Traveling with Parents

[lettripp]

I know the topic is normally traveling with children but...

My husband and I are going to be taking his parents to Disney World in July. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge.

Normally, when he and I do Disney we go nuts (in a good way). We are in the park and on the go from 9am till park close (or later depending on EMH). We are also crazy planners and make spreadsheets well in advance of schedules for dining reservations, special activities etc. That being said, we are struggling to write up a "plan" that will suit a couple in their late 50s in the middle of summer who will likely not have the stamina for a 12 hour day! (But one that will still allow them to see and do everything they want)

Do you have an recommendations for toning down our days to accommodate people less crazy than us?

[TinkerbellT421]

Have you thought about doing just some "must-sees" this trip? Look at it as, what are some thing they will appreciate and HAVE to see or do instead of trying to do as much as possible? That may give you enough time to slow down a bit and take your time and be more relaxed than rushing around trying to fit everything in. Cause I don't know about you but I am not sure you really can do EVERYTHING or see everything there is in Disney in one trip anyway. So again, maybe compile a list of the have to's and then maybe if they are up for more go back to do a few of the things you skipped.

[btharvey]

I suggest you make your schedule, let them know where you'll be and when, and let them go at it themselves. You can meet at strategic times and places, do some things together, but let them experience it in their own way.

I know that my DW and DD can certainly last from 9 to 9, but it's not at a breakneck pace. To breathe in the experience and atmosphere is as important as "seeing everything." (We rarely see everything anymore -- we pick and choose a great deal.)

Just let them know that you go nuts and you don't expect they're the same kind of nuts. But you'd like to share at least some.

[mydisneygirls]

Don't mean to sound rude, but late 50's is not old. I am in my early 50's (luckily I look middle 40's) and have two daughters 14 and 12. Sometimes, they have to keep up with ME even when we went in Sept and it was extremely hot and humid!!! I'm the one that drags them to the park early, stays late, goes on all the big rides, etc. Maybe you could ask them what they'd like to do.

[floridamom]

I agree about narrowing down to "must-sees." Have they been to Disney before? If they have and they are nostalgic, they may have some of their own. If not you may want to give them an overview of each park and ask them what sounds good, but Disney can be overwhelming, so don't be surprised if they just tell you they are fine with whatever you choose.

I would suggest figuring out what their normal schedule is (early risers/night owls) and planning around that, at least for the first day or two. Then you can gauge how they are doing and adjust accordingly.

We took my in-laws along on a pre-Christmas trip last year and eased into things-- just DHS/Osborne Lights the first afternoon/evening, Epcot the second day, with the Candlelight Processional package providing plenty of downtime with a nice sit-down meal and the show. We did Magic Kingdom the third day, once they were in the groove, since for us that was the "busiest" day. By then they had gotten the hang of fast passes, etc. and even felt comfortable doing a couple of things on their own.

If you are dying to take advantage of a nighttime EMH, you could look into booking a nice dinner for them somewhere (maybe Artist Point since you are staying at WL) so they can have a special evening to themselves while you return to the park.

While you're in the parks you could alternate more active attractions with shows/movie/sit-down ones. With my in-laws we also found that going to eat at counter service places when it was mobbed stressed them out, so we learned to grab lunch early or late to avoid major crowds.

I think if you adjust your expectations a bit, you will all have a great time. It's really neat to see older people in the parks having the same magical moments that you see with children.

[Muppet girl]

I have a funny image of breakfast with my parents at Port Orleans food court several years ago (it was Dixie Landings at the time). We had met my sister and her family for a vacation together, and we all grabbed something quick for breakfast so we could get an early start to the park. When we went over to the table where my parents were eating, we all saw that they were getting settled in for a "leisurely" breakfast - they each had their bowl of oatmeal, and my dad was methodically slicing a banana into tiny slices as my mom sipped her morning coffee. They looked up in disbelief as we were all standing there staring at them and telling them that it was time to sprint off to catch the bus (they had no idea about the "pace" yet). At that point, they said, "We'll catch up with you later," and that was the phrase we heard quite often the rest of the week. It worked out great because they got to travel at their pace, our kids were able to get into the parks to ride their favorite rides early, and then we would meet up with our parents without rushing them.

Ironically, we will be traveling with our kids this year to Disney, and now they are the adults and we are the "parents" who might be holding up the pace. We will use the same "we'll catch up with you later" phrase from time to time when we don't feel like being rushed, and everyone is fine with that.

I think if you explain the pace you sometimes need to keep at Disney in order to get on the favorite attractions, they will either decide to keep the pace with you or give you the "catch you later" reply. You will have a wonderful time sharing the Disney experience with his family no matter what the pace.

