Traveling with Senior Citizens

In Sept. of 1996, I traveled to Disneyland with both my parents and my 82 year old grandmother. We were worried about how everyone would get along on the trip or if we would enjoy the trip as much as if we had not brought Grandma along. Thanks to some advance preparation, we had a wonderful trip. Here are some tips to help you prepare for your trip with a senior citizen.

Stay Onsite

Yes, staying on Disney property is more expensive than offsite. But now that you have Grandma or Grandpa with you, you will end up spending more time at your hotel than on previous trips. And even if you aren't Grandma and Grandpa will. You want them to be comfortable, and be able to have everything they need. The Disney staff can provide more personal service than at an offsite hotel. Staying onsite is also important because you will end up needing to go back and forth to your hotel, more than if Grandma and/or Grandpa wasn't with you, and you want the travel time to be as short as possible.

Get a Wheelchair

Grandma and/or Grandpa may not use a wheelchair in their daily life, but they probably don't walk as much as a Disney trip requires you to walk either. I suggest that if all possible bring a wheelchair from home, instead of getting one at Disney. The rental cost will most likely be cheaper, and you are guaranteed to always have it. If you don't want to bring one from home. Care Medical is a great place to rent one in Florida. If you would prefer to take your chances that you can always get on in the park, the rentals are $5 per day wit $1 refundable. Note: At the WDW resorts you can rent a wheelchair for the entire length of your stay. You need to call the resort directly about 5 days before you arrive. The cost is free but you will need to provide a credit card number.

Use Early Entry

One of the problems that will come up is that some people will want to ride the thrill rides and Grandma and/or Grandpa doesn't. One of the ways to avoid this is to take advantage of early entry. All the members of your party that would like to ride the thrill rides should use early entry, while Grandma and Grandpa stay at the hotel. This will let them get a little more rest, and you the opportunity to ride things like Space Mountain, the Matterhorn or Tower of Terror. Once the rest of the park has opened you can ride Splash Mountain or Big Thunder before heading back to the hotel.

Picking up Grandma

About 30 min. after the park's official opening you should head back to the hotel to pick up everyone who stayed behind. If you plan to eat in the park, only one person needs to go back while other people can still ride. After everyone has eaten it's time to tour with Grandma and/or Grandpa.

Pick up Disney's Guidebook for People with Disabilities.

This is available in City Hall and will provide info about traveling with wheelchairs.

Riding with Grandma

Most likely, at some point Grandma will say, "You guys ride, and i'll just stay here." But you didn't bring her all the way just watch! You should have a pretty good idea on which attractions they will like, make sure they get to ride those.

Know Grandma's Limits

But make sure you don't get caught up in your own plan of attack and just drag Grandma and/or Grandpa around all day. My Grandma wouldn't always tell us when she was getting tired and needed a rest. If at somepoint you get a sudden urge to ride something you know they don't want to do, find a place for them to sit in the shade. Get them something cool to drink, and go enjoy the ride. They will appreciate the rest, and you'll appreciate the time by yourself.

Nap Time

Sometime in the afternoon you will need to return to the hotel to let Grandma and/or Grandpa take a nap. On our trip we would leave about 2:00 and return to the park around 5:00. This gets everyone out of the sun; those who want to take a nap can, or it gives you time to swim in the hotel pool.

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Page last updated January 13,1999