said earlier, you cango to City Hall at the
beginning of the day, but anyplace where you see people in
plaids standing under usually ablue umbrella, that's where you
can ask those questions.
If you wanted to find out ifyou're eligible for DAS, which
we talked about earlier, you cando that.
(19:16):
Eligible for DAS, which wetalked about earlier.
You can do that I believe it's30 days before, between 30 and
two days before your trip, andyou can do it online.
But just be planning, plan onwaiting a long time.
There are hold times can benotoriously hours long, but you
can also check in the park andthey'll be able to tell you
exactly where you would go,answer any questions that you
(19:37):
might have, and don't feel likeyou're not going to be asked to
prove why you need a wheelchair.
That's just not something thathappens at the Disneyland parks,
especially in the US side, justbecause of HIPAA laws.
So if you need it, then don'tworry about you're not going to
be asked to prove that you needit, anything along those lines.
And I just want to take a secondto acknowledge that if you are
in a wheelchair and you are notable to transfer, this episode
(20:01):
might not be sufficient for youor your needs, but there are
lots of support groups andFacebook groups that you can get
additional information.
So if you're feeling like we'remissing something because we
don't have that experiencerepresented here, I just want to
acknowledge that this is that.
You know we're primarilyfocused on this episode, in
particular, on people that mightnot normally need a scooter day
(20:21):
to day but might need it in theparks.
But let's go back to talkingabout specifically, because
there are scooters andwheelchairs and strollers that
are available at the park.
Did you want to talk about thatprocess?
And then I can talk a littlebit about renting from a third
party.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Sure, absolutely so, for renting a scooter or a
wheelchair.
Those are the only two that Ihave rented at Disneyland.
You would go to this littlearea right outside of Disneyland
so it's right outside of thegates, closer to the bus drop
off than downtown Disney andthey have a selection of
(21:01):
wheelchairs which are all manual, so your standard wheelchair.
And then they have scooters,which are not necessarily
electric wheelchairs.
They're really scooters whereyou sit down and you have a
little handle that you can movearound, almost like a moped.
They do run out of some of themquite quickly.
(21:23):
I do find that the scooters runout a lot quicker than the
wheelchairs do.
But in the past, when we havehad to rent a scooter and it
wasn't available, they did offerme a wheelchair and then just
said you know, if you are parkhopping and you're going from
park to park, or if at any pointsomebody in your party wants to
come check to see if there areany scooters available, you can
(21:46):
return the wheelchair and thenwe'll upgrade you to a scooter
and you just have to pay thedifference.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
And the last time that happened to me and it does
happen quite often, so that'swhy I'm going to talk a little
bit about renting from thirdparties is that they did put me
on a waiting list and did textus when it was ready, when there
was one available, and then wewere, you know, trying to get
over there before it disappeared.
So they hold it for a specificamount of time.
When you rent from Disneyland,they will go over the rules, and
(22:11):
that includes you can't haveminors on ECDs, they have to be
over 18.
And that you know.
You know, like you know,instructions on how to use the
scooter.
It will be fully charged andbut you will have to return it
at the end of each day.
And that means that if, even ifyou're staying across the
street or even if you're stayingat the disneyland hotel, you're
(22:32):
going to have to return thatand then walk back at least to
where the parking trams are oror to back to your hotel, and,
depending on what your physicalability is, that might be
difficult.
So know that that's the case.
One of the reasons I likerenting from a third party is,
you know, I'm staying closeenough to the park where I can
(22:53):
walk, I can ride that scooterall the way back to the lobby of
my hotel.
In some hotels it can even be,you know, riding it all the way
back up to my room if I'm having, if I need it at that point.
And so it can be really, reallyhelpful to do that because
you're you know you're nothaving to transfer out during
the point where you're mosttired and you don't, and you,
(23:17):
because you're reserving themahead of time, you have a kind
of a guaranteed availability anda lot of them will deliver to
the hotel.
So it's there when you arriveand fully charged, and then you
would just charge it at night orthe lobby would charge it at
night.
There's several providers.
We have an interview right afterthis with John from Amos, who's
actually my favorite place torent from.
(23:38):
Unfortunately, lately I haveneeded to rent that scooter
because of some health issues,and not only has his service
been really great, he's beenavailable via text.
He provided me some great tips,made sure I understood how
everything worked at Disney, howto get the scooter there and
back with different hotels, butyou know, the scooters were in
(24:00):
really good condition as well.
So you know, we're going tojump into that in just a second,
mika.
Is there anything else that wewant to discuss before we jumped
over to interview with John orthat you thought would be
helpful to those consideringgetting a scooter?
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Absolutely.
There is one thing that I didwant to mention in terms of
renting directly from DisneylandAlways remember in your plans
how you're getting to Disneylandthat day.
So if you're in a hotel that isfurther away from the parks,
where you would have to drive toone of the parking lots, maybe
renting a scooter from a thirdparty might not be the best
(24:39):
because you might not be able toload it into your car.
So always think about thelocation that you're staying in.
Is your party able to walkacross the street while you're
in a scooter across the street,or is it just better for you to
rent a scooter at Disneyland aswell, because you have to get
into a car and the car might bepacked, or you may not have
enough space for a scooter inyour car or vehicle when you're
(25:03):
going back to your hotel.
So those are definitely thingsthat I would consider when you
are looking at making your plansfor Disneyland, trying to
figure out what mobility aid isbest for you and figuring out
you know what the best place foryou to rent your scooter is at.
You always have to take all ofthe rest of your trip into
(25:25):
consideration when making those,and I know that Park Magic has
some great resources on where toget scooters from and hotels
and everything else and how faraway they are from the park.
So make sure to use the ParkMagic tool to be able to really
plan out your trip so that youcan have the best time.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
If you do need a scooter or a wheelchair during
your trip, If you're staying ata local Anaheim hotel, then
there's a bus system called ARTand there's also EVE E-V-E
that's part of that where theydo have accessible buses that
can bring your scooter.
So even if you're staying asfar down as like the Marriott
(26:05):
Suites or the Delta hotels thatare a little bit further away
there is a bus.
Just know that you will have towait for that bus, and so you
kind of need to, like Mika said,really think about how your
whole trip will go.
And you know most of thescooter rental companies don't
want you to put them in theircar because that's where damage
can occur.
So, but if you're staying faraway, then you know renting it
(26:28):
from the park or someplace whereyou can pick it up.
I want to thank you so much forbeing willing to share.
I know that it can be asensitive subject and I think
there can be a little bit ofshade thrown sometimes on people
who are using scooters becausethey see somebody stand up and
walk.
So I really appreciate youbeing so open to share that with
us?
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yeah, of course, and thank you for inviting me and
allowing the space for that aswell.
I think it's important that wedo talk about things like this,
because I know that there are alot of people who might be
scared to put their enjoyment ofsuch a trip ahead of everything
else, and I think that the morethat we talk about it, the more
people may have a better tripbecause of using mobility aids.
(27:09):
So I think that it's animportant conversation and thank
you again so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
No problem.
You know, I even talked tosomebody that was that had
gained a lot of weight, to thepoint where his knees were
really hurting him, and he saidthat well, he is he, he has a
pass, and so he goes often.
And he said that while he wasworking on trying to lose that
that weight, he would start byrenting the scooter and then
just doing like the land to landand then walk to attractions
(27:35):
until he was able to build upthe endurance.
So you know, that's also anoption too.
You know, if you can, you canuse the scooter just to walk the
long distances and and walk theshort distances too.
But I think, especially withGenie Plus, it's not like you
can just start at the left-handside of the park and work your
way to the right as you used to.
You're going to be zigzagging alot more than you might have in
(27:58):
the past to try to avoid thoselonger queue times.
So I think it's a reallyimportant conversation.
So I thank you again.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Yeah, no problem and for anybody listening.
Just like Robin said, you know,have fun, do what's best for
you.
Use mobility aids for anythingthat you need aid with.
That's what they're there for,and they're there to make sure
that you honestly have the besttrip possible and that you're
not putting your body in toomuch strain.
So use them as you see fit.
