Disneyworld needs updated to better attract tweens and teens

[OziJo]

I know where the OP is coming from here. It is sad to see your teenagers start to move away from the things we have always loved to do with them.

As far as Disney is concerned though we have been lucky. My DD's who are now 15, 17 & 20 yrs old first went to Disneyland when the were 11, 13 & 16 and Disney World 3 years later. They loved Disneyland & Disney World then and would not change a thing. While they do love the more thrilling rides such as Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror they also wouldn't miss River Safari and Pirates of the Caribbean. And our all time family favourite are of course Splash Mountain and Space Mountain. They did love the rides at Universal and if we go back to Orlando (fingers crossed Dec 2014) we would do 3 days at Universal but never at the expense of a Disney Day.

Each to their own. There are many parks around the world that cater for the pure thrill seeker but Disney is for families young and old. I'm looking forward to taking the Grand kiddies one day and I don't want to sit out too often holding the bags. As it is I believe I can do any ride at Disney World and only California Screamer freaks me out in Anaheim. So there in lies the appeal. For a total family experience I believe Disney has the right balance.

 

[jgh]

I've been going to Disney since I was a baby and, now being 21, I can't say that there's ever been a time that I thought Disney needed to change or that there wasn't anything there for me. I'm glad that there isn't many huge thrill rides at Disney. That's not who Disney is. That's why I love Disney over other theme-parks with huge thrill rides...Universal, Busch Gardens, etc.

You can do almost everything at Disney with the whole family, which makes it great!

 

[disneycat321]

I agree with others- Disney appeals to a huge range of people, and they do it very well. That said, they of course cannot please everyone.

I am in California, and we have SO MANY thrill based parks in this state - I don't want Disney adapting their methods!!! Disney is magic - it's about so much more than the rides. I used to like the huge scary six flags type thrill rides more as a teen- now, in my late 20s, I have virtually no interest in them. I'll take the theming and magic any day over the parks where you just walk around from ride to ride amidst dirty surroundings, unsupervised teens making out, and disgruntled employees.

When I was a kid in Northern California, I loved going to marine world. It was all about animals and dolphin shows... Then six flags bought it. I went back years later, as a teen, and was so disappointed. Thrill rides had taken over until the animal shows, etc are just an afterthought. I liked the rides for what they were, but does EVERY theme park need to be all thrills all the time? There are plenty of other places people can go for that.

I love disney's level of thrills. ToT gets my adrenaline going, but doesn't terrify me. I want to have fun, not be scared to death.

I really think your teens will outgrow this one. Let them have their thrills for now, but later, they'll want to come back to Disney.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

A few more thrills rides would be nice, yes.

 

[Magalex]

We have a 12 yr old DS who loves roller coasters but loves WDW even more. We are taking our first ever DL trip in July & we all talk about it all the time(it has been a long cold & snowy winter)I am so happy that he is still so excited. We took a day during our week long vacation at WDW to visit Universal Orlando. I thought he would love it especially Harry Potter(big fan of the movies). We were not that impressed. We spent the whole day but don't need to go back any time soon. We are more comfortable spending all our time at WDW.

 

[jade1]

My kids blew right through those teenage years at WDW. Now they are past the thrill (to a degree anyway) attractions and now just love going for the resorts, weather, night shows, drinks and dining.

 

[AR81]

Wow everyone I don't think the OP was saying to change the whole theme of Magic Kingdom. One extra rollercoaster type ride in each of the four parks that is more agressive/thrilling wouldn't kill the family-oriented vibe. I personally love the theming of Disney World and love all the details. I am not able to go often but I am definitely a fan. However, my 17 year old stepson is not interested whatsoever and is not going this trip. Magic Kingdom has Space, HS has TOT and RNR coaster, Epcot has Mission Space and Test track and AK has Expedition Everest. I think if they just added one more of those type of rides in each park it would make a big difference and it certainly wouldn't take anything from the theming of the park; it would only add....

