I’m in the very early stages of helping a friend plan a trip with her preteen child who uses a power wheelchair (CP). Any particular resorts you would recommend or not recommend? Transportation types to avoid? I know everything should be ADA compliant but real-life opinions might help narrow things down! Or is everything pretty reasonable to navigate?
I forgot, POFQ seemed okay for wheelchair accessibility, but it is closed right now. I would definitely recommend avoiding FW cabins and campgrounds. I don't see that area as very wheelchair friendly based upon my personal observations that the physical layout is huge. I mean enormous. My understanding is that FW is over 600 acres. CBR, where I have never stayed but have visited, is a large resort and is about 200 acres. So, FW is around 3 times the size of a sister-moderate and quite large resort. I would recommend avoiding FW for wheelchair persons simply based upon its sheer, enormous size.
I use a personal mobility device, and have many happy stays at FW Cabins. There are HA cabins with ramps, and roll-in showers; otherwise they are nearly identical to the "regular" cabins, with a bed + bunks in the bedroom, and a pull-out sofa in the living room. We love the full-size kitchen, and all the extra space you get. For the money, you almost can't beat it per square foot at WDW.
The two potential down sides are that you will wind up transferring from the "internal loop" bus to the "external Resort system" buses at the depot; additionally, the food service at that Resort requires a bus ride to get there and back; it's really not "walkable" at all, simply due to the placement of those HA cabins.
But, if you love true Disney theming at your Resort, you love the fresh air and friendly neighbors (every night, our neighbors on their porches would wave and holler "Hi!" as we came back from our Disney Day!) and you love seeing deer graze as you eat breakfast on the deck, or watching fireflies flicker through the trees at dusk... Well, FW Cabins might be for you.
What is a pain in the rear for some folks is no big deal for others.
Having said that, personally I believe the POFQ is one of the "friendliest" Resorts at WDW, if for no other reason than it is the most compact. It's not open yet, and no opening date has been announced (although there are starting to be hints and rumors about a date for both POR & POFQ - fingers crossed!)
I love love love WL; for me, it is my personal favorite Deluxe, followed closely by Poly. WL has one (technically 2) issues and they are both long ramps. One that goes down to the buses from outside the shop, just off the lobby, and the other off another corner of the lobby that goes down to the QS, Roaring Fork. They are OK going down - you do have to manage your speed, of course, but coming back up can tax the batteries at the end of a long day. Otherwise, I love WL, and when I need a "happy place" I close my eyes, and pretend I am sitting in one of the rockers in front of the giant fireplace in the lobby on a crisp January evening...
Really, I don't know if you can go wrong at WDW with a Resort.
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There's plenty of room in every Disney Resort hotel room to charge *2* rental scooters, but if you need furniture moved or removed to accommodate the device, pick up your room phone, and use the button labeled "Housekeeping". The person answering the phone will help set up either the removal or placement of furniture for you.
When it comes to Resort hotel room doors, someone in your travel party can hold the Resort Hotel room door open while they drive through. A great door stop (I personally recommend
this one from Amazon) is also a very helpful tool! While out and about at WDW, look for the handicapped door buttons on many doors (at lobby entrances, shops, dining, etc.) for the automatic openers. Some are round, others are square, most all of them are a silver metal, but they all have the HA
symbol on the button itself, and will be located very near the door.
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When it comes to Disney Transportation, here's some information - please note that this was written for the *driver* of a personal mobility device, but feel free to relay it to your friend and/or their preteen
At the Resort Hotel, make sure you are parked in the white painted rectangle HA symbol
at the bus stop (unless another guest beat you to it) so that the driver sees you, and knows you are waiting to ride. As the bus approaches, I usually try to wave and smile to let the driver know I will be riding their bus, or shake my head "no" so that they know I am waiting for a different bus. Some Disney Resorts have queues or rope lines set up for the buses; others just kind of form loose lines. Often in the mornings, there will be a CM at the main Resort bus stops; just as at the Parks, take your guidance from them. (Special note for Resorts with more than 1 bus stop: Try to make your way to the *first* stop at the Resort; as the bus travels through the Resort to pick up other Guests, the chances increase exponentially that there will not be a space for the mobility device when the bus arrives, leading to longer wait times.)
Once the bus stops, and everyone is off, the driver will typically close all the doors, kneel the bus, and then open the back doors and flip out the ramp. Wait for the driver to motion you on, and then up the ramp you will go.
