Ft. Wilderness accessible cabin- report

[dclfun]

Just thought I'd post a brief report of my stay in an accessible Ft. Wilderness Cabin. As usual I'd made my request for an accessible room with roll in shower via the DRC phone line and was put on hold while that CM contacted the special needs department. I was making three different resort reservations at once and was assured that all reservations were noted with my requests and were reserved. When I arrived at the resort I was told that I only had been assigned a cabin with a ramp but not the roll in shower so it took some time to get the correct cabin assignment. I had to wait past the "guaranteed" 3:00 check in time for them to get this cabin ready while I waited in a very crowded lobby as every other guest was given room keys and sent on their way. This is always a disappointment to me but I realize all cabins cannot be cleaned at once....don't know why it's always mine that is never ready, lol. That said, the accessible cabin was a very long hike from the bus stop- difficult if someone were pushing a chair, but there was parking and plenty of room for my ramp van right by the cabin. There was plenty of turning radius on the ramp and deck and the outer entry door didn't have the snap-shut spring which was very helpful as then my service dog can open/close the doors. There was a cover over the key card slot though which was difficult to lift. Inside I was able to navigate easily in each room with plenty of turning radius there also. The microwave was on the counter vs. being mounted above the stove, the blow dryer in the bathroom was mounted low, and there was plenty of room in the bathroom itself for transfers and under the sink to fit a w/c. The smaller bedroom would not work for me as it required a transfer from the wrong side of my chair ( bed pushed against the wall) and if you had a larger child wanting to sleep in the bunkbeds, there is very little space between the beds ( beware a bumped head). This meant I would have to use the murphy bed in the living room. I had to first park my chair then have someone lower the bed as once the bed was lowered there was no room to maneuver my chairn( TV stand bolted and in the way). I found the cabin to be immaculate and very nicely decorated but it was way too dark and gloomy, plus there was no sense of privacy. If you had your curtains open, anyone passing by could look in, esp. into the bathroom if you can't shut the bathroom door yourself. If you need an accessible cabin be sure to note whether you also need a roll in shower- there are cabins with ramps only ( which are nice for those with strollers also) and then the fully accessible ones. I would not choose to stay here again. Transportation is too difficult and to get to the parks, one must transfer onto two different busses. There is no food court and the cabins are very far away from the Trails End restaurant or convenience stores, and also a long distance from the nightly campfire and sing-a-long for families who want to participate. ---Kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

thanks for the nice complete report.

 

[dclfun]

You're welcome. After the discussion on the Passporter special needs book I figured I'd include everything I could to help another mobility challenged person. While this doesn't address other special needs perhaps someone else can chime in to address those issues. Before long we'll all have the information right here on this board!---Kathy