Hi all,
I thought I'd take a break from writing about Disney to share a log cabin we travelled to last year. It is situated near to Tenby in Pembrokeshire, Wales. We found out about it via it's own website, http://www.wheelchairaccessholidays.co.uk/ which it attractive and easy to navigate. It is full of pictures showing the facilities included within the rental package. They tend to rent week by weeek as opposed to daily rentals. Therre is only one cabin available, however, the cabin itself is incredibly impressive. The reasonable price includes a self catered three bedroomed easy access log cabin, inclusive of gas and electricity. It also has a rise and recline lounge chair, a tracking hoist, a wet room, a shower chair, profiling beds in two rooms and an accessible kitchen and balcony.
Set on a caravan park, it has facilities close by and pubs and restaurants within a short car journey. There are attractions close by such as the manor park wildlife centre (as featured on wild welsh zoo and owned by Anna Rider Richardson), Folly Farm, the town of Tenby itself which is a bustling little town full of activity and of course the famous Pembrokeshire coastline.
The owners of the cabin are impressively knowledgeable on the subject of disabled access as a member of their own family is in a wheelchair. This is ultimately why they have purpose built the cabin. They rent it solely to disabled traveller and ensure it is well maintained. It was beautifully clean and warm and we went in October of last year, a rather cold October if I remember rightly! It has a gas fire, large flat screen TV and sofas in the lounge area, it feels fantastically cosy and homely.
We stayed Monday to Friday and cost a grand total of £280! Bargain.
I wouldn't hesitate going back here, or recommending it to all of you out there!
Cath x
Sunday, 3 October 2010
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Disneyland Park Paris - Easy Access Card.
Hi all,
I will be reviewing the parks access, the activities and rides, staff, value for money and anything else I can think of that may help all you travellers out!
With staying in a resort hotel, you are given access to the parks 2 hours early. This is something we never took advantage of so I can't really comment on, but it is definately an attractive proposition for guests - particularly in the off season when the park doesn't have such long opening hours.
As soon as we went through the turnstyles we headed for City Hall. We wanted to get an "easy access pass". The website (http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk/) advised us on what we needed to bring along with us to get the pass - simply a letter from your GP dated within the past 3 months or a blue badge will be sufficient. We however forgot to bring either and left them in the car at birmingham airport!!! Clever. We explained the situation to the gentleman behind the counter who was very helpful and didn't question our legitimacy. All they asked was whether the client could climb a ladder or not. This question determined which colour pass you would be issued with. If you cannot climb down a ladder, you aren't allowed to ride Peter Pan's Flight or Crushes coaster in the Studios Park. Guest services will give you a map of the parks designed for disabled guests, it also includes information regarding how to gain access to the rides so an invaluable piece of information.
The man explained to us how to gain access to attractions and the viewing areas for shows and parades. In the main park, you generally entered a ride through the exit where a cast member would assist you from there. A number of rides will offer essentially a fast pass system where you come back at a certain time and gain access via the exit. I believe that despite gaining access via the exit you are meant to wait as long as the main queue is, yet we didn't queue any longer than 10 minutes! There were 2 of us supporting the wheelchair user and we had no problem of being seperated except in the viewing areas for parades and shows. Due to the size of the area only one person was allowed to assist but this wasnt too much of an issue as it is only a rope seperating the viewing area from the rest of the pavement.
You have to present your EAC at all attractions and viewing areas so it is advisable to keep it handy.
If you have any questions about the card, please leave them in the comments and I will answer them as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.
Cath x
I will be reviewing the parks access, the activities and rides, staff, value for money and anything else I can think of that may help all you travellers out!
With staying in a resort hotel, you are given access to the parks 2 hours early. This is something we never took advantage of so I can't really comment on, but it is definately an attractive proposition for guests - particularly in the off season when the park doesn't have such long opening hours.
As soon as we went through the turnstyles we headed for City Hall. We wanted to get an "easy access pass". The website (http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk/) advised us on what we needed to bring along with us to get the pass - simply a letter from your GP dated within the past 3 months or a blue badge will be sufficient. We however forgot to bring either and left them in the car at birmingham airport!!! Clever. We explained the situation to the gentleman behind the counter who was very helpful and didn't question our legitimacy. All they asked was whether the client could climb a ladder or not. This question determined which colour pass you would be issued with. If you cannot climb down a ladder, you aren't allowed to ride Peter Pan's Flight or Crushes coaster in the Studios Park. Guest services will give you a map of the parks designed for disabled guests, it also includes information regarding how to gain access to the rides so an invaluable piece of information.
