Disney World with an older family member

[carlsons92]

OK-so, my mother-in-law is taking myself, my wife and our two kids to Disney World, with the trip kicking off on Sunday and we’ll be hitting up the first park on Monday (can’t recall which one). She (mother-in-law) just turned 70, and although I know 70 isn’t necessarily considered all that old, I don’t know that she fully understands the amount of walking, heat and humidity that will accompany this trip. She does go on short walks around her neighborhood and is involved in a variety of post-retirement activities, but that’s about the extent of her level of active-ness these days. If I’m being honest, my wife and I are expecting her to get pretty exhausted fairly early on-she’s told us that if the four of us want to wait in line for any rides, she can wait for us, but with her funding this trip that sounds like a terrible idea just to leave her all by herself while we wait in line(s) for an hour or more over and over again (minus any rides where we use Genie+). We’re also not going to force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do, but another worry is that one of us will then have to sit with her while the other three enjoy a ride together-this is not why we’re going, for one or more people to miss out on large portions of the trip. Again, I know some older folks have gone to Disney and done just fine, but knowing this woman I don’t believe she remembers what the Disney experience is like (the last time she was there was when my wife was a kid, back in the early ‘90s) and doesn’t really understand that it’s not necessarily a sightseeing trip but one that involves waiting in line to go on rides more often than not. Again, that’s not factoring in the amount of walking and weather conditions (when I just checked my weather app earlier, the temperature was close to 100 degrees).

I’m not trying to overreact, be paranoid or anticipate a situation where I may be wrong-heck, everything might just work out fine. I also recognize that our children are a major focus here and their enjoyment is paramount. At the same time, there’s no reason why the three adults shouldn’t also have fun, and I’m concerned that she’s going to have a rough go of this. Finally, I’m genuinely worried that a week of the five of us together every waking moment is going to get old-for the four of us, that’s not a problem, but we’ve never been in a situation like this for an entire week with the mother-in-law.

Thoughts?

 

[Karakasa]

I would heavily suggest renting an ECV - if you're staying on-site, you can rent one from a local rental place, which will drop it off at the resort your check-in day or the day after you book the rental, and pick it back up when you check out. I'm sure they'd do it for off-site hotels as well. If you don't want to "cheat", have your mother-in-law park outside the attraction if the only way on is cutting in line with the ECV. But for most attractions, you just go through the line normally with it, and since she can transfer from it, there's no ride she can't go on (unless she has other health limitations). The bonus is that a lot of ECVs have baskets on the front so you could use it to hold things like water bottles and the like. So if she's prideful and wouldn't want to do it because she feels she can handle it, point out how useful it would be in that way; or, if you do notice her getting tired, bring it up as an option for the remaining days of the trip. The charge usually lasts long enough for a full day at the parks, especially if you do park it and turn it off at points like when you go in to eat at a restaurant.

People make jokes about the electric scooters but someone with ambulatory issues is exactly who they're for. There is no shame in using them.

I will say, an older relative I used to travel with was able to still do Disney lines and walking at 70 with about the level of normal daily activity you bring up, less so, even. It was around them turning 75 which is when we started renting the ECV. But of course, people age differently. Do note these were mid-2000s crowds, though, so your mileage may vary.

 

[Raxel7851]

Well I’m 70 and my DW 67. We spent 9 days at WDW the first part of May. We averaged 7 miles a day when we did the parks. 2 days we did the pool in the morning, but still did 4 miles. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Everyone is different, but just need to pace yourself and know your limits. I had a friend that went and his wife walked too much and developed a bad leg condition that required a trip to the pharmacy for medication.

 

[We love Edna Mode]

I took my dad well into his 70’s with his grandson. My dad is gone quite a while now, but my son still talks about all the fun we had on those trips! Go slow and enjoy,you don’t have to be together every moment. There were times when I went on rides and they just hung out and people watched. They always looked so happy!!

 

[RememberWhen]

My 71 year old mom will be joining me and my two kids, DD5 and DD1 in July. I don’t expect any problems, but we’re planning a 5yo friendly pace. My mom does usually walk a few miles a day in her regular life, and she’s a huge Disney fan (DVC member, AP holder, stockholder, etc) so it’s not quite the same. She doesn’t like all of the rides, but does enjoy many and she’s excited for guardians!

 

[JTH781]

I would just take it day by day and if needed rent a ECV from Disney if needed.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Well you don't really seem to have a question here so I guess I'm not sure what you want us to tell you?

