Help with for fp+ reservations for aunt with Down's, neck issues

[34or35]

Hello! I am hoping someone can help me...
I am going to be making fast pass selections for my aunt with Down's. My husband, kids, and I have been to the parks several times. I feel like I have a good handle on what is going to be appropriate for my aunt (and my mom- her guardian), but because they have not been to WDW before, I cannot be certain. I was hoping someone could review my plan and let me know if there are any obvious problems.

Background information-
My aunt is 50, mobile but we will likely rent her a wheelchair to give her a break and expedite her movements around the park, has had a few falls over the past year, can get kind of agitated with waits or become too 'friendly/affectionate' with people in close proximity (always with the best and purest of intentions), has some urgent bathroom needs from time to time, and has an issue that she cannot have any jerking movements due to a neck issue.

The general plan-
my aunt and mom will be meeting us at WDW for the last three days of our trip. On the first day they are there, we plan to spend the evening at DHS having dinner and seeing Fantasmic. Initially I planned to get her a fp+ for TSMM, but after reading here that some find the ride jerk-y, I realized that's true! So maybe I'll sign her up for the great movie ride? Or maybe one of the stage shows? The only issue is that by the time they get to the park, we will have already used our fp+ (On TSMM for my kids) and if we can't get another for the GMR or get seats near them in the show, they may have to do this on their own. This is one of the problems I keep running into... coordinating the needs of my aunt/ mom with the wants of my children (ages 4,6, and 9). I'm hoping it won't be as big of an issue as I worry it will be. My children are very understanding of Karen (my aunt) and will not have a problem understanding that we are doing things a little differently this time, but I would like to still ensure that they do some of the things they look forward to at WDW.
But, back to the plan-
The next day is Epcot. I'm thinking soarin is a smooth enough ride. Would you agree? And spaceship earth? Would you not suggest those/others based on her needs as described above? One of our fast passes will be used for character greeting and she is beyond stoked to meet Mickey!! She will enjoy the world showcase I think and will probably like doing some of the Agent P stuff with my kids so that should all go well. We should skip the Ellen thing bc of the bathroom issues, I think.
Now, the last day- magic kingdom. I'm thinking no Peter pan if the moving walkway cannot be stopped. I'd be afraid of her falling. I have read that the little mermaid will be down while we are there. I am trying to figure if there are any rides that would be good for her and check things off the kids' list at the same time. Kind of a "two birds with one stone/fastpass" thing. Would pirates be something too jarring for her? What about Jungle Cruise? Dumbo/Aladdin?

I think she will be delighted with just about everything at Disney. I am looking forward to seeing her react to the characters and marvel at the magic of the parks. I am just struggling with what I should choose for her for fastpasses. I don't really want to use a fp on something that never really has a long wait to begin with. And I don't want to choose something that is jarring and I haven't noticed when I've been on the ride in the past.

I hope this made sense. I apologize for my rambling/typos. I am typing this on my phone with my kids climbing all over me!
Thanks for your help!

 

[Bete]

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[tobikaye]

Hello, I hope that you have a great trip. Some things I would suggest would be to check out this thread, disABILITIES FAQs. Posts 18-23 and 28 on page 2 should help you out some. When you get to the parks, ask for the "Guide for Guests with Mobility Disabilities". This will help you with where to go at each attraction with the wheelchair. Most lines are mainstreamed, but some still are not.

It can be difficult to put together a trip with a special needs individual, I have a difficult time when taking my special needs sister. Some days she is more adventurous and others she is very timid.

Something that helps me with attractions is going through a list and thinking about everything from entering the lines to exiting. Many of the attractions my sister will like, but the lines entering or exiting are the problems due to certain fears. If anything, make FP+ reservations based on what you think your aunt would enjoy. If anything you can split up different people based on what they might like.

DHS:
I think TSM might be too jerky for your aunt, especially if she cannot handle any jerking at all. As for GMR, you can always make them a FP+ and then try to make additional FP+ for your group after you use up the 3 you have to match the time of your mom and aunt. Depending on when you try to ride, there might not be much of a wait at all. I think any of the live shows, Muppets, Little Mermaid, or Disney Jr. might work great for her.

Another fun thing you could do with your aunt and kids would be to go over to the Streets of America and come up with fun pictures with everyone. My cousin, her wife and I did this with my sister one evening during EMH. We had most of the area to ourselves and we had a blast dancing around and setting up funny pictures.

Epcot:
Soarin may or may not be an issue for her neck. I would suggest requesting the middle or lower row. My mom has neck issues and her neck was starting to hurt towards the end. We were in the row that went up the highest so we had to look down for some of the ride. I think Spaceship Earth should be fine, but there is the one section that goes backwards, make sure she is prepared because that can be an issue on the neck.

