How We Made a Family Trip to Disney World Work for My Dad's MS
Not pictured: my dad's scooter, we try to sneak it out of family photos when we can.
This story starts back in the summer of 2023. I remember sitting on the back patio with my mom enjoying the weather and some mother daughter conversation. I mentioned to her that I was thinking about planning a trip to Disney World during Christmas time. I had always wanted to experience Disney at Christmas: the lights, the food, the smells, the joy, the over-zealous theming. It seemed so magical.
Little did I expect for my mom to follow up with a, "I want to go!". Of course she must be kidding, all I could think was, could we get dad on board. Eventually we worked up the courage to pitch the idea to our dad: going to Disney world the first half of Thanksgiving week, enjoying the Christmas festivites and then still being home for Thanksgiving Day. Much to my surprise, it was not an immediate no.
Let the planning commence! We had some logistics to figure out surrounding my dads MS which presents some additional and unique needs. Disabilities don't mean travel is impossible, it just means the planning has to be more intentional.
The Challenge
Everyone's experience living with MS is different. No two people present the exact same set of challenges. My dad's needs shaped every part of this trip to ensure we could all have a fun Disney World trip together, as a family.
Heat is one of my dads biggest struggles. MS symptoms tend to worsen in higher temperatures, which are hard to avoid in Orlando. A trip to Disney World in late November made far more sense than trying to plan a trip during the summer.
Mobility around the parks was the biggest question. Day to day, my dad uses a walker, but a full day walking around Disney is completely different challenge to navigate. Pushing my dad around in a wheelchair all day, also not an ideal scenario. We needed to figure out what our best option was for my dad to get around to and from the hotel and between parks.
From there, we still had a lot of things to consider. What types of accessible rooms were available on property? How would he get to and from each park? What rides would he be able to do with us? Every one of these questions was important to identify a solution for. It was very important to us that my dad could feel truly part of the trip and not just present for it.
The Approach
When it comes to planning travel, I have always been very type-A. I research, organize an itinerary and print every document. The ability to research has always been my biggest asset in trip planning. I am very meticulous about making sure my i's are dotted and my t's are crossed. Instead of planning a solo trip, I was planning our family vacation to Disney World! This was huge for us. I started where any good trip begins, the research phase.
I wanted to know everything and anything I needed to know about navigating Disney World with someone who has accessibility needs. And let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of accommodations offered for individuals with accessibility needs. The buses were wheelchair/scooter friendly, the hotels had ADA compliant bathrooms, Disney had an accessibility services application for assistance with ride wait times (which has since changed). It felt like everything was falling into place.
We were able to easily find and book a wheelchair accessible room at the Art of Animation resort. The bathroom featured a roll-in shower, grab bars, a fold down seat. Everything my dad would need.
The next high priority item on our list was a scooter rental for him. Given that the Disney buses were able to accommodate scooter transportation and the scooter was a viable option at each of the parks. The scooter option was our winner. We were able to rent directly through a company called Scooter Bug. The process was incredibly easy. We made our scooter selection and scheduled a drop off directly at the hotel we were staying at for when we arrived.
Little by little I checked things off our list. Once we were within our 60 day window, I was able to book our dinner reservation at Raglan Road. They even had an option I could check off for accessibility. I felt a lot of comfort knowing that they knew ahead of time that we had someone with mobility needs in our party so they could properly accomodate.
Booked within our 60-day window, with the accessibility box checked.
In the months and week leading up to the trip, planning was in full swing. What were our park days looking like? What realistically was my dad going to be able to do, MS fatigue is very real and something we have to be mindful of.
Throughout this whole planning process, I also wanted to prioritize my mom and make sure she got everything she wanted out of the trip. I try to remember my mom is still experiencing life for the first time too. My mom and my dad are a package deal when it comes to her being available for my dad. It was really important to me that she got to go on any rides she wanted too, even if we had to divide and conquer.
