handi-rooms

[scroot]

We feel very fortunate that we ended up with an accessible room for our trip to CR. High pedistal toilet, roll in shower, and push button door. When booking I was told over and over, "if one is avialable, if not we will bring adaptive equipment." We can make do with adaptive equipment but it costs us time and effort. During our 7 nights the drain in the roll in backed up, the shower head broke, and the door opener stoped working but that is (it all got fixed) beside the point.

I got the feeling that they were waiting to get a look at us to see if we really "needed" the room or not. Anyone have experience with requesting an accessible room and not getting one? Any idea why they don't guarentee one when needed?

 

[Nanajo1]

I have no idea why when an H/C room is requested it is not guaranteed. Many folks get an H/C room and are not happy about it and folks who need one are left to make do with whatever is available. It is like not guaranteeing a non smoking room. I am not happy when I get a smoking room when I've requested NS. A Boardwalk view can now be guaranteed why not an HC or Non Smoking room?

 

[Figaro]

I wonder if what happens is that the CM making the reservation doesn't think (or maybe know) to connect to special services? My understanding is that the special services people are the ones who can make sure that "needs roll-in shower" or whatever other medical necesity is on the room reservation form. Plus if people are making their plans through a travel agent, I know that most of them have NO idea that they need to talk to special services and so the handicapped accessible room is just put down as a "request" and not a medical necessity.

 

[Janet2k]

Scroot, last Fall I was disabled for a few months (I could not walk due to a broken leg and some major surgery I had to repair it). I almost cancelled my WDW vacation but the kind folks here on the disABILITIES board helped convince me to go through with that trip. Since I could not walk at all, I needed handicap-accessible rooms that had roll-in showers. Disney's Special Needs people blocked those rooms for me at each of the three resorts that I was staying at -- PO-RS, GF, and BCV (click here for my trip report -- I've got photo links in that trip report for each of the three rooms that I stayed in). I needed to make slight modifications to my resort-hopping schedule before that trip began, but since specific rooms had been blocked for me, CRO couldn’t modify my reservations, the Special Needs folks had to do it for me. So, if you have a real need for a handicap-accessible resort room, definitely get in touch with the Special Needs folks (I’m not sure of their official name but it’s similar to that).

 

[dclfun]

I agree with the others who've said to go through Special Services to block the appropriate guest room. It's always been guaranteed on my reservation, otherwise if I got to the resort and one hadn't been assigned, I'd have to stay elsewhere! Regular CRO can't do this but usually the automatically consult with this department. Good luck!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The telephone number for "Special (Medical) Reservations is 407-939-7807.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you are staying at one of the WDW resorts, WDW Resorts Special Reservations is the way to go. As the others said, I've been told that reservation requests for wheelchair accessible rooms are blocked when the reservation is made.
The only added info I have is that if you are staying at one of the DVC resorts on points (either as a member or reting points from a member), Member Services takes care of the special needs and you will not transfer you to Special Services. I've been told this is because DVC members have a separate reservation system that doesn't link up with the regular one.

 

[Janet2k]

I want to add on a little bit to what SueM in MN said. My third resort last Fall was the Beach Club Villas. Since I am a DVC member, I was staying there on points. I made that reservation with the DVC folks prior to my becoming disabled. Then once I became disabled, I mentioned that existing reservation to the Special Needs folks. They took over from there for me and made sure that a handicap-accessible room was assigned to me due to my needs. It worked out very well.