If you intend to take a Disney Cruise which leaves from Orlando it makes sense to also go to the parks if you can! There are Land and Sea Packages you should ask the Disney Cruise booking people about that can save you money. We are planning on arriving a day+ early, resting in the hotel, going on the cruise and then taking two park days before heading back.
Staying in the Disney bubble has a ton of advantages I will get into later, but Disney resorts are also very good about accessibility, so I prefer to stay in them wherever possible. Just ask for an accessible wheelchair room for your hotel- they usually have both roll in shower and bath options at Disneyworld.
When you are booking the cruise portion specify that you are in a wheelchair/scooter and need an accessible room. They have a fair selection of these which you will be able to see on their website on the map in their online booking page. The order of best place to be in for seasickness avoidance is midship (best), then back, then front (worst). Lower rather than higher is also better for seasickness avoidance. Getting a verandah room instead of a porthole (fresh air) is meant to help as well.
We were able to get a midship on level 7 deluxe verandah accessible room. You can pick a dining time (early or late) when you book and you can also set dining preferences (“close to show”, “quiet corner”, “near exit”, solo table”, etc.). I picked the later time because I know most of the younger (noisy) kids will be in the earlier time and I need more quiet for my sensory sensitivity.
There is also a section for accessibility requests (dietary restrictions, CPAP water, etc.). If you have any questions about this before or after booking just call the disability line. I called to make it clear I had a wheelchair and that during dining it goes sideways to the table and takes two seats, among other things. (407) 566-3602
The Land and Sea package didn’t quite fit our itinerary, but we did get a hotel + parks package after our cruise. At Disneyworld there a a lot of advantages to a package. You can cancel or reschedule both hotel and park tickets together (if you buy tickets separately you can’t get a refund, just reschedule). You get luggage tags, a discount, and if you are staying at one of the deluxe Disney hotels you get added perks like early/late night park access *ask a cast member about other perks, they can change*.
I HIGHLY recommend planning travel to get to the Orlando/Port area 24+ hours early. This gives time for flight delays, lost luggage, lost wheelchair, obtaining a loaner wheelchair if your wheelchair is damaged/lost on the flight, etc. We are flying in on a Saturday night and will board our cruise Monday morning.
Before you book flights, please look at my Booking and What to Expect at the Airport section.
I have planned the Sunday as a rest and recovery day for me and a pool/chill day for my husband and daughter. We are staying at the Polynesian Hotel. This is one of the three deluxe hotels (Polynesian, Contemporary, Grand Floridian) on the Monorail (easy access to Magic Kingdom, a monorail transfer away from Epcot, and has shuttles to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood studios. The monorail and shuttle busses are both accessible. The monorail has a special boarding station for wheelchairs and the busses have a designated spot to board with a box painted on the ground and they board wheelchair and scooter parties first. There is also a ferry across the lake to and from the Magic Kingdom, which is a great way to come back at night.
The Polynesian is a Polynesian/tropically themed hotel. It has really fun pool play structures for the kids, Trader Sam’s Tiki bar for adults, a Dole Whip stand and the Ohana character experience (Stitch+) restaurant for everyone, and more. The Magic Kingdom’s nightly fireworks are visible from the pools/dock/dole whip stand and they play the music that goes with the fireworks at the hotel.
When you set up your cruise you can ask for transport to and from your hotel to the cruise through Disney. For a wheelchair/scooter group I highly recommend this. You never can count on random wheelchair transport and it can be a long wait sometimes, but this way you are in the Disney system and they are responsible for getting you there and it is wheelchair accessible. Disney shuttle transport also has the added benefit of getting you on the ship at an early boarding time which will let you explore and enjoy the ship that much sooner.
If you don’t take Disney transport you get your arrival time during check in 30 days before your sail date (midnight EST the night before/morning of). You will want to arrive at the port 30-60 minutes before your time because the traffic+parking takes that long.
Once you have booked your cruise, if it is your first Disney cruise (and you aren’t concierge level which is 130 days) you will have access to booking activities online at midnight EST the night before (early morning of) 75 days before your cruise. This is for spa, various alcohol tastings onboard, dinner and brunch reservations at the fancy “extra restaurants onboard, off-ship outings, princess encounters, etc. and they fill up fast. I would say the character based activities/bibbiti bobbiti boutique for kids (all genders) fill up first followed by the brunch followed by the dinners, then other stuff.
You will want to call the Disability access line at (407) 566-3602 a few days before booking cruise activities (because sometimes they need a day or two to get back to you if you have a specific issue). They will help you figure out what activities you can do accessibility-wise (different if your wheelchair is folding, if you can transfer, etc.) before you book anything. You can also check what things can be done to accommodate you on the ship (for example they have purified water for CPAP machines but you have to arrange it ahead). Some things like heating pads are not allowed onboard, but they do have some that you can borrow from medical. Explain your condition and anything you might need and they will work with you to accommodate you.
