Tips for short visit with senior citizens?

[Chris M]

I am coming to WDW in the middle of May with my parents who are in their late 70's. They are in pretty good health but dad can't walk too much. Is there a guide for seniors? What about tips for a very short day and a half trip. We will probably park hop one day . I assume epot will be of more interest to them. Any particular highlights?

We already have books rooms at the wilderness lodge. I hope its less kiddie than other hotels. I picked this resort because it appears to be less spread out and because of the boats and buses for transportation which seems to be a plus. Any thoughts?

I am sorry if there is answers to my questions some place else. I tried searching 'seniors' and didn't find much.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Robo]

I am coming to WDW in the middle of May with my parents who are in their late 70's. They are in pretty good health but dad can't walk too much. Is there a guide for seniors? What about tips for a very short day and a half trip. We will probably park hop one day . I assume epot will be of more interest to them. Any particular highlights?

We already have books rooms at the wilderness lodge. I hope its less kiddie than other hotels. I picked this resort because it appears to be less spread out and because of the boats and buses for transportation which seems to be a plus. Any thoughts?

I am sorry if there is answers to my questions some place else. I tried searching 'seniors' and didn't find much.

Thanks in advance.

to the DISboards, Chris M!

There is a DISabilities board here that may be another good place to get answers to some of your questions.

Click below and post your question-

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20

 

[AJA55]

I have never found a “seniors” guide. But, have travel with my parents allot. Please consider that we travel with no little ones.

First and foremost you have to know what your parents like. How to they normally vacation?

Dad is gone now, but he also had a hard time walking. Once he found out how easy it was in the wheelchair he loved it. (with me as the engine) Some times he’d just wheel the chair himself. If you can get your dad into one, I’d say go for it.

We’re all early risers. We don’t rush to get to the opening, but every day we get to the park close to that time.

My mother enjoys long leisurely meals. We do a table service lunch that can take up to two hours every day. (OK with a glass of wine…LOL) Dinner is in the room or near our resort. Ending the day sitting on the balcony with another glass of wine.

You’re correct about the park of choice being EPCOT. Mom’s favorites up front are Spaceship Earth, Soaring and Listen to the Land. She’s been wanting to take teh “Behind the Seeds” tour for awhile now, so this year we will make sure to hit that one. Favorite to least favorite parks: EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Disney Hollywood then Magic Kingdom.

Keep a lookout for their enjoyment level. As mother gets older her stamina has gone down. I have us quit anywhere from 2PM to 5PM. FORSURE BY 5PM ! ! And that 5PM might be only one day. We have tried the nap thing in the middle of the day. And yes it’s great. But that doesn’t mean that she can go for the rest of the afternoon and night. Instead we have found that one or two nights out during a 9 night stay is enough for her. And when we do go out for a night a nap is a must.

No thrill rides for her, but she’s never liked them. I on the other hand ride one a day. I am cognitive of how long a line is and give her an approximate time when I’ll return. I try to not leave her for more than 30 minutes. Near the ride that I am going on, we find a place where she can sit and people watch. Make sure that you leave your senior with some water ! !

That’s another thing to watch. I swear that she needs more water than the kids ever did. It’s taken her a few visits of not feeling so great for her to realize this fact.

Well guess I’ve rambled on enough for a day and half trip ! ! LOL If you have any other questions…post away.

 

[RumpleMom]

We visited in October with DH's parents who are early 80's. The temperature was low 90's, too hot to be rushing anywhere. We were careful to seek air conditioning frequently.

I was surprised to realize that MK is their favorite park. I now understand that this is the ultimate Disney to them, you know from seeing all those Disneyland pictures on TV and they had been to Disneyland many years ago.

My point is don't be too quick to assume you should spend your time at Epcot. Could you give them a Disney parks book and ask them what they might be interested in? Make a short list and be sure to hit those specific things. Everyone comes home happy.

Wilderness Lodge is a lovely resort. Be sure to take the boat to MK, ride the monorail around too. Make one ADR per day so there is at least one meal where you will have minimal waiting.

Plan a lunch at the Grand Floridian, we did the Grand Floridian Cafe. They loved the decor and they food was excellent.

They spent one whole day at the resort while DH and I did a water park. They needed to rest and we needed some alone time, well with a bunch of other people but then we went out to dinner together that evening.

