Ethical Question- Accessibility Rooms

[Sandisw]

Understood, but I have not made room requests which could only result in a HA room.

Once I purposely tried making a room request which could not be filled with a HA room. They ignored my request and put me in an HA room anyway.

I just think you have bad luck…then again, maybe because you had them so much that there is something there that leads them to believe it’s needed?

That may be a great question to send to MS and to make sure no such thing exists! We have had them a few times…don’t make requests either…but most often, have gotten non HA rooms.

 

[Sally524]

Yup. I don't want an accessible room, and I have never booked one, but I have received one numerous times. It almost makes me wonder if there is something buried in the system which makes the room assigner think I want one.

I always put in the room request that it not be an HA room if possible. That seems to work.

 

[Best Aunt]

I always put in the room request that it not be an HA room if possible. That seems to work.

Ooh, that's what I want to try next time!

But with my bad luck, they will probably accidentally leave out the word "not" when typing in the request, and make it look like I want to be in an HA room LOL.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Due to mobility issues, I need a shower. So, if I am not booking, Poly, Riviera or GF, and if I am booking a studio, I book a studio with a roll in shower. Well, at least three times when I book GF, they have given me a HA with a tub and no shower. I have spent too much time explaining to them why I bought at GF way back then, it was because I could book a studio and still get a shower!!

So, the last time it happened, and once again, we had to move after a night, the CM told me to say I need a shower when I book GF studio. This really has made me nervous every time I am going to a stay in GF. I have sent MS a letter explaining what was told to me. So far, if I have booked 10 stays in VGF studio, 3 of them had us in a HA studio without a shower, at least for the first night.

 

[Pens Fan]

No I would not. But my view is probably colored because I have a brother with Cerebral Palsy and had another brother, now deceased, with Down's Syndrome who needed a wheelchair the last few years of his life. So basically I've lived all of my life very sensitive to the needs of mobility challenged individuals. I guess I could understand booking one if nothing else was available last minute - as in a month out, not 7 months (that is not last minute, sorry). But personally I would feel like crap doing it even then.

We did get assigned one on our very first DVC stay even though we had booked a regular room. We hated it, so even if I didn't think it was wrong, I doubt I'd do it.

 

[DSLRuser]

I have been assigned accessible rooms before without asking for them...there fore I have no problem booking one if they are there.

 

[RoseGold]

California has a requirement that HA rooms are “held back” from ”ordinary” booking systems until all similar non-HA rooms are booked, so it is not inadvertently booked by a person who is not disabled.

I don't even see how that's possible in the "first come first serve" DVC language. Is there something special in the California documents that says they monkey with accessible inventory like this?

 

[Sandisw]

I don't even see how that's possible in the "first come first serve" DVC language. Is there something special in the California documents that says they monkey with accessible inventory like this?

If the law is that they are not made available until the others are booked, it seems like it would simple to do that with the system the way it is now…..you book and the HA rooms are the last ones that get booked.

 

[71 Truck]

Because my wife and I book one or two night stays we have been put in special needs rooms multiple times, we do not need a special needs room. My guess, because we some time book last minute they just fill a room that was not needed at the time.
We will go to the front desk and ask to be moved because most of the time the bed is to low to the ground for me.

Years ago when I worked for Disney I did room assignment at a hotel. We would get special request for special needs rooms and they would be blocked for the guest. I would think DVC would hold back a certain amount of special needs rooms for a certain period of time just for this reason? Since rooms are assigned only a few days before a guest arrives (if this is still how they do it) they could be moved to a non special needs room if they did not needed it to acomadate a special needs guest.


I know this is the cruise line situation however
Several years ago we booked a Disney Cruise Guaranteed ocean view rate. About 30 days before sailing the room was assigned and it was a special needs room. It was twice the size of a normal room with a roll in shower but it had a standard height bed. We figured Disney keeps them till almost the last minute then if no on needs it, it is assigned.
My thought was if they needed it within in the time we were assigned the room and someone else needed it they would ask us to move or just move us.

