All hands on deck .... I needs lots of help.. Many questions

[LovesTimone]

I am a very experienced planner.... but this is will my 1st trip planning for my brother and his families trip to WDW. So I am a little out of my element here. So please help me along.

A bit of back story. We grew up with Disney, and started going in 1971, and we have a love of all things Disney. My brothers health is really declining, he has lots of issues that if only one alone would not be bad but when there are multiple problems thrown into the mix they start really adding up and this might be his only chance to go with his family, they need to make some memories... really good ones, and this will also give him something to look forward to. He was in the USAF and retired after 20 year with the sheriff dept. He has given a lot of himself for the greater good. So this is really important that I can make this happen.

Here is the cast that would be going - Brothers family -5 adults and a 2 year old, I also would be going as their own personal tour guide. My DD will probably come along to, to help out.

I am looking at January 2015

Here are some things that I know I need some answers with so that I can start the planning.

I will need a Scooter for a large man, with some type of sun protection cover. Where can I rent? Cost? Can it be delivered to resort so that it is waiting upon arrival? He walks but has lots of problem with his legs so a scooter will be necessary

I am thinking about 2 resorts;

1 - AOA resort - Do they have family suite for this? Will there be enough room to charge the scooter? 2 rooms if we choose here.
2 - POFQ - we would have to have 3 rooms - one of the being handicap accessible. I know we can't all be together but suggestion on where to request would be helpful.

What restaurants seem to handle a scooter better than others?, I know in some restaurants' it will be have to be left outside, so long as he doesn't have to walk a long way or lots of stairs. We would be okay.
With dining is there somewhere I can go to help with diabetic meal suggestions.

I know with the new rules rides have changed. Where do I go for this info. How do we handle this? and what rides with his size will he most like be unable to ride.

Thanks so much... I am sure I will have lots of other questions.

 

[SueM in MN]

I just have a few minutes between something I'm doing, so here is so e quick help.
This thread has information in the first post about WDW's Disability Access Service (DAS).
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3178976

If his needs are met by having the ECV in lines/attractions with him, he won't need the DAS.

Follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Post one of that thread is an index that will be helpful pointing you to other information in the thread.
Post 2 of that thread is all about renting ECVs and wheelchairs. It includes all the information you asked about renting one.

 

[disney david]

I am a very experienced planner.... but this is will my 1st trip planning for my brother and his families trip to WDW. So I am a little out of my element here. So please help me along. A bit of back story. We grew up with Disney, and started going in 1971, and we have a love of all things Disney. My brothers health is really declining, he has lots of issues that if only one alone would not be bad but when there are multiple problems thrown into the mix they start really adding up and this might be his only chance to go with his family, they need to make some memories... really good ones, and this will also give him something to look forward to. He was in the USAF and retired after 20 year with the sheriff dept. He has given a lot of himself for the greater good. So this is really important that I can make this happen. Here is the cast that would be going - Brothers family -5 adults and a 2 year old, I also would be going as their own personal tour guide. My DD will probably come along to, to help out. I am looking at January 2015 Here are some things that I know I need some answers with so that I can start the planning. I will need a Scooter for a large man, with some type of sun protection cover. Where can I rent? Cost? Can it be delivered to resort so that it is waiting upon arrival? He walks but has lots of problem with his legs so a scooter will be necessary I am thinking about 2 resorts; 1 - AOA resort - Do they have family suite for this? Will there be enough room to charge the scooter? 2 rooms if we choose here. 2 - POFQ - we would have to have 3 rooms - one of the being handicap accessible. I know we can't all be together but suggestion on where to request would be helpful. What restaurants seem to handle a scooter better than others?, I know in some restaurants' it will be have to be left outside, so long as he doesn't have to walk a long way or lots of stairs. We would be okay. With dining is there somewhere I can go to help with diabetic meal suggestions. I know with the new rules rides have changed. Where do I go for this info. How do we handle this? and what rides with his size will he most like be unable to ride. Thanks so much... I am sure I will have lots of other questions.

Just like to say thanks for making sure your brother get a great trip he really deserves and please thank him for his service in the Air Force and his 20 years in the sheriff department. It shows what a great family you have as your brother dedication to protecting the people in his jurisdiction when he was a sheriff deputy sorry don't know his rank but sure it was very high and for his service in the Air Force both areas he went put his life on the line to protect people and to protect are freedom. And the dedication your showing in making sure he has a great trip well if their anyone else in your family that served in the armed services or law enforcement thank them to.


