The amount of scooters at Disney is out of control.

[Anonymous]

What paperwork or other things does Disney require to provide before a scooter is rented?

I haven't been to Disney in over 20 years, so I have no idea how bad it really is now. However, I have been to Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion plenty of times, and rarely see wheelchairs or scooters. The times I see those, they go through the exit line and usually get a seat that is not in the very front to make it fair for the people that waited a long time before sitting in the front row.

[Anonymous]

FYI -- we did Make a Wish and waited in line too, except for meeting characters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What paperwork or other things does Disney require to provide before a scooter is rented?

I haven't been to Disney in over 20 years, so I have no idea how bad it really is now. However, I have been to Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion plenty of times, and rarely see wheelchairs or scooters. The times I see those, they go through the exit line and usually get a seat that is not in the very front to make it fair for the people that waited a long time before sitting in the front row.

You need to provide a form of payment. That's it.

Why on earth would you need to provide anything else? Using a scooter isn't shameful. It's not something you have to "prove" yourself eligible for. It's simply a device you pay to use because it makes things easier for your particular body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another HUGE reason for the amount of wheelchairs- they get to cut to the front of all the lines. After I had knee surgery in my 20s, I had many people request to go to Disney with me so we could all jump to the front of the line.

Disney changed their policy about 4 years ago. Now for mobility issues you do through the utensils reguAr line. They give passes for other issues but that just allows you to get a time to return - usually the wait time minus 10 minutes and then you get in line. There is no more jumping he line.

The policy change specifically for mobility issues has been

When Disney first began to follow the ADA, many of their lines weren't ADA compliant. They had stairs built in, or tight turns, or portions that were too narrow for wheelchairs. So, rather than fixing the lines, they would have people go to the exit and wait for a chance to join the queue. Usually, this ended up with them getting on faster, although sometimes it didn't. For example, it was possible to come to the exit and find 4 wheelchairs in front of you. Since many rides only have 1 or 2 wheelchair cars, that meant you had to wait for each car to cycle through 5 times, which might result in a wait longer than the standard line. The myth that wheelchairs gave you front of the line privilege started during this era.

As Disney has updated their parks, they've gradually replaced the lines with ADA compliant ones. As soon as a line was ADA compliant, wheelchair users were asked to use it. By 2005, the first time I went, the number of lines that were not ADA compliant were very few.

Disney also used to have a system where people who had disabilities that made it difficult for them to tolerate lines (e.g. autism and other developmental disabilities, medical issues that made spending extended time in heat a problem, seizure disorders) could go to the front of the line. They were always clear that if someone's difficulty in line was due to not being able to stand/walk that they were expected to rent a wheelchair or scooter, and a pass would not be issued. Of course, there are times when someone has both a mobility disability and a developmental or medical need, so you would see some people using the front of the line privilege and also using a wheelchair or scooter.

About 4 years ago, Disney changed their system for accommodating people with disabilities that make waiting in lines challenging. At this point, those people are given tickets with a specific time they can ride a ride. The times are set up so that the wait time is the same for people with disabilities is the same as the time for people without disabilities, but people with disabilities don't stand in line while they wait.

The only exception to this is Make a Wish participants, and of course some of them also use scooters or wheelchairs, or travel with other family members who use scooters or wheelchairs.

We went two years ago with the pass. What we were given was basically a fast pass. So, we didn't have to wait in the line but we still had a small line when we came back after the specific wait time. Often it wasn't worth using it.

[Anonymous]

Okay, we get it. If a scooter rider is thin, then use of the scooter is presumed to be legitimate.

If the scooter rider is fat, they're only using it because of laziness.

[Anonymous]

My FIL has a knack for injuring himself the week before a trip, so I've done Disney both with and without a scooter user in my party. Being with a scooter is a pain, and it did not benefit us overall. There were lines where it got us put into a separate entrance, and it's possible that sometimes got on us sooner - but there were also many rides where we spent additional time retrieving the scooter, waiting for a special vehicle, etc. We rented a Disney scooter (stays in the parks), so we never benefited on the buses, and I don't recall ever being kept off a bus because of a scooter group.
I'm sure some people have found ways to work the system, just like some people always find ways to work every situation. I'm glad Disney has gone out of their way to be accessible to as many people as possible.
Yes, the scooters can get in the way when it's crowded, and yes some people drive them like idiots. Same goes for strollers. Disney has size limits on both, but at some point it comes down to a business decision of whose convenience to prioritize. Disney makes their decision and tourists make theirs about whether to visit.

