Travelling with a 77 year old 1st timer.

[gailiE]

In the process of booking a 23 night trip to Orlando in October, have been many times before but never with my 77 year old Mum (Dad passed last year), we will be staying in a private villa with pool on 192 near Medieval Times, hiring a 7 seater minivan (5 travelling together), just looking for some tips to make the journey and holiday a little less hectic. thanksx

[spondishy]

Hi gailiE,

I think it would be unfair to make assumptions on how spritely your 77 year young Mum is, but as a Disney Vet, you know how tiring it can be. One thing I would say is that you know you'll be putting in a really long walk around the parks. How would your Mum feel about hiring a chair at the parks?

I guess the first good thing you've done is booked a long trip. That'll give you loads of R&R time at your villa, so at least you won't be cramming theme parks in day after day.

The weather in Orlando is still pretty warm at that time of year, so watching out for the sun, try to keep shaded and taking on plenty of liquids is a must. Also, make sure you break for lunch and take afternoon siesta's if necessary.

I'm assuming you've gone for a direct flight?

[gailiE]

I'm trying to be positive about using a chair, I get the look off her though when I mention it, but we've got till the end of September to work on her. Ive been that time of year before, and found the weather very managable, and as Mum has aged she feels the cold more, so hopefully it will be the perfect time for her. Does anyone know how much it costs to hire the chairs in the parks? Thanks for the advice, and yes wouldnt go on anything but a direct flight (hate flying at the best of times) Virgin Airways.

[spondishy]

For a standard wheelchair it's $10 a day. The electronic convenience vehicles (ECV) are a whopping $45 a day.

Full details from the Disney site.

Walt Disney World Resort - Detecting Browser Properties . . .

[myliladam]

2 yrs ago we i took my 68 y/o mother who was very against an ECV but because it was my son's first time at wdw she didn't want to miss the excitement and he knew the walking would be out of the question she agreed she had the best time and was so glad she did so go ahead talk her into it she'll be glad you did!