Disney for Seniors

[Kathlita]

I'm all about less walking on our March trip. We'll be the grandparents with our grown kids and our year-old granddaughter. Planning two days at MK, splitting it in half. This works out well with FP+, as we can do a couple of rides at rope drop and use our FP+ to keep from backtracking. Epcot will have a Future World day and a World Showcase day. HS isn't that big, fortunately, and has more sit-down time. My AK plan is to stay longer---maybe taking an afternoon break at the AKL lobby area.

People brag about how far they walk at WDW. I'm glad we don't have to trek across the park to pick up fast passes anymore. Are there any other ways to cut down on foot time? We used to love a mid-day break, but honestly, staying at the Values, there is a lot of extra walking involved with that.

Any other ideas for taking in Disney at a slower pace?

 

[agavegirl1]

This may not fit with your plans but I need to minimize walking due to arthritis in my ankle. I do Epcot and MK in halves on different days. Rather than do World Showcase in one day, I go right one day and visit those Future World attractions then head to the Canada side of WS and do the reverse on another day. Same with MK. It saves me a few steps.

 

[kmb584]

My Gammy is 83, she'll be 84 in less than a month, and she's been coming to WDW with us for years. She has arthritis in both knees and each trip it's a little bit worse than the last, so we've adapted to that. We take the parks at a slower pace and there are times she'll park herself on a bench or in a quick service with a drink to rest while we ride attractions that she has no interest in. As of late, we rent her a wheelchair and she spends the majority of the day using it as a walker, only allowing one of us to push her if her knees are particularly bad. We've offered to purchase a walker for her, but she's stubborn, and won't bring it to Disney with her.

We stay at BLT and usually mid-afternoon we'll walk her to the bus or monorail and she goes back. I've offered to go back with her, my aunt's offered to go back with her, but she declines, saying she just wants to put her feet up and rest. I've found that the shorter days are what works best for her. She's good to go in the mornings but as the day progresses she slows down, gets tired, etc. and she likes to sit on the 4th floor of CR and people watch.

Best advice is to simply go slow. People are always in a rush when there's nothing wrong with taking it all in at a slower, more relaxed pace. We used to be commando tourers but we're there so often that I appreciate that we've had to slow things down. I appreciate the trip, the sights and sounds, and the experience a lot more than I used to. I'm still tired at the end of the day, but I'm not knackered like I used to be. Try a day or two without an afternoon break, but if you need one, take one. The parks will still be there when you're ready to head back out. Or, instead of a break at the resort, spend the afternoon hours watching the indoor, air-conditioned shows, or tour the monorail resorts, or even ride the monorail around for an hour.

 

[disneyvoice]

Just take things at your own pace. Honestly, while our watches tell us we have done a ton of walking, we never feel like we have walked miles and miles the way we would if we headed out to walk several miles for exercise. We have never been the type to race all over the place, we like to take our time and enjoy our surroundings instead of rushing from one ride to the next. If we get tired we find a nice bench somewhere and people watch for awhile. Or we find someplace cool to get a drink. Even with FPs you will still spend a good portion of your day standing in line.

Another thing we do is head into a show or longer attraction when we are getting tired.

Honestly I don't think you will find it as bad as you think it will be. If you are riding attractions, eating meals, and seeing any shows you will have a lot of natural breaks in your day that will help you re-energize. My DH is 53 and has Parkinson's disease and he has no problem with long days at WDW walking all over the place.

Since you have a one year old in your group, you will probably end up taking this a bit slower than usual anyway. When my son was that age he fell asleep in his stroller a lot or had a lot of times where he just wanted to look at stuff, wander around and watch the ducks, etc. Based on your plans for each day it sounds like you will probably be done with attractions in a half day or less so you can always go back to your resort to swim and relax.

I will say that depending on what time of year you are going, spending a longer day at AK can be exhausting. AK is always much hotter than all the other parks simply because of the way it is designed and regardless of how much planning we do I feel like we do a lot of back and forth there - it just isn't as easy to get your bearings there. It is the park that always tires us out the most, even before Pandora opened. Even after a half day at AK we were exhausted. If you are there during a hotter time of the year AK can be almost unbearable. We LOVE spending time on the animal trails but when it's really hot I swear it is at least 10 degrees hotter on those trails! We were there in July and it was brutally hot. We did a few things in the early morning and then spent a few hours in the air conditioning at Nomads Lounge. We headed out a bit later after giving up on the animal trails.

