Bathroom questions

[gigicnm]

Due to a recent surgery I have complete urinary retention and have to self cath every few hours. I refuse to cancel our Disney trip for this, but I find it impossible to cath in public bathrooms.

Are there any private bathrooms (ones without stalls) anywhere at Disney? I need somewhere where I can just close the door and do my thing without being in a really cramped stall.

Thank you for your help,
Gigi

 

[MisMikiNikiLynne]

There are family restrooms in all of the parks and Downtown Disney. They are oversize and are very private. They are noted on the maps very clearly.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Gigi, please be a friend to yourself and use the companion bathroom whenever possible. Don't even think about 'roughening it', you'll be a lot better off with the sink right in there with you. It'll depend on the type of caths you use if you'll need water for them, but you don't want to wash your hands, then have to open and close a door (yeiks; germs!) and then have to cath and run the risk of getting a uti.

Some of the handicapped stalls also have a sink within the same area, which would also give you the space and the water needed to cath as hygienic as possible.

You'll hopefully and probably already know, but with the warm weather of Florida you want to be on the safe side with cathing. Make sure you keep drinking enough and cath a bit more and earlier than you'ld normally do at home. I found that the heat made my kidneys work faster and I needed to cath every 2-2,5 hours instead of 3 hours.

 

[fenfur]

I know First Aid at DLR has private bathrooms they would gladly let you use (and VERY VERY clean BTW), I would assume WDW First Aid is the same, if they were close to where you were at that moment.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

There are family restrooms in all of the parks and Downtown Disney. They are oversize and are very private. They are noted on the maps very clearly.

There are no family restrooms in WDW. However, there are companion Restrooms intended for people, who for one or more reasons, cannot use the regular restrooms. These are not marked on the park maps, but each park's "Guide for Guests With Disabilities" indicates where they are.

 

[Talking Hands]

You can also go to First Aid and do what you need to do there.

 

[kaytieeldr]

First Aid in most parks is relatively centrally-located:
MK - to the left of the Hub, just beyond Crystal Palace
Epcot - in the Odyssey building between Future World and World Showcase
AK - past the Tree of Life, just before the bridge to Africa
At DHS, it's close to the park entrance, just behind Guest Services (which is behind Sid Cahuenga's).

 

[gigicnm]

Thank you so much for all your help. This is all new to me, but I refuse to let it spoil our vacation.

Where do I get the "Guide for Guests with Disabilities"?

Gigi

 

[kaytieeldr]

If you look in the disABILITIES FAQ thread, stuck at the top of the list of threads on this board, there's a link to the online version.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

When you're in the parks, you can get the "Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities" for the park you're in by going to the customer service folks at the front of the park (same place you'd get a GAC).

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Good for you, Gigi! Keep this additude and you'll have a great trip.

 

[SueM in MN]

There are family restrooms in all of the parks and Downtown Disney. They are oversize and are very private. They are noted on the maps very clearly.

As Cheshire Figment noted, the Companion Restrooms are not marked on the park maps. They are set up for use for people with disabilities (i.e. raised seat toilets and grab bars) and many don't have a changing table, so would not meet the needs of families. There are only 5-6 in each park - which may seem like a lot if you are using them by choice, but not if they are the only toilets you can use.

Some of the handicapped stalls also have a sink within the same area, which would also give you the space and the water needed to cath as hygienic as possible.

The handicapped stalls in AK and the Studio restrooms mostly have a sink right in the stall. The ones in Epcot and MK are older and tend to be just a toilet in the stall.
The restrooms with a sink in the stall and also the Companion Restrooms usually only have a wall hung sink with no countertop. So, plan what you will do for a surface to lay your supplies out.
One thing that might work would be to bring a small rigid cutting board that you can lay across the corner of the sink to put your supplies on. It would be easy to clean and you would not have to worry about finding a surface.

I know First Aid at DLR has private bathrooms they would gladly let you use (and VERY VERY clean BTW), I would assume WDW First Aid is the same, if they were close to where you were at that moment.

WDW also has private bathrooms in First Aid in each park. Again, they only have a sink without a countertop and no real space to lay anything down. You could use one of the rooms in First Aid (not the bathroom) and drain the urine into a container to dump down the sink.
When you go to First Aid, explain what you need.

When you're in the parks, you can get the "Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities" for the park you're in by going to the customer service folks at the front of the park (same place you'd get a GAC).

Just to explain, a GAC is a Guest Assistance Card.
There is more complete information about GACs in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You may or may not need one, based on the needs you have. You can read the GAC info in the disABILITIES FAQs to figure out.

If you go to Guest Relations, they can give you a copy of the Guidebook for each of the parks, not just the one you are in (if you ask for a Guidebook, they will usually only give you the one for the park you are at, but they will give you a copy of all the Guidebooks if you ask). As was already mentioned, there is a link to the text of the WDW Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. It's in post #3.