Curious - Other Adult Kids and Senior Parents Traveling Together?

[Wishful]

Just being nosy :)

I'm 35 and travel with my 65 year-old mom and wanted to see if anyone else was in a similar situation and/or had any stories or tips.

I act like a kid and can run around the parks like crazy, but mom isn't up to that some of the time, understandably, sometimes I can't keep up with me! I wouldn't change a thing with travelling with her, but if she calls it a night and wants to stay in the room after dinner, I'm just too bashful to wander about by myself, and then if I do make it somewhere, the "you left your mom in the hotel" guilt creeps in.

I feel bad too sometimes when we both wait in line and I leave her so I can ride Space Mountain or the other coasters and fast, spinning, bouncy, "read the warning notice" rides, but she always holds our stuff and if it wasn't for her there'd never be any photos of me on the rides! She always has a big grin when she sees me get off a ride like she doesn't expect me to be able to walk straight (it only happened once...or twice).

There is a lot of stuff we do together so it's not bad. We are a fun team: she gets the AARP discounts and I carry the suitcases :)

She's a trooper though: she may try the trail ride at FW on our next trip. Now if I can just get her on one of those jetski/water mice things... :Pinkbounc

[Ambifins]

While I was growing up, my parents had a great disdain for everything Disney. My first trip to Disneyworld was, consequently, as an adult. I immediately fell in love with the place (recently becoming a DVC'er), and go about twice a year.
Needless to say, my mom is somewhat confused by this. She went to Disney a couple of years ago for a conference, and all she could say when she came back was: "there was music coming out of the rocks!" She couldn't even remember which resort she stayed in. :D
However!!!! She has promised to join me at SSR and let me show her Disneyworld through my eyes. I think it'll be great. She won't ride Mission Space, or Rockin Roller Coaster, but she has vowed to ride Tower of Terror (IMHO the greatest attraction, ever)!
She's 68, and my dad is 74; when they go to sleep, I'll stroll over to PI ;)

[Simba's Mom]

Boy, I could really use some help on this one! In May, I'll be going to WDW with Mom (who's 72). She's been once-about 15-20 years ago, I go yearly. She's been trying to get Dad to go with her, but he has no desire to go. She didn't want to go solo, so I'm taking her there for Mother's Day. Any tips?

[Wishful]

Hello :D

Ambifins, that's sweet that you're taking your folks. I hope I can get a DVC membership some day so I can share too! That "music coming from the rocks" comment made me chuckle. My mom tends to have an interest in food - we live in LA and when we had APs to DL we were known to drive all the way there for the fried chicken at the Carnation Plaza...and she had to have the peanut brittle...

Simba's Mom - that'll be a great Mother's Day for your mom! Not sure if you're local to WDW or not, so don't know if you need lodging ideas, but I'd definitely make my restaurant reservations as early as possible! Use the PS calculator to see when you need to call in.

I believe EPCOT has a Mother's Day brunch during the Flower & Garden Show (which runs through 6-6-05) and some of the character meals should be fun too. Afternoon Tea at the GF is pricey IMO, but definitely special :D

I think the the Dis site has some of the 2005 events listed, including May, but Disney.com and wdwig sites have the 2005 calendars up with a few more spefic listings too.

I hope you guys all have fun!

[PieInYourEye]

The Mother's Day Brunch at EPCOT is SO VERY WORTH IT!!! I took my mom this past year and it was delightful. The food was great, of course. The music was beautiful and the deserts were AMAZING!

As an adult kid who often hosts her parents' trip to "My Happy Place" I have found it to be some of the most memorable times of my life.

