Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
32
attention at most of the clubs at Pleasure
Island, especially the large, crowded Man-
nequins. 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.
The popularity of Orlando with gay
and lesbian travelers is confirmed by the
expansion of the June “Gay Day” celebra-
tion at Disney World into a weekend event
that includes Universal Orlando and Sea-
World. Park-goers can wear red on Gay
Day to signify their support of the gay and
lesbian community. Additional informa-
tion on the event can be found at
www.
gaydays.com
.
For information about events for that
weekend or throughout the year, contact
Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Community
Services of Central Florida,
934 N. Mills
Ave., Orlando, FL 32803 (
&
407/228-
8272;
www.glbcc.org). Welcome packets
usually include the latest issue of the
Tri-
angle,
a quarterly newsletter dedicated to
gay and lesbian issues, and a calendar of
events pertaining to the gay and lesbian
community. Though not a tourist-specific
packet, it includes information and ads for
local gay and lesbian clubs.
Gay Orlando
Network
(www.gayorlando.com) is
another planning resource for travelers.
Watermark
(
&
407/481-2243;
www.
watermarkonline.com) is another gay-
friendly publication; it can be found in
many bookstores.
For more gay and lesbian travel resources,
visit
www.frommers.com/planning
.
museums, and so on, but not including
certain National Historic Landmarks),
and at least some modes of public trans-
portation provide accessible entrances and
other facilities for those with disabilities.
There's no reason for those of you with
disabilities to miss out on the fun that
Orlando and the theme parks have to
offer. There are more options and resources
out there than ever before.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Every hotel and
motel in Florida is required by law to have
a special room or rooms equipped for
wheelchairs. A few have wheel-in showers.
Walt Disney World's
Coronado Springs
Resort
(
&
407/934-7639
or 407/939-
1000; www.disneyworld.com) has 99 rooms
designed to accommodate guests with dis-
abilities.
Disney
's
Polynesian
and
Grand
Floridian
resorts are both particularly well
suited to guests who use wheelchairs, as the
location of the resorts on the monorail sys-
tem makes travel to the Magic Kingdom
and Epcot a bit easier. Make your special
needs known when making reservations.
For other information about special Disney
rooms, call
&
407/939-7807.
If you don't mind staying 10 to 15
minutes or so from Disney, check out one
of the area's various vacation homes.
All
Star
Vacation Homes
is one of the best
around (
&
800/592-5568
or 407/997-
0733; www.allstarvacationhomes.com),
offering, among other things, several
handicapped-accessible homes that have
multiple bedrooms, multiple baths
(including accessible showers), full kitch-
ens, and pools. Most cost less than $300 a
night and are located in Kissimmee
(though you'll find a handful of villas and
town houses located near I-Drive).
Medical Travel Inc.
(
&
800/778-
7953;
www.medicaltravel.org) is another
source of rentals, scooters and vans, and
medical equipment, and can satisfy other
needs of travelers with disabilities, includ-
ing those with terminal illnesses, and their
families.
2
TRAVELERS WITH
DISABILITIES
Most disabilities shouldn't stop anyone
from traveling in the U.S. Thanks to pro-
visions in the Americans with Disabilities
Act, most public places are required to
comply with disability-friendly regula-
tions. Almost all public establishments in
Orlando (including hotels, restaurants,
