Resort - no elevator/very bad knees

[skater]

My Mom had surgery on both knees and is still in a lot of pain. She'll be using a scooter in the parks, but I just remembered the stairs at POR . She can barely make it up the two steps into my front door sometimes. If she's in AB (she wants to be near us - and we're a family of 5), will they give her a first floor room? Should I call them ahead of time? I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. We leave in 24 days!

 

[SueM in MN]

My Mom had surgery on both knees and is still in a lot of pain. She'll be using a scooter in the parks, but I just remembered the stairs at POR . She can barely make it up the two steps into my front door sometimes. If she's in AB (she wants to be near us - and we're a family of 5), will they give her a first floor room? Should I call them ahead of time? I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. We leave in 24 days!

Call the same number you called to make your reservation and ask to have "first floor for medical reasons" added as your first request.

If you have 2 different reservations for your room and hers, ask to have the reservations linked and rooms assigned close together.

If worse comes to worse and you find the assigned rooms are not on first floor, they should be able to find new rooms at check in. Since the AB part of PO is only 2 stories, you have pretty much a 50/50 chance of getting first floor without making any requests at all.

You may also want to look into renting a scooter for her from one of the off-site places. There is more information in post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, including phone numbers and links to companies were you can rent an ECV.

Advantages of renting from an offsite company include:
- not having to worry about whether or not they will still have any when you get to the parks.
- saving q bit of money since the offsite rentals are less expensive.
- having it available at the resort to get to and from the bus stops, the pool and the food court

 

[of2dbeach]

We rented one off site for my mom who had knee surgery. It was waiting for us in the lobby at off site hotel what was funny is watching her ride it thru the parking lot to our room with me following behind her in the SUV, She kept honking the horn at 11pm at night scared someone would hit her. we had ground floor and she had her handicapped parking permit .funnier still is watching her try to get it into the hotel room backwards and forgetting she sucks at driving so I had to back it up to plug it in.. this after she crashed into the table once and the bed twice . Hope your Mom is a good driver

 

[skater]

Call the same number you called to make your reservation and ask to have "first floor for medical reasons" added as your first request.

If you have 2 different reservations for your room and hers, ask to have the reservations linked and rooms assigned close together.

If worse comes to worse and you find the assigned rooms are not on first floor, they should be able to find new rooms at check in. Since the AB part of PO is only 2 stories, you have pretty much a 50/50 chance of getting first floor without making any requests at all.

You may also want to look into renting a scooter for her from one of the off-site places. There is more information in post 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, including phone numbers and links to companies were you can rent an ECV.

Advantages of renting from an offsite company include:
- not having to worry about whether or not they will still have any when you get to the parks.
- saving q bit of money since the offsite rentals are less expensive.
- having it available at the resort to get to and from the bus stops, the pool and the food court

Thanks so much. I've already rented one for her - with a link from the DIS . I will call back and ask them to add this request. I think it will make her trip much more enjoyable. Otherwise she probably won't leave the room more than once a day because the stairs won't be worth it . Thank you again - this board has been wonderful as far as advice to help my Mom.

 

[skater]

We rented one off site for my mom who had knee surgery. It was waiting for us in the lobby at off site hotel what was funny is watching her ride it thru the parking lot to our room with me following behind her in the SUV, She kept honking the horn at 11pm at night scared someone would hit her. we had ground floor and she had her handicapped parking permit .funnier still is watching her try to get it into the hotel room backwards and forgetting she sucks at driving so I had to back it up to plug it in.. this after she crashed into the table once and the bed twice . Hope your Mom is a good driver

My Mom is not a good driver either. Two years ago (before surgery) she used one and my Dad would have to get in it to drive it on and off the bus . It was better for everybody that way! Should be an interesting trip this time.

 

[deegack]

Please please please have her practice until she can control the ECv comfortably. Dh happened to be using his cane during our last trip and while waiting on line was knocked down and run over by a man in an ECv who admitted he didn't know how to use it and didn't know it had several speeds and he had it on the highest speed. Dh was in too much pain to walk much and we ended up going back to our room and losing a day. So spend 30 minutes with her learning to navigate. It's funny if she hit furniture not so funny if she hits a person.

