My mom can take a good, long hard full hour nap sitting upright in a lazy boy style chair.
Is this a possibility for your mom? If so, you can go to the Baby Care Centers for a nap.
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So, is she more tired and confused than the last trip? If so, I highly recommend the longer mid-day rest. Are there things she can do while you visit parks during that break? You also need to make sure your resting for at least part of it.
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As much as it will interrupt the flow of your day, the long mid-day break sounds like the best option. Remember that early September weather in Orlando is not significantly different than August; it will be very hot and humid from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed, and it will be just plain brutal between 11:00 and 5:00. Is your mother up for that? Doing RD, taking a rest break during the brutal part of the day, and then going back in the somewhat cooler evening is how I would do it if I was ever too go in September.
Can you alternate the night/ day activities, so one day you do the morning at the parks, and afternoon/evening at the resort, and the next day you take the morning easy around the resort and just to do night activities at the park? Maybe only park touring for half days will help her energy levels stay up.
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I think you are right to plan long breaks for your mom in the afternoons. I would probably approach it in a similar way to what we did when our kids were 5 and 7. Try for an early start to the days hitting the parks until close to lunch time (leaving before or after lunch depending on your mom’s stamina), take her back for a long nap while you take some time for yourself (we obviously did not do that with the kids) and plan to go out with her for dinner. I wouldn’t count on staying out long after dinner. If she feels up to it, great! Otherwise be ready to go back to the resort after dinner. If she needs the rest it is probably better to let her sleep rather than try to hit the night time attractions. It sounds like you managed a few of those on your last trip anyways. I’m sure the planning can be overwhelming with no guarantees of how things will go with your mom but try to remember that the time together is the most important thing and you will make great memories even if you don’t manage to do everything you’d like.
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We recently took a trip to Germany and Italy (from AZ) with my mother who is 75, has Alzheimer’s disease, and rapidly declining in stamina. We were concerned about her on the trip because she likes to sleep A LOT, and we knew that she could not be left alone in the hotel to sleep…she would wake disoriented and not know where she was. So in doing some research we came across a wheelchair similar to this one:
She was a little leary of it at first, but she quickly settled into it. She never actually slept in it (although she easily could have) but the fact that she could relax and recline meant that she was able to stay with everyone, even on some very long days. We knew that even in a traditional wheelchair she would tire just from holding her body upright, but this allowed her to completely relax, and even gave her feet a place to rest comfortably. She did get a little cold from time to time, just because she wasn’t expending any energy at all, but a cup of hot chocolate and some blankets warmed her right up. The sun-shade was so nice, and the fact that it would collapse when she wanted to see things, but then expand to give her some privacy when she wanted to zone out was awesome.
She is going to be going to WDW with us in Oct, and we are debating bringing the activity wheelchair vs a traditional wheelchair. We didn’t have much trouble with it in Germany and Italy, as far as fitting into things…it went into the subways, and it was a tight-squeeze into some of the lifts, but it worked. I did read something about WDW that there is a size restriction for the buses, and I need to measure the wheelchair to be sure it doesn’t exceed the length restriction. It does fold down halfway fairly easily if we need to do that for the buses though, and she would do fine for a few steps here and there. Other than that, it will go everywhere just fine, even on the monorail. If we do take it I will definitely stop by city hall on the way in to get one of those tags that labels a “stroller” as a wheelchair…because it does kind of look like a large stroller. I’m also thinking I’ll affix some embroidered disabled insignias to the sides just to be clear.
It has a nice basket on the bottom and would fit your mom’s oxygen tank and other medical supplies if needed (or some extra blankets or snacks or whatever).
Thank you for your last trip report. It was so well written…I laughed and I cried and I felt like I was there myself. My heart goes out to you and your mom, and I’m so glad you are planning another trip together.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions about this. 
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Wow I didn’t know anything like that existed! My mom has chronic back pain and can only walk short distances. That has really limited her travel. She would love to tour NYC and Boston again with us but it didn’t seem feasible. Something like this looks like it would navigate streets/terrain well. Would it make its way through a museum? Or likely leave it in a stroller area and transfer her to a regular wheel chair at that point? Do most museums and the like have wheelchairs available?
