How is Aulani for People with Mobility Issues

[MeeskaMooska13]

My mother is considering joining my family on our June trip to Aulani. She is not in a wheelchair but is concerned about getting around the resort. She has arthritis in almost every joint so walking long distances (even "medium" distances) is worrisome. Does anyone have experience with this? Is the size of resort going to be problematic? Are there options for her?

Thanks everyone!

 

[OKW Lover]

Disney is very conscious of the need to make their resorts friendly for those with mobility issues, however they can't do much about the actual distances involved. You'll find ramps just about any place that you encounter steps, things like that. About the only thing you could do for your mother would be to request a room near the elevators.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Disney is very conscious of the need to make their resorts friendly for those with mobility issues, however they can't do much about the actual distances involved. You'll find ramps just about any place that you encounter steps, things like that. About the only thing you could do for your mother would be to request a room near the elevators.

Thank you! That's good to know! Maybe i'll see if can rent her an ECV while we are there.

 

[frank808]

Hallways are wide and ramps everywhere. Resort was built with ADA access in mind.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Hallways are wide and ramps everywhere. Resort was built with ADA access in mind.

Thank you!

 

[CaliAdventurer]

There are also these beach wheelchairs that you can use that have big inflatable tires to help with the sand.

 

[lizard1]

Disney is very conscious of the need to make their resorts friendly for those with mobility issues, however they can't do much about the actual distances involved. You'll find ramps just about any place that you encounter steps, things like that. About the only thing you could do for your mother would be to request a room near the elevators.

Definitely agree with this. Even though I do not use a mobility device, I found the distances to be very inconvenient at times. We had a room close to the end of the hall and there are no elevators on the end. So if we needed to refill a mug or wanted to go down to the beach, we had to walk all of the way down the hall to the elevator, take the elevator down, and the walk all of the way back down the same hall (past where our room was located above) to do so. While it is all accessible, being accessible doesn't always equate to the most user friendly.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Definitely agree with this. Even though I do not use a mobility device, I found the distances to be very inconvenient at times. We had a room close to the end of the hall and there are no elevators on the end. So if we needed to refill a mug or wanted to go down to the beach, we had to walk all of the way down the hall to the elevator, take the elevator down, and the walk all of the way back down the same hall (past where our room was located above) to do so. While it is all accessible, being accessible doesn't always equate to the most user friendly.

Thank you for your honesty. This is good to know.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

There are also these beach wheelchairs that you can use that have big inflatable tires to help with the sand.

Wow!

 

[JenJenJen]

There are also these beach wheelchairs that you can use that have big inflatable tires to help with the sand.

Oh that is so good to know. My daughter is in a wheelchair ad I wondered about how we'd enjoy the beach. Can't wait to tell her it'll be as simple as it can be.

 

[blondietink]

Also, the ramp down to the beach is pretty long and winding. Down is not so much of an issue as going back up to the pool and hotel area. Pushing somebody back up can be hard if you are talking about pushing an adult.

 

[nkereina]

Agree with PPs that an ECV would be best. You can also request 1st floor or 3rd floor near elevator for added convenience - 1st floor is ground floor where the pools, beach, restaurants, and spa are located. 3rd floor is where the main lobby and store are located. You could also request Ewa or Waianae tower depending on needs too - Waianae is closest to the parking garage, spa, Ulu Cafe, adult pool, and kids water area. Ewa is closet to the luau, Off the Hook, and Ama Ama. Ewa is also a pinch closer to Makahiki and the store is on the Ewa side of the lobby.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Thank you everyone!! I'm the OP and we've been back from Aulani for a few weeks! We rented a ECV for my mom and it was perfect! She could get everywhere. Her only challenges (and these were small) were the height of the bed and the height of the tub surround (she managed). She could have book an accessible room but chose not to.

 

[nkereina]

Didn't realize the date of the thread! Glad it all worked out

 

[BayGirl22]

Glad it worked out for the OP!
Just for perspective - I'm having trouble judging the scale of Aulani from the pictures. Is it wide and spread out with WDW level of walking or is it more compact like a normal hotel-resort? For example more like Coronado Springs (sprawl) or Grand Floridian (closer buildings)? Not sure what to expect.

(And I realize even a more compact resort could be challenging for someone with physical limitations.)

 

[Elima2015]

I have not been to the WDW resorts, but it is definitely not like walking around any of the parks. There are two hotel towers with a lobby connecting them. The pool area and beach are between the towers. It didn't feel big to me. We did not bring strollers for our 4 year olds and never wished we had brought them. But I know perspective matters - my MIL thought the resort was huge and had a hard time getting her bearings about where things were in relation to each other. We have vacationed at Atlantis in The Bahamas a few times and that is a huge resort (20+ minute walk to get some places or a shuttle+walk).

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Glad it worked out for the OP!
Just for perspective - I'm having trouble judging the scale of Aulani from the pictures. Is it wide and spread out with WDW level of walking or is it more compact like a normal hotel-resort? For example more like Coronado Springs (sprawl) or Grand Floridian (closer buildings)? Not sure what to expect.

(And I realize even a more compact resort could be challenging for someone with physical limitations.)

Definitely more like Grand Floridian! Not nearly spread out as Coronado Springs.

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

Didn't realize the date of the thread! Glad it all worked out

Thanks for the bump!! I had forgotten to come back here to give an update!!

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

I have not been to the WDW resorts, but it is definitely not like walking around any of the parks. There are two hotel towers with a lobby connecting them. The pool area and beach are between the towers. It didn't feel big to me. We did not bring strollers for our 4 year olds and never wished we had brought them. But I know perspective matters - my MIL thought the resort was huge and had a hard time getting her bearings about where things were in relation to each other. We have vacationed at Atlantis in The Bahamas a few times and that is a huge resort (20+ minute walk to get some places or a shuttle+walk).

Totally agree with all of this!