Best moderate for senior citizens?

[travelbug]

My parents (in their 70s) will be traveling to WDW with me in February. It will be their first time staying onsite, and they are very excited. Me too! We will spend 7 nights at BCV, and 2 nights in a Disney hotel that I haven't booked yet. I'd like to book a moderate, but I've never stayed at any of them.

We will have a rental car, but would enjoy having parking fairly close to the room if possible. A somewhat quieter resort would be nice too. If a food court were available, we'd probably make some use of it in those 2 days. But that's not a high priority. My folks love pretty landscaping and strolling around the grounds of wherever they stay.

So of the moderate resorts (not looking at a value or a deluxe), which one would you choose if you were me? Thanks!!

 

[pumba]

The Port Orleans French Quarter is by far the quietest and not a bad walk to anything there........it is so nice and relaxing

 

[jl3614]

You will get arguments, but I believe most people will say POR has the prettiest landscaping of all the moderates.

POFQ is quite pretty also, it is the smallest moderate, so would require the least amount of walking if mobility is any kind of issue.

I hope they have wonderful visit.

 

[Kimberle]

Think abt the FW cabins. You can park your car right at your door. Thought you can't drive around FW, you can drive to the parks. You can also rent a golf cart to "tool around" FW. If you watch, you can get a price comparable to a moderate.

 

[TWOOD]

I definitely recommend POFQ. It's small, the rooms were just refurbished, the grounds are lovely, and they'll be the first on & off the bus if you use Disney transportation at all. Also, the boat to DD is really nice!

 

[safetymom]

I don't think that any of the moderates are noisy! Our favorite is CBR. The grounds are beautiful. Parking is close to all the buildings. There is also an internal bus for the resort.

 

[travelbug]

Thanks, everyone! These are very helpful replies! Sounds like POFQ (or maybe CBR?) might be just what I'm looking for. Are room sizes pretty similar among the moderates?

Kimberle, FW cabins are a nice thought too. Have to think about that one.

I welcome more responses if anyone else has an opinion. Thanks again!

 

[strawboss]

Hi- I took my parents to Disney in 1999 and stayed in Port Orleans French Quarter. Dad has a bad back and it hurts if he walks too much, and this resort was really the best that I could have possibly picked, though I didn't realize it at the time.

He could get to the food court easily from our room, as the rooms are all close to the courtyard and the pool, much more so than in Caribbean and Coronado. Carib and Coron are beautiful, but they are so spread out and sometimes your room can be really far from the gift shops and food courts.

For older folks that aren't so "park" oriented, it's nice for them to have the luxury of strolling (as opposed to huffing and puffing or taking the bus) to the food court and shops. The "river" is also fairly close to the rooms, so that is a nice stroll, too. Also, you can rent bikes and go over to Riverside, where the them is different and there are other places to eat. Makes it like a whole nother resort, but it's close.

My dad always had to go back to the room by 2 or so, while mom and I stayed in the parks and DH went golfing. We didn't have a car, so we were bus dependent, and POFQ does get the bus first, which guaranteed a seat for dad almost every time.

The fact that it was a smaller resort, he didn't feel so overwhelmed about going back by himself and finding the room, or stopping off at the food court for a snack. He didn't feel like he was just in a huge conglomeration, if you know what I mean!! Plus, he loves New Orleans, and so he got a kick out of being in the "big easy", noticing all of the New Orleans touches. Hope this helps!

 

[DebbieB]

If you choose CBR, I would request a first floor room. The rooms are first and second floor and there are no elevators.

 

[orvilleair]

For a rental car, POR mansion bldgs have parking lots adjacent to the buildings. The door of each room faces the outside (much like a motel). It was very convenient to walk out to the parking lot and drive to the food court or the bus stop. On the back side, there are lovely paths along the river. The pool is centrally located on an island. Yes, it was quiet there and the boat ride to DTD is relaxing (The boat also stops at POFQ). There is a "sit down" restaurant (Boatwrights) and entertainment on some nights.

The biggest hinderance is the transportation, the buses were always crowded. When I went, the first stop was at POFQ. If your driving, maybe this isn't an issue. Have a great time.

