Told by MS that Non-Handicapped is not a valid room request

[LisaS]

Originally Posted by kristenrice

If they made it a booking category, that would just add yet another facet to the waitlist. Look at the "mess" at AKV already when it comes to a waitlist. Say you want ANY 2BR at AKV that comes available. Here are your options:

Value 2BR
Concierge 2BR
Standard 2BR-Jambo
Standard 2BR Dedicated-Kidani
Standard 2BR Lock-Off-Kidani
Savanna 2BR-Jambo
Savanna 2BR Dedicated-Kidani
Savanna 2BR Lock-off-Kidani

...so far, that's EIGHT choices and you only get to pick TWO...

Throw HA into the mix and now there are SIXTEEN options...still can only pick two.

It gets more complicated when you consider there are two types of HA rooms, those with roll-in showers and those without them. Someone who needs a roll-in shower needs to be able to reserve (or waitlist for) that type of HA room.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by LisaS

It gets more complicated when you consider there are two types of HA rooms, those with roll-in showers and those without them. Someone who needs a roll-in shower needs to be able to reserve (or waitlist for) that type of HA room.

They reality is that they have already had to make them separate booking categories internally. Really the only differences, as I see it, are that they have to translate that info to the resorts and members who reserved and make it part of the unit assignment process as well. I realize that's still a significant task but in reality, essentially everything we're discussing on this thread is already being done by MS, it's just not transparent to the members.

[Chumpieboy]

Originally Posted by cseca

The HA room has a roll in shower. No tub.
That's why it's an issue for some people like us who has little ones to give baths to.

We're in AKV Jambo now and are in a HA Villa and had one on a previous trip as well.

It's not just the shower flooding the bathroom which is annoying - there is so much less storage space in the kitchen area and the bathroom. Nowhere to hang towels; less storage in the vanity.

I'm all for accessibility and inclusion of all folks etc. but Disney should make the HA rooms a category that can be requested/not requested. Or at least add another hook in the bathroom for towels...

[wildernessDad]

I just put in room requests today for our vacation next May in a Kidani savanna view 1 bedroom villa and I requested no handicap room and that went though without a hitch or a whimper on MS's part.

[disneynutz]

Originally Posted by wildernessDad

I just put in room requests today for our vacation next May in a Kidani savanna view 1 bedroom villa and I requested no handicap room and that went though without a hitch or a whimper on MS's part.

You might want to call back and ask them what requests if any are on the reservation. Let us know if it's still there.

Bill

[bumbershoot]

Originally Posted by TDC Nala

This sounds like it may be crap, as they do not assign rooms according to when they were booked.

I agree.

One has to ask HOW would a MS CM know the specifics of how rooms are assigned?

When we were given the unwanted, unneeded, desperately inconvenient Accessible room at Jambo Dec '10, we had booked it a full 7 months ahead of time, and I'm pretty sure there were other bookings after ours. The difference is that we had spent nearly all day over at Universal on our checkin day and had not done online checkin (as we had done for the other aspects of our extremely split stay), and we were checking in rather late in the day. It's all they had left.

After dinner when I finally LOOKED at the room and realized there was no tub for my weary and incredibly painful self, and when DH went downstairs to talk about a room change, he was NOT the only one in line for the exact same thing. Our son was 6 at the time and *would* take a shower, but many children that age won't. The tub was TRULY needed for me, or I wasn't going to be able to move that next day. It was late in our stay and the only reason I was still moving was because of the epsom salts baths.

I literally and pathetically cried myself to sleep that night. And we couldn't do anything that next day, while waiting for our non-accessible room, because walking was a big problem for me.

Originally Posted by OrangeCountyCommuter

Once again the DIS shoes it's respect and tolerance


For those of you who need these rooms realize that the whining represents a vocal minority. Sorry

YOu are seriously hearing all of this in the entirely wrong way. Saying that we don't want an accessible room doesn't mean "I hate all people who need those rooms". On one big hand it means "I want those rooms left open for people who NEED those rooms". On the other main hand it means "rooms that are made accessible create problems for those of us with *different needs*.

While sitting around Jambo that day, I met an adult mother and daughter who had booked hotel rooms there. They had asked for and gotten an HA room because they had wheelchairs or ECVs, and figured it would be appropriate. It was not. They had ONE bed. For a mother and daughter. They found it incredibly uncomfortable, and wished they hadn't asked for an HA room. They thought it would be useful for the storage of their mobility devices, but it was much more appropriate for people who were "confined" to those devices; they were not, so it wasn't appropriate.

