Slowing Down

[YoJDew]

Hey fellow Mouseketeers,

I am planning a 7-day trip to WDW in August with my husband, 3-year-old Villain-loving daughter, and my 63-year-old mom. My mom has never been and I'm a bit concerned that she will have trouble with the physical demands of the trip. She does not need an ECV or a wheelchair, she's just not in very good shape, has diabetes, and moves slowly and laboriously. I'm concerned about how she will deal with the heat and all of the walking. My plan is to start early and take it slow, space apart our FPs, take frequent water and sit-down breaks, and hit up the air-conditioned attractions between outside attractions. I think we will be fine at MK, HS, and Epcot; but AK is a concern. It seems to be 10x hotter there than anywhere else. We also have a one-day bonus pass to a water park so will definitely take advantage of that.

The rough plan is as follows:

Saturday - check in at WL and chill at the resort
Sunday - hit MK for Welcome Show, get FPs for Mickey M&G and 7DMT and whatever else is available in Fantasyland. Spend the morning at Fantasyland. Early lunch at BRG and then head back to WL for a nap/pool time. Leave the afternoon open for whatever, since it's the first day and I don't want to blow our wad right off the bat!
Monday - Hollywood Studios. Here's where it gets tricky. Since we won't be able to hoof it from the gate to Toy Story to be early in line due to restricted mobility, that means we have to do FP for that, and take our chances on good seats for B&B and wait in line for Aerosmith (I'll probably be on my own for that one). The tier 2 FPs will be for Frozen Singalong (duh) and probably Tower for me and mom while the LO and DH do Disney Jr or something. Lunch wherever and back to WL for nap & pool.
Evening is chill at Epcot and dinner at Biergarten. Might just be me and moms for that.

The rest is a work in progress but continues along those lines. Any advice or feedback from anyone who has done a similar trip would be most welcome! TIA

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

We took my M-I-L in August 2003. She was a similar age to your mum, mobile, but couldn't do lots of walking.

We took her UK disabled parking pass and were able to park the car right up by the park entrances. She hired a wheelchair. It was there for her to sit in and be pushed when tired, and she could push it providing her with extra stability when she walked. When she got tired of it she left it to my daughters to push around empty.

Set a comfortable pace and keep cool (not easy in August) and hydrated

 

[Rogue21]

IMHO, the hardest part for you will be balancing the enthusiasm of your 3 yr old and the limitations of your Mom. But, maybe she'll surprise you. My parents went for the first time when they were both 70 and they couldn't wait to go back!

I've taken my folks several times; the last trip in 2012 was after my Dad had knee replacement surgery. Definitely took it a lot slower that trip with frequent bench stops. Turned out to be one of the best trips. Of course, we didn't have a child with us -- not physically anyway.

It does seem like you have the right idea though -- slow pace, spread out the Fastpasses, time to rest in the heat of the day and stay hydrated. It also may help that you seem willing to split up when necessary. And since it can be oppressively hot/humid in August, maybe see if you can get those scarves that can be cooled or iced.

Good luck!

 

[Master Yoda]

Even though you might think she does not need it and she will most likely resist, I would highly recommend renting a wheel chair and using it much like you would a stroller.

My mother was in good shape and walked several miles a day. It was at a slow pace, but she did it. Even with all that going for her, she could not keep up with the walking demands of WDW.

She too resisted at first, but by about 3:00 PM on day one she relented and let us push her around in the chair. She would have been utterly miserable by day two had we not used the wheel chair.

 

[LAKid53]

Given how hot and oppressive the humidity will be in August (even for those of us who live in Florida) - and your mother's physical conditions - I would lovingly override her objections and rent a wheel chair; you might check to see if you can find a clip on umbrella (similar to those for beach chairs) for the wheel chair. Everyone else in the park will be looking for a shaded bench to sit down on and those air conditioned rides. And as everyone else said, make sure you stay hydrated. You can get free ice water if you ask at the counter service spots. I've been tempted to take that cup of ice water and dump it over my head to cool off.

And have that Plan B - one of you can take your mother back to the resort if the need arises. At that time of the year, heat exhaustion is a real concern for her.

Did I misread your post? You are waiting until the day you visit MK to obtain a FP+ for 7DMT? If you wait until that day and not get one when your 60 day window opens up, you probably won't get one. The usual standby time is at least 45 minutes and about 30% of the standby line is not shaded.

Remember that Rock 'n' Rollercoaster has a single rider line which should lessen your standby time. Kuddos to your mom for riding ToT - my late 20s daughter did it once and we'd have to drug her to get her to do it again.

Have a great trip!

 

[YoJDew]

Oh no way, I won't be waiting until the day of to get the FPs! For one thing, I'm a Virgo; and for another, I know that's not an option because I barely eked out a FP for myself last year when we went in December, and that was at the STROKE of midnight on the 60-day mark!

As for the TOT, my plan is just not to tell her anything until we get on the queue. That's how I first experienced it and I was terrified (I don't like free falls) but I loved it. On second thought... Maybe it's not a good idea...

 

[YoJDew]

Totally forgot about Single-Rider lines! Good tip. And yes, I'm thinking more and more that a wheelchair might be a good idea... And LO can ride on Grandma's lap if she gets tired, so that's a nice bonus.

Thanks for your tips, all!

 

[LAKid53]

Oh no way, I won't be waiting until the day of to get the FPs! For one thing, I'm a Virgo; and for another, I know that's not an option because I barely eked out a FP for myself last year when we went in December, and that was at the STROKE of midnight on the 60-day mark!

As for the TOT, my plan is just not to tell her anything until we get on the queue. That's how I first experienced it and I was terrified (I don't like free falls) but I loved it. On second thought... Maybe it's not a good idea...

Yeah, I'd let her know in advance. I avoided the ride every time we visited DHS. And then I went to WDW by myself last July and made a FP+ for ToT. I was a little apprehensive, to say the least. But the ride was so much fun and I chided myself for being such a scaredy cat all those previous visits.

I had to bribe my daughter to ride it - she sat between me and her BF, holding our hands - and I don't think she will ever forgive me. And we have the video they took - the look on her face is priceless! lol