Senior Grandma (80+) at Walt Disney World

[mjandshelby]

There’s some pretty good nighttime entertainment at POFQ and POR. I think there’s a jazz group at FQ (?) and Yeeha Bob at POR (I’ve wanted to see his show for years!).

YES!!! Thank you! I didn’t think of those at first! I think she’ll love the carriage ride and Jazz bar!!! Disney is so great for nighttime entertainment.

 

[mjandshelby]

Also in MK, I'd add the Jungle Cruise, Enchanted Tiki Room, and Carousel of Progress.
I'm a grandma not too far from your grandma's age. What your doing is incredibly nice.

Thank you for the Kilimanjaro Safari tip!!! I will absolutely let her know! And request the front. I think she would LOVE the safari.
We try and go to our local zoo every year- together we enjoy seeing all the different animals! And the experience at Animal Kingdom is unlike any she will ever experience.

 

[mjandshelby]

Goma is a spunky one- she hates being treated or referred to as "old".
This weekend my dad (her son) said he knows that Goma can handle Kilimanjaro Safari, Dinosaur, even Splash Mountain!

I can't wait to tell her about this trip and surprise!

 

[mjandshelby]

I would say definitely avoid the Safari. To me, the first row is just as bumpy and with less to support you also - have ridden all rows at one time or other. I can no longer ride it at all - in my 70's and ride most things except coasters and 'whipey' rides.

Thank you for your help in my decision making! It helps! I'm going to have Goma read all of these and make her decision!

 

[mjandshelby]

I was in WDW with my 93 year old grandma at the end of January. Safari was a little bumpy but like someone said, try for the front of the car and it's manageable. We took her on Dinosaur...probably a bad idea! :-D She had fun, but that's a BUMPY ride!

Most everything was manageable for us - we were a big group so we used rider swap on a lot of things. The thing to be mindful of is getting in and out of the ride vehicle. We had several adults and sometimes it took two of us to help her on and off a ride.

There were some surprising things that she loved (carousel, the pandora drums, dumbo). We did rope-drop to fireworks a couple days, but then had a few rest days. Looks like you're planning for the same.

It will be a memorable trip, for sure!

That's exciting to hear!!! How fun!!!
Thank you for your advice and experience!!! ❤ This response was really comforting to me! I am so excited!

 

[mjandshelby]

In place of Safari Ride, you could head over to AKL to get a flavor of the animals on the savannah to watch the animals. There are plenty of public viewing areas with rocking chairs. If it is later in the evening, they have the night vision goggles. Several dining options at the Jambo House as well as Kidani for scheduling dinner before heading back to the parks in the evening. A favorite respite is the Garden Tea at the Grand Floridian. The food with the tea could take the place of lunch very easily. The amphicars at Disney Springs would be an interesting experience. I have done it once. It is not a repeat experience for me, but I enjoyed it and depending on your driver could learn some interesting facts about the cars. Last visit I did not focus on rides, but on the atmosphere performers. If you schedule for Flower and Garden Festival and Goma has an interest in gardening you could consider the Garden Tour and Behind the Seeds tours.

So many fantastic ideas!!! Thank you! I wanted to go to a resort for dining- and I think you've helped me choose Animal Kingdom Lodge!!!
I've always wanted to do the Grand Floridian tea! -If I can swing the extra cost, that would be a dream! - Goma has collected tea pots since the 1950's. And I started drinking, then collecting, tea and teapots/cups in the early 2000's (after and) because of her.
My "must do" for this trip is the Flower and Garden festival. I am a Florist, and Goma started me watering plants with her at church when I was in middle school. She's a volunteer parishioner- who has been in charge of the plants and floral arrangements for as long as I can remember. I think the Gardens around the World tour would be the best bonding.

 

[mjandshelby]

