Accessible shower at Poly?

[minkydog]

While I was sitting my lawn chair in my shower, with my leg tied up in a plastic bag it occured to me that I'm going to need an accessible shower and a shower chair at Disney World. Do they have those things? We're staying at the Poly. None of us are completely non-ambulatory, but I'm wondering if we need to request a handicapped room. Would a handicapped room accommodate the 5 of us, plus our various equipment(ECV, w/c, CPAP, and oxygen)

 

[BCV23]

They have both.

There are rooms with rollin showers that have a builtin seat that folds down.

There are also accessible rooms with tubs with grab bars. They will provide a shower chair upon request if one isn't already there. We haven't stayed in one of those rooms for some years now but it used to be there was already a shower chair in the bathroom.

If all you need is a shower chair, you can also just request that for any room.

As for all your equipment, I'm sorry but I don't know what a CPAP is but as for the others, they will fit. But I would request a room in Rapa Nui, Tahiit, or Tokelau and explain you need extra room for all your equipment. Those rooms are larger but even those in the original buildings should work.

The accessible rooms are located in Rapa Nui.

 

[dclfun]

All Disney resorts have ADA compliant rooms, including those with roll in showers. It sounds like you will be more comfortable in one of these..and as was mentioned before at the Poly they are all located in one building- the Rapa Nui. For this reason, people with this need cannot have a Magic Kingdom view, Lagoon view, or Concierge building room, which is discrimination. You will be limited to Garden view only at the Poly.---Kathy

 

[minkydog]

Thanks for the info. How do I go about requesting a certain building?

 

[BCV23]

If you need one of the accessible rooms, tell the CM who takes your reservation. She'll probably ask about your specific needs but then will put you on hold while she talks with Special Needs. That department will assign you a room.

If you are just requesting a specific building without an accessible room, just tell the CM your request but if I would ask to note why you are making that request.

Have fun!

 

[dclfun]

If you request an accessible room you will be assigned to Rapa Nui. As there are other room types in this building, requesting the building would not assure you that you had reserved the room type you need. Just be sure you have paid for a garden view room and not more for a premium room type. One time at the YC I had paid for a water view and wasn't told until I checked in that there WERE NO water view accessible rooms...I was being charged extra for something that did not exist. Same at the Poly...if you paid for MK view, lagoon view, or concierge, you will not be able to have it. ---Kathy

 

[BCV23]

I've lost track of how many times we've stayed in Rapa Nui....maybe 15 times? And we have never been charged anything but gardenview. They won't book an accessible room in any other category there in our experience.

And Kathy, we stayed in a waterview room with rollin shower at the BC. It was on the first floor, not far from the lobby and looked directly out at the lagoon. This was quite a few years back now and I don't know what categories were being used at the BC then but you could see the lagoon from our room....dead ahead.

 

[Flora Fan]

The rooms with roll-in showers are limited. You MUST request one at the time of reservations and even then they can only "do their best". Be sure to mention why you need the roll-in shower. The CM will make a note on the reservation for the room assigner.

I stayed in a handicapped room in February, no roll-in shower, and it was the same size as all the other rooms. (If not just a squinch bigger). My dad was able to back his ECV into the room and had two places where it could sit "out of the way" and recharge. It was just he and I, so I can't speak for an ECV and 5 people.

Hope this information is helpful to you.

 

[shovan]

I've lost track of how many times we've stayed in Rapa Nui....maybe 15 times? And we have never been charged anything but gardenview. They won't book an accessible room in any other category there in our experience.

We have also stayed at Polynesian many times in the Rapa Nui building. I'm pretty sure from our experiences & what I've read here on Dis, Rapa Nui is the only bldg with HA rooms.

We feel that location & those rooms are great! Short walk to TTC, ferry to MK, with the mutiple issues that you have going on, I would recommend requesting the HA room in Rapa Nui. I think you'd be very happy!

 

[Mickiethepooh]

The rooms with roll-in showers are limited. You MUST request one at the time of reservations and even then they can only "do their best". Be sure to mention why you need the roll-in shower. The CM will make a note on the reservation for the room assigner.

