1st Visit for Parents

[rn448698]

So, a few weeks ago, my partner (36) and I (33) booked a last minute (for us) vacation to WDW for early May. Since we weren't even really supposed to go to WDW this year, but this winter totally blew, we booked a short vacation for us (fly out Tuesday night; park days W - Sat; fly home early Sunday morning).

My parents are 65 (mom) and 70 (dad) and in good physical health; they walk just fine. They haven't been to a Disney park since we visited Disneyland as a family back in 1987. My mom has wanted to go to WDW for years.

This afternoon, I decided to ask my parents if they wanted to come with us. Call it the Easter spirit, but I asked. I think a short trip is probably best for them. So, I booked them hotel room/tickets/airfare, and linked our reservations. Modified our existing dining reservations and fastpasses. That's all taken care of.

So, now...

Do you guys have any random suggestions/thoughts/advice for touring the parks with my parents? Or specific info I should send them via email. We definitely plan on taking pool breaks in the afternoon, but I'm thinking about random park touring/stuff I wouldn't think about since it's always just been the two of us going. Any and all advice is welcome.

 

[mawatcha]

Having gone to WDW with both of my grandparents when they were in their mid seventies, they did just fine in the parks provided we had some down time most days.

Obviously, everyone's ride preferences/likes are different but both of mine did well on the majority of the dark/thrill rides. I would say some attractions are perhaps not great for older bodies, my grandfather felt very sick after riding Dinosaur at AK and had to take the day after off from rides. It was more the turbulence and shaking around on that ride that it did than anything else.

What I personally find great about many of the attractions (I don't tend to ride any with big drops), is that you're able to find a seat quite easily and wait for your party to ride and then join after. Alternately, if the attraction has a long lineup and you don't want to sit for 30 minutes, it's quite easy to browse in stores around attractions or ride a different one.

Tip for all ages- stay hydrated and slap on the sunscreen!

Hope this helps, am sure there will be far more helpful advice others can give.

 

[shyjade]

We did the same thing back in 2008 - took my parents who had only been once when we were kids in 1985! Both parents were in their late 50's and in great health.

The biggest advice I can give is to not over plan and let them have some downtime. Our first day we went to AK and didn't even visit the entire park - just a lot of walking in Africa & Camp Mickey. However, they were exhausted after that and we really wore them out. My DD and I are early risers and like to be in the parks before RD, and my parents chose to wake up leisurely and get a slow start to the day. Also, they wanted more downtime in the afternoon than we did.

Once we got over the mentality "we must do everything together on this trip" and gave them some space, everyone was much happier. We would still get up and hit RD, but my parents would get ready when we left and met us in the parks late morning. By then we had enjoyed the headliners with short waits and could take the rest of the day at a slower pace with my parents and just enjoy our time together.

In addition, I included them in some of the planning process (share a room at Poly or 2 separate rooms at a lower category hotel, what kind of meals they wanted, etc.). They still left all the planning to me, but I planned it around things that would be special for them.

 

[rn448698]

Thank you! This is very helpful. Anything else?