Shortest walks?

[dumbox2]

I need help trying to decide on a hotel for our visit in August. We haven't visited since before covid and my mother is now over 80 and walks very slowly. She will be bringing a walker with a seat that she says helps her walk faster and can sit on in long lines, but absolutely refuses to use a wheelchair. I'm now trying to figure out the best hotel for us where she won't be exhausted from too much walking before she even gets into the parks or a place to eat. I was originally thinking the new Helios because of Epic being right there, but then found out we can only get one day at epic with 2 days the other parks. That's not going to work as I imagined if that's the case. We didn't mind splurging if it meant saving mom's energy, but would prefer something else if Helios isn't going to be it. So I am turning to y'all for thoughts. We are a total party of 9 people (so probably need 4 rooms) plus one person does use a wheelchair in addition to my mom. We would be getting express passes but don't necessarily need the unlimited passes. Thanks for all thoughts in helping me decide.

 

[DoryGirl1963]

Maybe check out Sapphire Falls. It has boat transportation that will drop you right between IOA & studios. The unknown is transport to EPIC - presumably via bus but don't know how far to the entrance. It's a lovely hotel!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Any of the boat hotels will drop you off pretty close to the Studios gates. But in the event of inclement weather, they stop running... at which point, Royal Pacific & Hard Rock are the closest to actually walk, the others would require going through CityWalk to the buses (or waiting the weather out, or longer walks to the hotels).

Can she reasonably be expected to walk the distance from the boat docks to the back of the parks? If not, it won't really matter how close the hotel is. It's just long walking distances within the parks regardless.

Would she be willing to use a scooter?
The freedom of the scooter will probably give her a more enjoyable trip than huffing along & feeling like she's slowing the pace down for everyone.

 

[Rory607]

Has she been to the parks before to know what it’s like? Even with boat transportation, which would be the best, it is an incredible amount of walking. I agree I would try to convince her to use a scooter.

My mom is in her upper 70’s and has slowed down significantly. I wish we could bring her with us sometime, but she flat out refuses to use anything to help her. No walker, wheelchair or scooter. I know she would have fun if she could get around, but she won’t do it.

 

[wendlle]

If you're getting express passes for everyone it is going to be cheaper to pick Hard Rock Hotel which is very close to the parks and get the included passes.

 

[barb969]

Where your room is in the can make a big difference in walking to the boat. At PB a room in the west wing is very close to the dock. At HR near the elevator is a good choice. There is only 1 elevator bank which is not in the center of the building. The halls can seem endless even if you are a good walker. The elevators won’t disturb your room,. I don’t know about the other hotels.

 

[Lewisc]

August can too hot for many guests. Brutal for an 80+ with mobility issues.

You need a scooter, probably 2.
Price VIP tours.

 

[weather_lady]

Hopefully a day of walking will make her rethink a wheelchair or scooter, so have those rental company phone numbers handy!

The closest hotels to walk from are Hard Rock and Royal Pacific, but all of the premiers, plus Sapphire Falls, have water taxis to Citywalk. Regardless, there will still be miles of walking every day, just to get around the hotel, into the parks from transportation drop-off points, and around the parks themselves.

 

[sandam1]

She will be bringing a walker with a seat that she says helps her walk faster and can sit on in long lines, but absolutely refuses to use a wheelchair.

I'm going to encourage you to beg her to reconsider. The amount of walking - particularly in the August heat of Florida - is a recipe for disaster. She isn't going to have much fun and you/your group/your trip is going to be significantly impacted by her stubbornness. But it doesn't have to be that way.

A number of years ago, we went to Las Vegas for my mom's 50th birthday with my aunts and my grandparents. My grandma had had both knees replaced at that point and was used to using a wheelchair, but my grandpa wasn't. We were all surprised that he agreed to try a wheelchair. And we had the most amazing time! We got to do things that we simply wouldn't have been able to if walking distances had been a consideration. We had five adults in addition to my grandparents so we all took turns pushing, which worked well. It also gave each one of us some one-on-one time with each one of them. Both of my grandparents are gone now and I still look back on that trip fondly.

My mom is now at a point where her mobility is becoming a limitation. We're planning a big Florida trip in November and I'm going to strongly suggest that she get a scooter. Fingers crossed that she will agree!