Best way to book accessible room?

[maccumby]

We're going in mid December and are hoping to stay at WL. My six year old son has CP and uses a manual wheelchair. I need to call and book our room soon. Is it best to call the CRO to get an accessible room? Isn't there another number just for disabilities questions? Is that a better way? Or, am I better off going through a travel agent?

Oh, and when I say better, I am just wanting to make sure we get what he needs- I am afraid if I just book online something will get missed and our room will not be what we requested.

Thanks so much- you guys are always so helpful!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.

The first thing to do is think of what it is that you actually need. The first time we booked a room after DD got her first wheelchair, we asked for a wheelchair accessible room and it was not all all what we needed. The high toilet was too high for a 3 year old and we had a roll in shower for a small child who was really afraid of showers and needed a bathtub.
After that, for a long time, we just booked a standard room. Her tiny child's wheelchair could get around well enough.
Now, we book a handicapped accessible room, but for a long time, a regular room suited our DD's needs better.

Once you know those things, look at what type of resort you want; location, decor, amenities, cost.
Check online (like on the Resort Board or on the DIS site's resort info pages) to see what most matches what you are looking for. You can book thru WDW and the WDW resorts have a Special Reservation department that they will direct you to/contact if needed. Unfortunately, they don't seem to be as helpful with answers as they could be. That's where coming back here and asking might be helpful.

Unless you know that the travel agent knows a lot about handicapped accessibility, I would not use a travel agent. That just puts another layer for possible misunderstandings between you and the hotel.

Other people may have other advice, but that's my opinion.

 

[maccumby]

Thank you so much for your help Sue!

Since you have stayed in an accessible room, I have another question. Do all accessible rooms have roll-in showers? And do those showers always have a bench in them? We stayed in a standard room last visit for all the reasons you mentioned but this next trip will be 1 1/2 years later and he will be almost seven. It's pretty difficult for Mom to lift him in and out of the bathtub and he doesn't exactly like Mom in there anyway

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you so much for your help Sue!

Since you have stayed in an accessible room, I have another question. Do all accessible rooms have roll-in showers? And do those showers always have a bench in them? We stayed in a standard room last visit for all the reasons you mentioned but this next trip will be 1 1/2 years later and he will be almost seven. It's pretty difficult for Mom to lift him in and out of the bathtub and he doesn't exactly like Mom in there anyway

Others can probably answer better since we are members of DVC at OKW and have mostly stayed there.
I do know that there are handicapped rooms which might have a tub with grab bars and then there are fully wheelchair accessible rooms with roll in showers. All of the ones we have stayed in (keep in mind that means only OKW) have a flip down bench.

 

[dclfun]

I can answer that one...for the resorts without the flip-down bench they will provide a shower bench with a back. Keep in mind that there are actually three types of rooms. The moderates and values only have "fully accessible" which have a roll in shower, and "tub with handrails" in which you could not enter that bathroom in a wheelchair. It is meant for someone who is mobile but needs the handrails. In the deluxe resorts there is also an "accessible room with tub/handrails" that does have plenty of space for a w/c. Be very sure to describe what you need. I have gotten to resorts at Disney many times and found out that a tub with handrails room at POFQ is very different from the one at AKL and I could thus not utilize the room to which I'd been assigned. Since we are no longer able to speak with the res agent in Special Services be sure to recap every detail with the agent you do speak to and write down the name of that person. It's best to have a checklist before you start the conversation. Oh...and since WL was actually built to be a moderate I'd be careful to check out their bathroom situation beforehand but most likely you would need to request the fully accessible with roll in shower.---Kathy