Best resort for person who can't walk far?

ScottyBurkett

Member
Original Poster
My wife's dear aunt is travelling with us for a 4-night stay with Autism on the Seas. Our son will be going on the park each day with his staff support, and the ladies will be staying at the resort. DA has issues walking very far, but won't use a chair or ECV. The group is staying at Art of Animation, and we'd be booked in the hotel-style rooms.

My concern is the long walk from the hotel rooms to the food court...(I've been assured the pool is close to the rooms).

Which resort - without going to the top level resorts such as the Contemporary would have the shortest walking distances for pool & food? Any guidance is appreciated.
 

Lilofan

Well-Known Member
My wife's dear aunt is travelling with us for a 4-night stay with Autism on the Seas. Our son will be going on the park each day with his staff support, and the ladies will be staying at the resort. DA has issues walking very far, but won't use a chair or ECV. The group is staying at Art of Animation, and we'd be booked in the hotel-style rooms.

My concern is the long walk from the hotel rooms to the food court...(I've been assured the pool is close to the rooms).

Which resort - without going to the top level resorts such as the Contemporary would have the shortest walking distances for pool & food? Any guidance is appreciated.
If you stay at Coronado Springs and stay at Casita 1 building, it's near the main building with the lobby and food court. There are several pools but Casitas have their own smaller pool.
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
All resorts will have rooms that will be close to the food court. The trick is getting one of those rooms as guaranteeing a particular room is next to impossible.

Booking a "preferred" category room will often put you in one of the close buildings, but you can still be a fair distance from the food court even in a preferred room. If you inform the castmember of the situation they will put in requests for you to be as close as possible, but nothing can be guaranteed.

In the case of the The Little Mermaid rooms that is sounds like you are currently booked in, they are among the fatrthest from the food court at that particular resort. The 60's buildings at Pop Century will give you an identical room adjacent to both the pool and food court.
 

Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Definitely not the little mermaid rooms at AOA.

But I'd probably recommend Pop Century in a preferred pool view which should get you in the 60's section which is the closest to the pool and main building.
Its also a straight shot across the bridge to AOA so she'd still be close to the group.

Otherwise I'd say All Star Movies or All Star Sports in preferred rooms.
I would not suggest All Star Music since it has a front to back layout and I believe the family suites are closest to the main building

For a moderate I have not stayed here but Port Orleans French Quarter is supposed to be a small layout compared to the other mods..

However if she is going to the parks there's going to be a lot of walking there so if she refuses a wheelchair then she'll be slow and probably suffering through.
 

StarshipDisney

Well-Known Member
If convenience and short walks are the goal, then you cannot beat the Contemporary Tower. It is such a short walk from Room-to-Elevator-to-Monorail or Room-to-Elevator-to-Buss stop...or vice versa. It is the same for food or shopping since both are just an short elevator ride and very short walk away.

There simply is no other Disney resort that offers this level of travel convenience. We have also stayed at Poly, Yacht Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Port Orleans Riverside. From a short walk and convenience standpoint, nothing else even comes close.

Yes, you will indeed pay for this. The Contemporary Tower is not cheap by any means. But for me...the convenience factor is just so very awesome.
 

Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
If convenience and short walks are the goal, then you cannot beat the Contemporary Tower. It is such a short walk from Room-to-Elevator-to-Monorail or Room-to-Elevator-to-Buss stop...or vice versa. It is the same for food or shopping since both are just an short elevator ride and very short walk away.

There simply is no other Disney resort that offers this level of travel convenience. We have also stayed at Poly, Yacht Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Port Orleans Riverside. From a short walk and convenience standpoint, nothing else even comes close.

Yes, you will indeed pay for this. The Contemporary Tower is not cheap by any means. But for me...the convenience factor is just so very awesome.

I completely agree with the Contemporary but the OP specifically asked for non deluxe specifically noting the Contemporary.
 

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
As Yoda said, there are many resort rooms close to food courts, pools and bus stops for easier access. You can request the closest room when you book, but your odds on getting specifically what you ask for is slim. Weve even been assured when calling in a couple of days before arrival that they would try accommodating us, they see the request on our booking details, the TA had sent in multiple requests... and still we end up with... sorry we dont guarantee specific rooms when we check in. In our case we need a h/c accessible room and have shown a specific need, and still we get what we get.
 

