Might add Universal/IOA to our anniversary trip, how well do they accommodate handicapped card holders without a chair now? Parking? Hotel to park?

[LuvOrlando]

Might add Universal/IOA to our anniversary trip, how well do they accommodate handicapped card holders without a chair these days? Parking? Hotel to park?

When our kids were little we ALWAYS added 3 days, I remember doing it all the time and even then, before arthritis the very long walk, not sure of step count, just to get to the gates could be tough. I could rest and recover back then but it was extra so I'm not sure all these years later. I hope accommodations have improved since DH wants to go this trip and my now adult kids asked to add it to a possible trip next year but I'm on the fence of just going for a day or building a few days into the trip. I am concerned I'll be exhausted before I even get to my first ride & hope there are little shuttles like at parking lots for people who need them, even a golf cart like airports would help. Anything done to improve accommodation? Any of the hotels specialize in some sort of way?

 

[DisneyMom93]

I’m not sure I understand. They have access for wheelchairs and scooters. I think you can rent the scooters from a company out there.

Are you asking what they offer for someone that needs a wheelchair to get around but doesn’t use one?

 

[ArielRae]

If you don’t plan to use a wheelchair you will have to walk from your car in the parking garage through to security check. Not a long enough walk for a tram there but some moving walkways available. Then they have a few moving walk ways you can use that will bring you to City Walk. From there you will have to walk thru City Walk to whichever park you want to visit. There are no carts or trams through City Walk to get you to the main entrance to the parks. It is just like walking through Disney Springs.

Even if staying at one of the hotels it is a walk. The Hard Rock resort is the closest to the Universal Studios Park but not Islands of Adventure. It is still quite a walk from the hotel to the main gate at Universal studios.

Taking the boat from the hotels still gives you a walk since they drop you off in City Walk and you have to walk to the main gates.

It would be highly recommend that you rent a wheelchair. They do rent manual push wheelchairs at the Rotunda when you get to the security check so you can be pushed to the front gates and then maybe rent a power scooter for the park day if you don’t want them pushing you for the day.


-Quoted from Universals website.
Guests can rent strollers, wheelchairs and Electric Convenience Vehicles (ECV) upon entrance to Universal Studios Florida™ and Universal’s Islands of Adventure™, to the left side of each park's entrance. Manual wheelchairs are also available at the Rotunda area of the parking structure. Due to limited numbers, please note that ECV Rentals are on a first-come, first-served basis and must be operated by a single person 18 years of age or older.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Universal has a multi-level parking garage rather than a huge sprawling lot like the TTC at Disney, so while it’s a large garage, it’s not set up for trams.

I do see how someone with mobility issues would find it a long walk from the car to City Walk, and through City Walk (also not set up for trams as it is a very congested pedestrian area) to the parks. But the person who would have trouble getting to the park is a person who would have trouble walking around all day in the park.

If you need a scooter, rent a scooter. There are many companies in the area that rent them. You can take them on the buses or water taxis to/from the parks. All the resorts other than Endless Summer can also be accessed via a walking path that scooters can easily navigate. The closest resort is Hard Rock, but any of the hotels that are accessed by water taxi will drop you in City Walk not far from the park entrances. But even with that accommodation, you would still have a ton of walking in the parks themselves.

 

[disney-inspired]

Universal has a multi-level parking garage rather than a huge sprawling lot like the TTC at Disney, so while it’s a large garage, it’s not set up for trams.

I do see how someone with mobility issues would find it a long walk from the car to City Walk, and through City Walk (also not set up for trams as it is a very congested pedestrian area) to the parks. But the person who would have trouble getting to the park is a person who would have trouble walking around all day in the park.

If you need a scooter, rent a scooter. There are many companies in the area that rent them. You can take them on the buses or water taxis to/from the parks. All the resorts other than Endless Summer can also be accessed via a walking path that scooters can easily navigate. The closest resort is Hard Rock, but any of the hotels that are accessed by water taxi will drop you in City Walk not far from the park entrances. But even with that accommodation, you would still have a ton of walking in the parks themselves.

I went to USO for the first time in May 2021 and we were staying at Dockside Inn. I was recently diagnosed with RA and using a cane and planned to rent a scooter for my 1 day there. The problem is that ECVs are only available IN the park.

It was a very rude realization when they dropped us off at the parking lot. That walk felt FOREVER in my nearly crippled state. I barely made it to the entry gate with my cane and immediately sat down waiting to get into the park for early entry. They did have manual wheelchairs at security but if you're alone and have a disability that affects your arms & hands (allover for me), or traveling with another disabled person, it's not feasible. They really need to find a better alternative for disabled guests staying at their value resorts.

