value resorts and sensory issues, as well as bus access questions

[Kat77]

I think AS Music is not as "out there" as the other values in terms of colors.

And I second that!
We are staying at a value resort for the first time this August and chose ASMu because it seemed to have the least colorful room decor. Asperger moms and spouses think alike .
SAQ- If you like, I can let you know how it goes and what issues we have (if any) on our trip.

 

[clanmcculloch]

We've never found the busses at Pop to be a problem. One thing we do though is that if the bus is too cramped then we'll wait for the next one. We just returned from Pop 2 weeks ago and I was so pleasantly surprised to see that any time a bus pulled out with anybody left waiting still at the stop, another bus pulled in within minutes. The drivers must have been calling in the fact that they needed another bus. We only once waited more than 5 minutes for a bus anywhere (returning from DHS one day, it was 11:15am when we got to the bus stop and 11:50am when a bus finally arrived and it was HOT and DD12 was already bordering on meltdown so I was VERY aware of the time; it only bothered me because of the pending meltdown which of course isn't Disney's fault). The few times that there were multiple ECVs waiting, a second bus pulled up while the ECVs were being loaded. IMO, the bus situation our whole trip was better than I could have ever expected. Transportation is one of the things we've always been happy with at Pop.

 

[Bete]

and show him pictures of the value resorts. Watch for his reaction to each one especially in his eyes. Ask him which one he likes better. There are plenty of pictures out there showing the inside and outside of the value and moderate resorts. Go to websites like Flickr and do a search for the resorts. DisBoards has pictures, too. AllEarsnet is another good site for resort info. You can narrow down and eliminate some resort sections right off that are near the pools. There's a website ( I don't know how to do a link, here) that shows a map where you can see the resort layout and it identifies preferred rooms and such. Someone here will hopefully know how to give this to you. Pretty much all rooms close to the food court are preferred ones. As a side note: I have an Alzheimer's mother who is wheelchaired bound on trips and I absolutely get the preferred rooms at the values.

I would cut corners somehow to get the funds to opt for the preferred room or a moderate. Eat more peanut butter sandwiches and such. Stretch dinners with potatoes to fill the tum tum. Use noodles and rice to stretch meals, too (like a casserole).

Spend time ahead of time understanding the Disney parks; it can be overwhelming. I wasn't sure if you will have your husband in a wheelchair for the trip. If so, God bless. If you are not, please do it. The walking here is massive and there's a lot of stimulation in the parks, too. With being on overload just being here, to me the wheelchair is a must. Keep in mind that early morning is best and use the extra magic hour in the morning (a disney resort perk), too for the parks. Figure out a plan ahead of time of what rides and such can be done. Don't frustrate your husband by tackling the wrong rides or expecting too much from him. He may be satisfied just to see the shows. The excitement at Disney can overcome you and you want to do it all, but it's not possible sometimes. You can get the Disney vacation video for free by signing up for it and it will give you a fast glimpse at a lot of the rides. Again, let your husband see it; get him use to the enviroment ahead of time. Travel Channel will have specials about Disney World. Also, use fastpass for the more popular attractions. This is not available for all rides/attraction, but when you can use it do it.

Most important is to get your stepson on board for it all. I'm not sure of his age based on your post; so, I'm not sure these suggestions will help. Get him in the loop, too ahead of time about different aspects of the trip. If he is the one pushing the wheelchair he should have some say on where to be resort located, too. Can he opt to throw in some cash to get a better room for the trip for you? Make sure he understands he may have to go on some rides by himself or not at all. You don't want arguments about any of this in front of your husband.

Personally, I do a lot of planning ahead of time to make the trip easier and more pleasant.

Good luck and God bless.

 

[melancholywings]

We've never found the busses at Pop to be a problem. One thing we do though is that if the bus is too cramped then we'll wait for the next one. We just returned from Pop 2 weeks ago and I was so pleasantly surprised to see that any time a bus pulled out with anybody left waiting still at the stop, another bus pulled in within minutes. The drivers must have been calling in the fact that they needed another bus. We only once waited more than 5 minutes for a bus anywhere (returning from DHS one day, it was 11:15am when we got to the bus stop and 11:50am when a bus finally arrived and it was HOT and DD12 was already bordering on meltdown so I was VERY aware of the time; it only bothered me because of the pending meltdown which of course isn't Disney's fault). The few times that there were multiple ECVs waiting, a second bus pulled up while the ECVs were being loaded. IMO, the bus situation our whole trip was better than I could have ever expected. Transportation is one of the things we've always been happy with at Pop.