 

[travelbug]

Thanks again, everyone! I knew I could count on you guys for some great advice. I think I'm going to give POFQ a try. It does sound like it will fit our needs very well.

Strawboss, I really appreciate all the detail you provided. Our situation will be similar. My mom has bad arthritis in her legs. She can walk, but only slowly and for short distances at a time. We will be using a wheelchair for the parks (both my parents are very much looking forward to the parks! ), but she prefers to walk otherwise and just take her time. My dad is wonderful about matching whatever pace is good for her. They dearly love tropical landscaping and anything by the water, so I think they'd enjoy strolling by the river and taking the boat to DD and back. A small resort with things close by will be ideal. I'm grateful to you for taking the time to tell me why POFQ worked so well for your family.

Many thanks for all the replies!

 

[strawboss]

Travelbug:

I'm glad I could be of some help.

At POFQ, they have the bikes to rent that several people can ride (like a carriage bike with a canopy), so that is another way to bike easily-no balancing and not everyone has to pedal!

I should also mention that we took my 78 yr. old m-i-law at the beginning of December. She has diabetes, and we needed a wheelchair for the parks. We stayed at the Boardwalk, as we had just bought into the vacation club. I know you were concentrating on moderates, but Boardwalk is also great because you don't have to hassle with the buses and wheelchairs when going to Epcot and MGM. The wheelchairs go amazingly well onto the boats.

We ended up renting a wheelchair from an outside service-member services at the resort can help you with that if you call them ahead of time and get the number of this medical supply place and place an order for the wheelchair. They delivered a wheelchair to the resort, we picked it up and had it for all week and it was real reasonable-I'm thinking $25 or less for the whole week-and it was clean and new-and then they picked it up after we left (who knows-maybe they keep a stash at each resort).

It was nice to have it at the resort, as some of the walking from the bus to the front of the park (where many people get wheelchairs) can be far, and then we didn't have to hassle with waiting in line to get a wheelchair. I would highly recommend it. As far as getting on the buses with it, my m-i=l would get on the bus without the wheelchair, and my husband just folded it up and carried it on like a stroller so she wouldn't have to go up on the bus "ramp", which makes a rather big spectacle of things.

It was so wonderful getting on the rides and things-the CM just helped us so much when they saw us coming with the wheelchair to get on the rides/shows. It made it so enjoyable for my m-i-l, because she didn't want to be a burden to anybody (she is mobile, but not for very far)-she thought with her in the wheelchair, we'd have to wait in the back of the line and things like that, but we wound up getting good seats on all the shows and rides, and we joked around telling her we would bring her more often, because the wheelchair allowed us to have VIP services!!

But, my point is that the CM don't make you feel like you are a burden just because you have a wheelchair.

Also, take a cushion or a pad to put on the wheelchair seat. My m-i-l's tush got a little tired towards the end of the day, sitting on the seat, and we wound up taking a cushion off the dining room chair from our room (it was one of those tie-on type cushions) and using it on the wheelchair, and she was much more comfortable. But, it would have been nice to a real cushy type pad for her.

Your parents are going to love it!

 

[tink2]

I think POFQ is the perfect choice! We choose it for some of the same reasons. My mom has heart problems and too much walking at one time tires her out. POFQ is so small that it makes the walks to the bus stop, food court, etc. short. Also, she doesn't mind coming to and from the resort by herself when she needs a break from the parks. And, it sure helps my children's little legs too! It is very pretty and quaint- we love it! Last year it was closed for refurb and we stayed at AKL. We can't wait to get back to POFQ in dec.!!!

 

[travelbug]

Strawboss, you are the best!! I'm going to print out this thread so I have all your helpful advice. The cushion is something I wouldn't have thought of, but a great idea.

Like you, I'm a DVC owner (at both BWV and BCV). We'll be spending the first week at BCV, so we'll make full use of the closeness to Epcot and MGM. (Isn't that the greatest??) We will then extend our trip by 2 nights before flying back home, and that's where a moderate resort will come in. After reading this thread, I did some more reading and checking on POFQ and I think we'll go ahead and give that one a try.