[divinedi]

Wow, you people make me feel old!! I'm 55 years young, love DW, and have no trouble staying on the go the whole time I am there, lol! And to top that off, went with my Mom, who is 82, this past November and I felt it best to let her set the pace.....and her only concession was to take a break in the afternoon for 1-2 hours at the resort, and then back to the parks!! I offered several times to take a day off to take it easy, her answer was 'what for, it's boring to sit here in the room'! She walked almost the whole time, only opting to get an electric schooter when we went to EPCOT so she could last longer. Definitely sound your parents out about what they think they can handle, and go from there. There are so many factors as people have mentioned, what is their energy level, have they been there before, are they there to do stuff, or are they just happy to do whatever as long as they get to spend time with you....so many things to consider. Good luck and have a great time, the memories with your parents are the most important thing, IMHO!

[vicster]

When I started reading this thread I thought you were talking about someone much older. We're in our late 50s and do WDW every year and yes, it is hot and humid when we go. We are on the go all day and nite and totally enjoy ourselves. One thing we did that you might enjoy is the Segway tour either at Epcot or Ft. Wilderness.

Have a great trip!!!!!!!!

[Janmac]

January 2010 we took some newbies to WDW for the first time. They were in their early 50s, but she has had heart attacks and has diabetes. He had just had a first heart attack about 6 months prior to our trip. They neither one do much in the way of exercise/activities.

We made sure to discuss with them the size of WDW, that there were 4 main parks - we would be seeing only 3 of them (they were only going to be there 5 days), and gave them some overviews of each park, with some brief descriptions of the crowd pleaser attractions. Also gave them an intro to Disney speak: CMs, attractions, etc.

They of course had friends that had been to WDW and had said, oh, you must see this, or that, etc. So we made sure to find out what their friends had recommended. Since we like to eat a lot, we made sure to describe the restaurants that we had ADRs at, and what was likely to be on the menu.

We're not commando tourers. We like to be at the park at rope drop but we're just as likely to be walking out the exit around 11:30 or maybe noon. We like to go to Epcot about 4:30 every evening but we're likely to be leaving there before 9 pm.

Though our newbies were on board with the rope drop at the parks, they thought this plan of leaving at late morning would not give them much bang for their buck, after all, they were paying a lot of money for their park hopper tickets. The first day we left the park at noon, but they opted to hang out awhile longer. Still, they wound up back at our resort by 2 pm, amazed at how crowded, even in late January, the parks had gotten.

Next day, different park, they tried again to hang out, after we were ready to head back to the resort. This day, they arrived back at the resort a bit earlier, both because the park was becoming crowded but also because she was beginning to be worn out. She said she could definitely see why we liked our afternoon respite from the parks.

One thing they were completely unprepared for was the size of WDW. Even tho they'd been told, they just couldn't comprehend that you don't leave the Wilderness Lodge and walk across a street and be at Magic Kingdom. They had a good enough time that they want to go back again, bringing their grandkids. But they decided that they didn't agree with some of their friends recommendations (once was enough for Hall of Presidents, for example).

We couldn't have asked for better newbies. They tried everything, including Marrakesh and the Tea Cups. And they were happy to try their hand at navigating the World on Disney transportation. By the end of their stay, they had even relaxed enough to spend a few afternoon hours simply exploring Wilderness Lodge.

Hopefully your parents will have some attractions they want to see, and if they do want to strike out on their own, they'll be confident enough to make use of Disney transportation. We've had younger family members who still, after a half dozen trips, won't go it on their own.

Jan

[Disney Doll]

By the title of your post I assumed you were taking elderly parents. My parents are in their mid 50's and go to Disney all the time. In fact, they are DVC owners. Age alone should not indicate a stamina issue at that age. Unless your parents have health problems they will probably do fine. That said, not everyone enjoys a commando style attack on park attractions no matter what age. If you think they would prefer a more relaxed pace then just plan to separate some. You can meet up at specific times or for shared meals, but they shouldn't feel obligated to spend every minute of their vacation with you. We do extended family trips from time to time and we never try to rope everyone into staying together all day. People have different interests. My younger brother would much rather spend his day sleeping in and lounging at the pool so that's what he does. To each their own!

[lettripp]

Originally Posted by mydisneygirls

Don't mean to sound rude, but late 50's is not old. I am in my early 50's (luckily I look middle 40's) and have two daughters 14 and 12. Sometimes, they have to keep up with ME even when we went in Sept and it was extremely hot and humid!!! I'm the one that drags them to the park early, stays late, goes on all the big rides, etc. Maybe you could ask them what they'd like to do.

I didn't mean to say they were old... they are not active and not used to the heat. We have spoken to them and they agree that they need a different pace than we are used to... I'm just looking for specific suggestions on a schedule to meet their slower-paced needs!

