Information for Visitors with Mobility Disabilities

An Orlando vacation offers lots to explore for all members of your travel party. Guests with mobility disabilities will find our more than 500 hotels, 99 attractions and many recreational opportunities specially equipped to ensure their comfort and ease of access.

Accommodations

Hotels and motels are required by law to have special rooms equipped for wheelchairs, with hand rails and wider doorways. Please mention your special needs when making your reservations. If you have specific questions about the room and its features, use the local number rather than the toll free reservations number and ask to speak with the manager of the Housekeeping Department. Often the reservations center is located off-site and the agents may not be as familiar with the details of that specific property or its ADA-accessible rooms.

Attractions

Orlando is home to 99 attractions that offer fun for everyone. Each of Orlando's major theme parks offer wonderful resources to help guests with mobility disabilities navigate and enjoy their attractions.

Visit Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's online resource for guests with disabilities to help plan your trip.

Discovery Cove can accommodate guests with disabilities who are able to maneuver themselves with limited assistance, or with the aid of a personal assistant, during their dolphin experience and in the various wading locations. Discovery Cove also offers specially-designed outdoor wheelchairs with oversized tires for easy maneuvering on the beach. Wheelchairs can be reserved by calling 877-4-DISCOVERY (877-434-7268).

Download SeaWorld Orlando's "Park Accessibility Guide" to help plan your trip before your arrival.

Universal Orlando Resort's "Rider's Guide for Rider Safety & Guests with Disabilities" provides a great overview of the accessibility at both Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure.

A visit to Walt Disney World Resort's online resources for Guests with special needs will help with advance vacation planning, but be sure to stop by Guest Services upon arrival at Walt Disney World to pick up your printed "Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities."

Many of Orlando's smaller attractions are also ADA-accessible. As there are too many to list here, you may want to consider consulting a reference such as "Wheelchairs on the Go: Accessible Fun in Florida®," a 424-page book with a 50-page section on Orlando.

The Arts

The Bob Carr Performing Arts Center is the venue for the Orlando Ballet, Orlando Opera, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the SunTrust Broadway Across America – Orlando series as well as many other performances by visiting artists. The theater is ADA-accessible and offers wheelchair seating on the orchestra level and in the rear which is accessible by elevator. The specially designed Cirque du Soleil theatre at Downtown Disney, home to Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba, also offers wheelchair seating. The TD Waterhouse Centre, located in downtown Orlando, is a popular venue for visiting concerts as well as the home to the NBA's Orlando Magic and the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators. It offers convenient parking for people with disabilities as well as special seating areas at various spots throughout the venue.

Transportation & Parking

Whether you are driving your own car to Orlando or renting one upon arrival, be sure to bring your out-of-state or foreign disabled parking permit.  Prominently display it in the windshield of your car when you are parked in designated public handicapped parking spots. Temporary permits are not available.

If you are planning to rent a car in Orlando, be sure to call ahead to reserve a car with hand controls. Several rental companies including Alamo, Avis, Dollar, Hertz and Enterprise have these models available for rent.

Mears Transportation Group runs lift-equipped shuttle service between hotels, attractions and Orlando International Airport, but 24-hour advance reservations are required.

The I-Ride Trolley is the best way to see International Drive. The trolleys, featuring lifts and lock-downs, operate daily from 8 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. with service every 20 minutes. Cash fare is $1 for adults, $0.25 for seniors and children under 12 ride free. Exact change is required or you can purchase a pass with options ranging from one day to two weeks. Download your trolley route map.

To see the other areas of Orlando, including downtown Orlando and the major theme parks, board a colorful LYNX bus. These buses have lifts and tie-downs and service a wide area of Central Florida. Riders with disabilities can obtain a LYNX ID card to get a discount. Download a route map and schedule. Once in downtown Orlando, take advantage of the free Lymmo bus service. These buses kneel and have a special ramp to make riding easy for customers in wheelchairs and passengers with disabilities. Here's a rundown of Lymmo's 21 bus stops conveniently located throughout downtown.

Equipment Rentals

Wheelchair and electronic convenience vehicles (ECVs) are available for rent at Orlando's theme parks and most rides and shows have accessible ramps and entrances. The ECVs are rented on a first-come, first-served basis so plan to arrive early. A rental fee and refundable deposit will be required at the time of rental.

Several companies in the Orlando area offer equipment rentals during your stay including Care Medical Equipment, K&M Rentals, Randy's Mobility, Scoot Arama, Scootaround, Inc. — Scooter and Wheelchair Rentals, Travel Rite, and Walker Medical & Mobility Products.

Destination Information

Orlando's Official Visitor Center (OVC), located at 8723 International Drive, offers expert destination information from our professional Travel Counselors, discounted attraction tickets, and more. The OVC is open from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. every day except Christmas Day, ticket sales are available 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. The OVC is wheelchair-accessible.

Other Resources

The Able Trust, also known as the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities, is a 501(c)(3) public-private partnership foundation established by the Florida Legislature in 1990. Through its Web site, you can find listings of additional service providers.

http://www.abletrust.org/links/agency_listings_CF.shtml

The Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH) provides information on traveling with a variety of special needs.

 

The Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau would like to thank the staff at the Center for Independent Living in Central Florida, Inc. for their assistance in compiling this information.