Walking Distance at Resorts

[Dznygrl79]

Hey all!
I need a little help. We just had a great trip a few weeks ago and I'm ready to start planning my next in October of 08 April has been scratched and I have no control over my work trip so I'm planning October (its our 5th wedding Anniversary anyhow!)
So I found myself having more and more trouble walking around this time. I was especially bad after long days in the park I knew this was gonna happen knee and heart problems do that but when I'm planning my next trip I wanna be more prepared we are gonna stay at a value or maybe think of trying a moderate but which resort is my question. I want something that isn't gonna leave me panting by time I get into the room. All the moderates look so large but I would love the extra room and guaranteed refrigerator ( last trip I called them and told them I had meds that would need to be kept cold, reminded them at check in and it still took 2 and a half hours for a refrigerator to get there thank goodness for ice buckets!)
Any suggestions?

[SBETigg]

Port Orleans French Quarter is a moderate of relatively small size, easy to get around. I would recommend looking into that. Best wishes with planning!

[ElenitaB]

Sherri beat me to it but I was also going to recommend Port Orleans French Quarter. It's not only a lovely resort... it's also the smallest moderate resort.

When you make your reservation, you can ask for a room close to the main building/transportation due to your medical condition. Just be aware that at some value resorts, the "preferred location" may come with a higher price tag.

[BrerGnat]

I'd also suggest Port Orleans French Quarter. The whole resort is pretty compact and it's all very centrally located to the bus stops/main building.

Another option is the preferred rooms at the values, as mentioned.

I also wanted to mention, it helps to have it noted on your reservation a request for a room close to whatever you want (bus stop, main building, etc.). Mention your condition/reason for request. A couple of years ago, I took a solo trip and stayed at the Pop Century. This was before they instituted "preferred buildings", but I sent in a request asking for a room close to the main building as I was a female travelling solo and was concerned about safety, and they put me in a room that was a stone's throw (literally) from the central building, which was great.

[Kairi_7378]

We loved POFQ for its size. It's very cute and compact. However, because it is small, it tends to book up faster than the other moderates. If you get stuck in a different resort, follow BrerGnat's advice and ask for a closer room. Your fellow Intercotees can help you request rooms that will fit your needs.

[Dznygrl79]

Thanks so much all! I am looking into resorts!
I think I was just a little disappointed with All Star Sports. I got just about everything I requested (somethings took a little longer) and I even got an extra special visitor! On our second day it was gorgeous weather and we decided to head out a little early to the parks, the sun was shining right on our room, I guess that makes a wonderful spot to lounge when your a lizard (anole?) When I opened the room door he came running in! I screamed and acted like a little girl (I'm a girl scout have no problems with snakes bugs or most other reptiles but this one just walked right into my room!) I called the front desk and they said don't worry they don't bite and mousekeeping would shoo him out when they found him.
Well we left, when we came home that night i pated down the bed before I got in and decided he must have left. Well on Saturday morning I was taking down the christmas decorations and found him! He was curled up in the garland in our window!
Well thats an added bonus not on the brochure.
However I had a problem with all the youth groups there for the Pop Warner tournament. LArge groups of unsupervised children, most of them breaking some rule or another and all seemed to have potty mouths! I even witnessed a group of older kids playing ball and knocking over younger kids walking with their families, it was very rough, luckily they left after the first weekend.
Also after staying at Pop Century the food court was not as nice, the staff where nice but the Pop just seemed to have more offerings and more than one mug wash station.
I think I may try POFQ or Pop again when we go in October.

[jillluvsdisney]

French Quarter is pretty compact in size. I think the Wilderness Lodge is too. Stay away from Pop because it is gigantic.

[TheFoo]

I also wanted to mention, it helps to have it noted on your reservation a request for a room close to whatever you want (bus stop, main building, etc.). Mention your condition/reason for request.

We are DVC members, and we usually stay at OKW. My father, who has heart problems, frequently travels with us. We always request a room close to the Hospitality House, as the internal shuttle bus (or the park buses) takes forever to make its rounds.

It ALWAYS ends up being a hassle at check-in time. We specifically put in our reservation that it is a medical condition, and we even call OKW the night before to verify that they have a record of the request. We STILL have problems every time we check in...maybe it is just a problem with the OKW desk staff...

Just our .02

[MsMin]

One problem we had in Dec. 06 was there was very little if any handicapped parking available at the allstars. We spent our first night there because we came in a little earlier then our original ressies. We had a horrible time and spent most of the time just trying to help my dad get around. We had trouble getting a w/c (we had plans for the EVC @ BWV). My dad ended up eating in the room w/ us running back and forth He said he would never do that again then purchased the DVC. Anywho.... we loved pop when we were there w/o him and the preferred section can still be a good clip.
Moral of this long story.... be prepared and take advantage of everything there to make your trip easier. I believe in preserving your energy for the parks so if you can benefit by a w/c at the resort and even sometime in the parks then by all means take advantage and get the most for your $$ and vacation time. DON'T SUFFER through. My dad thoroughly enjoyed his trip once we got the EVC's (not my mom b/c she kept losing him)
I would prefer to rent the EVC over a preferred room charge. Have a great time...

[Here we go again...]

We are DVC members, and we usually stay at OKW. My father, who has heart problems, frequently travels with us. We always request a room close to the Hospitality House, as the internal shuttle bus (or the park buses) takes forever to make its rounds.

It ALWAYS ends up being a hassle at check-in time. We specifically put in our reservation that it is a medical condition, and we even call OKW the night before to verify that they have a record of the request. We STILL have problems every time we check in...maybe it is just a problem with the OKW desk staff...

Just our .02

No, it is not a problem at OKW... it is a problem everywhere. I have only started using EVCs this year. In the past I always just dealt with the pain. On year I stayed at CBR 3 weeks after knee surgery and asked for a building near the bridge so we could walk over to the food court in the morning (mornings are hard... I have a hard time getting started). They put me in the worst building ever... It was the longest walk possible. After I spoke with the manager he put me in a preferred location at no extra charge because he said they should not have missed the medical request.
Same thing at POR... I was put in building 35. You can not get any farther from the main building. The manger would not change the room, even when I offered to pay a higher price. I got a very ugly "NO". I had problems at that resort the whole stay so there was a bigger problem there than me.
When I sent my medical request in for OKW for my stay next week I got a "remember this is a request, not a guarantee" email back.

[Rayadragon]

My family normally stays at CBR, and we normally request a location near the bus stops due to my brother's somewhat limited mobility (he can walk, just not always well). We had old maps of the resort so we could request specific building numbers that were nearby. We haven't had a problem yet with this, but lately we've been going during the off season, so I'm sure it's easier to get requests this way.

The major positive I could see to staying at CBR is the internal shuttle, which stops at all the locations in CBR, and it just circles around the resort. That being said, CBR is the largest resort, so if you're not in a prefered location or near a bus stop, it can be a real hassel.

[heidi614]

We always stya at ASM it was way nicer than ASS. We stayed at CB last year and it was huge! With walking all day at the park it was way to difficult for my dad to walk another 5 miles around the hotel. ASM Toy Story building is very close to the Main building and food court is nice. Just FYI..

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Another vote for French Quarter! The resort is so small, that even if you get stuck in a "far" building, it is still much closer than other resorts.

We had a great CM at check-in, who got us a room at the corner of building 4, we could honestly throw something at the main building we were so close, and it was much appreciated.