When the driver says that it's time to board the bus, you can let them know that you are a newbie to using the bus, and will appreciate all the help and guidance that they can give you. Remember - they are an *expert* at getting folks on and off the bus, so just take a deep breath, and listen to their instructions, and everything will be fine! Disney bus drivers help *thousands* of people load and unload
ECV & wheelchairs, so you are not a surprise to them in any way!
When you are at the base of the ramp, try to go right up the center. At the top of the ramp you will typically have to turn a bit to the right. GO SLOWLY. Even experienced users take this carefully - the last thing you want is to bump into the driver, or hit the side of the doorway going in. The drivers will give you instructions and will help as much as they can, but *technically* it is up to you (or a member of your party) to actually get the device up into (or back out of) the bus. You will hear stories about drivers that "park the device for you", but that is considered "pixie dust" and is not expected behavior.
Once you are parked, you can transfer to a seat on the bus, if you want to. The bus driver will "tie down" the device by clipping on the tensioned belts down at the wheel level, front and back. If you decide to sit on/in the device during transit, the driver will also offer you a seat belt to help hold you securely in place as the bus moves through traffic.
With buses, you will typically always board first, and disembark last.
While you are boarding the bus, the rest of your group will wait outside the bus, next to the ramp. Once the device is parked on the bus, the driver will indicate to your party when they can walk up the ramp to join you, and they should be able to sit near/next to you.
When it's time to disembark from the bus, the rest of your party can get off the bus with all of the other passengers, and they will wait for you outside the bus (or wherever you have agreed upon). Again, the driver will assist you in getting the device positioned to drive down the ramp, and out of the bus; listen to their instructions, and you should be fine.
When driving off the bus, the most important thing is to make sure that you don't turn your front wheels (or the "tiller" - the steering mechanism) until AFTER your rear wheels are completely on the ground,
and you are completely clear of the ramp. You don't want the rear wheels to catch the edge of the ramp if you turn too early, and tip you over!
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As far as boats go, *most* boats at WDW are quite accessible; the notable exceptions are some of the small launches that serve Poly/GF to MK and back, and a small launch that runs every other trip on the WL/MK route. At WL, the bigger boats historically don't use a ramp there, and you just have to hope that the water level (and number of people on the boat) work in your favor! (Makes it kind of exciting LOL!) We have had a CM instruct us to wait while more people board/disembark to lower the boat, and then when the doorway is at the optimum height to the dock, they wave us on. All other boats will have a portable ramp that a CM (Cast Member) will place for you, including the Sassagoula fleet (Currently not in service) that serves parts of Saratoga & The Treehouses/OKW/POR & POFQ, and the Disney Springs Water Taxis (which are the same type of boat.) The Friendships that ply the waters between Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway at EPCOT use the exact same ramp as well. The ramps are *noisy* when driving on and off, but quite safe, I promise! The main thing to watch for here is using "turtle speed" coming *off* the boat - if there is no fencing around the dock, you don't want to make a BIG "splash" in more ways than one!
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The Monorails use the same portable ramp for loading/unloading as the boats use, and the worst part is some of the pedestrian ramps going *up* to the Monorail stations may really tax the battery on the device. A CM will place the portable ramp into the Monorail for you - just follow their instructions. Most of the time, you will have to back off down the ramp at the next station. Remember to keep your wheels straight, have someone behind you giving you clear verbal cues, (CMs are used to doing this, and will be glad to help you) and take your time for safety.
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The Skyliners are VERY accessible, and the gondola cabins are a direct drive on, no ramp needed. CMs will "chock" the device rear wheels to prevent it from rolling across the cabin while in flight. The user simply rolls straight in and sits between the benches. Follow the signs and CM directions at each Skyliner station to go to the HA loading area - they fully stop the gondolas to load there, and you can take all the time you need for both loading and unloading. The exception is Riviera - they cannot stop the Skyliner there, and so loading/unloading is only done while moving. Only 1 ECV or personal mobility device of any kind per Skyliner Cabin, so be prepared to split up here if you have a larger party, or more than one mobility device in your group; just make plans for where everyone will meet!
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In general: Whenever loading/unloading from Disney transportation of any kind, use the *slowest* possible speed on the throttle control, and listen to the CMs who are there for your safety. They are all experienced in helping Guests with all kinds of personal mobility devices.
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