getting anywhere else from WL & VWL?

[pumpkinboy]

I have always wanted to stay at Wilderness Lodge or the Villas, but the question is always: can you get anywhere else conveniently on Disney transport? We have always gone for the Epcot area lodgings (esp BWV and Swan) bcs of the ease of boat travel to 2 of the 4 parks.

Now keep in mind here that our DS, soon to be 6, is wheelchair bound, and we like walking some, but not too far (Epcot to MGM is doable, but a stretch). The bus system in a wheelchair is fine, but there is the hassle of strapping the chair down and going up and down the lift, so boat, monorail and walking are generally preferred. Plus the other drawback to the Disney bus system is that when the bus is already crowded we are sometimes not able to get on bcs no room for the wheelchair (that happened to friends at POR: 3 buses in succession passed by, unable to load their little boy's wheelchair).

So you veterans of WL and VWL, please weigh in on this . Any strategies for getting places from there? Thx

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

A few things I'd like to mention...

Wilderness Lodge is the first stop on all its runs... so you wouldn't get passed up because of a full bus.

A third of our fleet are now low-floor buses, which make boarding much quicker.

We've also been converting to J-Hook straps, which typically make securement a breeze. (And its NOT a hassle. )

WL has direct buses to Epcot, AK/BB, Studios, DTD/TL, and the TTC. From the TTC, you can catch the Monorail to MK or Epcot. WL also has a boat that goes to the MK. The boat is wheelchair accessible most of the time. (Depends on water levels, which have been fine lately)

 

[SueM in MN]

Originally posted by Chip 'n Dale Express
A few things I'd like to mention...

Wilderness Lodge is the first stop on all its runs... so you wouldn't get passed up because of a full bus.

A third of our fleet are now low-floor buses, which make boarding much quicker.

We've also been converting to J-Hook straps, which typically make securement a breeze. (And its NOT a hassle. )

WL has direct buses to Epcot, AK/BB, Studios, DTD/TL, and the TTC. From the TTC, you can catch the Monorail to MK or Epcot. WL also has a boat that goes to the MK. The boat is wheelchair accessible most of the time. (Depends on water levels, which have been fine lately)

We stayed at VWL a year ago with DD who is in a wheelchair and i have to agree with everything that Tyler had to say. We had no problems. Even though the boats and docks at times didn't line up directly, we were ablet o get DD's wheelchair on the boat with minimal hassle.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Thx to Tyler and also SueM in MN for the great disABILITIES board. Glad to hear about more low floor buses.

The access issue is a big one for us, and was key in our decision to buy DVC at BWV. We figured that the boat or our feet/wheels would get us most places and when we wanted to go direct anywhere we could walk over the bridge to the Swan, the 1st stop on the Epcot resorts loop (or am I mistaken about that route?)

Thx again