Question about the Dream scooter

[surena]

I am taking my mother-in-law to WDW in January for 8 days and could really use some advice.

I am looking into renting a Dream scooter for her.

The last time we rented an ECV at Disneyland a few years ago, she was not that great of a driver.

Now that she is a few years older and would have to drive the ECV onto the bus, I am afraid that she will not be able to do this without getting frustrated.

I am looking for any advice as I do not know what to do. I am not looking to save money, but to ensure that she has a magical time.

What are the Pros/Cons with the "Dream" scooter?

Is it really better then the other ECV's?

When getting on a Disney bus, are you only able to back or can you drive forward onto the chair lift?

Does anyone have any current pictures of the Dream ECV?

Thanks for your time.

[KJSJpipe]

I don't have specific advise for the dream scooter but I can help with some of the general questions
I recommend getting the "roof" thing if possible, it will keep out he sun and the rain.

Getting on the bus-
If she is not able to drive it on herself she can get off and you can do it for her if she can stand there for a few minutes. (if not ask if the driver if she can get on first)
If it is a bus with the ramp you drive straight on.
If it's a bus with a lift you back into the lift.
Once on the bus she will transfer to a seat and the driver will secure the scooter.
Once she is properly loaded the rest of your party will be allowed onto the bus through the back door. Once you are all on then the rest of the people get to load.
Do not let the bus driver talk you into having her stay on the scooter while the bus is moving. It's not safe.
Depending on the time of year you are going it is possible to have to wait for a second bus, they can only put two on each bus.

[Toocherie]

Based on things I have read the Dream Scooter is very large and very hard to maneuver on the busses. I have a hard enough time with a regular scooter! I can't imagine something even bigger fitting in those spaces.

One other tip is that if she is having trouble maneuvering to put the scooter in manual or freewheel mode and maneuver it that way. I find it easier then backing up and forth trying to get it in the right spot.

[mechurchlady]

Unless she is very overweight you should go with a smaller scooter. I have a Lark 3 and it is very hard to get on public buses because of the wheelbase being so long. I would go with 3 wheeler as they are easier to maneuver. WDW has lots of places to recharge and most scooter users rarely have to recharge their scooters.

The above advice is what I give people also. I would avoid canopies also. She will be able to have a scooter delivered to her hotel thus allowing her to practice driving the scooter. Wal-Mart has some big scooters but they are good for getting used to setting lower than normal and moving around.

[Toocherie]

If she is not an experienced ECV user I would get a four-wheel scooter--it is much more stable.

[GusMan]

And to add to that... if she is not an experienced rider, maybe she can practice at a store that offers ECV's to their customers. We did this with GusMom and it was well worth the "practice time."