Handicapped Guests - which WDW resort to choose?

[lovelylins]

Hello

I'm hoping for some advice. We have made many trips to Disney, but have never stayed at a WDW Resort hotel before. We plan to stay either in a 'Value' or 'Moderate' property and take my husband's handicapped electric buggy. (We, being the two of us plus 6 year old grandaughter). My husband can walk from the car into the accommodation, but will need his buggy for the parks

I have several questions:

Can we take the electric buggy on the bus transportation?
Can we park outside the accommodation?
Are there flat surfaces for him to drive his buggy on - he doesn't do well on cobbles!
Do we really have to eat Disney food for the duration of our visit (!!!!) or are there local supermarkets, and if so what about storing the food?
We probably would prefer to stay at a 'Moderate' hotel, but it looks as though the 'Value' hotels would be more fun for our grandaughter - is this the case?
I think that's enough questions for now - hoping to hear from someone soon!

ps Thank you to all of you who answered my question wherever it was posted before and suggested this board - as you can tell, I haven't quite figured out what I'm doing yet!!!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to both DisBoards and disABILITIES!

First of all, I have moved your thread from the disABILITIES Comunity Board to this one, as it is better suited to this forum and not the subforum.

By "electric buggy" are you describing what is sometimes called an Electric Convenience Vehicle (ECV) or a power chair? An ECV is usually either three or four wheels with handlebars like a bicycle and controled by a push lever under the bars. A power chair is usually very customized to the individual and is controlled by a joystick for all motion. It seems you are referring to the ECV.

You can take an ECV on the buses. However, you have to take it into your room for two reason; one is the value and moderate resorts only have outside corridors and also it must be plugged in overnight for recharging the batteries.

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. The top item is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information.

He should have no problems in driving, but there is (intentionally) rrough pavement in parts of Animal Kingdom to keep with the theming.

I would suggest keeping to a moderate resort for several reasons. One is that all of the moderates include a small refrigerator in them for food storage. Another is that the value resort rooms are all 260 sq ft while all the moderates are 314 sq ft except Caribbean Beach where the rooms are 340 sq ft.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

A third option, if you'd like to self cater some of the time, is to look into renting a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) room from a member. There are boards on this forum dedicated to DVC, including one where you can rent from others. The idea is that the DVC owner books a room in your name, using their points. You then pay them and stay in the room. There is an element of risk involved, as it is a deal between you and the owner, but if you're careful, you should be OK (there are some useful guidelines for how to rent on the DVC boards). If you were to do this, you could rent a studio with a kitchenette (basically a 'normal' hotel room with sink, toaster, microwave, fridge and coffee machine), or a bigger apartment with a full kitchen. We rented a studio at Old Key West this September and loved it!

I think wherever you go in Disney, you'll be happy. However, if you give us some more ideas on what you're looking for, we may be able to help more. If you want a smaller site, and therefore shorter distances, Port Orleans French Quarter might be a good idea, but that may not be an issue for you. Your granddaughter might actually prefer one of the moderates, such as Caribbean Beach Resort (CBR), as this would give her more space to explore. CBR is particularly good for kids, as it has beaches, turtles to feed and an island with parrots and a playground in the middle. If you look through the DIS board photos, you can get a better idea of what each hotel has to offer, as each one has a very different theme and style.

Hope this helps, have a great trip!

 

[shellbelle1971]

When we were at WDW earlier this year, our good friend who uses an ECV (she has no legs) stayed in the Epcot area (at the Swan or Dolphin--I can't remeber which) and thought it was perfect. If you have any specific questions I could ask her for you.

So another advantage to renting points from a DVC member is that you will be able to reduce how much you need to rely on busses. If you book your stay at one of the Epcot area DVCs, you will be able to just take your ecv from your room to the park. If you book at the Wilderness Lodge Villas, the boat is an easy option for you.

At DVC the rooms will be larger, and "deluxe" for about the same price as a mod. As the previous poster noted, though, you do need to realize that renting points is a private transaction between you and the points owner, not Disney. When you look through the "points for rent" posts, though, it doesn't take you very long to figure out who has a pretty good history of renting.

 

[Harvestmooner]

We have stayed at POFQ with my parents, my Mom in a manual wheelchair and my Dad using a scooter. It is great, very small resort and the pool is wonderful, with a fun waterslide!!! I am not sure how far grocery stores are but they have a food court and a nice selection of food to take to your room in the gift shop.

 

[merryweather20]

Your granddaughter will love any of the moderate resorts! You can rent a DVC room directly from Disney but they are hard to come by, you'll have more choice if you rent from someone on the board (although fewer guarantees since it is just another individual). The wilderness cabins also have a fridge and kitchenette.

There are local grocery stores that will deliver, there is some information on this on the DVC boards, I won't offer any tips since I haven't done this myself

The value resorts are nice but if you do this you only have one option for transport ->a bus which will only have two spots for transport. As someone said previously some moderates will have the option of boat transport for some of the parks

 

[SueM in MN]

As someone said previously some moderates will have the option of boat transport for some of the parks

Just a point of clarification.
None of the moderates have boat transportation to any of the parks.

Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside have boat transportation to Downtown Disney, but that is the only place the boats at those resorts go and none of the other moderates have any boat transportation.

Boardwalk, Beach Club, Yaght Club are all deluxe resorts with boat transportation to Epcot. The Swan and Dolphin are in the same area and use the same boats, but are not operated by Disney.

This is a good place to start if you want information about the WDW resorts. There is a page for each resort and also links to maps and pictures of each resort.

 

[Lou-Ann]

We love the accomodations at pofq.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Go to WDW and not eat the food, you have got to be kidding. I have cravings for WDW food. It is not all burgers and chicken fingers. We have had some truly wonderful food at WDW and not just at the TS restaurants. There is such a variety at least at the Value resort food courts. I couldn't believe the choices at the AS Movies food court and DH and I loved the one at POR also.

We haven't stayed at a Moderate before, but I do think your granddaughter will really enjoy the Values, at least my 9 and 16 year old cousins did.

Have a great time

Suzanne