Being "an older person" myself, LOL, I can just tell you what we do. We both have some medical issues, so that might change things for you. First, we stay at POFQ for the same reasons, ie: easy to get around. However, with only one bus stop it might take longer to get to the parks if there are more than 2 ECV's waiting.
We are morning people, so we are up and gone before rope drop. We eat our biggest meal at noon, then go back to the resort to rest and recharge our batteries,. The it's off to DS or another park for the evening. At our age, we are not morning to night park people, so I really doubt your gramma will be able to do that, even if she says she only wants to ride rides and be at the park. An afternoon rest really helps with fatigue and the aches and pains of getting older. No one escapes those pains. We also find we like to go at a slower pace and check everything out. We like the rides, but also love the shows, restaurants, street acts.
I just think that, even though she said what she said about the parks, she will probably need a break each day.
My daughter came with us on our last trip, and she is not a person to rest. So,, she headed to the pool with a drink and a book while we rested each day. Maybe that will help you out, or you could go to the park alone for an hour or two.
We have both used ECV's before at various times, and it is NOT easy to navigate those crowds with kids and grownups stepping in front of you and stopping. Also you are at bottom level and can't really see anything but that, and watch for other people. So take that into consideration as another factor that could make her more tired than usual.
We always have a great time at our slower pace with rest periods in the parks and at the resort each day. Even with that, our feet and bodies are aching from a day at the parks. Even "younger" people feel the aches and pains that they never would away from all the miles we walk at Disney. Hope this helps out, even if our actual experiences are not what you hoped to hear. You will have fun anyway and adjust; afterall, it's Disney

Thank you very much for your insight!
I will definitely be planning mostly shows and other experiences instead of rides. I've really only predicted riding the 3 planned Fastpasses per day- just because I wouldn't want to waste Goma's Disney World time in lines!
Because of your advice, I will be planning midday/afternoon breaks and more rest time!
And of course no one can really anticipate how a WDW first timer will handle everything- so I am preparing to be flexible any day and any time.
THANK YOU AGAIN!

 

[mjandshelby]

To echo terpgirl and others here...what a wonderful person you are... Bravo. And I can only hope I am able to visit and enjoy Disney World when I am in my eighties! As many have posted, a break in the middle of the day is a must, no matter the age. Is she a morning person? If she is not, then adjusting to her schedule even if it means less rides/shows is the way to go. Also, you could show her videos of the rides and let her decide if she thinks she can handle them. That would be a fun pre-trip activity for both of you.

Oh wow thank you!
She's a morning person on the west coast (which is 3 hours behind) so 7am wakeup translates to 4am internal time. It's hard to tell what she will feel like in Orlando- so I'm going to be planning our Fastpasses midday (and really only expect to ride those FP rides).
I LOVE THE VIDEOS OF RIDES IDEA!!!! ❤ Absolutely brilliant!!!!!
Thank you for your help!

 

[disneyseniors]

Thank you very much for your insight!
I will definitely be planning mostly shows and other experiences instead of rides. I've really only predicted riding the 3 planned Fastpasses per day- just because I wouldn't want to waste Goma's Disney World time in lines!
Because of your advice, I will be planning midday/afternoon breaks and more rest time!
And of course no one can really anticipate how a WDW first timer will handle everything- so I am preparing to be flexible any day and any time.
THANK YOU AGAIN!

You are welcome Please keep us posted after your trip, when ever that will be with the closing ofWDW. I am so glad we got our trip in just before the virus became known and things started closing.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

I forgot to tell you of the 88 years young lady who was on ToT and then on RnRC at the same time as me. Her daughter was rightly thrilled to tell everyone about her amazing Mum. She's in both my attraction photos too.

 

[KPeterso]

My Mom is 81 and goes with me to WDW every year. She loves Disney and has a Premier Pass AP (good for WDW and Disneyland (we live close to DL and go a lot)). She does pretty much everything still. The few things she does not do include Space Mountain (too hard to get into, she does ride it at DL with no issues), Tea Cups (no spinning in this family), Expedition Everest (she is just not a fan), ToT (has never tried and does not want to), and Rocking Roller Coaster (will not go on upside down rides). I am trying to remember if there are other things but those are what pop into my mind.

Some of her favorites include Flight of Passage, the safari (we do ask for the front in the handicap area so she can walk on without the step), Soaring, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog, Test Track, 7 Dwarves Mine Train, and Dinosaur (even though she knows I hate this one).

We also rent her an ECV at WDW (wheelchair at DL as it is usually 1-2 days). We have stayed at many of the different resorts and never have a car, and it is always fine. We do try to do 1 ride/show indoors (out of heat and sun) and then one outside. And then go back and forth between things. We typically do a sit down lunch if we are dining in the parks for a day or dinner if dining in the resorts. We do not typically go to many of the nighttime things like fireworks and are often in the room for the night by 7 PM. We have found this just works best for us.