Enjoy, Disney has something for every age group!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

While I wouldn't consider my mom a senior, she probably is one now that she is 60. She LOVES WDW, to us there is no other place to vacation anymore. we do like to get an early start, but try to avoid the opening crowds by a few minutes. Alot of times we book a Character meal at MK and go into the park before opening. Mom uses an ECV, that way she doesn't have to depend on someone else to push her around. I also use one because of my knee and feet. We usually leave the park around lunch time because of the crowds, but come back in the early evenings.

My mom prefers MK over Epcot, because she is such a kid at heart. She loves DHS as well, because of the shows and the GMR. She also really likes AK for the Safari and animals. Epcot probably ranks 4th for us, it is a little boring to us and it is really dark in WS at night.

I think your parents will really like the WL, but when Whispering Canyon is open, it can be quite loud, so enjoying the lobby may be out then. We found that getting around at CR was much easier, with the monorail and walking (or riding) to the MK worked best for us. We could also hop (or ride) onto the monorail and visit the Poly and GF. To me it was easier than the WL. If we could afford to stay at the CR more, we would, because of it being easier to come and go as we pleased. We have to have my DH to help us on and off the buses and boats, with the ECV's. If you don't need one of those, most resorts will be pretty easy.

The only resorts that I can't say we loved were AS Movies(problem with room), FW cabins (problem with transportation), and AKL (too far from everything).

Good Luck and if you have any other question, please feel free to ask.

Suzanne

 

[Cee]

One thing I've learned about doing anything with aging parents(mine are in their
80's), is that you let them do what THEY want and go along for the ride. They
need to stay within their "comfort zone" and I have to remember that this special time with them is precious. It can be demanding but the rewards are
immense. Enjoy your trip with them and make unforgettable memories.

 

[litlpixie]

I found this thread very interesting as my mom and I going just by ourselves in April. My mom is 61, and although, to me, she doesnt seem like an old lady by any means, she has admitted to me that her "bad leg" will prohibit her from walking too much and she wants the use of a wheel chair.......which is so weird to me to consider my very young-looking and active mom as a senior citizen, but it's tru , you have to let them do what they will be comfortable with.

 

[drewswife]

I found making lunch reservation worked well. It got my parents seated in a nice airconditioned place and being served helped. Also some days they just met me at the parks - they felt they did not have to be there at the crack of dawn. They just called me on from their cell phone when they got to the park and I told them where to meet me.

 

[Chris M]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think my mom will like the boat ride at the Wilderness Lodge. A lot of the resorts are already booked so we are probably locked into the WL.

We are not arriving till 8:30pm.....will the disney shuttle service from the hotel be too slow to deliver bags? Should I just rent a car since we are eventually going to drive up the coast?

 

[AJA55]

When ever we get to a destination after 4PM I make sure that we have the most convenient transportation to our accommodations. As much fun as we find traveling it’s also stressful. And my mother gets WAAAAAY too excited about going on vacation. You know that Disney commercial when the kids can’t sleep? Yep that’s mom, she rarely sleeps well the night before we leave.

Oh…. that makes me think of another hint you might want. Arrival day is ONLY for getting to our accommodations, unpacking, maybe exploring the hotel, having a bite to eat and relaxing.

Oh…. And remember to adjust accordingly Last spring in New Orleans mother caught a bad cold on the second to last day. That last day we took a taxi to a have lunch at one place that she really wanted to dine. Other than that we just sat on the porch of our B & B and relaxed.

You’ve received a lot of good advice. Like Cee said “this special time with them is precious”.

 

[wilde_oscar]

just got back a couple weeks ago from taking my grandparents for their 65th. My grandfather has mobility issues, and grandmother it not that quick any more either.

the disability page that Robo refers to is good info... and Deb Willis has a book called Open Mouse that rocks. We got ECVs most days for them to ride around in, and GAC for getting into some attractions. they have been to WDW many times, so we hit the stuff that was new and improved, and out favorites. 6 days 5 nights. Basically did one park a day, got there early, didn't rush. We had plenty of time. We rested often, took cabs sometimes.

For most attractions, as we would roll up to the entrance, the CMs were alert and attentive. They wore their anniversary buttons everywhere, and when asked how long, there were always surprised looks about 65 years.

so there ya go.