ADA Rooms in BLT - Disappointment

[Chuck S]

My Mom was in a wheelchair for years. She could get around the room fine, but the parks were just too much for her. We didn;'t need an HA room, but because we always needed ground floor at OKW due to the stairs, we were often assigned one, as all the HA units at OKW are on the ground floor, except for bldg 63.

 

[StarlitNight05]

I live in fear of being assigned the one and only BW view one bedroom that is HA, but for a different reason than you might think. For years BWV room 2049 was "our room" because my husband was disabled and we booked BW view. It was great knowing the exact configuration of the room so I knew precisely what I needed to do and what I should bring so it met his needs. I thought it was dumb planning by Disney that this room had the wall instead of railings on the balcony because only a person who can stand up can see over that wall. There could have been better bars around the toilet so I kept a toilet frame with my Owner's Locker. Since my husband died, I dread being assigned that room. It was "our" room and I just couldn't stay in it without him.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Our first trip at BWV was a HA room - it was before Boardwalk View was a category and it was also a Boardwalk View room. And yes, the roll in shower (in that room.... as ADA requirements have matured, Disney and the law have begun to realize that handicapped accessible doesn't always mean "roll in shower" and "room for wheelchair" or "microwave on counter" - but that's what this room was) meant that extra towels were needed to keep the bathroom floor from getting wet and that we didn't have counter space and the table and chairs had been removed to increase floor space. But the view was great and it was very convenient to the elevators..

Yep! We've had that room. And we've used the towels there.

It's been a few years but I think in the last refurb they had placed a rubber curb down to try and prevent so they had obviously gotten some feedback on the issue. Or that might have been in the P/G view HA 1BR. I wonder if that curb withstood use though.

 

[Mle8308]

I live in fear of being assigned the one and only BW view one bedroom that is HA, but for a different reason than you might think. For years BWV room 2049 was "our room" because my husband was disabled and we booked BW view. It was great knowing the exact configuration of the room so I knew precisely what I needed to do and what I should bring so it met his needs. I thought it was dumb planning by Disney that this room had the wall instead of railings on the balcony because only a person who can stand up can see over that wall. There could have been better bars around the toilet so I kept a toilet frame with my Owner's Locker. Since my husband died, I dread being assigned that room. It was "our" room and I just couldn't stay in it without him.

That is completely understandable. So sorry for your loss.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We had a lake view BLT one bedroom booked over Christmas break. We checked into our room and realized there was no walk-in shower (only a bath tub with curtain) in the main bathroom. There were other things that were weird in the room, to include almost no kitchen counter space because the cabinets were about 10 inches off the counter. The main king bed was also lower to the ground.

I went to ask about these things at the front desk and they finally realized I was in an ADA room. We did not request this, but were placed there because the resort was running at 100 percent capacity. Also, our view was half lake and half tennis courts and backlot where every morning semi-trucks with trailers would pull in to haul away towel bins. So lake view was stretching it a bit.

The only saving grace here is that we did have a partial theme park view, so we could watch fireworks, and guest services did put a credit on our account because of the inconvenience. After several discussions with CMs at the front desk and at guest services, we were told that anyone can be put into these rooms even if you don't request them. The ADA rooms are designed to alleviate issues for people with disabilities, but they are hindrances for folks that don't need them. Especially the total lack of counter space. We had to put much everything on the kitchen island which also had the coffee maker on it because it was too tall for the regular counter.

We were also told that this can happen at any DVC resort. So lesson learned here is that you can be assigned an ADA room without even knowing it. You can call ahead and request that this not happen, but there is no guarantee that the request will be honored.

If you really want to be disappointed, get the ada cottage at Vero. AWFUL. It is so bad that we do not want to book a cottage again. I’d rather squeeze into a 2bedroom. These ada rooms should be a booking category, so that people know what they are getting. It’s is not fair at all.

 

[Einstein509]

If you really want to be disappointed, get the ada cottage at Vero. AWFUL. It is so bad that we do not want to book a cottage again. I’d rather squeeze into a 2bedroom. These ada rooms should be a booking category, so that people know what they are getting. It’s is not fair at all.

Never stayed at Vero, but I sympathize and good to know.

 

[mamaofsix]

For the money we paid and continue to pay for DVC, I expect to be assigned what I picked. We stay at BLT 1 bedroom maybe once a year, so we value our vacation and the accommodations. We also don't go to the parks, so we spend more time in the room and enjoy the resort.

So while you don't view it as an inconvenience, we certainly did given we didn't request an ADA room and didn't get what we normally stay in.

Heck, even Marriott and Hilton basic hotels give you the option of selecting an ADA room. They don't just put you in one.

100% agree with you. It should be a separate booking category. We pay too much money to get a room that is not equal to other rooms.

DVC should have set it up that there are a certain number of ADA rooms in that category - and if they don't get specifically booked, they sit empty.

 

[Chuck S]

100% agree with you. It should be a separate booking category. We pay too much money to get a room that is not equal to other rooms.

DVC should have set it up that there are a certain number of ADA rooms in that category - and if they don't get specifically booked, they sit empty.

