Questions regarding my father.

[ddiva]

We will be going for a weekend in September and bringing my father. We will be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our dilemma is that he cannot sleep in a regular bed. He needs his head extremely elevated and therefore sleeps in a recliner at home. I've inquired about renting one, but they are a flat $150 for up to two weeks. This is excessive for just a weekend. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, he is a pretty big guy 6'3" 360lbs. Will we be okay going on the majority of the rides (excluding thrill rides)? My kids want their grandpa to go on rides like POTC. Please help with any insight.

 

[ntsammy5]

We will be going for a weekend in September and bringing my father. We will be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our dilemma is that he cannot sleep in a regular bed. He needs his head extremely elevated and therefore sleeps in a recliner at home. I've inquired about renting one, but they are a flat $150 for up to two weeks. This is excessive for just a weekend. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, he is a pretty big guy 6'3" 360lbs. Will we be okay going on the majority of the rides (excluding thrill rides)? My kids want their grandpa to go on rides like POTC. Please help with any insight.

I don't have an answer about the recliner, but your father will have problems with the rides. I find some of the rides a little uncomfortable and I'm 6'3", 210. many of them have test seats outside the actual rides. he should try those first. Good luck.

 

[Nanajo1]

One thought I had was a "husband" pillow. That is one of those pillows that you use to sit up in bed. They are firm and supportive. Another thing we use to tell patients was to take sofa cushions and place them under the mattress to elevate the head of the bed. See if your DF will try either before you go.
Good luck.

 

[rhiannonwales]

You might want to call the wdw special reservations line. I remember reading somewhere that some resorts have the adjustable beds available where you can raise the head of the bead, like a craftmatic. It may have been the passporter special needs book. You'd have to arrange it in advance if i remember correctly. HTH

 

[ducklite]

There will be absolutely no room in an AKL guest room for a recliner. Those rooms are not very roomy at all, and I can't think of a single space large enough to accomodate a reclining chair.

The GF, PR, or CR are the only WDW rooms I've been in that have that type of extra space, unless you book a DVC room, the 1 & 2 BR's would accomodate, particularly at OKW.

I don't believe that WDW offers the adjustable beds, they can be rented from a medical supply place and delivered, and in that case WDW will remove one of the beds from your room to accmodate this, but this must all be arranged in advance.

As far as the rides, he'll have no problem with POTC. The only one I can see being a problem is Dumbo, sometimes the car doesn't go "up" when a heavier person is in it.

Anne

 

[rhiannonwales]

You may be right ducklite, but i will say that on page 104 of the passporters guide for special needs it says that some resorts offer adjustable beds on request. Now ive often said that i think this guide is just OK, but i'd think that if they say wdw has something that they checked that it does indeed. JMHO
Sherrie

 

[ducklite]

You may be right ducklite, but i will say that on page 104 of the passporters guide for special needs it says that some resorts offer adjustable beds on request. Now ive often said that i think this guide is just OK, but i'd think that if they say wdw has something that they checked that it does indeed. JMHO
Sherrie

My guess is that those adjustable beds are brought in from an outside vendor, and the guest is charged accordingly, jsut like would happen if you needed a commode or lift.

Anne

 

[rhiannonwales]

But anne, WDW does provide portable commodes and raised toilet seats on request. I know that for a fact because ive seen it. I'm not trying to be argumentitive, but if it was the case that they wre brought in from an outside vendor and charged, i would think it would say that,not that they were provided on request.
You'd be surprised at what disney can provide. Handheld shower heads, TTY machines, TV's with Closed captioning beds lower than the standard, some rooms even have lower balconies for so that those with wheelchairs can see out the balcony.But they dont allow kids in those rooms for obvious reasons.

BTW the number for the special reservations line is 1 407 939 7807 and press 1

 

[SueM in MN]

But anne, WDW does provide portable commodes and raised toilet seats on request. I know that for a fact because ive seen it. I'm not trying to be argumentitive, but if it was the case that they wre brought in from an outside vendor and charged, i would think it would say that,not that they were provided on request.

Some of the list that they have in the Passporter book looks like the list that used to be at the back of the WDW Guidebooks for Guests with Disabilities.
The resorts may have a small number of raised toilet seats that can be added to a room and portable commodes that they own and can add to rooms. They are actually pretty inexpensive and not too large to store, so having some on hand would not be difficult. Specialty beds (like hospital beds and adjustable beds) are much more expensive and take a lot more room to store.
Many of the raised seat toilets at WDW resorts are actual higher toilets in the room, not something that is added.
They would not charge for raised seat toilets because those are part of making the room accessible (they have to provide them as part of ADA according to the ADA requirements for accessible rooms).
They don't have to provide a commode as part of an ADA accessible room.

They used to list all those types of things in the back of the Guidebook for Guest with Disabilities, but the most recent one I have just says:
"Accomidations for Guests with disabilities may include wheelchair accessible bathrooms, bed accessories, strobe-light smoke detectors, in room TTYs and other features."

You'd be surprised at what disney can provide. Handheld shower heads, TTY machines, TV's with Closed captioning beds lower than the standard, some rooms even have lower balconies for so that those with wheelchairs can see out the balcony.But they dont allow kids in those rooms for obvious reasons.

BTW the number for the special reservations line is 1 407 939 7807 and press 1

Some of those things are part of the room (and things like Close Captioning are part of all TVs sold after a certain date). The things listed (except for the lower balcony) are also spelled out in the ADA as part of an accessible room, so hotels are required to provide them at no extra cost.
An adjustable bed or a hospital bed are not part of the ADA accessibility requirements (they are sort of above an beyond basic needs), so they may make them available on request (probably by obtaining them from an outside source because it may not be cost effective for them to own them). If there is a cost to the resort for those, I am almost certain they could pass that on to the guest (since they are not required by the ADA to provide them). They may choose not to pass the cost on to the guest, but could.

I agree it's a good idea to call Special Reservations to find out what they might be able to provide/obtain. They would have to be involved because, as ducklite mentioned, they would remove a bed ahead of time, arrange for delivery of a special bed and setup in the room.

 

[ddiva]

Thank you all for your suggestions.