Going to DLR with non disney people... How do you do it?

[Mugglemama]

on the other hand, putting a little extra effort into making your mom feel special, or at least "thought of", can go a long way.

as to what the last poster said about somebody not being disabled until they are vent dependant and paralyzed from the neck down, i beg to differ. my dad was neither of those things before his death, yet he was still absolutely disabled. he couldn't leave the house, and could barely get up to use the bathroom. i'm pretty sure by that point, he would have said he'd hit the "pinnacle" of being disabled.

OP, you'll probably feel better about the whole experience later if you know you did what you could to promote an enjoyable time for both you and your mom. obviously if you're taking the time to seek advice and suggestions here, it's evident that you care how the trip affects your mom. and seriously, who would want to look back 20 years later and go, "yeah, my mom is gone now, and the last trip we took to disneyland together i left her on her ECV under a tree to watch people walking by!" ???? LMAO!!!

i mean, really?

 

[Hologram Lampwick]

Take them to the hub. make sure you point out all the nearby areas and explain the area well. then say "make sure you remember where this hub is because we are meeting here at Midnight. See ya!"

then walk off.

 

[Sara*s_Mommie]

I agree with Judy from Boise...don't over think about how you can make your mom happy at the Happiest Place on Earth. You trying to please her while she's trying to please you can cause for too much stress (and if you're like my family, bickering soon follows then nobody's happy). Since it's been awhile that she's been there, perhaps you can get a guide book and let her pick out the things that she's most interested in. The Unofficial Guide is the best, IMO. If crowds aren't too bad, I bet she wouldn't mind waiting while you take in a few "E" ticket rides here and there - there's always shops/places to eat close by to enjoy...and of course, people watching is the best free thing there is

I think I would have a hard time leaving someone back at the hotel for a whole day. If she really is tired of the parks, then there's nothing you can do about that - make sure she brings along things to do if she stays back (books, knitting, whatever), but if you think she's just saying it for your sake, let her enjoy sleeping in but reconnect at lunch and continue enjoying the parks together.

The fact that you're even taking your mom (sounds like just the 2 of you?) tells me you really love and enjoy your mom's company. Let it be what it's going to be - enjoy and cherish the memories!

 

[FairyDust2008]

I think the "MAGIC" of Disney will truly capture her heart and then she'll see just why you love Disney soooooooo much! There is so much to do there for everyone with different tastes, different needs. You just have to be happy when you are immersed in Disney. No matter the weather, crowds, etc., you are in what Walt wanted to be a happy place for all to enjoy. I got that feeling on our 1st WDW family vacation last year and thought that our WDW experience couldn't be topped and then I ate my words after returning on June 20th from our 1st Disneyland family vacation. Disneyland is just sooooooooooo magical There will be things that she will experience that will become something special that she will remember and maybe she will be yearning for more DISNEY MAGIC HAVE FUN!!!!!

 

[FairyDust2008]

Get her on the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride Anything with Jonny Depp/Jack Sparrow makes me HAPPY I think with Goofy's Kitchen and the Blue Bayou, she will enjoy too. I loved Goofy's. I didn't do Blue Bayou this time as it was too late when I discovered it but after seeing your pics and others, it will most definitely be on our list of to do's on our return trip in 2010. They say the Aladdin show in Cali Adventure is really good. Also, one of my hubby's FAV shows is Turtle Talk in Cali. It is really cute. Minnie & Friends at the Plaza in Disneyland would be a cute treat for you both I think you need to just go and have a wonderful time with your Mom and don't forget to do Its A Small World. That is definitely a HAPPY ride

 

[Judy from Boise]

as to what the last poster said about somebody not being disabled until they are vent dependant and paralyzed from the neck down, i beg to differ. my dad was neither of those things before his death, yet he was still absolutely disabled. he couldn't leave the house, and could barely get up to use the bathroom. i'm pretty sure by that point, he would have said he'd hit the "pinnacle" of being disabled.

sorry, don't want to hijack the thread.....but I do want to clear up the fact I am making no judgments on who is "disabled" just trying to illustrate that the happiness scale isn't inversely related to the disability scale. Infact many people who have no disability are miserable, and people with disabilities are fullfilled and content.

sorry, back to normal programing!

 

[Tasscrapper]

If your mom tells you that she wants to go to the hotel and will be fine on her own I would really let her do it. Just as you are concerned for her being happy I am sure she is thinking the same thing and you should accept what she says. If you insist on going back to the hotel with her all the time or the day she wants to stay there then she is going to feel really guilty. Let her be nice to you too. Will she be fairly mobile on her own with the ECV? Can she get on and off it on her own without much pain or fear of hurting herself? If she can she will have a lot of freedom to do what she wants. If she likes window shopping she might really enjoy exploring DTD.

 

[PNWmom]

My husband is non-Disney to my obsessed about Disney. The best thing we did was take a break each day and go back to the room. I took the kids to the pool and he took a nap. Then we were back in the parks in the late afternoon.

One thing that might interest your mom is to encourage her to notice the details.

She also might like going to the Main Street Cinema and watching the old movies for a while (its cool).

Watching the Mad Hatter and Alice play musical chairs at Coke corner is fun too.

Good luck!

