13yo who hates rides

brightspark73

Earning My Ears
Joined
Nov 20, 2025
Messages
1
Hi, my DH and 2 Ds (13 and 17, both autistic) are going to WDW December 28th. Travelling from the UK and doing marathon weekend, we are there for 15 days. We have all been many times.

3 of us love rides but my 13 year old really hates all but small world and TSM (pretty much). He is so fed up of waiting around whilst we ride, and I'm trying to come up with things he and I / his dad can do with him, whilst the other is in the park with Ds17.

So far I have..
Swimming in our pool (SSR)
Water parks (although he doesn't like water slides and I don't know which is open)
Adventure golf
Footgolf
Visiting resorts and looking at Christmas decorations
The new button hunts in some resorts
Walking trails in resorts (had hoped for DVC pool hopping but it's shut).
Resort / Park bingo (make cards before hand).

He loves a good spreadsheet so hoping we can rank things and count things like decor and the walking trails.

Can you think of anything else we could do?
Anything we could count?
Anything we could collect

All ideas welcome.

Thanks so much
Helen
 
Hi, my DH and 2 Ds (13 and 17, both autistic) are going to WDW December 28th. Travelling from the UK and doing marathon weekend, we are there for 15 days. We have all been many times.

3 of us love rides but my 13 year old really hates all but small world and TSM (pretty much). He is so fed up of waiting around whilst we ride, and I'm trying to come up with things he and I / his dad can do with him, whilst the other is in the park with Ds17.

So far I have..
Swimming in our pool (SSR)
Water parks (although he doesn't like water slides and I don't know which is open)
Adventure golf
Footgolf
Visiting resorts and looking at Christmas decorations
The new button hunts in some resorts
Walking trails in resorts (had hoped for DVC pool hopping but it's shut).
Resort / Park bingo (make cards before hand).

He loves a good spreadsheet so hoping we can rank things and count things like decor and the walking trails.

Can you think of anything else we could do?
Anything we could count?
Anything we could collect

All ideas welcome.

Thanks so much
Helen
Typically Blizzard Beach would be open around this time. Typhoon Lagoon will soon close for refurbs.

If I were you, I’d also play a little “bus roulette” whilst visiting the Disney resorts. Make a bit of mystery on the day you visit (as in look away from the My Disney Experience app and the Disney Transport bus screens) and go to the first resort bound bus you get upon arriving at the station (or if staying offsite, Disney Springs).
 

Epcot has a scavenger hunt for the current festival that is going on. You buy a map for $10 bucks and you have to find what they hide in the various countries. For Festival of the Holidays, it is Olafs .

He could count hidden Mickeys. I know there’s books on hidden Mickeys. He could also track posted wait times versus actual wait times for the rides he does.
 
Take a boat ride from MK and visit the Disney horse barn, Tri Circle D Ranch, at Fort Wilderness.

Go get some hot biegnets at Port Orleans French Quarter. You could take a boat or horse and carriage ride there, or rent a surrey bike, also.

Visit all the countries’ gift shops in World Showcase and get something at some of their quick service or shops like fresh Werther’s popcorn in Germany, a cinnamon roll at Kringala Bakeri in Norway, or a Kaki Gori (snowcone) in Japan. Also watch all the movies and shows there, or ride Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros in Mexico (which is similar to Small World, but with a Mexican theme - it can be loud and there are some “fireworks”, but you could probably see a video online if unsure if he’d enjoy).
 
How about things like, Philharmagic at MK, Animator Class at AK, Moana water exhibit at EP?
 


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