Can I ask what season this was in? I wonder if they ran less busses when we were there because it was value season and we were in the rope drop crowd.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Can I ask what season this was in? I wonder if they ran less busses when we were there because it was value season and we were in the rope drop crowd.

This was a couple weeks ago. Definitely not value season. We have gone during value season before and never waited more than 10 minutes max for a bus, usually less than 5. We never had the problem of people being left over at the bus stop when a bus pulled away during value season so that much is a moot point for value season; the lines never got long enough then to completely fill a bus.

 

[saveaquarter]

POR is pretty but not that bright. AKL is also pretty toned down. AKL is my favorite resort. All of the value level resorts are pretty bright and also kind of noisy.

I'm an adult autistic and I have sensory issues but mine are with noises.

He has issues with noise as well, but visual stimulation can be a big problem when he gets agitated. Just as an example, the red color of the dalmatian building at All Star Movies is awful for him. He's declared it "too red" and wants nothing to do with it (red is a bad color for him). He literally tastes, smells, and hears that red when he looks at it, and so much of it in one place overloads his senses.

We've never found the busses at Pop to be a problem. One thing we do though is that if the bus is too cramped then we'll wait for the next one. We just returned from Pop 2 weeks ago and I was so pleasantly surprised to see that any time a bus pulled out with anybody left waiting still at the stop, another bus pulled in within minutes. The drivers must have been calling in the fact that they needed another bus. We only once waited more than 5 minutes for a bus anywhere (returning from DHS one day, it was 11:15am when we got to the bus stop and 11:50am when a bus finally arrived and it was HOT and DD12 was already bordering on meltdown so I was VERY aware of the time; it only bothered me because of the pending meltdown which of course isn't Disney's fault). The few times that there were multiple ECVs waiting, a second bus pulled up while the ECVs were being loaded. IMO, the bus situation our whole trip was better than I could have ever expected. Transportation is one of the things we've always been happy with at Pop.

I can say just from the exterior that Pop won't work for us. The foosball table alone, let alone the rest of it, would have him near meltdown. He has synthenasia, and literally tastes, smells and hears colors. From the photos I've seen of the exterior of Pop, it'd be far too much. I'm glad to hear support of the values, though.

and show him pictures of the value resorts. Watch for his reaction to each one especially in his eyes. Ask him which one he likes better. There are plenty of pictures out there showing the inside and outside of the value and moderate resorts. Go to websites like Flickr and do a search for the resorts. DisBoards has pictures, too. AllEarsnet is another good site for resort info. You can narrow down and eliminate some resort sections right off that are near the pools. There's a website ( I don't know how to do a link, here) that shows a map where you can see the resort layout and it identifies preferred rooms and such. Someone here will hopefully know how to give this to you. Pretty much all rooms close to the food court are preferred ones. As a side note: I have an Alzheimer's mother who is wheelchaired bound on trips and I absolutely get the preferred rooms at the values.

I would cut corners somehow to get the funds to opt for the preferred room or a moderate. Eat more peanut butter sandwiches and such. Stretch dinners with potatoes to fill the tum tum. Use noodles and rice to stretch meals, too (like a casserole).

Spend time ahead of time understanding the Disney parks; it can be overwhelming. I wasn't sure if you will have your husband in a wheelchair for the trip. If so, God bless. If you are not, please do it. The walking here is massive and there's a lot of stimulation in the parks, too. With being on overload just being here, to me the wheelchair is a must. Keep in mind that early morning is best and use the extra magic hour in the morning (a disney resort perk), too for the parks. Figure out a plan ahead of time of what rides and such can be done. Don't frustrate your husband by tackling the wrong rides or expecting too much from him. He may be satisfied just to see the shows. The excitement at Disney can overcome you and you want to do it all, but it's not possible sometimes. You can get the Disney vacation video for free by signing up for it and it will give you a fast glimpse at a lot of the rides. Again, let your husband see it; get him use to the enviroment ahead of time. Travel Channel will have specials about Disney World. Also, use fastpass for the more popular attractions. This is not available for all rides/attraction, but when you can use it do it.

