Which resort for a party of 9 including a recent amputee in a wheelchair?

[Tammy A]

My family will be traveling to Disney World from December 15-Dec 21. My sister is handicapped and our party is 9. There are 3 adults, 2 young adults (18 and 19) and 4 kids, (17,17, 14 and 12). I'm not sure if Old Key West would be the best choice with the villas, but then is the bus difficult? Or would 2 rooms at Port Orleans Riverside be better? I'm open to any suggestions. I would be willing to look at Deluxe too. My sister has been through a lot and I want this to be a magical trip.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would pick a villa at a resort near the parks you will visit most. There is no way I would book 2 rooms at POR with 9 people unless there were smaller children in your group

 

[disney144]

What about renting points for OKW? I've heard the 2 bedrooms are great for large groups.

 

[Deb & Bill]

What about renting points for OKW? I've heard the 2 bedrooms are great for large groups.

It's going to be very difficult to rent points for Dec this late in the game.

The bus wouldn't be a problem with a wheelchair, but putting nine grown people into a two bedroom villa would be hard. I think I would book multiple value hotel rooms with one being HA for your sister. You have nine adults in the group who could be the lead name on the reservations (just have to be 18 or older). The younger four would be divided up among the rooms.

 

[Tammy A]

Thank you for your reply.
Hmm. We are Epcot and Animal Kingdom fans but we love Magic Kingdom too. We are from Minnesota so I think we would be those silly people out in the pool when everyone else thinks its too cold. So the pool and hot tub would be important. Because of the parties ages, I see the group splitting up. We are definitely people who would want time to enjoy our resort. Although some days, some of us would want to just stay in the park all day such as the 2 days we go to Animal Kingdom.
The Stormalong Bay pool looks really nice and to be able to walk or roll right into Epcot would be awesome. The Boardwalk Inn looks really nice too. I think my sister's all time favorite resort is the Polynesian; she stayed there about 10 years ago, however it looks like that resort is hard to get into and what they do have is really expensive.

 

[Tammy A]

It's going to be very difficult to rent points for Dec this late in the game.

The bus wouldn't be a problem with a wheelchair, but putting nine grown people into a two bedroom villa would be hard. I think I would book multiple value hotel rooms with one being HA for your sister. You have nine adults in the group would could be the lead name on the reservations (just have to be 18 or older). The younger four would be divided up among the rooms.

That sounds like a good idea. POP looks fun. How is the food court there? Are the buses ever a problem? We could do 3 rooms there.

 

[Tammy A]

What about renting points for OKW? I've heard the 2 bedrooms are great for large groups.

A villa would be nice so we could even cook a couple meals and be able to sit down and have breakfast together. I like the idea of having a washer and dryer and a whirlpool tub!!
Old Key West is close to Disney Springs too; I think my lil sis would love taking the boat to downtown Disney.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It is late and I do not think you can get an HA Villa for any of December on points at this point. I think multiple rooms at Pop or POR will be your better options.

 

[tseitel]

That sounds like a good idea. POP looks fun. How is the food court there? Are the buses ever a problem? We could do 3 rooms there.

Just an FYI, pretty sure there are no hot tubs at the values. If the pool & hot tub are really important I would go with a moderate or higher

 

[melissapealo]

I would lean towards getting multiple rooms at a moderate. That way you have space and the pool/hot tub as well. The only thing with that is that you are not guaranteed connecting rooms or even rooms next to each other. That may be something to consider as well OP.
Have you considered renting a vacation home off property? That would give you even more options with that large of a group. You could rent a van with a wheelchair lift as well. It's not the same as staying on property but would give you space for everyone and keep the group all in the same place.
I think a villa could work as well but might be tight with that many people.

 

[Tammy A]

I would lean towards getting multiple rooms at a moderate. That way you have space and the pool/hot tub as well. The only thing with that is that you are not guaranteed connecting rooms or even rooms next to each other. That may be something to consider as well OP.
Have you considered renting a vacation home off property? That would give you even more options with that large of a group. You could rent a van with a wheelchair lift as well. It's not the same as staying on property but would give you space for everyone and keep the group all in the same place.
I think a villa could work as well but might be tight with that many people.

I like the idea of 3 rooms at Port Orleans Riverside, however I worry about us being separated. I do see that they have a roll in shower available in garden view. Plus I love that the quiet pools stay open later.
I do not think that staying off site would allow the kids as much freedom in that we all would need to travel by van to the park together; if there is a shuttle, how reliable are they at off site hotels?
I know that sticking us all in 2 rooms at the Beach Club, Yacht Club or Boardwalk would be tight but I think that would be the ideal location. We all live together right now as there's my boyfriend and 4 of the kids are mine and then my sister and her 2 kids moved in with us last year so we are used to being together. I was thinking of letting the older kids sit the 14 and 12 year old a couple of evenings and my significant other and I just staying over at the Dolphin just to have a couple nights out. I have stayed at the yacht club, beach club and also stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and Loved all of them.
It would be during the holiday time too so I think Epcot would be very special and I think we would spend a lot of evenings there so there's another plus for staying at one of the Epcot resorts.
One of my boys and one of my girls would be celebrating birthdays (December 19 and 20) on our trip too so we"d be looking to celebrate those too on the trip. My daughter loves Tempanedo and Epcot followed by Holleywood Studeos is her favorites.
I hate to say it but the other concern I have is how comfortable the beds are. My 17 year old daughter is undergoing spinal fusion in September so I'm assuming that we would still be looking for very comfortable, probably firm beds so I need to consider that as well. Her doctor said by December she should be moving around just fine.

When I read my paragraph here, I think, my gosh we need a vacation!

 

[anita46]

Does anyone have SPG points? If so the suites at Dolphin/Swan could be an affordable option.
Also, if it's an option for your sister, have you considered renting a scooter?

 

[Tammy A]

Does anyone have SPG points? If so the suites at Dolphin/Swan could be an affordable option.
Also, if it's an option for your sister, have you considered renting a scooter?

I'm not sure what SPG points are? but I guess I don't have any. She's never used a scooter before. She has a prosthetic that she has been working with. Her orthotist is making a new one as the one she had hurts her to tears. It has special materials coming in from Germany so it will take some time to be made and I would assume it may be ready by December however it takes time for her and the orthotist to work the kinks out of the prosthetic. I know she doesnt mind her wheelchair. It's nothing fancy but allows her to get into little areas. She loves pins and pin trading so I'm sure she will be wanting to be in many of the pin shops. She is such a trooper. If she were to be interested in a scooter, do they have to be reserved far in advance?

 

[anita46]

I'm not sure what SPG points are? but I guess I don't have any. She's never used a scooter before. She has a prosthetic that she has been working with. Her orthotist is making a new one as the one she had hurts her to tears. It has special materials coming in from Germany so it will take some time to be made and I would assume it may be ready by December however it takes time for her and the orthotist to work the kinks out of the prosthetic. I know she doesnt mind her wheelchair. It's nothing fancy but allows her to get into little areas. She loves pins and pin trading so I'm sure she will be wanting to be in many of the pin shops. She is such a trooper. If she were to be interested in a scooter, do they have to be reserved far in advance?

Prayers for a painless solution with your sister's prosthetic.

When we took our father to WDW...now 10 years ago...we rented a scooter from an area rental agency....think it was $20 per day...?

They delivered to the hotel and picked it back up from the hotel 5 days later.

You can also rent them at the theme parks...at least you could 10 years ago...but we have never done this....anyone know if you still can and the rates...?

 

[lanejudy]

anyone know if you still can and the rates...?

Yes, an ECV can be rented in the parks on a first-cone first-served basis. Cost is $50 per day -- so much less expensive to rent offsite.


OP - I do believe onsite is probably better than offsite. Accessible transportation options for a party of your size could be challenging to arrange and potentially very expensive. Offsite shuttles are often coach style buses which may or may not be accessible, and while the resort does need to provide accessible transport, you could end up with limited options and long waits. Onsite WDW transportation is very accessible from any resort, plus you'll have Magicsl Express to/from the airport. Just be sure you inform ME that you will need a bus with a lift.

For resorts, have you checked availability for accessible rooms that suit you sister's needs? You may need to start with that and narrow options from there.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[DisMommyTX]

While offsite has great benefits, I agree that onsite is definitely better in your situation. I ran your dates and the most affordable options (available on the Magical Holidays offers) would be as follows:

2 suites at Art of Animation for $2500 each
3 rooms at Coronado Springs or Port Orleans Riverside for $1500-$1600 each
3 rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge for $2300 each

Technically you could fit into 2 rooms at POR because some sleep 5, but it would be cramped. The AoA suites sleep 6 and are each the size of 2 rooms, so two would be doable.

There were others available, but I think these would be the most enjoyable for your family. Animal Kingdom would be an awesome experience, but CS and POR are pleasant and relaxing as well. I think AoA is the most Disney-fied and fun in a different way. For ease of navigation via wheelchair, I would rank in this order AK then AoA, followed by CS then POR.

Lots of great options! Hope you have a wonderful time together!!

 

[Nancyg56]

I think that convenience is key for your group. If the budget allowed I would try for a deluxe resort, preferably one of the Epcot resorts. Beach Club is my favorite, with easy access to Epcot. I think that if your group is okay sharing space you could get away with two rooms. There is a scooter rental company that brings your scooter to you. I woudl look into that option no matter where you choose to stay.

If you need more space I would choose a moderate resort, but you would need three rooms. My family shares space but we could never manage 5 people in one moderate room. I would look at POR or perhaps CSR. I like POFW but I wonder if that pool would work for you.

