nas1861
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2009
We went to Universal Studios and Disney World over Easter and this is my experience with accessibility.
We rented two scooters and a stroller from Gold Mobility. I would highly recommend them. They are a family owned business and they had top of the line scooters. They texted me the night before confirming delivery and the day of, we were able to have delivery a little early since we arrived earlier to the hotel. They came to the other hotel and picked up at the end of our stay. The scooters were clean, comfortable and I would definitely rent from them again.
In my view, Universal was far less accessible than Disney. It seemed that my parents had to park their scooters with the strollers almost everywhere. Even the Shrek ride which is nearly identical to Bugs life with the pre-show taking place in a large room. They had to park the scooter before the que and then stand in the que for 20 minutes while waiting 2 cycles of the show. There were wheelchairs they could use but I don’t see why they couldn’t have ridden the scooters all the way to the show and transfer into chairs like they did with Bugs life. There were also sidewalks nearly everywhere in the park which is a bit of a hazard if you aren’t paying attention. You had to wait until the end of the block to transfer to the street where there was a ramp. The hotel and elevators had no problem. The boat from the hotel to the park accommodated 2 scooters and there was also a walking trail that was very accessible. Overall, there were not nearly the scooters in the park like there is at Disney.
Transferring from Universal hotel to the Disney hotel, I called Mears Taxi the night before and scheduled 2 accessible taxi’s. The first taxi showed up right on time and they sent me a text messaging when they were dispatched and also when they arrived. That driver was very helpful and loaded everything and off they went. The second taxi that was supposed to show up with the first one showed up a half an hour later and the driver was the exact opposite of the first. Had trouble loading the scooter and then didn’t understand we also had luggage to transfer. The hotel valet wasn’t very helpful either. So we had a mixed bag dealing with accessible taxi’s having both extremes.
We stayed at the Polynesian Hotel at Disney. If you stay here with a scooter, you need to request a first floor room as the elevators are NOT accessible. They were barely big enough for three people plus luggage. There is no way a scooter would fit. Not even sure a wheelchair would fit. My parents stayed club level and the elevator in that building must have been bigger because they stayed on the second floor and the scooters fit in the elevator. The elevator in the main building that takes you up to the monorail and the restaurants was slightly bigger. We had baskets on the back of the scooters that had to be taking off so the scooters could barely fit. The room was big enough to hold two scooters and still have room to move around. The best part of the Poly is that we could utilize the monorail for Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Disney has this down! they pull out the ramps, load up the scooters, push some button on the outside so the CMs at the station know if you are getting off at that stop. They are standing ready with the ramps as soon as the monorail comes to a stop. That part was great! The boats to Magic Kingdom are not accessible. They are smaller boats and have a step down.
To get to Animal Kingdom, my dad didn’t want to deal with buses so we took the Minnie Van service. In order to get an accessible van, you have to call, you can not use the app. You need to call 45-60 minutes prior to departure to ensure the accessible van is available. Two vans showed up because we had 8 people. Both CMs worked together to get the scooters loaded (takes a bit so don’t be in a hurry). Both scooters fit in the van and they were able to sit in them if they chose or transfer to a van seat. They even had car seats available for the toddler. It was a very pleasant ride with friendly CMs. I would highly recommend.
Nearly all the rides in Epcot and Animal Kingdom, you were able to ride the scooter through the que and park right before you transferred to the ride vehicle. Magic Kingdom was a little more mixed. There were some of the rides, like Pirates and Haunted Mansion where you have to park the scooter by the strollers and walk the que. There were wheel chairs to use in the que. There were other rides/shows were you could take the scooter through the que or through an accessible que and park before transferring to the ride vehicle. Some of the rides had vehicles that accommodated wheelchairs if you are unable to transfer. There were a few rides, like Small World, where the scooters and their party (we had 2 scooters so our entire party of 8 was allowed) could skip the line, not have a fastpass and enter an alternate accessible que that got you on the ride quicker. There were only a few of those.
Overall, Disney is very aware of people with disabilities and bends over backwards to accommodate without humiliating. Universal has a long way to go in this regard. They seem to make a token effort but seeing the two parks back to back, the differences are glaring.