 

[bwvBound]

I've been assigned HA rooms so often (both at timeshares and on cruise ships) when I didn't or wouldn't have booked the category ... that I no longer see these as "reserved only for those guests who need the special room features." So now, it is "first come, first serve" in my view. Of course, if the Front Desk chooses to ask me, "Would you be OK moving to a different room?" I'm good with that, too! (If another guest needed the HA room and the Front Desk determined that they could accommodate me elsewhere -- I'm very willing to be reassigned to another room type.)

All that said, I never book at the 11-month window and rarely even 7-months ... I'm mostly booking 3 to 4 months out and am happy to snag those leftovers.

 

[bakerworld]

Rant Alert: Another category of this question needs to be: Getting stuck in an accessible room. First, I just started noticing that this was a category selection and I never - ever - select it because for us it's the same as indicating no availability. However, we have been STUCK in accessible rooms multiple times. Frankly, it's annoying. With all the scooters scooting around the parks you'd think these rooms wouldn't be thrust on people who don't want to be hitting their chubby hips on grab bars, trying to duck under low cabinets and waiting for auto doors to open or seal shut. It's annoying. Ok, Rant Over.

I chose first come first serve because if you are that desperate to stay somewhere that you'd choose one of these rooms - rooms they obviously have in OVER abundance - then go for it. Personally, I won't be in your way. If we're in a HA room for more than one night we go back to the desk for another room. I'm not going to spend my vacation trying to deal with HA rooms.

 

[Sandisw]

Rant Alert: Another category of this question needs to be: Getting stuck in an accessible room. First, I just started noticing that this was a category selection and I never - ever - select it because for us it's the same as indicating no availability. However, we have been STUCK in accessible rooms multiple times. Frankly, it's annoying. With all the scooters scooting around the parks you'd think these rooms wouldn't be thrust on people who don't want to be hitting their chubby hips on grab bars, trying to duck under low cabinets and waiting for auto doors to open or seal shut. It's annoying. Ok, Rant Over.

I chose first come first serve because if you are that desperate to stay somewhere that you'd choose one of these rooms - rooms they obviously have in OVER abundance - then go for it. Personally, I won't be in your way. If we're in a HA room for more than one night we go back to the desk for another room. I'm not going to spend my vacation trying to deal with HA rooms.

The problem is that someone has to have them and if they don’t have people who specially booked them, and the rooms are all full, it’s gong to happen.

The only way for it not to be that way is if they don’t allow those rooms to be booked which they can not legally do.

That’s not to say that if you shouldn’t be able to ask to be moved. Just saying that as long as rooms are booked full, there is s good chance those who don’t need them get them.

 

[Chuck S]

In truth, under the various laws, HA rooms are in a sort of balancing act, and timeshares are between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

For DVC, they are included in available inventory, and their associated points are legally part of the timeshare, so in theory, everyone may need to take a turn or two in them. On the other hand, under ADA, they need to be shown as a separate accommodation. and there has to be a certain percentage of room that are HA in every booking category and room type, OKW is kind of the exception as most of the resort was approved and built prior to the current ADA requirements and thus the resort was not required to have elevators in most of its buildings. So for OKW, request an upper floor room, and then only rarely will you be assigned an ADA room. (Bldg 63 is the HA building with elevators)

 

[71 Truck]

Rant Alert: Another category of this question needs to be: Getting stuck in an accessible room. First, I just started noticing that this was a category selection and I never - ever - select it because for us it's the same as indicating no availability. However, we have been STUCK in accessible rooms multiple times. Frankly, it's annoying. With all the scooters scooting around the parks you'd think these rooms wouldn't be thrust on people who don't want to be hitting their chubby hips on grab bars, trying to duck under low cabinets and waiting for auto doors to open or seal shut. It's annoying. Ok, Rant Over.