[Poohs Pal]

I took my mom in 99, she was 60ish, also took DD and a youger neice who was 18 at the time. My DMOM walked circles around DN(lol). DMOM had never been and really enjoyed her self. If there was something she didn't want to ride, she would sit on a bench and people watch(this women needs to write a book, she's 5 star when it comes to people watching.) DD(32) DS(30) and me(50) are leaving for a trip on Thursday and I don't consider myself SC yet(even though those AARP people seem to think so,they keep sending me stuff in the mail to remind me I'm 50 as if I need reminding:crazy: ) Anyway DD and DS are talking about staying at PI until closing and me i'll just stay a couple of hours and head back to SSR. Your mom will be fine if you want to stay out later. I'm sure she'll just kick back and read a good book or just relax a little. I'm taking DM back in Dec,05 and can't wait. She really enjoys Chef Mickeys and the fireworks cruise. Have fun. Susan

[kitkatsnindylou]

I travel with my mom 75 all the time. Some thing to consider is humidity, we tend to go off season to avoid it but if it happens to be when we are there we go early in the morning or late in the day to the parks. We take breaks and people watch, some of the rides are hard for her to do becuase she has artificial knee's so she holds my stuff and I go. She feel's comfortable to stay at the resorts by herself, once we went with 2 friends, she stayed at VWL all day while we went to AK (the hardest park for her to walk) she enjoyed her day, she went to the pool and walked around the resort. We just got back from OKw and never went to the parks. We resort hoped and did Downtown Disney.

[taswira]

I don't think this idea would work so well for families, but for those otherwise solo adults taking an elderly parent to WDW:

You might consider (as it gets closer to the date of your visit) checking this board and other Disney boards for other adults with elderly parents/grandparents visiting at the same time. Then try to arrange a meet. You may get lucky and they'll hit it off and be happy to hang out conversing with each other when you want to hit the wilder rides they can't do.

And before anyone jumps on me for saying "elderly" - I use that term because, at 52, I too would qualify for AARP but I still do the parks at a faster pace and ride ALL the thrill rides. So I use "elderly" to distinguish from those who are "borderline" seniors! :p

[Minnie&Nana]

Although I'm not yet elderly at 56 ;) I am not a fan of the thrill attractions - if anyone will be with someone during the time that I'm there I'd be happy to keep them company (or maybe they'll keep me company!!)

POFQ 12/9-13

[taswira]

There are plenty of younger people who are not into thrill rides. No harm in that.

But many of the rides (<I>Mission:Space, RNRC, Tower of Terror</I>, etc.) are not good for most <I>really</I> senior citizens or those with health problems to be tackling, so it's nice to not have them sit alone waiting for others who <I>are</I> into the thrills. ;)

[Scrappymags]

I will be at WDW with my senior parents from 12/4-12/12!! Dad is 65, mom is 63. They are really geeked to go and have started walking to really get their legs in shape by the time we get there. :D I love travelling with my mom especially. Don't feel bad about leaving mom to sit while you do the "thrill" stuff. If she's anything like my parents, they LOVE sitting in the shade and people watching. She'll also probably enjoy the walking break. And go explore!!! I went down to Downtown Disney alone.. it was fun just to walk around! I went to Pleasure Island and walked around. I wasn't really into the bar thing alone, but I did enjoy walking around and exploring. :tongue: So if mom turns in early - go out & do the town. Heck, maybe you can meet some people here & meet up... actually that's not a bad idea for myself! All I know is last time I was at Disney, I was WIPED OUT by the time I got to my room each night!! LOL.. this time I have 7 days though... Have fun with mom!! Yeah seniors! :tongue:

[Minnie&Nana]

Originally posted by Scrappymags
I will be at WDW with my senior parents from 12/4-12/12!! Dad is 65, mom is 63. Yeah seniors! :tongue:

Maggie, you have me laughing right now! I think of seniors at around age 70-75 and up....but maybe that's because I am now 56 and "senior citizen" sounds mighty far away and certainly not anything to do with me!! :) :) I think my friend who is 64 would drop if anyone called her senior!!

I don't know if baby boomers are ready to be called seniors!

Toooo cute!!

Thanks for the smile today!!
:sunny: :wave2:

[Scrappymags]

Originally posted by BaciBecky
I think of seniors at around age 70-75 and up....but maybe that's because I am now 56 and "senior citizen" sounds mighty far away and certainly not anything to do with me!! :) :) I think my friend who is 64 would drop if anyone called her senior!!



