A DVC - special needs reservations?

[riu girl]

I am hoping to rent DVC points for Dec 17 - Dec 22, 2006. Part of our vacation will also be at POP (Dec 12 or 13 - Dec 17). When booking POP, I am hoping to book directly with special needs reservations inorder to get a room "blocked".

When booking DVC portion (renting points from a DVC owner), they will have to make the ressie for me. Are they allowed only to enter requests (which as we know the requests may or may not happen), or is there a DVC special needs reservations department (similar to CRO) that will "block" a room for you due to the special needs of one of the people in your family???

Any info. would be greatly appreciated.
Suzy V.

 

[SueM in MN]

We've been DVC members since 1992, so we are well acquinted with making special needs requests.
Member Services takes care of the special needs for anyone staying at a DVC resort on points. If you actually need a handicapped accessible room, they will guarantee that. For other requests, have the member request them as "Medical Needs." They don't guarantee those requests, but they are filled before the general requests, so chances are that you will get what you request. On the reservation confirmation letter, it should say something similar to "for medical reasons". If it doesn't say that, the member can call to confirm that it does say that in the computer.

 

[riu girl]

Thank you for the info.
One more quick question regarding medical requests:

As a "points renter" could I fax the requests through to DVC MS (after the reservation has been made for me by the DVC owner)? I feel that it would be a lot to ask the DVC owner to do this for me (ask for the medical requests).

Would this be too much to request:
1. Non Smoking (due to kids asthma)
2. Close to main pool (not too much walking due to DD7 low muscle tone gets tired easily)
3. Quiet room (perhaps upper floor end unit) on the back of a building (away from the main roads), (need low noise due to SID and ASD tendencies)
4. Room with a tub (calms DD7 SID and ASD tendencies)

Any info. would be greatly appreciated.

 

[spiceycat]

okay if you get a handicapped studio room - there is no a tub. a 1-bedroom has a tub.

and no that list is not too long.

DVC has asked members and guests not to fax requests.

there are only 3 building in OKW that have elevators - most do NOT - so I would think twice about the highest as possible -

most building are 2 levels - some are 3. So you could be going up quiet a few steps.

except for the new buildings 62, 63, 64 - which have the elevators - all the handicapped rooms are on the first floor.

I won't ask for near the main pool - that places is too much for your child.

I would ask to be near a quiet pool or a bus stop.

that doesn't mean you can't visit the main pool a couple of times - just don't make it the main pool for your entire visit.

besides there is not a good location near the main pool - the road is much to busy (my opinion) and the pool is in behind the HH - so nothing is as close to it as say 20 and 19 building are to Miller road pool.
or 55 and 56 building are to South point rd pool.

here is a map

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/okwmap.htm

 

[riu girl]

Thank you for all of the information. I am just looking at the OKW map right now. What about being still near the main pool (maybe in one of buildings 23,24,25,26,27,28 or 29) but on the back of the building. Would that be quiet? Swimming is one thing that is very good for DD7, so I am really hoping to be somewhere in the proximity of the main pool. I don't understand, do all of the non-accessible studio rooms have tubs or not? Do buildings 23 through 29 just have 2 or three levels? If so, maybe I could ask for floor two, end unit and hope that the neighbours above us are quiet.
Looking at the map it is hard to visualize.

Spiceycat: since you are an owner and obviously very knowledgeable about DVC may I ask you (or anyone else) about BCV. We are in fact planning for 12/2006 5 nights OKW, 2 nights POP, followed by 5 nights BCV. I spent a lot of time reading/looking at pictures of SAB today and it looks incredible. But I also read a post about how someone felt it would be easy to lose a child there. DD7 tends to wander/talk to strangers and I was wondering if instead of BCV we should consider BWV. Luna pool looks like it would be easier to keep track of a wandering type child. We are really hoping to do a lot of "pool time" this holiday (just half days in the parksfollowed by late aftenoons by the pool each day) that is why I have so many pool questions.

Any suggestions on this would be so greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Suzy V.

 

[SueM in MN]

Agreeing with spicycat.
The OKW pool had a recently completed renovation which added a slide. Even before the slide, as spicycat posted, it was a pool with a lot of activity, noise and stimulation (my DD did not like to go in that pool because there were a lot of kids doing cannonballs, splashing, etc). With the slide, they will also have a lifeguards, but he/she will more be watching the slide.

The quiet pools at OKW are generally quiet and your DD would probably have an easier time there (you might actually have the pool mostly to yourselves). She would actually be able to swim at one of the quiet pools (as opposed to maybe being too overwhelmed by the activity at the main pool.

Some of the handicapped rooms have tubs with grab bars, others have roll in showers. Requesting a room with a tub is better than requesting not to have a handicapped room. When you check in, before you leave the check in point, they will show you what building it is on the map. You can ask then if there is a tub, what floor it's on, etc. The only buildings wwith elevators are those in the 60s.

For the questions about BCV. We have stayed at both BCV and BWV. One thing to be aware of is that if your room is not near the elevators, you will have a very long walk (some of it may be in the opposite direction you need to go when you get down, so there will be backtracking) to get to the elevators. I would not recommend either resort for someone with mobility problems/limitations unless they have a wheelchair/ecv/special needs stroller for that reason.
Besides the feature pool, both resorts also have a nice, quiet pool you can use. SAB is an awesome pool, but it's sort of like a series of pools and channels, all connected together. Much more like a mini water park than a usual pool. It would not be a good pool for someone who might wander. Each pool area has more than one place you can get out of the pool and the landscaping hides the seating areas from each other. There are also points where you can exit directly onto the walkway that goes along the water side of the Boardwalk area. If you choose to go to BCV, I'd probably plan to spend more time at the quiet pool.
The main pool at BWV is more "pool-like" and would be easier to keep track of someone. The feature at BW is a slide with a large clown face. Some kids (adults too) just don't like that clown face. If your DD has any fears about clowns, that might be a pool to avoid.