[Anonymous]

No, I was visiting Disneyworld last April & no Dr. note is required to rent a wheelchair.

Many opportunists take full advantage of this + rent wheelchairs just so they (and their family/friends) can get on the rides quicker.

[Anonymous]

Our family has done Disney numerous times with at least one member of our group having a scooter. It is a huge pain in the butt, since it is hard to navigate the scooter through crowds, you often have to park it out of the way, and then on the monorail or shuttle buses you usually have to wait longer than you would without one. I don't see why anyone would put up with this extra hassle to use a scooter unless they really needed one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I was visiting Disneyworld last April & no Dr. note is required to rent a wheelchair.

Many opportunists take full advantage of this + rent wheelchairs just so they (and their family/friends) can get on the rides quicker.

How do they get on the rides more quickly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, I was visiting Disneyworld last April & no Dr. note is required to rent a wheelchair.

Many opportunists take full advantage of this + rent wheelchairs just so they (and their family/friends) can get on the rides quicker.

How do they get on the rides more quickly?

They use their time machines to go back 10 years to take advantage of Disney's old policies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here and a Disney frequent guest. OP, about five years back I swore to my husband I would never use Disney buses again. Too much waiting. And yes, the line could be two buses worth long and a scooter could pull up at the last second with her 10 family members and go straight to the front of the line. Not cool. Scooters should have to queue up like everyone else. Not we rent a car every time and it has made a huge difference.

I don't understand why a scooter gets you to the front of the line? That doesn't make any sense.

For the Disney bus lines, the scooters have their own queue and the driver loads them and members of their party first. There could have been 50 people in line for 20 minutes and the scooter party in line for 2 minutes, the scooter party is still boarding first. Meaning the people towards the back of the regular line are not getting on that bus, even though they were waiting longer than scooter party. Being disabled should grant you equal access, not preferential access, and as mentioned, anyone can rent a scooter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here and a Disney frequent guest. OP, about five years back I swore to my husband I would never use Disney buses again. Too much waiting. And yes, the line could be two buses worth long and a scooter could pull up at the last second with her 10 family members and go straight to the front of the line. Not cool. Scooters should have to queue up like everyone else. Not we rent a car every time and it has made a huge difference.

I don't understand why a scooter gets you to the front of the line? That doesn't make any sense.

For the Disney bus lines, the scooters have their own queue and the driver loads them and members of their party first. There could have been 50 people in line for 20 minutes and the scooter party in line for 2 minutes, the scooter party is still boarding first. Meaning the people towards the back of the regular line are not getting on that bus, even though they were waiting longer than scooter party. Being disabled should grant you equal access, not preferential access, and as mentioned, anyone can rent a scooter.

YES. This is exactly how it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another HUGE reason for the amount of wheelchairs- they get to cut to the front of all the lines. After I had knee surgery in my 20s, I had many people request to go to Disney with me so we could all jump to the front of the line.

not true any more. they changed the policy to stop abuse.

[Anonymous]

Ask to "adopt" a scooter person as a grandparent during your visit. You will get faster admission and a front row seat for parades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here and a Disney frequent guest. OP, about five years back I swore to my husband I would never use Disney buses again. Too much waiting. And yes, the line could be two buses worth long and a scooter could pull up at the last second with her 10 family members and go straight to the front of the line. Not cool. Scooters should have to queue up like everyone else. Not we rent a car every time and it has made a huge difference.

I don't understand why a scooter gets you to the front of the line? That doesn't make any sense.

For the Disney bus lines, the scooters have their own queue and the driver loads them and members of their party first. There could have been 50 people in line for 20 minutes and the scooter party in line for 2 minutes, the scooter party is still boarding first. Meaning the people towards the back of the regular line are not getting on that bus, even though they were waiting longer than scooter party. Being disabled should grant you equal access, not preferential access, and as mentioned, anyone can rent a scooter.

YES. This is exactly how it works.

Sometimes, and sometimes a family with a scooter using family member arrives at the bus stop, and even though there's less than a busload of people they don't get to ride because there are already 2 scooter users/wheelchair users in the queue, or because when the bus arrives the scooter/wheelchair spots are full.

At least that's how it was when I went 5 years ago. Sometimes scooter users got on a little faster, sometimes parties where everyone is on foot got on faster. In the end it comes out in the wash.

For many other things, scooter users consistently have a slower experience than people who walk, but you are correct that on the buses sometimes one group has the advantage, and sometimes the other group does.