We are going to WDW next month. Our 12-year old granddaughter recently had back surgery so cannot go on any rides which are "jerky". This includes water slides. Other than shows, I'm looking for suggestions of what activities in which parks would be fun for her.

Best suggestion - let her ride in a wheelchair. You will be taken to the front of every line to ride in the handicapped accesible seats.

I would not ride on any ride that has warnings for pregnant women and those with motion sickness.

I would imagine that the cast members would also offer input/ warnings, especilly if she is in a wheelchair (for their protection more than yours).

There are some really cool 3-D shows in WDW, where you sit comfortably in a theater. The special effects are really amazing, and perfect for a 12-year-old. One is "Bugs Life", another is "Honey, I Shunk the Kids" and maybe there's another. I'm sorry I've forgotten which parks they're in. Maybe Animal Kingdom for Bugs Life and Epcot for Honey, but I could be wrong about that. You might ask if there are other 3-D shows now, as we were there a few years ago, and they were very popular.
If The Lion King is still playing at Animal Kingdom, that's good, too.
I'll bet you could e-mail to Disney directly and get a list from them.
I sympathize with your search. Lots of rides are 'jerky' but signs are posted that warn you if you have a heart condition, etc. And those signs aren't kidding-- I know I felt uncomfortable in a couple of 'rides', as my neck was whipped back and forth! Even in the tamer rides, sometimes the cart jerks around a corner and you get a jolt.
You're a good grandparent to be so careful. Have fun!

Sounds like a mild form of torture to take a child to WDW and exclude her from 70% of the rides. Can you take her somewhere else next month --- and then to WDW when she's fully able?

not to sound rude, but I am leaning with PIS. Why are you going to WDW with someone who has had recent back surgery? I would think even riding all day in a wheelchair would be uncomfortable. There are so many rides (not the scary ones) which would seem to be out of the question.

Can you postpone until your grandchild makes a full recovery?

Call Disneyworld's customer service and ask them about their Disney with Disabilities options. They're very accomodating. You might read: http://pixiedustinn.com/disabilities...litiesFAQ.html

Most of Epcot will be fine - Soarin' is easy, Spaceship Earth, the Living Seas, the Land, the World of Energy etc. are all fairly smooth. Avoid Test Track and Maelstrome and probably Mission Space. Body Wars is almost always closed but if it is open -skip it.

You'll want to have a good handle on the show schedule, if you don't, Epcot just feels like a lot of gift shops. http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/ gives very up-to-date entertaiment information and you can pick up a printed schedule once you are there. She may enjoy the candy artist at the Japanese pavillion - my 12 year old daughter and her friend did. Get there about 10 minutes prior to her presentation and stand close to the cart - your granddaughter will most likely get to pick and animal and a color that the candy artist will make and she'll get to have for free. She might also enjoy the Jammitors and Krystos - the first is a Stomp style percussion group and the second is a Cirque du Soliel type balancing act. My girls also really enjoy the acrobats at the China pavillion.

If you have the park hopper option for your tickets, go ahead and do the shows at Animal Kingdom. The Festival of the Lion King is fantastic. But I'm afraid the rides will be too jerky. I love the Jammin' Jungle Parade.

The Magic Kingdom will have several rides that will be fine - It's A Small World, Peter Pan, etc. The Stitch thing at Future world, Buzz Lightyear isn't particularly jerky. The haunted mansion should be fine also.

MGM Studios will have some great offerings. The movie ride isn't jerky - she might be able to do the back stage tour. The Beauty & the Beast show is great, as are the Motorcar stunt show and the Indiana Jones show.

Has she outgrown getting character autographs? My girls had a grand time with that this summer. They also enjoyed their princess lunch.

Cirque du Soleil at Downtown Disney is neat and worth every penny. We bought our tickets through ticketmania.com and saved a little - sales tax is included in the price.

Here are a few more suggestions from allearsnet.com:

try taking the launch from the Contemporary to Fort Wilderness/ Wilderness Lodge (and back again!). The gentle ride is relaxing and very beautiful on a warm evening! If you time your ride just right, you'll also be able to watch the Magic Kingdom's fireworks show, "Wishes," from the water. The boat captain will dim the onboard lights and maybe even let the boat idle during the show, so that you can watch it to the very end. Even though you miss some of the ground effects, it's truly a unique and breathtaking view of the fireworks!

You can go to the Wilderness Lodge hotel, follow the stream and you'll find something pretty unusual for a Disney resort -- an actual geyser, just like Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful. At the Wilderness Lodge, it's called Fire Rock Geyser and it shoots up 120 feet every half hour from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Take a walk out the back of the resort and head toward the pool area -- you'll see signs pointing you to the geyser viewing area.

Another treat that that's not as publicized as it should be is the Electrical Water Pageant. This convoy of beautifully lit floats makes a musical circuit around the Seven Seas Lagoon nightly, weather permitting, passing in front of the Polynesian around 9 p.m., the Grand Floridian at 9:15 p.m., the Wilderness Lodge at 9:35 p.m., Fort Wilderness at 9:45 p.m. and ending at the Contemporary around 10:05 p.m. Good viewing spots can be found along the beaches of any of these resorts, as well as from select restaurant locations -- Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian, for example, affords an on-the-waterfront seat.

We went to a laser light show one night at one of the parks but can't remember which one but I think maybe it was the MGM one. The kids loved it even though it was pouring with rain that night. The Magic Kingdom fireworks are awesome too. There was also a 3-D Muppets show at MGM which everyone loved, kids and adults included. Our kids aren't big on amusement rides. They had a few they really wanted to do so I think your granddaughter will have a great time even if she can't go on all the rides. A lot of the fun is the atmosphere. The parade down Main Street is also great fun. I think there's lots she can enjoy.

Thank you to those with real suggestions. Our whole family (of 8) has been planning this vacation for well over a year and the back surgery was not on the horizon at the time. So, despite that fact that it may seem like "torture" to take our granddaughter, she is fine with the idea. I just want to make it as much fun as possible for her. I appreciate your ideas. SMSW

As mentioned, there are several rides where you can just sit and enjoy the attraction. Mickey's Symphony being the best of that group. Small World, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, might also be acceptable.

The Bug's Life is a fun attraction. But, although slight, you do get "poked" in the back at one point. Not sure how sensitive your granddaughter is to the slightest touching sensation.

My family went to DisneyWorld this past summer and had our 10 month old grandson and my pregnant daughter with us. Needless to say, they didn't ride any rides that your granddaughter would not be able to ride. We ended up kind of splitting up; me, my husband and our two teenagers would do early entry and ride all of the "big" rides. Our daughter, son-in-law and grandson would take a little longer getting up in the morning and would call us on our cell when they got to the park around 10:00. By then, we had done Mission Space, roller coasters, water rides, etc. and we could all go together to the tamer rides. We would head back to the hotel mid-afternoon to rest or swim. We enjoyed doing things at night like Hoop-De-Do Revue, Chef Mickey (although the food was HORRIBLE), dinner at Whispering Canyon, a fireworks cruise at Epcot. (We go in the summer, though, when park hours are longer). Where are you staying? We stayed at Wilderness Lodge this last time and loved the atmosphere. If you are spending more time at the hotel, though, you might consider Boardwalk or Swan/Dolphin for the proximity to the boardwalk with all of the stuff going on there and the restaurants. Good luck.