Bay Lake Tower Accessibility & Questions

[cheee87]

I have a few questions regarding accessibility at Bay Lake Tower. My family and I have booked a 3BR villa there and last minute we decided to bring along my grandma who's permanently handicapped and cannot walk- she can barely stand up.

I've read in a few different places we can request for certain amenities that are available for people with disabilities at all WDW Resorts. Maybe I'm wrong(?) because I called WDW customer service recently to see if I had any options in the room we've reserved. I asked them if it were possible at all to request for a lowered bed to replace the sleeper sofa in the living room, but I've been denied that request. They said that the resort did not offer that service. Has anyone had any similar experiences in regards to disabilities at Bay Lake Tower? Should I call Bay Lake Tower directly and see if they can provide it?

We may also need a bathtub bench (since she can't stand) and a handheld shower, are these things that I can also request for? I'm not sure what is the best way or any way for that matter to ask for these things.

Please forgive me as I am completely new to this whole traveling with disabilities. It's really tough for my grandma to travel so we've never taken her far from home before. From previous trips, we've heard such great things about vacationing in Disney for people with disabilities that we really wanted my grandma to enjoy something other than the park in her backyard.

I just want to be as prepared as possible and to figure out what's the least I can expect. I appreciate any advice or direction on where to find more information. I've been researching the entire weekend on this topic and so grateful that I've found so much helpful information on here.

Thanks in advance!

 

[livndisney]

I have a few questions regarding accessibility at Bay Lake Tower. My family and I have booked a 3BR villa there and last minute we decided to bring along my grandma who's permanently handicapped and cannot walk- she can barely stand up.

I've read in a few different places we can request for certain amenities that are available for people with disabilities at all WDW Resorts. Maybe I'm wrong(?) because I called WDW customer service recently to see if I had any options in the room we've reserved. I asked them if it were possible at all to request for a lowered bed to replace the sleeper sofa in the living room, but I've been denied that request. They said that the resort did not offer that service. Has anyone had any similar experiences in regards to disabilities at Bay Lake Tower? Should I call Bay Lake Tower directly and see if they can provide it?

We may also need a bathtub bench (since she can't stand) and a handheld shower, are these things that I can also request for? I'm not sure what is the best way or any way for that matter to ask for these things.

Please forgive me as I am completely new to this whole traveling with disabilities. It's really tough for my grandma to travel so we've never taken her far from home before. From previous trips, we've heard such great things about vacationing in Disney for people with disabilities that we really wanted my grandma to enjoy something other than the park in her backyard.

I just want to be as prepared as possible and to figure out what's the least I can expect. I appreciate any advice or direction on where to find more information. I've been researching the entire weekend on this topic and so grateful that I've found so much helpful information on here.

Thanks in advance!

You should be able to get a bathtub bench/handheld shower. I don't know that WDW will remove furniture. I do know that all "accommodations" are not available at all resorts.

Did you request a handicapped room?

 

[cheee87]

Yeah I did, I was told none were available so afterwards I asked if it was possible to request for a lowered bed, but was told that wasn't possible. I just wish that we decided to bring her along earlier so that I could've booked a handicapped accessible room. Thank you for your response!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Not the sofabed (there isn't one) but when I needed a lower bed in an OKW studio, maintenance came and dismantled one of the bed frames. But the sofabed mattress may not be as high as you think.

 

[SteveMouse]

Not the sofabed (there isn't one) but when I needed a lower bed in an OKW studio, maintenance came and dismantled one of the bed frames. But the sofabed mattress may not be as high as you think.

Each hotel (or DVC) has a (small) number of specially modified rooms with facilities such as roll-in showers, hand-held showers, and grab bars near toilets. These rooms must be requested at the time of reservation. (Disney does not charge more for these rooms, but they are first-come, first served).

Disney should be able to provide a shower bench- I don't remember how the restrooms are configured in the 3BRs in BLT. You may want to specifically enquire.