I stayed in a handicapped room in February, no roll-in shower, and it was the same size as all the other rooms. (If not just a squinch bigger). My dad was able to back his ECV into the room and had two places where it could sit "out of the way" and recharge. It was just he and I, so I can't speak for an ECV and 5 people.

Hope this information is helpful to you.

This is not correct. You do in fact HAVE to book your special needs room through the special needs department. IF they have the room available when you book, they reserve that particular room for you right then, it is not a question of they will do their best you either get it or you don't when you book. If not available you can keep calling to see if one has opened up.

Booking such a room is NOT a request, it is a requirement.

 

[dclfun]

I just read elsewhere that the ADA rooms at the Poly are all being renovated from Jan to mid-March. If anyone needs an accessible room, you will not be able to stay at the Poly during this time. ---Kathy

 

[BCV23]

I just read elsewhere that the ADA rooms at the Poly are all being renovated from Jan to mid-March. If anyone needs an accessible room, you will not be able to stay at the Poly during this time. ---Kathy

Wow, Kathy. Is the source reputable? They just refurbished those rooms a little over a year ago.

Is all of Rapa Nui closing again or is it just the accessible rooms? If it is the latter, perhaps it will be one room at a time?

 

[dclfun]

Yes, the source is reputable...100%. Also the information was that ALL the accessible rooms were being renovated and that anyone needing an accessible room would have to stay elsewhere during that timeframe. I'm not sure of any other details, or why they need to do all the rooms at once, only that no accessible rooms at the Poly would be available for three months. I'll check the exact dates again but won't be able to do so until next Saturday. ---kathy

 

[BCV23]

Thanks for the reply, Kathy.

Although I'm sorry for anyone who is planning a stay for those months, in the long run I'm hoping for the best.

I hope they put in door plates like the accessible rooms at the GF have. It makes a world of difference for our daughter who likes to come and go on her own some of the time now. It has to be better for the resort too as going in/out those doors alone there is no way to keep the door from banging the chair. She will be with us next trip and has requested the GF. I think the door is one of the main reasons because she grew up vacationning at the Polynesian and loves it as much as the rest of us.

I also hope they will put some kind of doors on the new closets. The room we had last January had none. In the other new rooms, the backlit closet doors are just lovely.

The bathrooms could also use some TLC.

 

[SueM in MN]

This is not correct. You do in fact HAVE to book your special needs room through the special needs department. IF they have the room available when you book, they reserve that particular room for you right then, it is not a question of they will do their best you either get it or you don't when you book. If not available you can keep calling to see if one has opened up.

Booking such a room is NOT a request, it is a requirement.

They seem to have some CMs who are not up on the ADA requirements.

Typically, someone who needs a wheelchair accessible room will not be able to stay at that resort if there are none available. So, they need a guarantee or they will have to find somewhere else to stay that does have one available. Having it as a request that may or may not be granted is not an option for many people.

 

[SueM in MN]

Yes, the source is reputable...100%. Also the information was that ALL the accessible rooms were being renovated and that anyone needing an accessible room would have to stay elsewhere during that timeframe. I'm not sure of any other details, or why they need to do all the rooms at once, only that no accessible rooms at the Poly would be available for three months. I'll check the exact dates again but won't be able to do so until next Saturday. ---kathy

That's interesting. It is probably more effecient for them to do all the rooms at once (plus, if they are doing any demolition, they would not be able to do it a room at a time). I guess since they have many resorts with accessible rooms, they can probably get away with this. To bad for the people who want to stay there, but maybe the renovation will be done sooner and will be very complete.

 

[BCV23]

That's interesting. It is probably more effecient for them to do all the rooms at once (plus, if they are doing any demolition, they would not be able to do it a room at a time). I guess since they have many resorts with accessible rooms, they can probably get away with this. To bad for the people who want to stay there, but maybe the renovation will be done sooner and will be very complete.

I'm not sure though as the rooms on one side of the hallway are not accessible. Plus the elevator for the whole building is of course located on the 1st floor. The Polynesian would lose quite a bit of revenue by closing down the whole building to rehab 1/6 of the rooms. And that 1/6 may not be correct as I don't know that all the rooms on the garden side of Rapa Nui first floor are accessible although many are.