Travelling with Elderly Family Members

[ldo]

at a slower pace with some resort time,it would be great. for MK, I would not recommend even splash or BT or any roller coaster, even small, as a small turn could cause neck issues. But, you can ride pirates, jungle cruise (esp. if they have a handicap boat, which is easier to load into), hall of presidents, countrybear jam, alladins carpets, princess meet/greet, mickeys phil. I would also recommend AK for the 2 shows and just enjoying the animals and scenery. Safario wold be great if it is not too bumpy. Plus, AK has a lot of shade. Definitely go.

 

[Chuck S]

I traveled many years to WDW with my older wheelchair bound Mom. She passed at the age of 87, and her last trip to Disney was when she was 86. No, 86 is not too old, Mom rode most of the rides, including the Primeval Whirl coaster in Dinoland, and all the mountains (except for Everest) She also did NOT do Rocking' Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror. But she loved Mission Space. We usually headed back to the room in the mid-afternoons, and would go out for a nice dinner in the evening, either at Olivia's (OKW) or offsite

 

[jekjones1558]

I traveled many years to WDW with my older wheelchair bound Mom. She passed at the age of 87, and her last trip to Disney was when she was 86. No, 86 is not too old, Mom road most of the rides, including the Primeval Whirl coaster in Dinoland, and all the mountains (except for Everest) She also did NOT do Rocking' Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror. But she loved Mission Space. We usually headed back to the room in the mid-afternoons, and would go out for a nice dinner in the evening, either at Olivia's (OKW) or offsite

Your mom makes me feel like a wuss!

 

[Shanti]

We are considering inviting an elderly relative who has never been to WDW to go with us. She is 86 yrs. old and doesn't walk very well anymore for long distances. She has recently lost her long time partner and they had mentioned a few times in the past that they would sometime like to go see what it is that our family loves so much about it. We wouldn't have any kids with us and realize this would be a different sort of trip - no wild rides, a much slower pace, more shows, breaks, and rest at the resort. We would definitely rent a wheelchair. For those of you who have travelled with (or are) older seniors, does this sound like a good idea? Is 86 too old for WDW? Is a week too long? Any suggestions or advice?

We took my 72 year-old mother this January. We rented an ECV from CARE Medical, which was affordable, they provided a handsome, perfectly operating scooter, with great customer service. Highly recommend them.

Keep the pace gentle, with a focus on shows: Hoop Dee Doo Revue, MSEP, Festival of Fantasy, Wishes, Cirque de Soleil, etc. Include some of the better character or themed meals like Crystal Palace, Ohana's, Be Our Guest, etc., so they can experience some of the kid-at-heart magic of Disney, as well. Maybe California Grill at Wishes time so they don't have to watch the fireworks from within the overcrowded MK?

Don't sacrifice their comfort in favor of theming by putting them in a value or moderate Disney resort room. I recommend staying either deluxe or at one of the better (and more affordable) nearby off-property hotels like Bonnet Creek Hilton or Waldorf Astoria (the latter costs about as much as one of the better Disney moderate rooms, amazingly). If you can afford Animal Kingdom Lodge, they might really enjoy seeing the animals around the resort there each day.

At whichever resort you choose, I recommend reserving by phone and emphasize that you're traveling with seniors with mobility issues, so you need a room that doesn't feature too long a walk. Do check-in in person, and verify with them that you got a room with reasonable proximity. If you didn't get that, ask if they can switch your room. The ECV will help, of course- make sure to reserve one for the whole trip- don't try to just use one within the parks.

 

[Hootiss]

I rent both my parents scooters, they had an amazing time. It is so worth it to see them act like little kids again.

 

[weswife]

I enjoyed reading all the posts!

This year I am taking my Mom for her 1st trip, she will be 78! I recently lost my Dad and the thought of leaving Mom home alone. So I bought her a ticket, she does not know yet as we are still grieving the loss of my Dad. Dad was sick for 3 years, we miss him dearly. I had purchased our tickets a few months back. I plan on renting her a scooter or a wheelchair. Reading the posts have given me hope she will enjoy herself! I will be taking my kids as well, they are older now. It will be my DD 28th birthday!!!!! My 2nd DD uses a wheelchair full time, she loves Disney! Plan on going to MVMCP! We went in 2011, the 2 younger kids and us. So the planning begins! Making a few changes to accommodate everyone's needs. A split stay 2 bedroom and then 2 studios.

 

[beccasmom]

My mom started her WDW visits at age 52. She loves Disney and we visit every year. She is 86 now and walking is much harder (and so far we've been unable to convince her to use a wheelchair or scooter), so we amble along and maybe we don't see everything. But there is nothing we haven't seen before on 45+ trips, so we focus on our "top hits"! Traveling is good for her and we've celebrated her August birthday at WDW many times. The trips are definitely slower-paced, but then again my energy level is diminishing a bit too! . Our DVC membership was a God-send because she can relax comfortably as she wishes. I consider it a blessing and only hope I am still visiting Disney when I'm her age!