Accessing Orlando: Advice for
Travelers with Disabilities
A disability need not prevent you from savoring the magic of Orlando and
Walt Disney World. Many of the city’s attractions and hotels are designed
to accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities, from specially
equipped guest rooms to audio aids for the sight impaired. A little advance
research and planning, however, is a smart idea.
Finding accommodating lodgings
Every hotel and motel in Florida is required by law to maintain a special
room (or rooms) equipped for wheelchairs, but keep in mind that the
law is being phased-in over time, so some hotels may not yet have
rooms for those with disabilities. A few have wheel-in showers. Walt
Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort (% 407-934-1000), which
opened in 1997, maintains 99 rooms that are designed to accommodate
guests with disabilities, so make your special needs known when making
reservations. For other information about special Disney rooms, call
% 407-939-7807.
59Chapter 6: Catering to Special Travel Needs or Interests
If you don’t mind staying 15 minutes from Disney, Yvonne’s Property
Management (% 877-714-1144 or 863-424-0795; www.villasinorlando.
com) is a rental agency for, among other things, some handicapped-
accessible homes that have multiple-bedrooms, multiple-baths including
accessible showers, full kitchens, and pools outfitted with lifts. Most
cost less than $200 a night and are located in Davenport.
Getting around
Public buses in Orlando have hydraulic lifts and restraining belts for
wheelchairs, and they serve Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, shopping
areas, and downtown Orlando. When staying on Disney property, you
can use shuttle buses that accommodate wheelchairs.
If you need to rent a wheelchair or an electric scooter for your visit,
Walker Medical & Mobility Products will deliver one to your room; it
offers a model that accommodates guests weighing up to 375 pounds that
fits into Disney’s transports and monorails and into rental cars. For more
information, call % 888-726-6837 or 407-518-6000; or visit Walker’s Web
site at www.walkermobility.com. You can also rent conventional and
electric chairs daily at the theme parks (see Chapters 12–16 and 18–20).
Many of the major car-rental companies now offer hand-controlled cars
for drivers with disabilities. See the Appendix in the back of the book for
the major rental companies’ toll-free numbers and Web sites. Avis Rent-
a-Car has an Avis Access program that offers such services as a dedicated
24-hour toll-free number (% 888-879-4273) for customers with special
travel needs; special car features such as swivel seats, spinner knobs,
and hand controls; and accessible bus service.
Amtrak (% 800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com) can provide you with
redcap service, wheelchair assistance, and special seats if you give 72-
hour notice. Travelers with disabilities also are entitled to a 15 percent
discount off the lowest available adult coach fare. Documentation from a
doctor or an ID card proving your disability is required, however. Amtrak
also provides wheelchair-accessible sleeping accommodations on its long-
distance trains. Amtrak permits service dogs aboard, and they travel free.
TTY service also is available at % 800-523-6590 or by writing to P.O. Box
7717, Itasca, IL 60143.
Greyhound (% 800-752-4841; www.greyhound.com) allows a physically
challenged passenger to travel with a companion for a single fare. When
you call 48 hours in advance, the bus line also arranges assistance along
the route of your trip. It also permits service dogs aboard.
Maneuvering through theme parks
All the parks offer parking as close as possible to the entrance for
people with disabilities. Tell the parking booth attendant about your
special needs, and he or she can direct you to the appropriate spot.
60Part II: Planning Your Trip to Walt Disney World & Orlando
Each park’s guide map tells you what to expect when you arrive. Most
theme-park rides and shows, especially the newer ones, are designed to
be accessible to a wide variety of guests. Likewise, theme parks often
give people in wheelchairs (and their parties) preferential treatment so
that they can avoid long lines. If you need crutches or suffer from some
other medical problem that may restrict your mobility in any way, you’re
probably better off renting a wheelchair; the amount of walking you
need to do in the parks may wear you down quickly. You can rent wheel-
chairs at most major Orlando attractions, but you’ll probably be more
comfortable in your chair from home (and will save some money, too).
Keep in mind, however, that wheelchairs wider than 241⁄2 inches may make
navigating through some attractions difficult. And crowds can make get-
ting around tough for any guest.
Walt Disney World
The Magic Mickster offers a Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities that
details many services. Disney no longer mails them prior to visits, but
you can pick one up at Guest Relations near the entrances of the four
parks. They’re also available at some resorts. You can also call % 407-
824-4321 or % 407-824-2222 for answers to questions about special
needs. For accessibility issues relating to the WDW resorts, call % 407-
939-7807. A special link at the bottom of Disney’s Web site at www.
disneyworld.com leads to a host of information for those with dis-
abilities. Examples of Disney services include the following:
Almost all Disney resort hotels have rooms for people with
disabilities.
You can find Braille directories inside the Magic Kingdom in front of
City Hall, and at Guest Relations in the other parks (a $25 refundable
deposit is required). You can pick up complimentary guided-tour
audiocassette tapes and recorders (a $25 refundable deposit is
required) at Guest Relations to assist visually impaired guests.
Assisted-listening devices are available to amplify the audio at
selected attractions at WDW parks. At some attractions, guests also
can get handheld wireless receivers that display captions about
those attractions. (Both services are free but require a $25 refund-
able deposit). Inquire at Guest Relations inside each park.
Sign translation is available for most of Disney’s live shows on a
rotating schedule: Mondays and Thursdays at the Magic Kingdom,
Tuesdays and Fridays at Epcot, Sundays and Wednesdays at
Disney–MGM Studios, and Saturdays at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Guests desiring sign translation should call Disney at % 407-824-
4321 (voice) or 407-827-5141 (TTY) at least two weeks in advance.
Several attractions inside the major parks offer special closed-
captioned LED screens for the hearing-impaired. Inquire at Guest
61Chapter 6: Catering to Special Travel Needs or Interests
Relations inside each park for the list of attractions currently offer-
ing this option.
Service animals are allowed in all parks and on some rides.
Universal Orlando
If you’re physically challenged, go to Guest Services, located just inside the
main entrances of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, to
get a Riders Guide, a Telecommunications Relay System (TTY), or other
special assistance. You can rent wheelchairs from the concourse area of
the parking garage. Wheelchairs can navigate the entry lines at all attrac-
tions with the exception of Back to the Future, which has a special access
entrance. Universal also provides audio descriptions on cassette for visu-
ally impaired guests and has sign-language guides and scripts for its
shows. (Advance notice is required; call % 800-837-2273 or 407-363-8000
for details, or check each park’s Web site at www.universalorlando.com
for details.) Sign language–interpreting services are available at Universal
Studios Florida or Islands of Adventure, at no charge. Arrangements for
an appointment with an interpreter should be made one to two weeks
in advance by contacting the Sign Language Services Department at
% 888-519-4899 (toll-free TTY), 407-224-4414 (local TTY), or 407-224-5929
(voice).
SeaWorld
SeaWorld provides a guide booklet for guests with disabilities, although
most of its attractions are accessible to people in wheelchairs. You can
pick one up at Guest Services inside the park or download it at www.sea
worldorlando.com. SeaWorld also provides a Braille guide for the visu-
ally impaired and a very brief synopsis of its shows for the hearing
impaired. Sign language–interpreting services are available at no charge,
but must be reserved by calling % 407-363-2414 at least a week in
advance of your visit. Assisted-listening devices are available at select
attractions for a $20 refundable deposit. For a complete rundown on all
of your options, head to Guest Services when you enter the park; you can
also call % 407-351-3600 for more information.
Advice for Gay and Lesbian Travelers
The popularity of Orlando as a destination for gay and lesbian travelers
is apparent in the development of the Gay Day Celebration at Disney
World into Gay Days weekend festivities. Gay- and lesbian-related
events also take place at Universal and SeaWorld. These festivals are
scheduled the first weekend in June and draw tens of thousands of gay
and lesbian travelers to Central Florida. Find information at www.gay
day.com or www.gaydays.com.
You also can get information about events for Gay Days and for
events that occur throughout the year from Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual
Community Services of Central Florida, 934 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, FL
62Part II: Planning Your Trip to Walt Disney World & Orlando
32803 (% 407-228-8272; www.glbcc.org). Welcome packets usually
include the latest issue of Triangle, dedicated to gay and lesbian issues,
a calendar of events pertaining to Florida’s gay and lesbian community,
and information and ads for the area’s clubs. Gay Orlando Network
(www.gayorlando.com) is another good resource.
Both the entertainment industry and theme parks have helped build a
strong gay and lesbian community in Orlando. Same-sex dancing is
acceptable at most clubs at WDW’s Pleasure Island, especially the large
and very popular Mannequins Dance Club. Many of Universal’s CityWalk
establishments are similarly gender blind. The tenor of crowds can
change, however, depending on what tour is in town, so respect your
own intuition.
If you’re interested in sampling some of the other local gay and lesbian
hot spots, check out the following places:
The Club at Firestone, 578 N. Orange Ave. at Concord Street, in a
converted garage that still bears the Firestone sign (% 407-426-
0005; www.clubatfirestone.com). Go-go boys dance on lifts
converted into raised platforms, and a diverse group boogies on
the large concrete floor. This is a serious dance club, with dark
lighting, cavernous rooms, and a high-energy atmosphere, which
also sometimes features well-known DJs. Saturdays are the best day
to visit for a heavy gay-centric crowd. It’s open daily from 9 p.m. to
2 a.m. The cover charge varies from $5 to $10. Limited lot parking is
available for $3 to $5.
Parliament House, 410 N. Orange Blossom Trail just west of down-
town (% 407-425-7571; www.parliamenthouse.com). This resort
is one of Orlando’s wilder, and most popular, gay spots, although
it’s not particularly fancy and not in the best neighborhood in
town. It is, however, a popular place to drink, dance, and watch
shows that include female impersonators and male revues. The
Parliament House has six bars and clubs. Its disco opens daily at
9 p.m., except on Sunday when things start up at 3 p.m.; show
times vary. Cover charges vary but usually don’t rise above $10.
Southern Nights, 375 S. Bumby Ave. between Anderson Street and
Colonial Drive (% 407-898-0424; www.southern-nights.com).
Voted “Best Gay Bar” by readers of a local alternative weekly paper,
Southern Nights offers theme nights for women on Saturday and for
men on Friday. Female-impersonator shows are featured during the
week. At press time, it was closed for major renovations, but it’s
due to reopen in 2006. In the past it was open nightly, hours varying
according to event. Cover charges vary but usually don’t rise above
$10. Self-parking is free, while valet parking costs $5.
The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) (% 800-
448-8550 or 954-776-2626; www.iglta.org) is the trade association for
63Chapter 6: Catering to Special Travel Needs or Interests
the gay and lesbian travel industry and offers an online directory of
gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses; go to their Web site and click
on “Members.”
Many agencies offer tours and travel itineraries specifically for gay and
lesbian travelers. Above and Beyond Tours (% 800-397-2681; www.
abovebeyondtours.com) is the exclusive gay and lesbian tour operator
for United Airlines. Now, Voyager (% 800-255-6951; www.nowvoyager.
com) is a well-known San Francisco–based gay-owned and operated
travel service. Olivia Cruises & Resorts (% 800-631-6277 or 510-655-
0364; www.olivia.com) charters entire resorts and ships for exclusive
lesbian vacations and offers smaller group experiences for both gay and
lesbian travelers.
The following travel guides are available at most travel bookstores and
gay and lesbian bookstores, or you can order them from Giovanni’s
Room bookstore, 1145 Pine St., Philadelphia, PA 19107 (% 215-923-2960;
www.giovannisroom.com); Out and About (% 800-929-2268 or 415-
644-8044; www.outandabout.com), which offers guidebooks and a
newsletter ($20/year; 10 issues) packed with solid information on the
global gay and lesbian scene; Spartacus International Gay Guide
(Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide) and
Odysseus, both good, annual English-language guidebooks focused on
gay men; the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate, annual
books for gay men and lesbians; and Gay Travel A to Z: The World of
Gay & Lesbian Travel Options at Your Fingertips by Marianne Ferrari
(Ferrari International; Box 35575, Phoenix, AZ 85069), a very good gay
and lesbian guidebook series.
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