Poly Hawaii Bldg ?

[steffali]

Has anyone with physical disabilities stayed in the CL Bldg. at POLY? I know they do not have any wheelcahir accessible rooms but I am willing to bring our own transfer bench for the shower.
Any info on the rooms or the location of the room will be appreciated.

 

[shovan]

Sorry I can't answer your question about the Hawaii bldg. We always request a handicap access room with the roll-in shower. It just makes vacation a lot easier. I can't remember the name of the bldg we were always in because they changed the name a few years back. We still think of it as the Pago-Pago bldg.

 

[BCV23]

Sorry I can't answer your question about the Hawaii bldg. We always request a handicap access room with the roll-in shower. It just makes vacation a lot easier. I can't remember the name of the bldg we were always in because they changed the name a few years back. We still think of it as the Pago-Pago bldg.

Pago Pago is now Rapa Nui. It took us a while to get used to the new name as well but a few months ago I was trying to remember the old name and couldn't!

We've stayed in Hawaii with our daughter with cp. There are no accessible rooms as you know but the resort will provide a transfer bench. We tried that but she is not stable enough or really tall enough either to use one. No bars by the toilets either.

Other than that, what other questions do you have Steffali? Hawaii has a great location but actually Rapa Nui is wonderful too if you will have a car and use it during your stay. Parking is incredibly convenient there.

 

[steffali]

Pago Pago is now Rapa Nui. It took us a while to get used to the new name as well but a few months ago I was trying to remember the old name and couldn't!

We've stayed in Hawaii with our daughter with cp. There are no accessible rooms as you know but the resort will provide a transfer bench. We tried that but she is not stable enough or really tall enough either to use one. No bars by the toilets either.

Other than that, what other questions do you have Steffali? Hawaii has a great location but actually Rapa Nui is wonderful too if you will have a car and use it during your stay. Parking is incredibly convenient there.

THanks for the info. about the Hawaii Bldg. Was the toilet seat raised at all? What floor did you stay in? Thanks again!!!!!

 

[BCV23]

THanks for the info. about the Hawaii Bldg. Was the toilet seat raised at all? What floor did you stay in? Thanks again!!!!!

Well, we've had quite a few rooms in Hawaii over the years including before that was its name, before it was concierge and even before our daughter was born! We've always been on the first floor which we do request for a variety of reasons including simple preference. None of the tooms have raised toilets (which is good for our daughter anyway) but if you need one you can request a commode that fits over the toilet.

Have you seen Tikiman's site or looked a pictures of the Polynesian bathrooms on line anywhere? The toilet is in a little cubbyhole for privacy. There is no room there for a wheelchair or an easy transfer unless your daughter is pretty stable on her feet. Ours isn't but would knee walk in and somehow haul herself up. But after our last stay there with her, she said she didn't think she could do it any longer.....and she is a true toughie. We only chose to stay there with her a few times at her request pricipally because she enjoys the guava juice so much! Our last time there with her (we've been back when she was at college) was when we were told there would be accessible rooms....shortly after she told me she couldn't manage any longer. So we were very sad when we discovered no accessible rooms had been included. We had a 8 night stay booked this past January for Hawaii only to find out no accessible rooms after all. Sorry for the whine but it was a letdown for us.

 

[steffali]

Well, we've had quite a few rooms in Hawaii over the years including before that was its name, before it was concierge and even before our daughter was born! We've always been on the first floor which we do request for a variety of reasons including simple preference. None of the tooms have raised toilets (which is good for our daughter anyway) but if you need one you can request a commode that fits over the toilet.

Have you seen Tikiman's site or looked a pictures of the Polynesian bathrooms on line anywhere? The toilet is in a little cubbyhole for privacy. There is no room there for a wheelchair or an easy transfer unless your daughter is pretty stable on her feet. Ours isn't but would knee walk in and somehow haul herself up. But after our last stay there with her, she said she didn't think she could do it any longer.....and she is a true toughie. We only chose to stay there with her a few times at her request pricipally because she enjoys the guava juice so much! Our last time there with her (we've been back when she was at college) was when we were told there would be accessible rooms....shortly after she told me she couldn't manage any longer. So we were very sad when we discovered no accessible rooms had been included. We had a 8 night stay booked this past January for Hawaii only to find out no accessible rooms after all. Sorry for the whine but it was a letdown for us.

Thanks for the info. I will be sure to request a commode for her

I was shocked when I found out that there was no wheelchair accessible rooms in Hawaii especially since they did renovate the Bldgs.. The only bldg. is Rapa Nui. I wrote to the POLY as well as called them and of course all I was told was that I can have a CL WC accessible room at the GF or CR
My DD loves the theme of POLY so hopefully with the transfer bench and commode we will be alright!