 

[disnut8]

Wow everyone I don't think the OP was saying to change the whole theme of Magic Kingdom. One extra rollercoaster type ride in each of the four parks that is more agressive/thrilling wouldn't kill the family-oriented vibe. I personally love the theming of Disney World and love all the details. I am not able to go often but I am definitely a fan. However, my 17 year old stepson is not interested whatsoever and is not going this trip. Magic Kingdom has Space, HS has TOT and RNR coaster, Epcot has Mission Space and Test track and AK has Expedition Everest. I think if they just added one more of those type of rides in each park it would make a big difference and it certainly wouldn't take anything from the theming of the park; it would only add....

Yes, it would add but Disney doesn't just dump a thrill ride in a park with no thought to it. That's kinda why some of the other "theme" parks can have those big roller coasters. Because there is no theme. Can't imagine Expedition Everest without the Yeti theme. It would just be another *yawn* roller coaster where you go up, go backwards in the dark and then come down the drop. And to build the whole thing inside and outside a mountain that really looks like it belongs in the Himalayas goes way beyond what a "theme" park would do. Doing a thrill ride for Disney takes years.

 

[disnut8]

I was wondering how many people feel as I do that disney is missing out on a substantial opportunity by not adding more to attract the tweens and teens(okay alot of thrill seeking adults too) I have 3 daughters one of them grown but also a 10 and 15 year old who are really losing their desire to go to disneyworld as they say that there is not enough stuff that they like to do. They only really like splash mountain and big thunder mountain railroad at Magic Kingdom, TOT and Rockin Rollercoaster at the Studios. They are finally telling me they don't really care to go to disney anymore which is heartbreaking for me as I love the place. Then again I can understand them as they love Islands of Adventure and Busch Gardens for you guessed it Thrill rides. Of course they have also outgrown the princess stage to my horror. I think it is time that disney created more thrill rides based on the villians, which I will admit are my favorite characters. How does anyone else feel? My daughters know about change.org and actually asked for me to get a petition going so disney will know how they feel but I do not want to just jump on that bandwagon

I think what is panging you is your daughters are entering their next stage of life and Disney World is not going to be a part of it. That's just a typical thing. My son went when he was 13, said no way when he was 16, was coaxed back at 19 with a trip to Universal (he did not enjoy that BTW) and guess where he wanted to take his family on their first official trip together? Yep - Disney World.

Disney World doesn't need to change to accommodate tweens and teens. Because those tweens and teens will grow up and either embrace the magic or go off with their own families and do their own thing. Or do both. Tweens and teens change, no reason for Disney to do that.

 

[AR81]

Yes, it would add but Disney doesn't just dump a thrill ride in a park with no thought to it. That's kinda why some of the other "theme" parks can have those big roller coasters. Because there is no theme. Can't imagine Expedition Everest without the Yeti theme. It would just be another *yawn* roller coaster where you go up, go backwards in the dark and then come down the drop. And to build the whole thing inside and outside a mountain that really looks like it belongs in the Himalayas goes way beyond what a "theme" park would do. Doing a thrill ride for Disney takes years.

I get what you are saying but why couldn't they theme a roller coaster just as much as they do the other rides? Like someone mentioned after some of the Disney villains ? It could fit in without sticking out like a sore thumb. Don't get me wrong Disney World is beautiful in itself. The resorts, the lakes with watersports, the cruises, tours, firework shows and parades. But a couple of other options wouldn't hurt for the older kid range.

 

[conandrob240]

Well, my 14 yr old nephew still loves it too and was actually appalled when I confirmed his interest in this years summer trip before buying tickets. But, I agree they really should tap the teen/tween market better. This group is actually a huge buying segment. I'd love to see more shops geared towards them and why not some sort of evening " club" modeled on the teen cruiseline concept. I think that would be hugely popular.

 

[pigletto]

I don't know, they do seem to be drawing in thousands upon thousands of teens and tweens.. they just happen to be tour groups from South American countries. Those teens appear to love it.

As far as personal experience, my 15 almost 16 year old still absolutely loves it. She is less about the thrill rides and more about the nostalgic aspects, fireworks, shows, swimming, dining out every night and staying in a new hotel every trip. I have to say, I think they do an absolutely fine job of having something for everyone.

 

[GreenCntryGirl]

I do not want Walt Disney World to become a "Disney-fied" version of Universal or any other theme park.

