Traveling with Seniors

[CLASSICPOOH2002]

Allright.... We have a trip planned for Jan 05' and we have several rooms booked at the BW. We have a 2-bedroom preferred view (boardwalk) that my DH and DS will be staying in with my in-laws. My DH and DS will be in the one bedroom side and the in-laws are going to be in the studio.

Here is the question. My mother-in-law really does not get around well at all. We have told her about Disney and she still wants to go. We will have to get her a wheelchair, ect.... Well, they really need to have a room with a walk-in shower, ect. My mother-in-law would not be able to get in and out of a regular shower well. Can you get a 2-bedroom like this? I was told in a short talk with Member services that we could not. They said that the entire 2-bedroom would be handicap accessible.

Am I going to have to put them in one of the studios instead of us? I am thinking I am. Plus we have stayed in a preferred boardwalk before and it was a long walk from the elevators. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChickieToo]

I can't help with room specifics, but I can speak to other issues re: travelling with seniors who need wheelchairs. I've gone with both my mother and my in-laws on two different trips and all three of them needed wheelchairs. Both times I was able to get a loner from the hotel (free of charge!) just by showing a license and credit card (to ensure that we returned it). The wheelchairs were ours for the week and we kept them in the room or in the van as required. With my mom who had multiple problems of being legally blind and being on kidney dialysis, it was important to have the wheelchair at all times so we could safely navigate her around the pool area and so forth. They are on a first-come, first-served basis, but it beats the rental at the park.

Additionally, there are special lines on many of the rides for people in wheelchairs, and if you register at guest relations at the first park you go to, you will get a card which will allow you to use these lines with up to an additional 6 people in your party. Sometimes being in these lines can save some time. But don't take advantage (ie: have an able bodied person ride in the wheelchair just to get up in line at RnR, for example) because others in line can become a little annoyed. We learned this first hand because although we didn't take advantage, people thought we did because my 70 year old FIL wanted to ride all the thrill rides and people just assumed we were using a ringer. One crowd got so loud the CM actually checked his guest realations pass and his ID to make sure they matched, and then told the crowd that it was legit and we were next in line for TOT. It was a hoot!

Hope this helps.

 

[manning]

Good news about the loaner. If we can get my MIL to go she would need one.

 

[Lesley]

We had a handicapped accessible 2br at BWV one time. The showers in both the studio and 1br portions were the roll in/walk in type. But, yes, the whole room was wheelchair accessible...including the kitchen. Honestly, though, it was not a problem at all.

The only time I see having a handicapped room as a problem is if you are only in a studio and have small children who need the bathtub.

Perhaps I'm not quite understanding the question...but it is sounding like you want handicapped bathrooms but not anything else? The handicapped room we had was right on the corner over the Screen Door...so it was about as close to the elevators as you can get with a BW view.

 

[SueM in MN]

Originally posted by ChickieToo

Additionally, there are special lines on many of the rides for people in wheelchairs, and if you register at guest relations at the first park you go to, you will get a card which will allow you to use these lines with up to an additional 6 people in your party. Sometimes being in these lines can save some time. But don't take advantage (ie: have an able bodied person ride in the wheelchair just to get up in line at RnR, for example) because others in line can become a little annoyed. We learned this first hand because although we didn't take advantage, people thought we did because my 70 year old FIL wanted to ride all the thrill rides and people just assumed we were using a ringer. One crowd got so loud the CM actually checked his guest realations pass and his ID to make sure they matched, and then told the crowd that it was legit and we were next in line for TOT. It was a hoot!

Hope this helps.

The card being referred to is called Guest Assistance Card (we call it GAC, to avoid typing so much). In general, people who use wheelchairs or ecvs don't need and won't be given a GAC because just having the wheelchair/ecv alerts the CM that they need an accessible entrance. If that meets your needs, you don't need a GAC. The cards are basically a tool to let the CMs know what invisible disabilities/needs people have.
Most lines are wheelchair accessible, especially in the newer parks, so in most cases parties with wheelchairs will wait the same amount of time as everyone else. Often, you wait in the regular line until just before boarding, then parties with wheelchairs are pulled off to the accessible boarding area. In some cases (the Safari at AK comes to mind), you will actually wait longer.
The card is for the person with a disability plus up to 5 members of their party (6 people including the person with a disability). There may be times when you are asked to split into smaller groups because of attraction capacity in the special needs area for that ride. Since the card is issued to the person with a disability, it should be used only for attractions they will be going on.

