Question room requests - HA do we have to ask not to be in one?

[TyRy]

Hi all,

We are taking our first trip home to AKV in September and have a 2 bedroom reserved with a request of Zebra Trail (thanks to those on this board for that) But it seems I've been reading about a lot of people who end up in a HA room when they did not request it. Do I need to request to not be in one? I've only stayed in the regular WDW resorts and never had even thought to have this on.

Thanks!

Ty

 

[dutch1]

How is Art can anybody tell us how he is doing

 

[karrit2000]

I usually have them make a note not to assign an HA room when I make my reservation. If I forget, which I have for my last 3 reservations, I either call them back later and request it or use the contact us link on the member website. They always give the speil that the request is noted but not guaranteed. I've only had a problem once but that was because they didn't transfer the notation when a waitlist request came through. We ended up in the HA for one night & then they moved us but only because they found the note on the original reservation. I was not staying in one of those rooms for my Birthday visit.

 

[dairyqueenmom]

Are the HA rooms that bad?

 

[karrit2000]

Lets just say that i can put up with it for a night if I have to but I'm not spending my entire vacation in one. In the Studio I got at OKW the clothing bars in the closet were at wheel chair height. The refrigerator was shoved between one of the beds & the window to the balcony. The toilet was too high up and there was no storage cabinet in the bathroom. In the Boardwalk Studio the bathroom door was a sliding door that I could barely move. I don't see how a wheelchair bound individual who wasn't super strong could possibly close the thing. And I prefer the option of having a tub rather than a roll in shower. The only plus to that is the fold down seat comes in handy for shaving ones legs. All that being said, I think it is great that the units are available for those who need them but until the day comes that I do I will keep noting that request on my reservations. Some people skirt saying No Handicap Accessible room by requesting a room with a Bathtub.

 

[BroganMc]

Are the HA rooms that bad?

It really depends on one's point of view. In studios, you may or may not get a bathtub (fully accessible rooms have roll-in showers). The roll-in shower proves a problem for those unused to it and its water flow issues. (Frequent complaints of them leaking for the uninitiated.)

Electrical outlets tend to be mounted higher while light switches are lower. There are grab bars in the bathroom and the toilet seats are ADA height (18-20"). The beds are lower (20") with low profile frames. And the sinks tend to have nothing under them so wheelchair users can roll their legs under and reach the faucets.

Also the microwaves are counter height and there's a different layout to cabinet storage in the kitchen/kitchenette.

The one thing my dad complains about the most at SSR is the lack of vanity space in the bathroom. SSR uses pedestal sinks which have virtually no counter space. (I put my toothbrush and toothpaste on the sink, but keep my other toiletries on the back of the toilet.)

The funny thing for me, being someone who absolutely needs an HA room, I really only need three things: 20" bed, ADA commode and roll-in shower. The eletrical outlets on the desk and nightstand are nice, as are the light switches, but I don't even have that at home. I use surge protectors and a reacher stick to meet me needs instead.

 

[robinb]

I have been in two HA studios, one at BCV and one at BWV. The only minus, IMO, was there was very little counter space in the bathroom. I ended up bringing in the balcony table to use in the bathroom. Otherwise, it really wasn't a big deal. Both studios had the extra bonus of being near the main entrance and I ended up with a preferred view for a standard view price at BWV.

 

[LisaS]

We stayed in an HA studio at BWV and the thing we missed most was the safe. That room had a wardrobe rather than a closet and since the safe is normally in the closet, there was no safe in the room.

 

[CarolA]

Are the HA rooms that bad?

NO!!!!

People on this board are just amazing about them. They have little whiny fits if they get one.

WHAT?

Those of you who COMPLAIN and won't stay in one, I don't care what your "request" was DVC should charge you for the move!!!!!! They would for any other move!

We should be grateful they have those rooms. Americans (including the posters on here) are AGING and guess what???? As you age the chances increase that you will need an accessible room.

(Plus how do you think your fellow posters who NEED those rooms feel when they read your posts about how thier needs are "unacceptable" ?)

 

[Judy WI]

NO!!!!

People on this board are just amazing about them. They have little whiny fits if they get one.

WHAT?

Those of you who COMPLAIN and won't stay in one, I don't care what your "request" was DVC should charge you for the move!!!!!! They would for any other move!

We should be grateful they have those rooms. Americans (including the posters on here) are AGING and guess what???? As you age the chances increase that you will need an accessible room.

(Plus how do you think your fellow posters who NEED those rooms feel when they read your posts about how thier needs are "unacceptable" ?)

Yes we/I am getting older and have had one trip to WDW with a wheelchair but untill I need a HA room I do not want to stay in one. I also feel when I am in one I am taking up a room that could be helpful to someone else. Don't feel it is a problem to ask (request) not to be put up in one. Personaly think it is a better request than what you can see out the window.

 

[LisaS]

We should be grateful they have those rooms. Americans (including the posters on here) are AGING and guess what???? As you age the chances increase that you will need an accessible room.