I highly recommend renting an ECV if you have mobility issues. Even if you don't use it all day, it will be a lifesaver when you do need it.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I went to USO for the first time in May 2021 and we were staying at Dockside Inn. I was recently diagnosed with RA and using a cane and planned to rent a scooter for my 1 day there. The problem is that ECVs are only available IN the park.

It was a very rude realization when they dropped us off at the parking lot. That walk felt FOREVER in my nearly crippled state. I barely made it to the entry gate with my cane and immediately sat down waiting to get into the park for early entry. They did have manual wheelchairs at security but if you're alone and have a disability that affects your arms & hands (allover for me), or traveling with another disabled person, it's not feasible. They really need to find a better alternative for disabled guests staying at their value resorts.

I highly recommend renting an ECV if you have mobility issues. Even if you don't use it all day, it will be a lifesaver when you do need it.

There are several companies in Orlando that rent scooters for days or weeks at a time. They will drop it off at the hotel for you, and you can take it back and forth on the bus. It can also be helpful for those long corridors at the hotels.

 

[disney-inspired]

There are several companies in Orlando that rent scooters for days or weeks at a time. They will drop it off at the hotel for you, and you can take it back and forth on the bus. It can also be helpful for those long corridors at the hotels.

Oh I know that. I was only going to be there one day, in the middle of a week at WDW, and it was cost/time prohibitive to rent one from an outside company for one day as I already had one at my hotel at WDW.

It was a result of me not realizing where this 'free park transportation' was located. Now, I'll only stay at a preferred or premier hotel.

 

[sarabguerra]

Oh I know that. I was only going to be there one day, in the middle of a week at WDW, and it was cost/time prohibitive to rent one from an outside company for one day as I already had one at my hotel at WDW.

It was a result of me not realizing where this 'free park transportation' was located. Now, I'll only stay at a preferred or premier hotel.

Is there a reason you can't bring the wc/scooter with you? Or are you renting from Disney in the parks? The companies will drop off at one hotel and pick up at another if you start at Disney and end at Universal. We are doing the opposite this year. If you have a scooter, call a HC taxi to take you over to your hotel. A standard wc should fold to fit in any taxi/Uber with no other luggage. We do this all the time. In fact, we fit 5 plus luggage and a wc in an Uber XL last year between US and WDW.

 

[disney-inspired]

Is there a reason you can't bring the wc/scooter with you? Or are you renting from Disney in the parks? The companies will drop off at one hotel and pick up at another if you start at Disney and end at Universal. We are doing the opposite this year. If you have a scooter, call a HC taxi to take you over to your hotel. A standard wc should fold to fit in any taxi/Uber with no other luggage. We do this all the time. In fact, we fit 5 plus luggage and a wc in an Uber XL last year between US and WDW.

We weren’t familiar with taking ECVs on Ubers or finding a HC taxi at that time.

This upcoming trip I rented through scooterbug and just made two separate reservations because I don’t like the stress/hassle to transport with an ECV. We did it in DC earlier this year and would rather make it the trip as smooth as possible.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I went to USO for the first time in May 2021 and we were staying at Dockside Inn. I was recently diagnosed with RA and using a cane and planned to rent a scooter for my 1 day there. The problem is that ECVs are only available IN the park.

It was a very rude realization when they dropped us off at the parking lot. That walk felt FOREVER in my nearly crippled state. I barely made it to the entry gate with my cane and immediately sat down waiting to get into the park for early entry. They did have manual wheelchairs at security but if you're alone and have a disability that affects your arms & hands (allover for me), or traveling with another disabled person, it's not feasible. They really need to find a better alternative for disabled guests staying at their value resorts.

I highly recommend renting an ECV if you have mobility issues. Even if you don't use it all day, it will be a lifesaver when you do need it.

You get it!

This is what I remember and what I hoped was remedied by some sort of accommodation with shuttles from the parks to the hotels. Some people (me) only have so many steps in them so wasting a days walking to get to the entrance is a tough ask, I'd rather use those steps having a nice time around attractions.

I wonder, are there any threads on hotels with the shortest path to an entrance?

Any tips on shortening the walking distance?

 

[disney-inspired]

I

You get it!

This is what I remember and what I hoped was remedied by some sort of accommodation with shuttles from the parks to the hotels. Some people (me) only have so many steps in them so wasting a days walking to get to the entrance is a tough ask, I'd rather use those steps having a nice time around attractions.

I wonder, are there any threads on hotels with the shortest path to an entrance?

Any tips on shortening the walking distance?

If you're not renting an ECV, I highly recommend staying at resort that has boat transportation.

Last September I stayed at the mid-tier hotel Sapphire Falls and the boat dropped us off so much closer to the entrance. I did have my ECV but my sister really appreciated the closeness as well.