I chose first come first serve because if you are that desperate to stay somewhere that you'd choose one of these rooms - rooms they obviously have in OVER abundance - then go for it. Personally, I won't be in your way. If we're in a HA room for more than one night we go back to the desk for another room. I'm not going to spend my vacation trying to deal with HA rooms.

My wife and I stayed at the beach club years ago. As a mater of fact it was the first day magic bands were available to be used at Disney World. I remember this because it took the front desk almost 45 minutes to get us checked in.

Anyway the reason I remember this was because after all was said and done the room was available. We unpacked the car and went to the room and the minute we opened the door we saw the bed almost on the floor, it was a special needs room.
I told my wife this would not work so back to the front desk we went. We were told there were no other studio rooms available however if we wanted they would move us to the main hotel and bring a mini refrigerator to our room.

I asked if it was going to take another 45 minutes to get the magic bands to work and they said no. At that point we went to our new room,got in and unpacked and off we went to a park.

Not sure if this is how they still handle this kind of situation in DVC resorts that are attached to regular hotels, or maybe we just got lucky .

 

[Simba's Mom]

This brings a question. When we first joined DVC in 2002, we were told by DVC that you would be charged $25 room cleaning fee if you asked to change rooms, including “simply” that it was a HA room and you didn’t want a HA room. In our first few years as members, we were given HA rooms, and were reminded of that by the front desk each time. Is that rule long gone?

 

[71 Truck]

This brings a question. When we first joined DVC in 2002, we were told by DVC that you would be charged $25 room cleaning fee if you asked to change rooms, including “simply” that it was a HA room and you didn’t want a HA room. In our first few years as members, we were given HA rooms, and were reminded of that by the front desk each time. Is that rule long gone?

In the 26 years my wife and I have been members we have never heard of this or been told this when we asked to move to a non handicapped room. I am not saying it may not be the case, it is just we have never been told this.

 

[Sandisw]

This brings a question. When we first joined DVC in 2002, we were told by DVC that you would be charged $25 room cleaning fee if you asked to change rooms, including “simply” that it was a HA room and you didn’t want a HA room. In our first few years as members, we were given HA rooms, and were reminded of that by the front desk each time. Is that rule long gone?

We were told the same thing. If we wanted to move rooms after checking in, there was a charge.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

This one is actually an easy answer. DVC was sold to include the HA rooms as part of the general availability. What people often don't realize at WDW is that when you're booking that last room or two, unless the HA rooms have already been booked, then you're booking into the HA rooms even though you still might not be assigned to one since you didn't book it for need.

I've been confused at what DVC has done with the HA rooms in CA by keeping them out of the general pool as at least VGC was not sold that they are in a separate pool. (don't know if that's changed with VDH). For years it was not done so until a particular upgrade to the booking website. It might have been the one that also began allowing members to modify. Perhaps they discovered some CA timeshare requirement or perhaps it was just a programming choice. So at CA you know that's what your booking because it's the only way to book that last room but the rooms are part of the general points pool.

Now if you're booking it because you prefer the view? That's a hard no in my book.

 

[bakerworld]

DH and I have decided that when standing at check-in and first the room is not available but then it is we have to remember to ask if it's an accessible room. I think it is a shame when people who need an accessible room say they couldn't get one when there are many of us on these forums who post being forced into an accessible room.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

DH and I have decided that when standing at check-in and first the room is not available but then it is we have to remember to ask if it's an accessible room. I think it is a shame when people who need an accessible room say they couldn't get one when there are many of us on these forums who post being forced into an accessible room.

Remember though that the only reason they couldn't book one is if others had either booked the accessible 1st or all rooms were booked prior to them trying. Most likely you're just pushing it down the road to someone else who also doesn't require it.
My sister used a wheelchair from the time she was 19 and had lots of thoughts on the subject. None would have aligned with the thought that a room should be kept saved until someone with an HA need booked it if all other rooms had been booked for some time. HA bathroom stalls - the same.

She also thought Disney HA rooms were some of the worst HA designs she came across. I'd agree.