How To Help Prevent Tiring Out

[darkpixie08]

My father is on dialysis currently, and tires out very quickly. He wants to do a family vacation to disney and take his granddaughter (our dd), and of course he tends to push himself so hard to make sure that our daughter is having a great and fun time. Can anyone help make any suggestions on how to help keep him from tiring out too much? He has mobility issues, and already uses an ECV, so that's out of the way. I just don't want him killing himself trying to "keep up".

I'm already planning on making sure we take a mid-day break for a nap for everyone. When we were kids he always went full-speed throughout the day, and is so used to going from rope drop all the way to park closing, and there's just no way he'll be able to do that this trip. Not to mention it takes about 45 minutes to set up his dialysis machine before he goes to bed so that it can run overnight, so we'll need to be back at the hotel at a reasonable hour.

Any information you can give on your experiences, how you timed things (lunches and dinners, did you make ADRs?), how you helped slow the group down, managed expectations, or just generally kept things low key, and promoted rest would be very helpful. I know it sounds silly, but it makes me really nervous to think about. I just don't want him to be disappointed or ever feel like he has to push himself for the sake of the group.

 

[Heluvsme]

Your plan of mid-day breaks is a good one, whether traveling with someone who has a special need or not, that mid-day break can really save a vacation! And make it a REAL break--- cool down, make the room dark, try to catch some zzzz's, re-hydrate and drink up the water! Go back just prior to dinner maybe, plan your ADR's for that time, and take the time at the full service restaurant to relax and refresh....again, rehydrate with water, enjoy the coolness and just getting away from the crowds. Finally, I wouldn't plan on doing every night at the parks.... maybe once or twice to catch the fireworks, or one of the shows whether it's Fantasmic or at Epcot, but go back to your resort room the other nights and just "veg."

And if your father is like I think he is based on what you described, he'll try to convince you he's fine.... I would make him think that the rest of the party needs the break! "Dad, I'M the one who's tired, I need the break!"

Have fun, this will be a great time to make memories and give him something to reflect on for a long time!! Take great pictures and maybe make him a nice scrapbook so he can flip through it once you get home.

~~Dawn

 

[SueM in MN]

I've only got time for one question right now (well 2)
How old is your DD?

Has she been to WDW before?

Ok, 2 more - does he have a 'best' time? For example, good when he gets up for 3-4 hours and then tires out, or does it take him a while to get going and he's better in the afternoon?

When are you planning on going?

 

[darkpixie08]

DD will be 4 when we go to Disney, and it will be her first trip.

My father usually has a rough start early in the morning, (6-7am) due to low blood pressure, best time is around 8 or 9 to 2pm, at which point he usually needs to rest. Then he's usually up by 4pm or so (again, a little slow to start, takes him awhile to get up), and when we're around he usually is up till about 9 or 10pm, at which point he's pretty tired.

Luckily, DD will be 4, so naps/rest time will be mandatory.

We'll only be there for 4 days, and then onto a disney cruise. I'm just concerned that he'll want to go at break neck speeds to see everything. Or try to convince us that he's up for staying for an evening show, when he's really not. The last thing I want for him to do is make himself miserable, or to try to do so much he endangers his health.

I was thinking of that since we plan to be staying at Bay Lake Towers (2 bedroom), we could get a park view, and we could watch wishes from our hotel room one night instead of in the park, and have a dessert party of our own (with a little help from room service/grocery delivery). Might help with the evening show idea.

 

[darkpixie08]

Oh sorry, forgot the time of year.

We'll be going in late September, which I know means hot, but fewer crowds. Honestly I'm not that worried about the heat, because of my father's poor circulation he's cold unless it's in the mid-80's (think wearing a sweater or fleece). So as long as he stays hydrated, he'll probably enjoy the hot weather.

 

[Bete]

would be to take advantage of his good hours for the parks.

