Disneyland for Seniors

[DisneyBiskit]

Hello all!

We will be taking a trip to visit Uncle Walt at the end of September and we will have my mother-in-law with us. She is in her mid 70's and has not been to Disneyland. My partner and I are AP holders and go frequently but we would like some advice on things to do with her on this trip. She will go on some of the rides but not any of the rollercoaster type. We just want to make sure she has a fantastic experience because this will probably be her only chance to visit the parks. Any advice and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks!
Chris

 

[jonahsmommy]

Hi Chris!
We are also taking my MIL, this will be her 3rd time!! We surprised her for her 70th birthday this past September and she LOVED it!!! So we bought her an AP for Christmas and went in Dec and now we are leaving in 5 days.
Here are a couple of ideas:

Before our trip I bought her some Mickey ears and I got her a Disney t-shirt for her to wear at the park for our first day, she loved it! Find her something special to wear that first day.

We stayed at the Hyatt the past two times and we would request a top floor suite and we were able to watch the fireworks from our room, which was perfect since all day in the parks was a lot for our little guy and our MIL. I would try to find a hotel that had a fireworks view if you can't stay on site.

Are you staying on site? If not keep in mind all the walking that you do and make sure the hotel that you stay at does have a shuttle.

September is usually a warm month so make sure you bring some cold water bottles and of course some yummy snacks.

What kind of food does she enjoy? My MIL LOVES the sweets so I read tons of reviews for desserts and write the desserts that we want to try. Maybe read some reviews on the amazing food and make some special reservations.

Most of all relax and go at her pace and have a wonderful time!!!

 

[NiceOneSimba]

My mom is in her late 60s, and accompanied us on our trip. She rode some of the rides with us, but wasn't shy about saying "Heck, no" to things like Mickey's Wheel of Death and the Teacups.

She had a great trip, and found plenty to do to keep herself happy and occupied. We were there for three days, and we didn't manage to fit in everything!

She had the best time just wandering around and taking pictures (seriously...she took a whole morning to herself to do it) of the scenery. She loved the fireworks and World of Color, as well. I wish we had a bit more time to do things like ride the Mark Twain and try to get to ride in the Lily Belle. I also would have loved to see Billy Hill and the Aladdin musical--I know those would have been hits, but we just didn't have the time. And we totally forgot about Mr. Lincoln, which she was a little bummed about.

She loved riding a bunch of the Fantasyland rides with my DD, but mostly because she was riding with DD. For actual fun, she liked Soarin', it's a small world, and Star Tours. Pirates was in refurb, or she would have gone on that several times, I'm sure. She went on the Matterhorn (she has ridden it all three times she's been to DL, starting in 1962!), but honestly didn't much care for it.

She had a blast, and not just because it was DD's first trip. I think she enjoyed just soaking up the magic of the place--and I bet your MIL will, too!

 

[dreamcruiser]

I'm in my 60s, tho do NOT refer to myself as a Senior ...not the way I go and do! I love Disney and am a WDW vet. When DH and I are in Cal. each summer, I go to DL alone (he doesn't care for it) and have a ball. I do what I want, eat what I want, sit when I want (which is not often) and just revel in being "where Walt walked"! I hope your MIL has a blast!
Oh, and if it's a special occasion for her (birthday or otherwise), get her a button from the Town Hall. She might enjoy being recognized by CMs.

 

[larina]

My parents go on quite a few rides, but they also just like walking around, catching shows and people watching (traveling with them is so mellow and wonderful, I am blessed!!!), but they do love Mark Twain's riverboat (my dad liked steering with the captain as much as, or maybe even more than, my son), the train, the jungle cruise, the caterpillar ride in Bug's Land in DCA and Soarin'. Aside from Soarin' they went on the others multiple times on our last trip.

 

[OKW Lover]

Age is just a number. Some "seniors" are very active and will leave you breathless if you try to keep up. Some not so much. My wife (not quite 70) and I (63) have Premier passes and love to do the parks. There are attractions that we avoid simply because we don't care for them (i.e. roller coaster types) but not because we think they are too stressful for somebody our age.

Suggestion for the OP - leave it to your mom to decide how much she is comfortable doing. If a wheelchair would make things easier on her, they are fairly cheap to rent and not difficult to push around. If a mid-day rest is in order, its fairly easy to get back to the hotel and enjoy the pool a while.

Just make sure she knows that she can call for a break anytime she needs it and it won't bother either you or your partner.

 

[Disneyanajc]

I agree, age is just numbers…my husband is in the 70 range and loves
thrill rides. I'm in the 60 range and loves to putter, no thrill
rides for this girl.
We have been going to DL since 1969.
First make sure your DMIL has great walking shoes this will
be a plus. I have my ride list and the shows I want to see.
If the family is going on a thrill ride, I'm usually at a show:
The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Enchanted Tiki Room
Disney's Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular
Billy Hill & The Hillbillies
We keep in touch by cell phones.
My husband and I take a mid-day break, and will go back for the parade
and fireworks.
I love Fantasmic, but will only do the dessert package, no hard ground for us anymore.
Show her the Disney site with the ride list, see what she is interested in…
Go from there, and have a magical time.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I am a senior, so whats the problem..most can not keep up with me at my age..my family sure can not. Us old gomers love the parks.

