Accessible Disney hotel - economy

[ginny_tulsa]

Hello. I'm new to this board and glad to find it. Can someone help me decide which of the Disney budget hotels (All-Star Movies, Music or Sports or Pop Century Resort) would be best for someone in a power chair. Need roll-in-shower, etc. in bath and interested in access throughout the grounds, public areas and to transportation as well. We'd also consider a moderate-priced if worth the difference. Thank you. Ginny

 

[Figaro]

Hi ginny! We've stayed at Music, Sports, Port Orleans French Quarter, Coronado Springs and the Swan. Our favorite for accessibility is the Swan because it is first on and first off for the buses and so easy to walk to Epcot and the Studios. Well, for my spouse to walk and me to roll(smile).

Port Orleans French Quarter was nice because it is so small, which made getting around relatively easy and it only had one bus stop. I'm not sure if the value resorts share a bus or not, as the last time we stayed there, they each had their own. If they are sharing, I can tell you from experience that making sure you are at the resort that is first to load saves a fair number of hassles. The bus will arrive empty and so no one ends up having to move or be shifted around to load the wheelchair. This ended up being such a hassle for everyone when we stayed at Coronado Springs that we just ended up taking the car to every park except for the Magic Kingdom and made sure that we walked/rolled all the way to the first bus stop at the resort to wait for the bus.

Every roll-in shower that I've used has been sloped a bit differently and I have learned to ask for extra towels so that my spouse can build a dam of rolled up bath towels to keep the carpet from getting wet. We don't eat much at the food courts (my spouse usually just would pick up stuff and we would eat back at the room together), so I don't know how they are as far as accessibility.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi Ginny -- Welcome to disABILITIES.

I have never stayed in an accessible room, but can provide the following information.

Almost all the accessible rooms have a King bed instead of two doubles. This is because the bathrooms are at the back of the room and they have to be built out to handle the wheelchairs and the larger shower. Therefore, there is less space in the main part of the room.

All the value Resorts (AS & PC) rooms are 260 square feet. Two of the moderates (PO & CS have their rooms at 314 SF. The largest of the moderates is Caribbean Beach, where the rooms are 340 SF.

As far as the buses are conceerned -- For the value resorts there is only one stop at each hotel, and that is at the main building, but different loading bays for each destination. The moderates all have several bus stops without separate bays; since I nomally don't use the buses I'm not sure of the routes/sequences within the moderates, but possibly someone else can give this information.

Please ask anything you can think of; those of us who are regulars are always willing to assist.

Mike

 

[ginny_tulsa]

Thanks very much to both of you. So, it sounds as though it need to locate a bus schedule (perhaps the resort(s) will provide) and then look for a resort with a triple room (or change plans and take 2 doubles)? Any other ideas on where to get the bus schedule in case the resorts can't provide? Ginny

 

[Figaro]

ginny, I think the bus schedules can change depending on how busy it is at WDW. We go pretty much always during the off-season, and the buses go Swan to Dolphin to Yacht Club to Beach Club and sometimes the Boardwalk, which is why we stay usually at the Swan and if we are staying at the Dolphin, will walk over to the Swan to catch the bus there.

At Coronado Springs the buses have a set round of the bus stops at the resort and I am sure someone at the resort can tell you what they are. When we stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter the bus would stop at the one bus stop out in front of the French Quarter resort and then go from there to Port Orleans Riverside and make the rounds of the stops there before heading off to the parks. I would guess that Carribean Resort would have the same thing, but there will be one bus stop that the buses stop at first in the resorts with multiple bus stops before they go to the other stops and the CM's at the resorts should be able to tell you which bus stop is first.

When we stayed at the All Stars (off-season), the All Star Music and All Star Sports shared buses and (this was a few years ago)(smile), each resort had one bus stop and Sports was the first on and first off bus stop (bus would go to All Star Sports, pick up people and then go to All Star Music bus stop) while Movies had its own buses. I would bet that the people over on the Transportation Board would be able to answer any more specific questions.

And I think there are some roll-in shower rooms that are doubles, but I don't know for sure, since it is just my spouse and I and we have never needed an accessible double bed room. Sue will be along with the number to call (Special Services) and the people who work there are wonderful and hopefully they can answer any questions that you have.

 

[Absimilliard]

Its has a king bed and the bathroom is completely roll in!The only thing separating the shower from the toilet is a curtain.

What size is your powerchair? If its around the same size as a push wheelchair, you'll be fine.

 

[SueM in MN]

Looks like you got a lot of good information.
Here's the phone number for WDW Resort Special Reservations:
(407) 939-7807
(407) 939-7670 [TTY]
They deal with special needs and special needs requests and should be able to give you some more ideas about what the differnt resorts have to offer.

As for the buses, Some of the resorts always have a fixed way that the buses go round (I think CBR is like that because the roadway that goes around the resort was set up to make that the way to go). Some of the others might change their route sometimes. I know OKW is like that where sometimes one loop is first and sometimes that loop is last.

 

[pampam]

The All stars were fine for us, but we use a manual w.c. They have a kingsize bed as absimillard explained, but you can get adjoining rooms. Also, they have a small fridge in the room, but there is less drawer space because of it. The room will very easily accomodate 2 people. If you are concerned about sharing buses, I'd suggest staying at all Star Sports, since if the buses are shared(not usually), but if they are , they pick up at Sports first.