Glad to get ya laughing!! Don't have your friend drop!!! My parents, since they tend to get the "senior discount" now have bridged that senior age gap. LOL.. so I razz them pretty good now that they call themselves "seniors". They are ordering "senior portions" too... LOL.. Although me being a Weight Watcher I WISH I could get senior portions! I seriously LOVE my cool, hip senior parents! My parents are such great people. I mean - how many 30 yr old single women travel with their senior parents? :tongue:

[Minnie&Nana]

My daughter, age 32, would travel with me - IF one of us did not have to be available to care for our senior ;) Maltese.

We've gone to Europe together and would probably travel now and then..even to Disney...if not for little Jackie.

Sooo, you are not alone and it looks like others travel with parents as well. Only thing is my daughter would be wanting to relax and I'd be going strong!! :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc

See ya at the Parks!!!:sunny:

P.S. I have to admit to not wanting the aarp card until I found out it came with some deals! I can get great rates at Westins and that means upgrades at the Swan/ Dolphin..no complaints here! :eek:

[spiceycat]

I go with my mother to WDW all the time.

She is 82 - and I have been taken her every year since 1989.

Until my knee surgery - she refused a wheelchair (WDW has them free to resort guest - on a firstt come basis. you get them at your WDW resort) - but I needed one -

anyway she was in the wheelchair more than me - she enjoyed it and that ended - "I am not that old routine."

So now we get one. Since these are the pushing type - well my back and arms end up hurting - and now I will only allow the wheelchair every other day - I need a day to rest - but it is great plan.

Mother had no problem with Splash Mountain (loves it more than me - I don't like heights) - Tower of Terror, most of the rides in Epcot - I am pretty sure she will love Mission Space - but the curve of Test Track will put her back out.

we goto have fun and we do~~~

bring a backpack with plenty of water. You will both need more water than you think. You because pushing a wheelchair is work, and her because the elderly lose water fast in the Florida sun.

It can ride on the back of the wheelchair - so the extra weight isn't on your back. (kept a fanny pack for your money, credit card, phone, camera)

In the early days - I use to leave her - but she now start crying....Yes I know just a gulity trip - I am paying for everything - she pays for nothing - but she won't be able to go shortly.

I drive - so the 9 to 11 hours drive - takes alot out of her.

plus Spicey and her don't always get along.....

hey mother loves just about everything at WDW!!!

now because of work - we have also gone to Willamburgs, Va and Hilton Head, SC - but she like I prefer WDW!!!

[taswira]

Hey <I>spiceycat</I> - - You're taking your mother on <I>Mission:Space</I>? :eek: This I have GOT to see! Can I come ride with you guys in your "capsule?" I'll be around so if you just let me know when you'll be doing <I>M:S</I> I'll show up. :p

[spiceycat]

oh yea!!!

I have been hearing from her for years - about wanting to go to space - well....

there is nothing to upset her back - the reason she refused to do roller coaster.

besides I really think she will enjoy it!!!

[taswira]

My (82 next month) mother is a former flight instructor and even used to sky dive, so she would love it, but . . .

She is Type 2 diabetic and, like many women her age, has osteoporosis. She still does WDW on her own two feet, but recognizes her limitations. At 52 I do <I>Mission:Space</I> frequently and even did a ride marathon on it one day. But due to the uniqueness of it, especially the G's during lift-off and a couple other times, plus a few "jerky" maneuvers in flight, I don't encourage my mom to go on it. She would not anyway if she read the warning signs. Too many people ignore them, thinking WDW "<I>Just wants to make it sound more intense</I>," and those are some of the ones who have ended up in the hospital afterwards (not over motion sickness, but <I>serious</I> problems - heart, etc.).

So I think it is WONDERFUL if your mother is <I>able</I> to ride it successfully at her age, and I would just like to witness the "event" to tell my mom about. :D

FYI: "Back problems" are also on the list of the M:S warnings.

[spiceycat]

back problems are also on Tower of Terror and believe me she loves it... she say if she read all the warning she would never ride the thing.

her back problems are more from jerky and curves - than straight up and down - so I am pretty sure she will be fine....

If not I will heard about it.

