Hi there, Lonie, and welcome to planDisney where we love to help you plan your trips to
Walt Disney World and other Disney Destinations. It's never too soon to begin working on your touring strategy. I'm happy to help you figure out what to do with your walking sticks while riding the attractions.
I'm happy to share that Walt Disney World is very friendly to
Guests with all kinds of disabilities and other special needs. I have traveled to Walt Disney World many times with my aging parents, who also use walking sticks to help them get around. Here's what works for us. They bring collapsable walking sticks that come apart and fold up. Theirs takes about ten seconds to fold up and about 5 seconds to unfold. Just before we board a ride, we fold them up and put them in our bags. Once we depart the ride, we get them back out, unfold them and off they go again to our next stop. They purchased them at a national drug store chain, and they're readily available. This type of device also comes in handy when boarding airplanes, too. If you don't believe this type of stick will work for you, I recommend asking a friendly Cast Member at each attraction what they recommend. Within no time, you'll be a pro in your groove.
Based on my own experience with my parents, we find that minimizing the amount of time they are on their feet and the number of steps they take are key to helping them enjoy the parks for longer periods of time. One strategy we use for this is taking advantage of
Lightning Lane Passes to minimize wait times. When scheduling them, I keep park maps in mind to make sure we aren't zig-zagging back and forth all over the park. The maps included on the
My Disney Experience Mobile App come in really handy for this. We also like to take frequent rest breaks. We find some shade, grab a snack and some cold water and rest our feet so we're refreshed for more fun.
Lonie, I hope this helps you plan ahead. Please
visit me again here at planDisney if you have any other planning questions or need other tips for navigating the parks with your walking sticks.
Let your dreams guide you!
Melanie