Guests who are in their early 60's - suggestions ?

[pooh2001]

We can walk 3 miles a day
Going to WDW in early May - we love the flower festival.

What are the best parks to do ?
Should we do the early AM magic hours ?
Do character meals without children ?

Any suggestions for us ?

thank you !

 

[BalooFan]

I’m a few years younger, but will comment anyway! The challenge might be sticking to only three miles per day. I suggest half days in the parks, either in the mornings (yes, take advantage of AM EMH) or the evenings. Any parks would be fine for you, but it would probably be best to plan an efficient route in each park and schedule your FP+ to limit your steps. If you are interested in character meals, why not? It is not at all uncommon to see adult-only parties at character meals. Also, because you love the Flower & Garden Festival, you might consider the Gardens of the World tour.

 

[Chernabog1940]

My wife and I are a few years older than you. We take advantage of everything - including extra magic hours, tours, and character meals. Since we are Disney nuts, we are not embarrassed to be seen with Mickey, Winnie-the-Pooh, or the Princesses. Obviously, what you can do is dependent on your budget and the length of time you are there. Unless you are there for 3-4 weeks, you won't be able to do all that WDW has to offer. If you want to see some of the attractions, a FastPass is a must. Make your dining and FastPass reservation as soon as possible for optimum choices. These forums [and others online] offer a lot of information. YouTube has videos on the various rides and attraction so you can preview, and then decide, what you may want to see. Don't forget to take the time to relax and enjoy the parks/resorts for themselves. Look at the theming and landscaping. Find Hidden Mickeys. Take some pictures. This is a vacation - not a forced march.

Have a great time.

 

[OKW Lover]

Not sure what the OP's questions have to do with the title of the thread. Being in early 60's doesn't rule out any park experiences.

 

[PinMan]

All good tips , I’m 62 and love the parks too . We do some trips by ourselves, rides , dinners and I stop for a picture with Goofy if he’s around . This October family trip , we have 2 granddaughters and 4+5, it’s their 3rd trip to Disney , so that trip is special and more energetic. If you cruise that’s nice too , you can enjoy the adult side of it and relax .

 

[Micca]

DW & I are the same age and we keep going to WDW as we have for the past 40 years. There are a couple of things we don't ride, but they are the same rides we didn't do when we were much younger. We don't do commando touring any more, but that has more to do with the fact that we've been going there for so long and we still go twice per year.

ETA: Character meals without kids are fine, but generally the food isn't all that great. Except for Tusker House at AK, it's excellent.

 

[Oneanne]

Also early 60's here... an average park day for me seems to end up usually being about 10 miles of walking. I'm a big fan of midday resort breaks - nothing quite like a power nap and a midday shower to keep you going. The only things I don't do any more are the few rides that are challenging to get in and out out, everything else is game.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[ncc1701]

A few years younger but in the ballpark. We usually get up early and do a morning in a park, then do lunch and relax by the pool.
We do Crystal Palace for breakfast each trip and we are not the only table with no children. The rides we don't do are ones we never really liked ( never been a thrill ride person even in my 20s).
We try to take advantage of EMH especially for MK.
As far as parks, do the ones that appeal to you. We haven't been to AK on our last few trips but it's a personal choice as we would rather spend more time in MK or just relax at our resort instead. DH still works ( I just retired last year) so relaxing on vacation is part of our plan (WDW or other places).
Don't forget to look into doing something at one of the Spas. Either together or just 1 of you.I get a mani/ pedicure at the GF Spa while DH walks the grounds , reads on a bench & or takes a monorail ride until it's time to meet. If we don't have park plans in the evening or an ADR at a resort we go to Disney Springs.