(28:25):
Use them however you need,whether you're going from ride
to ride or just using them frompark to park, or even from land
to land and then walking therest of the way.
It's your trip.
Make it enjoyable, makememories.
Don't worry about the pain andthe fatigue, just enjoy yourself
.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Yeah, I think that's really great advice because you
know I think that you know thatwas something that was really
keeping my aunt from coming, asshe was worried about not being
able to keep up or being in toomuch pain, and I think, by
working to find accommodationsfor her so that she could enjoy
the trip, it made it.
So we have this whole likelibrary of memories with her and
my kids that we might not havehad if we hadn't been open to
(29:04):
those accommodations.
Within this episode, weactually have two interviews.
The next interview is withsomebody that manages a company
called Emo Scooters, and what Ilove about him is his passion
for helping make sure thatpeople have these scooters.
He's incredibly responsive.
He really makes sure that thescooters are taken care of and
his customers are taken care of.
(29:29):
So he's going to come on next totalk a little bit about, you
know, renting scooters from athird party, some of the things
to consider and even some of thetricks.
So if you got a scooter andmaybe after a ride it won't turn
on, some of the things that wewe can that you can look at to
try to make sure that you don'trun into issues while you're in
the park.
Today we're going to talk aboutsomething that can make a huge
(29:50):
difference, and sometimes peoplethink about wheelchairs, ecb
scooters, as something just forthe elderly, but there's a lot
of people that have chronichealth issues, that maybe have
joint or other mobility issues.
Maybe you even just hurt yourknee and you don't think you're
up to the seven to 10 miles youmight walk each day at
(30:10):
Disneyland.
So today I've got John fromAmos Mobility, which is my
favorite place to rent scootersfrom, and because of his great
customer service, he reallycares about his clients and it
shows in every communication.
So, john, thank you so much forcoming on the show today.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
Yes, thank you for inviting me.
It's a real pleasure.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
I think that there are some people that might be
listening like, oh, do I reallyneed to listen to this episode?
And I think that there are somepeople that might not normally
in their day-to-day life use awheelchair or scooter that do
rent them at Disneyland.
Can you talk a little bit aboutlike what the average clientele
, why they've rented or whatmade them decide to or to not
(30:53):
rent the scooter?
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Well, most people rent with me because my service
calls are very low and Icommunicate the process very
clearly and also you can text meanytime.
I'm just a phone call into textaway.
That's basically it.
It's communication that's realkey to me.
A lot of people will say I justlike it that you answer my
(31:14):
calls and text right away, and alot of people love my tips
calls and texts right away and alot of people love my tips.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
And when people rent from you, what percentage of the
people that rent do you thinkuse a scooter or wheelchair all
the time, versus how many peopleare only doing it because they
don't normally walk this muchand maybe they have like knee
pain or back pain or somethingelse that keeps them from being
able to stand.
Speaker 4 (31:36):
The majority of people can't walk such long
distances.
I actually did a littleresearch on how many miles
people put inside the park andit's anywhere between 15 and 30
miles.
It's better to get a scooterbecause after being in the park
for two, three days, walkingaround it can be very
(31:58):
detrimental on the body.
So I get a lot of people thatrent scooters.
They're the elderly, thehandicapped, but there's also
regular people that want to renta scooter because they just
don't want to be up on theirfeet and I had never rented a
scooter before I had taken myaunt.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
It was the week before they shut down for COVID
in 2020.
And my aunt was coming in.
She has some heart issues andso she wasn't super active.
But I knew that walking a longdistance was going to be very
difficult for her and she didn'twant to rent one because she's
like I don't need a wheelchair.
I don't need a wheelchair, I'mnot that old.
(32:36):
What we ended up doing was Ihad been recovering from a
surgery and I was like I'mrenting it for me.
It made such a big difference.
The first day we went todowntown Disney and just getting
to downtown Disney and back,she was limping, she was hurting
, and so the next two days I hadrented her a scooter and by
doing that she was able to spendall day with us, where, if we
(33:00):
hadn't done that, I think sheprobably would have had to go
home in just a couple of hours,because there is so much walking
and so much standing.
So it's not always for me, whenI'm somebody's asking me when
they should or shouldn't, Ialmost think about you know, if
you, if you can walk and you'rephysically able to do that, then
(33:20):
you should.
It'll be easier to maneuverwithout a scooter.
If you feel like after seven to10 miles, you're going to cause
damage to your body that'sgoing to take you days or weeks
to recover, or it's going tomake it so painful to be in the
parks that you're not going tobe able to enjoy yourself, then
a scooter can be a really goodoption.
Speaker 4 (33:44):
I ride a scooter.
I've had people do the samething like you do.
They will just go ahead andrent it for themselves.
Sometimes people call me andsay you know we better get that
scooter.
Do you have any left?
So it's also a good idea todecide earlier.
There's a two-day minimum.
I do have one-day rentals.
My two-day rental is lower costthan what you have inside it's
(34:06):
$70 plus taxes than what youhave inside it's $70 plus taxes,
somebody who hasn't rented onebefore.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
When they're looking at rental companies, you know
usually what you're going to dois you're going to go online.
You can fill out and payeverything online.
Some companies have add-onslike insurance, and some places
those are included.
One thing that I look for isyou know, will they deliver it
to my hotel?
And I look at like what is youknow?
Will they deliver it to myhotel?
And I look at like what is youknow?
Are there extra costs likeinsurance?
(34:32):
There was one company thatwanted me to sign a waiver
saying if it got wet I wouldreplace the scooter, and even
though they were renting it tome on a day that was rainy, I
kind of look at those kinds ofthings.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Yeah.
So speaking of the rain, wejust had a lot of rain here and
we got some sunshine.
I'm prepared for that.
I don't have any waivers forinsurance or anything like that,
because I educate all theriders.
If I see someone they have notrented with me before, I will
initiate the call and ask themto call me for the tips when
(35:04):
they're near the scooters.
That prevents a lot of thethings like the scooter causing
damage.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
One tip is that there's like a lever at the back
of the freewheel scooter thatbasically allows somebody to
push the scooter, so rather thantrying to drive into a tight
space like an elevator, you canhave somebody push it to get you
to where you need to go withlike a slower acceleration.
The cast members at Disneylandwill use that to move your
stroller, to get it out of theway for parades or to move it to
(35:31):
make more space, but sometimesthey forget to put it back on,
so you might get on your scooterand then find it doesn't work,
and I thought that it was greatthat you explained that when I
picked my scooter up this way wedidn't get caught off guard.
We had rented from anotherplace before we started renting
from you and that happened andthey hadn't told us beforehand
where that that lever was, andso you know we're trying to do
(35:54):
it on FaceTime.
I thought it was great that youdid it right there at delivery
yeah, it's called a free wheellever.
Speaker 4 (35:59):
On most of my scooters the lever is on the
back right side by the wheel.
Well, it's a yellow protrusion.
You'll see a grommet on top ofthe lever.
When the lever is down, it's indrive.
When it's up, it's in neutral.
One of the other tips I shareis you take a picture of the
front of the scooter, becauseit'll save you a lot of time,
because they do move thosescooters around and especially
(36:20):
if kids jump around on thescooter, they'll just take
possession of the scooter andmove it around for safety
reasons.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
You can minimize how much they move by making sure
you're parking in a place thatit's allowed for scooter parking
, but even then they willshuffle them around.
What are some of the other tips, though?
I know that you had told me oneabout the art bus and how to
use that.
I think that would be a greatthing to share as well.
Speaker 4 (36:46):
The city of Anaheim and Disneyland.
You know they work closelytogether because the whole
economy is about Disneyland here, and so they have created a
very, very excellent bus systemand I get nothing but praise
reports about it.
And those are a majority ofthem.
They're blue electric buses andthey call it connecting the
(37:08):
dots, and those buses will go alot of times they'll stop right
by the hotel and theyaccommodate the scooter so you
can ride the scooter right onboard.
It drops you off right in frontof the park, I think.
For the elderly people, ifthey're 55 up, they're using a
scooter.
They get a discount on thetickets.
But it's a very good system.
(37:28):
You can download the app andschedule all the rides.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
And the cool thing is on that app.
