Is it worth the money?

[Karalynn]

Hey all! We are possibly booking a trip this fall. My dd10 is in a wheelchair and I am trying to decide if we should maybe bite the bullet and book the poly because of the monorail. I know I will have to do some buses, but if we stay at a moderate resort it will probably be all busses and I guess I'm just worried about the bus/wheelchair issues I've read about here!

 

[Bete]

There's a portable ramp issue getting on and off with a wheelchair and sometimes getting off is a challenge with finding a CM to do it.

The entering and exiting ramps themselves are a challenge with pushing a wheelchair to the monorail.

I wouldn't change hotels especially going to a higher priced one, just to have better access to the monorail.

 

[chipscamping buddy]

I would second the idea of trouble with the monorail as well. I rarely see issues with the buses and wheelchairs. The drivers are well trained and most people are very respectful. The monorails ont he other hand I have seen wheelchairs left waiting because the only usable cars were overloaded already, or CM's who were not ready with the ramps.

If I were considering moving up to a higher level resort, I would consider Yacht and Beach or Boardwalk. They both offer boat service to two parks which are very well run for wheelchairs, and relatively easy bus rides for the other parks.

 

[uncspin]

It really just depends on what you are wanting. Sorry, that isn't much help. We choose to stay on the monorail because DH (35) cannot stand being on the busses. He got in a wreck on a bus in our city about 8 years ago and got hurt because he wasn't properly strapped in. This has caused him to HATE busses. He's ok with the Disney busses because they do thoroughly hook him in, but he'd rather not deal with the hassle anymore than necessary. I think a lot of his issues come from the sensation of falling/moving, etc. more than anything else.

 

[disney david]

yeah the buses might be eayer becuase you get off the bus faster because the driver wont forget your on he bus like they might on the monorail. you also wont have to worry about getting them on and off the driver will handle everthing unless your in ecv then you can drive on and off. it not like the mononrail where you have to try and push the wheel chair on to the ramp. the driver will do that unless your uncomfortable with someone else handling the chair but they do it all the time so they know how to get the chair on the bus the safest. you might have the same problem on the monorail as the bus since the monorail can only handle two whel chairs while most of the newer buses can handle three plus they can get another bus to you while you have to wait for an empty monorail. now if it later and the magic kingdom is closing you might have to wait longer for the monorail then them geting another bus to cover that route.

 

[POOHsie]

... but if we stay at a moderate resort it will probably be all busses and I guess I'm just worried about the bus/wheelchair issues I've read about here!

Being a full-time ecv user, I have stayed time after time at POR or POFQ. I can appreciate your concern about issues you have read. BUT, in actuality, I have never seen, nor heard, nor faced the issues discussed here on Disney transportation. I believe that some people spout off on the internet because they are nameless and faceless. In person, in the real world, some people do think unkind thoughts, but they mostly keep them under wraps, so others don't get a whiff of their negative personality.

Just one time, I ran over the front of some man's sneaker with my ecv by Splash Mountain. It was very crowded there, and chaotic. I stopped and turned to face the man, who had a "kill" look on his face. I began profusely apologizing, and he looked at me and said it was alright. Maybe later he posted about some "crazy old lady" on an ecv who hurt his foot so bad he couldn't walk for a week, but in reality I was as competent and thoughtful as anyone, it was just an accident in a crowd, and the injured man was very gracious.

Go with the moderate! POR's main pool, and one quiet pool, has bump steps which assist me with my handicap to enter/exit the pool. Maybe this would work for your DD, too. Bob Jackson provides live sing-along entertainment that your DD would enjoy. Your DD might love the real horse and buggy ride! I like POR and POFQ also because of the boat to DTD that easily accommodates your DD's wheelchair. An extra adventure for your DD!

To keep things simple, when you are at any Disney bus stop, position your wc party where the back door of the arriving bus will be. Disney policy: wc + 5 guests can enter at back door. Maybe you will see other wc guests already there waiting. Give the driver a wave as he approaches the stop. Driver will open back door first and load those parties first. On arrival at destination, wc will unload last, after bus is empty, unless you are in the middle of a multiple stop route.

Let us hear from you!

 

[Karalynn]

Thanks everybody You all have such wonderful advice and I love that I can come here for it! I definitely feel better about booking a moderate or a 'more affordable' deluxe.

 

[disney david]

Thanks everybody You all have such wonderful advice and I love that I can come here for it! I definitely feel better about booking a moderate or a 'more affordable' deluxe.

your welcome as long as you and your family have fun and enjoy your time at wdw. now you dont have to worry about hotels you guys could just worry about how many times to ride toy story mania. which has the best loading and unloading for wheel chairs in any theme park. i love the fact that it goes to a seprate track because it give them more time to make sure your load safe and you dont have to feel like you have to rush. you can take your time make sure every one comfortable and dont have to have people watch. then with unloading it the same they dont rush you out not that they rush you out at other rides but you can go at your pace. enjoy and have fun and relax dont worry about anything disney there to help so just ask them they be more then happy to help.

 

[MattDisney]

My DD is 11 and in a wheelchair. We only do monorail resorts becasue we hate the hassle of the buses. I think it is worth every penny to staty at the Poly. People can be very rude about having to wait while a wheelchair is being loaded. Even the bus drivers can be rude at times. To have a little stress releif, we only have to take a bus for two different parks.

 

[Capt. Barbosa]

We have done all types of resorts (DW is in a WC) from POFQ,POR,WL,POLY,BC,OKW,AKL and have never had a transportation issue with any of them. Our two favorites happen to be WL and POLY but mostly because the room setup works for DW very well and we love the MK area.

 

[kaytieeldr]

yeah the buses might be eayer becuase you get off the bus faster because the driver wont forget your on he bus like they might on the monorail.

Oh, has that happened to you, too?

 

[kknpj]

Will you have a car or have you thought about renting one? We just went in June with our ten year old disabled daughter. We took her special needs stroller that doesn't tie down on the buses. It would have been too difficult to get her out every bus trip and fold the stroller down. so we decided to give driving to the parks a try. It was soooo easy! I was surprised at how close everything is, and if you have a disabled parking tag, you get to park very close to the parks. The MK is the only park that is less convenient to drive to because you have to take the monorail or ferry from the TTC.

Just thought I'd add another option that worked surprisingly well for our family!

 

[Karalynn]

Will you have a car or have you thought about renting one? We just went in June with our ten year old disabled daughter. We took her special needs stroller that doesn't tie down on the buses. It would have been too difficult to get her out every bus trip and fold the stroller down. so we decided to give driving to the parks a try. It was soooo easy! I was surprised at how close everything is, and if you have a disabled parking tag, you get to park very close to the parks. The MK is the only park that is less convenient to drive to because you have to take the monorail or ferry from the TTC.

Just thought I'd add another option that worked surprisingly well for our family!

We won't have a car, but that was actually what I wanted to do!! I was looking at staying off property (gasp!) at a house or condo, then we would have a car rental. Dh is a truck driver and wants to stay onsite and use Disney's transportation. He wants a vaca too I guess!