Originally posted by doitagain
Accessiblitiy is great, your group will also be moved to the head of the line for most attractions to accomodate them.
Accessibilty is great, but don't count on going to the head of lines. There are a few rides in MK and Epcot where the regular line is not acessible and you will go thru a wheelchair entrance, but all of AK and the Studio are what is called "Mainstream Access", where wheelchair and
ecv users wait in the same line with everyone else. Those parks were built the most recently and were built to have Mainstream Access. Epcot and MK are older parks and are not built for Mainstream Access, but have been retro-fitted for it. All the fastpass lines and most other lines have been changed to Mainstream Access.
Small World and Spaceship Earth are 2 rides that have separate wheelchair entrances, but depending on how many peole with wheelchairs/disabilities are waiting, you may actually wait longer.
Here's a
link to the DIS page about touring with disabilities. It lists the Mainstream Access lines and rides where you can stay in the whelchair for the entire wait in line and ride/attraction. There is a Guidebook for Guest with Disabilities available for each park. They are not particurlary helpful, but do have information about which rides are totally accessible and which you need to trransfer out of a wheelchair into a ride car. You can get one from Guest Relations at any of the parks. It is usually also aviable on line at the official Disney site, but all their links have not worked in the last 2 weeks.
Some people have had very good experience with wheelchairs loaned by the WDW resorts - others have found that what was available didn't meet their needs (not good condition or all they had was extra wide when they needed narrow or vice versa). People have also had variable experience with getting a better chair - anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
If you get wheelchairs from the resort, I'd suggest you also take along the contact info from some of the off-site medical equipment rental places (just in case). Here are the ones DIS posters report using most:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
Phone (407) 856-2273 Toll Free U.S and Canada (800) 741-2282
Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com
RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/
Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html
(800)747-0246
We have not stayed at AKL, but have done day visits there almost every year. It is a very beautiful resort and quite accessible. I have to agree with the person who posted about OKW. That's our DVC home. It is a very relaxing place to go. The nicest aspect about it is the room to move around. We love sitting out on the large porch/deck off the living room every morning. Something nice about drinking your first cup of coffee out there in a leisurely way.
unless you have your own vehicle for transporting the wheelchairs, I'd probably advise not staying off-site. The shuttle transportation from off-site hotels is not reliably wheelchair accessible.
I hope you all have a magical time.
!
Perhaps you could split your stay between there and AKL?
