Poly or Wilderness Lodge - HELP! Please :)

[Trishtack]

In Sept, my family (DH, DD (is 3) and me) are going to Disney with a friend's family. My DH was paralyzed in Sept 08 and is not doing well with mobility, etc. I feel that a monorail resort is a better choice for independence and mobility for DH. My friend wants to stay at the Wilderness Lodge which is over $1k cheaper. I am worried that the buses will not be convenient or easily utilized for my husband. I know he will need to take rests during the day and may go from the park to the resort by himself. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as we need to reserve asap. Thanks!

 

[KPeveler]

i loved WL, and the boat is very easy to take to MK and is accessible for wheelchairs... we did it all the time. once we even went to the MK, and then took the monorail to the TTC and then on to Epcot - we love the monorail, though, and sometimes ride it in circles just for fun!

i heard that all accessible rooms in poly are in one building, and that is apparently quite a hike from the monorail... havent stayed there, though

 

[mechurchlady]

The Wilderness Lodge is clear on the other side of the lake so you would have to take buses everywhere. At the Polynesian you can take a Monorail or walk to TTC and catch buses that go directly to all parks. The monorail will drop you off at MK and TTC. It is closer to all parks and has direct transportation to some like the monorail or walking over to TTC to catch the ferry.

Wilderness Lodge is way cheaper but do you mind spending extra time on buses? The monorail would take you to the other two hotels for dinner for example and you just go to the level of the monorail and across a bridge. If I had the money I would go with Contemporary because a friend works in concierge otherwise it is for me Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary.

http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/asp/twiz.aspx
I use them and this is the difference for example.
WL to Epcot by bus is 22 minutes not counting loading, etc.
Polynesian to Epcot is 19 by bus.

 

[ireland_nicole]

As far as the wilderness lodge; is he using a power chair or manual w/c? B/C the friendship boats can't always accomodate a power chair. Also, in inclement weather, the boats don't run (lightning, high winds, etc.)

Another option is the contemporary. Cheaper than the Poly, but on the monorail. Don't know where the accessible rooms are, though.

 

[Trishtack]

Thanks so much. He is in a Quickie manual chair. We are still so new to everything disability related that I am trying to make it as easy as possible but am having a hard time justifying an additional thousand plus dollars for the Poly.

 

[MattDisney]

My DD is in a wheelchair. We have stayed at both WL and the Poly. After staying at a Monorail resort, we will never stay anywhere else. It made our life so much easier that the extra money was worth it for us. We did enjoy WL and it is very "doable" but the monorail is easier.

 

[Trishtack]

Matt - Could I ask what was easier? I really want to do the best for everyone and just don't have a clue.

 

[Mary976]

My DD uses a wheelchair, and we have stayed various places (none on the monorail, though, due to budgetary constraints). One thing that came to mind as I was reading your post was that your family sounds like they are still adjusting to your husband's needs. And if you are going to be on vacation, you want to do everything you can to be sure things are fun and go smoothly. So, some things to think about:

*It sounds like transportation is a big concern for you. Is there any chance you would be renting a car? Or will you only be relying on WDW transportation?

*The monorail is very easy to use in a w/c. However, there are ramps to get up to the monorail to board it. How does your husband do going up and down long ramps? My DD once wiped out going down a long ramp. It wasn't that steep, but she picked up too much speed too quickly.

*The buses are a little trickier to use, but not too difficult. The biggest problem with the buses may be the wait. Depending on how busy it is, you can wait for quite awhile.

*It might be worth seeing where the accessible rooms at Poly/Contemporary are located. If they are far from the monorail, that may not be very helpful. However, if you can get a room very close to the monorail, I would think that might be worth the extra money, at least for this trip.

Hope some of these ideas are helpful to you!
Mary

 

[KPeveler]

My DD uses a wheelchair, and we have stayed various places (none on the monorail, though, due to budgetary constraints). One thing that came to mind as I was reading your post was that your family sounds like they are still adjusting to your husband's needs. And if you are going to be on vacation, you want to do everything you can to be sure things are fun and go smoothly. So, some things to think about:

*It sounds like transportation is a big concern for you. Is there any chance you would be renting a car? Or will you only be relying on WDW transportation?

*The monorail is very easy to use in a w/c. However, there are ramps to get up to the monorail to board it. How does your husband do going up and down long ramps? My DD once wiped out going down a long ramp. It wasn't that steep, but she picked up too much speed too quickly.

*The buses are a little trickier to use, but not too difficult. The biggest problem with the buses may be the wait. Depending on how busy it is, you can wait for quite awhile.

*It might be worth seeing where the accessible rooms at Poly/Contemporary are located. If they are far from the monorail, that may not be very helpful. However, if you can get a room very close to the monorail, I would think that might be worth the extra money, at least for this trip.

Hope some of these ideas are helpful to you!
Mary

the ramp for the monorail at MK is VERY long and steep (apparently it is within ADA code, but just barely) - I can't do it on my own in my chair (a quickie 2). If he is ok with getting some help, you should do fine, but it can be hard even for people who wheel themselves everyday!!

 

[Mary976]

Here's a good article about ramps. http://www.spinlife.com/spintips/details/k/Wheelchair Ramps/a/150/c/85

I would have your husband try all the ramps with someone around to help him before he attempted them alone. If he's still adapting to using the chair, he might not just be able to eyeball it and tell if he may have problems.

Mary

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Something else to consider is that you can also take the boats (water level permitting from the Poly) so if the ramps to the monorail are too much for him to handle alone he can always take the boat back.