It's the Away we Go app.
I'll have a link to it in theshow notes.
It's available on iTunes andGoogle.
When you select your route itwill show you exactly where your
bus is on that route so youknow how close it's going to get
.
I will say if you're going totake it to the parks in the
morning, you want to make sureyou give yourself extra time.
There are only so many spotsavailable for ECVs and
(37:54):
especially that first bus in themorning is very busy.
So if you know you want a ropedrop, then you really need to
kind of think that through.
But that bus really allows foryou to rent a scooter and stay
some of the hotels that are alittle further away, like
Marriott Suites or the DeltaSuite, those areas down there.
(38:14):
So it can be really helpfuleven if you're staying someplace
close, like the.
You know if you're staying at,like maybe the Marriott in
Anaheim, we'll take that busback on the way home, even
though we could walk, justbecause we're tired.
So if you have a scooter or youhave a little one that's in a
car seat and you know you don'thave a car so you can't take an
(38:35):
Uber.
That art bus is really, reallyhelpful.
I totally agree with you there.
Speaker 4 (38:39):
Yeah, it's an excellent system.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
Yeah, because the art does charge per person.
So if you didn't have a scooteror somebody that needed a car
seat, it's usually cheaper toUber if you've got like a family
of four, but if you have one ofthose things, it can be really,
really great.
I think one of the other tipsthat you gave was when you rent
the scooters, you're given a keyand it's really important that
you don't leave that key in thescooter because otherwise
(39:01):
somebody could bolt with it.
So.
But you gave somerecommendations of making sure
to keep that key kind of higherup on your arm and kind of think
things through.
If you're going to put yourhands up in a roller coaster, if
it's at the end, it could flyoff.
So I think that those kinds oftips were really helpful as well
.
Speaker 4 (39:17):
Yeah, the key will cause all kinds of surface
problems.
I assure that in my tips.
When you're using the scooter,it's important you take the key
out right away.
By taking out the key, you'repreventing a key from breaking
off inside.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
The last time I rented from you it was 12.02 at
night and we did Big Thunderright as the park was closing
and it was getting a littlechilly.
So I put on a jacket and then Ineeded to take something off
and so I took my jacket off andput it back on and I got off the
ride and I was like no, where'smy scooter?
(39:50):
I was like I cannot, I cannotcall the sweet man at 1205 in
the morning, tell him I don'thave a scooter key.
So we looked and looked andlooked, and the cast members
looked and looked and then werealized then I took every, I
took all of my jackets andeverything in my backpack off
and it had rolled up inside thesleeve of my jacket.
So you know, if I hadn't had it, like you know well, like on my
(40:11):
arm, it would have for suregotten lost in me taking my
jacket off.
So you probably did save mefrom having to be one of your
statistics there.
Speaker 4 (40:22):
That's the key with me.
I try to create a backup planfor everything.
The most important backup iscommunication.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
Another thing that you talked about, which I had
not heard before I rented fromyou, is you know you have to
charge the scooter every nightand there are some hotels that
will let you charge it in thelobby.
So it's not taking up the room,and I will tell you that that's
much.
It's always ideal if that canbe the case.
It can be very difficult,especially if you're by yourself
trying to get the scooter intoa hotel room without hitting the
(40:53):
door, or it can be moredifficult.
Can you list some of the hotelsthat will let you charge in the
lobby?
Speaker 4 (40:59):
There are hotels like the Fairfield Inn doesn't allow
any scooters on the premises atall, but most hotels they have
a meet and greet policies likeinside the resorts.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Most hotels they have a meet and greet policies, like
inside the resorts, and youknow, when he says meet and
greet, that means that you needto schedule a time with him and
meet him in the lobby to kind ofpass off some of these rules so
that the hotel feels confidentthat you're not going to damage
anything in the hotel.
So it just means a little bitmore planning and coordinating
and that you might need to havea little bit more time between
your arrival and your first daythere.
(41:31):
So maybe instead of arriving at10 o'clock at night, you arrive
a little earlier in the day oryou plan on having that meet and
greet earlier in the morning.
Can we talk about charging?
If somebody does need to chargethe scooter in their room, what
are some things that peopleneed to know before they plug
that scooter in?
Speaker 4 (41:50):
The way you charge the scooters, you charge them
through a port under thesteering.
We call it the tiller.
So right underneath is athree-pronged female connoction
and then the coaxial end on thecharger.
It goes right into the femaleend and then when you charge it,
you only want to charge itthrough the wall, no lamp or
(42:10):
table device.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
And then if somebody is not allowed to drive anymore
because maybe their reflexesaren't great or maybe they have
a hard time paying attention, itmight be better for them to be
in a push chair.
You know, I have one familymember that had a scooter and
they were having a really hardtime driving it.
Had a scooter and they werehaving a really hard time
driving it.
(42:31):
And so really, you know, if youfind that somebody has a hard
time like controlling and kindof using spatial awareness
because of changes in vision,you might be better off pushing
them in a push chair or in thosetighter positions using that
lever he talked about.
And then this way you'repushing it and so it's at a
slower rate, so you have morecontrol.
Speaker 4 (42:53):
Vision.
It's important that the ridershave adequate vision and it's
the security inside.
If they see someone riding thatscooter unsafely, I can receive
a call.
I have to take the scooter away.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
When you're looking at renting a scooter, you want
to plan ahead.
There are some lines thatyou'll be able to take the
scooter away.
When you're looking at rentinga scooter, you want to plan
ahead.
There are some lines thatyou'll be able to ride the
scooter in the line, especiallyat California Adventure.
There's some that because therides are older, they're not
able to do that.
So if you are in a scooter andyou're not able to stand in the
line for that period, you can goto a cast member at those
things you can say is this linewheelchair accessible?
(43:29):
And if they say no, they'llprovide you with a return time.
You still have to wait theexact same time as everybody
else.
You're not getting to cut, butyou are able to wait outside of
their traditional line so thatyou can enter through a location
that doesn't require you tostand for a long period of time.
If it's a newer ride, like Riseof the Resistance in Star Wars
(43:52):
and Galaxy's Edge, or if it is aride that was built most of the
California Adventure ridesyou're able to take the scooter
in through the line.
Then you would stand in thetraditional line with everybody
else in your scooter and then,when you get to the front of the
ride, the cast member will beresponsible from moving that
scooter from where you get onthe ride to where you exit the
(44:15):
ride.
So they'll handle all of thatfor you and it is completely
okay to give them the scooterwith the key.
Usually they're going to haveyou take the key with you and
from there they'll pop thatlever and they'll move it to
where it needs to go.
Yeah, and speaking of the key,you never want to leave the key
in there Is there anything elsethat we missed that you think
(44:36):
like if your best friend wasgoing to rent a scooter you'd be
like, oh, this is something youneed to know.
Speaker 4 (44:41):
One more tip that I did forget going over that
careful going over the railroadtracks.
Unfortunately, the scooters andmajority of the scooters that
are in the park, they're prideproducts, pride mobility and the
battery cables.
They can pop out on roughterrain.
So if you hit a bump orsomething, instead of disabling
(45:07):
it from the controller the waythey have engineered it is the
battery cables will pop out toprevent an accident.
So if you're going over therailroad tracks, you want to go
slow.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
And if people want to rent with you or ask questions,
what's the best way for them?
To either rent a scooter or toreach out to you rent a scooter
or to reach out to you.
Speaker 4 (45:29):
The name of the company is Amos Mobility and the
website address isamosmobilityscooterscom.
The phone number is888-999-8023.
Speaker 2 (45:43):
Thank you so much for making time.
I know that you always have alot going on, so I very much
appreciate you making the timeto spend with us today.
Speaker 4 (45:51):
Yeah, you're very, very welcome.
Thank you, Robin.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
This has been another episode of the Park Magic
podcast, and we hope that youhave a magical trip.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Park
Magic podcast.
For more tips and planningtools designed to help simplify
your Disneyland adventure, visitparkmagiccom.
If you enjoyed today's episodeand want to hear more tips, be
sure to subscribe to the ParkMagic podcast, and don't forget
to leave us a review.