The characters will likely be a hit, make sure to try and hit the characters in WS. My sister has had some great interactions with most characters, but it is fun to watch her talking with the face characters.

Surprisingly, my sister enjoys Living with the Land, but I think it is because it is a boat ride. You might want to try The Seas with Nemo for your aunt as well. My sister has a darkness phobia that makes it an issue on some rides.

MK:
My sister is not fast enough for Peter Pan as she has arthritis, but she absolutely loves Jungle Cruise, Dumbo, and Aladdin. She also really enjoys it's a small world and the Liberty Belle Riverboat. I think you might want to try Monster's Inc. Laugh In and Mickey's Philharmonic as they could be fun for your aunt and kids together. You might also want to do the carousel, your aunt can always sit in a chariot if she does not want to go up and down.

 

[34or35]

Thank you so much for your helpful reply! As a photography lover, the fun photo shoots in DHS sound like lots of fun! Plus Karen loves pictures; she watches the slideshow of pictures on her iPad every day so that's a great idea. I can put all of the pictures we take during the trip on her iPad and she can relive the magic every day.
Living with the Land is a must for sure. My kids have been telling my mom about the tomato trees there for years so they will enjoy taking her to see them and Karen will like that, as well.
The only thing at MK that I still don't really have an idea about whether it will be a good fit for Karen or not is Enchanted Tales with Belle. Do you (or anyone else) have an opinion on this? We haven't been to that attraction ourselves (though we watched it on YouTube), but it seems like it would be fine for Karen. But having not done it myself, it's even harder than usual to predict if it will be appropriate for Karen. But it seems like one of the attractions that we might need a fp+ to avoid a long wait so I think I might should get one for us. Even if she didn't directly participate, I think she'd enjoy watching.
Thanks again for the advice. I will make note of it all!

 

[tobikaye]

Thank you so much for your helpful reply! As a photography lover, the fun photo shoots in DHS sound like lots of fun! Plus Karen loves pictures; she watches the slideshow of pictures on her iPad every day so that's a great idea. I can put all of the pictures we take during the trip on her iPad and she can relive the magic every day.
Living with the Land is a must for sure. My kids have been telling my mom about the tomato trees there for years so they will enjoy taking her to see them and Karen will like that, as well.
The only thing at MK that I still don't really have an idea about whether it will be a good fit for Karen or not is Enchanted Tales with Belle. Do you (or anyone else) have an opinion on this? We haven't been to that attraction ourselves (though we watched it on YouTube), but it seems like it would be fine for Karen. But having not done it myself, it's even harder than usual to predict if it will be appropriate for Karen. But it seems like one of the attractions that we might need a fp+ to avoid a long wait so I think I might should get one for us. Even if she didn't directly participate, I think she'd enjoy watching.
Thanks again for the advice. I will make note of it all!

I have not taken my sister since the FL expansion. We were just in the area there before a cruise, but we did not make it to the parks. I think my sister would enjoy ETWB, especially if her energy was up enough to let her volunteer for one of the adult parts. I think she would still enjoy just watching.

I would think your aunt would enjoy just watching, especially if one of your kids volunteered as she would have people involved that she knew.

 

[tinka-belle]

Have stiff neck problems myself, and find that on the backward part at the end of Spaceship Earth my neck tenses up, same on the reverse part of the Haunted Mansion ride. Not jerky at all, but involuntary tensing might be an issue if that would bother her.

 

[LATJLP]

Enchanted Tales with Belle is not a ride, it's more of a show. The line can sometimes be long, and sometimes it's a walk on, so if waiting is an issue, I'd get a FP+ just to be safe. The line is pleasant enough because it has a lot of visual things to see. Once inside you sit on benches (without backs) and listen to Belle recount her story. Some of the audience members are asked to play different characters in the story, so it can be interactive, but if this is a problem, simply don't raise your hand to be chosen.

Another show that I didn't see mentioned at DHS is Beauty and The Beast. Like Little Mermaid it is a theatrical retelling of their story. I personally like the DHS B&B much better than Enchanted Tales with Belle.

 

[mom-2-3]

My son is 13 w/ Ds but does not have Atlanto axial instability as I am guessing is what you are referring to with your aunt. He does just about everything at disney except RRC, EE and SM. He did BTM ONCE - too loud. I'm not sure how sensitive her condition is, but my concern would be even on the calmest of boat rides (as my husband refers to them ) there is the potential for the bumping and jerking as the boat transitions to and from the conveyor belts used in the loading areas. Have a wonderful time experiencing this with her and your family !