The man explained to us how to gain access to attractions and the viewing areas for shows and parades. In the main park, you generally entered a ride through the exit where a cast member would assist you from there. A number of rides will offer essentially a fast pass system where you come back at a certain time and gain access via the exit. I believe that despite gaining access via the exit you are meant to wait as long as the main queue is, yet we didn't queue any longer than 10 minutes! There were 2 of us supporting the wheelchair user and we had no problem of being seperated except in the viewing areas for parades and shows. Due to the size of the area only one person was allowed to assist but this wasnt too much of an issue as it is only a rope seperating the viewing area from the rest of the pavement.
You have to present your EAC at all attractions and viewing areas so it is advisable to keep it handy.
If you have any questions about the card, please leave them in the comments and I will answer them as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.
Cath x
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Transfers from airport to hotel (Disneyland Paris Series)
Hi all,
I thought I'd discuss the transfers we actually did use instead of the VEA coach. I talked in a previous post about the issues we faced in booking a transfer through Thomas Cook. So on returning home after the unsuccessful trip to Thomas Cook, we got online and within moments we had found a company specialising in private transfers.
This may not be suitable to everyone out there, the gentleman that we took although he was in a wheelchair he was able to transfer from the chair into a car albeit with some difficulty. I would use the company again for everything except the vehicle that they actually use. It was a VW van, lovely and clean, spacious but very tall, there were two small steps to get in. It was difficult to manage but we did manage.
In terms of service, we sent a booking email to their offices in Paris, probably around 6pm GMT. By 8pm GMT I had a reply confirming the booking, and with instructions regarding what to do to pick up your transfer. The email instucted us to call their office after we had landed but before picking up luggage. No money exchanges hands until you arrive at your destination. We were very fortunate in that our driver was already there waiting for us! Excellent, straight on the road!
The transfer took about 25-30 minutes. Painless and comfortable! The driver spoke excellent English and was incredibly helpful and courteous. All this for 70 Euro for 3 people. Not bad going I thought.
The company we used was
Opipare Travel Sarl
8, Rue Jean Richard Bloch
95100
Argenteuil
France
tel: +33634219788
email: contact@parisshuttlebus.com
http:// http://www.parisshuttlebus.com/
Hope this helps!
Catherine x
I thought I'd discuss the transfers we actually did use instead of the VEA coach. I talked in a previous post about the issues we faced in booking a transfer through Thomas Cook. So on returning home after the unsuccessful trip to Thomas Cook, we got online and within moments we had found a company specialising in private transfers.
This may not be suitable to everyone out there, the gentleman that we took although he was in a wheelchair he was able to transfer from the chair into a car albeit with some difficulty. I would use the company again for everything except the vehicle that they actually use. It was a VW van, lovely and clean, spacious but very tall, there were two small steps to get in. It was difficult to manage but we did manage.
In terms of service, we sent a booking email to their offices in Paris, probably around 6pm GMT. By 8pm GMT I had a reply confirming the booking, and with instructions regarding what to do to pick up your transfer. The email instucted us to call their office after we had landed but before picking up luggage. No money exchanges hands until you arrive at your destination. We were very fortunate in that our driver was already there waiting for us! Excellent, straight on the road!
The transfer took about 25-30 minutes. Painless and comfortable! The driver spoke excellent English and was incredibly helpful and courteous. All this for 70 Euro for 3 people. Not bad going I thought.
The company we used was
Opipare Travel Sarl
8, Rue Jean Richard Bloch
95100
Argenteuil
France
tel: +33634219788
email: contact@parisshuttlebus.com
http:// http://www.parisshuttlebus.com/
Hope this helps!
Catherine x
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Hotel Cheyenne (Disneyland Paris Series)
Hi all,
A little mini review of the hotel! This hotel is on the Disneyland Paris site, it is marketted as a 2* hotel. Price includes continental breakfast and free shuttle to the park. There is also a pleasant walk to the park, taking 15 minutes or so alongside a river. It is a themed hotel and is made to look like a wild west town, and each accomodation block is named after a wild west character i.e wild bill hickock, calamity jane etc. It has internet access, pay phones, bar, restaurant, consierge, disney souviener shop, games room and launderette. All these facilities are available at an extra cost.
