Which hotel for disabled?

[donnabc]

I am traveling next year with my mother who has trouble with her knees. She can't walk long distances (we plan to get her a motorized scooter for the parks). But where is the best place to stay?
It would need to have an elevator
And accessible transportation near to the room

I have only stayed at POP and this was definately NOT the place for my mom! Only one elevator per very large building. Parking was quite far away as were the buses. And when leaving the parks, POP was the absolute LAST line for buses...much too much walking.

I was thinking about maybe somewhere that has the boats or monorail. They drop off closer and seem to have less of a wait.

Any suggestions?

 

[johndavid]

I would highly recommend the WL. We stayed there in 2000 with my 80 yr old grandmother and her older sister, both used wheelchairs while we were there. Having everything under one roof made it possible for them to have some independence. Bus transportation was great. Boats were iffy, sometimes you couldn't roll the wheelchair on to the boats (depended on the water level).

 

[Lou-Ann]

I agree that the WL is a great place to be and is very easy to get around but there is that big hill to get to the Roaring Forks to deal with. We have found that POFQ is much less walking than anywhere else. I have bad knees as well . I use a scooter in the parks but like to feel a bit free to walk to breakfast and get a bit of needed exercise that way. Nothing is very far at this resort and it is much less $$ than the Lodge. The Lodge is very dear to me but I get around easier on my own at POFQ.

 

[michellex2]

I decided on AKL for my elderly mother who uses a wheelchair. Hallways are indoors in case it rains and the dining options were better for her than WL. Whispering Canyons at Wilderness Lodge is very loud with lots of interaction with the staff, pony races, etc. and I knew that she would not find that relaxing, while Boma and Mara at AKL were mellower options. I was told that the hallways at AKL can be very long, so it was suggested that you ask for a room near the elevator or near the lobby on the 3rd floor (entrance level) FOR MEDICAL REASONS. (If it is a medical request it is guaranteed vs. a request.)

 

[whimsey]

Another vote for the WL. Used my power chair there and I could have been totally independent. The boats were a wonderful form of transportation, very relaxing with beautiful views and I loved the path to the boat launch. I could zip over to Roaring Forks, pick up some breakfast and go park myself by the pool to enjoy the morning. No problems going to the boat/bike rental. I had a grand time tooling over to Fort Wilderness ( another great path ) with my family. I remember when we sent out on that little jaunt, my family, DD x 2, DH, DSIL and DGD were all riding bikes. I decided that I would be thoughtful and wait for my family, after all they were on bikes and I was in a power chair. Didn't want to outrun them. I clung to that delusion for the 17 seconds it took my DGD to blow right past me.
Really, the WL is a really great place to stay with limited mobility but I've also stayed at CSR and POFQ with no major complaints. Negotiating the resorts was no problem but I had a problem with the bus transportation. No problems due to Disney, just always felt like I was holding other guests up while being loaded into the bus.
Hope you enjoy your visit wherever you choose to stay.

 

[AJKMOM]

There is a separate forum here at the DIS called "disAbilities". It's further down the list. You could check out the threads there.

 

[minnie61650]

There is a separate forum here at the DIS called "disAbilities". It's further down the list. You could check out the threads there.

Good Advice!
No resort has the least amount of walking. The buses/boats/monorails are always too far from the main gate when one has a painful time walking!
Walking from the paking lot to the EVC rental is too far for most with a disablity.
Another thing to consider is there is a limited amount of EVC's for rent.
If you get to park in late morning they might be all taken. If you deside to leave and go to another park or to park hop they may not be available to rent.


I would suggest that because of mobility issues she should rent an EVC
from an offsite company.
I have a disability and have rented mine from Care Medical (800-741-2282) and Walker Mobility (888-726-6837) in the past. I would recommend either one.The cost is about $30 a day. The ones at the parks cost $35 a day and are bigger and have 4 wheels kinda like a golf card. They are harder to steer and to control. If she rents from an offsite rental they will deliver the EVC to bell services at the resort. She can use it to go to the pool, and food court as well as the bus stop. If she is not familar with a scooter have her practice at a store before the trip.Walmart and Target as well as several stores have them for customers.
Almost all the Disney buses are accessible. I love using my EVC it gives me more indepence and helps keep my pain to a minimum. I just back my EVC into the room, plug it in and I ready to go to the parks in the morning.
If you do rent an EVC from an offsite company be aware that she may not be able to take the boats as transportation. Depending on the water level the diffence between the dock and boat may be too great . That is one reson I have never stayed at WL since the way to get to MK from WL is by boat.
Here are a couple of threats about scooters and transportation:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713
post 4 gives info on EVC and the buses

http://www.disboards.com/showthread...heelchair+boats
This thread is about EVC's and boats


Enjoy your trip at Disney and make sure uses a wheelchair or an EVC in the parks.
EVC's are more expensive but it is well the cost to me. I don't feel like I'm holding up my group when I use the EVC.
Have fun!

