Cruising with elderly parents. Have some questions.

[Nik's Mom]

Hi,
We will be doing our first cruise next August and my in-laws are showing interest in coming along. I'm concerned because my father-in-law is 81 years old and I'm not sure if a cruise is a good idea. He's in average health. I say average because he does get tired if he walks too much. So I'm wondering if there are elderly people on the ship and how do they normally handle the cruise? If my in-laws come, then I will probably bring my Mom along. She's 75 but is in great shape, so I'm not too worried.
Now, I know the obvious. It will be in August and will be hot. But if we keep my father-in-law out of the sunlight for long periods of time, is the cruise still a good idea?

 

[mmouse37]

I brought my frail 83 year old aunt with me and she had a ball. I knew she would not be able to walk all over the ship so I rented a wheelchair (thru an outside agency) and it was waiting for us in the terminal.

Aside from her moving at a slower pace and getting warm in the sun, we had no problems....

Here is her enjoying her Mickey waffles....

http://community.webshots.com/photo/92712226/93387885CVutHB

I kept her well shaded on CC under the umbrella.....

MJ

 

[Rence]

A cruise is probably about the best vacation for some like your father-in-law. The ship isn't that big, so it is never that long of a walk from one place to another. It is a rather self-contained vacation.

Excursions could involve a lot of walking, but he may prefer a relaxing day on-board.

Castaway Cay has a tram that picks up near the ship and takes you to the beach if you prefer not to walk, so he could still get out and see the island. The ship is right there if he gets tired and wants to go back.

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

We have seen many, many older people on the cruises. It is a fantastic vacation for them. I'm only middle aged but due to health problems I am restricted sometimes as to walking and heat, just like a senior.
I have been 7 times with 3 more cruises booked. It's great.
You can be as active or quiet as you want.
On deck 9 it is shaded all the way around accept right by the pools and the outdoor seatin area for the buffet. There are elevators aft, mid ship and forward. None are that far to go to. The forward ones have a nice seating area just off from the elevators with soft chairs. Deck 4 has loungers that are padded and is much quieter than decks 9 or 10. Lots of people go there and read or take a nap. It is a jogging and shuffleboard deck, so very quiet with a great view. The shows all have wheel chair seating and you can go in early so they wont have to worry about the crowds. In fact they recommend this and crew members are there to assist you 30 minutes prior to show time. If loud music isnt appriate for them, I would suggest the promenade lounge, deck 4. It has live music, usually a duo and they play a wide variety of light rock and soft jazz for the most part. There is a small dance floor there too. Beverages are available too. There are large TV monitors on a couple of walls if they want to watch. This is very low key and the music is on and off all day long. Late at night there are yummy snacks by this lounge too. They have wine tasting and cheese tasting too if they are interested.
Castaway cay has a tram, and you could push a wheel chair all the way to the beach if you wanted. They do have a few wheel chairs there made to go in the sand, guest relations will help you with that. There are lots of seats all over. Some are in the sun, but the BBQ lunch is all under a roof and the grouper game room is under cover. If this is too much for them, dont worry, there is still things to do on the ship while in any port. Maybe they would like to get off the ship for lunch then back on, that would be easy to do.
I say go for it and enjoy evey minute. The last 7 day cruise we went on they actually had a special social meet and greet for the grandparents on board. You dont have to be a grandpa to go, just a senior citizen. They joke that most of them are paying for the cruise so they should have a special event of their own. Lots of fun family stuff at studio sea too.
Hope you all have a wonderful time.
mom x4,grandma x4

 

[Nik's Mom]

Wow! I had no idea! I am so excited to tell DH. I just lost my Dad a few months ago, and DH really thinks about his Dad and how he will one day lose him too. I think it would be wonderful to take DH's Mom and Dad, and my Mom along with us. I feel so excited to take them with us. This trip is orginally supposed to be our 10th anniversary trip, but it can also be a reunion trip too!

