TRAVELLING TO DISNEY WITH W/CHAIR USER HELP PLEASE!

[salsmum]

I'M PLANNING TO GO TO FLORIDA/DISNEY WITH MY 19YR OLD DD WHO IS W/CHAIR BOUND. HAVE BEEN TO 2 TRAVEL AGENTS WHO SAID THEY COULD'NT SORT ME OUT A HOLIDAY BECAUSE OF ACCOMMODATION IS ASKING FOR A VILLA = APPROPRIATE FLIGHTS= PARK TICKETS= SWIM WITH sharks DOLPHINS TOO MUCH WHEN YOU HAVE DISABLED FAMILY? I JUST WANNA GO TO TRAVEL AGENTS AND SAY ...SORT IT! I WANNA GO IN AUG BUT IT DOES'NT LOOK HOPEFUL. I LIVE IN KENT NR DARTFORD.

my parents took my aunt in a wheelchair to DisneyWorld Florida and they couldn't have been looked after better. Front of the queues all the way and definitely well treated.

Disney hotels can defintely cater for customers in wheelchairs - have a look on their website.

Why not try and find a villa independently online and cut out the unhelpful travel agents. You could then email the owners direct and ask if they can accommodate you.

We are going to swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove and I'm sure on their website it states that they can accommodate wheelchair users.

Don't give up.

(I live near you!!).

Look here, there is a check box for visitors that need facilities for disabled people

www.directvillasflorida.com/dv-property-advanced-search.html

get separate flight (Virgin or BA fly direct) and book villa yourself

My brother took my mum (wheelchair) to florida last year, along with my 2 year old neice and they had a wonderful time.

They too got to the front of the queues, really fantastic treatment, special parking spaces etc. They needed to show her blue badge at Disney initially, but that was it.

They got fantastic seats at the shows etc.

They booked with going places and stayed in a hotel outside the park, but said it was suberb.

perhaps you could try an independant travel agent

salsmum - although none of us are confined to a wheelchair we stayed in a villa adapted for wheelchair users with ramps, wider doors etc. it was a private rental yet the owners had a family member who was in a wheelchair so it was essential to get an adapted one.

personally i would try a privtae hire villa as normally they have extras included to going through a tour operator. i am a travel agent and we normally always book our villa directly.

disney have disabled parking in all the car parks right by the entrance, also on the trains they have larger cabins to fit wheelchairs, the same on the monorails. generally you can take your disabled permit and i believe normally you go in the exits (rather than the entrance)of the ride to go to the front of the queues.

i would book the swim with dolphin tickets with someone like keith prowse, prices will be quite high now for summer 2008 as summer 2009 rates have just gone on sale and children are starting at something like £299 per person - you would get a better deal if you went next year and booked up now

Airlines accomodate passengers in wheelchairs all the time, same story with Disney. A friendd of mine, who has cp, went to Disney and when a stupid idiot refused to assist him, they were given a free meal. Don't let a stupid travel agent put you off.

When are you going?

I was hoping to go in August but had the builders in since forever and have to go to Thompsons on a week day because their 'special needs advisors d are not available weekends we also went Going places and Holiday Hypermarket and they dont even bother getting back I told going nowhere places my maximum budget would be £4000 and they quoted me £4500!.

My friend's mum went to one of the US Disney parks (can't remember which one) in a wheelchair after an op some years ago, and like FloridaKBear said, the experience in the park was excellent, front of the queues all the time etc. Sorry that the travel agents are being so useless, it's shocking.

Try another travel agent or book direct with a Disney hotel. They are all geared up for disabled visitors & as others have said you get fast tracked through all the queues!

We did discovery cove & I sw a w/c access ramp to view the dolphins but don't know if they can access the water. However they have a very friendly customer service dept & a free-phone number on their website so ring & ask.

I'd try and book everything individually but if you are unsure of doing this, I'd probably call someone like Virgin Holidays who I am sure would be able to help more than the other TA's. Dreadful service you have received and I hope you get it sorted.

Disney are geared up for families with disabilities (they are geared up for everything really) so have a look at the websites and see how you get on.