Senior Moments of Joy at Walt Disney World: Fun for Every Generation

Last year in May, Mom and I visited Disney Springs, indulging in a little resort hopping. Mom refused to visit the parks, saying they are for kids. Not to mention the walking, standing in lines, and strollers biting your ankles. She had a wonderful time on property, so much that on Christmas Day she told me she wanted to go to Disney with me. 

My head snapped, eyes wide, “Are you messing with me?!?!!”  She was not!  The next thing I knew she bought a 5 day park hopper ticket and was researching every restaurant, ride, and attraction! I booked us Pop Century for May and the planning began for Mother’s Day and her Birthday.

Hooray for Hollywood! - WDWAO's Heather and her mom

Preparation was not going to be plain sailing though. My mom is turning 75, has trouble with her legs, and finding women's size 12 shoes is no walk in the park, if you will excuse the pun.  Clearly wheel chairs and other aids were not an option, as she refused such ideas. She also doesn’t eat out that often and Disney would not offer her her normal food choices.  Eventually, she decided on restaurants and quick serves that would meet her needs.. Mom then went on to research the rides and attractions - deciding she wanted to do every one as it had been 35+ years.

Our first day we stayed at a hotel offsite, which was an adventure on it's own, but I will save that for another time. We visited Disney Springs to activate her tickets and have a little stroll about.  Polite Pig was our choice for lunch, which was delicious.  Mom typically doesn’t eat much but she chose chili, Brussel sprouts, and I don’t recall her third choice.  She took a first bite of chili, then looks at me with eyes huge and exclaims "Yummmmm!" while squirming excitedly.  “Who is this lady?” ran through my head as I giggled at her.  I enjoyed a few bites of my three sides, looked over at mom, and she is half done, clearly enjoying her food so much.  Before I knew it she was practically licking the dishes.  "Wow! OK, mom!", LOL!

Day 2, and the true adventure begins, as we checked into Pop Century bright and early.   Our destination for today was Hollywood Studios, via the Skyliner, and started to head off.

I can barely contain myself, as I am finally at Disney with my mom, almost in tears of happiness and excitement.  Mom was ready for Aerosmith and their Rock 'N' Roller Coaster!  But Mickey had other ideas! We arrive at Hollywood and...Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, Rise of Resistance and Aerosmith were all down.  Mom was disappointed and upset. I explained this is not unusual and it will all be fine, and made our way to Tower of Terror for our first ride. Mom had fun, especially with the surprise of finding out that butts don’t stay in seats here!

The Incredible Heather & her Incredible Mom

Soon enough,  one of my favorites, Runaway Railroad was up and running, and Mom giggled as much as I did. Rise of the Resistance followed, then Smugglers Run, both were fun, and mom was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

We headed to Toy Story Land, and Mom spotted Alien Swirling Saucers, but she was unsure and didn’t want to ride it. I managed to talk her into it, and smiled when I heard her giggles galore! 

Things got even better when Rock 'N' Roller Coaster was operational again. We got in line, with Mom excited and antsy to get on it.  When we got off her first words were - "That was intense!" It was definitely a fun, one and done for her, feeling motion sick and exclaiming how much roller coasters had changed in the last 35 years! 

For lunch, we dined at ABC Commissary. Mom had a Mediterranean salad which several weeks later she was still talking about. I had the buffalo grilled cheese sandwich, not bad, but it left me confused on the flavors.

Dinner was at 50's Prime Time, but unfortunately it was one of my worst experiences at this restaurant.  They put us in a small room, off the main dining area, with a large family.  Mom was still feeling beat up from the coaster, as we had only rode it an hour before dinner.  The server encouraged the family to be as loud as possible, think screaming children at full force for no reason.  Our food was also cold and bland, which was unusual, so we decided to head back to our room for some relax time before bed. 

Whilst Mom was relaxing, I slipped out and decorated the door with birthday decorations and blank notes for messages. 

"Happy Birthday, Mom!"

This became pure excitement for me to see if mom would get new messages.  This trip was anything and everything to make mom feel special and loved. 

Day 3 was Animal Kingdom - mom’s most anticipated park! It was pouring of rain all day.  We headed straight to Kilimanjaro Safari, which turned out to be the best experience ever! We saw tons of animals, some pretty close up. Our driver/guide was easy to understand and informative, which I thanked her for when we exited, along with a Cast Compliment. Cast Compliments can be done through the My Disney Experience app. 

Next up was the peak of our excitement. Mom practically skipped to Everest and kept asking "are we there yet?".  Unfortunately, Everest turned out to be her nemesis. When we exited, she begged for a seat until she felt better.

I found her a place and after 30 min or so we headed toward Pandora, but mom told me that she still wasn’t feeling good. We stopped at Satu'li for lunch, and both had the Ocean Moon bowl. It was freezing in there, and with the rain and air conditioning I noticed Mom was shivering.  On the way to Flight of Passage she told me that she felt faint. Ohhhh boy! - time for a cast member and the nearest first aid station.

All smiles at Animal Kingdom before the Yeti attacks on Expedition Everest!

We get to first aid, and the lovely lady is a registered nurse, and as kind as can be. She checked mom out and her conclusion, naturally, was motion sickness. Mom slept on a cot for an hour and was given some medication.  We were also provided with a wheel chair to get to the busses.  Mom was still smiling but woozy.  She slept the afternoon away.  Dinner was at the Pop cafeteria - they have a peanut butter chocolate bourbon shake in there that is extremely yummy.

Day 4 started at Trattoria Al Forno for breakfast.  Mom learned the difference between grabbing the quick service every day and value for money.  They served us a delicious breakfast.

Epcot was on the agenda for today with flowers and topiaries and plants - oh my!

We enjoyed a handful of rides; Soarin', Living with the Land, Figment, Spaceship Earth and Nemo.  It was very warm so we ended up hopping to the Contemporary to hide from the sun for a while. We had dinner at Steakhouse 71 which was delicious. Our server and the manager ended up giving us a huge surprise -fireworks viewing from Top of the World at top of Bay Lake Tower! I stared in shock, Mom had no clue what was going on.  Once I recovered myself, I profusely thanked him and the manager, explaining the gravity of this generous gift to Mom. Needless to say this was an amazing experience like no other.  Mom was amazed and thought it was truly magical.

Recapturing Memories at the Magic Kingdom

Day 5 provided a taste of nostalgia in the Magic Kingdom. We didn’t ride Space Mountain, Tiana’s, or Tron, but we managed all the rest. 

The highlight was surely Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Naturally, Mom was nervous after her Everest experience, but in no time, she was giggling, laughing, and smiling from ear to ear for the entire ride.

I literally cried with joy, watching her as my heart over flowed with her excitement.  She loved it!

We dined at Sebastian’s Bistro at Caribbean Beach, which she was looking forward to since the reservation was booked.  I think this truly was one of her favorite meals of the trip. The abundance of good food was delicious, and I definitely had never seen mom eat so much ever. I think she ate enough for three!

Day 6 and we started at Animal Kingdom for the Navi boat ride. It was mesmerizing and pretty, as I believe mom described it.  Then we headed back to the entrance of the park for breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe.  I have a whole other blog (link is below) on this but is was delicious. Don’t overlook this place!

We wondered around the nature trails as we missed these on our earlier visit, owing to the attack of the Yeti on Everest. I showed mom the aviary which is a favorite area for me.  The heat was beginning to slap us around so we decided to resort hop.  Wilderness Lodge is great for a wander around and a visit Geyser Point. My top tip is to split the huge bison burger - my favorite, which quickly became Mom’s as well.

As we sat around, admiring the decor, Mom eventually asked what was next?

"Do you trust me? If so, let’s head to Animal Kingdom Lodge to see if we can get into some trouble there." I said, smiling mischievously.  Off we went, heading to Mara quick-service in search of Zebra Domes.  Mom is in a state of confusion, which has me laughing.  We secured the dessert and Mom tried her Zebra Dome for the first time. Her face with the wide eyes and "Oh my's!" Yep, we have to come back to Walt Disney World, if only for the Polite Pig and Zebra Domes!

Next, over to Epcot to look around and wait for dark to visit Moana's Journey of Water and watch the giant ball change colors. Spaceship Earth changing colors fascinates me, and I love it. Apparently it was the same when I was kid according to Mom. In Journey of Water there is a section where you choose the dry path or wet path. It is where water is falling and you walk through. Mom insisted people get soaked here and she wasn’t doing it.  I showed her a magic trick, just to be rewarded with her smile.

Day 7 was the day the adventure ends for now.  I took mom to Grand Floridian Cafe for breakfast, which she raved about it. It was the perfect opportunity to ask her to share her thoughts of the week. 

When she told me that it was exhausting fun, where she truly was able to let loose, it meant everything to me. Her only complaint? - "that it is a ton of walking and standing." Which no one can argue with really!

Mind you, crowds were not bad and we had utilized lightning lanes where we could.  Mom felt she disappointed me by being slow and having trouble getting on and off rides - especially the low sitting ones, and rides with a narrow entry/exit and lack of feet space. Part of me wanted to laugh.  Breaks were good for both of us as I needed them too!

Swirling but not hurling on the Alien Saucers in Toy Story Land - Hollywood Studios

Overall my non-Disney mom had a blast. When it’s cooler she may join me again.  I will be just as excited and happy to adventure at Disney again with her.

On the whole, Disney is largely accommodating to senior guests, and cast members are mostly amazing and patient, but some rides may be awkward for people with minor mobility issues. First aid is free and the care is top notch. If you’re going with someone who has minor mobility and health issues then planning is key.  You can still have the time of your lives.  Mom is already planning our next trip!

Have you visited Walt Disney World with a Senior?

Let us know your experiences, tips and advice in the comments below.