Your feedback helps us spreadthe magic even further.
Leaving a review could alsohelp you.
(46:22):
Each month, we will beselecting one reviewer to win a
one-hour planning session withRobin.
Winners will be announced atthe end of the first episode of
every month.
Thanks for tuning in andremember that we are here to
help you have a less stressfuland more magical trip to
Disneyland.
Welcome to the Park Magic Podcast, your place for
insider tips for your nextDisneyland adventure.
Whether you're a first-timer orfirst-time-in-a-while visitor,
we're here to unwrap the secretsto creating and simplifying
your dream Disneyland vacation.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Welcome to the Park Magic Podcast.
Today I'm excited to talk toyou a little bit about scooters.
I've actually got two amazingguests.
The first is Mika.
Mika is a longtime Disney fan.
She's been coming to the parksforever and she's experienced
the park with some physicaldisabilities that caused her to
need a scooter.
We're also going to be talkingto John from Emo Scooters.
(00:52):
I just want to acknowledge youfor being so gracious to be
willing to share with otherpeople so that they can have a
great experience at Disney.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Yeah, no problem.
Thank you so much for having meToday.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
we're talking about wheelchchairs and scooters and I
know that one thing that youtalked about was you know,
disney does treat the ECVs, theelectric wheelchairs, just as
wheelchairs, and I know thatthat was a big concern for you.
Can you talk a little bit?
You know, because I think mostpeople who end up renting the
scooter are probably not inwheelchairs day to day, because
(01:23):
people who are in wheelchairsevery day probably have their
own wheelchair or have their ownECV that they would be bringing
to the park.
So in talking about renting ascooter and how you know it
works at Disneyland, what weresome of the things that went
through your mind when you hadto start renting a scooter?
You know, and I can share alittle bit about what kind of
went through my mind as well,and I can share a little bit
(01:43):
about what kind of went throughmy mind as well.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Yeah, absolutely so.
I've actually used bothwheelchairs and ECVs at
Disneyland.
The first time that I used awheelchair, it was a manual
wheelchair and it just was notgreat.
My partner had to wheel mearound and there's a lot of
bumps on the road and a lot ofareas where it's very easy to
(02:06):
tip a wheelchair over,especially if you're not used to
wheeling somebody around aswell.
So the next time that I went, Idecided to rent a scooter
instead and it was just so mucheasier and so much better.
The speed itself was slow andsafe, which was always great
(02:27):
just because there are so manypeople at the park.
Additionally, the ability tojust be able to kind of stand up
and either have my wife, havethe scooter and her driving
around for a little bit wasreally good.
So my biggest problem with myknees is I have osteoarthritis
(02:48):
in my knees and I also haverheumatoid arthritis.
So sitting for too long with myknees bent is a problem,
because my knees will swell, myfeet will swell.
It's not a fun time for anybody, but standing in line is also
really, really hard for me aswell.
So being able to have an optionwhere I can fully enjoy the
(03:08):
parks and be able to get aroundwith as little issue as possible
is really just game changingusing a scooter or the one time
with the wheelchair.
It really was a lot of.
Okay, let's go stand in lineand then after the ride I would
(03:33):
have to sit or rest for about 30minutes to an hour, which is
crucial here at Disneyland.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I think this would be a good time to talk about the
two different kinds ofaccommodations.
So there are mobility things,which we're going to be talking
primarily about today, and thenthere's non-mobility issues.
So let's say you have some sortof disability or health
impairment that causes it sothat you're not able to wait in
a long period of time.
Now Disney has a program calledDAS Disability Access Service
(03:57):
and in DAS, what it does is itallows you to bypass the queues,
not in you don't stand in lineor not, that you don't wait,
it's just that you don't wait inthe traditional queue.
So you'll wait.
If the line is 60 minutes long,you'll still wait that 60
minutes, but you won't have tobe standing in the queue.
There are some people like Mika, that have both mobility and
(04:19):
other issues that cause them toneed this.
Maybe it might work that youneed both, but just know that
both of those things are anoption.
And with the wheelchairspecifically, what they will do
is for there's going to be somerides where you get a return
time and some rides where youwait in the traditional queue.
(04:39):
If you just had a mobilityissue so if you just had a hurt
knee or you just couldn't walkor you just had a broken leg and
you were in a wheelchair forthat.
So let's talk about both ofthose.
When you rent a wheelchair atDisneyland, you might be in a
couple of different situations.
You might be where you justcan't walk that long of a
distance, and so there'ssometimes in that case you might
(05:00):
rent a scooter and then youmight get off the scooter to
stand in maybe a regularlightning lane because you can
stand.
You just can't do the longdistance walking.
There are some people that willuse the scooter but then are
able to get up and transfer andget in the regular ride vehicles
, so you would basically stand,you would ride the scooter
through the line or to the exitand then you're able to stand up
(05:24):
and do that short walk.
And then there's some peoplethat aren't able to transfer at
all, and so, if that's the case,on Park Magic we've indicated
and Disneyland has this on theirwebsite too what rides require
you to get up.
There are a couple rides thatyou have to transfer out of your
wheelchair in order toexperience, and there are some
that you can bring yourwheelchair specifically on the
(05:46):
ride.
You don't have to transfer, andthose are really great for
people who are not able to leavetheir chair.
There's some rides that werebuilt like after the ADA was
passed.
So for those rides like,especially like the newer rides
that are in California Adventure, or the rides that are in, like
the newer rides that are inDisneyland, like Rides of the
Resistance, those lines, thosequeues, were designed to be wide
(06:09):
enough for a wheelchair to waitin the regular queue with the
rest of your family.
If it was not so, for thoserides you would just stand, you
would be in your wheelchair inline just like a regular person,
unless you had kind of accessto the desk because you had an
additional issue.
And then for the rides that you, that don't they, you kind of
(06:30):
drive up to the cast member atthe front and they give you a
return time and then you comeback and they will put that into
your ticket online and then youwill have them scan that or
check that return time and thenthey will board you through
either the exit or through maybekind of a little shortcut,
unless it's a ride where youneed the wheelchair to be
(06:54):
transferred over to as well.
I think that one thing thatpeople struggle with is like
knowing how being in awheelchair or an ECV will be at
the park.
You know, I know my aunt wasreally worried about it slowing
things down or slowing the groupdown, and it can to a degree,
(07:15):
but at least for us her being inthat ECV really did make it.
So we were actually able tomove faster overall because she
needed to take less breaks andshe was in less pain during her
day.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Yeah, I completely agree with that.
I totally understand fromsomebody who is not an everyday
wheelchair user that sometimesit is a little bit difficult.
I feel like there's two parts.
There's the one part, like youwere saying with your aunt,
where you're scared to slow downyour group, and I feel like
(07:52):
there's also another part wheresome people feel a little bit
embarrassed about using ascooter or a wheelchair,
especially if they are mobilewheelchair users or mobile
scooter users.
So that meaning being able toget up and walk from the
wheelchair or from the scooterJust because I feel like there
(08:14):
is a lot of societalexpectations that if you use a
wheelchair, whether it's ineveryday or if you're a mobile
wheelchair user in every day, orif you're a mobile wheelchair
user, that you shouldn't be ableto walk if you're using a
wheelchair or a scooter, which Ifeel puts a lot of people
feeling either embarrassed orworried about what others will
(08:37):
say, especially in a place likeDisneyland where there really is
a lot of people.
And I think that for mepersonally, that was one of my
worries.
I'm a very anxious person andthat was definitely one of those
things.
Like you know, is somebodygoing to somehow challenge the
fact that I am able to stand upand walk out of my wheelchair or
(09:00):
my scooter, are people going tothink that I'm, you know,
faking something or somethingalong those lines?
But after talking to the castmembers at City Hall and letting
them know what exactly myphysical limitations were, they
were very gracious and tellingme you know, it sounds like a
scooter or a wheelchair woulddefinitely benefit you.
(09:23):
And after trying it out thatfirst time I I did not look back
.
It just made everything so mucheasier.
