Sailing with 90 yr old Mother

[anita46]

Hello!

My mother and I will sail out of Port Cananveral on the Halloween 4 day cruise (It ticks 2 checks on her bucket list Cruise and Bahamas)

Anyway we arrive a day early and my questions are;

Should we stay at the Airport Hyatt, Book a room at WDW, or head to a Port Hotel.

Also what would you recommend as our connection travel mode?

I will also need a scooter for Mom as long walks can be challenging for her even though she is still very mobile.

Any suggestions or concerns will be most appreciated.

TIA

 

[lanejudy]

I know of 3 companies who do ECV rentals for delivery to the Disney ships in Port Canaveral: Brevard Medical Equipment, Walker Mobility, and Special Needs at Sea. There may be others. Do you have an accessible stateroom booked? If not, depending on the equipment rented it may not fit through the doorway of a standard stateroom so you'll have to move it for mom to the designated parking area for your ship (on the other ships it's either deck 2 or deck 6, but I'm not sure about the Wish). It's also recommended that you contact Special Services so they can note her scooter and also answer any questions about accessibility on the ship:
Disney Cruise Line Special Services Phone: (407) 566-3602 Fax: (407) 566-3760 Email: SpecialServices@disneycruise.com

How much traveling does mom still do? If she's not very active anymore or doesn't travel much, keeping the plans simple may be easiest. Hyatt MCO and DCL Transfers. Unless she has a particular desire to stay at WDW or Cocoa Beach.

 

[Girl of the South]

I agree with the above. Hyatt MCO (splurge for a runway view), dinner at McCoys in the Lobby, and the DCL transfers. Very smooth and easy.

 

[anita46]

I knew I could count on you guys to provide great insights!!
My mother and I are grateful to you both for your thorough and thoughtful responses.
Yep my Mom has been travelling all through COVID.
She just recently started relying on a scooter when long distances could be involved.
We will heed your advise.

 

[allashore]

We travel with 85yr old, bought a collapable wheelchair, brand is Drive less then $200, you would have to push her.
can find at medical pharmacies, etc
use it right to the door on airplanes, they will put in below with strollers, etc, then can push thru airport when you land at MCO
can keep in your cabin,
I have found that we are on our own at the port terminal, they do not have enough employees to assit, elevator is right next to escalator after security
If she wants to walk, she can always push it
one of our best invetments

we were just the Wish Sept 19-23
DCL had employees by elevators after the shows, to help the process of people getting on the elevator, it was much more orderly then in the past
Enjoy

 

[Narcoossee11]

Get the best insurance you can afford.

 

[Kwami]

I'll add another vote to MCO Hyatt + DCL transfers. You'll have to bring your luggage from the baggage claim to the hotel, but then you're free from moving your luggage until the end of the cruise. The hotel can have it brought to your room and then someone will collect it on the morning of the cruise and Disney will bring it onto the ship and put it into your stateroom for you. You also don't have to worry about finding your transfers outside, hoping for a good driver, being on time, or anything else like that.

Anyway, the MCO Hyatt is really nice and the food isn't bad. Plus, you have the airport food and shops available to you if you need to pass some time.

The downside is that DCL transfers cost a bit more than others. But, for two people, the difference is probably minimal.

 

[rochmom4]

We used Special Needs at Sea several times. The scooter was parked with many other scooters on deck 2. The keys were available for pickup at Guest Services. We used a collapsable portable transport chair to get my FIL on board until he had use of the scooter.
Upon debarkation, we left the scooter in his stateroom as per instructed by Special Needs at Sea.

 

[Snowwhyt]

My mother and I will sail out of Port Cananveral on the Halloween 4 day cruise (It ticks 2 checks on her bucket list Cruise and Bahamas)

Anyway we arrive a day early and my questions are;

Should we stay at the Airport Hyatt, Book a room at WDW, or head to a Port Hotel.

Also what would you recommend as our connection travel mode?

I will also need a scooter for Mom as long walks can be challenging for her even though she is still very mobile.

I found seating at WDW too hard to find, better at MCO with airport Hyatt stay. We travel with 2 80’s and 1 scooter.

I liked Disney transportation from MCO not from WDW because of seating. Get hotel through Disney and luggage is a little easier as well.

I see people pick up scooters at PC we brought our own.

I feel I have more info for you but not sure what you need. You can call me if you’d like. It’s killing me to write today. (Phone problems)

 

[anita46]

Wow thanks for all the replies.

1. Yes I have insurance for Air and Cruise.
2. Mom is very mobile. She can walk for long distances it's just that she has to stop and let her hips re-adjust (never had any replacement parts installed). I also felt the scooter would provide stability especially on a ship. The wheelchair is out. She won't accept it (yet)
3. I did let Special Needs know we would be receiving a scooter and they said it was noted on the resy
4. I agree the DCL transfers sounded like the best deal for us...QUESTION: If we get any early boarding time will they adjust the pick up time ???
5. I have stayed at the Hyatt before and agree it is the least stressful of my options. I am encouraged that all seem to agree DCL Transfers will be stress free as well.

Thanks again to all of you!!

 

[lanejudy]

I agree the DCL transfers sounded like the best deal for us...QUESTION: If we get any early boarding time will they adjust the pick up time ???

If you have DCL transfers from the Hyatt lobby booked, you won't need a PAT. Either book the Hyatt through DCL or make sure to inform DCL you are staying there and want the transfers from there (not the main MCO location).

 

[anita46]

If you have DCL transfers from the Hyatt lobby booked, you won't need a PAT. Either book the Hyatt through DCL or make sure to inform DCL you are staying there and want the transfers from there (not the main MCO location).

So that means we can board the WISH whenever the DCL drops us off...? What is the average arrival time? Was hoping to get in as early as possible. Any suggestions?
I will make the changes to the DCL pick up location as well.

 

[Kwami]

So that means we can board the WISH whenever the DCL drops us off...? What is the average arrival time? Was hoping to get in as early as possible. Any suggestions?
I will make the changes to the DCL pick up location as well.

I guess it might vary somewhat, but when I stayed at the Hyatt last September, they picked us up at about 8:30am. We still had to go through the slow PCR testing back then, though. It might be a bit later now.

 

[lanejudy]

So that means we can board the WISH whenever the DCL drops us off...?

You can go thru security and check-in as soon as the bus arrives. Boarding at Port Canaveral typically starts around 11:30 and you’ll be assigned a low boarding number (maybe 2 or 3). You’ll board when they call you group number.

 

[anita46]

Thanks to you both for the info on DCL Transportation. Boarding group 2 or 3 will be fine with us.