I've thought about renting a wheelchair for the whole stay and also having it at the resorts, but I'm not sure Mom would go for it. She wants to stay mobile and independent as much as possible, and I want to support that too. But my only real uncertainty has to do with the buses. Her one leg is very stiff, and I don't think she could climb the bus steps if they are tall. (Some buses have 3 steps, and the steps are shorter. That would maybe be OK.) I read somewhere that the buses will allow a mobile person who can't do steps to use the bus lift even if they don't have a wheelchair, but I've never actually seen that happen in person. I know what you mean about the wheelchair loading being quite a production. Mom would hate that.

I'll need to pay a visit to the Disabilities Board and see if anyone there also has some advice on that part.

If you think of anything else that you think would help us, please PM me anytime. I really appreciate your kind help!

 

[travelbug]

Tink2, I think your post came through just as I was starting to type my reply to strawboss. Thanks for your input. It finalizes my decision to go with POFQ. Sounds really ideal for us, and I'll look forward to trying out a resort I've never been to before.

Thanks again to everyone!

 

[maddy]

Sence your DVC you might consider renting points to extend your stay at BCV. No moving around and no relearning the ins and outs of a resort for your parents. Just my 2 cents.. POFQ is just beautiful and the riverside walk and boat ride are things we do every trip and we have never gotten the pleasure of staying there. I am so envious you get to share WDW with your parents.

Maddy

 

[hightown]

Travelbug, when you make your ressie--or call back if done--be sure they put on the ressie that there are "mobility issues" and must be close to ___ (food court, bus whatever). Have done that with traveling with my mother. When they assign the rooms about 4 days out, the room assiger should block a room and put a "DO NOT CHANGE" on the ressie. You might want to call the resort before arrival to make sure that they have seen that and done the best they could to get convenient assignment.

Last trip we also rented a scooter for mom for the week. She can walk but doesn't have any endurance and can be unstable. It cost about 250 for the week but it was worth it's weight in gold to her. She rode the scooter onto the bus lifts and didn't have to deal with stairs but it does take some trial and error to manuever the scooter. The scooter also breaks down easily to go in a trunk.

Have fun and hope things work out!

Sharon

 

[yecats]

I have to agree with the crowd so far, POFQ is a wonderful resort and the best thing about it is that it is the smallest of all the moderates in terms of size of the resort. All the mod rooms are basically the same size so its not like one is so much larger than the others. Many of the rooms at POFQ are close to the parking lot, POFQ gets picked up first by the buses then they continue on to pickup PORS guest. FQ is also the first group dropped back off in the evening. Resort is quiet and not so large that they'll get tired walking around it. There is a food court and don't forget about the boat to DTD. If they feel up to a nice walk, PORS is right next door and they can talk a longer stroll around that property as well, not to mention they also get to use all their facilities to (swimming pools, food court, sit down rest., renting boats, etc.). They would enjoy a walk around the grounds there, that area is really serene.

Another poster above mentioned FW cabins and I certainly wouldn't rule those out. If you know your parents would like to make a meal or two (maybe for health reasons or diabetic and need something hot first thing in the morning) then they'll have a kitchen, refrigerator and can cook. You may want to check out pictures at wdwig.com of the cabins. The main bedroom only has a full size bed and then two bunks in there for the kids. This area is very peaceful and also nice to walk around and yes, you can park your car right outside the door.

Have fun planning.

 

[travelbug]

Hi, maddy and hightown and yecats! All 3 of you had excellent words of advice and encouragement. Thank you so much for taking the time to post. This is all so helpful to me! While I still think POFQ will work great, I'll check the cabin rates at FW just to see.

I'm constantly amazed at the wealth of information posted by truly nice people on these boards. I'm very grateful to all of you.

 

[LindaBabe]

If so, she might feel more independant on an ecv rather than a wheel chair. In a wheel chair, someone is pushing - controlling where you'll go, when you stop etc. With an ecv, even the hindered on e can keep up or stop at will and then catchup - or even lead. Having the use of one has improved the quality of my trips immensely! I rent from Walker medical - they have very nimble 3 wheelers that they deliver to the resort. If she can drive a car, she can manover one of these, for sure.