On the one hand, a scooter isslower, but as my arthritis
progressed I noticedrealistically it's not really
slowing me or my wife or me ormy friends down when we go, just
(09:47):
because I would have to take alot of breaks or I would have to
walk a little bit slower for alittle bit of the day, or I
would have to completely missout on rides because I just
couldn't make it to whateverride they wanted to go to.
So it really was putting alimit into my own enjoyment of
Disneyland and I think it wasalso putting a limit on the
(10:10):
enjoyment for my friends and mywife as well, because they
didn't want to have to go onrides without me if I wanted to
purchase something, but for somereason I couldn't make it into
the shop or there was just toomany people in there for me to
be able to walk as slow as Ineeded to walk at the time.
So I think that there'sdefinitely a multitude of
(10:30):
reasons why people are worriedor scared about using a
wheelchair or an ECV slashscooter, and I think that, at
the end of the day, the thingthat really helped me realize
that I was just worrying toomuch about it was the fact that,
after trying the scooter outfor the first, the newer rides
(10:52):
like you were saying, robin, forthe ones that were a little bit
older, like peter pan or spacemountain being able to go
(11:13):
through the back and justknowing, hey, I can actually go
in and enjoy this ride.
Uh, was it?
It's a world of difference.
Just because disneyland is alsovery, and the way that they
place the rides, sometimes it'svery hard to get from some of
your favorite rides to the otherof your favorite rides, like
(11:33):
for me.
Personally, I love the HauntedMansion and I also really,
really love Space Mountain, butgetting from one to the other
really is quite a trek.
Getting from one to the otherreally is quite a trek.
So if you're somebody who isdealing with any sort of
physical disabilities or fatigue, that is definitely a great
option to be able to keep yourenergy, keep your stamina, keep
(11:56):
your pain low and be able to gofrom your favorite rides to your
favorite rides.
So I definitely think that ifanybody who has, you know, a
disability where fatigue or painor mobility come into play,
using a scooter will definitelydefinitely improve your time at
(12:16):
Disneyland and it's going to begreat for you and it's going to
be great for everybody in yourparty as well, because they'll
be able to see that you're alsoenjoying yourself and I think
that that's huge.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
There are times where , maybe, post-surgery, where I'm
like I physically could walk,but I would have been in so much
pain, I wouldn't have beenhaving any fun, and my husband
definitely wouldn't have beenhaving fun, because when I'm in
pain, I'm not super fun to bearound, and so it's it's not
even it's it's, it's not evenjust could you physically do it,
but can you do it and enjoyyourself, and that's really what
(12:49):
the accessibility is about ismaking sure that you have the
same access to experience thepark that everybody else is.
If you're perfectly healthy,then renting the scooter will
slow you down, and I wouldn'trecommend it.
If you need it, though, then Ithink that it is a good idea,
and if you get halfway throughyour day, or halfway through
(13:10):
your first day, they have themat the park that you can rent.
Did you want to talk a littlebit about the process of renting
at the park?
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Sure, I also did want to add most people who go to
Disneyland also go as not asingle day.
They go for multiple days.
So if you end up in pain at theend of your first day or
completely fatigued, you may notbe able to participate the rest
of the week, and that kind ofsucks because, aside from you
know not being able to spendthat time with your family or
(13:39):
friends, Disneyland also doeshave a price tag that comes for
a lot of people who are not fromthat area in Southern
California.
So you may as well make thebest of it while you're there
and if using you know theaccessibility that is available,
why not Might as well?
Speaker 2 (13:57):
And I don't know about you, but especially when I
was post-surgery and I washaving a lot of pain walking,
when I was trying to walk it allday, I found that some rides
were not enjoyable anymorebecause in the way I was holding
my body to try to compensatefor the pain, it like tightened
up my back and so that the joltsof Space Mountain, which I
(14:19):
normally have no problem with it, was really painful because my
muscles were so sore thatbecause trying to over
accommodate from, you know,pushing what I was able to
physically do- Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
I had that same problem with Indiana Jones.
That ride became unbearable tome before I even had to use a
scooter or a wheelchair.
I already had knee issues andthat ride if we did it too late
in the day or too late in ourtrip, like day three or four, it
was just.
It was horrible.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
This might be a good time to talk about some of those
rides that we can circle backto the renting at Disneyland,
some of those rides that can bea little bit tough on your back,
so if you know that you haveback issues, disneyland does put
warnings on these, but I thinkthat Indiana Jones and
Matterhorn are the two ridesthat should come with a free
pass to a chiropractorafterwards.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Oh, absolutely, indiana Jones.
I used to enjoy it a lot when Iwas able-bodied and as soon as
I started having more knee pain,every single time that we went
on that ride, it's like they putyou in a little blender and it
just you.
Your knees get jostled around,your back gets jostled around,
(15:35):
and it's one of those rides thatdoesn't actually have like a
lap bar is just, it's reallyjust a seat belt and then you
have the little bar in front ofyou to hold on to.
But that is definitely notenough.
You get shaken up like a dollin there.
It's horrible.
Matterhorn as well.
I I know that they've changedthe seats for Matterhorn
(15:56):
multiple times, but they alljust suck.
No offense Disneyland, butthey're just an absolute
nightmare for your back and Iwant to say your butt too.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
They are difficult to get in and out of too
Matterhorn.
I always have to kind of bracemyself to get out if I have, if
I'm having joint issues.
But I think, and then you know,space Mountain is is is for the
most part a pretty smooth ride.
But as you're heading upthere's kind of a couple big
jolts where, like you're movingfrom track to, from kind of like
chain to chain or track totrack and it it's.
(16:32):
I find that it's more enjoyablefor me at the beginning of the
day versus the end of the day.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Oh, absolutely.
Uh.
The other one that I would putin there as well, if there are
any other adults that are braveenough to go on this ride, is
Goofy Skyskull.
Oh yes, that's definitely notin DCA.
Yeah, that one is rough,especially if you're trying,
because for people who haven'tbeen to Disneyland or DCA very
(16:57):
much, the ride doesn't stop whenyou are boarding or getting off
the ride.
So having any sort of jointissues or mobility issues while
trying to get off or on thatride is extremely hard and very
panic inducing.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Well, and Space Mountain is like that too, where
they you know they really haveto get people on and off very
quickly.
So if you know you're going totake longer to load at either
Space Mountain or Goofy SkySchool, make sure you, when in
doubt, use the wheelchair exit.
It will take you longer becauseyou have to wait for a specific
car on Space Mountain, but ifyou're worried about being able
(17:36):
to get in and out quickly, Ithink it's worth the anxiety.
For me, there's a special carthat gives you lots of time to
load and then they slide it overto the track.
It's actually kind of cool, butit does take a little bit
longer.
So if you don't need it, youknow, save it for those that do,
but it is something that isavailable.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that that SpaceMountain one is really great.
They have to find a spot for itto go in, so, realistically,
you can take as much time as youneed getting in or out of the
vehicle, which is great, becausethe vehicle is also so low.
You basically have to step downinto it, which again is a huge
problem for a lot of people withmobility issues.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
For the most part, most of the other rides are
fairly easy.
There are some things, you knowyou'd find even some things
that you would think that mightnot have accessibility options,
like, uh, you know if you mightthink that, uh, like the pirates
lair, which would be called tomsawyer's island um, there are.
There are a lot of accessibleareas there.
(18:34):
There are some areas that arewith stairs that are not
accessible, but disney doesreally go out of their way to
try to make sure as much of theexperience as possible is
accessible, like the tree housein Adventureland.
Obviously there's like 60stairs up, 60 stairs down, so
it's not great for people withmobility issues, but the cool
little ostrich that they have atthe bottom, that's part of the
(18:55):
accessible path that you can usewith a wheelchair.
So, you know, make sure youalways ask a cast member what's
available.
Like Nika said earlier, you cango to City Hall at the
beginning of the day, but anyplace where you see people in
plaids standing under usually ablue umbrella, that's where you
can ask those questions.
If you wanted to find out ifyou're eligible for DAS, which
we talked about earlier, you cando that.
(19:16):
Eligible for DAS, which wetalked about earlier.
You can do that I believe it's30 days before, between 30 and
two days before your trip, andyou can do it online.