[lettripp]

Originally Posted by Janmac

January 2010 we took some newbies to WDW for the first time. They were in their early 50s, but she has had heart attacks and has diabetes. He had just had a first heart attack about 6 months prior to our trip. They neither one do much in the way of exercise/activities.

We made sure to discuss with them the size of WDW, that there were 4 main parks - we would be seeing only 3 of them (they were only going to be there 5 days), and gave them some overviews of each park, with some brief descriptions of the crowd pleaser attractions. Also gave them an intro to Disney speak: CMs, attractions, etc.

They of course had friends that had been to WDW and had said, oh, you must see this, or that, etc. So we made sure to find out what their friends had recommended. Since we like to eat a lot, we made sure to describe the restaurants that we had ADRs at, and what was likely to be on the menu.

We're not commando tourers. We like to be at the park at rope drop but we're just as likely to be walking out the exit around 11:30 or maybe noon. We like to go to Epcot about 4:30 every evening but we're likely to be leaving there before 9 pm.

Though our newbies were on board with the rope drop at the parks, they thought this plan of leaving at late morning would not give them much bang for their buck, after all, they were paying a lot of money for their park hopper tickets. The first day we left the park at noon, but they opted to hang out awhile longer. Still, they wound up back at our resort by 2 pm, amazed at how crowded, even in late January, the parks had gotten.

Next day, different park, they tried again to hang out, after we were ready to head back to the resort. This day, they arrived back at the resort a bit earlier, both because the park was becoming crowded but also because she was beginning to be worn out. She said she could definitely see why we liked our afternoon respite from the parks.

One thing they were completely unprepared for was the size of WDW. Even tho they'd been told, they just couldn't comprehend that you don't leave the Wilderness Lodge and walk across a street and be at Magic Kingdom. They had a good enough time that they want to go back again, bringing their grandkids. But they decided that they didn't agree with some of their friends recommendations (once was enough for Hall of Presidents, for example).

We couldn't have asked for better newbies. They tried everything, including Marrakesh and the Tea Cups. And they were happy to try their hand at navigating the World on Disney transportation. By the end of their stay, they had even relaxed enough to spend a few afternoon hours simply exploring Wilderness Lodge.

Hopefully your parents will have some attractions they want to see, and if they do want to strike out on their own, they'll be confident enough to make use of Disney transportation. We've had younger family members who still, after a half dozen trips, won't go it on their own.

Jan

Thank you!!! This is VERY helpful Sounds very similar to our guests!

[cuteduck223]

when we travel with my parents, I make one master schedule (of where we are most likely to be with the kids). My parents have a copy of that, and they just choose when to join us. They enjoy looking around at DTD a lot more than our 2 year old, so they got to do more of what they wanted, and still be a part of our vacation. We planned one meal together everyday as a meeting point, and did certain things together (wishes, fantasmic). The beautiful thing about cell phones: you can skip an attraction or two, and have no problem meeting up with your party!

[Jeri Lynn]

I would let your parents know that it is ok to "go your seperate ways". It will be hot and depending on how your parents are with the heat they may enjoy an afternoon break to relax by the pool. Sit down and talk to them to see what their expectations are. When we've traveled with others we always make it clear that is is not necessary to always be together. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time!! Maybe loosen up on the scheduling (other than dining). We used to use a schedule but now that we've gone so many times we just see what we feel like doing when we wake up, the only thing I schedule is dining reservations.

[Auroring Good Time]

The first thing to do is show them how the busses work so if they have had enough, they can head back to the room if needed. Second thing is to find out what they like. My mother is 60 and will ride just anything except Mission Space. I would then hit your favorite rides and attractions with them.

[Janmac]

Originally Posted by cuteduck223

when we travel with my parents, I make one master schedule (of where we are most likely to be with the kids). My parents have a copy of that, and they just choose when to join us. They enjoy looking around at DTD a lot more than our 2 year old, so they got to do more of what they wanted, and still be a part of our vacation. We planned one meal together everyday as a meeting point, and did certain things together (wishes, fantasmic). The beautiful thing about cell phones: you can skip an attraction or two, and have no problem meeting up with your party!

We had schedules, too. Daily schedules with restaurant names and times, etc. Altho I had e-mailed tentative daily schedules to them before we all left for WDW>

And no doubt, cell phones are wonderful. Kinda makes me wonder how we ever managed without. Our newbies even phoned from Roaring Fork one afternoon saying they were stopping in for a bite and did we want something brought to us (I was in our villa with my sister's granddaughter who was a bit under the weather that day).

Enjoy!

Jan

[LVT]

That sounds like me. 1. Mention this site, they can ask questions without embarrassment. 2. Mention that many people do siesta or pool time in the afternoon. 3. They may be the early birds who drag you up!