 

[SueM in MN]

It's one thing to dismantle a bed frame or remove a piece of furniture. They have done that for guests at various resorts. They have also removed furniture so it could be replaced with a hospital bed rented at one of the off site rental places.

It's another to replace a sleeper sofa with a bed. That part is probably what they can't and won't provide. I would guess no resort would provide that because they just don't have extra beds around.

I agree with another poster that you will probably find the sleeper sofa makes a much lower bed than you think. Here's a picture of a BLT Studio that shows the sleeper sofa next to a bed. The sofa is lower than the bed to start with and will be lower with the cushions removed.

You can get the shower head replaced with a handheld shower and you will be able to get a shower/bath chair or bench once you arrive. You can also request a toilet seat riser.
Call Housekeeping when you arrive ((Engineering will replace the shower head).

Other types of shower or bath chairs and commode chairs can be rented from off-site companies. See post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread

The BLT Grand Villas have a stairway inside to get to the second floor. As I recall, guests can also access the second floor by going out of the room, up the elevator one floor and into the second floor thru a door in the hall between the 2 upstairs bedrooms. I'm mentioning that because the upstairs bathrooms are larger than the second bathroom downstairs. If she needs assistance in the bathroom, the extra space may be helpful (or she could use the Master bath on the first floor).

There is a 2nd sleeper sofa in the upstairs balcony. If he ends up needing to use the 2nd floor bathrooms or needs a hospital bed, that might be a better choice for her to sleep. It would not be in the main living room - she would have more privacy and you could leave the sofa up there made into a bed.

If you don't think you would be able to get her into the shower, you can find bath wipes like they use in hospitals. They are readily available in Minnesota in places like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS.
I'm not sure how easy they are to find in other states.
Comfort Bath at Walmart

 

[SueM in MN]

This website has pictures of a BLT Grand Villa, plus a link to the floor plan.

http://baylaketower.net/grandvilla.html

Here's a floor plan I found that I could post

You can see the entry door to the top level - it's just above the main entry door to the first level of the villa.

 

[cheee87]

It's one thing to dismantle a bed frame or remove a piece of furniture. They have done that for guests at various resorts. They have also removed furniture so it could be replaced with a hospital bed rented at one of the off site rental places.

It's another to replace a sleeper sofa with a bed. That part is probably what they can't and won't provide. I would guess no resort would provide that because they just don't have extra beds around.

I agree with another poster that you will probably find the sleeper sofa makes a much lower bed than you think. Here's a picture of a BLT Studio that shows the sleeper sofa next to a bed. The sofa is lower than the bed to start with and will be lower with the cushions removed.

You can get the shower head replaced with a handheld shower and you will be able to get a shower/bath chair or bench once you arrive. You can also request a toilet seat riser.
Call Housekeeping when you arrive ((Engineering will replace the shower head).

Other types of shower or bath chairs and commode chairs can be rented from off-site companies. See post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread

The BLT Grand Villas have a stairway inside to get to the second floor. As I recall, guests can also access the second floor by going out of the room, up the elevator one floor and into the second floor thru a door in the hall between the 2 upstairs bedrooms. I'm mentioning that because the upstairs bathrooms are larger than the second bathroom downstairs. If she needs assistance in the bathroom, the extra space may be helpful (or she could use the Master bath on the first floor).

There is a 2nd sleeper sofa in the upstairs balcony. If he ends up needing to use the 2nd floor bathrooms or needs a hospital bed, that might be a better choice for her to sleep. It would not be in the main living room - she would have more privacy and you could leave the sofa up there made into a bed.

If you don't think you would be able to get her into the shower, you can find bath wipes like they use in hospitals. They are readily available in Minnesota in places like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS.
I'm not sure how easy they are to find in other states.

Thank you so much for this information. It's extremely helpful! It sounds and seems like the sleeper sofa is pretty low so I think it should be fine for her, we'll have to see! And I'll request for the shower head/bench once we check in. Luckily, we have a lot of us so getting her into the bath shouldn't be a huge problem. Again, thanks so much for the information!