Check In
Check in is 30 days before your cruise (midnight EST the night before/morning of). You need to have clear, complete head-and shoulders headshots of each party member with a blank background and no text on clothing. You also need pictures of each person’s travel document(s). Disney’s info here.
Planning ahead for the Parks
When you are staying in a Disney resort you can book the entire run of your vacation’s dinner reservations 60 days ahead (at 6AM EST). There are a ton of awesome restaurants, some with character experiences and I highly recommend doing at least one special restaurant each day. With Disneyworld I’m not a big fan of park-hopping in the wheelchair. It’s doable for a single hop, but I wouldn’t count on more than that. There’s plenty in each park to take an entire day, and I’d take two for the Magic Kingdom if you can.
Some of the dining bookings are also experiences like firework or Fantasmic viewing packages that give you premium seating. I find the dessert ones are rarely worth it but the dinner ones are very worth it.
If you are unable to book a reservation for the restaurant you want go to Mousedining or Mousewatcher. You pay a small fee to have them watch various reservations for you and they will send you a text if there is an opening. If so click on the link in seconds, race to sign in and get the reservation ASAP. It may take a few tries but you have a decent chance (I always seem to get most of what I want if I do this early enough).
DAS (Disability Access Services)
Spend a moment considering if your disability(s) include ANYTHING that interferes with you staying for multiple hours in a line (if you cannot leave the line) no matter how embarrassing. It could be another non-mobility physical issue(s), or a sensitivity(s) or neurological issue(s). If you have something like that (more likely a few somethings) you may qualify for DAS.
DAS allows you to enter the park and then select the next ride you would like to ride with up to 5 other people in your party (6 total). You select that ride and it gives you a return time to wait outside the line until that time (or anytime after). Once you have fully checked into that ride you can sign up for the next ride and so on.
After your trip is fully booked and you have created an account with your party’s tickets entered in you can call to see if you qualify for DAS. Go to this page 30-2 days before your trip and do a video call to register for DAS. The person with the disability must be present during the call (though a carer/parent can be the one talking). Be careful to state that yes you have a mobility device, but you are NOT asking for DAS because of that, you are asking because you have ___ other issue(s). This will not only get you signed up for DAS but will allow you to book two extra ride times that are just time slots. They don’t interfere with your regular DAS selections, they are just extra, but you have to go inside the time window.
PACKING
Pack medications in your carry on and make sure everything is in the original container (not pill-per-day containers or anything) so that they can confirm prescriptions are for you and random pills are whatever they are. They will take most of your luggage and put it in your room, but you won’t have access to your room until around 2PM and mix-ups are possible so make sure anything you need immediately is with you in carry on/backpack/purse etc.
If you are leaving the USA (including Bahamas) this includes your passport. Required documents for each cruise are here. Yes, in some cases a birth certificate is enough for the cruise itself, but what if somehow you end up having medical issues and are separated from the ship? It’s best to have a passport. They can take 6 months to get sometimes. You can theoretically expedite a little (not reliable- a friend of mine had serious issues) so get that done ASAP.
Look at the packing advice including prohibited items list on the Disney Cruise website. Prohibited items include some electronics, including heating pads. I will be asking the Polynesian Hotel to hold on to my heating pad during our cruise and will pick it up when we return. I have been told I can borrow an approved one from the medical department. Apparently you can also borrow extension cords (helpful for wheelchair) but cannot bring your own. Multi-plugs are not allowed, but multi- usb hubs are.
If you bring something they confiscate they will keep it during the voyage and then leave it on the table on the way out. If you know you have something that will be confiscated I would put it in a bag ahead of time with a big fat label with your name on it and maybe an airtag or somethign so you can be more sure of getting it back.
While they all have one “formal night”, cruises have different theme nights. You can find out what themes your cruise will have by calling the cruise line (800) 951-3532. We are sailing to the Bahamas on the Disney Wish for 4 days so we will have a pirate night (most people dres up in at least the free bandana they give you). and a formal night. The restaurants are Arrendale (Frozen), Marvel and 1923 themed and we may want to dress for those too. They also have the Hyperspace (Star Wars themed) lounge so another chance to dress up!
Think of any extra needs you might have. For example- I’m taking a life vest for swimming in the ocean. I am not safe or able to swim independently anymore and this will really help if I decide to even go in a little bit.
Before Leaving
Take some time to watch some youtube videos of your ship. There might even be a few with wheelchairs or scooters! There are lot of great tips in these videos.
Before you Go
Check out my “How to Help You Chair Survive Airline Travel” post.
Good luck!
My Wandering Wheels 