The only way to do that would be for Disney to own those ADA Rooms, and when one is booked, remove a standard room of the same type from DVC Inventory for the same dates, and turn it over to cash reservations. With 5% of rooms required for ADA by law, that could mean some resorts, like OKW, would have 30 or 35 standard rooms sitting empty during peak seasons, Imagine the outrage. Basically, as long as the ADA rooms are part of the DVC association, and included in the point sold for that resort, a member can be placed in one if it is not specifically reserved by someone needing that type of accommodation. Which is why when I needed an ADA GV at OKW for Thanksgiving week a few years ago I walked the reservation, as there are only 3 ADA GVs at OKW. The only real way around it is a traditional weekly timeshare where you buy a specific room and that is the only room you can stay in. Like most members, I bought DVC for the flexibility, and with that flexibility, there is a price.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The only way to do that would be for Disney to own those ADA Rooms, and when one is booked, remove a standard room of the same type from DVC Inventory for the same dates, and turn it over to cash reservations. With 5% of rooms required for ADA by law, that could mean some resorts, like OKW, would have 30 or 35 standard rooms sitting empty during peak seasons, Imagine the outrage. Basically, as long as the ADA rooms are part of the DVC association, and included in the point sold for that resort, a member can be placed in one if it is not specifically reserved by someone needing that type of accommodation. Which is why when I needed an ADA GVC at OKW for Thanksgiving week a few years ago I walked the reservation, as there are only 3 ADA GVs at OKW. The only real way around it is a traditional weekly timeshare where you buy a specific room and that is the only room you can stay in. Like most members, I bought DVC for the flexibility, and with that flexibility, there is a price.

As you say - part of the points system vs fixed week.

 

[mamaofsix]

The only way to do that would be for Disney to own those ADA Rooms, and when one is booked, remove a standard room of the same type from DVC Inventory for the same dates, and turn it over to cash reservations. With 5% of rooms required for ADA by law, that could mean some resorts, like OKW, would have 30 or 35 standard rooms sitting empty during peak seasons, Imagine the outrage. Basically, as long as the ADA rooms are part of the DVC association, and included in the point sold for that resort, a member can be placed in one if it is not specifically reserved by someone needing that type of accommodation. Which is why when I needed an ADA GV at OKW for Thanksgiving week a few years ago I walked the reservation, as there are only 3 ADA GVs at OKW. The only real way around it is a traditional weekly timeshare where you buy a specific room and that is the only room you can stay in. Like most members, I bought DVC for the flexibility, and with that flexibility, there is a price.

I guess I'm still not understanding why it couldn't be a specific booking category? For one bedrooms, you would have Standard, Lake View, Theme park view and ADA as specific booking categories. When you book at 11 or 7 months, you pick your room type. Simple as that. If they have extra ADA rooms that don't get booked, they can sell those as cash.

Obviously it's too late now to create a separate booking category for ADA rooms, but it's a flaw in how they set it up IMO.

 

[gisele2]

No, there shouldn't be disappointment. HA rooms should be at least as nice as any other room. People with disabilities should no be discriminated against because of their disability.

You are so right!.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I guess I'm still not understanding why it couldn't be a specific booking category? For one bedrooms, you would have Standard, Lake View, Theme park view and ADA as specific booking categories. When you book at 11 or 7 months, you pick your room type. Simple as that. If they have extra ADA rooms that don't get booked, they can sell those as cash.

Obviously it's too late now to create a separate booking category for ADA rooms, but it's a flaw in how they set it up IMO.

I am pretty sure it is a separate booking category in California

 

[Chuck S]

I am pretty sure it is a separate booking category in California

In a way, it is a seperate booking category everywhere. When you look for availability, it will ask you if you want it to show ADA rooms. But that also doesn;t mean your room won;t have to be removed from service for a major repair like a broken pipe,or if a previous occupant totally trashed it. So you could still be placed in an ADA room, if that is all that is available at that time.

 

[mamaofsix]

In a way, it is a seperate booking category everywhere. When you look for availability, it will ask you if you want it to show ADA rooms. But that also doesn;t mean your room won;t have to be removed from service for a major repair like a broken pipe,or if a previous occupant totally trashed it. So you could still be placed in an ADA room, if that is all that is available at that time.

Do you mean when booking for a cash reservation? I don't recall it asking about ADA room availability when booking with points.

 

[Chuck S]

Do you mean when booking for a cash reservation? I don't recall it asking about ADA room availability when booking with points.

No, I mean booking with points. There is a check-box to show only ADA rooms. It is just under where you select what room size to search for.

WHen you select the room size:
If that box is selected you
will see this:


That is how people that NEED those rooms know if one is available for booking.

But again, because the points for the ADA rooms are included in the overall total, they really can't be removed from the general inventory for people that don't need them. And it does not mean you won't get an ADA room if your standard room has to go out of service. And with large resorts, that optimally see near 100% occupancy year round, there will be rooms removed from inventory for repairs unexpectedly. And it looks to be the same way the booking engine for the California resorts is designed.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Ok never mind . I just looked at cali resort booking and that is not the case. Not sure why I thought that.

 

[crisi]

nevermind