Next, try to mix up the activities between rides, shows, exhibits and so forth. Use your time to eat in a park as a rest period, too. Doing ride after ride can be tiring getting in and out of the scooter and parking it and walking over to the ride. Stay hydrated.

If you see your dad tiring faster than usual then I would consider sitting out some rides and one parent go with the child on the ride and the other keep company with dad. You can look at the shops or have a snack at that time.

Since you have the advantage of the monorail I would perhaps considered two breaks and two naps each day. Then, you may be able to consider some late night shows.

You will have the opportunity to rest more on the cruise. Also, your 4 year old will not know the difference of doing all rides or doing rides and shows. This is to your advantage; so, you can slow it down at the parks.

I have an older mom and sometimes during the shows she does a cat nap and we are happy she is doing so. It's not the best sleep that way, but it helps for her to get through the day with some cat naps. We don't do anything commando style with her. If we put in an 8 hour day at the parks we think that's terriffic.

You may want to try a zoo locally or something similar to see how his stamina may be; so, you will be more prepared.

One of the biggest tips I can share is avoid back tracking in the parks. Also, utilize fastpass and work your schedule around fastpass. Also, take in the rides you want to do the most when your father is at his best. Then, if you have to call it quits for rest you accomplished what you wanted to do the most. Go with low expectations and be happier if it's better.

 

[SDSorority]

Oh sorry, forgot the time of year.

We'll be going in late September, which I know means hot, but fewer crowds. Honestly I'm not that worried about the heat, because of my father's poor circulation he's cold unless it's in the mid-80's (think wearing a sweater or fleece). So as long as he stays hydrated, he'll probably enjoy the hot weather.

We went last September, and it wasn't as hot as I had anticipated it being (like everyone told me it was HORRIBLE!... it wasn't horrible.)

We took lots of cool things with us in my backpack. Cool water in a cooler, a mister, a washcloth wrapped around ice cubes. We tried to stay in the shade as much as possible, and if there wasn't any shade, we'd pop up our umbrella! It wasn't crowded, so we didn't run the risk of poking anyone in the eye. After all, they did see us coming. We weren't the only ones that did that, either.

Mid-day we went back to the hotel for a little break. Sometimes we swam, but most of the time we hung out in the room and watched Phineas and Ferb and drank tons of water and ate fresh fruit. YUM- refreshing treat mid-day!

I need to remember to get some light weight long-sleeved white tshirts or cardigans. That was one thing I wished I had more of when we went. I got sunburned early in the trip (I'm very fair skinned) and being out in the sun with a sunburn is not fun! The long sleeves, as long as it's light weight, were wonderful. Think like those people that are out gardening or working in the yard all day. Plus, since you go in and out of rides/shops/attractions, it's good to have some sort of long sleeves with you anyway.

We really did take it at a slow pace this year, which was good. No blisters, enjoyed the ambiance. A couple of good "rest" places that we like are:

TTA at MK. So chill... really DARK in some spots (ahhhh....)
Spaceship Earth at Epcot. Again, so chill, so dark. Soooo cold.
Ellen's Energy Adventure at Epcot. Same as above...
Animal Kingdom is lacking in the cool/dark ride department. Finding Nemo the Musical is about as cool and dark as you'll get....
CoP at MK, as long as you don't mind the song over and over. There's a great big beautiful tomorrow.....
One Man's Dream at HS, early in the day. Later in the afternoon it gets crowded.
Art of Disney Animation at HS, again pretty chill and cool.
AFI/Gift Shop at the end of the Backlot Tour at HS.
Great Movie ride at HS... not quiet, but long and cool.
Tower of Terror at HS... the lobby is cool... if you're into thrill rides. If not, you can go through the lobby, watch the pre-show, and in the boiler room (which isn't hot, but it's dark and cool!) you can take the chicken exit.

 

[kathleendsm]

You got some great advice! I'd add that I would recommend making ADRs. That prevents the "where should we eat," and the crowds that sometimes hit the counter service places at midday. Plus no juggling of trays or praying that you'll finally find a table! You may want to avoid buffets, but otherwise we like lunch ADRs.