Check in for the hotel was very slow despite there not being a long line of guests. Only 4 members of staff behind the check in counter. All spoke a good level of English. All the desks are set up high therefore rather difficult for people in wheelchairs to communicate or look at information etc. Upon check in they brought up our request for a bathroom chair. They then told us we would have to pay a 500 Euro deposit in case of damage. This deposit was never mentioned. None of us had brought credit cards, only cash so the deposit was out of the question. After 30 minutes or so explaining the situation calmly and our service user getting more and more concerned they gave in and settled for a photocopy of a passport. Wouldnt have been a problem had they explained the deposit prior to leaving the UK. We had to pick breakfast slots for the entire stay upon check in. They seem to go quick, we could only get 7am or 10.30 on our first 2 days!
The rooms have key card entrance which were a bit tempermental. Our keys opened both doors of the interconnecting rooms, even though it had been explained to us this would not be the case. The rooms were clean and spacious. Carers room had a double bed and a set of bunk beds, the disabled access room just the double bed. The beds were very high which was good for us given the nature of our service users disability but could prove a problem to others. Rooms were equiped with en suite bathrooms, modern TV sets, lamp, mirrors and kettle. Ample storage space. There were a couple of plug sockets but couldnt be used with a conventional plug, you needed to borrow an adapter, a refundable deposit of 15 Euro was charged for this.
The shower chair we borrowed was placed in the bath , this was unsuitable for us. Our service user cannot lift his legs over the side of the bath, combination of a small bath and a vanity unit in the way. Instead we were able to use it as a wet room as there was a drain in one of the corners, I dont know if this is ok by the hotel but it was the only way we could manage. I think they should officially make disabled bathrooms wetrooms as they are much more accessible across the board.
The shuttles were a bit hit and miss. Despite being incredibly busy, some had ramps and some didnt and if they didnt, well it was a huge step to navigate. We had help on a few occasions by some nice lads, I dont think there was a single occassion that nobody offered to help which was great. It was a two minute bus ride to the parks so a great feature, especially with a busy day at the park ahead.
Breakfast was abundant, there was plenty of choice, baguettes, coissants, pain au chocolat, toast, tomatoes, ham cheese, various fruits, yougurts, cereal. Anything you could want really. Good idea to fill up here as the food at the parks is incredibly expensive. Drinks wise there is a choice of hot drinks such as tea, coffee, hot chocolate etc, cold drinks included orange, apple and grapefruit juices milk and water.
We had dinner in the hotel one night which was about 22 Euro a head for a buffett and a drink. Loads of choice, healthy and unhealthy, familiar and unfamiliar. More impressive than I anticipated so well worth considering. It must be booked beforehand though and can get very busy around 8pm.
All in all I think the hotel was adequite. Not spectacular but not horrendous. We enjoyed the themeing and the staff were all polite and helpful. Good location as far enough from the parks to be quiet but not so far that you feel like you have to make a journey to get there. Good value for money for family fun but definately room for improvement.
Catherine x
A little mini review of the hotel! This hotel is on the Disneyland Paris site, it is marketted as a 2* hotel. Price includes continental breakfast and free shuttle to the park. There is also a pleasant walk to the park, taking 15 minutes or so alongside a river. It is a themed hotel and is made to look like a wild west town, and each accomodation block is named after a wild west character i.e wild bill hickock, calamity jane etc. It has internet access, pay phones, bar, restaurant, consierge, disney souviener shop, games room and launderette. All these facilities are available at an extra cost.
Check in for the hotel was very slow despite there not being a long line of guests. Only 4 members of staff behind the check in counter. All spoke a good level of English. All the desks are set up high therefore rather difficult for people in wheelchairs to communicate or look at information etc. Upon check in they brought up our request for a bathroom chair. They then told us we would have to pay a 500 Euro deposit in case of damage. This deposit was never mentioned. None of us had brought credit cards, only cash so the deposit was out of the question. After 30 minutes or so explaining the situation calmly and our service user getting more and more concerned they gave in and settled for a photocopy of a passport. Wouldnt have been a problem had they explained the deposit prior to leaving the UK. We had to pick breakfast slots for the entire stay upon check in. They seem to go quick, we could only get 7am or 10.30 on our first 2 days!