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

There is much, much more, but it would take forever to write it all.
Write a trip report and tell us how it goes for you. I'll bet everyone will talk about it for years to come, and remember the camera!!!!
mom x4,grandma x4

 

[clten]

My dad is 78 and went on the repo cruise with us. He also has health problems that prevent him from walking long distances. You've gotten good feedback from everyone and I know from experience it would be a great trip for your FIL and the whole family.

I would pass along a couple pieces of advice that we learned going with my dad. I don't know how far is a long distance for your FIL but my dad has been getting worse in last year so his long distance may be shorter than your FIL's. Walking from the back of the ship, say Animator's Pallette, to the front, like the Walt Disney Theater, did require a stop to sit and catch his breath for a few minutes. My father wouldn't use a wheelchair but they can be very helpful in getting around the ship. When planning your day, keep in mind you may need more time than most to get from place to place. Having a mid-ship cabin was very helpful, even though my father always thought we were taking him the long way.

The other thing is on Castaway Cay. First, even if you have a wheelchair on the ship, it is difficult to use on Castaway Cay. I alway see people saying it isn't a long walk from the ship to the tram and I never thought it was until this May. When you have health problems it can be, as we learned. Talk to a castmember about having one of the carts take your FIL from the ship to the tram (or even the family beach). Once he's there, I don't think he'd have a problem. We picked a central location on the Family beach so it wasn't a long walk for him to the bathrooms, the BBQ or the water. They have plenty of umbrellas to keep him out of the sun.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Last Aug 21 we took my Grandfather then 86 on the 7 day! He loved it! He would sit on the balcony for a good part of the day as he tires easily. We would pick him up for meals and he enjoyed the dinning room very much. We did the shows in the afternoon so that he could see them too, as he likes to get to bed pretty early. My advise it DO IT! I don't know how much longer we will have him here and it was wonderful to share the trip with him. ( They told my mother that they could activate his key so that it would pop up to NOT allow him to leave the ship. This was as we were getting off in the first port and she was worried that he would decide to get off and then get lost. We decide not to and he was quite content to stay on the ship)

 

[kat3668]

I say do it as well!!
We saw many older people on the cruise and they all seemed to be having a great time..........
One piece of advice though....
The doorways on the decks have high lips and older people and younger too need to be very careful....
We saw a older gentleman fall flat on his face when entering the topsiders buffet... he was ok but very embarassed...
So beware of doors!

Have a great time

 

[brack]

We took my DMIL with us on a 7 day cruise this past January. She is only 70 but is not in great health. It was a wonderful experience and I believe she really enjoyed it. There were many times that she would sit on deck 9 and just enjoy the view (which by the way I do a lot also).

On Castaway Cay we used one of the "sand" wheelchairs and it worked well.

I say take your parents, grandparents and great grandparents because it is a magical family time!

 

[Cruisin]

The very first cruise we went on, one evening in the atrium they introduced a 95 year old woman who was on her very first cruise

What a wonderful thing for her to be able to experience.

 

[4nana]

IMO, a disney cruise is the perfect vacation for any age! You are never too old for a little magic!!

We did a Mother/Daughter cruise for our Mom's 74th BD in 2003. We had lost dear Dad that year and really needed a change of pace to pick up our spirits, so I invited my Mom and sis on a Disney cruise.

Mom had not been in a bathing suit for years and had never cruised or flown before. OMG - it was such a joy to watch her play in the aqua blue peaceful Caribbean. The CM's called us "the Golden Girls" and treated us like royality! Mom and sis were in awe of the beautiful ship, the spirit of everyone, the assortment of foods, the shows and music, towel animals and candy on pillows, doing as many activities as you want or just chillin' in a comfy chair on deck. We made so many special memories to carry in our hearts and I'm sure Dad was smiling down from above.

If you get the opportunity, please don't hesitate taking a senior - you will never regret the wonderful memories you make with your loved ones and they will love the new sites and magic of it all.

 

[Nik's Mom]

This all sounds great! I will definitely encourage my in-laws to attend. As for my Mom, I think I'll surprise her and take her with us. She's had a rough year, after caring for my Dad until he died from cancer a few months ago. She deserves a nice trip!