 

[dclfun]

I posed the question about the lack of accessible rooms at the Poly in the Hawaii building to an ADA consultant and was told it was illegal...that there MUST be accessible rooms at every resort in every room type. Directing someone to a different resort does not take away their responsibility to provide something at EVERY resort in every room type for a guest who needs those accomodations. Hrrmph. ---Kathy

 

[steffali]

I posed the question about the lack of accessible rooms at the Poly in the Hawaii building to an ADA consultant and was told it was illegal...that there MUST be accessible rooms at every resort in every room type. Directing someone to a different resort does not take away their responsibility to provide something at EVERY resort in every room type for a guest who needs those accomodations. Hrrmph. ---Kathy

The POLY told me that it was built before the ADA laws were in effect but I did question them as to why when they did the renovations couldn't they make a couple of rooms in Hawaii Bldg and every Bldg. for that matter wheelchair accessible. They only apologized to me and like I said offered me other resorts or the Rapa Nui Bldg. I did tell them that I thought it was unfair that a person with disabilities doesn't have a choice in Bldg. location, view or room level like everyone else does.

 

[shovan]

Pago Pago is now Rapa Nui. It took us a while to get used to the new name as well but a few months ago I was trying to remember the old name and couldn't!

We've stayed in Hawaii with our daughter with cp. There are no accessible rooms as you know but the resort will provide a transfer bench. We tried that but she is not stable enough or really tall enough either to use one. No bars by the toilets either.

Other than that, what other questions do you have Steffali? Hawaii has a great location but actually Rapa Nui is wonderful too if you will have a car and use it during your stay. Parking is incredibly convenient there.

Thanks, BCV23 ! I really couldn't remember Rapa Nui! I even called my DH to see if he remembered but he couldn't either. Oh, the joys of aging!!

I also agree with you about the convenience of the location of Rapa Nui! You can park right by your room, or walk right over to the TTC or the Ferryboat to MK or take the monorail. Also the zero entry pool is great! It's the reason we've stayed there over & over!

But I agree we should have the option to choose the type of room we would like to stay in! Every time I think great strides are being made for HA, I find out something that dissapoints us! Like the lack of a lift or zero entry pool at BC! We just purchased at BCV & was told the pool was HA, wrongly assuming that meant zero entry, only to find that all they had was a transfer tier! (Concrete steps on the deck that your supposed to bump down on your butt!) We are waiting to hear from DVC about this now.

 

[BCV23]

I hear you about memories, Shovan. For several years after the name change we still called it Pago Pago....and now I couldn't remember that!

Yes, bump down stairs don't work for our daughter either although she can walk down the stairs holding onto the rail at the BCV pool with my DH assistance. You know I don't even remember bump downstairs at that pool although I know there is a set of bump downs by the whirlpool. And there are bump downs at SAB...again no help to her. There is a zero entry at SAB but it is a sandy area and only leads into a shallow play area... I don't think it connects to the winding area, etc..

We love BCV...hope it works out for you. SSR has a zero entry pool from what I understand and it should be easy to use your points there.

 

[shovan]

Oh the wonderful memories I've forgotten!
Yes, we were pretty disappointed. The pool looked so great we wanted to give it a try. My DH has limb-girdle MD & those steps just don't help us at all! Every pool or jacuzzi had only the transfer tier. The sand wading pool looked to be zero entry but they didn't even have a beach WC for that area. That pool also wasn't connected to the other pools. The lifeguard (a small young girl) offered assistance but we could just imagine the fall he could have on to the pool deck!
We spoke with a really great Guest Services Manager at the BC who said he was going to look into this further. We have sent a letter to DVC & WDW guest services about this. We couldn't see any reason for them to not have a lift system for the pools. Let's hope we can get them to take notice & make some improvements.
Yes, we could use our points SSR & may choose that if we go with family along & plan lots of pool time.
DH & I did really llike BCV rooms & the service was excellent! Also loved being able to walk (& roll) over to WS. We recently took our first trip without our now adult DD & her DH or other family. I was really nervous about handling him alone but everything worked out great! Of course we were going for the F&W Fest & not the typical trip! We were able to do Soarin, which was a great surprise.! We had a wonderful time. The studio HA room we were in was great (#528)! The bathroom was really big & it worked out well!

 

[BCV23]

I had no idea there wasn't a beach chair at SAB. My DH helps our daughter as well there but that would be an easy thing to add unless it is so shallow that it wouldn't do any good anyway. I don't usually swim these days so I'm not sure. I'm glad someone is working on it for you....and all of us. Good luck.

I was sort of teasing about SSR. Serious that it is zero entry but kidding about the availability. Especially compared to BCV it is an easy reservation to get I believe. But we love BCV just like you do....location, decor, CMs, and the quiet atmosphere.

 

[shovan]

No there wasn't any type of waterproof chair available. The only thing they offered was a regular manual wheelchair, but they would have had to go find that! My DH uses a power Invacare Pronto WC, so without a beach WC none of the pools were accessible. He also could not get to the beach area along the Lagoon/Bay.