I made the mistake once of taking her on a ride without me pre testing it - BIG mistake - it was the 'back to the future ride' in US.... oh boy - she hurt - but I really don't think Space Mission will be a big problem. She is in (for her age) pretty good shape.

of course will she ride it???? I think so - she wanted to do tot again after the first time - but I have been on it twice already - three times were enough....

but she has been pretty brave so far - it is only the RR at the parks that she won't ride - because of the bad curves....

[filet1970]

I'm also going with mom who's 63...first trip we really ever took together!
I'm starting to stress about all that walking at WDW for DM and me as I've been having a lot of pain in an ankle lately!
Any suggestions apart from the wheelchair (couldn't live it down...mom pushing me!)?

[Minnie&Nana]

My friend rents one of those scooters at the parks - if we park hop she just takes her receipt with her and it's good for every park - it does depend on availability. Has to leave a deposit and this would be new each day. Think it is $30 a day and $10 refundable deposit at end of day. We stay at Disney resorts, but there is no way I am pushing a wheelchair all day! Maybe if it was my DM or DD ;) Awww, she is my "Disney friend" though! Bad knees..

Funny thing is that I have to almost run along side to keep up! If she walks I'm always too far ahead and with a scooter I'm hurrying along to keep up :rolleyes:

Oh, that Disney Magic!! It makes everything okay!
:wave2:

[filet1970]

Cooool! Wouldn't that be a ride all by itself? If it's too painful when we're there, will consider renting 2!
Thanks for the info!

[Minnie&Nana]

As we are speaking of attractions... the first (and only) time I went on The Tower Of Terror (now you're going to laugh) I thought it was virtual reality! I know, I know...but I saw previews on TV and they were STANDING in the elevator. I figured it had to be like Back to The Future at Universal. Ohhhhmygoodness!!

When that thing stopped my heart was pounding so hard in my chest I thought I might have a heart attack. I was shaking so hard that my knees were LITERALLY shaking!! When I tried to get money out to pay for the photo (now a family treasure!) my fingers shook so much I could not get hold of the money!!

I was dizzy, nauseous, and I will not say what else for 3 full days!! YUCK.

Nope, no Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror or any other of the "thrill" attractions for this soul. Not even Dumbo!! Hey, it took me a few years to not be afraid on Peter Pan -now one of my all time favs! No thanks to heights or speed!

Okay...certified wimp am I!
:upsidedow :faint: :scared: :cheer2:

[filet1970]

It's not virtual?? I also saw them standing and thought it was some sort of virtual ride. COOOOOL!
Been so busy checking all sorts of info like resorts, food, etc. that I didn't check the details about rides, thinking we'll see once there....now it looks like I should be looking at details....Oh! no! How many more days of being hook to the disboards?????

[Minnie&Nana]

Originally posted by filet1970
....Oh! no! How many more days of being hook to the disboards?????

Forever...:thewave:

[DanaHesson]

But then again, he does pushups in the driveway every night when he gets home from work, and wears a size 32 waist pants. No gut on him! Seriously though, My husband and I are going with he and my mom the first week in Nov. Mom is 50something. She digs rollercoaster type stuff, he is looking forward to Epcot. We (me and mom) are hoping he wont be too bored at the MK. They went in 1996, and mom felt like they didnt get enough time in the MK. I can't wait, just Five days now!!

[AZ Mom]

I'm not a senior yet (just 41), but have osteoporosis. I saw in an earlier post that Mission:Space was off limits. We've been to Disneyland several times in the last few years, and the only things my doctor told me to avoid were California Screamin' (too many g's) and Mulholland Madness (too jerky). I'm fine on things like Space Mountain, Star Tours, etc. I'm planning to skip R&RC, but do I really need to miss Mission Space? Anyone else have experience with this? Advice??

[taswira]

The only similarity between <I>Mission:Space</I> and <I>Star Tours</I> is that they are both simulators. They are completely different experiences. I ride <I>everything</I> and IMHO there is <I>nothing</I> else like <I>Mission:Space</I>.

