Accessible accommodations in Orlando
Where to sleep comfortably and safely like at home
Depending on the type of disability, it is important that the place we stay meets certain requirements that allow us to have a pleasant and trouble-free stay.
All tourist accommodations in the USA have accessible rooms that comply with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards.
Depending on the hotel category, rooms range from wheelchair-accessible (with larger doors and spaces), equipped with telephones and alarms for the hearing impaired, and marked with Braille signage, to some hypoallergenic options.
Connecting rooms are also available for the rest of the family.
Availability of these rooms is limited, and it is important to make reservations well in advance and inform the hotel of your special needs.
Additional for visual impairment
There are rooms specially designed for guests with visual impairments. These rooms generally have access and furniture arrangements for more space, along with other additional amenities:
- Signs and signs inside and outside the room in Braille.
- Bathroom amenities with embossed and Braille stickers.
- Labels indicating the location of each item (hairdryer, iron, TV) in Braille.
- Menus, programming, and other documentation in Braille.
Additional for hearing impairment
There are also special rooms for people with hearing impairments: their furnishings are the same, but they have some additional items:
- Doorbell with increasing volume and light signal.
- Fire alarm with strobe light.
- Desk telephone with TTY keypad and light call signal.
- Alarm clock with vibrating bed alarm
- Closed-captioned television (CC)
Some of these devices are becoming obsolete, making it more convenient to use our own mobile phones, which will surely be perfectly adapted in volume and vibration settings and with specialized apps already installed.
Accessible pools
Some hotels have wheelchair-accessible pools and whirlpools, especially those within parks and those belonging to larger hotel chains.
Depending on the resort, they will offer everything from water-friendly plastic wheelchairs to pulley systems for pool entry, or “Zero Entry” entrances so guests can roll directly into the water.
Florida has many beautiful beach options near Orlando and Miami. If it’s a beach hotel, be sure to be equipped with ramps and special areas for easy access, in addition to amphibious chairs for the sea.
Restaurants and cafes with special menus
When selecting your accommodation, please consider your special dietary needs.
CELIA DISEASE – DIABETES – HYPERTENSION – ALLERGIES – VEGETARIAN
- Make sure the hotel has a restaurant with menus tailored to your dietary needs. This includes menus for religious options such as Kosher and Halal.
- If your stay includes breakfast, make sure it offers the same healthy options.
- Prioritize rooms or suites with kitchens (or at least a mini-fridge and microwave) so you can prepare your own safe meals.
- Research your surroundings to see what nearby supermarkets, grocery stores, and restaurants meet your needs.
Stay inside or outside the parks?
One of the classic concerns when traveling to Orlando is the convenience, in terms of comfort and/or cost, of staying inside Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando or staying outside in the surrounding areas.
On this adventure, with one or more group members with additional needs, it’s important to prioritize comfort. But especially, the ease of getting to the different parks and attractions.
Without a doubt, with this in mind, staying at Walt Disney World is the best option.
Its rooms and all common areas are accessible, and the Walt Disney World transportation service is impeccable.
All buses, monorail, ferries, and even speedboats are wheelchair-accessible, and guests with disabilities always have priority boarding and disembarking.
Even airport shuttles, such as those offered by MEARS and other companies, are fully accessible.
In second place (only because it has fewer parks), Universal Orlando also has fully accessible rooms and amenities, such as buses that only go as far as CityWalk, and from there, they take you to the main parks on a pleasant ride.
There are direct buses to the hotels at the entrance to Volcano Bay water park.
The buses that will connect the park to the new Epic Universe will also be fully accessible.
If your budget allows, Universal’s Deluxe hotels offer boat transportation. These boats are accessible, and a great advantage is that they will drop you off much closer to the entrances of the theme parks.
What would be the ideal plan to be as comfortable as possible?
We split our stay in two:
Some days at Disney, others at Universal. Yeaaah!!!!