 

[twojo21]

i would say one of the monorail resorts either the contemporary or the grand floridian, both have newer elevators, nice restaurants, entertainment & good service. the monorail access to magic kingdom & the ttc with epcot is priceless for someone less mobile.

 

[Michigan]

You need to remember that there is no elevator at the TCC monorail stop. It is a very steep hill going up and down.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would suggest the Contemporary Tower. The rooms are large, everything is indoors, and nothing is far from the elevators. The monorail station is inside the building so you can get to MK and EC on the monorail. You can also visit the Poly and GF for their restaurants.m Only AK and MGM will you need a bus, and the bus stop is right outside the entrance to the building.

 

[minnie61650]

You need to remember that there is no elevator at the TCC monorail stop. It is a very steep hill going up and down.

That is another reason I will not stay at a Monorail resort.The ramp was built before the Disabilities act and the grade is too steep to handle an EVC.
You will not be able to get to Epcot from TTC by monorail if you are using an EVC. .

 

[Cheshire Figment]

That is another reason I will not stay at a Monorail resort.The ramp was built before the Disabilities act and the grade is too steep to handle an EVC.
You will not be able to get to Epcot from TTC by monorail if you are using an EVC. .

That is strange. When I go to MK I tend to park at the TTC and never have a problem going up or down the ramp with my ECV. I also remember one time recently I was with a group at Epcot and we went to Chef Mickey's for dinner using the monorail both ways and had no problems at all, even with the ramps between the local and Epcot beams.

 

[RaySharpton]

I am traveling next year with my mother who has trouble with her knees. She can't walk long distances (we plan to get her a motorized scooter for the parks). But where is the best place to stay?
It would need to have an elevator
And accessible transportation near to the room

I have only stayed at POP and this was definately NOT the place for my mom! Only one elevator per very large building. Parking was quite far away as were the buses. And when leaving the parks, POP was the absolute LAST line for buses...much too much walking.

I was thinking about maybe somewhere that has the boats or monorail. They drop off closer and seem to have less of a wait.

Any suggestions?

Hi, donnabc. I have never stayed at a monorail resort before, they all seem convenient.

When I first got my scooter, I wanted to explore all of those places that I couldn't walk before. And this was usually outside the parks and at many of the resorts and the grounds around the resorts.

If you have a scooter that can be broken down into pieces and placed in a trunk, then you can go just about anywhere. But I prefer not to break down my scooter every day. It is so much easier staying in a WDW resort and using WDW transportation.

I loved Old Key West Resort. I travelled from my studio to the resort restaurant and I even followed a paved walking path from OKW to SSR to DTD. I did say that I liked to explore...lol.

Recently, I spent three days at a studio at Boardwalk Villas and I had a wonderful time. Unlike OKW, where they had separate buildings, the BWV was one building complex.

I could use the elevators or ride to the bus that had a roof cover all of the way and transport to MK or AK or other resorts. And then there was the Boardwalk itself with all of the restaurants. I liked watching monday night football at the ESPN restaurant on the Boardwalk.

And I could use a boat launch to go to Epcot, MGM, Beach Club, Swan and Dolphin.

Just being able to get around without worrying about whether you could make it walking was a relief.

Let her explore the internet to see what there is to see at WDW. And let her practice using a scooter. She may want to see a lot of the resorts too.

If you do use a car to transport the scooter, those resorts with valet are very helpful because they ususally have a covered entrance in case it is raining. Resorts like, WL, AKL, GF, Poly, CR, BW, BC, YC, Swan and Dolphin all have basically one building for their resort in case of rainy weather if that makes a difference.

Have a great time.

Sincerely, Ray

 

[spiceycat]

GF, Poly, CR have multiply building.

if you want something close to your car - then I would go with OKW or Polyn.

all the building at OKW are close to parking. Ask for a handicapped room in both places. you will be close to parking.

at OKW most (if not all) the handicapped rooms on the first floor.

In the Polyn, they are in a special building.

valet parking is free for handicapped guests at most of the WDW resorts. You still need to tip.