Originally Posted by CRobin

The family who shows up with infants who need to be bathed in a tub are not whining.

Even the family that shows up with an adult that needs that tub isn't whining.

Originally Posted by Brian Noble

I don't think this should be an issue in the HA rooms. The 1BRs and larger should still have the separate tub---at least, I'm quite sure our HA 1BR at OKW had one, because we used it. The studios wouldn't have it either way.

Our one-bedroom at Jambo did NOT have the tub at all.

On our next WDW trip we checked into OKW, and in a weird moment the CM pulled the online checkin folder of someone whose first name is my last name. His room was ready; our assigned room was not. I told the CM it wasn't a problem, but the CM insisted on giving us that guest's room. Which turned out to be Accessible, though the CM insisted it was NOT a request by the other guest but just what they had been assigned. We did end up accepting it, because it DID have the tub as well as the roll-in shower.

What was interesting is that the roll-in shower at Jambo did get water ALL over the floor. The shower at OKW did not. It seems like the drain design was better at OKW?

Originally Posted by LisaS

There is a tiny shelf above the sink (that would probably not be easily accessible to someone in a wheelchair by the way) that could hold two or three small items (like deodorant or a tube of toothpaste) but that's it.

Sometimes I really wonder about the designers of those rooms. Taking things out to make the space more easily moved around in is good, of course. But don't the people that need the room also need the storage and the towel racks? It makes no sense, and your comment on the shelf *above* the sink goes right along with that.

I've been in restroom stalls with the high HA commodes, but the toilet paper dispenser is at the same height as the other stalls, which can make me feel like I'm about to fall over while reaching so far down for the paper. Added to that that I'm short, and sometimes am only touching the floor on tiptoes with those commodes, it's just dangerous, and I can only imagine it's even MORE so with someone who actually needs that higher commode. I just really question the design and how well it meshes with the actual needs of those being designed for.

[DebbieB]

Originally Posted by bumbershoot

I agree.

One has to ask HOW would a MS CM know the specifics of how rooms are assigned?

When we were given the unwanted, unneeded, desperately inconvenient Accessible room at Jambo Dec '10, we had booked it a full 7 months ahead of time, and I'm pretty sure there were other bookings after ours. The difference is that we had spent nearly all day over at Universal on our checkin day and had not done online checkin (as we had done for the other aspects of our extremely split stay), and we were checking in rather late in the day. It's all they had left.

After dinner when I finally LOOKED at the room and realized there was no tub for my weary and incredibly painful self, and when DH went downstairs to talk about a room change, he was NOT the only one in line for the exact same thing. Our son was 6 at the time and *would* take a shower, but many children that age won't. The tub was TRULY needed for me, or I wasn't going to be able to move that next day. It was late in our stay and the only reason I was still moving was because of the epsom salts baths.

I literally and pathetically cried myself to sleep that night. And we couldn't do anything that next day, while waiting for our non-accessible room, because walking was a big problem for me.

I don't think date of reservation is considered when assigning rooms.

The fact that you checked in late was probably why you got the HA room. Most likely someone was assigned it earlier and complained, so they switched it with yours.

[miprender]

Though I never think to request a non HA room , we stay in one at the BCV. Thankfully it was only one night so not much of an issue, but I could not get the shower head to move so I could wash my hair and the floor being wet was dangerous.

The only plus side to that room was the balcony. I think it was larger than our studio

[dvc one day]

Originally Posted by bumbershoot

Sometimes I really wonder about the designers of those rooms.

As someone who needs a wheelchair, I frequently wonder about accessible designs in many fields, not just hotel rooms. It often seems as if the people designing things to be accessible have no personal experience dealing with it. I guess it's not realistic to have someone in a wheelchair working for every company designing accessible businesses, hotels, or even wheelchairs. It would be nice though. I would love to help some of these companies.

As for the desire to not stay in a roll-in shower room, I am in complete agreement. Disney roll-in showers are the worst I have experienced. I have stayed in many hotel rooms where the water stays in the shower and does not soak the entire floor. I'm not sure why Disney could not have done the same. In many roll-in showers in other hotels there are slight elevation changes or even ridges that help direct the water while remaining accessible. Many designs also use the curtain better than I have noticed during my trips to Disney. Who knows, maybe BLT will be better.

I should have made my most recent reservation without the roll-in shower, but I have never done that before. I guess I was worried about what I might find, so I stuck with what I know even if it's not ideal.

It's just a small part of the vacation though, and I expect we will have a great trip and enjoy every minute of it (why else would I be going).

wow, this turned out to be longer than I expected