 

[disneynerd420]

Take them to the hub. make sure you point out all the nearby areas and explain the area well. then say "make sure you remember where this hub is because we are meeting here at Midnight. See ya!"

then walk off.

I do that with friends... I can't do that with my mom

I agree with Judy from Boise...don't over think about how you can make your mom happy at the Happiest Place on Earth. You trying to please her while she's trying to please you can cause for too much stress (and if you're like my family, bickering soon follows then nobody's happy). Since it's been awhile that she's been there, perhaps you can get a guide book and let her pick out the things that she's most interested in. The Unofficial Guide is the best, IMO. If crowds aren't too bad, I bet she wouldn't mind waiting while you take in a few "E" ticket rides here and there - there's always shops/places to eat close by to enjoy...and of course, people watching is the best free thing there is

I think I would have a hard time leaving someone back at the hotel for a whole day. If she really is tired of the parks, then there's nothing you can do about that - make sure she brings along things to do if she stays back (books, knitting, whatever), but if you think she's just saying it for your sake, let her enjoy sleeping in but reconnect at lunch and continue enjoying the parks together.

The fact that you're even taking your mom (sounds like just the 2 of you?) tells me you really love and enjoy your mom's company. Let it be what it's going to be - enjoy and cherish the memories!

It will be just the two of us. I'm hoping that this DLR trip brings out some awesome mother/son bonding.

Get her on the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride Anything with Jonny Depp/Jack Sparrow makes me HAPPY I think with Goofy's Kitchen and the Blue Bayou, she will enjoy too. I loved Goofy's. I didn't do Blue Bayou this time as it was too late when I discovered it but after seeing your pics and others, it will most definitely be on our list of to do's on our return trip in 2010. They say the Aladdin show in Cali Adventure is really good. Also, one of my hubby's FAV shows is Turtle Talk in Cali. It is really cute. Minnie & Friends at the Plaza in Disneyland would be a cute treat for you both I think you need to just go and have a wonderful time with your Mom and don't forget to do Its A Small World. That is definitely a HAPPY ride

My mom does enjoy pirates, but she hates the drops. She is usually willing to tough it through those parts because she enjoys the rest. Though she has not seen the update, and I'm not sure how she will feel about Captain Jack.

I think the "MAGIC" of Disney will truly capture her heart and then she'll see just why you love Disney soooooooo much! There is so much to do there for everyone with different tastes, different needs. You just have to be happy when you are immersed in Disney. No matter the weather, crowds, etc., you are in what Walt wanted to be a happy place for all to enjoy.

I'm really hoping for that. I'm hoping that I am just worrying too much and that she will fall in love with DLR just like me. IMHO, it is pretty silly, but she has told me that one reason she is not a huge DL fan is the fact that it reminds her of where she spent her honeymoon with my father... WDW. That marriage did not last long.

If your mom tells you that she wants to go to the hotel and will be fine on her own I would really let her do it. Just as you are concerned for her being happy I am sure she is thinking the same thing and you should accept what she says. If you insist on going back to the hotel with her all the time or the day she wants to stay there then she is going to feel really guilty. Let her be nice to you too. Will she be fairly mobile on her own with the ECV? Can she get on and off it on her own without much pain or fear of hurting herself? If she can she will have a lot of freedom to do what she wants. If she likes window shopping she might really enjoy exploring DTD.

She should be able to get on and off the ECV without too much trouble. For her it is just a matter of walking and doing stairs. She has no feeling in her left leg, and her ankle twists very easily if she is not paying attention and she tends to take nasty spills.

My husband is non-Disney to my obsessed about Disney. The best thing we did was take a break each day and go back to the room. I took the kids to the pool and he took a nap. Then we were back in the parks in the late afternoon.

One thing that might interest your mom is to encourage her to notice the details.

She also might like going to the Main Street Cinema and watching the old movies for a while (its cool).

Watching the Mad Hatter and Alice play musical chairs at Coke corner is fun too.

Good luck!

I like your idea about pointing out the smaller details. That is something I think she will enjoy.

Thank you all again. You have helped make me feel a little better about this trip. Only time will tell. I'm just hoping that she can see the magic when she gets there.

 

[PrincessSarah314]

I think things will go fine...You can point out all the things that are NOT in WDW and ride those (Alice, Pinnochio, etc.) and do the newer things like Soarin' to avoid to many miserable memories.

Definitely just go at her pace and don't expect her to always be able to keep up with yours. If you want to bond, definitely do some silly things together that a younger child/mother would do (like meeting some characters, maybe she has a favorite?).

Definitely check out the disAbilities board too, I find lots of info there that's extremely helpful!
There's nothing wrong with taking an afternoon off from each other so you can do the e-rides. I suggest you do it in the afternoon, instead of the morning or evening because she will be able to rest in the hotel during the hottest & most crowded part of the day then. Plus, you said she enjoys the nighttime entertainment.

Good luck!

 

[PrincessSarah314]

I got it! Get her excited about the trip with fairy godmailers! I just realized that you posted on my "Help I'm Desperate!" thread that you never knew fairy godmailers existed.

How cool! Have different people get the magic started before you ever set foot in the hotel. I leave for DLR Sunday. I'd be happy to be the first one to start you off. And since your trip isn't until the off-season, you could set up 1 FGM a month (or every 2 weeks or whatever works) to start getting her in a magical mood!