Cabin with child with special needs

[herdadditions]

we have been to Disney many times. We always discuss fort wilderness but never get there. We are myself, dh, daughter with special needs requiring a push chair (think large jogging stroller as she is 13) and son also 13. There is a possibility one of our college age daughters will visit.

1. Where are HA cabins located?
2. Is the walk between areas doable?
3. If we rent a golf cart, is there space to put her chair? (Think golf bag size when collapsed)
4. Is this a terrible idea and I need to look at other options?

 

[bama_ed]

Well let's take this one at a time since I just responded to your Minnie Van question:

1. The Handicapped Accessible cabins are in specific loops if memory serves with several in either 2600 or 2700 but there may be others spread around the remaining cabin loops as well.

2. The walk to other areas of the Fort can be long depending on your destination (the Fort is one mile in length) so on sidewalks that might take 20 minutes or longer at a reasonable pace. There are internal busses that travel through the Fort (two of the three bus lines run down through the cabins) and bus stops are every 2-3 loops apart or so. So my approach would be to go out of your cabin loop along the sidewalk to the nearest internal bus stop and catch a ride there. The busses have a ramp at the rear door in the middle of the bus and the front door near the driver can also kneel down lower to the road surface.

3. The golf carts are a standard 4-seater with front- and rear-facing seats. Disney has a few 6-seat golf carts that are about $20 more a day but can't be reserved separately (you don't reserve a 4-seat or a 6-seat, just "a cart"). If you reserve a cart and want a 6-seat, you can inquire when you pick up your 4-seat if a 6-seat is available. If it is, they will swap you out and charge the difference. If it is not, you can be put on waiting list for when one becomes available (if it does).

4. You say you've done Disney many times. You probably know the layout of the cabins is a queen bed with bunk beds in the back bedroom and a sleeper sofa in the living room (claims to sleep two). So your math works especially if the 5th or 6th person is only there a few nights and not the whole trip. Also, some people have qualms about 6 using one bathroom (getting ready in the mornings, yada yada). Mousekeeping will bring you extra towels if you call and request, that's not a problem. But if you have 6 max in your party, that generally triggers a suite or two rooms in the other resorts which can get pricey. And the cabins (a point we loved) have a fridge and stove plus microwave so we can cook some meals or eat a simple breakfast (and you have a charcoal grill and picnic table) so you don't have to pay for Disney swill at every meal for every person. You can control your food costs to some degree.

I'd say your plan works if the six of you can get a long for a short while and you aren't all Type A go-go-go types. A five minute wait for a bus can seem endless to some folks who post on here about the Fort. But it can work - some of these issues you would have even if you were at another resort.

Bama Ed

 

[Jimsig]

we have been to Disney many times. We always discuss fort wilderness but never get there. We are myself, dh, daughter with special needs requiring a push chair (think large jogging stroller as she is 13) and son also 13. There is a possibility one of our college age daughters will visit.

1. Where are HA cabins located?

Well let's take this one at a time since I just responded to your Minnie Van question:

1. The Handicapped Accessible cabins are in specific loops if memory serves with several in either 2600 or 2700 but there may be others spread around the remaining cabin loops as well.

I have stayed in a HA Cabin a couple times now as we had to get DW a scooter. There are two types of HA cabins available so make sure to specify when booking. One type has things such as assisted hearing devices while the other has a roll in show for a wheelchair. I know the one with the roll in shower is 18 inches wider than a regular cabin and of course has a ramp up to the deck to enter the cabin. I am not sure if the assisted hearing device type has a ramp or is wider. You will also find the bed is lower to the ground in the roll in cabins and therefore you can not store your luggage under that bed like you can in a regular cabin. Because of the extra width there is some extra storage for towels and such in the bathroom.

According to All Ears and my experience the roll in's are just in the 2800 loop, which is also the closest loop to the Outpost (to get the buses to Epcot, HS, AK, DS etc) and it you can sometimes walk it quicker that waiting for the next bus, especially if you just missed one. From the front of the loop it's .3 miles to the Outpost and from the back of the loop it's .5 miles The others type of HA cabins might be in a couple different loops.

Here is a list of distances from the Cabin loops around the Fort I compiled:
*Fort Wilderness Resort Information ( a work in progress)*

 

[allison0523]

Our son uses a pushchair also and we have not stayed at the cabins but have brought our RV to the campground several times. One time we got a golf cart and the other times we had our car. The golf cart was handy for doing things around the campground because car parking was very limited. There were times my husband dropped us off places and then either walked to us or stayed at the RV. We used the push chair to walk from the RV to the boat to go to MK with no problems. We are going back in less than a month and this time we are just renting a car at Disney instead of towing our vehicle and bringing our bikes as our son is older now and can ride his bike a bit depending on where we are. The campground is very large though so I don't know if it would more of an issue for you to get to whatever transportation area you are using. We don't use the busses because I don't care for them.