(Plus how do you think your fellow posters who NEED those rooms feel when they read your posts about how their needs are "unacceptable" ?)

My complaint is that these rooms could have (and should have) been designed better. To me, it looks like they did the minimum to meet the requirements and left out the things that would make the rooms work really well for those who really need them and in the process, make them work pretty well for everybody.

Why is there no safe? Why is there no storage in the bathroom? Why is there just a small armoire, half of which is crammed full with a vacuum cleaner, ironing board and pack'n'play, leaving almost no room for clothes? Why is the microwave up on a high shelf out of reach of someone in a wheel chair?

Someone with mobility issues has to carry their toiletries to and from the bathroom all the time but more able-bodied people staying in a non-HA studio are given storage areas in the bathroom for their things. Why does someone in a wheel chair have to take all their valuables with them everywhere they go but those with no special needs are provided with a safe where they can safely store these items? How does someone with limited mobility empty that armoire full of heavy items so they can hang up their clothes but someone with no special needs gets plenty of closet space with no need to move anything out of the way first?

 

[jmtf2004]

Those of you who COMPLAIN and won't stay in one, I don't care what your "request" was DVC should charge you for the move!!!!!! They would for any other move!

We should be grateful they have those rooms. Americans (including the posters on here) are AGING and guess what???? As you age the chances increase that you will need an accessible room.

(Plus how do you think your fellow posters who NEED those rooms feel when they read your posts about how thier needs are "unacceptable" ?)

I disagree with you CarolA...if the request for non HA is on the reservation, and an HA villa is assigned when another non HA villa is available, I don't believe there should be any charge for the move. I feel very strongly that it should be disclosed at the Front Desk at check in when they assign your villa whether it is HA or not...with an explanation of what this actually means (for the benefit of guests who have not had the 'pleasure' of experiencing an HA villa), and they should assign a different villa, if the guests are not happy with the HA and have no need for it - again, this is *if* another villa is available.
We were assigned an HA studio at BCV on our last trip. As a result, I will definitely be requesting non HA for all future reservations. CarolA while you may choose to see this comment as offensive to someone who requires HA, I'm afraid I see this as a criticism of a villa that, quite literally, does not meet the needs of my family...and that's it - this is absolutely not a commentary about whether this type of villa is required at the resort. I know there is a need - they should be available, and the HA villas should be *well designed* too! (Note to DVC: Just because a villa is designated HA, the entire villa does not have to be rendered inconvenient and dysfuntional for guests who don't use a W/C)
In our case, the CM at check in did not tell us ours was HA, it was just one of several unpleasant revelations when we opened the door with our KTTW
In that particular BCV studio (525), in the bathroom there was the top of the toilet, but there was quite literally no other horizontal space to put anything down in the washroom. I had to sit quite a few of our things on the floor. Now, if DVC now openly admits they have not been cleaning the glasses and mugs properly, how clean do you suppose the floors are??? no better not roll on that floor!
There was nowhere to store our things anywhere else in the villa - no closet, just a tiny armoire which was already jam packed with the ironing board and a few other things. As a result we could not take anything out of our suitcases - the only storage space was perhaps part of a small shelf and a drawer(?) No table or chairs in the room, and no table on the balcony either. It's *possible* that particular studio might be convenient and functional for a single traveler who uses a W/C, but it definitely isn't suitable for a family of four for a four-night stay. Honestly, I have no idea where even a single traveler in a W/C staying for more than one night would store their things in that villa.
As it turned out there were other *significant* issues with that particular studio, and we were reassigned at no charge, with apologies from the manager. The manager did admit to me that this particular studio is not suitable for a family of four, and was at a loss to explain why the CM assigned it to us when others were available when we checked in.

 

[CarolA]

I disagree with you CarolA...if the request for non HA is on the reservation, and an HA villa is assigned when another non HA villa is available, I don't believe there should be any charge for the move. I


.

So I assume you were the ONLY person checking in that day with this request?

And should this be the same rule when your view isn't given to you?


REQUEST is just that. And if it's not met and you can't live with your assigned villa then you should pay for the move.

If you can't live with having the possiblity that your "requests" may not have been met then personally I wonder why you purchased at a place where your "unit" is not not guranteed!

I have stayed in HA rooms and was fine. I would never dream that I am so special that "My request" was more important then anything else.

And yes, your "trash talking" of how inferior the room was strikes me as showing little tolerance for people whose needs are differert then yours.

 

[jmtf2004]

So I assume you were the ONLY person checking in that day with this request?

And should this be the same rule when your view isn't given to you?


REQUEST is just that. And if it's not met and you can't live with your assigned villa then you should pay for the move.

If you can't live with having the possiblity that your "requests" may not have I been met then personally I wonder why you purchased at a place where your "unit" is not not guranteed!

I have stayed in HA rooms and was fine. I would never dream that I am so special that "My request" was more important then anything else.

And yes, your "trash talking" of how inferior the room was strikes me as showing little tolerance for people whose needs are differert then yours.