AOA is a great resort to stay at I stayed one night in huge cars section and loved it so it a great choice plus right when you enter the area their the sheriff in the cars movie monte ring the speed on Route 66 while you walk to your room. That make a great family picture but all the sections are themed very nice so you can't pick the wrong one.


Not sure if that a sign it be a great trip that the their a sheriff car from the cars movies at the resort you might stay at and that their Orange County sheriff deputies at each park and driving through out Disney to protect the guests. Welli hope you have a great trip and please ask as many questions as you want we are all here to help.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

The All Star Music resort has family suites with a kitchenette and 2 bathrooms.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Just something to keep in mind about AOA with 5 adults there is only one real bed in the family suites there other are either fold out couches or one that folds out in the kitchen area.

 

[LovesTimone]

Just like to say thanks for making sure your brother get a great trip he really deserves and please thank him for his service in the Air Force and his 20 years in the sheriff department. It shows what a great family you have as your brother dedication to protecting the people in his jurisdiction when he was a sheriff deputy sorry don't know his rank but sure it was very high and for his service in the Air Force both areas he went put his life on the line to protect people and to protect are freedom. And the dedication your showing in making sure he has a great trip well if their anyone else in your family that served in the armed services or law enforcement thank them to.


AOA is a great resort to stay at I stayed one night in huge cars section and loved it so it a great choice plus right when you enter the area their the sheriff in the cars movie monte ring the speed on Route 66 while you walk to your room. That make a great family picture but all the sections are themed very nice so you can't pick the wrong one.


Not sure if that a sign it be a great trip that the their a sheriff car from the cars movies at the resort you might stay at and that their Orange County sheriff deputies at each park and driving through out Disney to protect the guests. Welli hope you have a great trip and please ask as many questions as you want we are all here to help.

Thanks so much.. I will tell him.

I will be heading to AOA in January with my mom and DD for a girls only trip. So I will check out the Cars area.

 

[LovesTimone]

Just something to keep in mind about AOA with 5 adults there is only one real bed in the family suites there other are either fold out couches or one that folds out in the kitchen area.

I will be heading to AOA in January for a girls only trip with my mom and DD. So that I will be able to get an idea of the size, we are staying in lion king family suite.

I was thinking that if we get 2 family suite, that we can divide up. In one room, myself, DD and youngest niece. In the other room. My Brother, his wife, my other niece, her BF and the baby who will be 2 at the time we go. Would this work out or would they be to crowded? I was thinking that with more room for the baby's stuff and the scooter.

Or should I just stick with 3 rooms at POFQ?

 

[LovesTimone]

I just have a few minutes between something I'm doing, so here is so e quick help.
This thread has information in the first post about WDW's Disability Access Service (DAS).
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3178976

If his needs are met by having the ECV in lines/attractions with him, he won't need the DAS.

Follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Post one of that thread is an index that will be helpful pointing you to other information in the thread.
Post 2 of that thread is all about renting ECVs and wheelchairs. It includes all the information you asked about renting one.

Lot of info for me to sift through thanks, I will be checking everything out. Thanks so much.

 

[Bete]

I'm not understanding if there are 5 adults, and a 2 year old and you and DD. Is there 8 of you all together going? Or is there 6 going all together? As far as scooters go you may still be able to get a smaller scooter. Some smaller scooters can handle 275, but the leg room is iffy if you are a taller person. The bigger the scooter the more it will weigh; the larger the scooter the bigger it is; and the larger the scooter the more it will cost. Also, how much time you spend in the park is a factor. The bigger scooters have two batteries and will last longer. The smaller, cheaper scooters will have one battery and some of them are not meant to last more than 4 hours depending on the model; some smaller scooters can do an 8 hour day. Battery power will be very dependent on how careful you are with the scooter. You need to be responsible with shutting the scooter off if you are seeing a show, parade, and fireworks if the battery is going to last the day. Most of the restaurants are not scooter friendly. Some of the restaurants you can get the scooter into a hallway/foyer of the restaurant. If rides have a long wait (our last trip there were two hour waits in the stand by line) like Toy Story Mania in Disney Hollywood Studios then battery power can drain pretty fast. You need to keep an eye on the battery gage to make sure your battery is not too low. If he has never used a scooter you should practice at the stores. The store scooters are bulkier than the ones you will rent, but it will give him practice on it. You may even want to try a local zoo for a day with a scooter for practice; most zoos will rent scooters. If you are going to use Disney bus transportation to the parks then you need to get the scooter on the bus and parked. This can be challenging for a newcomer. Someone else in your party may have to this maneuver for him to get the scooter on the bus and off. One ride, Soarin', actually requires using an elevator to get to the proper level for the ride. This can be a bit tricky, too for a scooter user. Another factor are people darting out in front of the scooter. Your reflexes have to be be good to avoid hitting someone. Children especially get so excited at Disney that they are just not paying attention and will dart out at a scooter. You need to give the scooter a full charge each night. You're taking a big chance if you don't follow this procedure. Sun shades for a scooter make it even more difficult to maneuver the scooter in and out of places and buses. This will cost extra and the supply of these are limited. You may want to consider a good hat/cap instead. Some rides will let a scooter go all the way through the ride line to near the ride and needs to be parked. Other rides you need to transfer to an available wheelchair for the ride. Some rides may be hard to get in and out of like the boat rides. Buffets may work out better for a diabetic; because, you can pick and choose what you eat. All buffets at Disney World are table service restaurants and need advance reservations. If you stick to a lot of salads without a lot of dressing that may help with counter service restaurants. For rides and such, you will want to do fastpass plus and if you stay on site you will get to sign up for fastpass plus ahead of time through your smartphone or other device up to 60 days in advance. You need to link the people going on the same ride together. Right now, you can sign up for 3 fastpass plus attractions in a day.

