One Day MK with grandparents (1st trip) and kids ...suggestions!

Hi! We will have one day at the MK with my parents. They say they will hold the baby so we can ride with our 5 and 8 year olds, but it’s my parents first visit and I want them to enjoy the magic too! Any suggestions for a good balance of excitement for the kids and fun for the grands? Thank you!

How old are the grandparents? I would suggest that you get a rider swap pass for some attractions (Big Thunder for example) that they can ride after you do. There are a number of attractions the whole family could enjoy: Peter Pan, Dumbo, People Mover, and It’s a Small World are a few examples. I also love PhilharMagic.

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That is a very difficult question. Mainly you have to look at what your parents like to do. There are some people no matter their age that does not like aspects of Disney. I would start with the following.

  1. Think about what your parents like to do
  2. Look at the touring plans on this site that you feel are appropriate for ideas on attractions
  1. Look at reviews of attractions based on age

If you have a more specific question, like my parents like ____ what are your thoughts on _____ I am sure the community here will help provide more information than you can handle…lol. But with the current information…this is a very tough question.

I will just say that my dad went for one day (the year they had your birthday for free) and he thought, even though he was over 70 that he would be fine going on Space Mountain, just like he did 20 years before that. He wasn’t. We RDed it and he spent the rest of the day moving (slowly) from shady space to shady space.

Be careful of what your parents think they can do and what they really can do if they are older. Don’t send them on the mountains.

Thanks y’all! Mom and Dad are so young (59 and 62)! I will take them up on holing baby for us to ride the coasters. I think they will like Peter Pan and those type rides.
We’ve only been one other time with the kids so the stuff they love it what I’m most familiar with. I’m unsure about the other things. People Mover and Liberty Riverboat, for example. Worth taking the time when you only have one day and the park closes at 6?
Thank y’all so very much for your help!

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Offer the rider swap too! I am 56 and I cannot imagine going to wdw without riding Everest, RnT, ToT, Space Mountain and Bug Thunder. I have traveled with a baby and I have stayed behind. That does not mean I would not appreciate the rider swap. Actually, I would be silently crying if I did not.

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I second the idea of looking at the ready-made TPs to get ideas - in particular, look at Magic Kingdom Touring Plans for Seniors

That being said, your parents are not exactly in the “extremely aged” category, so if I were you I would encourage them to go on more of the rides and utilize Rider Swap rather than just letting them hold the baby. Let everyone have a little fun!

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My mom is almost 70 and she and my sister and I went 2 years ago. My mom rode EVERYTHING! It does really depend on the individual.

@PrincipalTinker’s rider swap is a great idea if you think that they will want to ride some of the mountains.

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