Most important is to get your stepson on board for it all. I'm not sure of his age based on your post; so, I'm not sure these suggestions will help. Get him in the loop, too ahead of time about different aspects of the trip. If he is the one pushing the wheelchair he should have some say on where to be resort located, too. Can he opt to throw in some cash to get a better room for the trip for you? Make sure he understands he may have to go on some rides by himself or not at all. You don't want arguments about any of this in front of your husband.

Personally, I do a lot of planning ahead of time to make the trip easier and more pleasant.

Good luck and God bless.

I'm absolutely going to sit down with him and study his reactions to photos of the different resorts. At times he can be very blunt and jst say exactly what he thinks, but there are still times when he's afrad to say things out loud. Watching him carefully is the perfect way to get around that. Preparing him is the best route to go. I've seen a few maps online, I'll have him study those as well, he'll fare better if he can choose his own place.

I do think we're going to have to find a way to afford at the least a preferred room. I'm truly hoping for a moderate, though. We're pretty good at trimming the budget and doing a lot with a little, I know we can do that for a few months until the trip comes around.

Fortunately, both my husband and myself have been to the parks before. It's been a while, but we're not completely unfamiliar. We've ben trying to organize a trip for quite some time, and his planning mind has been wrapping around the most efficient ways to get around and see things without taxing himself too much, and prioritizing what he absolutely can't miss. Luckily, he's not big on thrill rides, and prefers the low key sort of things that tend to come with slightly faster lines (sometimes, that is). This trip will come with the sort of preparation and planning that would put most militaries to change.

My stepson is 10, so his contributions will be minimal, but preparation with him will be even more important. My husband does have a new power wheelchair that he'll be using. He can handle short distances and moving around the house on his own, but going out and about to do anyhing that requires more than 10 or 15 minutes of walking and standing is something he absolutely needs the chair for. It's an Invacare that we picked up a few weeks ago that he's been practicing with, both in and out of crowds.

Thank you so much for all the wonderful tips and ideas. And thank you for being so kind, as well. I'll definitely be putting a lot of them into practice as we put more and more of the plan together.

 

[Bete]

I sure hope he practices turning tight corners and such. Some of the ride queues has twists and turns that would get anyone frustrated. I call it zig zagging through the line. My hubby uses a scooter and it's harder than a power wheelchair to do these twists and turns, but it's not fun with any motorized vehicle. You can't exactly practice for the crowd factor ahead of time, either. I would get one of those flags that extend way up to identify the wheelchair. I've even seen some folks have it on both sides of the wheelchair. It's not so much for you to locate the wheelchair, but it could help other folk to identify you as you travel through the parks.

Also, think about getting a GAC (guest assistance card). You get them at guest services in each park. You don't need a doctor's note to obtain one, but you do need to explain your situation; so, the CM will be able to serve you better with your needs. With sensory issues I think this aid could help you. Others will know more about this than me; so, maybe, they will chime in more.

With a power wheelchair, you will have designated areas (handicap) where you can watch the parades and fireworks and some outside street shows like H.S. Musical at DHS. Although, it's never empty in these areas I think it's better than being wide open in the crowds to watch the parades, etc. Also, there are family public restrooms in the park where you are isolated and private from the rest of the restroom. It's bigger and very handicap accessible. Our group (consisting of 3) fits easily in these family restrooms together.

If there are any signs of a meltdown happening in the park, remember there are first aid stations in each park. They actually are set up with cots in a room where you can rest for a while in private and it's air conditioned there. The park maps will show you where they are located. Another avenue here is to take more breaks with having a drink inside one of the quick service restaurants, etc. I don't like returning to the room; because, it seems too hard and too exhausting to go back to the parks and return later on. The value of the vacation is enjoying the parks, not your room at the resort.