But just be planning, plan onwaiting a long time.
There are hold times can benotoriously hours long, but you
can also check in the park andthey'll be able to tell you
exactly where you would go,answer any questions that you
(19:37):
might have, and don't feel likeyou're not going to be asked to
prove why you need a wheelchair.
That's just not something thathappens at the Disneyland parks,
especially in the US side, justbecause of HIPAA laws.
So if you need it, then don'tworry about you're not going to
be asked to prove that you needit, anything along those lines.
And I just want to take a secondto acknowledge that if you are
in a wheelchair and you are notable to transfer, this episode
(20:01):
might not be sufficient for youor your needs, but there are
lots of support groups andFacebook groups that you can get
additional information.
So if you're feeling like we'remissing something because we
don't have that experiencerepresented here, I just want to
acknowledge that this is that.
You know we're primarilyfocused on this episode, in
particular, on people that mightnot normally need a scooter day
(20:21):
to day but might need it in theparks.
But let's go back to talkingabout specifically, because
there are scooters andwheelchairs and strollers that
are available at the park.
Did you want to talk about thatprocess?
And then I can talk a littlebit about renting from a third
party.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Sure, absolutely so, for renting a scooter or a
wheelchair.
Those are the only two that Ihave rented at Disneyland.
You would go to this littlearea right outside of Disneyland
so it's right outside of thegates, closer to the bus drop
off than downtown Disney andthey have a selection of
(21:01):
wheelchairs which are all manual, so your standard wheelchair.
And then they have scooters,which are not necessarily
electric wheelchairs.
They're really scooters whereyou sit down and you have a
little handle that you can movearound, almost like a moped.
They do run out of some of themquite quickly.
(21:23):
I do find that the scooters runout a lot quicker than the
wheelchairs do.
But in the past, when we havehad to rent a scooter and it
wasn't available, they did offerme a wheelchair and then just
said you know, if you are parkhopping and you're going from
park to park, or if at any pointsomebody in your party wants to
come check to see if there areany scooters available, you can
(21:46):
return the wheelchair and thenwe'll upgrade you to a scooter
and you just have to pay thedifference.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
And the last time that happened to me and it does
happen quite often, so that'swhy I'm going to talk a little
bit about renting from thirdparties is that they did put me
on a waiting list and did textus when it was ready, when there
was one available, and then wewere, you know, trying to get
over there before it disappeared.
So they hold it for a specificamount of time.
When you rent from Disneyland,they will go over the rules, and
(22:11):
that includes you can't haveminors on ECDs, they have to be
over 18.
And that you know.
You know, like you know,instructions on how to use the
scooter.
It will be fully charged andbut you will have to return it
at the end of each day.
And that means that if, even ifyou're staying across the
street or even if you're stayingat the disneyland hotel, you're
(22:32):
going to have to return thatand then walk back at least to
where the parking trams are oror to back to your hotel, and,
depending on what your physicalability is, that might be
difficult.
So know that that's the case.
One of the reasons I likerenting from a third party is,
you know, I'm staying closeenough to the park where I can
(22:53):
walk, I can ride that scooterall the way back to the lobby of
my hotel.
In some hotels it can even be,you know, riding it all the way
back up to my room if I'm having, if I need it at that point.
And so it can be really, reallyhelpful to do that because
you're you know you're nothaving to transfer out during
the point where you're mosttired and you don't, and you,
(23:17):
because you're reserving themahead of time, you have a kind
of a guaranteed availability anda lot of them will deliver to
the hotel.
So it's there when you arriveand fully charged, and then you
would just charge it at night orthe lobby would charge it at
night.
There's several providers.
We have an interview right afterthis with John from Amos, who's
actually my favorite place torent from.
(23:38):
Unfortunately, lately I haveneeded to rent that scooter
because of some health issues,and not only has his service
been really great, he's beenavailable via text.
He provided me some great tips,made sure I understood how
everything worked at Disney, howto get the scooter there and
back with different hotels, butyou know, the scooters were in
(24:00):
really good condition as well.
So you know, we're going tojump into that in just a second,
mika.
Is there anything else that wewant to discuss before we jumped
over to interview with John orthat you thought would be
helpful to those consideringgetting a scooter?
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Absolutely.
There is one thing that I didwant to mention in terms of
renting directly from DisneylandAlways remember in your plans
how you're getting to Disneylandthat day.
So if you're in a hotel that isfurther away from the parks,
where you would have to drive toone of the parking lots, maybe
renting a scooter from a thirdparty might not be the best
(24:39):
because you might not be able toload it into your car.
So always think about thelocation that you're staying in.
Is your party able to walkacross the street while you're
in a scooter across the street,or is it just better for you to
rent a scooter at Disneyland aswell, because you have to get
into a car and the car might bepacked, or you may not have
enough space for a scooter inyour car or vehicle when you're
(25:03):
going back to your hotel.
So those are definitely thingsthat I would consider when you
are looking at making your plansfor Disneyland, trying to
figure out what mobility aid isbest for you and figuring out
you know what the best place foryou to rent your scooter is at.
You always have to take all ofthe rest of your trip into
(25:25):
consideration when making those,and I know that Park Magic has
some great resources on where toget scooters from and hotels
and everything else and how faraway they are from the park.
So make sure to use the ParkMagic tool to be able to really
plan out your trip so that youcan have the best time.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
If you do need a scooter or a wheelchair during
your trip, If you're staying ata local Anaheim hotel, then
there's a bus system called ARTand there's also EVE E-V-E
that's part of that where theydo have accessible buses that
can bring your scooter.
So even if you're staying asfar down as like the Marriott
(26:05):
Suites or the Delta hotels thatare a little bit further away
there is a bus.
Just know that you will have towait for that bus, and so you
kind of need to, like Mika said,really think about how your
whole trip will go.
And you know most of thescooter rental companies don't
want you to put them in theircar because that's where damage
can occur.
So, but if you're staying faraway, then you know renting it
(26:28):
from the park or someplace whereyou can pick it up.
I want to thank you so much forbeing willing to share.
I know that it can be asensitive subject and I think
there can be a little bit ofshade thrown sometimes on people
who are using scooters becausethey see somebody stand up and
walk.
So I really appreciate youbeing so open to share that with
us?
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Yeah, of course, and thank you for inviting me and
allowing the space for that aswell.
I think it's important that wedo talk about things like this,
because I know that there are alot of people who might be
scared to put their enjoyment ofsuch a trip ahead of everything
else, and I think that the morethat we talk about it, the more
people may have a better tripbecause of using mobility aids.
(27:09):
So I think that it's animportant conversation and thank
you again so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
No problem.
You know, I even talked tosomebody that was that had
gained a lot of weight, to thepoint where his knees were
really hurting him, and he saidthat well, he is he, he has a
pass, and so he goes often.
And he said that while he wasworking on trying to lose that
that weight, he would start byrenting the scooter and then
just doing like the land to landand then walk to attractions
(27:35):
until he was able to build upthe endurance.
So you know, that's also anoption too.
You know, if you can, you canuse the scooter just to walk the
long distances and and walk theshort distances too.
But I think, especially withGenie Plus, it's not like you
can just start at the left-handside of the park and work your
way to the right as you used to.
You're going to be zigzagging alot more than you might have in
(27:58):
the past to try to avoid thoselonger queue times.
So I think it's a reallyimportant conversation.
So I thank you again.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Yeah, no problem and for anybody listening.
Just like Robin said, you know,have fun, do what's best for
you.
Use mobility aids for anythingthat you need aid with.
That's what they're there for,and they're there to make sure
that you honestly have the besttrip possible and that you're
not putting your body in toomuch strain.
So use them as you see fit.
(28:25):
Use them however you need,whether you're going from ride
to ride or just using them frompark to park, or even from land
to land and then walking therest of the way.
It's your trip.
Make it enjoyable, makememories.
Don't worry about the pain andthe fatigue, just enjoy yourself
.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Yeah, I think that's really great advice because you
know I think that you know thatwas something that was really
keeping my aunt from coming, asshe was worried about not being
able to keep up or being in toomuch pain, and I think, by
working to find accommodationsfor her so that she could enjoy
the trip, it made it.