Mrs. Kaz

Member
In the Parks
No
I can vouch for Port Orleans French Quarters being a more compact resort. My husband and I loved this resort and the pool is still one of our favorites.
 

RobWDW1971

Well-Known Member
My wife's dear aunt is travelling with us for a 4-night stay with Autism on the Seas. Our son will be going on the park each day with his staff support, and the ladies will be staying at the resort. DA has issues walking very far, but won't use a chair or ECV. The group is staying at Art of Animation, and we'd be booked in the hotel-style rooms.

My concern is the long walk from the hotel rooms to the food court...(I've been assured the pool is close to the rooms).

Which resort - without going to the top level resorts such as the Contemporary would have the shortest walking distances for pool & food? Any guidance is appreciated.
Don’t rule out staying off property - you can stay at a hotel with virtually no walk to your room/restaurant in the lobby and then just take an Uber right to the front gate of the parks. Cheaper and probably less steps than any Disney resort in total.

Uber has this figured out and on our last trip we never waited more than a couple minutes, never had to be in a crowded, stinky bus, and got dropped off right at the front. No more car rentals or shuttle buses for us.
 

DisAl

Well-Known Member
My wife's dear aunt is travelling with us for a 4-night stay with Autism on the Seas. Our son will be going on the park each day with his staff support, and the ladies will be staying at the resort. DA has issues walking very far, but won't use a chair or ECV. The group is staying at Art of Animation, and we'd be booked in the hotel-style rooms.

My concern is the long walk from the hotel rooms to the food court...(I've been assured the pool is close to the rooms).

Which resort - without going to the top level resorts such as the Contemporary would have the shortest walking distances for pool & food? Any guidance is appreciated.
Her being unwilling to use a wheelchair or ECV will reduce her ability to enjoy the trip tremendously. My mother balked at using a wheelchair the first time we suggested it. But after she realized that she would cut in half what the rest of the family could get done she relented, and had a wonderful time. Needing a chair or ECV is nothing to be ashamed of; there are hundreds in the parks every day.
FYI the reason we chose the chair over the ECV is that I don't have enough liability insurance to turn her loose on an ECV. ;)
 

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
If you can afford it then the main building at Wilderness Lodge would be a great option for short walks as it is more like a "regular" hotel and has all indoor corridors.
But if not then a preferred location at a value (Pop or All-Stars) to get close to main building, or for a nicer experience then French Quarter, again preferred if possible or pool view to stay closer to main building.

Also in terms of the Little Mermaid rooms at AoA, there is a pool (Flippin Fins) right next to the building, but the more popular pool (Big Blue) is quite a walk away.
If the main reason for her being there is being with the family group then being at another resort where they need to travel to see the family would probably be a worse option anyway. Best option might just be to stay with the group.
 

muddyrivers

Well-Known Member
If you will have a car, Port Orleans Riverside may be a good option. There are buildings all over the place, including ones right by the parking lot (in Magnolia Terrace there are rooms literally steps away from the handicap spots of a parking lot). If needed, you could load your aunt into the car and drive to the main parking lot of POR to go to the food court. While there, she could shop at the general store or rest in the chairs at the River Roost lounge.
 

ScottyBurkett

Member
Original Poster
Thanks, everyone, your comments are greatly appreciated. I have collectd the ideas mentioned here, and will present the options to the ladies...and we'll go from there...(and who knows, maybe they'll surprise me and decide on the Contemporary).

Again, thanks to all, it's sure appreciated!
 

correcaminos

Well-Known Member
I've been thinking on this. Since Contemporary and deluxes are out, have you looked into the Swan? Prices can be good and more compact than moderates or values. My choice would have been WL out of Disney resorts.
 

DisAl

Well-Known Member
French Quarter is perfect for those who cant walk far.
POFQ is the most compact of the resorts and the theming is great. AND they have beignets at Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory!
I don't remember if their buildings have elevators, so if you stay there be sure and ask. If they don't you would want to request a ground floor room. One additional plus for either POR or POFQ is that you can take a boat to Disney Springs.
 

danlb_2000

Premium Member
I agree with people's suggestion of POFQ. Worst case distance from the room to the food court is 0.18 miles...

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