Please help me give my Grandma a special Disney Experience!! - Doubts and Strategies

[jugrijo]

Hello Everyone,

it's one of my first posts on this tread, but I've been lurking here for almost 2 years.

I'm going to Orlando in ten 10 days for a super quick trip. I, my mom and my grandma will arrive on the 21st in the afternoon, on the 22nd we will be visiting the Dark Side (because of HP, basically) and ou the 23rd we will have breakfast at Cape May Cafe and leave.

Me and my mom have already visited the World, but it's my Grandma's first - and very likely the only - visit, and since we have such a limited time, I want to give her the best experience possible without spending too much money.

That said, I had already booked dinner at Sanaa at 6:55. Then I realized it would be cool to visit Downtown Disney, POFQ (one of my favorite resorts - I really want to take some pics there) and to watch Wishes with my Grandma. This day, Wishes will be at 10PM.

So, I have some doubts only you, disney experts can help me!

1 - Is parking at Downtown Disney still free? Would you go from/to POFQ by boat or is it quicker to drive there? Boat is sure nicer but I'm afraid the boat ride would be too much time consuming... And I'm expecting to arrive @ Downtown Disney at 4PM. Or should I skip the visit to DTD at all?

2 - How much earlier from the reservation time should we arrive to get a table by the window? I'm thinking to arrive there maybe 45-30 min before...

3 - I'm thinking about watch Wishes from the docks at TTC or from the Contemporary.
From the TTC, we have a straight view of the fireworks but the lights and the boats can be distracting. Also, we would have to pay the parking fee to park there for half an hour, what I think to unwise (or we could park at Poly and walk, maybe??)
From the Contemporary, we can watch from the deck at the 4th floor, but I think they don't pipe in the music there, do they? Or we can go to the bar at Cali Grill, order some drinks and watch from the balcony. The only downside, IMO, is we don't watch the fireworks in a straght line with the castle. Is the balcony there too crowded? At what time should we arrive? Which viewpoint would you choose???

Thank you in advance and sorry for any grammar mistake, since I'm not a native English speaker.

 

[jugrijo]

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[sharonabe]

DTD is really crazy right now with all the construction. Most reports say parking is a nightmare, so I'm not sure if that part of your plan is a good one. You could go to the TTC (pay to park) and ride the monorail. I think the resort loop as well as a round trip to EP and back would be fun. Since you paid to park for this, you can then drive or bus to AKL for dinner and come back and watch the fireworks from there. You might even be able to time it right and be on the ferry to MK during the fireworks.

 

[Best Aunt]

Even when Downtown Disney is not under construction, the traffic to get there can really detract from the experience. I'm always sorry I went. Keep in mind that you want Grandma to have a great trip overall. Seeing each of your individual favorite things might not make for a great overall trip if you try to do too much and it's too tiring.

 

[jugrijo]

Thanks sharonabe and Best Aunt!

I'll probably skip DTD if I arrive in Orlando after 3pm. Then I really would like to go to POFQ and take some pictures/walk around and get to know the resort. Then maybe drive do AKL... but the idea of driving to TTC and taking the bus to/from AKL is not bad. But wouldn't that be too much time comsuming? Also, a ride in the monorail to Epcot is a good idea. I haven't done this also.

 

[sharonabe]

If you know your way around, then driving will be faster, but if you're not sure of where you're going the bus won't be too bad. However, if POFQ is a must do, then you probably won't have time to do TTC/monorail unless you do it after dinner. The ride to and from EP is very relaxing. You don't have to get off and she'll see a little bit of EP as you do travel over the park before getting to the station.

 

[jugrijo]

I'm planning to arrive in the World around 4pm. The POFQ would be a 30 - 45 min visit, just to take some photos/walk around a bit.

Since my reservation is at 7pm, I'm planning to arrive in AKL at 6pm, take some photos of the lobby and allow enough time to wait for a table by the window at Sanaa. With a 1 1/2 hour dinner, we would have 1 1/2 hour to go to MK and do whatever (the monorail ride or go to Cali bar and order some drinks).

One question... is it possible to see some Illuminations fireworks from the monorail at Epcot?? If I plan it well, that would be interesting...

 

[jugrijo]

Do they pipe in the music in the deck at 4th floor of Contemporary??

 

[mrzrich]

Personally, I think you are trying way too hard to cram 10 pounds of pixie dust in a 5 pound sack. You say this is all for Grandma, but Grandma's never been, so she doesn't know what she's missing. I dont think that rushing around property is going to be very enjoyable for her.


