As I have aged, I have realized that Walt Disney World not only does a poor job servicing elderly guests compared to many other Florida vacation spots I have visited. They are often silent about things that would save elderly people time and money.  Not all elderly guests are wealthy and many come as hosts to expensive family vacations.

I realize that as a longtime Passholder, a resident just an hour away from WDW, a former owner of a condo in Celebration, the town Disney built, I avoided many of these headaches by learning things that an infrequent traveler to Orlando does not know when visiting Disney.

Here are some areas that might relate to your future Disney plans:

IN PARK MOBILITY is expensive at WDW and has some strict rules. You can rent an ECV at any park for $60 and a $20 refundable deposit. You can get credit if you are going to a second park, but Disney ECVs do NOT go to park to park,  But here also is the UGLY TRUTH: you cannot reserve an ECV so you better arrive at the park early with this first come, first serve policy. We have always used a rental ECV because we live in Central Florida. If it is small and portable, we can take it all over Disney World. You can rent ECVs for delivery to your hotel.

FREE PARKING LOT WHEELCHAIRS to help people just get into the parks from the parking lots is an unadvertised service.   While the parking lot transport will take you to a drop-off, there is still a distance to get near the wheelchairs or EV rentals. The Magic Kingdom parking lot is the largest ground level parking area in the United States.

EVs go from dozens to zero by 10 am

DISNEY VACATION CLUB villas are often the best option if you are having a large family or three generation vacation at WDW. Unless you know the condo business you might assume the best deal would be renting via the Disney Vacation Club. All my friends who rent other people’s condos prefer independent firms such as the DVC RENTAL STORE or David’s Vacation Club Rental where they get better deals on renting DVC points and vacation units. It can be a complicated and costly mistake not to compare prices and deals. The two firms I mention are good at explaining the comparisons and guarantees in doing business with them.

DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR SENIORS do NOT exist at WDW UNLESS you purchase online senior discounted tickets from the AARP Ticket Service or the  AAA ticket Service. These are mainly for multi-day tickets but can save a lot of money for a group of seniors,

SENIOR HOTEL RATES do NOT exist at Walt Disney hotels, BUT they exist at the DOLPHIN and SWAN resorts which have the same WDW transportation  and early entry perks. Although I stayed at 80% of the WDW hotels, we stayed more times at the Dolphin. They do nickel and dime you but still cost c$150 less than the next-door Beach and Yacht Clubs.

The PARK HOPPER TICKET is a very expensive additional expense which is rarely used by seniors vacationing with grandkids or family. You can add the service at the parks if necessary. Buy the base ticket. Remember: if you have a park ticket, you can use Disney transportation to then go to a resort with a dinner reservation that day.

THE GUEST SERVICES GUIDE (online access)  is rarely noticed by Disney guests for most groups assume that if a problem arises at any of the parks, you just go to the Disney Guest office. This works for most things although there might be a huge line. But the Guide is loaded with information for elderly people like the act that all table service and buffet spots have a Special Diet Member and early reservations help can not only handle allergies, but they can also puree meals for guests.  The guide also describes the operation of RIDER SWITCH.

RIDER SWITCH is not just for people with disabilities. Disney realizes a 80-year-old person cannot stand in a queue for sixty minutes in ninety degree weather  to get on a ride. Up to two people in your party can have their “ticket verified” and come back at a set time to join those who stood in line. WDW’s rules are designed, however, to halt groups misusing the Lightning Lanes.

SEATING AT SHOWS:  WDW wants to get visitors in and out of shows quickly so there are spaces at the end of rows designed to help guests in wheelchairs and elderly exit the ride. Tell the ride staff immediately about any mobility issues.

MEMORY PHOTO DAY plans at WDW often seem like great ideas since professional photographers will take photographs of your family or reunion at over 140 spots. The deal costs $185. What you might not realize is most of these camera people will take your photograph WITH YOUR CAMERA for nothing.  Just be friendly and don’t mention you are a penny pincher.

RESTAURANT CANCELLATION FEES.  Seniors often make dining reservations when they are having a family gathering. Most have heard that Disney is liberal on last minute cancellations. That is TRUE. You can cancel in a two-hour window for no charge, and the penalty of no shows is just $10 per person.

