AKL with a frail 92 year old

[Someone28624]

I told my grandma I would take her to Disney World. She snow birds in Florida, Fort Meyers. Every time I talk Disney she says, "I wish I was younger and could go with you."

I finally told her enough is enough and she is going to come with me. I know she won't tolerate much, so I'm planning on 2 nights.

I booked us AKL club level in January. I suspect we'll be spending a decent amount of time at the resort, so I'm hoping the club level will be worth it. I have a good appetite. She has almost none.

Obviously I'll be getting her a wheelchair, but I'll be the one pushing that wheelchair. She can't handle an ecv. I know AKL is absolutely sprawling, though I've never stayed there before. If we book club level is there a decent chance we'll be nearish to the lounge? Nearish to transportation/parking? I think we'll have a car this trip and I think we'll heavily relay on that.

Thoughts on this?

 

[chicagoshannon]

I don't know where the club level rooms are. However, I would suggest renting a wheelchair from an off site company so you can have it at the hotel as well. Does she need a handicap room (shower with a bench)? Something to think about.

 

[Someone28624]

I don't know where the club level rooms are. However, I would suggest renting a wheelchair from an off site company so you can have it at the hotel as well. Does she need a handicap room (shower with a bench)? Something to think about.

Now that I think of it, her shower at home has a bench but I'm not sure if she uses it. Definitely needs grab bars. I should probably request an accessible room.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I told my grandma I would take her to Disney World. She snow birds in Florida, Fort Meyers. Every time I talk Disney she says, "I wish I was younger and could go with you."

I finally told her enough is enough and she is going to come with me. I know she won't tolerate much, so I'm planning on 2 nights.

I booked us AKL club level in January. I suspect we'll be spending a decent amount of time at the resort, so I'm hoping the club level will be worth it. I have a good appetite. She has almost none.

Obviously I'll be getting her a wheelchair, but I'll be the one pushing that wheelchair. She can't handle an ecv. I know AKL is absolutely sprawling, though I've never stayed there before. If we book club level is there a decent chance we'll be nearish to the lounge? Nearish to transportation/parking? I think we'll have a car this trip and I think we'll heavily relay on that.

Thoughts on this?

The CL rooms at AKL are not on the same floor as the lounge. The rooms are on the 4th floor and the lounge is on the 6th. There is a chance you may be near the elevator, however. If your grandma doesn't eat much, CL may not be worth it. What parks are you visiting? I would consider staying at a resort that is closest to the parks you are visiting on your trip.

 

[J'aime Paris]

I don't have any advice, but I think it's AWESOME you are doing this for your grandma!!!!
My DH's grandma is 93 years young, and we cherish her so much!

 

[Best Aunt]

I don't know where the club level rooms are. However, I would suggest renting a wheelchair from an off site company so you can have it at the hotel as well.

But be aware of the new rules regarding drop off for preferred and non-preferred vendors.

 

[Bjkandma]

See if you can get a handicap accessible room with roll in shower and the shower chair!!! What special memories you are going to make.

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

This makes me so happy! I have worked in senior's housing since I was 17 and too often people leave out those over 90 because they just think it's too much hassle - which is not true! Some of my favourite ladies are over 90, a couple are over 100 and I'd take them on vacation any day. I'm sure your grandmother will have a blast!

I would think about making sure you get a wheelchair cushion - often with thinner skin and less padding, tailbones and such can get sore when sitting for a long time. If you need more shower bars, you can purchase the suction ones to bring along, you just need to test them once you've placed them and make sure they're on properly. Also if she's a more sturdy grandmother, they might not be the best choice - they are better for the smaller ladies. Accessible rooms are a great choice, but it just depends on what support she needs as far as shower bars go.

Have tons of fun!

 

[cakebaker]

We stayed at AKL CL, as someone else said, you are on a different floor so you’ll want to request close to the elevators and make sure they note it’s a medical need. Also, the food there is delicious, but it tends to be African inspired with some on the spicy side. If she’s not an adventurous eater, might be something to consider. It is delicious, just different. If food selection isn’t a consideration, it is a lovely resort with much more to see and do than other resorts. I could spend all day on my balcony just watching the animals.

 

[Best Aunt]

Does grandma like animals? I have family members who don’t and wouldn’t care for the decor or the food there.

P.S. That sounded pretty negative! Maybe I shouldn’t post before I eat breakfast.

 

[firefly_ris]

I don't have any good advice for you, but I'm so glad you are doing this. On the 6th of this month it's been 4 years since my maternal grandmother passed away, we were very close and I wish I would have been able to take her on a trip like that. Thanks for arranging this and good luck planning.

 

[Babsy]

Hello,

I love CL and CL at AKL is really great (if you like African inspired foods, especially). However, we rarely book CL at AKL for 3 reasons:
(1) I like a convenient location at lobby level that is close to the buses, dining, pool, lobby etc
(2) We enjoy eating at the restaurants so much at AKL that we rarely want to go to the CL lounge
(3) I like to have nice outdoor views from the CL, but at AKL you are overlooking the lobby (which is gorgeous, just not my preferred view)

WE often choose pool view when one of our elderly parents comes along to WDW (late 80's to early 90's in ages). Then we request lobby floor (3, I think) and near the lobby as our only requests. Pool view rooms are on shorter hallways, so you shouldn't be too far from the elevators and the places that you want to go. We especially like the Giraffe trail for pool view as it is a very short hallway.