I know funds are tight, but I think it would help if you did a mini adventure somewhere locally. If you have a zoo or a museum nearby this might be a way for your hubby to get use to the power wheelchair in public crowds and such. If you have an amusement park nearby that would be the best practice. I would certainly bring the stepson, too. At 10, he could have his own meltdowns; so, I would like to know how he can be in such enviroments ahead of time.

I think you are good to give it all some thought ahead of time, but something unexpected will probably occur; so, try to stay calm at all costs. CMs can be great assistants if you need them use them.

 

[Schmeck]

I can say just from the exterior that Pop won't work for us. The foosball table alone, let alone the rest of it, would have him near meltdown. He has synthenasia, and literally tastes, smells and hears colors. From the photos I've seen of the exterior of Pop, it'd be far too much. I'm glad to hear support of the values, though.

My younger daughter has synesthesia, and Pop Century is her favorite resort. She sees letters in color, and music appears as colors in her mind as well. I've never heard of synthenasia - do you mean synesthesia, or is it something else? (If it's a typo, I totally understand, I had to retype synesthesia every time I tried to use that word! Also, I can't even say it without messing it up)

 

[clanmcculloch]

I can say just from the exterior that Pop won't work for us. The foosball table alone, let alone the rest of it, would have him near meltdown. He has synthenasia, and literally tastes, smells and hears colors. From the photos I've seen of the exterior of Pop, it'd be far too much. I'm glad to hear support of the values, though.

I can see the values being difficult for somebody with this kind of problem. I'd like to suggest that you take a look at Port Orleans French Quarter. It's a beautiful resort with lots of muted tones and natural greenery. It's a small resort where everything is close to everything and it's very quiet. There's only one bus stop. I would be careful about the food court with the giant Mardi Gras decorations (have him look at pictures before deciding if he should walk in there or not) but everything else is wonderful. The busses to sometimes go to Port Orleans Riverside after French Quarter but since French Quarter is picked up first, it means you get a seat much easier. Overall, I think it's a great resort for somebody looking for lower visual stimulus. It's beautiful but not in-your-face if you know what I mean.

 

[SueM in MN]

They now have space bags that you just roll the air out.. they are called dual valve... before those i use to bring my air mattress pump and never had any problem getting the air out again


as for the TSA i never thought of that
I've been doing it for a few years now and have yet to have a problem... last trip i even brought my kuerig coffee maker in my duffel bag and they didnt search it

I also put my dirty clothes in a s/b just so it doesnt stink up the rest of the clothes and then i used both bags as paddings against my kuerig

I have some of the roll up ones, but they don’t always get all the air out as well and may take more space if you can’t get all the air out.

I also have seen posts from people who brought the kind that a vacuum is needed for and then had to buy an extra bag to make everything fit. So, good reminder to get the dual valve kind.

-the food courts can be crazy, especially in the morning and evening; you can ask for food to go; we often send the first person ready to the food court in the morning to get the food and then eat it in the room
-the gift shops are also crazy in the evening, you will want to shop at other times
- the arcades are very overstimulating and quite crazy in the evening and when it is raining
- don't forget that you can order food from gardengrocer.com if your son is picky so that you will have food on hand, my DD eats just about anything! but my brother and sister-in-law did this when they went
-the only time I have found the buses to be a major issue is at closing time; if you stay for any of the evening activities take your time getting out or be prepared for some insanity; the other time the buses can be crazy is in the AM for the park that has EMH so we avoid those
- if your room location is too noisy, ask to be moved; most of the time they can do this unless the resort is completely booked

Have a great time!

Very good hints.
For the ‘leaving park time’ - we do wait after evening activities until the crowds going by are clearing. That can sometimes be as little as a 10 minute wait.
Going immediately will almost always mean walking out in a large crowd where you will always be less than an arm’s reach in any direction from other guests. You basically won’t be able to stop without people running into you and will need to pretty much go where the crowd is taking you. The bus line will be large.
Waiting a few minutes will usually mean a leisurely walk out with many feet between you and other parties. If you see the bus line is long, you can find a quieter place off the main pathway where you will be able to wait until the line is shorter.

Personally, I find the blankets at many of the resorts (including values) to be itchy. So, packing a comfy blanket is probably a good idea.

