Room request - next steps?

[California Jenn]

We are traveling to WDW with my parents at the end of the month, staying in two rooms.

My parents require safety grab bars in their room due to some health issues. We called Disney reservations and requested such a room to accommodate my parents' needs. The agent informed us that the Disney disability team would install them in my parents’ room.

These bars are very important to my parents. Are there any other steps I can/should take to ensure that the request isn’t lost?

I appreciate your insight.

 

[aaarcher86]

I would just call back in a few weeks and ask them to verify the request you made.

 

[smscrapbooks]

Be prepared that they might not follow through and you will have to deal with the issue on arrival. This happens to us every single time. We use a hoyer lift to transfer my husband from the wheelchair to the bed. The bed is always an inch too low and we can't fit the hoyer device underneath. I've requested that it be fixed in advance and they never do it. It is especially difficult if you arrive late at night. I have learned at check in to make my request to a manager immediately and then engineering comes to our room and does what needs to be done.

 

[SueM in MN]

We are traveling to WDW with my parents at the end of the month, staying in two rooms.

My parents require safety grab bars in their room due to some health issues. We called Disney reservations and requested such a room to accommodate my parents' needs. The agent informed us that the Disney disability team would install them in my parents’ room.

These bars are very important to my parents. Are there any other steps I can/should take to ensure that the request isn’t lost?

I appreciate your insight.

Where are you staying?

Did you reserve an accessible room? Roll in shower?
Where specifically do they need the grab bars?

Something here does not make sense because grab bars are not something that are installed on request. They are in the accessible rooms already.
Booking an accessible room is not a request; it is a specific reservation for an accessible room that is guaranteed.

The rooms with roll in showers have a bathroom that is big enough to bring a wheelchair into. There is a shower with no barriers to step over to get into the shower. They also have either a fold down or permanent seat and grab bars near the toilet and in the shower; the locations are specified by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines.

The accessible rooms without roll in showers have a tub with grab bars in the bathroom by the tub and toilet. It may not be possible to bring a wheelchair into the bathroom.

This phone number is listed by Disney on their website page for guests with disabilities who want to book a reservation by phone: (407) 939-1936.

This phone number is listed on the Disney park maps for guests with disabilities for Walt Disney World Resort Special Reservations at (407)-939-7807.

I would suggest calling one of those numbers because what you were told on the phone about installing grab bars doesn't make sense.

 

[SueM in MN]

I can't get the page to load, but the Disney website actually has room pictures from the different resorts that show how the rooms are set up.
I don't know where you are staying, so I just chose Caribbean Beach. You can choose to see accessible rooms with roll in showers or heat they call "Florida Special Accessible" rooms.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/caribbean-beach-resort/rates-rooms/#

 

[California Jenn]

Thank you all for the responses. I was worried that we would arrive after a long, tiring flight from California, and the hotel would look at us like we were crazy. But, it sounds like that is what will happen if I don't do anything else

In answer to the questions -- we are staying at the Beach Club. We reserved through an online travel company (solely because of the good rates....) and included the requirement of an ADA accessible room in our reservation.

When we called the Disney reservation number to confirm that we had an ADA accessible room for my parents, the agent told us that the travel company had not included the ADA requirement and asked what our specific needs were. It was at that point that we told him about the grab bars (specifically the ones around the toilet and in the tub, which like several of the responses here, we had assumed were standard for an ADA room). He then went off line for about 20 minutes and came back and told us they would be installed as the request was "not standard".

It sounds like, my next step is to contact the disability team (thank you SueM!) and that I do need to do some follow up work. Thank you again for all the helpful information.

 

[SueM in MN]

Are you in Beach Club Villas (Disney Vacation Club) or Beach Club Resorts?

Both have accessible rooms, but the villas are more like suites.

Since you made the reservation thru a third party, it might be handled the same as a travel agency. If you go thru a travel agent, the agent 'owns' the reservation until close to your trip and any changes or requests need to go thru the agent.
It sounds like that may not be the case in your situation, but just wanted to mention.

 

[California Jenn]

We're just staying at the regular Beach Club (not the villas) so don't have the extra amenities. In prior conversations with Disney on this trip, they were willing to talk to us about the rails, but not about view-type requests because of the third party involved.