So we have this whole likelibrary of memories with her and
my kids that we might not havehad if we hadn't been open to
(29:04):
those accommodations.
Within this episode, weactually have two interviews.
The next interview is withsomebody that manages a company
called Emo Scooters, and what Ilove about him is his passion
for helping make sure thatpeople have these scooters.
He's incredibly responsive.
He really makes sure that thescooters are taken care of and
his customers are taken care of.
(29:29):
So he's going to come on next totalk a little bit about, you
know, renting scooters from athird party, some of the things
to consider and even some of thetricks.
So if you got a scooter andmaybe after a ride it won't turn
on, some of the things that wewe can that you can look at to
try to make sure that you don'trun into issues while you're in
the park.
Today we're going to talk aboutsomething that can make a huge
(29:50):
difference, and sometimes peoplethink about wheelchairs, ecb
scooters, as something just forthe elderly, but there's a lot
of people that have chronichealth issues, that maybe have
joint or other mobility issues.
Maybe you even just hurt yourknee and you don't think you're
up to the seven to 10 miles youmight walk each day at
(30:10):
Disneyland.
So today I've got John fromAmos Mobility, which is my
favorite place to rent scootersfrom, and because of his great
customer service, he reallycares about his clients and it
shows in every communication.
So, john, thank you so much forcoming on the show today.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
Yes, thank you for inviting me.
It's a real pleasure.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
I think that there are some people that might be
listening like, oh, do I reallyneed to listen to this episode?
And I think that there are somepeople that might not normally
in their day-to-day life use awheelchair or scooter that do
rent them at Disneyland.
Can you talk a little bit aboutlike what the average clientele
, why they've rented or whatmade them decide to or to not
(30:53):
rent the scooter?
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Well, most people rent with me because my service
calls are very low and Icommunicate the process very
clearly and also you can text meanytime.
I'm just a phone call into textaway.
That's basically it.
It's communication that's realkey to me.
A lot of people will say I justlike it that you answer my
(31:14):
calls and text right away, and alot of people love my tips
calls and texts right away and alot of people love my tips.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
And when people rent from you, what percentage of the
people that rent do you thinkuse a scooter or wheelchair all
the time, versus how many peopleare only doing it because they
don't normally walk this muchand maybe they have like knee
pain or back pain or somethingelse that keeps them from being
able to stand.
Speaker 4 (31:36):
The majority of people can't walk such long
distances.
I actually did a littleresearch on how many miles
people put inside the park andit's anywhere between 15 and 30
miles.
It's better to get a scooterbecause after being in the park
for two, three days, walkingaround it can be very
(31:58):
detrimental on the body.
So I get a lot of people thatrent scooters.
They're the elderly, thehandicapped, but there's also
regular people that want to renta scooter because they just
don't want to be up on theirfeet and I had never rented a
scooter before I had taken myaunt.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
It was the week before they shut down for COVID
in 2020.
And my aunt was coming in.
She has some heart issues andso she wasn't super active.
But I knew that walking a longdistance was going to be very
difficult for her and she didn'twant to rent one because she's
like I don't need a wheelchair.
I don't need a wheelchair, I'mnot that old.
(32:36):
What we ended up doing was Ihad been recovering from a
surgery and I was like I'mrenting it for me.
It made such a big difference.
The first day we went todowntown Disney and just getting
to downtown Disney and back,she was limping, she was hurting
, and so the next two days I hadrented her a scooter and by
doing that she was able to spendall day with us, where, if we
(33:00):
hadn't done that, I think sheprobably would have had to go
home in just a couple of hours,because there is so much walking
and so much standing.
So it's not always for me, whenI'm somebody's asking me when
they should or shouldn't, Ialmost think about you know, if
you, if you can walk and you'rephysically able to do that, then
(33:20):
you should.
It'll be easier to maneuverwithout a scooter.
If you feel like after seven to10 miles, you're going to cause
damage to your body that'sgoing to take you days or weeks
to recover, or it's going tomake it so painful to be in the
parks that you're not going tobe able to enjoy yourself, then
a scooter can be a really goodoption.
Speaker 4 (33:44):
I ride a scooter.
I've had people do the samething like you do.
They will just go ahead andrent it for themselves.
Sometimes people call me andsay you know we better get that
scooter.
Do you have any left?
So it's also a good idea todecide earlier.
There's a two-day minimum.
I do have one-day rentals.
My two-day rental is lower costthan what you have inside it's
(34:06):
$70 plus taxes than what youhave inside it's $70 plus taxes,
somebody who hasn't rented onebefore.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
When they're looking at rental companies, you know
usually what you're going to dois you're going to go online.
You can fill out and payeverything online.
Some companies have add-onslike insurance, and some places
those are included.
One thing that I look for isyou know, will they deliver it
to my hotel?
And I look at like what is youknow?
Will they deliver it to myhotel?
And I look at like what is youknow?
Are there extra costs likeinsurance?
(34:32):
There was one company thatwanted me to sign a waiver
saying if it got wet I wouldreplace the scooter, and even
though they were renting it tome on a day that was rainy, I
kind of look at those kinds ofthings.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Yeah.
So speaking of the rain, wejust had a lot of rain here and
we got some sunshine.
I'm prepared for that.
I don't have any waivers forinsurance or anything like that,
because I educate all theriders.
If I see someone they have notrented with me before, I will
initiate the call and ask themto call me for the tips when
(35:04):
they're near the scooters.
That prevents a lot of thethings like the scooter causing
damage.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
One tip is that there's like a lever at the back
of the freewheel scooter thatbasically allows somebody to
push the scooter, so rather thantrying to drive into a tight
space like an elevator, you canhave somebody push it to get you
to where you need to go withlike a slower acceleration.
The cast members at Disneylandwill use that to move your
stroller, to get it out of theway for parades or to move it to
(35:31):
make more space, but sometimesthey forget to put it back on,
so you might get on your scooterand then find it doesn't work,
and I thought that it was greatthat you explained that when I
picked my scooter up this way wedidn't get caught off guard.
We had rented from anotherplace before we started renting
from you and that happened andthey hadn't told us beforehand
where that that lever was, andso you know we're trying to do
(35:54):
it on FaceTime.
I thought it was great that youdid it right there at delivery
yeah, it's called a free wheellever.
Speaker 4 (35:59):
On most of my scooters the lever is on the
back right side by the wheel.
Well, it's a yellow protrusion.
You'll see a grommet on top ofthe lever.
When the lever is down, it's indrive.
When it's up, it's in neutral.
One of the other tips I shareis you take a picture of the
front of the scooter, becauseit'll save you a lot of time,
because they do move thosescooters around and especially
(36:20):
if kids jump around on thescooter, they'll just take
possession of the scooter andmove it around for safety
reasons.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
You can minimize how much they move by making sure
you're parking in a place thatit's allowed for scooter parking
, but even then they willshuffle them around.
What are some of the other tips, though?
I know that you had told me oneabout the art bus and how to
use that.
I think that would be a greatthing to share as well.
Speaker 4 (36:46):
The city of Anaheim and Disneyland.
You know they work closelytogether because the whole
economy is about Disneyland here, and so they have created a
very, very excellent bus systemand I get nothing but praise
reports about it.
And those are a majority ofthem.
They're blue electric buses andthey call it connecting the
(37:08):
dots, and those buses will go alot of times they'll stop right
by the hotel and theyaccommodate the scooter so you
can ride the scooter right onboard.
It drops you off right in frontof the park, I think.
For the elderly people, ifthey're 55 up, they're using a
scooter.
They get a discount on thetickets.
But it's a very good system.
(37:28):
You can download the app andschedule all the rides.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
And the cool thing is on that app.
It's the Away we Go app.
I'll have a link to it in theshow notes.
It's available on iTunes andGoogle.
When you select your route itwill show you exactly where your
bus is on that route so youknow how close it's going to get
.
I will say if you're going totake it to the parks in the
morning, you want to make sureyou give yourself extra time.
There are only so many spotsavailable for ECVs and
(37:54):
especially that first bus in themorning is very busy.
