Tips on taking 75 y.o. mother to WDW???

[tinkerrn]

Taking mom to WDW as a christmas present this year. It will just be her and myself. I was wondering if any of you could offer any tips on catering to the 'older' mouse fans. Mom is not one who likes to relax...she is a go-go-go type of person. I was thinking of a character breakfast one morning.
We will be doing a split stay between the BWI and CR. Appreciate any advise.
She is a huge fan of WDW and this trip means alot to both of us, my father is rapidly declining with end stage alzheimers. I just feel so bad for her, this whole disease process has taken a toll on her and the family. I really want to lift her spirits. WDW is the perfect place to do so.

 

[drewswife]

We travel with my MIL (75 also). I make character lunch reservations (CP my favorite) It is a great rest in the middle of the day. We also give her a cell phone. She is not a ride lover & this way she can roam around or just rest & people watch while we wait on lines. We just call her when we are off the rides & she tells us where she is.

We try and work in alot of shows since this is something that she enjoys. Also go early and get a bench for parades.

 

[Greg K.]

When we took my 70-year-old in-laws last summer, we got an early start (maybe a fun character meal to jump-start the day) and spent the morning in a park, going at a moderate pace. Then lunch. Then back to the room for a rest/nap/shower. And then we'd reconvene in the lobby around 5 pm for dinner, and other fun stuff. Basically, we tried to treat them as if they were our kids -- and guess what, it worked! No temper tantrums!

When they got back home they told all their friends they actually came back REFRESHED! "Everyone I know who goes to Disney World comes back exhausted," my father-in-law said, "but we came back relaxed and having had a wonderful time!"

We also made a point of staggering our start times. If we had a late night, with fireworks and stuff, we'd stumble into our hotel (BWV) around 11 or 11:30. Then we'd let them sleep in -- say, until 9 or 10 (ha -- instead of rousing them at 6 for Early Entry!) . We'd have a leisurely breakfast, and then hang out at the pool for the morning. Sort of give 'em a break. That was helpful, too.

Enjoy!

 

[Quinn222]

My sister and I always go with our mom (almost 80.)
Like your mom mine is in good health. She's not into thrills or characters (too bad, I want to go to CM!)
Anyway, we plan on easy days with a break shortly after lunch and a nice sit down dinner at a resort hotel or Epcot. With a touring plan that doesn't include the thrills you can actually see a lot in a very relaxed manner. Make sure she has lots of water and sunblock, senior skin can be quite sensitive and deydration is even more of a problem for them.
My mom loves MK the best, especially Small World, Peter Pan, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Philarmagic and TTA. She's also a big fan of Living with the Land, Mexico, Maelstrom. She didn't like Spaceship Earth. It kind of scared her going down backwards in the dark and stopping a lot. Soarin' also really scared her. We haven't taken her to MGM yet but AK was hard for her. A lot of walking and the paths are rough.

 

[Kick Save]

We took my grandma last summer, she was 81 at the time. She had more energy than my wife and I, so I didn't worry too much. We had daily breaks planned around lunch, though. Not just for Gram, but for all of us.

Gram enjoyed everything we did: character meals, rides, fireworks, etc. It was her first trip to WDW since the early 80s when Epcot opened, so it was all basically new to her. She did great, but the best experience we had was leaving AK one day a couple of the "bears" there chased her down. She was behind us as we walked out, and suddenly we hear Gram let out a little yell and she goes running past with these two huge characters chasing her. We couldn't quit laughing. They caught her and got the kiss they were after, we got a good picture out of it.

 

[Mickey & Minnie Mom]

I suggest scheduling at least 1 sit-down meal each day. Gives a nice break. Lunch works well for a mid-day rest without leaving the parks.

Take a day off in the middle of your stay to just enjoy the resort. If she feels the need to catch up on sleep, she can on that day without feeling she is missing out on other plans. Should do the trick to finish out the rest of the stay. Assumes your trip gives enough time to do this.

HAVE FUN with your princess of a Mom!

 

[tinkerrn]

I just got off the phone with mom and she is soooo excited. She is already talking about 'getting up' early so we are there when the parks open!!! She doesn't like the bumpy or scarey rides, her cup of teas is in Fantasyland. She loves the characters, she is really just a big kid. She loves everything Disney...the whole experience is just amazing for her. I think I will probably cry. She is also talking about having 'shirts' made for us. My Dh and I had honeymoon t-shirts for our honeymoon there, she loved them.

 

[Lynne M]

Mom and I have done several mother/daughter trips to WDW, and one of our must-dos on every trip is afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian. It's a wonderful, relaxing, pampering way to spend an afternoon, they really make you feel special there. And afterwards, be sure to take some to explore the resort!

Just thinking about it makes me want to call my Mom and see when she wants to go back.....

 

[Cyndibear]

My mom is 78 and she'll be spending her 79th B-day at WDW in Sept. She is just like a little kid when we go to Disney. Just like Kick Save, she has more energy than my DH and I. We like to people watch but, she likes to go-go-go! She saw the adds on TV for EE and can't wait to go on it. Mission Space is out though!

We usually have a sit down meal every day and take time out for breaks and swimming at the resort. It's nice to go in Sept. because of the less crowds and early park closing so we do have that time in the evening to relax.

What ever you do, just enjoy it and take lots of pics and video because you will always have those to look back on.

Have fun!