Disney with a senior?

[ericaears]

My boyfriend, myself and my 74 year old grandmother are going to WDW in 12 days! We're all so excited, as she hasn't been in almost 20 years. We're spending one day in MK and one in Epcot. Luckily the Flower and Garden festival will be going on. What tips do you have for us? She gets around well but may need rest stops and is a diabetic. We'll bring snacks and water, obviously. What should be on our MUST-DO list, what to avoid and any secrets we should be aware of? This may be her last trip and we want to make memories!

 

[aubriee]

I took my mom for her very first Disney trip when she was in her mid 70's. She never used an ECV around here (at that time she didn't even use a cane), but knowing the distances we'd be walking at WDW, I insisted on renting an ECV for her. It was the best decision I've ever made. Not only did she easily keep up with me, but at the end of the day she was not exhausted. In fact, I had a hard time keeping up with her. At first she resisted the idea of an ECV saying she did not need one, but now as soon as we start planning a trip, she always reminds me to rent her ECV.

I wanted that first trip to be special for her, so booked alot of character meals for us. I really wasn't sure how she would react, but was shocked that they were her favorite part of the trip. She loved them more than any kid there, loved the attention they gave her, and loved having her picture made with them.

My favorite picture I got from that trip was her on Dumbo. We made a bee line for Dumbo that day as soon as we entered MK. We rode in separate elephants and I made a point of riding in the elephant right in front of hers. During the ride, I turned and snapped several pictures of her. Her gray hair was flying in the wind and she had this really huge smile and a look of total carefree joy on her face. When I got home I had that picture enlarged and it sits on her dresser in a pretty frame. It makes me smile and almost cry every time I see it. My dad was never one to take family vacations, so it took my mom over 70 years to ride Dumbo. I guarantee you she enjoyed it more than any kid that was on the ride that day. My mom had always been the really serious type, but for one week she forgot all her worries and turned into a little kid again. It was a joy to see.

My mom has gone back with me several times since then and in fact we'll be down there March 21-31 for the Flower Festival too. My mom always enjoys taking her time looking around at all the topiaries and in all the shops at Epcot. Epcot is her favorite park. She loves wandering around in World Showcase. Her favorite restaurant there is the Biergarten. She loves the atmosphere in there.

 

[TLSnell1981]

DMIL is 82 and loves the Flower and Garden Festival. The food kiosks are a great addition. Soaring, the Living Seas and shopping in Worldcase are other favorites. Oh, and she LOVES "pick a pearl" She also enjoys the parade, fireworks, Mickeys Philharmagic and It's a Small World in MK..

 

[katt789]

This past Sept I went with my Mom (64) and one of her friends who was 80 years young.

They're both still pretty active (part of a gymnastics team actually….) but being an older age we took more breaks. We had the DDP, so I found scheduling one sit down meal a day was nice, it was an opportunity to sit and relax while eating, we also did Chef Mickeys & Crystal Palace for characters as it was the 80 year old's first trip and it was great to see her interact with them!

The biggest things were finding a place to sit, and finding some air conditioning throughout the day. Even if it was a loop on the peoplemover or a 10 minute browse through a store, it helped out!

 

[Kate and Family]

If you do rent an ECV, give her a chance to practice with it before going into the park. Will be much easier for her to navigate the crowds, if she has had a bit of experience.

 

[kmb584]

My Gram is 80 and has come with us on our last 6 visits to WDW. She gets around well but I keep the pace a couple of notches below brisk. As far as attractions go, she's game for everything except for low boat rides (IASW, PoC) because she finds it difficult to get out. You also won't find her on RnRC or anything similar.

We schedule at least one TS meal per day for the opportunity to sit down, relax and regroup. Finding a shady spot to sit for a little bit has been key too.

 

[disnut8]

My boyfriend, myself and my 74 year old grandmother are going to WDW in 12 days! We're all so excited, as she hasn't been in almost 20 years. We're spending one day in MK and one in Epcot. Luckily the Flower and Garden festival will be going on. What tips do you have for us? She gets around well but may need rest stops and is a diabetic. We'll bring snacks and water, obviously. What should be on our MUST-DO list, what to avoid and any secrets we should be aware of? This may be her last trip and we want to make memories!

Quite honestly - if this trip is mainly about her, let her do all the deciding. She will probably do things like say "whatever you want to do" so pick a park and then once there, say "these are things we think you would like but you tell us". She will want to make you happy and vice versa so take creative control.

She's only 74 years old. She gets around well and you love her. You'll be at Disney World. To me, that's the perfect vacation.