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

[Tammy A]

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...?

Thank you.
$20 a day is not bad. We will definitely have to see how my sister does next few months with her amputation. I will talk to her about a scooter and see if she would like to use one while we are there.

 

[Tammy A]

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.

Thank you
I love the Beach Club too! Have you ever noticed that is smells sooo good??

 

[Deb & Bill]

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?

If your sister needs a roll-in shower, OKW is out. It has a step up into the shower (ledge to step over) and the door is only a standard door width opening. Unless you get an accessible master bedroom (that is where the stand alone shower is located). And you'll only have buses from OKW to the theme parks. I used a scooter last year when my hip was bothering me and the bus drivers were very helpful in parking the scooter on the bus. If you rent a scooter, make sure you get one from one of the approved vendors. Otherwise you have to be there to accept the scooter and return it to the vendor. You can't pick them up or leave all of them with Bell Services, only the select few. The one I used I rented the day I needed it. No long time to make arrangements. Check the disABILITIES! board to get more help on scooters. Plus they might be able to help you out with your other concerns for your sister and daughter.

At OKW you have a king sized bed in the master bedroom, two queen beds in the second bedroom, one queen sleeper sofa in the living room and one twin sized sleeper chair in the living room. The sleeper sofa and sleeper chair are not beds and will not be as comfortable as a real bed.

 

[Tammy A]

If your sister needs a roll-in shower, OKW is out. It has a step up into the shower (ledge to step over) and the door is only a standard door width opening. Unless you get an accessible master bedroom (that is where the stand alone shower is located). And you'll only have buses from OKW to the theme parks. I used a scooter last year when my hip was bothering me and the bus drivers were very helpful in parking the scooter on the bus. If you rent a scooter, make sure you get one from one of the approved vendors. Otherwise you have to be there to accept the scooter and return it to the vendor. You can't pick them up or leave all of them with Bell Services, only the select few. The one I used I rented the day I needed it. No long time to make arrangements. Check the disABILITIES! board to get more help on scooters. Plus they might be able to help you out with your other concerns for your sister and daughter.

At OKW you have a king sized bed in the master bedroom, two queen beds in the second bedroom, one queen sleeper sofa in the living room and one twin sized sleeper chair in the living room. The sleeper sofa and sleeper chair are not beds and will not be as comfortable as a real bed.

Thank you for your reply and suggestions.
So my sister moved in with me a year ago when she was released from the hospital. I live in a split entry home in Minnesota. She is on the main floor which is up 5 steps from the entry. She gets around by a walker, wheelchair and then has a prosthetic that she uses (her orthotist is making a new one as this first one hurts her and is not working right for her). My sister has always been strong and athletic so I think that is why she can get around my house, plus we all help her. A small blip or ledge in the shower would be ok as she goes into my bathroom and uses a tub. She does have a chair she uses in the tub and then uses the hand held shower thingy. The big difference too is that she uses her walker to get into the bathroom. I'm not sure if the airlines would let us bring the walker and wheel chair too and if that would cost money?? Otherwise I think we would get her into the shower chair with a robe on and then let her disrobe and shower independently. So now that I think of it the hand held thingy is probably the most important as Disney said they can get us a shower chair to use while we are there.
Sorry, I had to think that through. Probably my biggest concern with Old Key West is that they may not be able to get us a 1rst floor villa and that they dont have a hand held in either of the showers/tubs. You are probably right and Old Key West is out.
I will see if I can find out if the accessible showers or tubs have the hand helds.
Thanks again.

 

[Deb & Bill]

OKW showers and just about all the DVC showers in standard villas (not HA) do not have hand held shower attachments unless they have been added with renovations. The shower controls may be too high for your sister if she needs to sit down. She probably needs the HA shower. The tubs in the master bathrooms at OKW currently are large jetted tubs that take a lot of effort to step into them. They are higher than a standard tub and have a couple of steps up into the tub.

You probably need to stick with a HA bathroom for her.

 

[terri33inne]

If you can swing it budget wise I would definitely do 2 rooms at BC or BW... the close proximity to 2 parks, that doesn't require a bus is such a great option.

 

[Lvsdisney]

Thank you for your reply and suggestions.
So my sister moved in with me a year ago when she was released from the hospital. I live in a split entry home in Minnesota. She is on the main floor which is up 5 steps from the entry. She gets around by a walker, wheelchair and then has a prosthetic that she uses (her orthotist is making a new one as this first one hurts her and is not working right for her). My sister has always been strong and athletic so I think that is why she can get around my house, plus we all help her. A small blip or ledge in the shower would be ok as she goes into my bathroom and uses a tub. She does have a chair she uses in the tub and then uses the hand held shower thingy. The big difference too is that she uses her walker to get into the bathroom. I'm not sure if the airlines would let us bring the walker and wheel chair too and if that would cost money?? Otherwise I think we would get her into the shower chair with a robe on and then let her disrobe and shower independently. So now that I think of it the hand held thingy is probably the most important as Disney said they can get us a shower chair to use while we are there.
Sorry, I had to think that through. Probably my biggest concern with Old Key West is that they may not be able to get us a 1rst floor villa and that they dont have a hand held in either of the showers/tubs. You are probably right and Old Key West is out.
I will see if I can find out if the accessible showers or tubs have the hand helds.
Thanks again.

You should be able to gate check the wheelchair and carryon a walker with no cost to you. I would call your airline to confirm, but that seems to be the standard practice. If gate checking a wheelchair, I highly recommend keeping the leg rests and cushion with you on the plane, so they don't get lost.

 

[Tammy A]

You should be able to gate check the wheelchair and carryon a walker with no cost to you. I would call your airline to confirm, but that seems to be the standard practice. If gate checking a wheelchair, I highly recommend keeping the leg rests and cushion with you on the plane, so they don't get lost.

Thank you Lvsdisney! I was wondering how we were going to do that. It would be wonderful to have both the walker and wheelchair with us on the trip.

 

[Tammy A]

If you can swing it budget wise I would definitely do 2 rooms at BC or BW... the close proximity to 2 parks, that doesn't require a bus is such a great option.

I prefer the Beach Club although I've never stayed at the Boardwalk Inn.

 

[Tammy A]

I haven't been that concerned with 4-5 people to a room; I'm actually more concerned about 9 people to 2 bathrooms (5 being female); maybe 3 rooms at a moderate resort would be a better idea? I still don't like the idea my sister would have to deal with the Riverside buses though. I've heard they are fairly unpredictable. Is there a better moderate resort with more predictable busing?

 

[DisMommyTX]

We have stayed at POR, CSR, AoA, AKL, and Poly. Our worst bus experiences were at the Polynesian, best were Coronado Springs. I read once that CSR tends to have better bus stop locations and optimized routes because Disney is trying to encourage conference attendees to return with their families. I think season and time of day have more influence on buses than resort. I can't wait to walk into EPCOT from Boardwalk on our next trip!

 

[Nancyg56]

I haven't been that concerned with 4-5 people to a room; I'm actually more concerned about 9 people to 2 bathrooms (5 being female); maybe 3 rooms at a moderate resort would be a better idea? I still don't like the idea my sister would have to deal with the Riverside buses though. I've heard they are fairly unpredictable. Is there a better moderate resort with more predictable busing?

The bathroom thing has never been our biggest issue. Given a choice between convenience for your sister and figuring out a bathroom schedule, your sisters convenience wins, hands down.

CSR has had awesome busing, but with the construction I am not sure that the whole convention amenities are in full swing. I woudl suggest you ask on the Coronado Springs forum to see how the buses are running of late.

POFQ is a small compact moderate and I have alwasy found the buses to be very well run.

 

[Tammy A]

We have stayed at POR, CSR, AoA, AKL, and Poly. Our worst bus experiences were at the Polynesian, best were Coronado Springs. I read once that CSR tends to have better bus stop locations and optimized routes because Disney is trying to encourage conference attendees to return with their families. I think season and time of day have more influence on buses than resort. I can't wait to walk into EPCOT from Boardwalk on our next trip!

It is convenient to walk/roll straight into Epcot thru the international gateway. With Park hoppers, being so close to Epcot would allow us many food options; Epcot has our favorite restaurants both table and quick service.