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We are taking our first family DVC trip in June, and I'm trying to decide if I need to book an accessible room or not. My DS17 is in a wheelchair, but we really don't need the roll-in shower because his chair shouldn't get wet.
However, I'm afraid if we don't get one, we will have a problem like not being able to get his chair through the doors or around the room. Also, I know that OKW only has elevators in three of their buildings, but we could always ask for a ground floor room.
Does anyone have experience staying in an accessible villa, specifically Beach Club or Old Key West?
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Last edited by mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince; 10-18-2012 at 05:39 PM..
I would book the accessible room. I know a regular sized rental scooter can fit through the doors and into the room, but once there you need space to navigate around the room. OKW is roomier than the other resorts, but I still think there might be a problem getting his chair around the beds and to the bathroom area.
Thanks, Laurie. I just wanted to make sure that we weren't going to be missing out on something because we went with the accessible room. Like, if they took out the hot tub in the bathroom to put the walk-in shower in.
There are so many room possibilities; it's a little overwhelming!
Originally Posted by mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince
Thanks, Laurie. I just wanted to make sure that we weren't going to be missing out on something because we went with the accessible room. Like, if they took out the hot tub in the bathroom to put the walk-in shower in.
There are so many room possibilities; it's a little overwhelming!
I'm most familiar with the studios at BWV and I know that you could not wheel a chair into the bathroom at all there. If you don't need to do that with your son, then probably the regular rooms would be fine. I don't like accessible rooms in general just because the water goes all over the place from the shower. I rent a shower chair from Walker Mobility (it fits right in the tub) when I go, if that would be helpful to you. It works out great.
I hadn't thought about that: could you send me a link for the place you use? A shower chair would be great. I imagine he will need extra showers in the hot Florida summer!
I've heard people say that the floor gets all wet. That might not be the best situation. One of my options was to have the roll-in shower in the studio only, and not the one-bedroom side of the lock-off. That might work out.
Beth, Here is the link to Care Medical. I mis-spoke in my previous post-- before I started travelling with my own I used to rent scooters from Walker. They don't carry the other medical equipment. Care Medical does, and I just looked-- they also have a wheelchair you can rent for use in an accessible shower. Yet another option for you!!
You can check out pictures here Old Key West Photos of what a accessible room looks like, It may help you decide. I can get my scooter into any resort room, all the doors are big enough... Accessible rooms will have other features that may be helpful for your DS..
I've been poring over those photos on allears, and they're just confusing me more! I think it's because I'm not familiar enough with the layouts of the studios, lock-offs, etc. to know how an accessible one is different. I'm sure I'm just over-thinking it!
Agree about the water situation! We had a great experience with an accessible unit at Vero Beach, as it had a built in shower chair, and the design did not lead to flooding. But at an accessible unit in Hilton Head, we'd end up with inches of water all over the bathroom floor with every shower.
The accessible units will have light switches at a lower level, and some lower and roll under kitchen counters.
I haved stayed in an accessible 1 bedroom villa in OKW years ago so my memory of what the room was like is kinda foggy (I have Spina Bifida and I am a fulltime wheelchair user). I do know that the bathroom was plenty big as well as the door ways. I don't remember if our unit had a roll in shower or not but I know I used the whirlpool tub and loved it! I remember the villa being very spacious!
We are DVC members at OKW.
Our Daughter uses a wheelchair and we do get a room at the roll in shower.
The doors to get in all units that all the DVC resorts are big enough to get a wheelchair through. The doors are no bigger in the accessible units.
All of the accessible 1 and 2 bedroom DVC villas and Grand Villas still have the whirlpool tub. The bathrooms in all those villas are divided into 2 parts
- the area with the whirlpool tub and a sink
- the bathroom area with a sink, toilet and shower.
The changes that make the room accessible are mostly in the shower.
Roll in shower does not mean you have to roll the wheelchair into the shower ( most wheelchairs should not get that wet). It just means there is not a step over the side of the shower to get in and out.
Depending on the shower, some have a fold down bench and some have a permanent bench. Some people are able to roll their wheelchair to the shower and then transfer onto the built in bench (having someone push their wheelchair out of the way).
Someone who can't sit securely on the bench may need a more supportive bath seat or a rolling bath chair.
In our experience, if one part of the villa has a roll in shower, the other part will also. It is possible to use a roll in shower without getting water all over. The tricks we've found over the years are:
- first make sure your room has the correct type of shower curtain. A lot of times, the use the regular shower curtain that is sized for a lip on the bottom of the shower that might be as much as 6 inches high. One of those shower curtains on a roll in shower leaves about 6 inches of splash room. The curtain needs to come almost to the floor.
- second hint is to make sure any towels you put on the floor are totally outside of the shower. A lot of people layer towels starting inside the shower, hoping to make a dam of towels to keep the water in. We've been there, done that and found doing that actually wicks water out of the shower and makes a bigger mess.
- third hint is to make sure the shower head doesn't point toward the shower curtain/opening.
The rooms at OKW are the largest and provide the most room for manouvering a wheelchair. When we stay there, we do not need to move any furniture out of the way. Except for the bathroom, the accessible and non- accessible rooms at OKW are pretty much the same. The first ones built (smaller numbers) tend not to have roll under sinks. The biggest number rooms are more likely to because the design changed a bit.
At all BCV, BWV and VWL resorts, the space between the table, the bench and the door of the kitchen are tight. The living room is also tight and it may not be possible to get the wheelchair into the studio portion without moving a fair amount of furniture.
Besides the bathroom, the difference in the accessible rooms at those resorts are in the kitchen. The entry space to the kitchen is larger, the microwave will be on the counter, there will be a roll under sink and the stove controls are on the front.
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Thank you, Sue, for the corrected website address and all of your excellent information. You've explained the differences in the rooms very well and I've copied some of it because I will probably need one of these rooms in the future. I knew there had to be a way to stop the water from flooding the bathroom floor!
Thanks, everybody for your insight, especially you, Sue! It's great to hear from someone whose been there and I can practically see the room layouts as you describe them! That company also rents the exact bath seat we have at home. That will be extremely helpful!
Thank you, Sue, for the corrected website address and all of your excellent information. You've explained the differences in the rooms very well and I've copied some of it because I will probably need one of these rooms in the future. I knew there had to be a way to stop the water from flooding the bathroom floor!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince
Thanks, everybody for your insight, especially you, Sue! It's great to hear from someone whose been there and I can practically see the room layouts as you describe them! That company also rents the exact bath seat we have at home. That will be extremely helpful!
You're both welcome.
It is nice when you can get the same equipment as home!
The one we rented was nice, but not the same as my daughters and didn't work out so well as our own.
This is a picture of the master bath roll in shower in a 2 bedroom villa at OKW. The toilet is to the left of the picture.
This is the part of the master bedroom that has the whirlpool. The door to the other part of the bathroom is to the left, out of the picture.
It looks a little different now because OKW has been renovated recently. The larger number rooms over building 30 have a little different design, but very similar. Some rooms are mirror images of others.
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I think it's because I'm not familiar enough with the layouts of the studios, lock-offs, etc. to know how an accessible one is different. I'm sure I'm just over-thinking it!
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