help with room re:bathroom

[duranfan]

My family have been going to wdw since i was just kid in the 1970s.
Now that we have an older member needing to have a handicap shower its been a night mare with reservations.
I made reservations last month at port orleans. they described exact room we would get on phone when we get there (check in was later than they claimed too) we get a regular room furtherst possible point from handicap ramp. They admitted it was their fault, refunded us the nights stay...however that doesnt cut it.
So I want to take this family member over for their bday in May... i have been on the phone/online for 2hours and still no help. I want a room with double beds and I would like some kind of accessiable shower...person can't step over standard bathtub. A grab bar next to commode would be nice too.

anyone have any experiences with rooms like this? we wanted cornado and they claim the room are only king beds?
Does anyone know what these transfer chairs are they speak of?

I am a designer and I can't believe how non accessable disney is now that we have to deal with using the walker or wheelchair.

 

[buffettgirl]

from what I understand the only rooms with barrier free showers have king beds and that is because they need to make the bathroom larger so that a wheelchair can get in there and maneuver, so the room ends up being too small to fit two doubles. Coronado I was looking into it for a friend a few years ago and this is what they told me - so as of 2009 that was true for that hotel (but knowing disney, who knows if it's 100% accurate)

 

[peemagg]

I think the transfer chairs that they are speaking of are shower chairs. There are some shower chairs that allow a person to sit on the seat outside of the tub and then they can slide over into the tub. I don't know if this what they are meaning or if they just mean the ones that sit inside the tub and the person can sit on the edge of the tub and transfer over on the the seat.

 

[SueM in MN]

There are 2 types of accessible rooms and all resorts have both kinds. Disney is actually very accessible for a wheelchair or walker, but some of the older resorts like POR have less things like curb cuts.

The first has a bathtub with a grab bars. It may or may not have raised seat toilet with grab bars. This is an example of that kind of bathroom (it was at Coronado Springs).

That type of room may have 2 beds because the room is the same as a ‘regular’ room, they just added grab bars. Some people are able to manage with that type of shower and a bath chair, which can be just a bench totally inside the tub. You sit on the edge of the bathtub and get your seat onto the bench, then swing the legs over the edge of the tub. It can be a simple bench or have a back, like this:
http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/261866079/Shower_Chair_with_Backrest.jpg

There is another type of bath chair that has 2 legs inside the tub, a longer bench and the other set of legs is outside. That is easier for some people since the seat is longer. Those look like this:
http://mjshomehealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/41zqixlvbPL._SL500_.jpg

The second type of room is considered fully accessible and has a roll in shower. The floor of the shower is even with the floor, with no lip to step over. This is a roll in shower from CSR posted on allearsnet.com:

Roll in showers have a fold down seat, so someone who can’t stand will be able to sit for their shower. If this is the type of room you want, the easiest way to make sure the CMs know what you are talking about is to ask for a room with a roll in shower.

As was already mentioned, the size of the room is the same, but the space is arranged differently. In order to make enough room for the roll in shower, space is taken from the bedroom to make the bathroom larger. Depending on the size of the room, there may be only enough space left for a King size bed. This is a picture of the same room at CSR with the King bed (from allearsnet):

This is the phone number for Special Reservations: (407) 939-7807
They can’t make your reservation for you, but can help to answer questions about the rooms. When you do make a reservation for a room with a roll in shower, the reservation CM will contact Special Reservations and make sure there is one available for the time you are staying.

 

[KPeveler]

My understanding is that the only resorts with two beds in the accessible rooms with a roll in shower are Deluxe resorts.

I have stayed in hotels all over the country (and worked in some too), so I can tell you that a king bed in the room with a roll in shower is kinda the industry standard. I would speak to Special Reservations to see what the options are for May.

I will say this - Making a reservation now for May (I assume you mean the one that starts in 4 days), you may have difficulty finding an accessible room with a roll in shower at your chosen resort. There are only a few of these at any resort (there will be quite a few at CSR because it is so large), so they may all be booked by this time.

 

[Bete]

You will have to sleep together in the king size bed (or bring an air mattress with you, which I have done) and get a roll in shower; unless, you want to pay more and go to a deluxe resort where the rooms are bigger. You can opt for two rooms with a room connecting door at any resort. If you go value the money difference might not be too bad compared to a moderate resort.

You may want to consider offsite. There are roomier and probably cheaper places outside of Disney that may accomodate your needs better.

 

[krisnme]

We stayed at Coronado last year and booked an accessible and were told it would be 2 queens, we didn't need the roll in shower. when we arrived we were told it would be a king. with 2 adults and 3 kids (1 scooter and 1 manual childs w/c) that would not work, but they were really quick to give us a connecting 2 queen for free. I don't expect that this is the usual, but shows how willing they were to make sure we were comfortable. I have to add that this is not one of our favorite resorts. the rooms can be very far from the lobby, they did not clean our room on the second day (just pulled up covers and dropped towels. and my sister actually found unknown medication tablets scattered across the floor of her room. really scary with a toddler exploring. the restraunt was rather expensive and did not have a lot of selection, and had long lines. The manager gave us a small credit when we mentioned the problems with the room, but seemed mostly unconcerned.