 

[ErinTwinmom]

So with so many of your party being adults, I would consider renting dvc points and staying at a dvc resort in a two or three bedroom suite. That way you have plenty of room and there is no fee for all those extra adults. if space is really important to you go OKW the rooms are huge.

 

[LovesTimone]

I'm not understanding if there are 5 adults, and a 2 year old and you and DD. Is there 8 of you all together going? Or is there 6 going all together? As far as scooters go you may still be able to get a smaller scooter. Some smaller scooters can handle 275, but the leg room is iffy if you are a taller person. The bigger the scooter the more it will weigh; the larger the scooter the bigger it is; and the larger the scooter the more it will cost. Also, how much time you spend in the park is a factor. The bigger scooters have two batteries and will last longer. The smaller, cheaper scooters will have one battery and some of them are not meant to last more than 4 hours depending on the model; some smaller scooters can do an 8 hour day. Battery power will be very dependent on how careful you are with the scooter. You need to be responsible with shutting the scooter off if you are seeing a show, parade, and fireworks if the battery is going to last the day. Most of the restaurants are not scooter friendly. Some of the restaurants you can get the scooter into a hallway/foyer of the restaurant. If rides have a long wait (our last trip there were two hour waits in the stand by line) like Toy Story Mania in Disney Hollywood Studios then battery power can drain pretty fast. You need to keep an eye on the battery gage to make sure your battery is not too low. If he has never used a scooter you should practice at the stores. The store scooters are bulkier than the ones you will rent, but it will give him practice on it. You may even want to try a local zoo for a day with a scooter for practice; most zoos will rent scooters. If you are going to use Disney bus transportation to the parks then you need to get the scooter on the bus and parked. This can be challenging for a newcomer. Someone else in your party may have to this maneuver for him to get the scooter on the bus and off. One ride, Soarin', actually requires using an elevator to get to the proper level for the ride. This can be a bit tricky, too for a scooter user. Another factor are people darting out in front of the scooter. Your reflexes have to be be good to avoid hitting someone. Children especially get so excited at Disney that they are just not paying attention and will dart out at a scooter. You need to give the scooter a full charge each night. You're taking a big chance if you don't follow this procedure. Sun shades for a scooter make it even more difficult to maneuver the scooter in and out of places and buses. This will cost extra and the supply of these are limited. You may want to consider a good hat/cap instead. Some rides will let a scooter go all the way through the ride line to near the ride and needs to be parked. Other rides you need to transfer to an available wheelchair for the ride. Some rides may be hard to get in and out of like the boat rides. Buffets may work out better for a diabetic; because, you can pick and choose what you eat. All buffets at Disney World are table service restaurants and need advance reservations. If you stick to a lot of salads without a lot of dressing that may help with counter service restaurants. For rides and such, you will want to do fastpass plus and if you stay on site you will get to sign up for fastpass plus ahead of time through your smartphone or other device up to 60 days in advance. You need to link the people going on the same ride together. Right now, you can sign up for 3 fastpass plus attractions in a day.

Yes... for his family 5 adults and the 2 years old.. plus my self and my DD.

He will need a large scooter without a doubt.