 

[linda d-isney]

I will be going in July for my 65th birthday. I love Disney and have been many times. A little walking doesn't hold us back. Our last trip was 3 years ago at Christmas to see the last of the Osborne Lights. We don't really plan except for the FP's that we have to book but I booked them for this trip as early as I could get my three booked for each days park and then we'll have the rest of the day to do whatever floats our boat.But we walk till our feet tell us to rest and we grab a snack and sit a bit. This year I'm putting the app to measure how far we walked on my phone, I'll let you all know how far that ended up to be.
There are rides we don't do so we book what we really like and don't worry if we do not get on the others. Our motto is we always have to leave something to come back and see. We do not plan much and don't want to spend time or the dollars on sit down meals. That gives us the ability to be more flexible and spontaneous.
This time since we're going in July/Aug we plan to do parks early, resort hop in the afternoon, early dinner later afternoon back at POR (we'll see if the food is as good there this time as the other two times we stayed there), and back to the parks for nighttime shows. The one thing we are going to plan is an afternoon at AKL to sit and watch some animals, if they are out and about. There we will get a snack at the cafe and go up to an observation deck and watch for a bit. I am as excited for our trip as any kid would be and have no plans on letting a little walking, rain, or heat spoil the fun.

 

[NH-to-FL]

We can walk 3 miles a day
Going to WDW in early May - we love the flower festival.

What are the best parks to do ?
Should we do the early AM magic hours ?
Do character meals without children ?

Any suggestions for us ?

Late 60's couple here... frequent WDW vacationers now Disney snowbirds. I now consider our park visits to be "walks enhanced by Disney".

Early May is a great time to go. We also love the Flower and Garden Festival! Being gardeners we appreciate the challenges of putting it together and enjoy wandering through the results. We especially love the many flower planters around Italy.

As far as best parks, we spend most of our time at Epcot and AK. Then MK. Very seldom at DHS. Epcot is first because DW's favorite ride is Soarin'. Then Living with the Land. And we always ride Spaceship Earth. And walk through the aquariums. Depending on how many miles we want to do we will take the walk around the World. AK is second because we love both the Safari and the Lion King show. Also the Bug. And seeing the tigers on the Maharaja Trek. I like FoP but it is a bit much for DW. The landscaping of Pandora is very interesting to walk through. Third is MK partly because of my sentimental attachment to Walt and the original Disney TV shows. DW doesn't have the sentimental connection but does enjoy a few of the attractions, Peter Pan, PoC, HM, and Philharmagic. DHS is last because it doesn't really have anything that really draws us there. I like Star Tours and we both enjoy the Muppet Movie and the Indiana Jones show but not enough to go there very often. I am waiting for Galaxy's Edge to open but worry how long it will be before we will be able to squeeze in through the crowds.

We used to be rope droppers. A few years ago when we were making on site vacation visits we would rope drop the morning EMH to get a lot done while enjoying the lower crowds. Then we would take a mid day break (nap) back at the resort. I am up and going early in the morning, DW not so much. So this past winter we shifted our park arrivals to later in the morning and leverage FP's. But then our visits are much different now then when we were vacationing. I always encourage on site folks to take advantage of morning EMH, especially during warmer times of the year. But if getting up early on vacation isn't your thing there are always evening magic hours.

We have never been into the characters so I can't help you there.
Wishing you a visit!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Your age has absolutely nothing to do with your ability to do the parks. I will be 62 this year and have had back surgery. As long as I stop to rest my back every so often, I last all day. My last trip was a 12 hr park day. I outlast those younger than me. It all has to do with your individual energy, not age.

 

[OKW Lover]

We can walk 3 miles a day
Going to WDW in early May - we love the flower festival.

What are the best parks to do ?
Should we do the early AM magic hours ?
Do character meals without children ?

Any suggestions for us ?

thank you !

We are, ahem, older than that. Our experience is that 3 miles a day is actually not enough. We often find ourselves having walked 5 miles in a day. Thoughts on some of your questions:
Best park? Depends on what you like. But if you're going for the Flower & Garden festival then obviously Epcot needs to be top of the list. Just be sure not to go on a weekend or a weeknight as those are the most crowded times. Plan on hitting World Showcase right a 11 am.

Early AM Magic hours? Never found those as useful as more beauty sleep.

Character meals? We're kind of over character meals, especially without children. But if characters are big for you then by all means go and do one.

Other suggestions:

• Consider Hoop Dee Doo (perhaps instead of a character meal) one night. A really fun time and the food is pretty good.
• Plan a nice meal one night at a sit-down restaurant. Relax and enjoy the meal (preferably with a later in the evening ADR time) and reflect on the day
• Don't go all out trying to see/do everything. Spend time just walking around (or taking a break) and enjoy your visit.