What to do with the older relatives

[Michele L]

Ok everybody. Next year I am getting married in Florida and all of a sudden the whole world wants to come (funny that).

Question - what do I do with the less infirm/older people in the group? There will be about 12 to look after and believe it or not only me and the fiancee are driving (obviously everywhere separately) we are even flying separate to help them -there and back!! So it is going to be a bit stressful and they will be dependent on us so I need an ITINERARY!!

Any suggestions welcome

Michele

[Genie]

The old Cypress gardens used to be lovely for the more senior visitors ( we loved it too ! ) it is ( or will already have ) re-opened but has had some rides put it as well, which would probably be a good combination for every body. The gardens and botanical boat rides were wonderful, there now will be shows as well so that might be an idea for your itinerary as it would suit everybody.

[LesleyB]

We went to see Cirque du Soleil (based at Downtown Disney) in October and thought it was a fantastic show and would appeal to most age groups. There are two shows, 6pm and 8pm (I think) and once it is finished they have the whole of DD to explore/have a bite to eat.

I would seriously consider inviting one or two more friends/family members to join the group who can drive, otherwise it might not be much of a honeymoon for either of you.

Good luck, congratulations, and have fun :D

[heathercobbett]

Rent a house with lots of extras that they will be happy to entertain themselves in.If they have community facilities also they will be able to chat to other people.
They are unlikely to want to go out all day every day and will relish some peace while the rest of you are out
They would probably enjoy the Historic Kissimmee which has a lake and different little shops,Bok Gardensand Homossass(that would be a longer drive)
I would also say go to the theme parks early and then come back to the house for a swim and nap and then go back to the parks late afternoon.That way,they can join you for half a day only.I am assuming you are going in the summer when the parks stay open later
Also,it might be a good idea to go for more than one car for greatest flexibility (use the link above)

[Nostromo]

There are plenty of things for senior citizens to do in and around Orlando. Having taken my elderly in-laws recently, here are a few tips:

WINTER PARK is excellent for the elderly, even though it is a longish (45 min) drive from the villas. It has picturesque parks, gardens, galleries, upmarket shops & restaurants, a very good scenic boat ride etc.

A WORLD OF ORCHIDS ia certainly worth spending a couple of hours on a lazy afternoon.

They can stroll around the garden bits of CYPRESS GARDENS while the rest of you are at the new rides.

Take them along if you go to OLD TOWN on a saturday evening. You lot can to the rides, but there is enough of the 'old world fairground' atmosphere there to impress the older people.

I am sure they will enjoy a day out at the BEACH. You have the choice of CLEARWATER to the west and COCOA Beach to the east (Daytona might be too noisy for them). Choose a day when things are quiet.

A day out at MOUNT DORA. Pity that the train no longer runs from Orlando, but even so, it must be a worthwhile trip for them.

A day out in the SEMINOLE COUNTY. There are several intersting things for the eldely , like the zoological gardens, riverboat cruise and the Rose Cottage Tea Room.

For an evening out, they might like the waterfront entertainment area of DISNEY'S BOARDWALK RESORT.

Have fun. :)

[Magical Dreams]

The best thing would be to find out what they want to get out of the holiday to Orlando.

All of the theme parks are layed out for every type of visitor.
Electric Scooters are available to hire from theb parks, so getting around should be no problem, and can help you get better places in some of the shows etc
I am sure they would feel that they had missed out if they had not seen Disney World and of course Mickey Mouse



Old Town on the 192 is all flat, so wheelchair access is fine. Plenty of things to do, places to eat and shop around this area, the other suggestions above are all great too........
They won't have enough time left to think they've missed something out!!

I'm sure they will have a fantastic time! just like you too!

[drinkbeer][drinkpepsi]

[orlandobabe]

...all of the above-but make sure that you and your fiancee book a couple of days somewhere peaceful on your own.

Remember that it is your honeymoon and you don't want it completely hi-jacked.

When our daughter got married there 2 years ago-they stayed with us (9 family members) in the villa till their wedding a week later-after the wedding they moved to a smaller villa-but still came with us during the day.

You might want to think about doing something similar.

My daughter got married up in Mt Dora -and it was a wonderful wedding-and a perfect day-95 degrees-and no hint of rain to spoil it.

If you would like to see the pictures just let me know.

[Michele L]

Hi everyone

We are actually getting married on a boat in Sarasota, so everyone is staying in our villa on Terra Verde plus hiring another one or two for everyone. some of them are staying in a timeshare in Orlando.

But we are all going to Sarasota the day before the wedding - I am staying in a suite in the Ritz-Carlton (you only do it once!)Fiancee is joining me there on our honeymoon night. We are then transferring everyone back the day after and leaving them on the complex whilst we go and stay in a nice hotel in Orlando for 1 or 2 nights (probably the ritz or Gaylords[beer][msnwink][beer][msnwink][msntongue]for a little honeymoon - the real one will be later on in the year - round the world trip hopefully)

Any suggestions which is the best?

Then we will arrive back to see if anyone is still alive and take them to some of the suggestions above - it is going to be hard work but my family have been waiting 37 years for this!!


But keep the suggestions coming

Michele

[orlandobabe]

That sounds very sensible Michele[msnwink]

I have never stayed at either hotel. I know my daughter really likes the Animal Kingdom Lodge-she always thinks there is a nice atmosphere there and the Boma buffet comes well recommended. She hasn't stayed there-she thought it was a bit pricey-but it may be that she wasn't looking in the right place for deals.

The colours are muted to reflect the shades of Africa and you can get a room overlooking the savannah and the animals.

[KevinT]

My mother in law who is almost 76 travels with us twice a year to FL. She enjoys going anywhere but particularly likes Celebration (walking round the lake & shops & eating), visiting Disney's Boardwalk, Sunday brunch at the Renaissance hotel and walking around Winter Park area of Orlando which has a park (with lots of squirrels) a lake with tour boats and lots of up market shops. She will quite happily come with us to the theme parks and just sits in the sun while we go on whatever we want. If we think she will enjoy the ride she comes on it too. (She's even been twice on the Tower of Terror but I think she'll probably give it a miss from now on as they dropped us 4 times last time). Staying in a villa or townhouse is great as they can just decide for themselves whether they want to stay in or go out and don't have to worry about having to leave the hotel for the cleaners to get in the room.
They might have such a good time they'll want to go every year!![clap][clap]

[Ray&Sarah]

My parents usually come to Orlando with us and they like to have plenty of rest days but do enjoy the odd day out at the parks. They love nothing better than to sit on a bench either at the parks or at a mall and people watch, they can spend hours doing this.:D

[drew2]

The villas all have nice large walk in closets that you can lock them in if things get tough [msnwink][msnwink](joke - I got into lots of trouble for suggesting that as a good place to keep 2 year olds after I first joined the forum). I like Nostromo's suggestions and fancy some of them myself, but we will be working on the villas when we are over in January, but will definately visit some of them with gran when we take the whole clan back in October.
Drew

[Michele L]

Thansk everyone, especially like your idea Drew!!:D:D:D[}:)][}:)]

Great ideas

cheers

Michele