We rented two scooters and a stroller from Gold Mobility. I would highly recommend them. They are a family owned business and they had top of the line scooters. They texted me the night before confirming delivery and the day of, we were able to have delivery a little early since we arrived earlier to the hotel. They came to the other hotel and picked up at the end of our stay. The scooters were clean, comfortable and I would definitely rent from them again.
In my view, Universal was far less accessible than Disney. It seemed that my parents had to park their scooters with the strollers almost everywhere. Even the Shrek ride which is nearly identical to Bugs life with the pre-show taking place in a large room. They had to park the scooter before the que and then stand in the que for 20 minutes while waiting 2 cycles of the show. There were wheelchairs they could use but I don’t see why they couldn’t have ridden the scooters all the way to the show and transfer into chairs like they did with Bugs life. There were also sidewalks nearly everywhere in the park which is a bit of a hazard if you aren’t paying attention. You had to wait until the end of the block to transfer to the street where there was a ramp. The hotel and elevators had no problem. The boat from the hotel to the park accommodated 2 scooters and there was also a walking trail that was very accessible. Overall, there were not nearly the scooters in the park like there is at Disney.
Transferring from Universal hotel to the Disney hotel, I called Mears Taxi the night before and scheduled 2 accessible taxi’s. The first taxi showed up right on time and they sent me a text messaging when they were dispatched and also when they arrived. That driver was very helpful and loaded everything and off they went. The second taxi that was supposed to show up with the first one showed up a half an hour later and the driver was the exact opposite of the first. Had trouble loading the scooter and then didn’t understand we also had luggage to transfer. The hotel valet wasn’t very helpful either. So we had a mixed bag dealing with accessible taxi’s having both extremes.
We stayed at the Polynesian Hotel at Disney. If you stay here with a scooter, you need to request a first floor room as the elevators are NOT accessible. They were barely big enough for three people plus luggage. There is no way a scooter would fit. Not even sure a wheelchair would fit. My parents stayed club level and the elevator in that building must have been bigger because they stayed on the second floor and the scooters fit in the elevator. The elevator in the main building that takes you up to the monorail and the restaurants was slightly bigger. We had baskets on the back of the scooters that had to be taking off so the scooters could barely fit. The room was big enough to hold two scooters and still have room to move around. The best part of the Poly is that we could utilize the monorail for Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Disney has this down! they pull out the ramps, load up the scooters, push some button on the outside so the CMs at the station know if you are getting off at that stop. They are standing ready with the ramps as soon as the monorail comes to a stop. That part was great! The boats to Magic Kingdom are not accessible. They are smaller boats and have a step down.
To get to Animal Kingdom, my dad didn’t want to deal with buses so we took the Minnie Van service. In order to get an accessible van, you have to call, you can not use the app. You need to call 45-60 minutes prior to departure to ensure the accessible van is available. Two vans showed up because we had 8 people. Both CMs worked together to get the scooters loaded (takes a bit so don’t be in a hurry). Both scooters fit in the van and they were able to sit in them if they chose or transfer to a van seat. They even had car seats available for the toddler. It was a very pleasant ride with friendly CMs. I would highly recommend.
Nearly all the rides in Epcot and Animal Kingdom, you were able to ride the scooter through the que and park right before you transferred to the ride vehicle. Magic Kingdom was a little more mixed. There were some of the rides, like Pirates and Haunted Mansion where you have to park the scooter by the strollers and walk the que. There were wheel chairs to use in the que. There were other rides/shows were you could take the scooter through the que or through an accessible que and park before transferring to the ride vehicle. Some of the rides had vehicles that accommodated wheelchairs if you are unable to transfer. There were a few rides, like Small World, where the scooters and their party (we had 2 scooters so our entire party of 8 was allowed) could skip the line, not have a fastpass and enter an alternate accessible que that got you on the ride quicker. There were only a few of those.
Overall, Disney is very aware of people with disabilities and bends over backwards to accommodate without humiliating. Universal has a long way to go in this regard. They seem to make a token effort but seeing the two parks back to back, the differences are glaring.
Last edited:
