Let’s be honest here, bringing your family members to Disney World is a risky game of roulette that could either end with delightful memories or tears of frustration in front of the castle.
Magic Kingdom
Traveling with people who do the theme parks differently from you or who live on a contrasting schedule to yours can be tricky. And honestly? That’s often the case when traveling with grandparents. So today, we’re sharing the things our team wishes we knew before going to Disney World with our grandparents.
Don’t Be Afraid to Rent Scooters
Starting out the list, we’ve got to chat about scooters and ECVs. Don’t be afraid to rent them! Your grandparents may be perfectly healthy, mobile, spry people in their day-to-day lives, but you’ll walk literally tens of thousands of steps during a theme park day in Disney World, and that’s enough to make even the fittest of people sore.
ECVs at EPCOT
If your grandparents have ever suffered leg/knee/foot injuries, have joint pain, or are just generally not used to walking 20K+ steps multiple days in a row (honestly, not many people are!), then look into renting a scooter before you arrive. You can rent directly from Disney if you’d like, though stock can be limited. There are also several outside rental companies that will deliver ECVs and scooters to your hotel.
Get Details on ECV Rental Here!
Make the Schedule Flexible for the Group
This honestly goes for traveling with any group, but make sure that your schedule is flexible! If you’re traveling with people of different ages and different levels of theme park experience, you won’t be able to plan your day down to the minute in advance. You never know when someone might need a break after hustling all day long.
Luminous at EPCOT
Don’t require everyone in your party to rope drop if that’s not what they want. And don’t make everyone stay up until park close if they have an earlier bedtime. It’s OKAY to split up your group if priorities and needs change throughout the day and the trip. Instead, focus on a few key experiences you want to do all together, and anything else can be a bonus.
Check Out Our Ultimate Disney World Planning Guide Here!
Discuss Must-Dos and Expectations Ahead of Time
On a similar note, you and your family should discuss must-dos and expectations ahead of time. Several of our team members relayed stories of finding out that their grandparents didn’t like roller coasters or didn’t want to do any rides while they were already in the park. That’s definitely something to discuss before your trip!
Expedition Everest
Before you travel, make sure the must-dos are clearly communicated to the group, and find out any limits for each person in your party. Things will go much more smoothly during the vacation if you’re not arguing and trying to convince someone to get on a roller coaster when they’re averse to that type of ride.
See the Best Disney World Rides for Your Trip Here!
Plan Meals in Advance
One of the biggest problems our team ran into when planning family trips with grandparents is the dining schedule. If your grandparents are used to eating at a particular time, it’ll be in your best interest to incorporate that into the schedule and stick to it! In fact, you might even want to book table service dining to ensure you stay on time.
Tiffins spread
Trust us, nobody has fun on a group trip to Disney World when people get hangry — no matter who they are! Scheduling regular meals can make sure that the members of your family stay nourished and have more longevity in the parks as well. And sometimes, we really need that indoor, air-conditioned break of a sit-down meal.
11 Disney World Restaurants Where Big Groups Are No Problem
Stay on Disney World Property for Convenience
Finally, one thing that many of us wish we had done with our grandparents was stay on Disney World property, simply for the convenience. When staying outside the Disney bubble, you often have to find transportation solutions like sharing Ubers or carpooling together. And when that happens, it’s a little harder to just pop back to the hotel room for a break, especially if just one or two people want to leave the parks.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Staying on property means that if grandma or grandpa wants to turn in early, show up late, or take a midday break, they can just hop on the bus (or a boat, Monorail, or Skyliner) and get back to the hotel easily. No need for everyone else to leave as well!
Click Here to See the Best Hotel for Disney World First Timers
If you want to make the memories of a lifetime, it’s important to be flexible, be patient, and remind everyone that you’re on this trip to spend time together!
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The One Rule That Will Make Parents Resent Disney World
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If you plan to rent an ECV, make sure the person practices with one before the trip. Crowded Disney parks are not the place to learn to use one safely.
Definitely get Grandma and Grandpa a rental scooter. Get it off property and delivered to your hotel. Then make sure they know how to use it. There is a fast and slow gauge, not just get in and go fast. Let them practice at the hotel, stopping for people that will cut them off, how to turn, back up and most important (special if this is the first time in a scooter, outside of Walmart) let the bus driver park them when getting on the bus. It cut down on the wait time for the rest of the riders. Then the whole family can have a great time. Grandma and Grandpa can even have independence an know how to go back to the hotel alone.
I highly recommend renting scooters from outside vendors if you’re going to be at the parks for any length of time. It’s cheaper and the scooters are so much nicer. The one caveat is you either have to take your scooter on Disney transportation ( not that hard, but a little more time consuming) or shlep your scooter around in the back of your car ( what we mostly did). The one place scooters don’t work as well is Magic Kingdom because many of the rides were built pre-ADA. Space Mountain is horrible for people with limited mobility. You used to be able to ride the scooters to the boarding area, but now you have to transfer to a wheelchair at the entrance and the chairs they have are generally too narrow for me. And getting in and out of the rockets is difficult for able bodied people.
I am the grandparent and I can’t express enough that you should not “feel guilty” if Grandma needs extra time in the morning and the rest of the family wants to get to the park early- just go and have fun. Sometimes we need our alone time! It’s easy to catch up with the group- maybe at lunch reservations. If we need to leave early- that’s fine to. We are perfectly capable of getting back to the hotel on our own. Just have fun and enjoy your time with your grandparents and take lots of photos!!
Concerning grandparents attending the Disney parks, why doesn’t Disney have a senior admission rate. I’m now 73 and an annnual pass holder but only enjoy the slower rides and most of my day is spent seating and waiting for everyone else who ride the more extreme rides. Trying to decide if I should renew my pass.