Whats with your negativity toward WDW. If it's so bad why are you on these boards at all??
They were never in violation of the ADA over 4 person rooms because they made accommodations for that. Then people found out how they were doing that and exploited it and so they came out with the double/double room. WDw goes above and beyond what is required by the ADA. If you want to see a blatant violation of the ADA go to any Holiday Inn. As far as a guarantee on a handicapped room it is required by the ADA. I find it very unlikely that they had no other rooms on property and the story about the portable toilet Smells like what would be in one. The more you write on here about this the lower your credibility goes.
If there was another HC room available that had a wheel-in shower and raised toilet/bars, it was not offered to us when we talked to a manager in person at the resort...even though we were checking-in during the early afternoon. I obviously have no idea if he was lying or not, though I doubt he would have any reason to lie about something like that. Are you telling me that you believe this manager was lying to me? I really don't think that it is anyone's place to make that judgement and accuse someone of lying.
During my multiple conversations with Disney Reservations over the phone, never once has a room at the POP been offered that had a roll-in shower and raised toilet/bars for four people. Again, I don't know the training of the CMs...but this has been my experience which means it can be an experience for others too.
And just because you have had positive experiences regarding ADA accommodations at WDW, it does not mean that everyone else has had similar positive experiences. You and your family have a very limited use of all the ADA and non-ADA accommodations out there. It is important to keep an open mind when reading these boards to know the spectrum of what can happen...to be prepared. And isn't that what doing research on these boards is about...being better prepared for the next trip?
About my comment regarding guaranteeing a HC room...it WASN'T guaranteed when i was there in December of 2012. It was a complete surprise to me because we have never encountered a situation where we had reserved a HC room and not received one. There is no need to question my credibility for stating my personal experiences in factual ways.
And why am I on here if I have had negative experiences? What person dealing with a disability has not had plenty of negative experiences? I am not against Disney. I actually take my family to WDW because it is the most accessible theme park vacation and they want to go. That doesn't make WDW perfect though and I find it prudent to know what I am up against before I go there so as to avoid as many problems as possible.
As to your comments regarding your experiences, I appreciate them. I actually was driven to boards like this when researching if my negative experiences were out of the ordinary and how I could best prepare for future trips. I have learned a lot from other people's comments on their experiences, both good and bad. Do you think people learn better by only knowing positive experiences?
And just to clarify...I do not have any negativity "toward" Disney or WDW. I have had some negative EXPERIENCES. It is an important distinction to note here and throughout life in general. Accommodation for HC people generally lies somewhere in the middle of a spectrum. Businesses tend to be improving over time, but it is because they change their actions...one by one...every day, and not because they suddenly turn good. I actually find that being an informed visitor helps me help CMs to help me and my family better because their training and experiences are understandably limited and I also have mostly clear expectations when I arrive as to the limitations of what they can provide.