The rooms have key card entrance which were a bit tempermental. Our keys opened both doors of the interconnecting rooms, even though it had been explained to us this would not be the case. The rooms were clean and spacious. Carers room had a double bed and a set of bunk beds, the disabled access room just the double bed. The beds were very high which was good for us given the nature of our service users disability but could prove a problem to others. Rooms were equiped with en suite bathrooms, modern TV sets, lamp, mirrors and kettle. Ample storage space. There were a couple of plug sockets but couldnt be used with a conventional plug, you needed to borrow an adapter, a refundable deposit of 15 Euro was charged for this.
The shower chair we borrowed was placed in the bath , this was unsuitable for us. Our service user cannot lift his legs over the side of the bath, combination of a small bath and a vanity unit in the way. Instead we were able to use it as a wet room as there was a drain in one of the corners, I dont know if this is ok by the hotel but it was the only way we could manage. I think they should officially make disabled bathrooms wetrooms as they are much more accessible across the board.
The shuttles were a bit hit and miss. Despite being incredibly busy, some had ramps and some didnt and if they didnt, well it was a huge step to navigate. We had help on a few occasions by some nice lads, I dont think there was a single occassion that nobody offered to help which was great. It was a two minute bus ride to the parks so a great feature, especially with a busy day at the park ahead.
Breakfast was abundant, there was plenty of choice, baguettes, coissants, pain au chocolat, toast, tomatoes, ham cheese, various fruits, yougurts, cereal. Anything you could want really. Good idea to fill up here as the food at the parks is incredibly expensive. Drinks wise there is a choice of hot drinks such as tea, coffee, hot chocolate etc, cold drinks included orange, apple and grapefruit juices milk and water.
We had dinner in the hotel one night which was about 22 Euro a head for a buffett and a drink. Loads of choice, healthy and unhealthy, familiar and unfamiliar. More impressive than I anticipated so well worth considering. It must be booked beforehand though and can get very busy around 8pm.
All in all I think the hotel was adequite. Not spectacular but not horrendous. We enjoyed the themeing and the staff were all polite and helpful. Good location as far enough from the parks to be quiet but not so far that you feel like you have to make a journey to get there. Good value for money for family fun but definately room for improvement.
Catherine x
Thomas Cook (Disneyland Paris series)
Hi all,
I have decided to start at the very beginning with the series, booking of the holiday. Due to the service user requiring a disabled access room and interconnecting rooms etc we decided it best to book directly via Thomas Cook so we could get all of our questions answered.
My thoughts on the booking was, it was quite time consuming. I would ask the travel agent questions who would then ask the questions to disney directly. It took slightly over an hour to sort out the details. We booked a 4 night/5 day package staying in the Hotel Cheyenne, Disneyland. I had found information regarding special ticketting scales for disabled guests and their carers and a blurb outlining that all the bathrooms had a bath yet there was a special chair available from the hotel to borrow. The travel agent was clueless on these issues and made us feel a complete burden. She requested the chair within our booking and told us we would not be entitled to the discounted tickets as we were prebooking and that was a door price only! She went on to confirm the booking of the hotel along with the travel, transfers and tickets.
Next problem arose when we received our tickets for the transfer from the airport to the hotel. A coach. A coach that did not have disabled access. A coach with huge steps and a narrow gangway! Just perfect! Reading the pamphlet issued by the VEA shuttle company, they did not have the facilities to transfer wheelchair bound guests but said customers should contact them to arrange alternative transfers. We went down to Thomas Cook to rectify the situation. They faffed around and made a phone call or two that resolved nothing. Long and the short of it was we were sent away on the Friday with no transfers and 2 days to arrange accessible transfers, with no help!! They did arrange a refund of £90 a tiny fraction of what the service user paid!
There will be further info on Thomas Cooks incapabilities in upcoming posts!
In conclusion, I would not recomment this company to any disabled travellers as their whole attitude toward us stunk. We felt uneasy with each question we asked, although we had to ask them to ensure the holiday was fully acceptable!!! Totally let down, and very expensive! We could have had the same holiday for about £400 cheaper if we booked it independently. Lesson learned.
Remember guys, this is just my experience and opinion.
