Old Key West wheel chair guest

[mapark]

My brother has given our family a group vacation with reservations at Old Key West in the grand villa. Just this June my mother had a lung removed and is now in a wheel chair. Does anyone know how flexable Disney is with this very short notice of a wheel chair accommodation. Do you think I should start looking for an hotel that could accommodate us? We have called Disney and they said they would try. A wheel chair and two flight of step do not work.

 

[Chuck S]

Make sure it is noted on the reservation as Wheel Chair Access for medical reasons. Also, even in W/C Grand Villas at OKW, I don't think the W/C bound person has any access to the bedrooms on the second floor. Of course, I assume your Mom will get the master bedroom on the ground floor.

 

[dianeschlicht]

There are 3 wheel chair accessible GVs in OKW. You need to make that reuquest for medical reasons, and you should have no problem. Chuck is right that your Mom will need to either be in the master or on the pull out, since the other two bedrooms are on the second floor.

 

[SueM in MN]

We reserved a GV for next March. We were told that the only GVs that have wheelchair access (ie, in the buildings with elevators or entry from ground floor) are the fully wheelchair accessible, handicapped units. Those are guarantee if you request it as the wheelchair accessible unit, because they are limited number and they have to block one to reserve for you. They do say that only requests for handicapped room are guaranteed; requests for medical reasons are not, but are usually not a problem to get for other rooms because there are a lot that fit the requirement of "first floor entry". In the case of the GVs, since there are so few of them, even if you don't want a fully accessible one, reserving an actual handicapped accessible one is the only way to ensure getting one that a wheelchair can roll into.

Usually having something as a medical request works, because they fill those before general requests. (If they are totally using room ready, though, that might change). But, in your case, you need to actually reserve a wheelchair accessible, handicapped room. Otherwise you could get there and find that all the ones you can use are already reserved.
From what I have read, the first floor of the villa is all that is accessible, even if the building has an elevator (some people were speculating that there might be a second entrance to the villa on a higher floor in the building).

Sorry this is kind of rambling, but I'm trying to write it as I get ready for work.

 

[Cruelladeville]

Sue,
I had a grande villa last week at OKW, and had been assigned a very specific villa based on medical. Since they had specifically assigned me to that villa, I had to wait until it was ready. The CM said they put a block in the computer on those parties, so you can't be switched to a "room ready". I would assume that wheelchair assessible grande villas would fall into that category, as well. It should be noted that OKW is NOT happy about having to assign specific villas--they suggested that I would be happier at SSR, and they would gladly transfer me over there where there were more handicapped units.

 

[spiceycat]

make sure that MS has your family having a wheelchair.

as has been pointed out - these are blocked out villas.

the room controller does it around 4 to 5 days before your arrival.

so get your request in now.

I think what OKW does, if they can't give you a handicapped room for a GV - is two 2-bedroom - or one 2-bedrom plus a 1-bedroom.

don't think about renting a room won't be necessary.

have your brother call MS!!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Sue,
I had a grande villa last week at OKW, and had been assigned a very specific villa based on medical. Since they had specifically assigned me to that villa, I had to wait until it was ready. The CM said they put a block in the computer on those parties, so you can't be switched to a "room ready". I would assume that wheelchair assessible grande villas would fall into that category, as well. It should be noted that OKW is NOT happy about having to assign specific villas--they suggested that I would be happier at SSR, and they would gladly transfer me over there where there were more handicapped units.

I know when we have been at OKW the last few years, we did have a specific viila blocked for us, the same as you were (because we had to wait for it to be ready). But they have said that they only guarantee if you have a handicapped villa reserved (which could be wheelchair accessible or one with features for hearing impaired).