AKL with a frail 92 year old

[AJA55]

2020 will be mom's 7th or 8th trip. Third in a wheelchair. I can now say that she has hit the frail time of her life at the age of 87. She likes the Boardwalk because Epcot is her fav park. Pretending to take a walk around the world noshing on all type of food. And a pool view because she loves nothing more then sitting on the balcony and people watching in the warm sunshine.

Do you know what your GM would like? Find that out and then pick accordingly. Does she take naps? It can be very cold inside with all the air-conditioning. Mom has a lap blanket and a hand warmer (USB recharge). This is wonderful what you are doing.

TheSouthernBelle. Mom was 64 on her first visit and could out walk me. Have fun.

 

[shocker]

I would recommend visiting the DISabilities board. Should be a lot of helpful info to you there as you may have lots of questions for this type of trip

 

[kaytieeldr]

At approximately 5 days before your check-in call and request

Really, there's no need to wait. Make requests when you make the reservation.

 

[Disneypro1]

Hope you all have an a great trip!

 

[Someone28624]

Thank you so much everyone for your feedback!

We most likely will be doing largely Magic Kingdom and Epcot, so Boardwalk area or Monorail resorts would have been my first choice, but they were easily 2-3x the price of this room. So there’s that. My grandmother adores animals and I honestly don’t really see her being able to do the animal trails or the safari in AK, so I figured the Savanna views might be next best bet.

She is a fairly adventurous eater. I guess my thought with CL was that if she wanted to nibble 6 times a day we could do that instead of committing to big meals 2-3 times per day. I also thought with CL the adult beverage selection might win my grandfather over to joining us, but he’s solidly against it.

For the wheelchair I’ll probably look at thrift shops in the Fort Meyers area a few days before we go and see if I can find one to just buy. If not, I’ll definitely go with a preferred vendor.

And I’ll be sure to make a room request.

Thanks again for all of yourself feedback. Much appreciated!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Before buying a wheelchair, especially since you won't really know the condition, check with service organizations in your area - Elks, Knights of ___, Moose, etc. I know near me, the Masons have a loan program. You borrow what you need that they have, and return it when you're done.

Also, just a warning about room requests. They are requests, never promised or guaranteed.

 

[mickey520]

Another post with no real advice, but best of luck with your trip! We are also heading to WDW with my 93 year old Grandma in January! We are staying at Yacht Club and plan on spending quite a bit of time at Epcot.

Enjoy what will surely be an amazing time!

 

[kwdw]

Given your grandmother's age and your goals for this trip - I think my ideas depend most on your budget.

1) If you need to control costs - I'd just request an accessible room, savanna facing, at AKL close to the lobby. I think spending time on the balcony - watching the animals - is probably going to be more worth your time than having access to the club. Bring her favorite snacks with you, go to quick service, buy fun foods as your tour around during the day - if she isn't going to eat a big meal.

2) But honestly - if your goals are just MK and EPCOT - I'd strongly suggest moving to a monorail resort - despite the cost. The ease of transportation - not having to use the buses - is a HUGE benefit for you. I thinking reducing the stress of navigating a wheelchair with the buses - and the LONG distances from the bus stops to hotel rooms and the parks - is just going to add a ton of value to the experience. Still request an accessible room. Garden view at CP is a bit less - though farther from the lobby.

3) I would recommend booking table service meals for lunch/dinner on your park days if you plan to be at the parks at that time. TS meals allow you to escape the crowds for a bit - which can be an needed break. They are temperature-controlled (but you may need to make sure you have a sweater/blanket if she gets cold easy). You don't need to order full entrees. Get appetizers, sides, or desserts only. Or order the entree and don't care if it gets eaten. If you have one booked and decide against it - just let the service fee go and don't worry about it.

4) She's 93 and wants to go. She is going to be thrilled to be there - and will probably be thrilled just soaking in the atmosphere - and spending the quality time with you.

5) I don't have kids - but I hope my niece does this for me when I'm 90!

