Resort Choice for In-Laws

[GretchenG]

I asked this in the resort category, but was recommended to try asking people here.

We are planning a trip to WDW in early September of this year. Staying on property is an absolute must. DH and I are treating my in-laws to a trip, so there will be 4 of us, all adults. Our plan is to get 2 rooms, because I think we might all go crazy trying to share a room. Because of that, a deluxe resort is outside of our comfortable price range. I've only stayed on property once before, and that was at CBR and I LOVED it! That being said, I'm a fan of change. If it were entirely up to me and it didn't matter what anyone else wanted/needed, I'd like to get one of the royal rooms at POR. I'm a big Disney movie fan, and I love the Disney movie touches and the princess feeling of them. I'm just not sure if any of those rooms will meet my in-laws' needs, as they have mobility limitations.

Their room needs to have:
1. 2 beds, neither of which is a sleeper sofa
2. Grab bars in the bathroom (especially for the bathtub or shower, but it would be good to have them for the toilet too)
3. No stairs to access the room (they will both need to use ECVs)

I'm thinking that I need to request an accessible room for them due to the need for grab bars and ensuring that there won't be stairs, but I saw someone at some point say that they were only able to get one with a king bed. Is that a common issue? Also, is there a reasonable possibility of getting a regular room next to an accessible room? Are there any resorts that would be better than others as far as meeting these needs?

Thanks in advance!

ETA: I just heard from MIL and she says that due to her knee problems getting worse, she usually needs to use a bench in the shower and a handheld shower head, so it looks like an accessible room is a must.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

2 beds, neither of which is a sleeper sofa
. . . all resort have two beds
. . . except FW Cabins which have 1-bed, 1-bunkbed and 1-Murphy bed

Grab bars in the bathroom (especially for the bathtub or shower, but it would be good to have them for the toilet too)
. . . of what I have seen, only "handicap rooms" have grab bars
. . . but, handicap rooms only have King Beds, as they make room for wheelchairs

No stairs to access the room (they will both need to use ECVs)
. . . only Old Key West has MANDATORY stairs
. . . but, they do have three buildings with elevators, or get a first-floor room

Also, is there a reasonable possibility of getting a regular room next to an accessible room?
. . . adjoining rooms (next to each other) should not be a problem

Are there any resorts that would be better than others as far as meeting these needs?
. . . all about the same to meet your needs

ETA: I just heard from MIL and she says that due to her knee problems getting worse, she usually needs to use a bench in the shower and a handheld shower head, so it looks like an accessible room is a must.
. . . alas, seems to no options for her

 

[KisanMcG]

Hi! I'm a frequent WDW visitor with knee issues like your MIL, and have had trips in all sorts of ranges of mobility levels. I've gone using a chair or an ECV, on crutches, and just with a cane, and have stayed in different types of accessible rooms.

You should be perfectly fine in the Moderate range (like CBR!) and will have no problem getting a room that meets your group's needs. Each of them have accessible rooms with 2 queen beds and grab bars in the bathroom. A shower chair is available from housekeeping, as is a portable raised toilet seat, and a hand-held shower extension. We've just let the resort know what we need at check-in, and they send someone to the room to bring them to us.

My personal bit of humble advice would be to consider Port Orleans French Quarter. It's the smallest of the Moderates, so things are closer together than CBR. It's also got a lovely river, a very fun pool, and boat access to DtD. We find it to be very charming. I would also recommend helping your in-laws out by talking to them about the possibility renting ECVs, as it will help them be able to do more with less body strain. Even if you plan to take it slow, WDW is a *lot* of walking even for folks without mobility issues, and pain on a special vacation is not fun.

For information specific to individual resorts, you can call the WDW Special Reservations Line: (407) 939-7807, and they will be happy to help. Hope it's a great trip!

 

[JennyDrake]

Hi! I'm a frequent WDW visitor with knee issues like your MIL, and have had trips in all sorts of ranges of mobility levels. I've gone using a chair or an ECV, on crutches, and just with a cane, and have stayed in different types of accessible rooms.

You should be perfectly fine in the Moderate range (like CBR!) and will have no problem getting a room that meets your group's needs. Each of them have accessible rooms with 2 queen beds and grab bars in the bathroom. A shower chair is available from housekeeping, as is a portable raised toilet seat, and a hand-held shower extension. We've just let the resort know what we need at check-in, and they send someone to the room to bring them to us.

My personal bit of humble advice would be to consider Port Orleans French Quarter. It's the smallest of the Moderates, so things are closer together than CBR. It's also got a lovely river, a very fun pool, and boat access to DtD. We find it to be very charming. I would also recommend helping your in-laws out by talking to them about the possibility renting ECVs, as it will help them be able to do more with less body strain.

DITTO!!! Everything she said! I've had excellent service from both Walker Mobility and Apple Scooter.

 

[Tiggerish]

Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside both have handicapped accessible rooms with two queen beds and a roll in shower which means a seat and a hand held shower head.

 

[Michigan]

Another vote for Port Orleans French Quarter. Having the boat to Downtown Disney is nice even if you don't get off and just ride the boat. Going to the parks bus service starts on the French Quarter side so getting ECV on the bus before spots fill up won't be a problem and coming home it has it's own bus.

 

[GretchenG]

Thanks for the help, everyone! I showed everyone our options and discussed what people said on here and we came to a decision that everyone is very happy with. I get my princess room! We're going to stay in royal rooms in Port Orleans Riverside. French Quarter did look very nice too, but when I showed her some pictures of the options, MIL fell in love with the royal rooms just like I did. We booked an accessible room with the grab bars in the bathroom and 2 queen beds along with a (hopefully adjoining) nearby regular room. Hooray!

Thanks for the ECV recommendations too! We'll be looking into that. I'm feeling so good knowing that our whole group will be able to have a wonderful vacation. Thanks again!

 

[Michigan]

Thanks for the help, everyone! I showed everyone our options and discussed what people said on here and we came to a decision that everyone is very happy with. I get my princess room! We're going to stay in royal rooms in Port Orleans Riverside. French Quarter did look very nice too, but when I showed her some pictures of the options, MIL fell in love with the royal rooms just like I did. We booked an accessible room with the grab bars in the bathroom and 2 queen beds along with a (hopefully adjoining) nearby regular room. Hooray!

Thanks for the ECV recommendations too! We'll be looking into that. I'm feeling so good knowing that our whole group will be able to have a wonderful vacation. Thanks again!

Just be aware that going to the parks the buses pickup first at French Quarter and then all the stops at Riverside so you may not get on the first bus if the wheelchair spots are full.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

We booked an accessible room with the grab bars in the bathroom and 2 queen beds along with a (hopefully adjoining) nearby regular room. Hooray!

When you say you booked an accessible room with grab bars, did you also book one with a roll-in shower? There are two types of accessible rooms. One has a tub and grab bars both by the tub & the toilet. The other has a shower with a fold-down shower bench and nothing to step over (like you would with a tub), as well as the bars by toilet & in the shower. From what you said after talking to your MIL, she may need the one with a roll-in shower. You can request a bath chair/bench to be put into one of the accessible rooms with a tub, but some of them aren't as stable as the fixed bench in a roll-in shower and the person does need to be able to step over the side of the tub. As far as I know, both type of accessible rooms have a handheld shower head, but I've only stayed in ones with a roll-in shower. If you aren't sure, it's worth calling and making sure that you have the type of accessible room reserved that fits her needs.

I hope you have a wonderful trip! I'll 3rd the recommendations for the ECVs. They should be able to fit 2 in their room for charging overnight (or, if you're close, could probably charge one in your room and one in theirs).