Disney with Dad!!!

I took my 78-year-young Dad for his first trip to WDW Veteran's Day weekend, and we had a GREAT time!!! We were able to see and do everything we had hoped - and even snuck in a few things we thought we might have to miss.

Day 1 - We arrived at Port Orleans Riverside shortly after noon. Our rooms weren't ready, so we stashed our bags and headed for EPCOT. Dad has arthritis and mobility problems, so I rented a PCV for him ($30 a day, plus a $10 refundable deposit). We did Spaceship Earth first, then headed immediately to the World Showcase. Our first stop was to see Off Kilter (Dad's a big fan of Celtic music). They were terrific! Next, we took in Impressions de France - we were able to time it so that we just walked right in - or , I should say, I walked in and Dad rode. Accomodations for people in wheelchairs and PCVs were in the rear of the theater, and were excellent. After that, we headed for The American Adventure, where we saw the show -again, accomodations for the handicapped were just fine. The Disney employees we talked to were very courteous and considerate of Dad. After that, we headed for Mexico and the boat ride - terrific!

Once we came out of Mexico, it was getting quite dark, and Dad was uncomfortable driving the PCV in the dark. We found that people tend not to pay too much attention to PCVs; very often, people would stop dead right in front of us, and Dad would be frantic trying to avoid them. We called it a night, went back to Port Orleans, and had dinner at the food court. By that time, Dad was absolutely exhausted (and so was I!) We turned in early that night.

I'l post Day 2 tomorrow.

 

[LilWalt]

were do you rent those? I will be attending in March and my dad can't walk long distances. Looking forward to reading day two.

 

[figmentmom]

We rented the PCV's just inside the entrance at the three parks we visited. The rentals work just like stoller and wheelchair rentals - keep your receipt if you park-hop, and you can get a PCV at the next park you visit that same day. Disney does NOT own the PCV's, so there is no multi-day rental discount like there is for the strollers, but it's still well worth it. Be aware that there are only a certain number of PCV's available at each park; if you're a late arrival, you will either have to wait until someone turns one in and leaves that park, or rent a wheelchair instead.

Day 2

We went back to EPCOT and spend the day there. After renting our PCV (which Dad found MUCH easier to manipulate in broad daylight!), we headed immediately for Living with the Land. No wait time at all - we hopped right on, enjoyed the ride, and headed immediately over to visit Figment (for me!!!) at JIYA. Dad really liked that ride, and we were able to walk right into "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience." After that, we retrieved the PCV from stroller parking outside the pavilion, and meandered through the rose gardens to the World Showcase. Our first stop was to see "Fiddler's Joy" at Canada. As I mentioned earlier, Dad is a huge fan of Celtic music, and he really enjoyed this group. By this time, it was lunch time; since we were there for the Food and Wine Festival, we were able to sample a shrimp roll. Dad is on medication, and has to eat on a strict schedule; he also has some dietary restrictions. We were able in every park, and at the food court at POR, to find things he could eat without straying from his food plan. I greatly appreciated this - it made our trip considerably less stressful! After lunch, we mandered to Mexico (did the boat ride again!), Norway (Dad insisted on trying Maelstrom, despite my trepidation - he LOVED it!), China, Germany and Italy. Dad especially enjoyed Germany - he was stationed there after the war ended in 1945, and loved the countryside.

By this time, Dad was rady to head back to POR, so we turned in the PCV and took the bus back to our hotel. We ate at the food court for dinner, and then took the boat ride to Downtown Disney. By the way, you can NOT rent a PCV there (I knew that in advance, so was prepared for it), so we spent an hour or so people-watching, and then called it a night.

I LOVED taking my terrific Dad to WDW - one of my best memories as a kid was when Dad took my brother and me to the World's Fair in 1964 (OK, I'm dating myself here :lookaroun )!

Day 3 Tomorrow.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Great post and I am so glad you get to spend this type of time with your dad. We are going in Oct 2005 and my parents, my wife's parents and our kids are joining us for our second week. I am selfish and wanted to do this trip as it 1. will be my sons first trip ( he will be 1.5 yo at the time ) and 2. I wanted to see the joy on my parents faces of seeing their grandchildren at WDW. I grew up going to WDW with my parents and it will allways hold a special place in my heart for that reason.

Looking forward to day three!!!!!!!

 

[Disnut]

I am waiting to read about Day 3. It sounds like you and your Dad get along pretty well.

 

[figmentmom]

Thanks for the comments! Dad and I get along very, very well...he's a terrific person, and a darned good sport, too!