Other than that we were really very happy with BCV. We'll be going back to BCV in January with our 4 yr old niece (& her parents). But it will probably be too cold to enjoy the pool anyway.

BCV23, Do you request HA room with roll-in shower? If so which types (studio, 1BR,2BR) have you used at BCV?
As I said the studio was great, it even had a huge balcony! How are the other rooms? We'll be getting a 1BR in January.

 

[BCV23]

Yes, we do request a rollin shower when our daughter is with us. When she is with us we need a 2BR.

We're going in January too although I now think I'm going to try to change the week. Wish me luck with BCV at this late date! The balconies vary though. The 2BR are all lockoffs and stacked on top of each other. I think you had a studio of one of the 2BR lockoffs.

You know as a DVC member staying on points you could pool hop to the other pools other than AKL and of course SAB? Quite a hassle I know but just another thought for you.

Have fun in January!

 

[Schmeck]

At the Poly, if you need an accessible room but want concierge, why don't they just offer you access to the lounge area, but give you a room in the other building? At AKL, you can have concierge priveleges (sp?) but not be in an official concierge room. At least, I've read posts here about people who have done that...

 

[SueM in MN]

The POLY told me that it was built before the ADA laws were in effect but I did question them as to why when they did the renovations couldn't they make a couple of rooms in Hawaii Bldg and every Bldg. for that matter wheelchair accessible. They only apologized to me and like I said offered me other resorts or the Rapa Nui Bldg. I did tell them that I thought it was unfair that a person with disabilities doesn't have a choice in Bldg. location, view or room level like everyone else does.

It's too late to do any research, but there is a formula for the number of accessible rooms needed per 100 'regular' rooms. It works out to something like 4 handicapped accessible (the ones with tubs and grab bars) plus 1 with roll in shower per every 100 rooms. That's for new construction and renovation.
But, my recollection is that there is an 'out', where if the remodeling is just cosmetic, with not demolition or moving of walls, they might be 'encouraged to add some accessible rooms, but are not required to.

 

[dclfun]

It's not just the Poly that does not have accessible rooms in the concierge area. Yacht Club, Beach Club, ( and possibly Boardwalk) do not have accessible concierge rooms either and they were built after the ADA. AKL does...not sure about the others since we've not tried to stay there. The regular accessible rooms at YC (only one on each floor) are all in one area and they also do not offer any premium views. I was once charged there for a water view and a front desk staff told me to go back and change my ressie for garden view since there WERE NO accessible water views, for which I had paid. This was booked through special services back when you could talk to one of those cm's, so I'm not sure why they didn't know this information. Needless to say, with all Disney does to provide accessibility, I guess they must figure disabled people don't want or can't afford concierge. Hrrmph---Kathy

 

[shovan]

Yes, we do request a rollin shower when our daughter is with us. When she is with us we need a 2BR.

We're going in January too although I now think I'm going to try to change the week. Wish me luck with BCV at this late date! The balconies vary though. The 2BR are all lockoffs and stacked on top of each other. I think you had a studio of one of the 2BR lockoffs.

You know as a DVC member staying on points you could pool hop to the other pools other than AKL and of course SAB? Quite a hassle I know but just another thought for you.

Have fun in January!

Thanks, BCV23!

Good Luck with the reservation change! Have Fun! We'll be there on the 21st-25th! Yes, the room we had did appear to be a lock-off. I'll post if we hear back from DCV or WDW on the pool situation.
Have a Magical Trip! :tinker:

 

[steffali]

At the Poly, if you need an accessible room but want concierge, why don't they just offer you access to the lounge area, but give you a room in the other building? At AKL, you can have concierge priveleges (sp?) but not be in an official concierge room. At least, I've read posts here about people who have done that...

I asked them if I could pay CL for a room in the Rapa Nui Bldg. But still use the CL in the Hawaii Bldg. and they told me no that it is too far away and something with the fact of the key to get you in the Hawaii Bldg.

 

[BCV23]

I asked them if I could pay CL for a room in the Rapa Nui Bldg. But still use the CL in the Hawaii Bldg. and they told me no that it is too far away and something with the fact of the key to get you in the Hawaii Bldg.

Were you speaking with someone from special needs or just a DRC person....I suppose the latter these days. A few years ago when we used to be transferred to those great CMs in Special Needs, one told me we could stay in Rapa Nui, pay for concierge and have access. We didn't choose to do so though because it is indeed a bit of a walk and would really put a damper on the whole thing IMO.

I wonder if the reason the various resorts don't have to offer club level accessible rooms is because they are all components of the larger WDW resort? So as Steffali had been told, we all could choose CR or GF, etc.. One part that kills me is that first we have to find availability at all and then do the second hoop of availability for the accessible rooms.

Thanks for the good wishes, Shovan. We're waitlisted for the week that would work better but regardless, we'll have fun. Thanks for the updates in advance!