Has anyone brought a tub mat to disney with you?

[jo-jo]

You can remove the worry about slipping in the tub that you mentioned by a very simple solution: Book a handicap accessible room. You won't need to buy and haul with you a bunch of aids.

Those will have grab bars around the toilet and tub enclosure. If you'll need a shower seat additionally, you can request one from housekeeping or rent one. Some of the HA rooms, the ones that don't say "wheelchair accessible," are equipped for walking disabled people who merely need some aids.

You might even find that a HA room that is wheelchair accessible with a roll-in shower solves any tub concerns. You can walk straight into the shower, no lip or edge to step over. Those will have a regular showerhead and a built-in bench with handheld. This is what DH prefers because he has balance issues.

No, you are not "taking one away from someone who really needs it." You're being smart and proactive to prevent falls that might leave someone permanently disabled. YOU really need it to be safe.

We would if it was available.

 

[Her Dotness]

I must be dense this morning, then. Wasn't clear to me that you had a room booked rather than merely planning mobility helps you could take with you.

Sorry I misunderstood.

 

[jo-jo]

I must be dense this morning, then. Wasn't clear to me that you had a room booked rather than merely planning mobility helps you could take with you.

Sorry I misunderstood.

No we have a reg. room at blt with a tub . That’s why asking questions. At BWV, we have a one bedroom, so shower is much easier.

But thankyou, sometimes the best answer isn’t obvious to those new to these issues.

5 years ago I had no idea what a rollator was. i only thought of walkers, the kind with no wheels.

 

[Her Dotness]

But thankyou, sometimes the best answer isn’t obvious to those new to these issues.

5 years ago I had no idea what a rollator was. i only thought of walkers, the kind with no wheels.

Yes, it is a tremendous thinking adjustment when "parts start failing." I had to overcome idiotic resistance to getting hearing aids this year--which I ought to have gotten years ago.

I forget, too, that we've been compensating for DH's balance and walking issues for over 20 years. He broke both legs badly in an on-the-job fall.

Our every trip to Disney necessitated booking a HA room to assure he'll have bathroom grab bars. Gradually, he found walking into the roll-in-showers much easier. In fact, we'd postpone a trip rather than book a non-HA room anymore; those make our stays sooooo much more comfortable.

 

[jo-jo]

Yes, it is a tremendous thinking adjustment when "parts start failing." I had to overcome idiotic resistance to getting hearing aids this year--which I ought to have gotten years ago.

I forget, too, that we've been compensating for DH's balance and walking issues for over 20 years. He broke both legs badly in an on-the-job fall.

Our every trip to Disney necessitated booking a HA room to assure he'll have bathroom grab bars. Gradually, he found walking into the roll-in-showers much easier. In fact, we'd postpone a trip rather than book a non-HA room anymore; those make our stays sooooo much more comfortable.

I keep thinking this will be our last trip. Each trip needs more down time, more skipping this and that ride or show for some reason, and this is asidefrom the new disney rules. At some point soon, it won't be worth it. We are getting to the point that two weeks in a row without a dr appointment is rare.

 

[tseitel]

My mom takes a cheap shower mat for the shower with her every trip now. Rolled up they take hardly any space in her suitcase, and if necessary she could leave it behind as it was inexpensive

 

[Simba's Mom]

You can remove the worry about slipping in the tub that you mentioned by a very simple solution: Book a handicap accessible room. You won't need to buy and haul with you a bunch of aids.

Those will have grab bars around the toilet and tub enclosure. If you'll need a shower seat additionally, you can request one from housekeeping or rent one. Some of the HA rooms, the ones that don't say "wheelchair accessible," are equipped for walking disabled people who merely need some aids.

You might even find that a HA room that is wheelchair accessible with a roll-in shower solves any tub concerns. You can walk straight into the shower, no lip or edge to step over. Those will have a regular showerhead and a built-in bench with handheld. This is what DH prefers because he has balance issues.

No, you are not "taking one away from someone who really needs it." You're being smart and proactive to prevent falls that might leave someone permanently disabled. YOU really need it to be safe.

Thank you-I needed that reminder. I just booked a HA room for the first time for my next trip due to my balance issues (or rather, my "no balance" issues. Dealt with these issues for years before I finally broke down and reserved a HA room. Most of my trips are solo (including this one) so I don't have anyone to pick me up if I fall. But reserving that HA studio was for me a big step.

 

[Her Dotness]

Thank you-I needed that reminder. I just booked a HA room for the first time for my next trip due to my balance issues (or rather, my "no balance" issues. Dealt with these issues for years before I finally broke down and reserved a HA room. Most of my trips are solo (including this one) so I don't have anyone to pick me up if I fall. But reserving that HA studio was for me a big step.

Good for you!

It can be terribly difficult to admit when a person needs helps for things they once did without thinking/planning/worrying what might happen IF....

The audiologist said the average time people wait before getting hearing aids is 7-10 YEARS. Ummm, yeah, that was me even though I knew I wasn't hearing as well as I once did and hadn't for years. I've worn glasses since age 7. You'd think hearing aids wouldn't mean "You're OLD." But, they did to me, even though I know perfectly well that children may need them. Just foolish vanity and overblown pride.

It's truly nutty how our pride can overwhelm sense on things like admitting we're not as hale and hearty as we once were.

 

[Lilsia]

There are several disabilities that can result in the tub being "more slippery" for some users than others. Anyone with a balance issue, for example, or anyone who has little to no feeling in their feet (yes, some people can still bear weight even if they can't feel their feet).

It's all in the eye of the beholder, as always. For those of us who feel unsafe in the tub (or shower), "slippery" is probably the best word we have, and the most accurate description of how it feels to us. It's far better for those of us who have this type of issue to err on the side of caution, and lay down a tub mat, or a towel, or some other material for safety. I personally don't want to end up in the ER instead of spending my time at Disney World!

Two other quick notes: First, I *have* experienced both tubs and showers in other hotel chains where housekeeping would spray the tub and/or shower enclosure with cleaner that was supposed to be then rinsed off before they left the room, and they forgot. That stuff is *super* slippery, and the "tell" is that when you start running water for the shower, you can usually (but not always) smell the chemical that they used.

Second note is this - remember that our friend Ray Sharpton took a bad fall in a hotel shower. I have been taking precautions for years (even prior to Ray's accident) but it reinforced for me the need to be careful.

Well, I never said or implied any of those things. I was saying that the tubs are not inherently slippery. Of course anyone can slip at any time as you are in water, but that does not make these tubs any more slipperier then what is typical. As was the concern of the OP.

 

[jo-jo]

Well, I never said or implied any of those things. I was saying that the tubs are not inherently slippery. Of course anyone can slip at any time as you are in water, but that does not make these tubs any more slipperier then what is typical. As was the concern of the OP.

Which is why at home we have one of long bath mats. Bad enough to fall at home, don’t want to do it at Disney If I can help avoid it.

 

[mamabunny]

So you're using the term slippery to describe more of a balance issue - it's not because of the surface, it's from the input of info/lack of info from the feet and/or eyes. If I had that condition, I'd definitely bring/buy/ask for a shower bench.

I've never had a slippery tub in a hotel - I'm going to start looking more closely at the textures of them though.

It's not just a balance issue; for example, if you have no feeling in your feet, you won't be able to tell if you have gained purchase of the shower floor, for example. That is a situation in which it is better to be prepared than injured; better to be safe than sorry.

One of the things I have noticed about Disney Resort hotels in general is that (overall) they are cleaned better/more thoroughly than a lot of other hotels. Especially since COVID and staffing shortages it seems even more noticeable to us. You simply can't count on consistency when you travel now, unless you stay with the same hotels every single trip. Even then, a management change can result in an entirely different experience than you had previously.

That's one of the reasons I take my own personal shower transfer bench and anti-slip mats, etc. when I travel. I would rather be prepared than disappointed. Most of the time, they just stay in the car, packed away, and we never have to touch them; it's kind of like insurance. If I don't bring them, I will wish I had... and if I do bring them, I usually don't need them!