Tips for parents' first trip...

[jacksgirl]

DH, DS12 and I will be traveling to the World from November 13th-23rd. We have invited my parents to join us and they have basically committed to go. They are in their early 60s and this will be their first trip ever. Up until the past few years, they have always struggled financially and have been on very few vacations in their whole life, and even then, the longest trip they’ve ever been on was five days. So this is an entirely new experience for them – 10 day trip, theme parks, new dining experiences, the works. So I said all that to say this – I want to make the trip truly magical for them, while still making sure to keep my 12 year old active. We make a trip to Disney every couple of years, and we are active vacationers. We go, go, go, and there is very little downtime. It’s not that we’re trying to pack everything in; it’s just that we enjoy that fast pace.


As to logistics, we will be driving (or, if I get a great deal on airfare, we’ll have a rental car), but we usually rely on Disney transportation once we get there just because it’s easier and we enjoy that. We will be staying at CBR in one of the refurbed rooms that accommodate five people, and we will be on the regular DDP. I will purchase MVMCP tickets for all of us (a surprise for my parents).


My question is this – I would love suggestions/tips to make the trip magical for everyone, especially my parents as this will probably be the only Disney trip they ever take (they have already said this is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing for them). I’ve come up with a tentative ADR plan, taking the following things into consideration – my parents are pretty basic meat and potatoes folks, but have expressed an interest in trying new/different types of foods on the trip, and I want to share some of our favorites with them while we are there. So far the plan looks like this: Breakfasts – Boma, Ohana; Dinners – Ohana, T-Rex, Chefs de France, Be Our Guest, Raglan Road, Rose & Crown, Sci Fi Dine In, Whispering Canyon. Also, Spirit of Aloha is one of my family’s favorite experiences, so I’m planning to get tickets for all of us to that as well. Any other suggestions for great experiences/food?


Also, any touring tips (keeping us active, but not exhausting them too terribly), not to be missed experiences/attractions (hard for me to think like a first timer anymore), other suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[IrishNYC]

My biggest suggestion would be to make sure to plan some time apart. Ten days is a long time to be sharing a room and together constantly. Let them book a dinner for just the two of them, tell them to spend a day or two exploring WS without you and your family, etc.

 

[jacksgirl]

Yes. We have talked about this. And even within my own family (DH, DS and I), we split up for some activities based on interests. For example, DH and DS love Future World at Epcot, and I don't. I love WS and they could care less about it, so we split up for those things and meet for meals, etc. Also, my mom and I have already discussed that they probably won't be able to keep the pace we do, so they can hop on the bus and go back to the resort and relax when they get tired, or on the monorail and go explore the monorail resorts (my mom is really excited about that) and then meet back up with us when they're ready. I'm going to purchase the Memory Maker too, and put together a gift basket to be delivered to them at the resort with a photo album, a couple of pins, etc.

 

[jacksgirl]

Oh, and I will book a preferred room since CBR is so big and somewhat hard to navigate. That way, it will be easier for them to find their way around, and not so far to walk if they want to go over to OPR or Shutters to grab a bite.

 

[got2sammies]

Since you will be there in November check the food and wine festival calender( you may miss it by few days) and if you can swing it the MVMCP. They would prob enjoy walking around the world show case. I travel with my mom who is in her 60s and I have to make sure my gung-ho park style is put to the side. Just make sure you take their needs into consideration.. Plan a resort day for them if you do not have one, some resorts may have christmas decor up but normally its full swing after thanksgiving.. They can relax while your at the parks and maybe meet up for dinner late and one that note encourage them to back to the resort for breaks if needed. Are they early risers or late sleepers? This may impact your RD style or early mornings ADR... DO NOT hesitate to get a disability pass for them if you think they will need it ( my mom cant do stairs or standing for long periods of time). Check out the disability forum to see....Are they ride doers? Or would they benefit from sitting and relaxing and watching shows? Maybe ride rides, while they attend shows..

 

[twinmom2012]

We just got back with our Moms who are 76 and 63. My mom had a quadruple bipass last year and knee surgery the year prior so I used touringplans to keep walking as minimal as I could between attractions and set it to slow walking speed. We also had our toddlers with us but with strollers we can move faster with them than we could with our moms. I found that getting to the parks early worked for us, a lot of walk on rides and we used our fast passes in the late morning and early afternoons. Our moms loved going on some of the "kid" rides like Dumbo, magic carpet ride and buzz lightyear, made them feel like kids again. We did FP+ for the FOF parade so that they wouldn't have to get there too early and stand for a good spot.

