VWL Studio Room Report

[5infam]

On the stroller thing - we have 2 smaller kids, 2 and 4 and we use a double stroller. The only difference may be is that our stroller is one seat in front of the other, which means we are longer, but not wider. We bought this stroller when our third child was born because we saw so many people at Disneyland (which we frequent often) trying to push around the double wide ones. Its pretty near impossible to get around in a crowded area with the double wide ones - so if you have a choice when buying, try and find one where seating is back to back. I am definitely not flaming those that have double wide ones, but just wanted to point out there are 2 kinds that fit 2 kids. With that said, we just got back from WDW and there were several times where my 2 year old was pushing my stroller - why you may ask - because it was the only way I could get her to calm down!!! She loves pushing the stroller, albeit for only 5 or 10 minutes at a time. When she wants to push, we let her push. Also, I can assure you we do not use our stroller for packages as we have souveniers sent back to our resort, but the bottom of my stroller is filled with bags - water, snacks, diapers, camcorder and camera bags. As far as buses go, because I have a lot of bags in my stroller, as soon as we see the bus coming we unload the kids and the bags, my DW and kids get on the front of the bus and then ask the driver to open the back so I can get on with the stroller. This way, I am not hitting anyone on the way to the back of the bus, and I really try not to take up any extra seats with the stroller either. I think if people were a little more curtious with their strollers (when possible) others that are complaining may not complain as much...and hopefully some of what I said will help those complaining understand a little more. Again I am not flaming either side - just trying to help everyone see both sides

 

[Granny]

WolfpackFan....thanks for the great report and your opinions on VWL studios. It's encouraging to hear how much you liked it!

As for the stroller thing....I ain't touchin' that one!!

Thanks for posting your impressions of VWL studio and I'm glad you had a great trip. Somehow, that point seems to have gotten lost on this thread.

 

[KNWVIKING]

***"Somehow, that point seems to have gotten lost on this thread."***

Grannie's right. I shouldn't have focused on the negative.

i think I'm going to request 2531 specifically for my upcoming Dec trip. Probably won't help, but it's worth a try.

 

[lenshanem]

I am thankful I can walk around the parks all day and there might very well be a point in my life that I might need an ECV as I'm only 32, but have both scoliosis and spinal osteoarthritis. I go to physical therapy and believe me there are days that I want to simply cry cause my three year old wants to hang all over me like a monkey. Back pain is one of those things people can't "see" so they don't understand how you feel.

I'm not complaining about people using ECVs or strollers for their older children. I understand there are people that can't walk around all day regardless of their age. But, I can't even count on my hands how many times either myself or someone in my family has been run over by either an ECV or a stroller without even an apology.

My point is like I said earlier in this thread that in both situations (ECV and stroller) people need to be more aware of others, especially if they are not used to driving one. There are alot of little kids walking around these parks.

Hopefully we'll only have a few more trips with a stroller, but I try to pay attention to where I'm pushing and if I ever bumped into someone you can bet I'd be apologizing cause I know it hurts!

Oh, and let me add that parents who use strollers are definitely not lazy! It is not fun pushing around one of those things all day for sure and the older your child gets the heavier it is to push.

 

[SueM in MN]

On the original subject: Glad to hear you liked WL. It is a very impressive resort.
On the other subject: I think people need to remember that WDW is full of a lot of people (some with strollers, some without; some with wheelchairs or ecvs and some without) who are on their first trip to the "world" and really are so overwhelmed with everything that they are not paying as much attention as they should.
Some of those people bump into or run into others. If they are walking, the people they bump into probably don't pay that much attention, or they (or the people they run into) can move out of the way quickly enough that no collision occurs. If they are using a double stroller, wheelchair or ecv, people do notice because those are out of the ordinary things.

Other things to think about.

• People driving wheelchairs or ecvs might not see others.
  Someone in a wheelchair or ecv are sitting low to the ground and can't see as far ahead as someone who is walking (people often comment that they like to drive SUVs on the highway because they have a better view of the road - same deal here; ambulatory people have a much better view of what's coming because they can see farther ahead of them). ECV and wheelchair drivers also get blocked views - when you are moving along at "behind" level, you miss a lot of ability to see what's ahead of you.
• People don't see wheelchairs or ecvs.
  Walking along, people expect to see adults at close to adult eye level and just don't notice wheelchairs or ecvs. People driving wheelchairs and ecvs often comment that they become "invisible" once they sit down (one frequent poster jokes that her DH says she'd be perfect at bank robbery because no one ever notices her once she's using her ecv). Because of this, people frequently walk or step out in front of wheelchair/ecv drivers without noticing that anyone is there.
• Body image
  Each of us has a mental picture of how much space they take up that helps us decide whether a space is too narrow or short, etc for us to go thru. My DD's mental picture includes her wheelchair because she has used one since she was almost 3. She doesn't have to think about the extra space her wheels take up next to her or that her wheelchair "body" extends a few inches beyond her feet (or even that her body is moving along in a seated position - which takes up more space in front of her). She doesn't have to think about it because her body image has always included those things.
  Someone who uses a wheelchair or ecv occasionally (or even a stroller) doesn't carry that mental picture of the space they take up; their automatic picture of themselves is walking around, which takes a much smaller space. So, when they come close to someone else, they may come closer than they intend. And people may come closer to them, since people's mental image of another adult does not include their feet sticking out 2 feet farther than their head.
• Wheelchairs and ecvs don't have brakes.
  The only ability to stop they have is for the driver stop giving them power. They don't have any brakes, so they can't stop quickly.

You do see more wheelchairs and ecvs in WDW than out in the "regular" world. One of the reasons is, for someone in a wheelchair, it's a relatively friendly place. Almost all the transportation is wheelchair accessible (it isn't in the "real" world), where there are stairs, there are also ramps (not so in the "real" world) and, if they say something is accessible, it usually is (no "wheelchair accessible rooms" at WDW that include 2 steps to get in the door like we have found in the "real" world).
There are also a lot of people who don't NEED a wheelchair or ecv in their everyday life, but DO when they visit WDW. (Not too many people walk 3-10 miles a day).

 

[lenshanem]

Thanks Sue for your post. It was interesting to read about body image. That makes alot of sense.

 

[SueM in MN]

Originally posted by lenshanem
Thanks Sue for your post. It was interesting to read about body image. That makes alot of sense.

I'm glad you found it interesting.
It is something that most people are not aware of, but it does make a lot of things easier to understand.
I've seen it in action where I thought my DD's wheelchair WOULD fit somewhere, she thought it would NOT (and guess who was right) or places that I thought were too tight, but she mananged to get thru with an inch or 2 on each side to spare.