To add my threepenn’orth...
DW and I are just back from AKL/Jambo (11/27 - 12/13). As DW has a back injury that severely restricts her ability to walk distances or stand for long periods, when we booked - 11 months ago, as soon as our dates opened - I requested a disability-friendly room close to the lobby, but when we checked in we were given 4566, which is as far away from the lobby along Zebra Trail as you can get and still be in the building. It felt late (we flew in from the UK and didn’t land until 4.00pm, and we had been awake for almost 24 hours by this time) so we reluctantly took the room as we desperately wanted to ’crash out’ and get some sleep.
After negotiating the up-to-5, over then down-to-4 bit due to the ongoing refurbishment on parts of the 3rd and 4th floors on Zebra trail, we finally got there albeit DW now in considerable discomfort not to say pain due to the long trek. Refurbished room - massive TV etc - but the new beds are so high that DW (5ft 2in) wanted a footstool to get into bed, and she was also unhappy with the lack of a handrail in the shower-over-tub arrangement. (Another odd thing about the bathroom - apologies if unseemly! As Brits we usually find toilets in the USA very low compared to in the UK - the ‘knees up round your ears’ syndrome) but the one here was very high and actually uncomfortable to sit on...)
I slogged it back down to the lobby to ask if they could provide a step of some sort and the chap behind the desk could not have been more helpful - he was very apologetic that we had been put so far from the lobby but spoke to Central Reservations while I stood there and was then able to offer a move albeit only on the next day to room 3501, just under half the distance from the lobby; also a refurbished room and one designated as ‘disability accessible’ so with handrails in the bath/shower, lower beds and a space sufficient to park the ECV that we were due to collect from a local agency (K&M Rentals, on the 192 near the I-4 junction, who we have used several times before) the next morning.
i agree Housekeeping seems a trifle lackadaisical, as our room wasn’t serviced on a couple of days and I had to phone down one late afternoon after being out all day to get the coffee and ‘milk’ replenished. And although 3501 has been refurbished, the mattresses are far from new as they both ‘peak’ in the centre with a tendency to tip you out of bed if - like us - you are edge-sleepers. (Re the best route round the construction zone, we found it was easier from the lobby to go down to 1, outside along past the restaurants and pool, back in via the next entrance and up to 3 - 3501 is the first room on the corridor by the lifts and going past The Mara reminded us to refill our everlasting mugs...
This was our first time staying ’on property’ and our first time on the
DDP (we usually rent a villa) and I doubt we’ll do this again if only due to the cost. Although the DDP gave us the opportunity to do some meals that we would never have done if paying OOP (Cinderella’s Royal Table, unexpectedly affecting for me with good food and added princesses), breakfast at Akershus (terrific food, and more princesses!), the ‘Spirit of Aloha’ dinner show at the Polynesian (not worth it IMO - cast seemed very much to be just going through the motions except for the fire-eater), the ‘Hoop-de-Doo Musical Revue’ at Fort Wilderness (seriously good fun and good food, and well worth while), character breakfast at The Crystal Palace (good food, and Pooh, Tigger and friends!). FWIW Boma remains our favourite breakfast spot.
I’m already in the earliest stages of planning our next trip, hopefully 3 / 3 1/2 weeks in December 2021 to coincide with the WDW 50th anniversary celebrations and also include both Universal and Seaworld (we haven’t been to either in 20 years). That will definitely be in a villa, though; we prefer the privacy and the space. Oh, and a hint re disabled driver tags; DW has a UK ‘blue badge’ and these are often accepted in the parks at staff discretion but not outside the parks, but if you contact the Orange County tax office you can get a temporary Florida tag mailed to you before your trip, including to the UK, whereas Osceola County requires that you visit one of their tax offices in person.
i seem to be rambling...