 

[tvguy]

Health, not age would be the issue.
My mom is 82 and in good health, walks 3 miles a day, NEVER uses the elevators on the ship, prefers walking excursions in ports.
She cruises at least once a year (not disney yet, since she can travel anytime she finds lots of off peak, repo cruises, last one was 11 days and cost her $799 and I've never seen a Disney bargain cruise).

My first cruise there was an elderly couple on board, both 85, they cruised 4 times a year, and NEVER got off the ship in port. They just enjoyed the ship, the staff, the food, the ocean, and each other's company. That was 25 years ago, so I am certain they are both gone now........but I have never seen a happier couple in my life.

 

[pittypat]

When we went on our Disney cruise last summer, how could we possibly have realized that by year's end my mom would be taken from us by cancer. My dad died, also of cancer, in 1998. My advice? TAKE YOUR ELDERLY FAMILY! My parents would've absolutely loved being on a cruise and being with all of us. It is one of my biggest regrets that we didn't do that when we could. Cherish those grandpas and grandmas NOW! (sorry-didn't mean to get all preachy here)

 

[cookielulu]

My parents went on 2 cruises with us and then a 7-day alone!! My father had Parkinson's and moved slowly and the CM's could not have been kinder to them! That is why they went back on a 7-day by themselves.

They stayed on the ship mostly and enjoyed themselves. We would meet them for dinner and shows. At Castaway Cay - the golf cart took them to the tram and they went to the Adult beach. They had lunch out by the ocean and then would go back to the ship early.

The most fun they had was ordering the chocolate chip cookies and milk at midnight - they thought that was the greatest!!

My father passed away this April and we have a cruise planned for May 2006. My mother is going with us and we will always have memories of how much Daddy enjoyed being on the cruise and how kind the CM's were to him.

Bring your in-laws and mother and cherish the memories!

 

[CM_Mom]

We took "The Ladies", my 84 yo mom and 81 yo aunt with us on our cruise in May of 2004. They had their room and DD shared ours. They generally rested in the afternoon..but then so did DH (who was trying to imitate the Commercial and sleep a lot). We all had a great time. We did lots of things together like the Art of Entertaining series and the St John's island tour which I highly recommend especially if you're going to dock in St. Thomas. The boat for St. Johns was docked just behind the Magic and had an enclosed lower area with huge windows. The opena air "bus" in St. John was a short walk from the boat - less than 50 yards and we got a great tour of the island. There was some walking if you wanted but not necessarily much.

They also did some things on their own like the glass bottomed boat ride at CC since they aren't beach folks but we joined up for lunch at Serenity Bay.

Take to "grown ups". They'll have a great time.

 

[doccath]

Last August I brought 68yr old mother with a heart problem, 81 yr old father in law with sever arthritis and extremely poor hearing, and the topper of all 77 yr old mother in law who is on oxygen and wheelchair dependent. It was hard!!. The rooms are small as are most cruises when you have medical equipment to fill them. The staff was great but the excursions were out of the question with the medical restrictions. Still even with it being hard I was glad we did it. The kids had a great time and it was so nice that the grandparents got to share in their excitement. The trick to traveling with the elderly is not to plan to many activities, leave alot of transit time, and be flexable.
I thought it was much easier when we went back to WDW to have them active. :thewave:

 

[AOPI57]

My parents- 75 and 76- just flew to Ca with us and did the West Coast cruise (Every Disney cruise we've done they have come with us.)They had a great time. My dad has some health issues and wasnt' sure if he should go but he did and was really glad. He didn't do 2 excursions with us. He did get off the ship and walk around the different ports. There's also plenty of things to do on the ship. He would aways find a cast memeber to talk with. When we returned from the excursions he couldnt' wait to tell us about the conversations he had. He even sat on the deck one day and chatted with Cap't Tom.

 

[ltviolets]

:thewave: We sailed with a group of 19. Four generations. We all did our own thing. Mom,75, said that her theory was to set in one spot by the pools & eventually, she would see everyone pass by. We are planning to go again in 2007. Will we all be here then? We hope so