This week my mother finally asked her doctor (who has been on <I>Mission:Space</I> a few times) what she thought of the prospect of her doing the attraction. She advised against it due to her osteoporis (Although she has only broken one bone in her life and that was in a sky diving accident!), age (at 82 even a "healthy" heart is weaker), and the possible effects on her of the G-forces during "lift-off." So my mom is not going to risk it. If California Screamin' is too many G's for you and Mulholland Madness is too jerky, I would think you should avoid <I>Mission:Space</I>. But the safe thing is to listen to your doctor, then carefully read the "Warnings" posted at any attractions and make your decision based solely on that - not on what everyone else might be saying.

Good luck! :teeth:

[AZ Mom]

Thanks, Taswira! Very helpful information. It's hard for me to accept the fact that I can't ride what ever I want anymore. I've already had a compression fracture (from lifting), so need to be careful. The sad part is that one of my DS's loves this kind of stuff, but my DH and other DS aren't much for the rides. I don't want DS1 to miss out -- maybe he'll be okay to ride solo.

[spiceycat]

I am fairly certain that mother will ride this Mission to Space - so we will see.

I have ridden it several times - and other than lift off - it is not a bad ride -

IF YOU DO WHAT THEY SAY.....

now if you try to watch anyone or move around -then you are in serious trouble....

I hope it will be fun!!!

If not I promise to come back and tell you. I don't think it will hurt her at all.

the RR and TT have too many turns - which is bad on her back.

Anyway not long now......

[taswira]

By DS1 you don't mean 1 year old, do you? :confused: There is a height requirement and Guests must ride in their own individual seat.

But if your son is older (maybe you meant 11?) and you need someone to accompany him on the ride, I'd be happy to volunteer after we would all meet first. IF you'd like to do that, feel free to e-mail me at info@magicaldisney.com. Otherwise perhaps you can hook up with someone here with kids his age who do M:S.

[AZ Mom]

I guess I should have specified DS #1 (He's 12). I'm going to try to prepare him ahead of time. He knows we're going on vacation, but not where. So...when we do tell him, we're going to discuss his various options so we have a plan. Thanks for the offer -- are you just a "regular person" who shows up at the park on call??

[taswira]

My "profession" is wildlife photographer/occasional safari director (not much of the latter since 9/11) and p/t travel consultant/agent. For the latter I am a CDK (College of Disney Knowledge) certified "Disney Specialist" in all areas including all theme parks/resorts and Disney Cruise Line. Employed by Disney? No. Work for Disney? Yes, indirectly. ;)

I am a local, AP holder, DDE member and am at the parks usually a few times per week. I guess that means I am "on call." LOL.

But I think your son will be fine. Thanks for the clarification. :crazy:

[filet1970]

Got back last weekend from my trip with DM who's 63 and has a few problems like high blood pressure etc. If we had stuck to all the cautions for rides...she probably wouldn't have done any of them!
We did the big rides...some she liked, some she hated...
Our very first attraction was Tower of terror! Talk about starting with a BANG! ;) DM was grabbing my arm and uttering little screams/sounds which was totally hilarious! Well, I've probably never laughed so hard in my life! (she didn't want to do it again!)
She liked the Aerosmith roller coaster, Splash Mountain. Her favourite was Space Mountain (same for me).
The Kali river rapids we both could have done without as we were dripping wet (despite having had a WD rain poncho) Took a few hours to dry off!
She absolutely hated Mission: Space. It was the first ride that day and it ruined her day and she couldn't get the weird feeling in her head to go away! I personnaly liked it and would do it again but it wasn't one of my favorites. Test track was that same day so she refused to go...I went and was quite disappointed! I had heard so much about it and it fell quite short of my expectations...would probably not do it again...yeah! the run around the track was cool but so very short that for me it's not worth the wait (fastpass or not)!
Was our first time in WDW, we were there 7 days and everyday was a marathon! We both came back totally exhausted...think if we ever go back we need serious training before going there!