YMMV

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Disney definitely needs more headlining rides, especially at Epcot and to a lesser extent DHS (they just need more rides period at DHS). And of course it should be more attractive to teens. If my teens all said they didn't really want to go to Disney I wouldn't spend thousands of dollars to go. I wouldn't mind seeing a headlining roller coaster at Epcot. The coasters at DHS and AK are very good and show that Disney knows how to do a good coaster, even if they aren't quite as intense as those at other parks. Disney obviously realizes it needs to continue to add/improve rides.

 

[Laketravis]

Why? Tweens don't have much money. Tweens would prefer to go somewhere that only focuses on rides.

Disney wants families to come, stay on resorts, eat at restaurants and buy big vacation packages.

Really? Looks like "Tweens spend about $43 billion a year and influence the spending of billions of dollars more on everything from cell phones to vacations to automobiles"....

http://newswise.com/articles/read-tween-the-lines-tweens-impact-on-economy

 

[Mad Hattered]

So just to be clear here.....most of you are stating that if Disney were to include just one single ride somewhere in one of the parks that the entire family couldn't be included in it would destroy Disney?? Would the "magic" just up and poof on you?

Is some kid going to throw a tantrum (other than the fact that they have been up since 6 am and it nearing 2 pm) because his brother or sister got to ride something they didn't? It's nothing a Mickey Bar shoved down their throat won't solve. Seriously.

A more adventurous ride would attract people. Period. Or they could just throw up a giant scrim in EPCOT with one portrayed for a short period of time and call it Limited Time Magic.

 

[davedmaine]

I was wondering how many people feel as I do that disney is missing out on a substantial opportunity by not adding more to attract the tweens and teens(okay alot of thrill seeking adults too) I have 3 daughters one of them grown but also a 10 and 15 year old who are really losing their desire to go to disneyworld as they say that there is not enough stuff that they like to do. They only really like splash mountain and big thunder mountain railroad at Magic Kingdom, TOT and Rockin Rollercoaster at the Studios. They are finally telling me they don't really care to go to disney anymore which is heartbreaking for me as I love the place. Then again I can understand them as they love Islands of Adventure and Busch Gardens for you guessed it Thrill rides. Of course they have also outgrown the princess stage to my horror. I think it is time that disney created more thrill rides based on the villians, which I will admit are my favorite characters. How does anyone else feel? My daughters know about change.org and actually asked for me to get a petition going so disney will know how they feel but I do not want to just jump on that bandwagon

Seems like I'm the only one here who gets what you're saying. Disney is lacking a coolness factor. I agree with what you're saying.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

If they are into thrill rides, there are lots of places for them to pursue that interest. The intention of Disney World was to have attractions that everyone could do together. It's the atmosphere as much as the actual "ride." They will probably get over it and come back to the fold when they stop being teenagers. (Although I have to admit I still loved WDW as a teen.)

I went to Disneyland at 10 and liked it (didn't love it - preferred Six Flags). DisneyWorld MK at 17 and HATED it. AK at 31 and LOVED it. And at 45 all of DisneyWorld with my kids and Loved it. MK is still not my favorite place personally, but had a ball watching the kids. But, my experience of disliking it so much is why we pushed to go when we did - oldest daughter is 12 now and I was afraid she'd grow out of it before she even got to see it.

 

[andyman8]

I have to say that I agree with OP on this. The fact is, from a business perspective, Disney's most logical next move to compete with UOR would be to attract teenagers by building thrill rides (they already have some extraordinary ones). Ideally, WDW could move to attract families with young ones and older ones. I think that rides like the 7DMT is a step in the right direction, as it combines classic storytelling with a mild roller coaster that everyone can still enjoy; I'll think we'll see high speeds with a lot of twists and turns but no drops or inversions (basically a bit milder than BTMRR).

That being said, OP won't find much sympathy as most posters on this board are parents of younger ones thus that money must go to attractions for their kids.

 

[davedmaine]

Why? Tweens don't have much money. Tweens would prefer to go somewhere that only focuses on rides.

Disney wants families to come, stay on resorts, eat at restaurants and buy big vacation packages.

There is a certain segment of teenagers that are going to rebel against anything that even seems slanted towards kids. Disney has little shot with them anyway.

Disney is doing fine as they are.

What?? If Disney can't attract teens, they're going to make mom & dad go somewhere else. Teens/tweens are critical to Disney; 15 years from now when these kids have kids of their own, they're not going to think Disney..