 

[mjandshelby]

My Mom is 81 and goes with me to WDW every year. She loves Disney and has a Premier Pass AP (good for WDW and Disneyland (we live close to DL and go a lot)). She does pretty much everything still. The few things she does not do include Space Mountain (too hard to get into, she does ride it at DL with no issues), Tea Cups (no spinning in this family), Expedition Everest (she is just not a fan), ToT (has never tried and does not want to), and Rocking Roller Coaster (will not go on upside down rides). I am trying to remember if there are other things but those are what pop into my mind.

Some of her favorites include Flight of Passage, the safari (we do ask for the front in the handicap area so she can walk on without the step), Soaring, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog, Test Track, 7 Dwarves Mine Train, and Dinosaur (even though she knows I hate this one).

We also rent her an ECV at WDW (wheelchair at DL as it is usually 1-2 days). We have stayed at many of the different resorts and never have a car, and it is always fine. We do try to do 1 ride/show indoors (out of heat and sun) and then one outside. And then go back and forth between things. We typically do a sit down lunch if we are dining in the parks for a day or dinner if dining in the resorts. We do not typically go to many of the nighttime things like fireworks and are often in the room for the night by 7 PM. We have found this just works best for us.

This is awesome to hear! I love it!!! Wonderful insight!!!
I was smiling so big while reading this! Thank you for sharing about you and your mom! All these things are great!!! Fantastic advice!

 

[mjandshelby]

I forgot to tell you of the 88 years young lady who was on ToT and then on RnRC at the same time as me. Her daughter was rightly thrilled to tell everyone about her amazing Mum. She's in both my attraction photos too.

WHAT?! Wow!!! That's incredible!!! Holy moly!!!

 

[mjandshelby]

You are welcome Please keep us posted after your trip, when ever that will be with the closing ofWDW. I am so glad we got our trip in just before the virus became known and things started closing.

Thank you! I will!

 

[LuvMyEAR]

Wishing you an amazing trip! We took my 89 yr old Mom to WDW. She thoroughly enjoyed her ECV, but was really overwhelmed at night when crowds were thick. We would slip it into neutral and push her along. Waiting out the crowds is the sensible option but not one my husband cold handle - LOL.

Mom absolutely loved the Safari ride. My tip, make sure she is not seated on the outside. We thought we were doing her a favour so she could see better but there were times DH had to hang on to her for fear she’d get bounced out! All part of the fun at the time, but he’s a tall strong man so maybe she was just enjoying that...

Mom turned out not to be fond of the dark rides, due to some claustrophobia, but still wanted to experience POC, HM, etc. She only admitted later that they were not her favourites. She was not quite so game for thrill rides, but that was ok, we were travelling with 3 and 4 yr olds, too, so it was easy to plan for riders and non-riders.

It was a great trip.

 

[Lucifer12]

And I think the safari might be too bumpy.

 

[nkereina]

Is she an early riser? I know my grandparents always were. If so, I would do rope drop, break after lunch for a few hours, then head back out for dinner and the evening shows. The afternoon break will allow her to relax, nap, go in the pool, or whatever you want. It also gets you out of the park during the busiest and hottest times of the day. It lets you take on the parks in 4-5 hour increments which I think would be the easiest to manage.

 

[Someluck]

I would suggest renting the scooter from an outside vendor rather than thru WDW. A vendor will deliver to the resort so you will have use of it at the resort, and to ride from the bus into the park which can be a long walk. You'd also have it if you go to Disney Springs. If you rent the scooter at the parks you have to walk in and out of the park to the bus leaving the scooter behind at the park. The daily rate through outside vendors is about $20 per day less than thru the park.

 

[Lilsia]

I was debating on if I wanted to post here. But I would not bring someone that age for an extended trip to WDW. Maybe for a few hours unless the 80 yo was unusual in that they were in extreme good shape. My dad is 80 and he is the most fit person that I know, he goes to the gym, spend hours in his garden, etc. But it would even be hard for him. I also think that some people would not know their limits because they don't want to "inconvenience" the younger people. I was just at the parks in February, and I saw several EMTs putting elderly people on gurneys and taking them away in the ambulance. I even commented about it to my husband how there were so many elderly having medical issues. You really have to know, not only the physical limits of your loved one, but their temperament. Many people get more anxious as they age and can not handle crowds, noise, change, etc.

 

[imbatman]

Not sure if Goma would be up for Flights of Passage, just so she could experience the atmosphere. @disneyseniors do you have any input on that? There's always the Na'vi River Journey. But I also agree that afternoon rests are fantastic!