Catherine x
I have decided to start at the very beginning with the series, booking of the holiday. Due to the service user requiring a disabled access room and interconnecting rooms etc we decided it best to book directly via Thomas Cook so we could get all of our questions answered.
My thoughts on the booking was, it was quite time consuming. I would ask the travel agent questions who would then ask the questions to disney directly. It took slightly over an hour to sort out the details. We booked a 4 night/5 day package staying in the Hotel Cheyenne, Disneyland. I had found information regarding special ticketting scales for disabled guests and their carers and a blurb outlining that all the bathrooms had a bath yet there was a special chair available from the hotel to borrow. The travel agent was clueless on these issues and made us feel a complete burden. She requested the chair within our booking and told us we would not be entitled to the discounted tickets as we were prebooking and that was a door price only! She went on to confirm the booking of the hotel along with the travel, transfers and tickets.
Next problem arose when we received our tickets for the transfer from the airport to the hotel. A coach. A coach that did not have disabled access. A coach with huge steps and a narrow gangway! Just perfect! Reading the pamphlet issued by the VEA shuttle company, they did not have the facilities to transfer wheelchair bound guests but said customers should contact them to arrange alternative transfers. We went down to Thomas Cook to rectify the situation. They faffed around and made a phone call or two that resolved nothing. Long and the short of it was we were sent away on the Friday with no transfers and 2 days to arrange accessible transfers, with no help!! They did arrange a refund of £90 a tiny fraction of what the service user paid!
There will be further info on Thomas Cooks incapabilities in upcoming posts!
In conclusion, I would not recomment this company to any disabled travellers as their whole attitude toward us stunk. We felt uneasy with each question we asked, although we had to ask them to ensure the holiday was fully acceptable!!! Totally let down, and very expensive! We could have had the same holiday for about £400 cheaper if we booked it independently. Lesson learned.
Remember guys, this is just my experience and opinion.
Catherine x
Disneyland Paris - an overview
Hi all,
I am going to do a few posts regarding a recent trip with a wheelchair user to Disneyland Paris. I will break it up into a few posts as there is a lot of information to cover which will hopefully benefit you all. This is only from personal experience and I have only supported someone in a chair once so please bear that in mind when reading this series of posts.
In all the holiday worked out well, bar a few issues we faced! I will do a mini series for everyone, this will hopefully cover all the issues in easier chunks than one huge post!! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions - big or small I will try my best to help!
Catherine x
I am going to do a few posts regarding a recent trip with a wheelchair user to Disneyland Paris. I will break it up into a few posts as there is a lot of information to cover which will hopefully benefit you all. This is only from personal experience and I have only supported someone in a chair once so please bear that in mind when reading this series of posts.
In all the holiday worked out well, bar a few issues we faced! I will do a mini series for everyone, this will hopefully cover all the issues in easier chunks than one huge post!! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions - big or small I will try my best to help!
Catherine x
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Need medical equipment for your stay?
Hi all,
I have come across a company whom I have used a number of times over the last couple of years. They are Huntleigh Healthcare Ltd. The company is based in Luton, yet they deliver all over mainland UK. From my experience they have large numbers of equipment ready to be hired either on a short or long term rental. They will deliver to hotels which is what I have done on a few occasions.
They charge reasonable prices, the minimum charge per product is based on a 10 day rental period. They deliver and pick up equipment efficently. The equipment I have personally seen has been in good repair and immaculately sanitary.
I found the company online, and after a short discussion with their office, I had an account set up and now takes no longer than 5 minutes to set up an order.
It has been a life saver in terms of making holidays possible for my service users, and am happy to recommend them to everyone!
Thanks for reading
x
I have come across a company whom I have used a number of times over the last couple of years. They are Huntleigh Healthcare Ltd. The company is based in Luton, yet they deliver all over mainland UK. From my experience they have large numbers of equipment ready to be hired either on a short or long term rental. They will deliver to hotels which is what I have done on a few occasions.
They charge reasonable prices, the minimum charge per product is based on a 10 day rental period. They deliver and pick up equipment efficently. The equipment I have personally seen has been in good repair and immaculately sanitary.
I found the company online, and after a short discussion with their office, I had an account set up and now takes no longer than 5 minutes to set up an order.
It has been a life saver in terms of making holidays possible for my service users, and am happy to recommend them to everyone!
Thanks for reading
x
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