No matter where you choose to stay, two rooms or three, there is a chance you will be separated. Disney will try to keep you together, but no promises.

 

[avic77]

My family will be traveling to Disney World from December 15-Dec 21. My sister is handicapped and our party is 9. There are 3 adults, 2 young adults (18 and 19) and 4 kids, (17,17, 14 and 12). I'm not sure if Old Key West would be the best choice with the villas, but then is the bus difficult? Or would 2 rooms at Port Orleans Riverside be better? I'm open to any suggestions. I would be willing to look at Deluxe too. My sister has been through a lot and I want this to be a magical trip.

With the ages of your kids 2 or 3 rooms I think you will be fine with 2 or 3 rooms at one resort. My sister and I travel together and we have 3 adults and 5 teens. We let the teens pair up and go off alone on occasion. It was nice for them to have cousin bounding time and the adults to enjoy things at a slower pace. We felt they were safe to use the internal Disney transportation and keep in touch by cell phone. We would meet us for meals and some days all head to the park together for a few rides and things then split off.
Port Orleans is a beautiful resort very peaceful with a nice pool also you can use the pool at French Quarter so you have 2 themed pools to use.
While the values will save you some money the pools are very simple and no hot tubs I found Port Orleans to be much more relaxing after a long day in the parks.
Make sure your Travel agent or you call and get a "traveling with" number added to your reservations. It will link them all together.

 

[Tammy A]

With the ages of your kids 2 or 3 rooms I think you will be fine with 2 or 3 rooms at one resort. My sister and I travel together and we have 3 adults and 5 teens. We let the teens pair up and go off alone on occasion. It was nice for them to have cousin bounding time and the adults to enjoy things at a slower pace. We felt they were safe to use the internal Disney transportation and keep in touch by cell phone. We would meet us for meals and some days all head to the park together for a few rides and things then split off.
Port Orleans is a beautiful resort very peaceful with a nice pool also you can use the pool at French Quarter so you have 2 themed pools to use.
While the values will save you some money the pools are very simple and no hot tubs I found Port Orleans to be much more relaxing after a long day in the parks.
Make sure your Travel agent or you call and get a "traveling with" number added to your reservations. It will link them all together.

I have found the following options. Some are using the passholder discount which I have decided to purchase as I did 2 years ago and My boyfriend and I found extremely useful. He and I will be going back to Disney in May for his birthday just the 2 of us and then taking my boys next Summer.

Disney's Beach Club resort Lagoon/ Pool view 2 rooms including and accessible roll in shower- $2800-$3000 each
Disney's Boardwalk resort Standard view 2 rooms including accessible Tub- $2500-2700 each
Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort Garden View 2-3 rooms including accessible tub- about $1500 each
Disney's Old Key West Resort 2-Bedroom/sleeps 9 No accessible rooms available technically although shower in Master is not step over; would be easy for sister to shower/ would request 1rst floor villa-$4569. Sandy with reservation said they would link us together and would also get a shower seat in the bathroom for sister.
Looking up discounts, I found that the Old Key West villa is heavily discounted with passholder rate even when compared with the Holiday discount disney has out. Next biggest discount are the deluxes; Passholder discount and Holiday discount are about the same for Port orleans Riverside.

I think any one of these, honestly, we could make work; we are at Disney so already blessed and then we have already been thru so much this year, anything not ideal is really the small stuff.

Do you guys have a favorite out of these that have worked out for your families?

 

[Tammy A]

While offsite has great benefits, I agree that onsite is definitely better in your situation. I ran your dates and the most affordable options (available on the Magical Holidays offers) would be as follows:

2 suites at Art of Animation for $2500 each
3 rooms at Coronado Springs or Port Orleans Riverside for $1500-$1600 each
3 rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge for $2300 each

Technically you could fit into 2 rooms at POR because some sleep 5, but it would be cramped. The AoA suites sleep 6 and are each the size of 2 rooms, so two would be doable.

There were others available, but I think these would be the most enjoyable for your family. Animal Kingdom would be an awesome experience, but CS and POR are pleasant and relaxing as well. I think AoA is the most Disney-fied and fun in a different way. For ease of navigation via wheelchair, I would rank in this order AK then AoA, followed by CS then POR.

Lots of great options! Hope you have a wonderful time together!!

Thank you.
The Animal Kingdom Lodge would be beautiful at Christmas. I will call back and find out what the Passholder rate on that resort would be if there are any rooms under that discount.
What do you think of Coronado Springs? I know they are undergoing some construction?
I did stay 2 years ago in a Cars Suite at the Animation Resort. Although I loved the suites, the food court and the pools, it was August and I think that may have had something to do with us just not feeling as comfortable there. Port Orleans is definitely one of my absolute favorites especially Riverside. If it was just my boyfriend and say my boys going, that would definitely be hands down where we would stay, however with the larger group and then any mobility issues such as trouble with the buses for my sister, that is why I am slightly hesitant about Port Orleans.