As I was outlining our itinerary, I wanted it to have every bit of information we would need regarding which rides were accessibility friendly, bus and Minnie Van information for accessibility. This was going to be our life line for any and all things disability guidance and obviously, the plan for each day. In this guide, I also mapped out where every family restroom was located in each park, so we would not be caught scrambling to find one in the moment.
When it came to how many full days we would be spending in the park, we definitely had to scale it back. It was just not realistic to hit all 4 parks, 4 days in a row. My dad needs time to recuperate. We drove down on the Friday before Thanksgiving and stayed through Wednesday. We ultimately ended up deciding on 2 full park days- we would do Epcot and Animal Kingdom. These 2 parks made the most sense because they had lots to do outside of just rides. Epcot for example, had the Food & Wine Festival going on. One thing about the Gaede family is we love a good food experience. So this was perfect, took a lot of pressure off. And Animal Kingdom, well it's a bit like going to a zoo! Lots to do and see without my dad being left out from going on rides.
The last key part of our trip, and quite honestly the whole purpose, was going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. This was also perfect, because we essentially got access to another park, just later in the day. This separate ticketed event allows guests to enter Magic Kingdom at 4:00. This meant my dad had all day to rest before heading to the park for some Christmas fun.
A look at the actual planning that made this trip possible.
The Outcome
All in all,our Disney World Christmas trip 2023 was a huge success. I feel like we all got what we needed out of the trip. That's the special part about planning for a family with disabilities is making sure everyone is heard and everyone gets what they want out of the trip. You just have to get a little creative sometimes. And I will say, Disney does A LOT of things right when it comes to offering accommodations for those who need them.
There were a few shortcomings that I still find it important to share because navigating life with someone who has mobility needs is never perfect. Our first night in Disney, we made a reservation for dinner at Raglan Road. Some of our Disney enthusiast friends had recommended this to us. The food was great, the atmosphere was a lot of fun. However, it was really packed and had very little room for getting through the restaurant to your table. Additionally, once we made it to the table, they took my dad's scooter. They said they park all of them outside in the front. This didn't quite sit right with us, but we were just wanting to have a nice dinner together on our first night in Disney. As the night went on, my dad needed to use the restroom. My dad cannot just get up and walk and his scooter was no where close. My mom had to essentially be my dad stabilizer and walk him to the bathroom. After she got him to the bathroom, she went to the front to get the scooter. It had rained a littlebit and the scooter wouldn't start. All in all, this experience definitely would have been a bit better. The restaurant was great, but realistically, you cannot take a disabled persons only means of mobility away. My dad could not use the bathroom when he needed to and also it';s important to address, how would he get out if there had been a fire. Again, I feel it's important to still share the things that didn't go quite right so other families in a similar situation to us have the knowledge to plan.
Our first dinner in Disney, at Raglan Road Irish Pub.
As the week went on and we got closer to Thanksgiving day, the parks got incredibly packed. We were at Animal Kingdom on the Monday before Thanksgiving and I have never experienced crowds quite like this. It made it extremely difficult to navigate the crowds. Luckily, we were able to get a quick ride on the Kilimanjaro Safari ride through the accessibility pass. This was a fantastic "ride" for anyone who has a scooter. We all got to experience the safari together. Shortly after, we were navigating the Africa area and looking for the family restroom. Again, luckily I had the family restrooms identified. My parents were waiting outside the bathroom, they were next in line. The person before them exited and my mom was helping my dad up, out of nowhere, this grown woman went rushing in front of my dad and stole the bathroom. I could not believe what I just saw. When she came out, my parents confronted her about it and she didn't seem to care. She said she "had to go" and the regular restrooms had a long line. After this we collectively decided as a family it was time to just head back to the hotel. It was just too much and too many people. We left the park around 11 or 12 and just went back to the hotel.
One more small thing worth mentioning: my dad is 6' 4". The queen sized mattress my parents slept on was thin and felt like more of a "budget hotel mattress" than we expected for the price we paid to stay at the Art of Animation Hotel. After long park days, my dad wasn't able to get the rest and recovery he needed to recharge. Not a dealbreaker, just something worth noting if you have tall family members or family members that might be more sensitive to the comfort level of a mattress.