Personally I think you're overthinking it all.
And does she have a condition that she would have forgotten that she had to wait in lines in the 90's?
If she helped plan/pay for the trip I'm guessing she understands how WDW works.
Did she say she will not be going on attractions/watching shows or are you assuming she won't? Not sure why she wouldn't enjoy the majority of rides and shows... (Makes me wonder if you understand what the attractions are like since the last time you went was as a child so you may not recall things as clearly as an adult would)
I also think you underestimate her activity levels. Walks through the neighborhood and participating in social activities is more than some seniors do. (Not everyone is a marathon runner/cyclist so I think that is clouding your judgement)
If it all comes down to you don't think she can walk and stand all day then there is always the option of renting a wheelchair/ECV. (Unless she has outright said she won't consider that as an option if she finds herself tired out.)

 

[Vacationeer]

We did a similar trip and 100% zero regrets. It turned out lovely and the grandkids cherish the memories.
We didn’t out right tell the kids this might be grandma’s last WDW trip, but we did prepare them with it being a special trip and it’s OK going at grandma’s pace because we will be back.
She was active but had occasional leg pain so we decided on an ECV thru Gold Mobility. Probably the one single choice that most positively impacted our trip. Highly recommend. If pride is an issue, say it can be parked when not needed or someone else can take a turn when she wants to walk.
We planned our days with the ability to take a long break everyday. To our surprise we all went rope drop to park close. Grandma was a trooper. We had such a wonderful time together.
We split up on a few occasions. Grandma went poking around the shops or whatnot, and we had a set meet-back-up time/place. But she actually did most rides with us. Soaring’, Mine Train, Splash Mtn… no problems. We didn’t do Mission Space, ToT or the bigger coasters. We went during a free food offer and had one long table service daily. That down time relaxing in the AC helped.
I was prepared to make sure grandma was ok and adjust to any need. In daily life she had kind of an outspoken personality. She was so enthralled with the trip the one and only thing she complained about was the green beans being under cooked at BoG, lol. She was fine and without much help from us besides being considerate. We’re so happy we took that trip. We lost Nanny 7 years later to Covid and a hard turn into dementia. Seeing those WDW pictures together fills our hearts.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Your MiL is paying for the trip but I’m sure she wants you and the kids to have fun. She also probably wants to revisit some of the fond memories and rides she had back in the 90s. I’d recommend you as a family sit down together and discuss how the parks have changed, and come up with some understanding of how the trip dynamics will work for the enjoyment of all of you. Let her plan the things she wants as far as rides and shows. And you do the same for yourselves. If she tires out there’s no reason she can’t head back to the resort to rest mid day and meet up with you later if she needs to. Plan out shady spots for her to wait while you are in line or have her wander the shops. I’d not feel that because she’s paying you must center the trip solely on her. Find out how she would best handle being behind for a possible extended time. Sit with a book handy, people watch, sit with a snack, whatever she thinks would make her happy. I would be honest and let her understand you all want to ride together and not separate to sit with her at those times.
Opening up channels of communications now and honestly discussing everything before you go will will prevent bad feelings or problems when your trip is over and you return home.
Bottom line is you don’t want a trip that anyone regrets doing.

 

[Rob562]

A friend brought his mother to the parks. They rented an ECV from an outside company. She didn't use it all the time, sometimes she would park it, go on a couple nearby attractions, and then come back to it. It allowed her to use it when she needed it, leave it when she didn't, and still make it all the way through the day.

-Rob

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Rent an ECV from an outside company that will drop it off at the resort. Take 15-30 minutes at the resort for her to get used to driving it and she will be able to take it on the bus. Trust me, she will thank you later.

 

[DfromATX]

We are going in January with my 75 year old mom and my nephew (brother's son). We already reserved a scooter (from Scooter Bug). She recently had lung surgery but even before that, there would be no way she could walk Disney. Your MIL may be able walk everywhere fine, but how will she do in the heat and humidity?

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

It's awesome that you're being so thoughtful and considerate and appreciative.

Two tips:

#1 make sure everyone in your party stays hydrated (including the MIL) at all times. It's so easy to forget and regret it when someone starts feeling faint.

#2 intersperse rides with air-conditioned shows that everyone can enjoy together - so if you go off and do some rides on your own while she waits or hits the shops, you can all come back together for the shows