[Montana Minnies]

:wave: Hi
Mom (84 yrs) flew with me (44) last August and met up with my older sister, and the rest of the family at WDW. She had not been since 1985, and we were concerned about how she would do. All went very well. We stayed at OKW, she loved Olivia's, she would usually go with us in the mornings to one of the parks, go back to the resort in the afternoon to rest and sometimes go back out again in the evening for dinner and to see a show, like Fantasmic, the fireworks or Cirques Du Soleil. She went to a couple of the 3D things. We did end up using a wheelchair for her at MGM and MK. The CM's were really good to her and were polite as to when she had a difficult time getting on and off the bus they would not rush her.The housekeeping staff would visit with her when they came to clean the room and she was there and the CM's at Olivia's were wonderful to her. She had a real great time as did everyone. I live with Mom and spend a good deal of time with her as is, but was glad she was able to go and share the magic with the rest of us.::yes::
One night when going back to the resort the bus was very full and one of the people gave up their seat for her, she was sitting next to a 4 year old girl who asked her how old she was, when Mom told her she exclaimed," Your're an Old Lady!" Mom just laughed about it. The little girl was so cute! Anyway that's one of my taking Mom stories:)
::MinnieMo

[doubletrouble_vb]

I have traveled with my Mom. She's 76. We recently went to Hilton Head and I'm working on building up her endurance. In the past we've used the scooters to eke out the amount of time she can spend in the parks but today I'd probably limit her to starting at 3 or 4pm because her medications make her sun sensitive. We'd also probably only go in the winter months due to heat limitations as well.

I would have a hard time leaving her in the room. She tends to expect she can go everywhere I do even if she doesn't want to. We'll see what's what because I have a trip I'm thinking of taking over MLK.

[ironz]

I took my 73 y/o mom last spring. It was a pretty laid-back trip, we just did (mostly) what she wanted to do and what she felt up to. I had no problem skipping most of the thrill rides, because I had other trips planned, so I didn't stress about "missing" anything.

We did the KTTK tour...it was great fun. :)

[Miss Jane]

I'm 61 and usually share my DVC with my just -turned 89 year old Mom, as well as friends and other family members.

In the last three years Mom has been to the World twice -- one year she walked all over the place and the next year she had a wheelchair and we pushed her. That second year, though, she rode the flying horses with my aunt. :cheer2:

Usually an assortment of family members go to VB in the fall and HH in the spring (last 4 years). Mom has missed only one of these trips. She loves the familiarity of DVC and the activities she can participate in -- the beach, the pool, miniature golf (once), the restaurants, the family fun.

For me, one of the blessings of DVC is being able to share it with her.

Jane

[bobbiwoz]

DM turns 85 on Dec. 22nd and she picked the place for her birthday party, WDW! Most of the guests are of my generation, even her DB aged 80 wouldn't join us, but mom's last visit was in '03 when we went to MNSSHP on Halloween and then was up bright and early for the Steam Train tour with us the next day. When she was 80, she went on and loved Splash Mountain because I was mentioned just how beautiful I thought the ride was, so drop or no drop she wanted to try it.

She picked Epcot's International Dinner and Illuminations Dessert as her main celebration, and there will be 13 well wishers along for the party. I don't try to keep up with her, we all have our own pace and hers is "hyper!"

Bobbi :flower:

[Wishful]

Just a follow up, can't believe a question I asked got so many great responses! It's nice hearing about how everyone takes care of family, makes me all warm and fuzzy inside (can't think of a Disney term for it) :grouphug:

We didn't take our 12/04 trip due to dental problems and working on car accident settlement, but are on the books for 10/05 WDW and 5/05 and more for DL.

Hope everyone has a great year!

[xterratri]