We adjusted like we always do, and all of the other "wins" for the trip more than made up for a couple of shortcomings. Overall, like I said earlier, Disney does A LOT of things right. We felt very taken care of when it came to catching the bus to the parks and getting on rides. We got to ride the Kilimanjaro Safari together at Animal Kingdom and at Epcot, become mice on Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, ride the Seas with Nemo and Friends and ride/walk through the Journey of Water in Epcot together. Separately, my mom and I got to ride Guardians of the Galaxy together! We bought the Lightning Lane Single Pass first thing in the morning to book our time slot. My sister stayed with my dad, while we went over to have a little adventure in the Guardians Galaxy. We have found the dividing and conquering is one of the best ways to make sure everyone gets to do what they want to do.
Dividing and conquering, my sister stayed with my dad while my mom and I rode together.
The food and wine festival though...so awesome. Trying food from all over the world is such a fun way to spend time together. It was later in the day and the sun started to go down which allowed for slightly cooler weather. We found a good spot for my dad to settle in on his scooter and then we would go in shifts to the different food booths to pick up a little treat for us all to try. We sat in Morocco and enjoyed a Mimosa Flight from Simmering Sips, Bao Buns from China, amongst some other delicious eats. Nothing brings families together quite like international cuisine. It was the best way we could have ended the day.
The last part of the trip I wanted to highlight is Mickey's Very Merry christmas Party. This was also such a fun time for us. It was very laid back for us because we were just there to enjoy the christmas festivities and special food menus. One of the can't miss parts of the event is the free cookies! They have different holiday cookies scattered throughout Magic Kingdom and they come free with party admission. They come wrapped in a plastic cellophane baggie so you can take them to go. For dinner., we found a place to park ourselves under the People Mover in Tommorrow Land. My sister and I went to retrieve dinner from the Cosmic Cafe. We each got the Holiday Pot Roast Melt and all I can say is, wow! This sandwich was SO good! From there we headed over to grab a spot for the parade. We were able to snag a spot right on main street near the Plaza Restaurant. Again, I was the designated snack runner. I was running around to as many spots as I could to get the event exclusive treats for us to try. Right before the parade started, I stopped in the Main street Bakery and got us some hot chocolates to enjoy the parade. We truly could not have had a better viewing spot. I even saw a big smile on my dads face as we watched the Disney characters dressed in their holiday attire go by. It made all of the planning and modifications worth it to be able to experience this together, as a family and kick off the Christmas season.
Christmas at Disney, the moments that made it all worth it.
Disney really does make an effort to be both accessible and enjoyable for those with disabilities. I am truly grateful we got to enjoy Disney together for the holidays. Although not every aspect was perfect, that's life. Some things you have to adjust and figure out in the moment. From a birds eye view, we had a lot of things to think about to make this trip come together in one piece while prioritizing my dad's needs.
Planning around someone with disbailities is not always easy, but it's not impossible.
It takes a lot more conversations and communication, and a willingness to figure out what's going to work and what might require some extra thought.
I started my travel planning venture because travel is something I've always been passionate about, whether its going solo or going with my family. Beyond that, I also feel like there is still a real gap in accessible options for travelers with disabilities. I want to work to help find families the solution that works for them. I will do the research, call the hotels, and book the wheelchair. I want families to know I'm in their corner and I understand the challenges surrounding accessible travel. I know what it is like and planning travel with my dad has allowed me to develop a sixth sense for noticing what's going to work and not work for someone with mobility challenges.
Seeing my dad with a smile on his face at the Christmas parade, tasting an apricot danish in France and riding in a rat together on Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, that's what this was all for. Getting to share a handful of these special moments together was worth every bit of planning it took to get there.
If accessibility is part of what you're navigating for your next trip, I'd love to help you plan it, the same way I did for mine.
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