Day 3

We got up early and took the bus to the Magic Kingdom. We had no trouble renting a PCV - we were there as soon as the park opened, and there seemed to be a lot of vehicles available. We headed down Main Street, and over to the Jungle Cruise for a fastpass - even though we were there early, the line was rapidly lengthening, and I thought we'd best make efficient use of our time. We then took in Pirates of the Caribbean (Dad loved it!). By the time we motored back to The Tiki Birds, they were open and operating, so we saw that show, and then headed back to the Jungle Cruise. We had a great captain! Dad loves bad jokes (the worse, the better, as far as he's concerned!), so this turned out to be one of his favorite experiences in the Magic Kingdom. After the cruise, we headed to Peter Pan for fastpasses, and then stopped for lunch at Cosmic Ray's. One of the very few disappointments of the trip is that Sonny Eclipse wasn't performing, but I had heard about that before we left, so I wasn't surprised. We then rode the TTA and took in the Carousel of Progress, and then headed back to Peter Pan. After Peter Pan, we waited in the standby line for Philharmagic - a long wait, but Dad was seated in his PCV, so it wasn't too bad. Dad thought the show was terrific! I know it sounds like I was hustling him from spot to spot, but we really were progressing at a leisurely pace - believe me, in a PCV, there is NO SUCH THING as hustling around! :lol: We then did the Haunted Mansion and the Hall of Presidents, and rode the Liberty Belle. Dad was able to rie his PCV right on board the boat, so it was very comfortable for him. I can't emphasize enough how nice the Disney cast members were to Dad.

After that, we moseyed through the castle, stopping to admire the mosaic scenes, and then headed slowly back down Main Street. Dad has been a volunteer fireman in Stony Brook, Long Island since the mid-1960's, so we stopped at the gift shop right next to Town Hall and had a great time checking out the many, many "Mickey and the Fireman" gifts available. We then took the railroad around the entire park, and then called it a day. As I mentioned before, Dad was very uncomfortable operating the PCV after dark, so we tried to avoid having to do that. We headed back to POR, had a late dinner at the food court, and were just about to call it a night when Dad realized he had left his prescription bifocal sunglasses somewhere in the Magic Kingdom!!! By the time he realized they were missing, the park had closed, so there was nothing I could do about it at that point. Dad said not to worry about it - after all, losing a pair of glasses at WDW was akin to losing them in Manhattan - but I got the number for the central Lost and Found, and said we'd check the next day.

Now, you'll all just have to sit on pins and needles , wondering "WILL DAD GET HIS SUNGLASSES BACK?!?"

Day 4 tomorrow.

 

[tigsmom]

Sounds like you guys had a great time! Can't wait to read the next installment. :wave:

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Nice report - Its great to watch your parents at WDW - they act just like kids :lol:

 

[barnum42]

Nice report - Its great to watch your parents at WDW - they act just like kids :lol:

Certainly true of my Mother

 

[figmentmom]

Thanks for the comments!

Day 4

This was our last full day, so we started bright and early with breakfast at the POR food court - again, I want to emphasize how easy it was for Dad to find healthy choices at the food court there. Staying on his food plan made the entire trip that much less stressful for him!

We then took the bus to the Magic Kingdom, and then rode the monorail back to the TTC to central Lost and Found. Once there, we asked the very patient cast member about the chances of finding Dad's lost prescription bifocal (need I say expensive? :lol: ) sunglasses. (We had asked at the POR front desk the night before about lost items, so we knew that everything lost, once turned in, stays at the park in which it was lost only until park closing that day. After that, it is sent to central Lost and Found. We had truly felt that it was a long shot that Dad's glasses would be found, but we decided it was worth the trip over anyway.) She asked us what park we had visited the day before, and asked us to briefly describe the glasses; she disappeared, and came back not two minutes later with a box full of glasses from the MK - and there, lo and behold, in their leather glasses case, were Dad's sunglasses! He was absolutely flabbergasted! We thanked the cast member profusely, and then headed to the bus for MGM.

The trip to Lost and Found had put us in MGM a bit behind schedule; by the time we got there, all the PCV's had been rented already. We opted to rent a wheelchair ($8 a day). Dad is probably the most enthusiastic Muppets fan there is, so the very first place we headed was Jim Henson's Muppetvision 3D - no wait at all, great handicapped seating, and the show was as hilarious, of course, as ever! This was just about the highlight of the trip for us; Dad always enjoyed the Muppet Show because it's exactly his kind of humor, so we stopped at the gift shop on the way out and loaded up on a Kermit t-shirt, the 25th Anniversary Muppets CD, a video or two, and a Muppets refrigerator magnet. (Woo hoo! - Of course, Mom thought he was nuts when he arrived home with that stuff, but that's ANOTHER story... :lol: )

After that, we did the Great Movie Ride, the Backlot Tour, had lunch, and then watched the Beauty and the Beast stage show (terrific! - we were in the first row - best seats in the house!) At that point, we decided to go back to the Magic Kiingdom and soak up a bit more atmosphere, so we took the bus back over, picked up another wheelchair, and strolled around the park, stopping to ride the TTA in Tomorrowland. By this time, it was beginning to get dark - but since I was pushing the wheelchair, Dad was OK to stay a bit later, and we watched the sun set and the lights come on in the park. Truly beautiful.

One side note about pushing a wheelchair - if you opt to do that, be prepared - it is a WHOLE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE from pushing a stroller! Having done both now, I can compare the experiences, and I did NOT realize exactly how tired I would be at the end of the day! :lol:

At the MK, I snuck into a gift shop while Dad thought I was in the ladies' room, and bought a souvenir photo album. I had taken a lot of pictures of Dad at the parks and our hotel, and I had also asked a few fellow tourists to take our pictures together. When I got home, I had those pictures developed, put them in the album with dates, places and comments on the back of each one, and sent it to Dad a a surprise gift - he absolutely LOVED it!

