Opinions wanted on Surprise vacation for older parents...

[wasabi girl]

I'm thinking of surprising my parents with a WDW vacation. It was something that they were never able to do when I was a kid and I know they'd love it. It would be a trip with myself, DH, DDs then 21 and 18 and of course my (gee I don't know the DIS abbreviations) Darling Mom 61 and my Darling Dad 72.
I figured a two bedroom villa and I was thinking of the Old Key west Resort, the rooms look bright and cheerful and large and quiet enough for my parents if they need to relax and take it easy. My Dad also has some walking issues, he isn't wheelchair bound but he has arthritis and circulation problems so stairs aren't easy for him, and we might need to rent a wheelchair or something for him to enable him to get around the parks or anything else really. I was thinking they might enjoy O'hanas. They aren't gourmet type people, they love good food but aren't into nouvelle cuisine and sushi and exotic things...
Do you guys have any suggestions about things older people would enjoy? I'll probably book the Keys to the Kingdom Tour, my Dad loves that kind of stuff, and I'm not sure what else. Does anyone have experience with wheelchairs or the electronic whatever they are called? Thanks in advance. I really appreciate all suggestions.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I definitely think your parents would enjoy the Hoop Dee Doo Revue dinner show in Fort Wilderness.

Post on the DisAbilities board and they can give you a lot of info on the electronic scooters.

A 2 bedroom villa sounds great. It will give you lots of room.

Enjoy planning!

Lori

 

[Deb & Bill]

The two bedroom villas at OKW are sooooo big. Your family will love them. And your parents would probably love the king sized bed in the master bedroom (the other bedroom has two queen sized beds - unless your two daughters wouldn't mind the sleeper.). Olivia's is a nice restaurant at OKW, too. You could request Bldg 62, 63, or 64 since they have elevators or request a first floor room. The full sized kitchen also made it nice in the morning when you want to eat something before you go. The full balcony has a round table and four chairs so you can eat outside.

We brought my husband's parents with us on our first DVC vacation at OKW in a two bedroom villa. They loved it. My FIL is a big golfer, so the golf course view was a plus for him. We brought my mom and had a first floor room. She was 84 at the time.

OKW sometimes has wheelchairs that you can borrow for your entire stay. You only need to leave a credit card number with the front desk. They will charge you for the W/C if you don't return it to the front desk. Otherwise, no cost at all. We used one for my mom.

You can also take the boat from OKW to DTD. A nice leisurely ride.

You park at your villa. So you don't have to walk a mile to get to your car. The bus transportation to the park is pretty good.

Boatwrights, over at POR, is a nice restaurant and not frou-frou. Nice ordinary food.

My FIL loved it all. He surprised me a lot. I thought he wouldn't want to do anything since he is a retire accountant and never seemed to be into fun that much. He couldn't wait to get going each and every day.

Have a great trip.

 

[Janet2k]

I'm thinking of surprising my parents with a WDW vacation.

What a wonderful surprise (will you adopt me?!). My only suggestion is that maybe you should involve them in the resort selection process.

My parents, who always tell me they love peace & quiet (they live in the Midwest in a very small town), actually prefer the hustle & bustle of a busy resort while on vacation. For one of our vacations, I booked them into a villa at OKW because I thought they would love it there (I know that I love it there & I'm a City Girl). However, they complained that they felt too removed. Both of them told me that they preferred the BoardWalk (where they had stayed before). Go figure! Luckily, I'm a DVC member so I can put them up wherever they want. And for our joint vacation last Fall, they requested the BoardWalk, so that is where I put them (plus my Aunt). They were happy as clams because they could get up early in the morning and ride the Friendship boats all over the place without ever setting foot in a theme park. And in the evening, they could go out on the boardwalk and watch it come to life. They had the best of both worlds.

Wherever you decide to vacation, I hope it is wonderful.

 

[Janet2k]

By the way, the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue has a great show and wonderful American food. My parents love it (and so does the rest of my family). The Luau is wonderful, too, but if your mother is a Leg Woman like I am, your father may get jealous (the male dancers have some incredible legs -- yowsa!).