 

[I Love Pluto]

We experience this same issue year after year with Disney. We are promised a h/c room with 2 beds, but are given a non-h/c King bed room.

I love traveling with my daughter (35), but I do not wish to share a King bed with her for a week. All h/c people are not traveling with a spouse. Disney should not assume that TWO people means husband and wife.

I was told last week when we were at WDW that a h/c room is just a request. I explained that this type of room is a requirement, not a choice.

If I have to endure the lack of caring even one more time - I will stay off property.

I will never shed another tear over my needs. Disney needs to wake up. I know I'm not alone in this situation.

 

[peemagg]

I find that if I make sure that the reservation states "Medical Necessity", then I don't have issues with getting the room set up that I need. I would suggest that to all who need a special situation such as a handicapped room. If you don't state that it is for a medical necessity, then it is just a request. Those two words make a real big difference in your reservation.

 

[StrwLady]

I am going to Disney in June. It is very likely that I have a torn Achilles tendon (MRI later today). The first half of the trip will be must me and my son. The second half my hubby will join us. So I called and asked if I could get a roll in shower at the Pop. Not that I will actually roll in but there is no way I will be able to step into a tub alone. So without my hubby to help I can get in and out of the shower and use the shower chair.

I was thinking once my hubby was there I could sit on the side of the tub and with his help step in and out as well as bathe. I am wondering now if I should request a roll in at the POFQ also. Does anyone know if they have this with 2 doubles?

 

[clanmcculloch]

I am going to Disney in June. It is very likely that I have a torn Achilles tendon (MRI later today). The first half of the trip will be must me and my son. The second half my hubby will join us. So I called and asked if I could get a roll in shower at the Pop. Not that I will actually roll in but there is no way I will be able to step into a tub alone. So without my hubby to help I can get in and out of the shower and use the shower chair.

I was thinking once my hubby was there I could sit on the side of the tub and with his help step in and out as well as bathe. I am wondering now if I should request a roll in at the POFQ also. Does anyone know if they have this with 2 doubles?

If you want a room with 2 beds then a roll in shower won't work. Have you considered a room with grab bars and a shower chair in a regular style tub? You sit down on the chair outside the tub and swing yourself over into the tub and can stay seated through your whole shower.

 

[StrwLady]

If you want a room with 2 beds then a roll in shower won't work. Have you considered a room with grab bars and a shower chair in a regular style tub? You sit down on the chair outside the tub and swing yourself over into the tub and can stay seated through your whole shower.

At the POFQ I will need 2 beds. The chair you described sounds good. I guess I should call and see what options are available at the POFQ

Thanks for the info

 

[SueM in MN]

If you need a ground floor room, saying it is "Medically Necessary” or for a “Medical Need” will usually do the trick since they assign those rooms before other rooms asking for the same thing (plus, most hotels have a lot of ground floor rooms).

If you need a room with a roll in shower, the reservation needs to go thru Special Reservations since that is the department that blocks those rooms. When you or a travel agent call to make a reservation for a room with a roll in shower, the CM on the phone actually contacts Special Reservations to make sure there is a room with a roll in shower available on the dates you need at the resort you want.
If there is, then Special Reservations actually blocks a particular room for you. They will not tell you which room was blocked for you, or usually even what area it is in because that could change. The main purpose of Special Reservations tracking it is to make sure that they do not have more people expecting rooms with roll in showers than there are rooms.
Occasionally things get messed up. Sometimes, the original CM doesn’t understand what was needed and doesn’t call to check for availability. Sometimes a room needs repairs and is not available at the time the guest show expects it arrives.
It works fine most of the time, but the only way to ensure a room with a roll in shower is for it to be blocked by Special Reservations.

 

[StrwLady]

It works fine most of the time, but the only way to ensure a room with a roll in shower is for it to be blocked by Special Reservations.

For the Pop reservation the CM did put me on hold to talk to someone else and after sometime came back and said they were taking care of it. So I assume she was talking to Special Reservations.

I have not decided if I will need a roll in room at the POFQ since my hubby will be there to help me. I will decided in the next week after I see the ortho and find out exactly what is going to happen

Thanks

 

[SueM in MN]

For the Pop reservation the CM did put me on hold to talk to someone else and after sometime came back and said they were taking care of it. So I assume she was talking to Special Reservations.

I have not decided if I will need a roll in room at the POFQ since my hubby will be there to help me. I will decided in the next week after I see the ortho and find out exactly what is going to happen

Thanks

That sounds like they did call Special Reservations.

You can call the number listed by me in post #4 to check if you want. Have your reservation number handy when you call.