If you want to go to DTD, drop Sanaa and eat at DTD

If you must eat at Sanaa and see Wishes, aim for an earlier ADR.

Explore DTD or AKL (one or the other) and eat at a monorail resort so you can watch Wishes.

Anything you can't fit in....let it go. LET IT GO.

 

[mrzrich]

Also...is Grandma into the flavors at Sanaa?

If she is cool, but I know my 81 yo mother would look at the menu and have no desire to eat there.

 

[Planogirl]

My mother would have been intrigued by Sanaa so you never know.

If you go to the TTC, the Polynesian Resort is a short walk and you can see the fireworks from various points there. I'm not sure if the beach is open for everyone any more but there are the docks too. It all depends on how energetic your grandmother is.

 

[MooksterL1]

Parking at DTD is a little better now that the parking garage is open, but there is construction and temporary walls everywhere!! We went specifically to shop at the Lego store and Once Upon a Toy. I would have skipped it otherwise.

 

[Pats Dragon]

We love the boats and it is a fun experience rather than just transportation. Narrow down activities a bit so you won't be disappointed if there is a glitch. Grandma will love raglan or trex at ddt. Ohana would be fun for her as well.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think you are trying too hard, and will run Gandma crazy. I love POFQ but I would not choose that resort as a "stop" on such a short trip. We dragged my DH there for luch so my DGD could show him her favortite resort, and while it was worth it because she was so stinkin cute, other than her tour guide skills, my DH was bored to tears. I think your visit, if you keep it, will likely last at least an hour, if not longer. If you plan tp go, allow more time because by the time you park, walk in and then wander around, take photos, and walk back to the car, you will eat up more than 45 minutes.

If I was planning, I would determine my must share moments with Grandma, and plan around them. DTD would get dropped, it is a bit of a madhouse on a good day. The construction does not help. It sounds like you want to see Wishes. That would be my priority. I would move Sanaa up, and then head to the Poly and watch it from there. The beach is nice and you can get a cocktail while watching.

 

[DakotaRose]

I recently went with an 80 year old who cannot walk and stand like a young person. I tried to make plans with less time in transport, and more time experiencing things. If it was me, and my grandmother's only trip, I would just go to Magic Kingdom. Grandmother would have 6-7 hours inside the park and Wishes fireworks. To save some money and time, eat a counter service meal. Meet Mickey and use FastPass to see things that will be fun for her. If you really don't want to go into a park, then I suggest you visit Wilderness Lodge and the monorail resorts.

 

[mrzrich]

I recently went with an 80 year old who cannot walk and stand like a young person. I tried to make plans with less time in transport, and more time experiencing things. If it was me, and my grandmother's only trip, I would just go to Magic Kingdom. Grandmother would have 6-7 hours inside the park and Wishes fireworks. To save some money and time, eat a counter service meal. Meet Mickey and use FastPass to see things that will be fun for her. If you really don't want to go into a park, then I suggest you visit Wilderness Lodge and the monorail resorts.

I feel the same way. OP wants to give Grandma the Disney experience, the she forget about universal and just stick to WDW. If the trip was more than a day and a half that would be different.

 

[FeralCatRogue]

We took my grandparents there when they were 86 and 83 and we planned a lot and realized it wasn't going to work when we got there so being flexible will probably have to happen. DTD was enjoyable for my grandparents I do not know how ambulatory your grandmother is but mine had to use scooters so we had to use the buses and that helped a lot. Really they had the most fun in the parks it has so many options and allowed so much choice so it was hard to all agree on things. As for Sanaa, we arrived early (we had first dinner seating time) and had a wide range of seats to choose from it depends on how far into dinner your sitting is. I hope you all have fun there and its a great expereince for your family, I was so glad to be able to share it with my grandparents when I went!

 

[marmar]

Sanaa is in the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas. It is not easy to get there from the AKL with an 80+ person. It would be quite a hike. It is a separate bus stop. There are animals you can see at the Villas Savanna, but its not as large. Also the Villas lobby is not as awesome as the AKL. That said, I really like the setting at Sanaa, and especially as it is quieter.

 

[mrzrich]

We actually don't know the age of ops grandma

 

[Amanda999]

When does the sunset when you are going? It's 7:18pm here in Boston and the sun is going down. Point is that you won't see anything out the window at Sanaa if you have to wait for a table. I'd go for lunch or earlier dinner, if you want to see animals. (That said I agree with pp to drop Sanaa.)