Handicapped rooms at POR??

[laginog001]

I posted this on the resorts boards and it was suggested that I check over here. I couldn't find anything so I thought I would post here and see if You guys knew my answers!!
We are bringing our 3 nephews (ages, 7, 5 & 3) in June. They lost their Mom to leukemia almost 3 years ago. She was a huge "Mickey" fan and we had promised her that we would bring her boys when they were older....so here we come! Anyway...we will have an ECV due to my husband having diabetic neuropathy and will have a handicapped room. I'm guessing we will be in Alligator Bayou because of the trundle bed situation?? Are all of the handicapped rooms in one area at POR? If not, is there a better area to request, maybe closer to bus stop, pool, etc? I have leg braces too but get around pretty well. Oh...we have the boys almost every weekend while their Dad works so....it's not like we're bringing children that we're not too familiar with. Oh....and is there any way we can mail ahead "surprise" packages to be waiting for them? Or do we have to take it with us and do it ourselves? That first day is going to be pretty crazy, I think! Thank you for any help & suggestions!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

First of all, when you mention "handicap room" there are two kinds. One type is basically a raised toilet with grab bars at the toilet and the tub. The other kind besides having a raised toilet has a roll-in shower (instead of a tub). The second type usually has the bathroom area larger than standard for wheelchair mobility and therefore the sleeping area is smaller than a standard room. So you know which kind you are getting?

You mentioned your husband uses an ECV and you have leg braces. Just a warning that the room could get very crowded with both the trundle bed as well as the ECV parked in the room.

You might want to contact Special (Medical) Reservations at 407-939-7807 and find out exactly what you will be getting and discuss the situation with them. They are the only ones who can assign handicap rooms in advance, and normally once it is assigned it is locked in. The only control that the resort front desk has over handicap rooms is they can give them out, within certian limitations, on the day of use if they are not previously assigned.

As far as sending down special items, what you would need to do is address it to:

Laginog001
Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort
1251 Riverside Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

and mark it clearly "Hold for Guest Arrival June ??". (Putting of course, your real name and scheduled arrival date.) I would suggest using UPS or another courier-type service and ship it to arrive about three days prior to your arrival. That way you can track it to be sure it has arrived. Do not ship it to arrive more than five days early.

Once you are aware that it has actually arrived, one or two days before arrival (or even the morning of arrival if you will be coming in late in the day) call the Resort directly and ask to speak to a Guest Services Manager. Note that your call will be answered by the Disney Main Switchboard and you will normally have to explain why you need a GSM. Once you get through to the GSM explain that you would like to actually have the box opened and the contents put in the room, especially explaining why you want this done. Having the tracking number and being sure the box has arrived will help.

I hope this information helps you, and feel free to ask more quesitons.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't have anything to add to what Cheshire Figment mentioned, except that there is more information about the types of handicapped accessible rooms in the disABILITIES FAQs thread, which is at the top of the board. It's marked with a green arrow.
There is also other information in that thread that may be helpful to you.

Hope you have a great time