Mobile - But not for a long time

[melag]

Hi Everyone - I'm planning a trip for August 2007 for DH,DD4,DDorS1,BIL23 and my parents in their 50's. My mom can not walk for more than a mile (or stand for long) without having problems with her ankle (very serious accident and arthritis set in). She does have a permanent handicapped parking ticket in her car. My question is: What type of accommodations should I get for her at the world?, Wheelchair in the parks?, accommodations at the hotel - we're staying at the POLY... Does she need a doctor's note? Thanks for any feedback it is appreciated.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and welcome to disABILTIES!

She should be able to get along with a standard room at the Poly. Accessible rooms are designed more for for people who tend to spend most of their time in a wheelchair or have other special needs, such as being unable to get into a tub, etc.

I would suggest reading the "disABILITIES FAQ" concerning rental of wheelchairs or ECVs. My strongest recommendation would be renting an ECV from an off-site vendor. This way she would not have to be pushed and would have more independence. Renting from off-site gives lower rates and better ECVs than Disney provides and also means it is available for use at the resort or DTD.

And, no, a doctor's note is not required for rental of either a wheelchair or ECV.

 

[SueM in MN]

Just agreeing with what Cheshire Figment had to say.

Staying at the Poly, you will be able to take the monorail to MK and Epcot. The monorail station at MK (both to get off and on) has a steep ramp - the station is on second floor level. If she rents a wheelchair or ecv in the parks, she will need to walk those ramps. Epcot has a ramp that is not quite so steep and there is also an elevator (the ramps have a couple of switches in direction, which help decrease the steepness). Ask the CM to help you find the elevator.

If she has a wheelchair or ECV with her at the resort, it will be m uch easier for her to get around. The monorails, buses and most of the boats are wheelchair/ecv accessible.

The disABILITIES FAQs thread that Cheshire Figment suggested you look at has information about accomidations in the resorts, as well as info about wheelchairs/ECV rental.

 

[BCV23]

Since you will be staying at the Polynesian I wanted to add a couple of things about that resort. You might want to request a longhouse near the Great Ceremonial House to decrease her walk if she will want to walk some of the time. Raratonga is just steps from the GCH for instance as is Nuie although it is a smoking optional building.

To go to the MK, she can take the elevator inside the GCH to get to the second level to catch the monorail or enjoy Kona or 'Ohana.

To go to Epcot, it is easier to go over to the TTC and just catch the Epcot monorail rather than taking the resort monorail around the loop and then switching at the TTC to the Epcot monorail. You can also take the ferry from the TTC to the MK.

 

[melag]

Thank You