2 ladies take on the world... Help? Need planning advice!

Cin

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2 ladies, that's Mom 75, and me 49, are planning a girls only trip to WDW January. We're planning 7-8 nights and I can't decide on a resort, or dates in Jan to go. I was thinking a moderate resort for 5-6 nights and a deluxe like AKL for the last night or two. Avoiding the large South American and other tour groups would be a concern to us as well as other larger crowds. Any advice on resorts and things to do? We are planning a Wishes viewing from the California Grill as opposed to the crowds and the hassle of trying to get Mom safely out of the crowds at MK as she has mobility issues from a back surgery and moves very slowly. We are also planning an evening with Yee Haw Bob at the Riverside resort. Is Hoop De Doo too corny for adults? This is my first time traveling without kids or a thrill ride seeker, pool lounger and drink sipper and club hopper(DH) so I just don't know how to plan a non kid-non thrill ride all adult trip. Help? Planning advice welcomed!
 
That definitely sounds like fun. I went on a trip with my mom last September and we both have mobility issues so I totally understand your concerns there.

I think your idea of watching Wishes from a resort is a good one. In September, mom and I watching Illuminations from inside a restaurant at Epcot and even though it wasn't the "best" view (and I have never had the patience to stake out the "best" spots anyway even when outside) it was really relaxing to sit at the window and watch the show. They piped the music in and turned the lights down...it was really nice. It was also nice because we took our time leaving the restaurant and didn't have to be part of the mad rush to get out of the park. Yu don't always have to beat the rush out...sometimes you can hang back a little and just sit on a bench or poke around a few shops while the crowds leave. Might mean some waiting in line for buses at the end...but anything is better for people with mobility problems than that mass exit at the end of the day.

Have you given any thought to having a dining plan...or (if not) on how you want to dine while you are there? I ask because with mom and I needing to go at a slower pace it was really nice to be able to take breaks and eat at TS restaurants. We sort of made it our big deal of the trip to try a bunch of places we had never eaten before...including dining in the castle which was a big highlight for us even though we are both adults. Because of this, we decided to go with the Deluxe Dining Plan and then stayed at a value to keep costs down.

Regardless of where you stay (and I was thinking maybe POFQ might be good since it is more compact than the other resorts) I would make sure that you call and request something that will not have a lot of walking for your mom. IE...first floor (so no stairs) or close to the elevator...something like that. All the resorts are different so maybe once you decide where you want to stay then you can ask on the resorts board where to request for someone with limited mobility.

Also, and I know this is a personal choice so I am not against the idea completely, but I would really consider about whether you and your mom want to do a split stay. The idea of having to pack everything up, re check in, etc might be a bit much. I don't know what your mom's limits are...but I would discuss it with her to see if this is really a good option. And if it is, maybe decided if you want to change over at the front end or back end of the trip. Instead of the cost on the deluxe, maybe you guys could spend that money on La Nouba or a spa treatment or something. Something that may be more relaxing for your mom.

Do you guys like shopping or shows? I would try to focus your trip on some of the things that you enjoy doing but don't always have much time for because of the needs of everyone else. If you like the shows but can't usually fit them all in, then this would be a great time to plan on seeing them. We did this at Animal Kingdom as we had never had a chance to see Festival of the Lion King and Nemo because we were always so busy. I also know when mom and I went we were really able to explore the World Showcase at Epcot more because we weren't all about the rides. We did our favorites of course and whatever else we felt like...but it was really fun to just take it slow and go at a pace that didn't wear us out, you know?

I like some of the non park ideas you have too. Doing things at the other resorts is a great way to see a lot of stuff at Disney that you just don't always get a chance for when you go as a bigger family group because you are trying to make everyone happy.

And just one more thing that mom and I really enjoyed...well...no...two actually because I just thought of another one. First...photopass. We got so many pictures together using photopass on our trip and it was one of my personal splurges that I pre-ordered the CD. Don't know when we'll get to go again together and it was really wonderful to have so many pictures of both of us. And second...the character meet and greet spots. We went to the Epcot Character Spot and it was SO FUN! I haven't had my picture taken with character is at least 10 years and we really just had a blast with that. Plus, on the first day we actually stood in line (only 10 minutes) for pictures with Chip and Dale. It was sort of silly...but Dale kissed me a bunch of times and mom got hugs from Chip...it was actually a special memory from the trip. Don't know if it interests you at all...but that was something I didn't plan for that we decided on the spur of the moment and it was a lot of fun.