So if you know you want a ropedrop, then you really need to
kind of think that through.
But that bus really allows foryou to rent a scooter and stay
some of the hotels that are alittle further away, like
Marriott Suites or the DeltaSuite, those areas down there.
(38:14):
So it can be really helpfuleven if you're staying someplace
close, like the.
You know if you're staying at,like maybe the Marriott in
Anaheim, we'll take that busback on the way home, even
though we could walk, justbecause we're tired.
So if you have a scooter or youhave a little one that's in a
car seat and you know you don'thave a car so you can't take an
(38:35):
Uber.
That art bus is really, reallyhelpful.
I totally agree with you there.
Speaker 4 (38:39):
Yeah, it's an excellent system.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
Yeah, because the art does charge per person.
So if you didn't have a scooteror somebody that needed a car
seat, it's usually cheaper toUber if you've got like a family
of four, but if you have one ofthose things, it can be really,
really great.
I think one of the other tipsthat you gave was when you rent
the scooters, you're given a keyand it's really important that
you don't leave that key in thescooter because otherwise
(39:01):
somebody could bolt with it.
So.
But you gave somerecommendations of making sure
to keep that key kind of higherup on your arm and kind of think
things through.
If you're going to put yourhands up in a roller coaster, if
it's at the end, it could flyoff.
So I think that those kinds oftips were really helpful as well
.
Speaker 4 (39:17):
Yeah, the key will cause all kinds of surface
problems.
I assure that in my tips.
When you're using the scooter,it's important you take the key
out right away.
By taking out the key, you'repreventing a key from breaking
off inside.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
The last time I rented from you it was 12.02 at
night and we did Big Thunderright as the park was closing
and it was getting a littlechilly.
So I put on a jacket and then Ineeded to take something off
and so I took my jacket off andput it back on and I got off the
ride and I was like no, where'smy scooter?
(39:50):
I was like I cannot, I cannotcall the sweet man at 1205 in
the morning, tell him I don'thave a scooter key.
So we looked and looked andlooked, and the cast members
looked and looked and then werealized then I took every, I
took all of my jackets andeverything in my backpack off
and it had rolled up inside thesleeve of my jacket.
So you know, if I hadn't had it, like you know well, like on my
(40:11):
arm, it would have for suregotten lost in me taking my
jacket off.
So you probably did save mefrom having to be one of your
statistics there.
Speaker 4 (40:22):
That's the key with me.
I try to create a backup planfor everything.
The most important backup iscommunication.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
Another thing that you talked about, which I had
not heard before I rented fromyou, is you know you have to
charge the scooter every nightand there are some hotels that
will let you charge it in thelobby.
So it's not taking up the room,and I will tell you that that's
much.
It's always ideal if that canbe the case.
It can be very difficult,especially if you're by yourself
trying to get the scooter intoa hotel room without hitting the
(40:53):
door, or it can be moredifficult.
Can you list some of the hotelsthat will let you charge in the
lobby?
Speaker 4 (40:59):
There are hotels like the Fairfield Inn doesn't allow
any scooters on the premises atall, but most hotels they have
a meet and greet policies likeinside the resorts.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Most hotels they have a meet and greet policies, like
inside the resorts, and youknow, when he says meet and
greet, that means that you needto schedule a time with him and
meet him in the lobby to kind ofpass off some of these rules so
that the hotel feels confidentthat you're not going to damage
anything in the hotel.
So it just means a little bitmore planning and coordinating
and that you might need to havea little bit more time between
your arrival and your first daythere.
(41:31):
So maybe instead of arriving at10 o'clock at night, you arrive
a little earlier in the day oryou plan on having that meet and
greet earlier in the morning.
Can we talk about charging?
If somebody does need to chargethe scooter in their room, what
are some things that peopleneed to know before they plug
that scooter in?
Speaker 4 (41:50):
The way you charge the scooters, you charge them
through a port under thesteering.
We call it the tiller.
So right underneath is athree-pronged female connoction
and then the coaxial end on thecharger.
It goes right into the femaleend and then when you charge it,
you only want to charge itthrough the wall, no lamp or
(42:10):
table device.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
And then if somebody is not allowed to drive anymore
because maybe their reflexesaren't great or maybe they have
a hard time paying attention, itmight be better for them to be
in a push chair.
You know, I have one familymember that had a scooter and
they were having a really hardtime driving it.
Had a scooter and they werehaving a really hard time
driving it.
(42:31):
And so really, you know, if youfind that somebody has a hard
time like controlling and kindof using spatial awareness
because of changes in vision,you might be better off pushing
them in a push chair or in thosetighter positions using that
lever he talked about.
And then this way you'repushing it and so it's at a
slower rate, so you have morecontrol.
Speaker 4 (42:53):
Vision.
It's important that the ridershave adequate vision and it's
the security inside.
If they see someone riding thatscooter unsafely, I can receive
a call.
I have to take the scooter away.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
When you're looking at renting a scooter, you want
to plan ahead.
There are some lines thatyou'll be able to take the
scooter away.
When you're looking at rentinga scooter, you want to plan
ahead.
There are some lines thatyou'll be able to ride the
scooter in the line, especiallyat California Adventure.
There's some that because therides are older, they're not
able to do that.
So if you are in a scooter andyou're not able to stand in the
line for that period, you can goto a cast member at those
things you can say is this linewheelchair accessible?
(43:29):
And if they say no, they'llprovide you with a return time.
You still have to wait theexact same time as everybody
else.
You're not getting to cut, butyou are able to wait outside of
their traditional line so thatyou can enter through a location
that doesn't require you tostand for a long period of time.
If it's a newer ride, like Riseof the Resistance in Star Wars
(43:52):
and Galaxy's Edge, or if it is aride that was built most of the
California Adventure ridesyou're able to take the scooter
in through the line.
Then you would stand in thetraditional line with everybody
else in your scooter and then,when you get to the front of the
ride, the cast member will beresponsible from moving that
scooter from where you get onthe ride to where you exit the
(44:15):
ride.
So they'll handle all of thatfor you and it is completely
okay to give them the scooterwith the key.
Usually they're going to haveyou take the key with you and
from there they'll pop thatlever and they'll move it to
where it needs to go.
Yeah, and speaking of the key,you never want to leave the key
in there Is there anything elsethat we missed that you think
(44:36):
like if your best friend wasgoing to rent a scooter you'd be
like, oh, this is something youneed to know.
Speaker 4 (44:41):
One more tip that I did forget going over that
careful going over the railroadtracks.
Unfortunately, the scooters andmajority of the scooters that
are in the park, they're prideproducts, pride mobility and the
battery cables.
They can pop out on roughterrain.
So if you hit a bump orsomething, instead of disabling
(45:07):
it from the controller the waythey have engineered it is the
battery cables will pop out toprevent an accident.
So if you're going over therailroad tracks, you want to go
slow.
Speaker 2 (45:19):
And if people want to rent with you or ask questions,
what's the best way for them?
To either rent a scooter or toreach out to you rent a scooter
or to reach out to you.
Speaker 4 (45:29):
The name of the company is Amos Mobility and the
website address isamosmobilityscooterscom.
The phone number is888-999-8023.
Speaker 2 (45:43):
Thank you so much for making time.
I know that you always have alot going on, so I very much
appreciate you making the timeto spend with us today.
Speaker 4 (45:51):
Yeah, you're very, very welcome.
Thank you, Robin.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
This has been another episode of the Park Magic
podcast, and we hope that youhave a magical trip.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Park
Magic podcast.
For more tips and planningtools designed to help simplify
your Disneyland adventure, visitparkmagiccom.
If you enjoyed today's episodeand want to hear more tips, be
sure to subscribe to the ParkMagic podcast, and don't forget
to leave us a review.
Your feedback helps us spreadthe magic even further.
Leaving a review could alsohelp you.
(46:22):
Each month, we will beselecting one reviewer to win a
one-hour planning session withRobin.
Winners will be announced atthe end of the first episode of
every month.
Thanks for tuning in andremember that we are here to
help you have a less stressfuland more magical trip to
Disneyland.
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