I didn’t know you were planning another trip with your mom? Wow! You’re a better person than me, lol. Yes, she definitely needs long nap time break. And the issue is you need to be super flexible on when that break needs to start. Like right after breakfast sometimes.
It did actually ride pretty well. Ours came with 2 options for the front tire…1- a large tire that matched the back tires or 2- smaller stroller like tires that pivot. We only took the large tire (in anticipation of cobblestone), but it made it hard to turn. In future I would use the smaller tires.
I think it would work through most museums. I would just check the websites before you go. There was only one place in Germany where we had an issue with the size. Other than that, it was all systems go.
Wow a lot of great repsonses, thank you! It looks like my initial thought of the midday break is the winning strategy. I think I’ll just need to utilize Lyft/Uber to cut down on the travel time when she’s not with me should I find the need. The alternating nights suggestion is solid, and will likely be implemented if weather doesn’t want to cooperate (again.).
While she would probably be just fine the heat of the day (because she’s always cold these days), I think her being able to allow her to rest up during the “down time” of the parks is a good idea. Her sleeping in the parks could work, but as she would need a significant amount of time (at least a few hours), I think getting her back to the hotel so she can lay on a proper bed will be better for her.
And as she will be a bit more mobile-capable this time (because she’s off dedicated oxygen), if she is ready to go before I get back she can probably explore the resort a bit.
Regarding that stroller idea, I love it!..buuuut not at nearly $1k. Yowza.
Hahah well, it’s the one we were always going to do originally (couldn’t cancel it because it was a DVC rental and no refund). Had mom decided she didn’t want to go, I was going to be going alone. The Mother’s Day trip was impomptu due to everything and the prognosis at the time was that she wasn’t even going to see September.
Aaaaand since now that looks to be quite wrong (WOO HOO!) 
she wants to go and we’re sticking with the original trip and going. And I want to really make sure she has a better time than last and hopefully avoid some of the pitfalls from last time as well.
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Yay! Also, having her be able to explore the resort is great idea if she’s able.
Still waiting for more info from the last trip…
What if they picked a particular location that was not all touring? I think finding a place you want to see that may have a few well known sites, and then just enjoying the local town and people can be even more rewarding than running around the country.
I did one of those long tours on a bus once - it was great that we saw so much, but I didn’t feel like we particularly got the vibe of most places. On one part of the trip we spent an extra day near Cambridge and had time to just walk around, ate at one of the college cafeterias, talked with people. That was my favorite part of the trip. (Apart from taking the ferry over to Ireland and my first landing there.)
Hoping to make a trip over with my family one of these days to see cousins in Ireland in the town my Gran came from - I’m looking forward to just parking it in the one place and exploring locally.
hahah i’m working on it! I’m working on it!
Got finals for classes, figuring out my fast passes, work, AND editing the latest entry (trust me, the word-vomit that it is right now is NOT worth reading lol!) 
Wow, you sound as busy as I am. Hope you get it all done!
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Good luck with your finals!
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Thanks!
You’re going to be in WDW the exact same time we are!! Not sure if our paths will cross but if they do, I would be happy to sit with you mom and keep her company 
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Thank you, that sound awesome!
She “loosely” knows that I’ve been sharing her story here. If she’d knew how open I’ve been though she’d probably be a little upset.
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I may be biased here, but Edinburgh is absolutely possible to do over a few days. Thee is so much in the city, and just outside, that they would find lots to do.
The buses are geared up to accommodate wheelchairs, scooters etc. There are a network of routes that cover everywhere, which could be confusing at first. If only there was someone who knew the city like the back of their hand and could help plan a trip … I even have prior experience, with a group from the Mouseowners site!!
Glasgow is also a great place. I don’t know it nearly so well, and my concern would be that the subway covers a lot of the city. I know from friends that subways can be tricky, not all stations are accessible etc.
Perth is beautiful, as is Stirling. Both small. Aberdeen ditto, and Dundee is getting makeovers galore right now.
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I know “nothing”! Just some liners running into each other and chatting for a few. 
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