Disabled Teenage Dilema

perrierjouet

So here's the problem..

I have a teenage son who is mobile but not independent due to a brain injury which has meant he has lost his sight and has other issues. I also have a 7 year old.

A while back we went to Reunion Resort in Florida which was perfect because we had a spacious villa which could also accommodate our support staff, had a private pool and a really wonderful and accessible water park and kid's clubs for kids over 13 on site and loads to do close by.

We have a budget of £3,000 plus flights but can't travel long haul this year (too complicated to explain) I am really struggling to find something that compares in Europe. I don't want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with only the resort, ie, a Red Sea villa in Egypt.

I will also need to accommodate two support staff but not necessarily in our accommodation but close by; the £3k budget does not include their accommodation or travel costs.

We live on a island so need to get a flight into the UK and out again from London ideally.
Looking to go for 1-2 weeks and travelling anytime from 14 August - need to be back by 2 September for new school terms.

So just your run of the mill enquiry......

If anyone can help I will love you forever!

phatbear

welcome to MSE first off.

we are all, usually, friendly jovial types who actually like helping people where we can however for us to help you you have to help yourself.

so where in your post does it state:

where you can fly from
when you would like to go
how long you would like to go for

maybe if you could provide this info someone may pop along and help you very soon

perrierjouet

As per post above:

Ideally we would fly from London.
Length of stay - one or two weeks
When: Mid August to be back ready for new school term on 2 September.

Thanks
PJ

duchy

What kind of things are you looking to do ?
For example -beach with things to visit or more trips out every day ?
What did you do in Florida for example ?

Perhaps a little off the wall as a suggestion but most of the newest American cruise ships that cruise the med in summer are very well adapted under the ADA regulations and have great facilities for kids. You could either sail from the UK or fly out to a European point like Barcelona. Letting the different destinations come to you seems like a good solution . Facilities for your youngest would be good too.There seem to be a lot of cruise offers around at the moment

perrierjouet

Thanks Duchy

When we went to Florida we did the theme parks - the water parks were the biggest hit followed by Animal Kingdom. Due to his sight fast rides or things that go upside down were not the best and he didn't enjoy these. We went for the last week of August first week of September and it was pretty empty - we had a pass for disabled access but we needed to use it once.

Museums unless very interactive are of limited appeal, again due to sight, and if in a foreign language hard for us to translate.

As we live on an island surrounded by beautiful beaches this element is not as important to us.

He does enjoy:
Water, music, food, zoos, local shops to walk to and explore. (Pub for us grown ups!)

We went on a NCL cruise in 2011 from Barcelona and it was absolutely the best - so much to do and I always felt he was safe when going off with his support worker. However, the cost was very steep! We stayed for a few days after in Barcelona and he enjoyed the zoo but the streets and attractions were very busy (as you would expect) and that was quite hard for him. Due to his brain injury he tires very quickly and we need to retire somewhere with peace and quiet so he cannot share a room with us or our daughter.

I appreciate all the help - thank you for taking the time to respond.

Obviously_the_best

Playa Blanca Lanzarote sounds like a good bet. Nice villas, stuff to do (although you may need a hire car) really friendly resort and should come within budget. Check OwnersDirect for villas.

poet123

If you check out some of the cruises they are at rock bottom prices at the moment. If you book via a US TA they will often give you additional on board credit, free drinks packages etc. It is worth a look. Find an itinerary that suits you and use the website Cruise Compete, all the agents compete for your business and give you their best offers.

JoolzS

I read on a disabled blogger's blog recently that Disneyland Paris was brilliant to visit and they dealt with her disability admirably. It's not somewhere I'd particularly want to go, but given your restrictions it might be worth some research.

duchy

Thing is they did Florida last year so Probably Disney Paris wouldn't compare well.

Not quite to the standard of your previous cruise but there's an MSC cruise on travelzoo for 10 days for your dates that ticks all your boxes so with the current special offers a cruise would be in budget.