They enjoyed afternoon breaks back at the hotel to swim and rest and if they didn't want to go back to the park they would just relax back at the hotel while we went back to enjoy night time activities. The disney transportation is so easy that they can go back on their own if they are tired.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

My parents are also going with us, and we're also planning on doing a couple separate meals, etc. If it's in the budget, maybe you could plan a special 'date night' for them - we had hoped to send my parents to La Nouba (unfortunately, it's dark when we'll be at WDW; luckily, we were able to send them to a show that traveled to their city).

 

[Andysol]

Sit down with them over dinner or just a sunday afternoon (or call them if they arent local) and ask ridiculously basic questions about their expectations.

-Do you want to see the fireworks?
-Do you want to ride any rides?
-Do you want to watch any parades?
-What time do you think youd like to go to the park- first thing in the morning?
-What time do you want to leave the park?
Depending on those last two answers, you might ask- Would you like to take a nap if we went at Xam and stayed until xPM?

Youll find out a lot. What if they dont care at all about parades. What if they really do care about fireworks but also dont want to stay out late? etc. etc. You can also educate them about certain rides. Almost all "old folk" say they don't want to ride rides, because they think its Six Flags. Maybe say something along the lines of- would you ride what a 4 year old or younger would ride? That lets you plan everything under 40".

You need two itineraries. One for them, and one for your family. They can intersect and be the same in most, if not all situations- or they might be very different and only meet up for meals. Understanding, and then helping accommodate their expectations and desires are the most important element for everyone to enjoy their trip (you included).

With my parents- they wanted to be out of the parks at 6pm to eat in the room. But they still wanted fireworks one night- so we watched wishes from the top of the world lounge one night (or you could pick a beach since you likely arent DVC, whatever would work). I didnt get to watch the main street electrical parade, but whatever- it was all about creating an experience with my parents and kids and making sure everyone was happy. I get to go every year- I'll see it again

 

[JPKnapp]

This is a generous and fun gift. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to make this the best WDW vacation in history. Coming from your parents perspective, just being there together will make it their best vacation in history. Leave some breathing room to just soak in the trip for them.

 

[PSUGuy]

I didn't see anything in your post about any health issues. If they're healthy I see no need for you to alter your pace. Wifey and I are early 60s also and we set a good pace. On the other hand in Oct 2013 wifey's twin brother and his wife joined us, with our blessing, and they were a pair of boat anchors. They only made one RD once in 7 days, waddled along behind and took long afternoon breaks, which we welcomed as we were able to resume our pace. Great people, but we'll never do Disney with them again. The point is, evaluate their capabilities, talk to them about their expectations and adjust your attitude accordingly.

Never mind, I didn't read your second post, looks like you have this covered.

Bill From PA

 

[RustManFan]

I'm 61 and planning my next trip for 2016. I have never gone back to the resort but have instead enjoyed people watching. I get more hot than tired by mid afternoon. Maybe there are some shows or locations that you could discuss and plan ahead of time..... especially if your parents will not be at the parks from RD to nights' end

 

[tobikaye]

Are they internet savvy? If so, have them look up information on the attractions, restaurants, hotels. Maybe see if there are any tours that they might enjoy. Although many can be expensive, not all o f them are.

Before the internet was in full force, my parents bought my sister and I the Birnbaum's Disney guide. It is a very basic book, especially now a days, but it still is one that I recommend for people who just need an overview of WDW without being too overwhelmed. This might give them a good starting point to see what they think they may like or not.

 

[jacksgirl]

Thanks for the tips. They don't have any serious health issues and are pretty active. My dad does have some trouble with gout which causes swelling in his ankles and feet when he walks alot, so we will take that into account. They are interested in rides, but probably not the roller coasters. They are both really excited about just seeing everything -- shows, atmosphere, resorts, etc. and will probably do some of that when we split up for things. I've considered adding Hoop De Doo as well since we have 8 full days and 2 half days, since I don't think we will need a full two days in each park.