 

[Kathlita]

I'm hoping March weather will be nice. We've always done summers, never again. We've been to WDW enough times that we won't have to rush to see everything this time, either. My husband and I can offer to take the little one back to the hotel mid-afternoon some days and let the young adults continue to tour. My plans are rope-drop to about 2:00 most days. After that, we're winging it. I think we will actually have time to do some things we skipped before, because we're only seeing half the park in a day.

 

[Dakota731]

My Gammy is 83, she'll be 84 in less than a month, and she's been coming to WDW with us for years.

That is so inspiring! It gives all of us hope for when we are in our senior years!!

 

[Q-man]

My mom had a knee replacement last year at 84 and is planning to climb Machu Picchu in the next year, 'before i'm too old to do it.' Outlook on things is everything.

 

[turtlechick6]

I would suggest planning to take in some shows where you can sit in an air conditioned area for some time and that can really refresh you. Hall of Presidents, tiki room, American Adventure, Nemo, Festival of the Lion King etc. Also take a nice leisurely table service lunch for relaxing

 

[Micca]

Are you familiar with TouringPlans? They have options to create plans on how fast you walk and whether you prioritize minimal walking over shorter wait times. You might give it a shot to see what the software comes up with.

 

[ChimCher-ee]

That is so inspiring! It gives all of us hope for when we are in our senior years!!

Yes! I just counted from my age up to 84, and am so happy to have so many years/trips left!!

 

[Kathlita]

Are you familiar with TouringPlans? They have options to create plans on how fast you walk and whether you prioritize minimal walking over shorter wait times. You might give it a shot to see what the software comes up with.

Yes, that's what I used to make my plans. It's pretty helpful. But between my sore foot and the baby, those plans will have to be flexible!

 

[pooh2001]

We will be seniors on our next trip = 35 years of marriage = May 2020
We plan on going about May 1 - 10, 2020
New things to see and we will still be employed
Both our jobs allow past 65 years old.

We do try to walk at least a mile each weekend - but with winter snow coming to our area - it maybe Mall walking.

We plan on staying onsite at the BWV studio and DH loves EPCOT.
We will see what our health brings in 3 years - but so far we are in decent shape. DW (me) could lose another 10 pounds, so far I have lost 15 pounds. DH could lose 30 pounds. But we are not going to use the Clown pool at the BW.

 

[ZoZo]

There's a section in the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World book especially for touring as a.senior citizen. I haven't read it in a while, but I'm sure it has great information and suggestions about how to take it easy. You might be able to check it out from your local library!

 

[Pmlocke]

I'm 64, my wife is 63. She's still a kid. We have traveled with our grandkids and great grand daughter three times. We simply laid down some rules. We get up when we get up. If you want to do the rope drop, go right ahead. I have a cell phone. I'll call you when we get to the park and we will meet you where ever you are. In the afternoon Mom and I are returning to the resort to relax by the pool. Don't worry, we will see you at the restuarant for dinner and watch the fireworks together. Also, we have been on every ride countless numbers of times. If you want to run up and stand in line for an hour, we'll catch up with you or make arrangements to see you when you come out. The thing is, this is our vacation as well and there is no reason to have to be with the kids 24/7. Sharing dinner, parades and fireworks along with the It's a small world ride makes for a great time.

 

[TwinkleKS]

Table service meals are a great time to take a break. We use the DDP, so I plan 1-2 TS meals a day, which gives a nice rest break and a chance to get out of the crowds and/or heat.

My parents go with us off and on (they go other times on their own). This year my dad has decided to use a scooter for at least part of the trip so that he can go everywhere with us. But it is also doable just to set meeting times, etc. None of us have expectations that everyone will ride every ride - so that helps. Like there is no way in ... that I will get on the teacups. But my mother will . We go often enough that none of us are in a huge hurry. My parents are more likely to do rope drop than I am ... I hate getting up early. If we do rope drop, those that run run and those that can't walk behind and catch up later. We also use a guide, so he can help us with plans too.