At the end of the day, we headed back to POR for dinner at the food court (no, we were NOT sick of the food there by that time!) Since we had a very early start the next morning, we had to have everything packed and oorganized the night before. Everything went smoothly on our trip to the airport and flight home. Since Dad was flying back to Islip, Long Island, and I was flying back to Albany, NY, we had separate flights - but I had arranged our flying times so that I could see Dad off on his flight first, and then board my plane.

To sum it up, it was the trip of a lifetime - and it was my very great pleasure to take Dad as my guest (no, I didn't even let him pay for the Kermit t-shirt!) As I mentioned earlier in this trip report, some of my best memories as a kid were of the times Dad took my brother and me to the World's Fair in NY, so this trip was something of a belated thank-you. To anyone considering taking a trip to WDW with a willing, but somewhat elderly, relative: GO FOR IT!!! You'll be glad you did. Don't expect to rush headlong all over the park - you won't. Take things at a leisurely pace, stop and rest, watch the crowds, etc. Dad had to eat on a very rigid schedule, and we adhered to his routine with no problems. I made sure he had all his medications with him, along with copies of all prescriptions just in case; we also followed common-sense rules (like bringing hats, wearing sunscreen, drinking LOTS of water, etc.)

P.S.: I came home DEAD TIRED - but very, very happy! :lol: :wave:

 

[barnum42]

Kudos to your Dad the Muppet Fan

I've taken my mother (Now 72) to the parks and pushed her in a manual wheelchair for two weeks on two visits. Fortunately I'm quite solidly built and did not have much of a problem with most of The World being on the flat. We did full days on most days - at the park for opening and out after the night show. Whilst not quite a "rush headlong" we covered a lot of miles every day. Wish the wheelchair had a distance meter, it would have been interesting to see just how far we covered.

It did more for my mother's ailments than any amount of surgical treatment or TENS machine.

 

[boywonder]

I wish I could take my 78 year old mum.

Sounds like a great time, figmentmom

 

[jordanyosh]

Sounds like you had a great time. I was able to treat my folks to WDW in 2000 and they had a blast. Can't remember the last time I actually shared a room and bathroom with the 'rents, but it was still a great time.

Also went with extended family in 2003 and had 2 ECVs in our group. Definitely a different pace...

 

[JBSLJames]

Tremendous job. I found myself smiling more and more as read. I will keep that idea in mind for my mom in the years to come. Glad your trip turned out so great. Definitely a different pace from my recent trip. GB :wave:

 

[figmentmom]

Thanks for reading, everyone! We had a great time. I mailed the photo album to Dad about a week after our trip, and he is still raving about it. There's nothing on earth quite like a trip to WDW - and there's also nothing that compares to the memories we bring home with us! :wave:

 

[bellanotte]

I loved your report, especially the part about giving your dad the photo album!! After last year's trip with my mom's side of the family including my grandmother, who has trouble walking quickly or for long periods, I know what it's like doing DW with a relative in a PCV. We went at Christmas and it was so busy and so hard for her to navigate the crowds! We made it through and my grandma really enjoyed the trip, but it is definitely difficult to manage the crowds.
Thanks again for posting such a wonderful trip report!

 

[skippah1960]

An inspiring account, thank you. I have always tried to tell those who believe that WDW is for kids, is that inside all of us (some deeper than others) lives a kid just itching to get out and play, and Walt Disney knew how to reach that inner child and set him/her free if not for only a few days. I only wish I could convince my parents to give it a whirl. Age has NOTHING to do with it.


Merry Christmas!!! (going to WDW 12/24 -12 31 yeeehaaa)

 

[figmentmom]

Looking back, I think the biggest worries my Dad had prior to our trip were that he'd be unable to get around because of his arthritis (the PCV and wheelchair rentals took care of that one!), that he'd be unable to stick to his food plan (everywhere we ate, there were many, many healthy food choices available that fit right into his diet), that he'd slow me down (absolutely NOT true! :lol: ), and that he was just too old to really enjoy WDW (also absolutely not true, much to Dad's delight!)

If you are trying to talk a senior relative into accompanying you on a trip, feel free to share our experiences with them. It was definitely worthwhile for us - you won't regret it! :wave:

 

[Nicole]

Thanks for this great trip report. I am trying to work on my parents to spend a week at WDW with us next year - most likely in November, and will have to let them know how great your experiences were. Fortunately my parents are still very mobile and we won't have to deal with the PCV issue, but they do have some dietary restrictions so it's good to know that's workable too.

 

[Debbie]

Your trip report was so nice to read! Glad you had a great time; your dad is blessed to have a patient daughter, who made sure this was his trip, and the memories you took home with you are priceless.
It's a different story taking in-laws and parents. Every time we take Don's parents (ages 72 and 80), we go into knowing this is THEIR trip, and we always say to one another "this also might be their last". So we make sure they enjoy themselves and hopefully Lil'Don will remember the fun trips we had with MawMaw and PawPaw.