Also, for the most part, I have found the CM's at the values to be great in terms of room requests. I have always gotten the section I wanted. You could have it noted on the reservation that a quiet area is preferred. No way to predict who your neighbors are, though.

The neighbor part is important - if you have very noisy neighbors, you may be able to move, but there is no guarantee that a new place will be any quieter.

There's a website ( I don't know how to do a link, here) that shows a map where you can see the resort layout and it identifies preferred rooms and such. Someone here will hopefully know how to give this to you.

THis is a link to the DIS site’s resort map page. You can look at maps for individual resorts and compare locations, etc.

This is a link to the DIS site’s resort index page. You can find links here to a page for each WDW resort, which contains information about that resort, a link to the resort map and to pictures of that resort.

I sure hope he practices turning tight corners and such. Some of the ride queues has twists and turns that would get anyone frustrated. I call it zig zagging through the line. My hubby uses a scooter and it's harder than a power wheelchair to do these twists and turns, but it's not fun with any motorized vehicle. You can't exactly practice for the crowd factor ahead of time, either. I would get one of those flags that extend way up to identify the wheelchair. I've even seen some folks have it on both sides of the wheelchair. It's not so much for you to locate the wheelchair, but it could help other folk to identify you as you travel through the parks.

I would personally not recommend those flags. They are at eye level for walkers and can become a hazard in themselves. I guess my feeling is that if they don’t see my DD’s power wheelchair, the flags are not going to make that much impact.
It is different on a bicycle where cars and other traffic is moving in specific lanes and the general environment is not as ‘exciting’ as WDW. At WDW, traffic is moving in all directions at the same time and everything is bright and attention grabbing.

Also, think about getting a GAC (guest assistance card). You get them at guest services in each park. You don't need a doctor's note to obtain one, but you do need to explain your situation; so, the CM will be able to serve you better with your needs. With sensory issues I think this aid could help you. Others will know more about this than me; so, maybe, they will chime in more.

THere is more information about Guest Assistance Cards in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread (the thread is near the top of this board or you can use the link in my signature to get there).

With a power wheelchair, you will have designated areas (handicap) where you can watch the parades and fireworks and some outside street shows like H.S. Musical at DHS. Although, it's never empty in these areas I think it's better than being wide open in the crowds to watch the parades, etc.

The handicapped parade (and Illuminations at Epcot) viewing areas are well marked on the park maps. For the day parades, check them out ahead of time because some are in direct sun, which you may be able to avoid by parking somewhere else.
The CMs do park the wheelchairs, ECVs, strollers being used as wheelchairs very closely together across the front of the viewing area. They are commonly placed close enough together to be almost touching and the rest of your party will be asked to stand behind the wheelchair. That works fine for some people, but others find it is just too close. In that case, it may work better just to find a spot along the route where you can park the wheelchair and have other members of your party around as ‘buffers’.

Also, there are family public restrooms in the park where you are isolated and private from the rest of the restroom. It's bigger and very handicap accessible. Our group (consisting of 3) fits easily in these family restrooms together.

There is more information about the Companion Restrooms in one of the posts on the disABILITIES FAQs thread. They are set up for guests with disabilities and do meet the ADA guidelines for handicapped bathrooms.
They are single toilet rooms with a door and if there are more than one person in the room, there is no privacy from the other people in the room.

The problem we have run into is that since people are using them as Family restrooms, they are very busy and some of the people waiting are not very patient for people who need extra time. They may knock on the door and be generally rude if you need more than 5 minutes in the restroom.
We usually do not use the Companion Restrooms at MK because they are the busiest and have the most families. If you need space for more people, MK also in general, has the smallest Companion Restrooms.

If there are any signs of a meltdown happening in the park, remember there are first aid stations in each park. They actually are set up with cots in a room where you can rest for a while in private and it's air conditioned there. The park maps will show you where they are located. Another avenue here is to take more breaks with having a drink inside one of the quick service restaurants, etc. I don't like returning to the room; because, it seems too hard and too exhausting to go back to the parks and return later on. The value of the vacation is enjoying the parks, not your room at the resort.

We have used First Aid in each park many times and I agree they are very nice. The rooms are nice, dim, cool and quiet; the staff is also very nice. Each First Aid also has a handicapped accessible restroom inside.