I plan to visit my parents tomorrow to call the Disney Disability numbers with them and see if the group can shed some light on the situation rather than showing up at the hotel and getting an unpleasant surprise.

 

[SueM in MN]

If they want a room with a bathtub and don't need a roll in shower, this is what you want. (The hearing accessibility is usually included in these accessible rooms.
Wheelchair access/tub/option for hearing accessibility - 2 queen beds
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/r...lbeach-club-resort-gv-wheelchair-ada4-2-q-g15

Here is the Wheelchair access/roll-in shower/option for hearing accessibility - 2 queen beds
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/r...W_Rooms_FloorplanImages_StandardView=1/2/0/14

According to the ADA guidelines, there need to be 12 accessible rooms with tubs and 6 with roll in showers for a 583 room hotel (the size of Beach Club according to the internet). If the ones in your view are already reserved by others, it may be necessary to change your location/view in order to get an accessible room.

If a guest says they require an accessible room, that is a guaranteed room type, not a request.

 

[auger]

FWIW, we were told the same thing for our reservation.
DSIL just had knee surgery, and it was not in the plans when we originally booked.
I called to see about getting a HA room with a roll in shower, since she cannot get in and out of a tub, and she cannot put any weight on her leg.
CM checked and said all such rooms were booked already, so we could not get one.
She called the resort to speak directly with them and see what could be done.
They informed her that the safety bars could be installed in DSIL's room, no problem, but nothing could be done about a roll in shower, as the resort is booked up.

 

[SueM in MN]

FWIW, we were told the same thing for our reservation.
DSIL just had knee surgery, and it was not in the plans when we originally booked.
I called to see about getting a HA room with a roll in shower, since she cannot get in and out of a tub, and she cannot put any weight on her leg.
CM checked and said all such rooms were booked already, so we could not get one.
She called the resort to speak directly with them and see what could be done.
They informed her that the safety bars could be installed in DSIL's room, no problem, but nothing could be done about a roll in shower, as the resort is booked up.

That makes sense that they said there were no rooms available and they would install some, but not just saying it without that.
Have you gone yet? If so, what did you find?

 

[lanejudy]

I agree with SueM -- if an HA room is available, that would be my preference.

I know there are stand-alone bars that can be put around a toilet, not physically attached to the walls. WDW may have some of those they can put in a room on request.

For the shower, I wonder if they are using the suction-cup type bars that can be attached and removed. My parents used those for a bit after my father's stroke and had no problem. They never stuck well in my shower, though. I'd be careful to test them daily before use to make sure they haven't loosened. If that's what you end up with.

Good luck to the OP getting an HA room for your parents' needs, and enjoy your vacation!

 

[auger]

That makes sense that they said there were no rooms available and they would install some, but not just saying it without that.
Have you gone yet? If so, what did you find?

We have not gone yet.
Sep 10 is our arrival date.
Still hopeful for a HA room with roll in shower to open up, but not holding my breath by any means! They said to call back, as some people will book room only and cancel last minute.
If we get the "installed bars" I will report back as to what we encounter!

I agree with SueM -- if an HA room is available, that would be my preference.

I know there are stand-alone bars that can be put around a toilet, not physically attached to the walls. WDW may have some of those they can put in a room on request.

For the shower, I wonder if they are using the suction-cup type bars that can be attached and removed. My parents used those for a bit after my father's stroke and had no problem. They never stuck well in my shower, though. I'd be careful to test them daily before use to make sure they haven't loosened. If that's what you end up with.

Good luck to the OP getting an HA room for your parents' needs, and enjoy your vacation!

I am hoping they are not using those.
My dad had tried those after his first stroke, and they did not hold well at all.
I would hate to see my SIL get hurt because they throw those in and assume they will work!

They did mention that they would provide her with a transfer seat for the toilet and shower as well.

 

[ttintagel]

Pop Century provided us with a shower transfer chair when they didn't have any HA rooms available. Luckily, we didn't need grab bars for the toilet.

In the picture of the "typical" Beach Club bathroom shown here, I'm not sure if the toilet is close enough to walls to make wall-mounted grab bars workable, but then again it's hard to tell from pictures.