I've never been to HDDR so I can't speak to that...but if you're young at heart I think that's all that matters at Disney. I do know we REALLY enjoyed eating in the castle though and getting pics with the princesses. The food was good and it was just magical to be eating in the castle. We got a table right by the window overlooking Fantasyland...it was awesome.

But no matter what you decide to do, just have a great time. As much planning as I did for our trip as far as which park to go to on which day, dining reservations, night shows to see, etc...I think we had a great time because we knew we were going to have a great time together. Have a great trip!
 
my sister and i take an annual trip with just the two of us. we leave the rest of the family at home. we're in our 40s so we're not a lot different from you guys.

i find changing resorts to be a drag. you loose days you can send packages back to your resort, and the time it takes to check in/out you basically loose an extra day of having availability to your room since check out time is usually 11am but check in is 4pm+.

for a moderate resort we LOVE pofq. it's small, nicely themed, newly renovated.

if money isn't a big issue consider going club level at a deluxe resort. we like the gf the best for this type of stay in terms of what they offer. all the deluxe resorts are nice and i'd choose based on what park you plan to spend the majority of your time at and what theme you like best.

we like to plan signature dinners and take the time to stop in a lounge or two for an adult beverage and sometimes a snack or just a drink before dinner kind of thing...stuff you don't do when you take the kids. we particularly like la cava del tequila inside the mexican pavillion.

we also still act like kids and get a matching mickey t-shirt to wear on our first day. we now get a shirt made through zazzle.com and incorporate our "theme" for that years vacation. for instance the first year we started going without the kids our other two siblings and our step mother thought we were mean/evil for going without them. it was an adults only trip and they were welcome to join us but without the kids (two of us have older kids, the younger two siblings are from a 2nd marriage so they still have young kids) so the theme which went on our t-shirt and our adr's became the evil sister's only family reunion wdw trip. that sort of thing. this year we've planned a tshirt with the "things adults do at disney" we've been tweaking the list but the shirt will always incorporate mickey mouse.
 
consider cirque, a fireworks cruise, or a spa day. another option is a food crawl around world showcase. get one thing from multiple places and share them so you don't get to full to quick.
 

Thanks for all the help! We definitely are planning table service meals for lunch and dinner so Mom can get off her feet. Same with shows. I am going to get to see all the shows I wanted to but thrill seeking hubby didn't. So YAY for that! I am not sure how she is going to hold up standing in lines for long though and I am wondering if she will be able to even ride Splash Mountain? She loves the "runaway mine train" as she calls it but I'm not sure she will be able to ride it now after her back repair. Glad for the input on the resort switch, it probably would be more work than we want to do. I heard there is a tour at AKL and storytellers? Mom would really enjoy that so we could just make a half day of it and dine there too.
 
One thing my sister and I love to do that our Mom would have adored if she was still with us :littleangel: is the Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian. It's a beautiful resort to tour, and we love the Gardenview Tea Lounge with its beautiful china and lovely choices of tea and treats. It's a quick ride on the monorail from MK, and it's only from 2-4:30 each day so you have to make ressies for it. But it's a nice little memory we make everytime we go, just the two of us.
 
That sounds like so much fun! I just wanted to ask if you have considered renting DVC points for a studio? You can stay at a deluxe for literally 1/3 of the price. For example, just rented points for 7 nights at AKV for a savannah view studio and it was $1020 total....not much more than a moderate. :goodvibes
 
And as far as when to go, as long as you avoid MLK weekend, crowds will be low throughout January. We are staying from the 7th-14th, which includes Marathon Weekend and the highest predicted crowd level is a 5, which is for Friday the 13th.
 
Something I learned on my last trip if you split stay and that is once your bags are packed call bell service and they will come pick them up and have them magically appear at the next hotel. When you check in at the new destination you can have them delivered up. It takes a few hours to get from one spot to the next so take what you will need in the mean time.
 


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