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

We are going with the whole family to celebrate my MIL's 90th birthday and are doing Club Level at GF. She may or may not go into the parks and with CL there's somewhere to "go" with a nice view, a little snack, etc. The GF has long hallways so I HAVE requested that her room be as close to the lounge as possible.

I agree with what folks are saying about monorail. When I was calling to try to get discounts applied to our rooms, there was POLY CL available - and also remember to ask about Florida Resident Discounts since SHE resides in Florida to see if that makes finding a room on the Monorail resorts more cost effective for you.

 

[toodycat]

What a good granddaughter you are! AKL is an amazing resort, especially if you think you will be spending a lot of time there. The club lounge is on a separate floor, so definitely request an accessible room near the elevator. One of the nice things about AKL is that there are multiple public areas where you can view the animals, so while a savannah room is ideal, if there isn’t one, there are places where you and your grandma can sit and watch the animals. They have a guide to which animal is which because you may not be familiar with all of them. Also, the CMs there are lovely to talk to and very knowledgeable. Definitely “pimp” the wheelchair with an extra fluffy cushion. Both my parents require a wheelchair and that cushion is a big help.

 

[Maxie86]

What a wonderful thing you are doing for your Grandmother. You do not need a full sized wheelchair. They have small chairs...without the big wheels to push yourself...they are lightweight, easy to push and fold up easily. Medicare will even pay for it, just need her physician to request one.

Not all elevators go to the 6th floor, so just requesting to be near the elevator may not work for you. Our room was near an elevator that did not, the easiest way for us was to go to the lobby and take the elevator from there. There was a ramp near our room to go down to the lobby and it was the fastest and easiest way to get to the 6th floor. The only thing I would worry about is the transportation from the AKL. It would be easier to take an uber, lyft or minivan to get around. If you get a small chair there would be no problem fitting it in any car especially an XL.

 

[kaytieeldr]

1) If you need to control costs - I'd just request an accessible room, savanna facing, at AKL close to the lobby.

Savanna View is a bookable category, no need to request, just book a room in that category.

Especially based on an unresolved experience recently posted, rather than request an accessible room, the OP would be best served by contacting Special Services to reserve/ensure an accessible room.

The only thing that should be a request is the location. Boring, but here it is again: requests are never guaranteed; Disney will do it's best to comply, but ultimately the only sure thing is a Disney resort room on the night or nights booked.

They have small chairs...without the big wheels to push yourself...they are lightweight, easy to push and fold up easily.

.
Transport chairs. Not ideal, wheels can get stuck. Lightweight "real" wheelchairs exist. they told as easily as transport chairs.And it sounds like the grandmother doesn't normally use one, so why purchase one?

 

[Eastern]

Does grandma like animals? I have family members who don’t and wouldn’t care for the decor or the food there.

P.S. That sounded pretty negative! Maybe I shouldn’t post before I eat breakfast.

I have one family member who really wouldn't like the food there and that's why we have never stayed there, so it's good to discuss everything before you pay the big $. (I did test him at Sanaa and it was a fail.)

 

[bumbershoot]

Thank you so much everyone for your feedback!

We most likely will be doing largely Magic Kingdom and Epcot, so Boardwalk area or Monorail resorts would have been my first choice, but they were easily 2-3x the price of this room. So there’s that. My grandmother adores animals and I honestly don’t really see her being able to do the animal trails or the safari in AK, so I figured the Savanna views might be next best bet.

She is a fairly adventurous eater. I guess my thought with CL was that if she wanted to nibble 6 times a day we could do that instead of committing to big meals 2-3 times per day. I also thought with CL the adult beverage selection might win my grandfather over to joining us, but he’s solidly against it.

For the wheelchair I’ll probably look at thrift shops in the Fort Meyers area a few days before we go and see if I can find one to just buy. If not, I’ll definitely go with a preferred vendor.

And I’ll be sure to make a room request.

Thanks again for all of yourself feedback. Much appreciated!

2 night stay, “largely” MK and Epcot, being open to hitting the lounge 6 times a day for nibbles...

This sounds like a go go go trip, even if you’re just go go going to go relax.

Honestly I’d extend the trip so you have more time in between. Shorter trips tend to be more frantic, even when you have relaxing plans.