How old is too old for rides?

[Buckalew11]

You know,I say if they paid their money to ride, they should be allowed to take that extra time to get out of the ride. I would hope if you guys make it back to Disney at 80, no one would begrudge that extra few minutes it takes to get in and out of a ride.

I totally agree.

If I make it to that age, I hope to still be going to WDW. So y'all better get ready to wait on me trying to get on and off of a ride because if I make it to old age, I'm livin' it up. That means riding rides at WDW!!

 

[mamacatnv]

FIL at 78 rode Expedition Everest as he said "what's he got to lose" he and MIL also road Soarin at our urging and were so glad they did.

This past summer took FIL now 80 on a Jet Boat Ride up the Rogue River in Oregon - he loved it.

 

[eliza61]

God bless her,
I hope I'm up an riding when I'm 77.

 

[Nancy]

My mom is 78 and ToT is her favorite ride. No, she is not in the greatest of health either but it doesn't seem to bother her. She also loves Soarin. She won't do roller coasters and opted out of Test Track our last trip.

 

[jenny105]

We went with my grandmother to an amusement park about 10 years ago and she was in her late 70s and went on rollercoasters! It all depends on the person, not so much the age. I wouldn't worry about Soarin so much. That's pretty tame.

 

[Forevryoung]

At 78 years young my grandma took 10 of us to Alaska this past summer. She hiked a trail that was used during the goldrush (high changes in elevation!), sat in the front seat of the seaplane, and hiked a glacier with crampons for 2 hours. She is amazing.

Her days are more hectic than mine sometimes.

I have no doubt that Grandma would say no to a ride simply because of her age.

 

[Soarin08]

Soarin's is fine if you aren't scared of heights! As for anything else, I'd see what your health permits.

 

[hopemax]

In 1996, we took my paternal Grandma to DL, she was 82. She hadn't been since 1969. Back then, the Matterhorn was too much for her, but makes for a funny family story. Alice in Wonderland was her thrill ride on this trip, although I think we might have gotten her on Pirates too.

In 2001, we took my maternal Grandma to WDW, she was 77. Her first ride was Dinosaur. She was a big fan of Fast Track (that would be Test Track for the rest of us, although she also thought Fastpass was a great idea, thus the name confusion). She rode Splash Mountain, and BTMRR. She was wiped out the day we did MGM, so all we did was the GMR and Millionaire, but she would have been happy to go on ToT too. I think RnRC might have been too much though.

It really depends on health, and temperament. My paternal grandma, was not in good health, lots of stiffness, joint pain, heart trouble. But aside from that, she was always worried about her hair (she freaked out on the Jungle Cruise because she thought her hair would get wet), and a bit of a drama queen (I'm so weak and helpless, can you do this for me?). My maternal grandma is a fiesty Italian, raised in Brooklyn, NY during the Depression...no ride was going to best her.

I have to say that I would not trade my Disney visits with my Grandmas for anything. Just like visiting through a child's eyes, nothing can match it.

 

[Talking Hands]

Depends on the person. My DH is 60 and doesn't go on some rides because he has a heart problem which is completely under control.
Me on the other hand have issues with arthritis and fibromyalgia so avoid rides I consider rough but ride most every thing else.

 

[Judy from Boise]

My grandmother rode BTMRR the last time when she was 82!
don't rule anything out merely on age.

 

[mamacatnv]

My grandmother rode BTMRR the last time when she was 82!
don't rule anything out merely on age.

Hi Judy!
OT - Game day, not to far away.......Go WolfPack
Okay, sorry, couldn't help myself

 

[EthansMom]

You know,I say if they paid their money to ride, they should be allowed to take that extra time to get out of the ride. I would hope if you guys make it back to Disney at 80, no one would begrudge that extra few minutes it takes to get in and out of a ride.

We didn't mind the wait. But the couple had A LOT of difficulty. I was just trying to let people know that it is a difficult ride to get in and out of.

 

[AuntieM03]

We went to WDW in 2005 and took my SIL's mother, she was 88. She insisted on riding Space Mountain. My SIL told her she was afraid for her to do so, and she said that if she was going to die, she would die happy

 

[pooh6890]

Thank you so much for the replies. My friend gets up every morning and goes to the gym to walk the treadmill for 45 minutes.......so she is in great shape. I feel much better now about her possibly going on at least Soarin and hopefully Test Track.......We leave on Nov. 14th and I can't wait!!!!

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

Test Track will depend on any health issues, and how brave the 77 year old in question is. My grandmother at 77 would have been scared to death, my mother at 77 (had she lived that long ) would have loved it.

Same with DH's Grampa. He worked for GM for many, many years and had a serious love affair with cars. He loved to go fast, even when he got up in years and would've LOVED Test Track.

 

[GeorgeG]

I agree that it's more about health than age. I know a lot of older folks who will go on anything with no problems. I also know a lot of younger ones who can't go on some rides due to back, neck, or heart problems. The biggest issue is when people encourage others to go on rides they don't want to go on or shouldn't. Even someone in good physical condition may not like thrill rides and it's not fair to prod them just to watch them heave their lunch. Just basic common sense.

 

[MickeySP]

It is more about health than age.

It is all about health, I ran the Mickey Marthon with a gentleman who was 74 met him on the bus.

My Mom was 78 last time and rode everything but RnR & ToT - hates them.

 

[nataliesdaddy]

Do you think that a 77 year old woman should be going on Soarin and Test Track? I get different answers from everyone in my family. Should I ask older people once I get there if they go on those type of rides? Of course, I would never have a 77 year old try anything like Tower of Terror or a roller coaster , but don't you think that Soarin (just hanging there if you are not afraid of heights or Test Track (who doesn't like to drive fast?) is ok for that age group? I have no idea what to tell my friend. Thanks!

too old is when you are dead.

Other then that too old is when your spine will snap or your brain be sloshed around too much when you hit the g's of inverted loop going 65 to 90 mph. Last time I went on Kraaken at SW I realized I need to start working out so my spine will keep up with the g forces....
I could feel my vertibrae compress hahahahahahahahahaha. And that was at only 42 (but overweight) ... need to work my abs get in shape.

In all seriousness, I would think unless a 70+ year old person has problems with vertigo... or some other disorder that you should ask abou then Soarin would be just fine....As to tower of terror or roller coasters... that is really an individual thing. The person has high blood pressure unmanaged and various other problems? Then probably not. But ,...jeez I know of 70 year olds that go sky diving, and white water rafting. Better be in good shape.... obviously.

 

[antmaril]

My aunt rode Test Track at age 85. She had a blast and we had so much fun with her. I hope I'm still riding Test Track when I'm 85!

 

[Tiggerfaninaz]

This thread helped me also. I am hoping to be able to move a bit better when I get to WDW after losing some weight but if I went today, I would have a little bit of a hard time getting on and off things also. It's nice to hear that if needed when the time comes, they'll stop the ride or help since I'll be going alone.

Karen