Yay for an October trip! I hope you all have great weather - and really enjoy Food & Wine!
Since you have some time, I would recommend "practicing" driving an ECV with one of those giant, lumbering beasties that they have for customers to use at Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, grocery stores, etc. If you can master one of those, you will have NO problems driving an ECV at WDW! Seriously - it takes less than 10 minutes to master a rental; you will feel like an "old hand" in no time!
When the rentals are delivered, take 10 to 15 minutes at your Resort, and just practice driving around. Find some "curb cuts" (the little ramps from the sidewalk down to the "street" level) and drive up and down those. Practice backing up - and remember that you won't have a "beeper" to let people know, so look over your shoulder! Slowly practice the tightest turns you can - both to the left and to the right, to see how much clearance you need. Practice parking - stopping safely, turning off the scooter and (if present) removing the key, so that you get used to that sequence. And most importantly, practice driving through the food court and/or shop(s) at the Resort, so you have a chance to see how it maneuvers in tight spaces, before you get to the Parks where it can be crowded!
2 ECVs in one Resort room typically is not a problem - if you need to have more space (depending on which Resort you are staying at) you can go to the Front Desk*, and nicely ask them to remove the table and chairs from your room; this should give you more than enough space to park 2 ECVs in your room. Only on the
Disney Cruise ships do you park outside your room in a designated "parking zone".
*If you call the Front Desk from your Resort room, it goes to a call center for the Resorts; although they are nice, they are not who you need to talk to. Take the time to travel down to the Front Desk in person - your results will be better.
Your rentals should be delivered with fully charged batteries (don't accept anything less!) and every night, as soon as you get back to your Resort room, plug in the chargers and charge them up overnight while you sleep. In the morning, they should be fully charged, and ready to go all day the next day. If you practice good "battery hygiene" (turn off the scooter any time you are not moving - like watching a parade, taking a break, waiting in a line - any time you won't move for 10 seconds or more!) you should not have to worry about charging your battery during the day.
Be sure to keep the rental company phone number either in your smartphone's address book, or your wallet; make sure you know what their policy is if the scooter has a problem after their regular business hours, who to call, and if there is a special after hours phone number.
Finally, boarding the buses. First of all, most buses at WDW can handle 2 - some can take 3 - mobility devices at a time. First come, first served; if you are traveling with a large group, it may be OK to split up and go on different buses. If you want to wait so that both scooters are on the same bus, be sure to let anyone else with a scooter or wheelchair know that you are not going to board, so they have the opportunity.
At the bus stop, park in the white rectangle painted on the ground at your bus stop if no one else is. This is a visual cue to the driver that he will have a mobility passenger.
When the bus arrives at the bus stop, signal the driver (I usually try to smile and wave, and watch for their acknowledgment) that you want to ride their bus. Wait for everyone to get off the bus - including any one on the bus who is in a mobility device. Remember that mobility devices load first, but get off last, every time. (There can be exceptions to this regarding boats and Monorails, but that's another topic for another day)
When the driver has put the ramp down, you may have to move your scooter to "center up" on the ramp. (They can't always stop the bus with the back door directly across from the box) Be sure to let your driver know that you are a new scooter user, and you will be happy for any tips, help or advice they can offer! Also very important - let your driver know that BOTH of you want to ride, so that if needed, the driver can fold up another section of seats to accommodate a second mobility device
Some of the buses actually have a center line down the middle of the ramp, but regardless, you just want to aim for the middle, and proceed
s l o w l y up the ramp. This is NOT the time to make like Evil Knevil, and try your daredevil driving! Once at the top of the ramp, and fully inside the bus, you will turn to the right, and then follow the driver's instructions for parking. One scooter will park "forward" and one will park directly across from the ramp.
You have the option to sit ON the ECV during the bus trip, or sit in a regular seat. That is entirely at your discretion; you will find people with strong opinions regarding both options!
When you arrive at your destination, everyone who is walking will get off the bus. The driver will then close the front doors, come back to the back door, and "kneel" the bus, to get it closer to the ground. Then s/he will open the back door, and deploy the ramp. Once the ramp is down, the driver will help you get the scooter turned around to go down the ramp. Take your time, and listen to their coaching - they do this all day long, and are experts at getting scooters (and other mobility devices) on and off the bus like a champ!
Again, this is NOT the time for speed; once you are ready, proceed
s l o w l y down the ramp, and DO NOT TURN YOUR WHEELS UNTIL THE BACK WHEELS ARE ON THE GROUND AND THE REAR OF THE SCOOTER HAS CLEARED THE RAMP. And go have fun!!!
:::Whew!::: That's about it. Seriously. After a round trip to the Magic Kingdom, you will both be old pros!
Enjoy your trip!