HOWEVER, that is not the rule at every restaurant. Victoria and Albert charge $100 per person if you don’t cancel within FIVE days. Monsieur Paul has a $100 per person penalty under three days.  You have just two hours to cancel Cinderella’s Royal Table or lose the full pre-paid cost of the reservation! Fireworks parties (see next item) also charge the full amount without a one-day cancellation. Any event where Disney has preprinted personal menus will have strict rules.

What irritates me about this is the fact that Disney World has a great real time reservation system that updates in real time. Cancellations start appearing 24-48 hours before the date and overnight for recent cancellations – We look up at midnight and 6 am.  Once my wife booked Victoria and Albert on one hour’s notice. We often visit the restaurant we wanted to book but could not when we arrive at a park and get seated 70% of the time. Popular restaurants will not have empty seats despite the high rate of no shows.

MAJOR KINGDOM and EPCOT FIREWORKS PARTIES are often pushed on elderly people during family reunions.  They are very expensive and you won’t get a refund for rainy conditions. There are many free areas reserved for guests to get a decent view of the fireworks at both parks.  The food at the parties is not gourmet. If you don’t have small kids with you, booking a late meal at the British Rose and Crown gets you a front row seat for the Epcot fireworks.

DISNEY DINING PLANS have only one great feature – you prepay one of the big cost features of your WDW trip. If you do this for a huge family, it will be very expensive. Unless you select the most expensive menu items you will lose money on the plans. If you are a group of elderly people that are not big eaters, the plan may be a bigger waste of money. Look at the menus of restaurants where you plan to eat. Is it a good deal?

LIGHTNING LANE is often advertised to older visitors as a way  to ensure entrance into popular rides. They are probably essential in the summer and the holidays but during slow times like early Fall, this might be an unwanted extra expense. It should be noted that a group of elderly people might avoid very fast modern rides like TRON.

HEALTH ASSESSIBILITY is well-organized at WDW BUT it is NOT advertised. The Customer Relations people will point out the location of the First Aid station with its nurse, the companion bathrooms, parade and fireworks sites reserved for wheelchairs, and other policies’ that help seniors. They will even ambulance you to Advent Health hospital at no charge.

DAS ATTRACTION QUEUE Re-ENTRY POLICIES are NOT printed at the rides but in the accessibility guides which few visitors ever read.  You can inform people at the ENTRANCE of each ride the need to NOT have a person with autism standing in a queue for 40 minutes.  WARNING: I discovered that WDW wants you to register sixty days before park arrival and I find this NOT CUSTOMER FRIENDLY!

FOOD ACCIDENTS with senior citizens do happen and WDW has a policy for free food replacement.  This is one service I have not seen in person and I realize small kids are more likely to drop the turkey drumstick on the pavement. I was told they will help elderly accidents with food.

WDW IS NOT VERY PROACTIVE in giving people much time about operational changes and new policies,  Elderly people need to know that they have to check My Disney Experience on the day they choose a park for potential ride closures, new Lightning Lane pricing, and other cast member instructions.   People raised to use long range planning and communication are often shocked at how things change at WDW.

TRANSPORTATION ISSUES may be more significant with elderly people. In the crowded summer when rain and lightning arrive (Central Florida is the lightning capital of the USA), the monorail, the Skyway, and even the boats stop moving. You are left with the slow-loading bus transport system.  You can rent an Uber, but hundreds of people will be doing that to get to their next activity. It is safer to DOUBLE the time it takes from going from one WDW place to another!TOO MUCH PARK TOO LITTLE TIME.  Parties with elderly people and small kids often book too few days to properly visit the parks. By three o’clock in the afternoon, kids are crying all over WDW and seniors look like they were hit by an automobile. .  People seem to forget that the beauty of staying at a Disney resort that I hooked up by monorail or Skyline gondola allows you to re-enter that park with your Magic Band, Magic Mobile Pass, and physical admission card after taking a mid-day nap or meal.  Disney restaurants at most resorts are nearly em