Jack

 

[dreamcruiser]

I am a senior, so whats the problem..most can not keep up with me at my age..my family sure can not. Us old gomers love the parks.

Jack

LOL...my two younger sisters say that one day I'll be pushing THEM around the Disney parks in a wheelchair! They have a hard time keeping up with me!

 

[Brumbie13]

I would definitely take her to get a "my first time" pin from town hall.
I think it would be so cool if I were in the park and saw an elderly person with one of those pins on!

I imagine lots of cast members would be super nice to her, and she'd love it.

Like others said, If she needs a wheelchair, get one. That can be a lot of walking for a person whose older. My uncle and his family took my grandma a couple years ago and she was happy to have had the option to sit down whenever she needed to.

 

[Disneyqueendenmark]

Last Christmas I took my 80-year old grandmom to DLR
She can't walk more than a few steps by herself, so we pushed her in a wheelchair wich was perfectly fine... So if your MIL has any problems with walking then I would bring/rent a wheelchair or ECV - for us it worked very well!

My grandma is not a ride person, but she went on a few like IASW and Peter Pan - she liked them very much!
The things she enjoyed the most was the Mark Twain and WOC. And then just the atmosphere and looking at the park. We took alot of time just walking around and seeing the park and shops.

The one thing she talks about a lot is Soarin'! She wasn't prepared for the ride, but we just took her, since we hadn't even thought about that she could get scared - but og my she did!!! She was SO scared and choked! Afterwards she said that even though she was afraid, it was just an amazing expirience - she actually wanted to try it again :b I don't know if your MIL is the type that could get scared - if she is... Try to convince her to try it!

We also got her a "1st visit" button - and a "Happy Birthday" since she just turned 80, and the trip was a birthday trip. She liked when CM commented her bottons and I think it was a great and fun thing for her

Hope you all have a great and magical time!

 

[DisneyBiskit]

Thank you for the suggestions! She is very excited. She is quite active, so the walking should not be an issue (hopefully). I think we are going to hit most of the shows. She that kind of stuff. I forgot about the "1st time" button! I think she will get a kick out of that. We are also planning on the Halloween Party. I thought she wouldn't be interested, but she was. We will go at her pace...might actually be a good thing for us! LOL!

 

[KateDrake]

I would definitely take her to get a "my first time" pin from town hall.
I think it would be so cool if I were in the park and saw an elderly person with one of those pins on!

I imagine lots of cast members would be super nice to her, and she'd love it.

Like others said, If she needs a wheelchair, get one. That can be a lot of walking for a person whose older. My uncle and his family took my grandma a couple years ago and she was happy to have had the option to sit down whenever she needed to.

We did just that with my grandmother-in-law when we took her to WDW a few years ago, and it was adorable! All the cast members were so sweet, calling her "Princess" just like the little girls, stopping to ask what she liked best, etc. So I would for sure get her the button!
Grandma is in her 80s, so probably couldn't do as many things as your MIL. One thing that became super important for us was setting a SPECIFIC meeting point if we decided to ride something she didn't want to. It is so easy to get lost if you pick a general area, so I would pick a very specific spot to meet up.
One thing Grandma really got a kick out of was seeing the rides she remembered seeing on "Wonderful World of Disney" back in the day. So things like POTC, the Castle, Dumbo, any of the original rides or ones that date back a while.
Something we did that made it a lot more fun for her was to have family Disney movie nights a few weeks before we left. My DD introduced her to Buzz and Woody, Nemo, Princess Tiana, etc. and I think that made their rides a lot more enjoyable for her!

 

[Delilah1310]

my parents (71 and 79) took our extended family to DLR last month for thier 50th anniversary.
They kept up pretty good for the most part and if my dad was not prone to motion sickness, he probably would have ridden even more.
They loved Pirates, the Mark Twain (which they rode alone together), small world, the monorail, peter pan, winnie the pooh ... but honestly the one they rode over and over again was Buzz Lightyear!
My mom also joined us for Teacups and Radiator Springs Racers, luigi's flying tires and mater's jamboree.

I second the recommendation to get the fanasmic dessert package -- it was pricey, but no one had to spend time waiting on seats or sitting on the ground.

They also enjoyed the fireworks and found things they loved exploring on thier own ... like soup in bread bowl on Paradise Peir and the gharadelli chocolate ice cream parlor.

we would start the day together, doa few ride and when they couldn't keep our pace any longer, but they took breaks in the afternoon and we would all meet for dinner and a few more rides.

I felt bad we didn't get to do more, but they felt like we were able to do more than they thought. So they had a great time.

have fun!

 

[Geemo]

Being a senior too..... I love senior moments at Disneyland!!!

Enjoy your time.

Geemo