So, dh and I were talking last night-and thinking/planning(!) A trip with dmil.
She's never been to wdw-and is very keen-especially since watching saving Mr banks and hearing foodie stories
Whilst I have various health issues-dmil would be our main concern.
We would definitely stay onsite and require disabled access room.
I like dvc style properties-so we would need at least a one bed villa.
Does anyone have any feedback regarding different resorts?
It depends partly on your budget and partly on what you are looking for.
Bay Lake Tower and Grand Floridian both have DVC villas close to Magic Kingdom. There is a walking path from Bay Lake Tower to MK. It is not possible to walk from Grand Floridian. Both are on the monorail directly to MK and with a transfer, to Epcot. Buses travel to other locations.
Wilderness Lodge also has DVC villas and is near MK, but not on the monorail. You need to take a boat to MK and a bus to other parks. Wilderness Lodge Villas is relatively small, so may be all rented out, especially if you need an accessible one.
Beach Club Villas and Boardwalk villas are also DVC, located near Epcot. There is a walking path to Epcot and the Studios, but there is also boat transportation. For other parks, you would use buses. The buses are shared between the Epcot area resorts and can be busy, so you may not always get on the first bus.
Beach Club Villas is relatively small, so may be all rented out, especially if you need an accessible one.
Animal Kingdom has DVC villas at Jambo House and at Kidani Village. Jambo House puts you at the AK Lodge building. Kidani Village has its own amenities, but is about 1/4 to 1/2 mile walk to the AK Lodge. They are close to AK, but other locations are farther away. The only transportation is by bus.
Jambo House Villa DVC was regular rooms converted to DVC. Kidani was built as DVC and has a second full bathroom in the one bedroom units.
All of those villas are at a hotel and are multi-story hotel type buildings.
Old Key West and Saratogo Springs are groups of separate buildings. You can park in lots near the building, walk between the rooms and the main building with amenities or take internal buses.
Saratoga has large multi-story buildings, arranged in groups with a large number of villas in each building. If you have a car, you will park in large lots shared by several buildings.
OKW buildings are much smaller and each building has its own lot, so you can literally park right outside of your room.
I've posted on accommodation also-but thought I'd ask here too-
If the property is accessible-is it a shower or a tub-not both which would be suitable for dmil?
You said you are renting a one bedroom, so this information applies only to one bedroom (or the Master Bedroom of 2 bedroom or larger).
All one bedroom villas have a shower and a separate whirlpool tub.
The regular showers have a small step (6 inches or less) to step over to get into the shower. The regular showers at Kidani have a built in seat inside of the shower.
All of the villas also have accessible roll in showers available. These have no step to get in and someone using a wheelchair could roll right up to the shower. The roll in showers have a seat built in, grab bars and also a hand held shower head.
You would need to make a specific reservation for a villa with a roll in shower. OKW and Saratoga are the largest number of rooms, so have the most accessible rooms. The others, especially Beach Club and Wilderness have less rooms, so have less accessible rooms.
When booking adrs,can you request a specific area or table-ie NOT the middle of the restaurant?
As was already mentioned, that is something you request when checking in at the restaurant. The CMs there are assigning tables and know what is available at the time, so explain to them what you are looking for. You may have a longer wait for your desired area.
Unsure at this point,whether we would hire a wheelchair/scooter,or bring from home? (We're in the UK) any suggestions?
It sounds like you do have a wheelchair at home, but dont have a scooter. I would not rent a scooter to bring it to the US.
Renting in the US, if there are any mechanical issues, the rental company will deal with them for you. If you bring one from the UK, you could be stuck with a malfunctioning scooter with no options.
Follow the link in my signature or look near the top of this board for the disABILITIES FAQs thread. Post 2 of that thread has information about renting wheelchairs and scooters (also called
ECVs), including where to rent with phone numbers and weblinks.
An
ECV gives more independence, but person driving it needs to be constantly alert and ready to stop. People walk out in front of ECVs and wheelchairs all the time without warning. The ECV driver has to be alert to this, watching and ready to stop suddenly without warning.
This can be difficult for some older people whose vision, hearing or ability to react may not be as keen as they used to be. Being alert all the time can get to be very mentally tiring, so she may not be physically tired, but may be worn out with remaining alert.
All this is especially difficult for older people who dont drive. For a first timer, I personally would recommend a wheelchair. That way, she can look around and see things instead of just concentrating on driving.
Also, all attractions are wheelchair accessible (with the exception of a few where guests need to be ambulatory - Peter Pan, Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, Tomorrowland Transit Authority and Tom Sawyers Island).
Some queues are not ECV accessible,; for those, she would have to walk or could switch to a wheelchair at the attraction (tell the CM at the entrance that she needs to borrow a wheelchair for the queue).
Some rides have a wheelchair accessible ride car; if she was in a wheelchair, she would not have to transfer.
My other initial thought was when would be the best time to visit?
Our local airport flies direct April-October,or would be around 4 hours plus an overnight airport hotel stay-
so local airport-although more expensive-definitely seems preferable.
I agree with the other posters about time to visit.
May is a more quiet time in the US because schools are still in session. Later September and October are quieter for the same reason.
Hurricane season is generally June 1st thru November 30th. Hurricanes can occur any time, but are more likely during that time. You could be vey lucky and not hit any hurricanes - we travel to WDW twice a year, once in Spring and once in fall and have never been here for a hurricane. Do expect rain showers almost every afternoon in the Fall. It usually rains in the late afternoon nearly every day and then typically clears up after a short period of rain shower.
I think the main issue is probably the flight?
Possibly upgrade-we've only ever flown economy-so unsure what's the specific upgrade benefit.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Check with your airline about what the upgrades include. In the US, it is typically larger seats and more leg room, but may also include better food (or food period, since many US flights provide only snacks, coffee and soft drinks).