Some people have posted they had good experiences with borrowing wheelchairs from the resort. Others have not had such good luck and found the available wheelchair was either not a correct size (extra wide when regular was needed or vice versa) or was not in good condition. People have posted it took anywhere from a few minutes to a few days to get a more suitable wheelchair. You might want to take the contact information for some of the offsite equipment rental places with you when you go to WDW. That way, you can call if a wheelchair from the resort doesn't work out. You can foolw the link in my signature to get to the disABILITIES Board and then look for the FAQ thread at the top of the board.

 

[TravelingJen24]

When my mother and father-in-law travel to Dis with us, we rent them those motorized scooters. They are located off the premises, but will deliver to your room and pick them up. They are rather expensive, about $35 a day (x2 for us) but they are worth it. It gives them the independence to do what they want and Dis will accomodate them. Good luck.

 

[DisneyHumbug]

We took my father and reserved a wheelchair from an off-site rental company (someone recommended it on the disabilities board and they were great!). It was there when we arrived and we just left it when it was time to go home. We were concerned that it would be a problem if there weren't any wheelchairs at the hotel.
My parents had a handicapped room, which turned out well since the bed was lower to the ground and easier to get into and out of.

 

[ChickieToo]

QUOTE

(I)Originally posted by SueM in MN(/I)

The card being referred to is called Guest Assistance Card (we call it GAC, to avoid typing so much). In general, people who use wheelchairs or ecvs don't need and won't be given a GAC because just having the wheelchair/ecv alerts the CM that they need an accessible entrance. If that meets your needs, you don't need a GAC. The cards are basically a tool to let the CMs know what invisible disabilities/needs people have.

SueM, Thanks for the clarificationon on how the system should work. We have gone with people who needed wheelchairs on two different trips about 18 months apart, and had two completely different experiences. The first time, with my mom, we were never asked for a GAC and we went on our way and just did as the CM required as to what line to wait in etc. There were 10 of us total, and we ofter had to split up due to the 6 person limit. However, last October on trip #2 we had both my MIL and FIL in wheelchairs and my niece who is autisic. My niece received a GAC card, but as I said in my original post, we were often asked for one for my FIL when we took him to ride thrill rides. Perhaps its because it was unusual to see a 70 year old man get up out of a wheelchair and get on a roller coaster, I don't know. We finally went and got him a GAC because we thought we had done something wrong by not getting one originally.

And you are correct in that some rides end up having longer waits by using the handicapped line, and others had shorter ones.

Again, thanks for the clarification.

Joanne

 

[SueM in MN]

However, last October on trip #2 we had both my MIL and FIL in wheelchairs and my niece who is autisic. My niece received a GAC card, but as I said in my original post, we were often asked for one for my FIL when we took him to ride thrill rides. Perhaps its because it was unusual to see a 70 year old man get up out of a wheelchair and get on a roller coaster, I don't know. We finally went and got him a GAC because we thought we had done something wrong by not getting one originally.

I think you're probably correct about them wondering if the 70 yo man was just going in the line or if he was actually going on the ride.
According to how it's supposed to work though, he should not have needed a GAC. (Although your niece did because her disability was invisible.

And you are correct in that some rides end up having longer waits by using the handicapped line, and others had shorter ones.

While we are waiting at the exit at certain rides where people with wheelchairs board (for safety and in order to have the wheelchair at the boarding and exit sites), we often see people who were just ahead of us in the main line getting off after riding, while we are still waiting. Our family record was a 40 minute wait at the Safari in AK when people without disabilities were walking right on. We have also arrived back at a ride with fastpasses, only to be told that all the wheelchair spots for that show are already filled and we will need to wait for the next show (Little Mermaid, arriving almost 15 minutes before the show began - well within our fastpass time).

 

[Disney Doll]

I would second the suggestion to rent a scooter from an off-site equipment company so you have it available at all times. You can't always depend on the availability of wheelchairs or scooters at Disney, either through the hotel or the parks. They are on a first-come-first-serve basis remember. I also think it's smart to have one for all the time you are there, not just for the parks. There can be a lot of walking in WDW outside of the parks, in the resorts, to the bus stops, around the Boardwalk etc.

As far as the bathrooms in a 1BR unit. The master BR shower is essentially walk-in, as it has a short (maybe 4 inches high, if that) threshold to step over, but it's not like stepping over the side of a tub. Of course, there are no grab bars and whatnot in a regular shower, so if your relatives need that type of assistance as well, then the handicapped room is the way to go. But if all they ened is a walk--in type shower, then you could probably do with a regular room, but then the ILs would get the master bedroom in the 1BR side and your DH and DS would get the studio side.