On our first ever visit to WDW in Apr 04, it was just my mom(52), my sister(18), and myself(31) but we talked my relatively recent widowed grandmother(75) into going back with us for the Dec trip. So some thoughts on travelling with older adults: Grandma has had both knees replaced and has a limited range of flexion in them so we discovered Space Mountain seats are too low and too cramped(other than problems getting in and out, she didn't mind the ride). After that we were a little more careful with evaluating ride entry. Grandma(and Mom) skipped Splash Mountain, Rockin Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror but otherwise did everything including Test Track.
The first day/night I had booked a Candlelight Processional dinner package with dinner at the Garden Grill(which we had planned on even before I found out about the package) and then the show. It was awesome and we tried going to see the Processional again 2 nights later but it was Saturday and we didn't get in line early enough. The point though is that Epcot is a rather large amount of walking which Grandma did all of and then we hit MVMCP at MK the next night. By the third day, we decided we would get a wheelchair for Grandma because her knees got so they were quite painful. We had planned on going back to the rooms to relax each afternoon but that only happened twice out of 7 days there. It's so easy to get caught up in wanting to do this or seeing that show that time gets away and before you know it, it's 12 hours after you left your rooms that day. Our solution for the our next trip(s) was to buy DVC so we know that we will always be going back so we don't have to try and do everything each trip. Even after 13 days there in 2004, there's still stuff I haven't seen or done.
Meals with older people: portion sizes are a real problem. We did Garden Grill for dinner, Mama Melrose's for dinner/Fantasmic, Planet Hollywood for dinner, and Chef Mickey's for breakfast. Grandma liked Chef Mickey's the best becuase of the buffet style so she wasn't overwhelmed with the amount of food. No, we aren't too old for characters just because the youngest in the travelling party is 18. It was really neat interacting and Grandma got more character kisses that I can count.
Another note on wheelchairs and Disney transportation: don't wait in line with everyone else, wait just to the side of the front of the line and the wheelchair user/party gets loaded first. Grandma can walk OK just not long distances so that made transferring for rides easier but we got "yelled" at by the Transpo people for trying to wait in line to get loaded. Now we know.
So by all means take your older friends and relatives. Grandma enjoyed herself and hopefully we made her first holiday season in 55 years without Grandpa a little better than it would have been otherwise.

[travelbug]

Great thread! I'm taking my parents to WDW (dad 75 and mom 72) in just a few weeks. They've been to WDW on day trips in years past while on other Florida vacations. But they've never been to MGM or AK, and they've never stayed onsite. We'll be staying for 9 nights (7 nights BCV and 2 nights POFQ), and we're all excited!

We'll be using a wheelchair for mom because she has bad arthritis in her legs and can't walk very far. She doesn't want to miss seeing anything, so she has agreed to the wheelchair. :D

xterratri, thanks for the tip about wheelchairs and Disney transportation. We certainly would have otherwise gotten in the regular line as you did at first. Did you get any dirty looks from those in line, thinking you were unfairly cutting in front of them?

I've vacationed pretty often with my parents in the past, and we always have a great time. It will be fun enjoying WDW at a leisurely pace with them. :flower:

[xterratri]

There is a great section on the DISboards titled DISabilities. I very much wish I had read their frequently asked questions and a few of the other sticky posts before our last trip because we figured stuff out the hard way such as where to wait for transportation. Another thing I found out when I went to get a wheelchair for the third day was that there is a discount for multiday rentals if you pay ahead so days 3,4, and 5 with the chair were cheaper. I knew that we could park hop with our receipt and get a chair at each park but didn't know/won't have thought to ask about multiday discounts. The DISabilities has some great info about ECVs(those scooter things) and off site rentals of both wheelchairs and ECVs. Advantages of off site rentals that are delivered right to your hotel are cost and it allows you to use it around the resort too. While it would be nice to have that planned ahead of time, apparently the companies are good about responding under short notice and the resorts apparently do have some free chairs for use by guests also. I haven't decided what we are using yet for our next trip end of May/ early June. Heat will be a concern for all of us Northerners(although I'm hoping the WDW trip will help to acclimate me from ME weather so I don't wilt when I go to San Antonio a week after seeing Mickey) so we will definitely be making afternoon trips back to OKW or may just do nice relaxing sit down lunches in A/C and then get lighter dinners.

[Taja]

Unfortunately, my parents didn't have the opportunity to go to WDW. By the time it grew beyond MK, my father was experiencing severe spinal degeneration.

However, both loved Disneyland and visited several times each year until about age 80. I traveled with one or both of them for many years to Disneyland, Las Vegas and other locations. We did things together and separately, depending on our preferences.

It's really great when you can be friends with your parents and really enjoy them!