kboo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2014
Our immediate family has been to WDW many times - my DDs are 7, 3 - but it's our first time during the winter holidays. My 82 yo MIL was widowed last January and it is HER VERY FIRST TIME. She is more capable than she gives herself credit, but she does have some knee arthritis and we will be renting a scooter for her. We'll also have a double stroller (no judging - it gets the kids where we need to go and quickly when they are tired). We are staying at the Contemporary (BLT). We've got our ADRs planned and FP+ set up already. The whole time we are there (Tues - Sun) it looks like heavy crowds, and since we are staying at BLT we are planning to spend most of our time at MK. I'm hoping that more experienced Thanksgiving/winter holiday travelers can give us some tips for visiting the parks at this (crowded) time.
1. Holiday fun/Parks
Since we are staying at BLT, we were planning on spending 3 days at MK and 1 each at AK and EP. My kids enjoy any parks. We've broken up some of the FP so the kids can go on some roller coasters while DH and his mom take some mellower rides. Given the crowds, and the likelihood we will be moving more slowly than most families, is it realistic to expect to do more rides than our FP?
Other than WL and GF, (and we will likely visit Poly too), are there other places we should visit for holiday fun?
Are we spending enough time at EP? The Festival of Lights looks really interesting, and I think MIL would really enjoy WS. We are planning one long full day there (with kids resting in the stroller), but do you have suggestions on the best way to enjoy EP and the Festival of Lights?
2. Age/Mobility issues
We will do some resort hopping (some of our ADRs are WL and GF), but we are trying to minimize our use of buses given MIL's scooter and our stroller. We have used uber/Lyft in the parks before, but that's with just the kids and 2 able-bodied adults (I will be about 3 weeks post-shoulder-surgery, so I will only have use of ~1.5 arms) so I'm hesitant to put more of a load on DH... any suggestions on how to manage all that? We are thinking (hoping) that MIL's mild arthritis means we can use stroller and scooter to get into the park, park them at a convenient central location and walk in the general area, and then move the scooter and stroller when we move on. Does anyone have any other tips on getting around?
3. MIL's FIRST TRIP EVER
I plan on making MIL wear her 1st timer button everywhere. She spent the last 5 years caring for FIL and has never really had a chance to enjoy herself. Just the other day, she said that the last time she was in Florida vacationing with FIL after their retirement, she'd wanted to go to WDW and FIL wasn't interested, so they didn't go. That kind of encapsulates their whole 55+ year marriage... Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make this first trip special? We have an ADR at CRT and a dinner at BOG; are there shows or events that she might especially like, that we can also do with our kids? MIL has some anxiety and is not a spa person, so pampering will not feel like pampering to her, and at least 1 adult, if not all of us, need to be with her so she doesn't feel anxious.
Thanks again for any suggestions you have! I know this board is usually aimed at tips for little kids - here I'm mainly looking for the opposite.
1. Holiday fun/Parks
Since we are staying at BLT, we were planning on spending 3 days at MK and 1 each at AK and EP. My kids enjoy any parks. We've broken up some of the FP so the kids can go on some roller coasters while DH and his mom take some mellower rides. Given the crowds, and the likelihood we will be moving more slowly than most families, is it realistic to expect to do more rides than our FP?
Other than WL and GF, (and we will likely visit Poly too), are there other places we should visit for holiday fun?
Are we spending enough time at EP? The Festival of Lights looks really interesting, and I think MIL would really enjoy WS. We are planning one long full day there (with kids resting in the stroller), but do you have suggestions on the best way to enjoy EP and the Festival of Lights?
2. Age/Mobility issues
We will do some resort hopping (some of our ADRs are WL and GF), but we are trying to minimize our use of buses given MIL's scooter and our stroller. We have used uber/Lyft in the parks before, but that's with just the kids and 2 able-bodied adults (I will be about 3 weeks post-shoulder-surgery, so I will only have use of ~1.5 arms) so I'm hesitant to put more of a load on DH... any suggestions on how to manage all that? We are thinking (hoping) that MIL's mild arthritis means we can use stroller and scooter to get into the park, park them at a convenient central location and walk in the general area, and then move the scooter and stroller when we move on. Does anyone have any other tips on getting around?
3. MIL's FIRST TRIP EVER
I plan on making MIL wear her 1st timer button everywhere. She spent the last 5 years caring for FIL and has never really had a chance to enjoy herself. Just the other day, she said that the last time she was in Florida vacationing with FIL after their retirement, she'd wanted to go to WDW and FIL wasn't interested, so they didn't go. That kind of encapsulates their whole 55+ year marriage... Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make this first trip special? We have an ADR at CRT and a dinner at BOG; are there shows or events that she might especially like, that we can also do with our kids? MIL has some anxiety and is not a spa person, so pampering will not feel like pampering to her, and at least 1 adult, if not all of us, need to be with her so she doesn't feel anxious.
Thanks again for any suggestions you have! I know this board is usually aimed at tips for little kids - here I'm mainly looking for the opposite.