 

[Hopefully]

We stayed in a 2 bedroom Villa at Old Key West for an extended family vacation and loved it. It is quite but beautiful. The size of the Villa is huge. We loved having the kitchen for snacks etc. and another benfit not mentioned is the laundry. You can pack less, throw in a laundry and still have lots of clean clothes. We enjoyed the boat ride to Downtown Disney. We found the bus service adequate, with the exception of coming home late from Downtown Disney. It is a beautiful resort, I think they will love it. Enjoy

 

[slimplaw]

When you make your reservations for OKW, be sure and request either a room on the first floor or a room in one of the buildings with an elevator. There are just a few(maybe 5) buildings with elevators. My DM went with me in Dec. and she has trouble walking up stairs and we requested this. We also did borrow a wheelchair from the resort for our stay.

Your parents might enjoy the Garden Tea at GF. It is held every afternoon. It is a nice relaxing time away from the parks. What time of year are you going?

 

[Nanu57v]

This isn't something you plan for, but my parents thoroughly enjoy sitting at Epcot and watching the fountains dance.

My dad (age 60) enjoys some of the restaurants at Epcot (like Germany). Its like getting to go on a European vacation.

I think its a great idea. I wish we could do that for our parents.

 

[wasabi girl]

Thanks so far for all of the great suggestions. I'm thinking of going maybe for a week between say mid September - early December (not during Thanksgiving), the heat shouldn't be too bad then and the crowds should be lighter. I may involve my Mom in the resort selection process but my Dad is all in the "I don't want to be a burden" sort of mode with his limited walking ability and would just not go, I plan to present it to him as a pre-paid fait accompli and then he will grumble maybe but will actually be delighted to be "forced" to go.

The Hoop de Doo Revue sounds fun, as does the luau at the Polynesian. All of these ideas are great, it will be nice to do something completely frivolous and fun for my parents, they've always done so much for me.

Thanks again, I appreciate your experiences.

 

[Janet2k]

I don't know if anyone in your family fishes, but the fishing excursions are wonderful. Disney makes it so easy, that if need be, your fishing guide will bait all hooks, cast all lines, and reel in all fish. You can't get it any better than that (says I, who is deathly allergic to fish but still loves to attend the fishing excursions).

Now, if your family is full of anglers (I hope I spelled that right), the fishing excursions are still a lot of fun. Disney will provide the rods, the reels, the poles, the artificial lures, and for an extra charge, the live bait. My husband, who is an avid fisherman, loves attending the fishing excursions while vacationing in WDW. I love to tag along for the ride, while my kids enjoy fishing with their dad. We have always had the best time. (I have a few photos posted: click here.)

Do consider booking a fishing excursion for your parents and the rest of your family. The boats hold 5 guests, and they depart from many of the resorts. Click here for the official WDW fishing excursion webpage. The morning excursions are the most relaxing. It is wonderful to be out on the water while the rest of WDW is still sleeping. It's such a peaceful feeling. But the afternoon excursions are just as fun.

 

[Figment2]

I'm not sure what you mean by Older (I'm 53) but I would suggest going during the Food & Wine Festival (Oct. 1 through Nov. 15). Then there is the craft event (cannot remember what it's called) which is held at Downtown Disney Mid-November.

The 2 BR villa at OKW is fantastic. I have one reserved for the last week of Oct. (I'm also DVC). They will love it.

Cyn

 

[sherry8253]

deleted - somehow my response got posted twice.

 

[sherry8253]

The first or second week in Dec is an ideal time to go. The holiday decorations are up. MVMCP is lots of fun. Small crowds - most rides are walk ons. Epcot has CP. Don't forget Fantasm - it is my favorite show. And, think about theCP for breakfast. The character interaction is great there and Pooh & Eyore are so adorable and they love to give kisses and hugs. You may also want to consider AKL too unless you definately want DVC. Your parents may enjoy sitting on the balcony and watching the animals. I have wanted to take my mom to Disney for the last several years and she refuses to go. The last time she was there was around 1978 and she loved it then but says she is too old now. It is great your parents are going. I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip full of memories.

 

[slimplaw]

If you go after Thanksgiving, your parents would probably enjoy Candlelight Processional. My DM, sister and I went to this last Dec. and my DM still talks about it and how wonderful it was. We ate at the Biergarten after attending the first show. It would also be a wonderful time to tour GF and WL to see their Christmas decorations. My DM also enjoyed looking at all the decorations.