 

[disneymarie]

Our last stay was at the POR, and the second floor. I had thought there was the elevator to the rear of our building. We were facing the parking lot, not far from the one bus stop.
I did not take the scooter, using my rollator instead. But I swear I went up an elevator instead of the stairs the first night.

Be careful for everyone on the steps. Our last day as I was going down the stairs, something slippery was on the steps, they had sprinklers on and when I hit the third step went toppeling down the rest. The drive home was miserable.

 

[skater]

Please please please have her practice until she can control the ECv comfortably. Dh happened to be using his cane during our last trip and while waiting on line was knocked down and run over by a man in an ECv who admitted he didn't know how to use it and didn't know it had several speeds and he had it on the highest speed. Dh was in too much pain to walk much and we ended up going back to our room and losing a day. So spend 30 minutes with her learning to navigate. It's funny if she hit furniture not so funny if she hits a person.

You're right - I'm sorry this happened to you. She got pretty OK driving it through the parks. I think she just got nervous with the backing up and navigating it on and off the buses. Having everybody watch her with glares while they're waiting for her to get on so they can get on doesn't help .

 

[skater]

Our last stay was at the POR, and the second floor. I had thought there was the elevator to the rear of our building. We were facing the parking lot, not far from the one bus stop.
I did not take the scooter, using my rollator instead. But I swear I went up an elevator instead of the stairs the first night.

Be careful for everyone on the steps. Our last day as I was going down the stairs, something slippery was on the steps, they had sprinklers on and when I hit the third step went toppeling down the rest. The drive home was miserable.

Your fall sounds awful! I have noticed that those steps can be slippery when they're wet - definately don't want to be wearing old crocs on them!

 

[bidnow5]

I have always requested first floor for medical reasons and never had a problem I do call back repeatedly to confirm and it has been removed from my reservation several times. I call a few weeks before then a week before then the day we leave for Disney

 

[of2dbeach]

No thankfully she didnt hit anyone. most of the time she sat there going its ok go ahead of me ( as we sat on Main street ) and I am like Mom you can go just go slowly. so she started going saying shoo shooo i just rolled my eyes and started saying excuse me crazy driver coming thru .. make way crazy old women driving. She did good but the monorail over to Epcot OMG she said no i cant get this thing up there I will just walk on and YOu can drive it. they said NOPE she almost flew out the other side of it the guy was like STOPPP and had to push her backwards to close the door. so yes please practice and use the "turtle settings" was an interesting weekend to say the least.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

When my mother (only 91 at the time) tried to use an ECV, for the first few hours she had a hard time finding the brake pedal.

 

[SueM in MN]

Our last stay was at the POR, and the second floor. I had thought there was the elevator to the rear of our building. We were facing the parking lot, not far from the one bus stop.
I did not take the scooter, using my rollator instead. But I swear I went up an elevator instead of the stairs the first night.

Be careful for everyone on the steps. Our last day as I was going down the stairs, something slippery was on the steps, they had sprinklers on and when I hit the third step went toppeling down the rest. The drive home was miserable.

Oh, that sounds painful!

POR does have elevators in some areas. The New Orleans part does have elevators and the Mansion part of PO Riverside have elevators. The Alligator Bayoo part does not.
So, you are not mistaken.

 

[lilwhiterabbit]

Port Orleans French Quarter does have elevators, but it's considered a separate resort from POR.

 

[SueM in MN]

Port Orleans French Quarter does have elevators, but it's considered a separate resort from POR.

Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside are sister resorts, so a lot of people do think of them as one. Even though the OP did put POR, I thought it just said PO.

We first stayed at them when they were Port Orleans (the original name for Port Orleans French Quarter) and Dixie Landings ( the original name for Port Orleans Riverside).

I keep getting a mental block when I think of those resorts and all I can think of is the old names.

 

[lilwhiterabbit]

That's understandable. When we stayed there last fall there were a lot of people staying at the two resorts who weren't sure which one their room was in. We overheard a lot of, "Are we in French Quarter or Riverside?" conversations on the buses. That said, they are definitely a bit of a hike from one another if you get off at the wrong stop.