Tips for taking mom on a Disney trip?

[kwdw]

As for a place to stay, I’d recommend POFQ. It’s a mod, so a step up from a value, and it sounds like this is a mother daughter trip. AKL and WL are cheaper deluxe options if you want to be nicer. While the Tower at Coronado is super nice, the sink is in the same room as the toilet and shower so I think that hinders privacy options. As for the DVC rental options, make sure you understand the bed arrangements. While even as an adult I could share a bed with my mom, we still slept better in hotel rooms with our own beds. The Murphy beds are fine to sleep on, but I don’t think either of you want to sleep on a sofa bed.

As for rides, start with basics and see how she likes things. Due to my age and a bad back, I don’t ride Space Mountain anymore because it’s too jerky and I feel banged up afterwards. Have her watch some ride videos for some of the more thrill rides. The other things I don’t ride are because I get nauseous and that has nothing to do with age for me as that’s been true all my life. There is so much to do Disney, there’s no need to push rides she is unsure of.

Have fun!

 

[WestieChic04]

I'm planning to take my mom on trip to Disney World and looking for any advice on what people in her age range would enjoy that I may have missed on my previous trip. Ive been in recent years for a bachelorette party, girls trip and to celebrate an 18 year olds birthday. My mom is in her early 60s and super active, it has just been about 20 years since she has been on a rollercoaster and she herself isnt sure if its for her anymore. We went to Disney a few times when I was a kid but we could really only afford 1 Disney day and 1 day at another park (like universal or busch gardens), so she has only ever been to Magic Kingdom. I for sure want to take a day for each park and build in days for us to hang out and explore the resorts. I'd love to hear what others enjoy doing on a bit of a slower paced vacation. She also isnt much of a drinker so maybe any bars with good mocktail recommendations?
We've also never stayed at a Disney hotel and I want to make it a special trip so id like to stay at one. Grand Floridian would be great, but im concerned it will be a bit of a stretch with budget as i'd like to cover every part of her trip, so if anyone has any cheaper options you would recommend i'd appreciate it!

We took my mother recently and she loved to check out the different hotels, especially during the holiday season. She’s not much of a thrill ride person but enjoyed the restaurants we went to and watching the many shows.

 

[ShannyMcB]

Contemporary would be a good option that is a bit more budget friendly than GF. The garden wing is quite nice. I've heard good things about grand Destino tower. And CBR may be worth checking out for the skyliner.
My in-laws overlapped vaca with us, both in 2021 just my FIL 2022. My FIL was living his best life that week let me tell you! He would act like he was leaving the parks when we did with the kids then he would loop back, grab snacks, and jump in any single rider line he could find.
But seriously....if mom is not a coaster fan so many other great rides. My in-laws (just shy of 70 when we went) adored flight of passage and kali river rapids along with pretty much all the coasters...I have a great pic of them from slinky dog.
We did a fireworks cruise and if you have a big enough group the private ones are more economical than the group ones if you don't mind trading high end desserts for grab and go snacks. Those couple of hours cruising the lagoon, chatting with the boat captain and watching the fireworks together (my kids first time seeing them live) was truly magic.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

We took my mother on her first ever Disney trip at 89 yrs old! She was a very spry and active woman, but we did rent her an ECV for the entire trip. She loved it as she had given up driving a few years prior to that. One night, she walked from the France Pavilion to the edge of the parking lot, as she felt like stretching her legs and did not like to drive in crowds after dark! We avoided the coaster-style rides with her but she enjoyed almost every other attraction and show. She was a bit claustrophobic and some of the tight, dark queues caused her some uneasiness but she was pretty game for everything. I only wish I had a smidgen of her fitness and stamina at 70. I may not walk far but I still love all the thrill rides.

As far as choosing a resort, does your mother have any strong preferences or requirements for her accommodations? The advice to avoid anyone sleeping on a pullout bed is very sound! Those things can be extremely hard on adults. Some people really like/want their own bathroom, so a family suite at AoA might be the answer. The Murphy beds are pretty cool there.

Do either of you lean toward the theme or atmosphere of a certain resort? What are your dining preferences? I know there are lot of planning considerations, transportation-wise, but since you and your Mom sound like able-bodied travellers, and are not dealing with the trappings of small children, using Disney transportation to move around can be part of the adventure! Wishing you an absolutely wonderful trip!

 

[jimmymc]

Coronado Springs seems to be a favorite for adult only trips. I haven't stayed there yet, but it gets a lot of good reviews, especially the tower rooms.

Any resort with Skyliner or Monorail access is nice and a big upgrade over the busses.

For resort days, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge are two of my favorites. The monorail resorts are fun to walk around but can be crowded, so it might be nice to visit them on an off-day but stay somewhere quieter.

Port Orleans French Quarter and Saratoga have good access to Disney Springs. Old Key West and PO Riverside are on the same boat route, but a bit more spread out.

 

[Miffy]

I had never looked into it before but someone else mentioned it above and it looks like a significantly cheaper option!

It is a cheaper option than paying for a Deluxe, however, you should know going in that DVC rentals are usually payable in advance, the dates are set in stone, and your payment is nonrefundable. Supposedly there are some travel insurance plans that would cover this if something happened, but I myself am not familiar with any such plan. So . . . be careful before you make that leap.

For a mod, I recommend POFQ, which is where we now stay that we've been priced out of AKL. However, if you could afford AKL and your mother loves animals, this is the place to be. So what if it's isolated or remote or whatever, it's right next to DAK, the bus to MK takes just about as long as the bus from anywhere to MK, and the bus rides to DHS and Epcot aren't bad at all.

I don't ride roller coasters. Just no longer into it. But I do lots of rides in all 4 parks.

DAK: FoP (this is not a thrill ride, imo, but some people do get motion sick on it--I never have gotten even a teeny bit queasy), KS (this is a ride that an animal lover could go on multiple times in one day and still not be ready to stop!), KRR (very tame altho you get wet), Dino, Rafiki's Planet Watch (to pet the goats), and several walking trails to view animals. Plus, great food at DAK.

DHS: RotR (this is a must do and NOT a thrill ride, but it is thrilling--buy an ILL$ for this so you don't have to wait in a long line), MMRR (love this ride), TSM (another ride one could do multiple times and still want more more more). And of course B&tB show, which is always entertaining. I did not care for MFSR, but your opinion may differ. The queue was more interesting to me than the ride was. I hate Star Tours and once in ToT was enough.

Epcot: Soarin', SE, Nemo, Living with the Land, FEA, and I guess Remy, although I would never waste my time on Remy again. None of the above-mentioned rides are coasters or thrill rides. Stay away from MS Orange. I've never done Green, so I can't comment. I haven't tried GotG yet, but there are many reports of motion sickness, so I've stayed away. Don't want to ruin an entire day at WDW.

MK: Anything that isn't a coaster, and that is a LOT of rides/attractions.

Enjoy your trip!