He should be able to transfer to most rides. The boat rides will be a bit of concern so I will have to address that. The scooter would be for moving from ride to ride and while waiting in line. We will be staying on site. So Fast pass + will be really great for this trip.

Thanks for the suggestion on practicing with the scooter. I am going to suggest that he does just that.

He won't be doing the parks commando, he will probably come out early in the morning, then rest and then head back in the early evening to join us again. So a few rides in the morning then, break, back for dinner, parades and fireworks. The rest of the group will keep touring.

 

[KisanMcG]

I second the suggestion of staying at a DVC resort in a 2-bedroom suite or grand villa. You can rent points, or you can simply book a suite through the website. We stayed in a grand villa once on a large family trip and found that the amenities of the DVC option were well worth it - kitchen, washer/dryer, dining table, and all that space! Being able to put the kids to bed in a bedroom and then have the adults stay up to chat or watch TV in the living room without disturbing them was wonderful, as was being able to sit on the balcony in the evening. At the time I had limited mobility and used an ECV, and there was no problem at all charging it in the suite. We did not get a handicapped accessible villa, but Mousekeeping brought a bench for me to use in the shower.

You say you need a scooter for "a large man" without specifying how large. WDW has "preferred vendor" rental companies (as seen in Sue's FAQ thread) that can deliver a scooter to your resort for use during the entire stay. Most have scooters with an up to 350lbs weight capacity, and some rent scooter that can accommodate up to 500lbs Personal experience tells me that you should ideally consider a scooter that accommodates at least 25 pounds more than the rider, because all of those water bottles and souvenirs in the basket can eat up that weight allowance! Be advised that some of the larger scooters may be problematic for transportation - make sure it falls within the 32” x 48” size required for use on the Disney Transportation System. Another bit of advice would be to have him go to big-box stores in his area to practice using the store scooters. Those are much larger and more cumbersome than the in-park scooters, but will give him an idea of what it is like to use them.

I have found that most restaurants will at least allow someone to scoot in, transfer to the table, and have another member of the party go "park" the scooter. Just communicate his needs to the restaurant when checking in, and they can help your party make the best accommodation.

In terms of size for attractions, again, I'm not sure how large he is. I know that my brother is 6'3" and weighs approximately 350lbs and has ridden nearly everything in all four parks! The only thing that he reported as being uncomfortable was Space Mountain, but more because of the way that he had to get in and out of the attraction while having bad knees. Prior to our trip with him, we purchased the Passporters Open Mouse book and got a lot of useful information for traveling as a person of size and with a disability.

 

[LovesTimone]

I second the suggestion of staying at a DVC resort in a 2-bedroom suite or grand villa. You can rent points, or you can simply book a suite through the website. We stayed in a grand villa once on a large family trip and found that the amenities of the DVC option were well worth it - kitchen, washer/dryer, dining table, and all that space! Being able to put the kids to bed in a bedroom and then have the adults stay up to chat or watch TV in the living room without disturbing them was wonderful, as was being able to sit on the balcony in the evening. At the time I had limited mobility and used an ECV, and there was no problem at all charging it in the suite. We did not get a handicapped accessible villa, but Mousekeeping brought a bench for me to use in the shower. I am going to look into this, but I am super worried about the cost.

You say you need a scooter for "a large man" without specifying how large. WDW has "preferred vendor" rental companies (as seen in Sue's FAQ thread) that can deliver a scooter to your resort for use during the entire stay. Most have scooters with an up to 350lbs weight capacity, and some rent scooter that can accommodate up to 500lbs Personal experience tells me that you should ideally consider a scooter that accommodates at least 25 pounds more than the rider, because all of those water bottles and souvenirs in the basket can eat up that weight allowance! Be advised that some of the larger scooters may be problematic for transportation - make sure it falls within the 32 x 48 size required for use on the Disney Transportation System. Another bit of advice would be to have him go to big-box stores in his area to practice using the store scooters. Those are much larger and more cumbersome than the in-park scooters, but will give him an idea of what it is like to use them. - He is probably about 385 to 395, we would most definitely need it for the whole trip. I want to make sure that he is comfortable, but also that we can use the bus system for transportation.

I have found that most restaurants will at least allow someone to scoot in, transfer to the table, and have another member of the party go "park" the scooter. Just communicate his needs to the restaurant when checking in, and they can help your party make the best accommodation. While we have many many trips under our belt. I never have paid attention to how far to buffet or how many steps. When I head to WDW in Jan. I will be paying attention to some of the place we will be dining and making notes.

