Universal Hotels with roll-in showers?

[BillSears]

I'm starting to plan a trip in mid May 2021. I'm a paraplegic/full time wheelchair user who requires a room with a roll-in shower. I've never stayed onsite at Universal so I have no idea how they handle the roll-in shower requirements. I'll be driving down and will have my car if I need it. So I have a few questions and would happily accept any extra tips. I've visited Universal twice in the past but both of them I stayed off-site.

Is there any advantages to the various hotels with Express Pass? Since I use a wheelchair I'm concerned about access along with other things. I'm traveling solo so would it make more sense to add on the pass and stay at a cheaper hotel? I prefer a pretty laid back hotel so I'm thinking Hard Rock is not for me.

How do you reserve a roll-in shower room? With Disney I just click that little wheelchair symbol button and the roll-in shower rooms pop up.

Are the beds in the roll-in shower rooms lower beds? At Disney and many other hotels the rooms with roll-in shower have lower beds that make it easier for a wheelchair traveler to get into. For example I like beds at about 22" but I've seen "normal" beds as high as 34". I can do 18"-26" but outside of that range I can't get into the bed.

Any other tips for wheelchair users at Universal? Thanks all!

 

[mamabunny]

I'm starting to plan a trip in mid May 2021. I'm a paraplegic/full time wheelchair user who requires a room with a roll-in shower. I've never stayed onsite at Universal so I have no idea how they handle the roll-in shower requirements. I'll be driving down and will have my car if I need it. So I have a few questions and would happily accept any extra tips. I've visited Universal twice in the past but both of them I stayed off-site.

Is there any advantages to the various hotels with Express Pass? Since I use a wheelchair I'm concerned about access along with other things. I'm traveling solo so would it make more sense to add on the pass and stay at a cheaper hotel? I prefer a pretty laid back hotel so I'm thinking Hard Rock is not for me.

How do you reserve a roll-in shower room? With Disney I just click that little wheelchair symbol button and the roll-in shower rooms pop up.

Are the beds in the roll-in shower rooms lower beds? At Disney and many other hotels the rooms with roll-in shower have lower beds that make it easier for a wheelchair traveler to get into. For example I like beds at about 22" but I've seen "normal" beds as high as 34". I can do 18"-26" but outside of that range I can't get into the bed.

Any other tips for wheelchair users at Universal? Thanks all!

I know not a ding-dang thing about Universal - just glad to see your face here again!

Edited to add: I take that back - we were going to plan a 2020 trip to Uni (prior to the pandemic sucking all the fun out of 2020) and we did learn that you have to call Uni directly to book a roll-in shower room? I guess - because like Disney - they "hard book" those rooms, they don't even list them on their website.

I thought by now they might have changed that, but I guess not?

 

[BillSears]

Hi Mamabunny! I posted this also in the Universal part of DISBoards. They told me you select the roll-in shower room towards the end of the online registration process. So you don't see it at the beginning screen but it is an option before you pay.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Hi Mamabunny! I posted this also in the Universal part of DISBoards. They told me you select the roll-in shower room towards the end of the online registration process. So you don't see it at the beginning screen but it is an option before you pay.

another one stopping to say missed you and I have never stayed at Universal so no help, times I was there were MAW trips with grandsons

 

[BillSears]

Thanks Betty. I was pretty bummed about having to cancel 5 trips for May 2020-February 2021 so I stayed away from the boards for a while. It was going to be a huge WDW year before COVID hit. But I'm scheduled for my first vaccine shot tomorrow and I'll be ready for my trip by May. Now if only Disney would start selling Annual Passes again so I can do multiple trips this year.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thanks Betty. I was pretty bummed about having to cancel 5 trips for May 2020-February 2021 so I stayed away from the boards for a while. It was going to be a huge WDW year before COVID hit. But I'm scheduled for my first vaccine shot tomorrow and I'll be ready for my trip by May. Now if only Disney would start selling Annual Passes again so I can do multiple trips this year.

get my first vaccine on Wednesday

 

[olive]

We stayed at Universal with my parents, and my father needs a roll in shower. We did a split stay at Cabana Bay and Portofino. They really liked both resorts. The rooms at Portofino are large, so there was plenty of space for the ECV, and my father had his roll in shower for the transfer chair. At Cabana Bay we got family suites, which again provided room for the ECV and they were able to get a roll in shower for the room. Not sure if this would be relevant for you, but at Cabana Bay they were also able to get us connecting suites which was really nice. It was a wonderful trip! My parents were really happy with how everything worked out. My dad even used the pool at Portofino with the lift. (He is a double amputee below the knee.) I don't remember if he used the pool at CB.

ETA that when we stayed at CB, instead of bothering with the shuttle to the parks, we just walked (and in his case, rolled) to the parks each day. The walkway in pretty. When we were at Portofino, we took the boat over. They have a ramp that they put out for wheelchair users to roll in and out.