Have a magical trip!

 

[eternaldisneyfan]

Planning is the key. Make a list of all the must do's, especially for your daughter. Utilize Fast Pass. Alternate rides & shows so you can rest. But be a bit flexible. If you were planning on going to one attraction but pass another with a short wait detour. The more popular & kids attractions have much shorter waits around the time parades are happening. I would at least see the night show Wishes. Check out my trip report for more tips. Best Wishes!

Christamae

 

[aggordon2]

If you see your dad tiring faster than usual then I would consider sitting out some rides and one parent go with the child on the ride and the other keep company with dad. You can look at the shops or have a snack at that time.

just to add on to this: you could tell your dad that while your dd is on the ride that you want to get her a suprise gift. Can he help you pick one out?

 

[DvcDoc]

DarkPixie, I think you plan of taking the afternoon break is a very good one. I find that I'm pretty tired by 3 or 4 and if I can get about a 30 minute nap, I'm good to go for the rest of the day. One idea I would share is that when you go back to rest in the afternoon your Dad could set up his machine. You didn't mention if he was doing hemo or PD, but both modalities can be set up and then basically put on hold until you're ready to connect. With my PD machine, I stop right after priming the lines. That lets the supply bag sit on the warmer and everything is ready when I am. If he's doing home hemo, there is a point in the setup that you can also stop and pick up again when ready. That way you could cut down on the 45 minute set up time at the end of the day.

I'm sure he will watch his fluid intake to ensure he gets off what he puts in, but keep an eye on him as it will be really easy to dehydrate. Especially if he's on limited fluid intake.

 

[North of Mouse]

SDSorority, exceptions are possible, but the norm for Sept. is VERY hot - you must have caught a good time

 

[Shagley]

One thing that helped my Mom was that we had our ADR's for lunch rather than dinner. She has Rheumatoid Arthritis and she and my Dad went with us last September. Her best time is in the morning, and by the afternoon she starts to poop out. So, we did our "must do" rides & shows first thing, had lunch, did the rest of the rides & shows we wanted to do, and by 2 or 3 my Mom was ready to head back. Once we got back to the resort, she was able to decide if she felt like going back to a park that night, or if she would rather just hang out at the resort. I was glad we didn't have any dinner ADR's because I know she would have forced herself to go to them even if she didn't feel like it, and by the end of the week she would have been miserable.

 

[PatsMom]

I have never done dialysis but I have done Disney on chemo a few times. The ECV will help, especially if he is used to it. September is hot, but the crowds are low which makes up for it. We try to alternate inside air conditioned attractions/shows with outside things. September also means early closing hours at the parks so you might find that going back after a rest will work out and you will be back at the hotel early since the parks will close early. Especially with the monorail.

I don't take the afternoon break. We schedule our ADR's for lunch. And we take our time in the air conditioned restaurant. That seems to give me enough of a break to go the rest of the day. If your Dad is used to actually sleeping though that might not be helpful to him. Since lunchtime is in his "good" time window, you might be better off with counter service. You could arrange a grocery delivery and eat a later dinner at your villa.

Even if you do not get a view of Wishes from your room, you can visit the Top of the World lounge. Absolutely wonderful view and not at all a place you wouldn't be comfortable taking a four year old to. The best viewing area is outside the lounge anyhow. You can also see quite well from the walkway between the Contemporary and BLT or from the fourth floor roof of the Contemporary (this is a smoking area but pretty large and easy to stay away from the smoke).

At four I would plan on a stroller for your daughter. The other alternative would be to let her walk and then tell your Dad that she needs a break when you think he needs one! Depends on the energy level and stamina of your daughter.

Have a great trip and I hope it all works out well. I can appreciate your father's wish to take his granddaughter on a great trip - I am taking my grandson and his parents in January - if the cancer gets me in the end, I want to have great memories of his first trip!