In terms of size for attractions, again, I'm not sure how large he is. I know that my brother is 6'3" and weighs approximately 350lbs and has ridden nearly everything in all four parks! The only thing that he reported as being uncomfortable was Space Mountain, but more because of the way that he had to get in and out of the attraction while having bad knees. Prior to our trip with him, we purchased the Passporters Open Mouse book and got a lot of useful information for traveling as a person of size and with a disability.

- Thanks for the info. I will be looking for that book to help with my planning for this trip.

 

[clanmcculloch]

You can rent points for a 2 bedroom villa for less than the cost of 2 suites at AOA. Just make sure that you can be happy with the layout of a 2 bedroom villa. You have a master bedroom with a king bed and a second bedroom with either one king or 2 queens depending on the villa plus a queen sleeper sofa in the living room. Grand Villas are bigger but obviously more expensive. Depending on the resort you have to book pretty early (as in 11 months before your trip) to get these villas but at at resorts like OKW and SSR it's pretty easy to get a 2br even a month before your trip though bigger villas like the Treehouses at SSR do require earlier booking.

You can price out villas for your dates using a points calculator from a rental site like David's Vacation Club Rentals.

If you decide on POFQ then I would keep my requests to just a single one: all rooms as close together as possible. There are no bad locations at POFQ and if you only have one request then it's more likely to be met. Since you said you need an accessible room for one of them make sure that's noted as a medical need.

Buffets can be done but it might be more enjoyable to eat at restaurants served family style instead if you're looking for something like a character meal. You can definitely ask for a table close to the buffet if you choose a buffet. If you book your ADR for a time shortly after the restaurant opens then you likely won't even have to wait longer to get such a request.

Are you talking about T1 or T2 diabetes? For T1 it'll be a matter of understanding how much insulin to take based on what he chooses to eat. Chefs will not tell you carb counts so he has to be familiar with figuring this out himself. For T2 diabetes it's very easy to ask for a starch to be substituted with a vegetable (they'll never substitute it for a protein) and at buffets it's very simple to just choose options that are lower in carbs. You can easily request sauces be left off as well.

 

[KisanMcG]

There is a sticky regarding the size of scooters that will fit on the Disney busses: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2566471
It looks like both Buena Vista Scooters and Scootarama are preferred vendors with a 500lb capacity scooter that can go onto the bus!

 

[KPeveler]

The only scooter I know of that cannot go on buses is the Dream scooter. It only fits in the size requirements by turning the front wheel sideways, with the back wheels perfectly straight forward - not a way you can park the scooter in the spot on the bus safely!

Other than that, i am unaware of any scooter which cannot go on buses.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Well my daughter worked at Saratoga Springs, Old Key West and the Trees earlier this year (she was able to transfer to the Contemporary and loved it there!) And if it were me planning a trip the way you are... I would NOT RECOMMEND THOSE PROPERTIES!! If You are going to have to get your brother a scooter of size, you are probably going to find it easiest to use Disney's transportation services. The bus service at SSR & The TREES SUCKED royally!! When I would want to go see my daughter for lunch or whatever reason...it was a RARE OCCASION that I didn't wait LESS THAN 45 minutes for a bus. It is awful!! And heaven help you if it's the middle of the day when it's slower and there are 2 scooters already in line when you arrive!! That happened to me once and it took me 85 min to get from Hollywood studios to SSR!

If I were planning, I would go with the 2 suites at AoA. You'll get 4 bathrooms. You will have plenty of room for the scooter and the baby's stuff!!! And the bus service there is some of the better bus service on property. The hotel design is exceptional if you enjoy the "Disney" feel!! Good luck with whatever you decide! I'm sure you will have a great trip!

 

[SueM in MN]

We are DVC members at OKW and stay there twice a year for 10-14 days.

The bus service there is quite good and there are multiple bus stops, so no matter where your room is, there will be a bus stop nearby.
There are walking paths, so you can walk from any area to the Hospitality House/main pool. The buses all stop last at Hospitality House and there are internal buses.

The villas at OKW are much larger than the other DVC villas, so there is no problem with room for an ECV inside the villas.
As was pointed out, the sleeping arrangements may be an issue for some people:
- King bed in Master bedroom
- 2 queen beds in the second bedroom
- queen sleeper sofa in living room
- a single size sleeper chair in the living room

Many people like the Family Suites at AOA, but they are sometimes hard to get because of demand.
POFQ is also a popular resort for many people with disabilities because the resort is compact.

If you haven't looked around, I would suggest looking at pictures of all the resorts and choose the one that looks best to you.