First Solo Trip in September!

[Allison Joy]

I recently booked my second Disney trip ever, and my first solo trip. My first trip, I went with a friend and her mom, and the last day (Epcot) they decided to rent a wheelchair for me. I didn't think I needed it, because I can walk, and I can walk for long distances. I just get very slow towards the end of the day. I mean, I'm more of a turtle than a rabbit any time, but towards the end of the day, it gets worse. I wasn't in pain at the end of the days, so much as just... tried. Like everyone who goes to Disney. I plan to conquer all four parks on my own, with no assistive devices, just taking things at my speed, not worrying if I don't get to do everything, etc. I always feel like I straddle the line between "disabled" and "not." I can do almost anything I need to, but do have some muscle tightness, I'm short, and I'm slow, as previous mentioned. I have some slight balance problems, but not in everyday walking. For example, I'm cautious on cobblestone, while hiking, in grass, etc. but I don't really fall, unless something else unusual is going on. I also can't balance on a bike, but that's not a Disney issue. Just giving that as an example so you (maybe) understand. Last year I did Six Flags with no major problems. And since I have a Six Flags season pass now, I do plan to "work up" to Disney by doing Six Flags two days in a row a couple of times before my trip. Just to see.

I want to push myself, but not to the point that I regret it. Any specific suggestions for me? Is there anything I might be missing that might alter my plan?

 

[Simba's Mom]

First off, if you need to rent a scooter, I hope you do. I rented my first scooter when I was on a solo trip, and I was so upset about needing one, I ugly-cried. Then I had questions (like "what do I do when I go to the restroom?"), and I found that scooter-users are very helpful when I finally just asked someone on a scooter what to do. Then I worried when I approached my first closed door-that's when I learned that so many people hold doors for you. Bus drivers are so helpful, you needn't fear buses. Have a great trip!

 

[Bete]

If you plan on walking, then pace yourself with rides, shows and eating. Shows and eating provide you with a rest. Consider taking a break and possible nap in the afternoon. You can easily do 5-10 miles a day of walking. Don't do backtracking; do the park as a loop.

I would use a scooter myself. I too can walk but it's not fun at Disney to do so. I accomplish a lot more using a scooter and it's easier. If you want to walk some you can always park your scooter for a while in an appropriate place. Park tickets cost money and the scooter cost is worth it because you can do so much more.

 

[KPeterso]

I would plan to walk a bit every day leading up to your trip. Increase the distance slightly each day to build the endurance. Like someone else mentioned, pace the day and work in a loop instead of criss-crossing the park. With my mom, we often would do a ride or 2, and then a show (or meal or sat on a bench or waited for the parades) where we sat for awhile before continuing on.

And as much as you don't want it, I would consider a cane or rollator. Either of those can provide that extra bit of stability that you may need at times. And a rollator could give you a spot to sit in line if you suddenly were feeling more fatigued or in pain. Or before my mom would consider full time ecv for the parks, we would do the ECV for AK and Epcot due to the size. So I would make our plans to have us walk one day and then ride the next day and kept that sort of schedule. After like 2 trips like that, she suddenly one morning stopped at HS and wanted to rent one there, so I said the next year it would be all days and from offsite despite her protests. Told her if she wanted to walk one day, we could leave it in the room that day, but it went to the park with us every day and she did use it.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Do you have access to a treadmill? September gives you plenty of time to build up some “Disney” stamina. You can of course replicate this outside but a treadmill is more precise and also takes away the excuse of weather.

Start by trying to benchmark where you are now by walking comfortably for X amount of time. Let’s say you can do a mile at 2.5 miles per hour. Then every day set yourself a goal to go at least that far, and then start to slowly build distance or time on your feet from there. Even adding an extra minute will help to build confidence. Maybe once a week or every other week try a “long walk” where you intentionally try to push yourself to go farther.

It might not seem like much but any little bit of stamina you can build now is better than what you would have at the parks without it. Also you may find that your quality of life improves outside of Disney by slowly getting into better shape.

My senior citizen mom - who admittedly is amazing - does at least 6 miles most days that she isn’t doing some other form of cardio in order to keep herself “Disney ready.”

If you are the kind of person who would do better with some structure people love Peloton programming, even if you aren’t interested in spinning. I use their walks and runs to “keep me company” when doing something else. There are other programs that I like better for actual training, but there’s definitely a place for it in my fitness routine.

 

[Allison Joy]

My senior citizen mom - who admittedly is amazing - does at least 6 miles most days that she isn’t doing some other form of cardio in order to keep herself “Disney ready.”

Ha! Your mom sounds like mine, except for the "keeping herself Disney ready" part. My mom is in her 80s and still walks 3 to 5 miles a day. It used to be more like 5 to 6 until she broke her pelvis a few years ago. Now she's "only" at 3 to 5. lol

Meanwhile, I'm half her age, and I'm doing well to do 2 miles once a week on a Saturday. Granted, that is mostly because I work a desk job with a minimum 30 minute commute one way, which, with dinner, does not leave much time for walking in the evenings.

My mom also helps watch 4 very active kids once a week, and used to do "treasure hunts" in the local park with them. The only reason that's changed is because my mom ran out of hiding places int he park, and the family moved a little farther, so it's hard for their mom to get the to the park now. But my mom amazes me.