 

[mom_2a_sept_princess]

My Emma is in a power wheelchair. We have stayed at the Contemporary and the Poly. We love staying on the monorail. She is 5 now (3 our first trip) and we would go back to the resort to hang out during the day and she would nap. At night it was so easy to hop on the monorail and be at our resort in a matter of minutes. I would stay at the Poly again.

 

[BillSears]

I've stayed at both but it's been many years since I've stayed at the Poly. Overall if money were no object I'd stay at the Poly. One thing people haven't mentioned is the ramps coming back from the bus stop and especially the one coming back from the boat. I'm really comfortable pushing myself around the parks all day long but pushing up that ramp from Roaring Forks to the lobby is a killer after a long day at the parks. The one from the bus stop to the lobby isn't terrible but it's no where near flat.

 

[dclfun]

I would also recommend the Poly- perhaps with some of the deals out there you could snag a discount that would make the price difference a little less painful. I use a power w/c and was unable one time to use the boat from MK to the WL due to the water level- it was a royal pain to take the monorail to the TTC and then have to transfer to a bus to WL plus it's a really long distance from the boat launch back to the rooms in the Lodge. Your husband might want to bring gloves if he doesn't use them at home to avoid blisters on his hands from all the extra pushing he'll be doing. Hopefully he'll let you or your friends help push him through the parks too. If he's not used to wheeling around yet for extended time periods he could strain muscles he's not used to using.----Kath

 

[SueM in MN]

the ramp for the monorail at MK is VERY long and steep (apparently it is within ADA code, but just barely) - I can't do it on my own in my chair (a quickie 2). If he is ok with getting some help, you should do fine, but it can be hard even for people who wheel themselves everyday!!

Here's a picture of the ramp.

This particular picture is from the Ticket and Transportation Center, but the ramp at MK is very similar. The picture was taken about 1/2 way up from the ground to the station.
At the resort, you would take the resort elevator to the boarding area for the monorail, so at the resort, there are no long ramps.

I believe that the ramps were up to building codes at the time they were built (before the ADA), but if they were built now, they would not meet it. There would be no requirement to upgrade them to meet the new ADA guidelines unless the whole station was renovated.

I've stayed at both but it's been many years since I've stayed at the Poly. Overall if money were no object I'd stay at the Poly. One thing people haven't mentioned is the ramps coming back from the bus stop and especially the one coming back from the boat. I'm really comfortable pushing myself around the parks all day long but pushing up that ramp from Roaring Forks to the lobby is a killer after a long day at the parks. The one from the bus stop to the lobby isn't terrible but it's no where near flat.

We have stayed at WL and also had an experience with the boat not being accessible because of the water levels. Since DD is not that heavy and has a manual wheelchair, we just lifted her on. It can be inaccessible for power wheelchairs and ECVs at times though.

I'm glad someone else thinks that ramp at WL is bad. It is not really that steep, but it is very long. I have a minor heart problem and noticed that ramp made me short of breath (and it's not that I am out of shape, I just walked the dog today 2+ miles in 45 minutes. Ramps are harder work than flat and I can't do steps more than one flight).

Anyway, if you want to consider another option, Contemporary is nice. It's on the monorail, but there is also the option of a nice walking path to get to MK. We used that in October and found it easy to push DD's wheelchair over there.

 

[Trishtack]

Thanks to everyone for your help. We are booking at the Poly tomorrow. We are reducing the stay by 1 day as our friends are driving down and will arrive a day later and were leaving a day earlier. I figured leaving on the same day wouldn't be an issue so we brought the price down less. I feel the monorail has to be a better choice with my husbands lack of progress this year. I am curious as to where the handicap rooms are located at the Poly etc. If anyone has any info on the Poly regarding handicap accessiblity, I would love to hear it.

Sincerely - Trish

 

[BillSears]

One thing to consider if staying at the Poly. I find it's easier to go the the Ceremonial House and take the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. But it's easier for me to take the big ferry boat back to the TTC and walk to my room at the Poly.

 

[momsavealot]

Thanks to everyone for your help. We are booking at the Poly tomorrow. We are reducing the stay by 1 day as our friends are driving down and will arrive a day later and were leaving a day earlier. I figured leaving on the same day wouldn't be an issue so we brought the price down less. I feel the monorail has to be a better choice with my husbands lack of progress this year. I am curious as to where the handicap rooms are located at the Poly etc. If anyone has any info on the Poly regarding handicap accessiblity, I would love to hear it.

Sincerely - Trish

Trish, if you're deciding on the Poly, I would go over the the resorts board and check out the Poly thread. These people on the Poly thread are experts and know every crack and crevice at the Poly. I would go there and ask them - they are wonderful people and just share a love for the Poly. I was on there for months before we went, and I knew exactly what room to ask for (no physical disability here but food allergies). Go to the Poly thread and you will be amazed at the maps and photos there. Also, there is a tikiman website off the disboards that is all about the Poly that I remember visiting before our last trip so you may want to google that. Good luck and I am so jealous that you're planning on the Poly - you will not be disappointed!!

 

[LauraVV]

In Sept, my family (DH, DD (is 3) and me) are going to Disney with a friend's family. My DH was paralyzed in Sept 08 and is not doing well with mobility, etc. I feel that a monorail resort is a better choice for independence and mobility for DH. My friend wants to stay at the Wilderness Lodge which is over $1k cheaper.

No question about it, the Poly would be so much easier. I'd not wish to stay in a hotel that's not on the monorail again. It takes so long to get chairs in and out of busses and the waits between them are much longer than they are for the monorail, IME.