Wow that's very very harsh. I have made some criticism of design and you are questioning my decision to purchase DVC. Hmmm
I stated in my post earlier that I will be making that request from now on. If it's something that is simply not possible to accommodate on a future stay, so be it, but that is my preference.
When we were assigned the HA at BCV, the CM at check in showed me that there were three villa on the fifth floor available and where they were on a floor plan - she didn't know *anything* about views (in fact told me the one I selected definitely would not have a view of EPCOT, and it did), and didn't bother to tell me that the one I selected was HA. It is mainly this non-disclosure I have a problem with, along with the lack of functionality of that particular villa for a family of four.
If my concerns are/were merely 'trash talking' the villa, as you put it, then perhaps you could explain to me why the RESORT MANAGER agreed with my concerns wholeheartedly?????
I 'get' the whole concept of a request vs a guarantee. I have no problems at all with not getting a particular view, or even the non HA...and I fully understand that it is only possible to obtain a villa from what is available at the time I check in. The comments I made in my earlier post were based on my own experience with this specific villa we were assigned. Unless you have stayed in that particular villa with a family of four, then what you experienced in a different HA villa, and whether it met your needs or not, is completely irrelevant.
I stand by my statement that the accommodation for the non HA request SHOULD be fulfilled if that is possible at the time of checkin.
You have no idea about me and whether I am sensitive to the needs of anyone, for all you know I, or a member of my family could be disabled and just not need a W/C. I think your comments are thoughtless and very presumptuous.

 

[Chuck S]

Folks, this thread has taken a turn way off the topic of the OP. That topic is whether people who do not wish to stay in an HA unit would need to specifically request that.

Please return this thread to topic.

Also a reminder that the DVC Boards are intended as discussion boards, not debate boards. Sarcastic and argumentative posts violate the DIS Posting guidelines.

Thank you.

 

[crisi]

A lot of people make a non-HA request. We don't - we've stayed in one once and it was not a big deal to us. Plus, with DVC operating at near 100% occupancy, I figure everyone needs to take a turn at a less than ideal room - it would be great if I always got those corner one bedroom standard views at BWV, but someone needs to get the room behind the Keister Coaster. I'm not going to use up all my karma on getting great rooms at Disney. Making the request does not mean the request will be met - DVC requests are indeed requests only. But it does allow the CM doing room assigning to avoid it. A lot of DVCers think you should minimize your requests and only put down what is truly important. For instance, you already have a Zebra Trail request. If you add a non-HA request, you may be in a situation where the room assigner needs to decide if they meet the Zebra Trail request or the non-HA request - the more requests you make, the less likely you are to have them all met. After having lousy luck with requests, we just skip them completely now on our reservations, as the room assigner seems to have a perverse sense of humor and wants to give us precisely what we DIDN'T request.

 

[JodyTG]

I've only put in a request once and it was for a bathtub in a studio. At the time, my son was very "anti-water in the face" and only a shower would have been bad.

The only time I expect a specific view is when I have actually BOOKED that view...boardwalk, standard, etc.

But...to get back on topic...if you need a bathtub have that noted on your reservation. Also, don't hesitate to say why you need it. MS was very understanding about my "need" and even the CM at BCV mentioned that "we do indeed have a tub for the tot"...I thought that was funny.

 

[crisi]

Something to note is that the one bedroom units and bigger still have the jaccuzzi, so the lack of a tub is a studio issue - and I don't think its even an issue in all HA studios. So if you are traveling with kids who won't use a shower and are staying in a one or two bedroom, you'll still have a tub.

It isn't EASY to wash a toddler in that jacuzzi, but we've done it in non-HA rooms because the one bedrooms don't have a non-jaccuzzi tub at the BW.

 

[lizziepooh]

Maybe we all need to contact Member Satisfaction and ask them to look into installing shelving or storage in the HA bathrooms and also safes. I do not understand why they did not provide at least a shelf in the bathrooms for toothbrushes etc.

I have traveled with family members who need the HA units and I am very glad they are available, but I do think there are things that could be done to make them more convenient for all members who are assigned these units.

When we travel with grandkids and need a tub, I have learned to ask at checkin whether or not the room is HA and/or has a tub. If it has no tub, I ask if anything else is available. That way there are no surprises when we get to the room.

To the previous poster who got the HA room with no table and chairs, I would have been unhappy with that room too and can see why the room would not have worked well for her family of 4.

 

[TyRy]

First - I'm sorry I started such a controversial thread..had no idea it would go this way. This will be our first trip home and DH is already making noises about why did we buy DVC. Since we have a two bedroom reserved I know he wants that hot tub at the end of the day...I think if he didn't have that, he'd really be upset.

So all 1 bedrooms or larger have a tub in the master part? That's the main importance this time around. If that is the case I'll just leave the zebra trail request as my DIL's who are travelling with us probably would not mind a walk-in shower in the studio part.

Thanks again for the advice.

Ty