If staying in pool view, you won't have a view of the animals from your room balcony. If watching animals is important to you and your Mom, then book savanna view with the same requests of lobby floor and as near as possible to the lobby.

I'm not sure if this will work, but here is my attempt to give you a link to the AKL map on touring plans:
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-animal-kingdom-lodge
I would definitely consider booking a HA room. It will most likely be easier with the wheelchair and for your Mom in general. Talk to her about the bathroom set ups and ask her preference, though.

Renting a wheelchair from an outside vendor will be nice as you will have the wheelchair to use wherever you go at the resort and in the theme parks. There is now only one vendor that Disney will allow to deliver to Bell Services for pick up. You have to arrange to meet other vendors to accept delivery of the chair yourself. Just something to be aware of when making your choice.

Boma is great for a huge buffet breakfast or dinner, but Mara is a wonderful quick service that has a lovely area just outside with tables under the trees as well as inside tables, if you prefer. Our love for Mara, BOMA and Jiko are the main reasons we rarely choose to pay for CL at AKL!


Have a wonderful visit to AKL with your Mom!

 

[KCanuck]

At approximately 5 days before your check-in call and request a room close to the elevators that take you to the club lounge. They won’t promise anything but given your grandma’s age I would hope they would honour the request. 407-939-7630.
Have a wonderful time

 

[Lynne M]

Also, the food there is delicious, but it tends to be African inspired with some on the spicy side. If she’s not an adventurous eater, might be something to consider. It is delicious, just different.

Yes, I thought about this too. My elderly mom is not an adventurous eater, and can't handle spicy food at all. I think she'd love visiting AKL, but I wouldn't book a trip for us there, because the food selections would be very limited for her and it would feel like a lot of effort to her to get to other resorts to eat.

Have you thought about a monorail resort? Mom LOVES those, because it's so easy to get around that area. You just hop the monorail, and you can visit two other resorts. Lots of sights to see with minimal effort. It's great for people with mobility issues, and there are also a ton of food choices at those resorts, all just a short ride away. Mom also loves riding the boats from resort to resort on Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake, that's almost better than a theme park attraction for her.

 

[starry_solo]

The African inspired food is the evening snack and it isn't that bad. They usually have 3 or 4 options and they are small bites, plus they still have the American style cold food.

 

[SharonZ]

I would consider changing the resort, because of the food inspiration and also the convenience of a monorail resort.

 

[PinkMagnolia]

I think it's wonderful that you are bringing your grandmother. I have a 96 year old grandmother that I absolutely love, and would love to do this for her.
If it were me, I'd stay at the Contemporary resort because it's so close to MK. It's so busy I'm sure she'd love to people watch. I'd then wheel her into MK, take her down Main Street and bring her to It's a Small World. You can also watch fireworks from the resort.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

[cakebaker]

The African inspired food is the evening snack and it isn't that bad. They usually have 3 or 4 options and they are small bites, plus they still have the American style cold food.

My problem was, I loved the idea of freshly prepared food, they just tended to be very African inspired vs the other dishes on the buffet that tended to be less so. I found more than enough to eat, but I'd still prefer a CL where I like the cuisine style completely. If one skips the African style foods, it would be hard to make a meal at dinner. Breakfast wasn't an issue.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I told my grandma I would take her to Disney World. She snow birds in Florida, Fort Meyers. Every time I talk Disney she says, "I wish I was younger and could go with you."

I finally told her enough is enough and she is going to come with me. I know she won't tolerate much, so I'm planning on 2 nights.

I booked us AKL club level in January. I suspect we'll be spending a decent amount of time at the resort, so I'm hoping the club level will be worth it. I have a good appetite. She has almost none.

Obviously I'll be getting her a wheelchair, but I'll be the one pushing that wheelchair. She can't handle an ecv. I know AKL is absolutely sprawling, though I've never stayed there before. If we book club level is there a decent chance we'll be nearish to the lounge? Nearish to transportation/parking? I think we'll have a car this trip and I think we'll heavily relay on that.

Thoughts on this?

My feedback would be similar to Babsy, I'd stay away from CL for the sheer inconvenience at AKL. Lobby level is the second or third floor as mentioned and I find that incredibly convenient and we travel with no handicapped guests. Just kids. So having an accessible room off the lobby would be the best option IMO. You'd be same level for bus transport and parking lot which would be the best case scenario. As far as views, I think you can't go wrong with the savanna views but that's just my opinion. We only do savanna view since that's our preference. Pool is nice but I'd ask your grandmother her preference. Hopefully they can match you up with an accessible room that would meet your criteria. Do also look into the whole new preferred vendor deal since all the drop offs at resorts have been removed.

Have fun, what a special trip!! We're looking at taking my mother in law in Jan/Feb but she's a young grandma at 67 and so looking forward to flower and garden! I'm pretty sure she out walks us daily!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

It looks like I'm in the minority here, but I think Club Level is a perfect idea for you. You will likely be spending a lot of time at the resort, and having the club lounge for an extra space to sit and relax, even if you just have coffee or tea, will be appreciated. You can even run down and get some quick service food and bring it back up to the lounge. I don't think of whether or not the club level is "worth it" based on the food we'll eat. I base it on whether or not we will enjoy the lounge during our trip.

The savanna view from the room will be great as well.

The main part of the resort is large, but not enormous, and rooms are all in the main building, so you can get around with the wheelchair without having to deal with weather. (It's the DVC part that is enormous.)

Definitely get a wheelchair from offsite so you can use it at the resort and getting to and from places.