15 yr old getting too old for Disney???

[mystery222184]

Ive been talking about a Disney trip with him this summer but it seems like he thinks he's too old for disney. What do you guys think and what can i do to get him to change his mind?

 

[stemikger]

Ask him why he thinks he's too old. Ask him what his idea of a cool vacation would be. If he says more coasters and more thrills, bring up Mission Space, Test Track and Rock and Roll Roller Coaster. Also tell him that there is a bunch of rabid adults out there that are (kind of obsessed with all things Disney). Tell him your never too old to dream of a better world and that is the magic of Disney.

Good Luck.

So far my nine year old loves the place, but time will tell.

 

[mezmom]

They are 16 years old! We are returning next Fall and looking forward to it. We don't do the "uninteresting rides" , nor the shows for small kids but go for the roller coasters. We have a great time. We also do some hanging out at the pool and other activities, my sons also like restaurants. ($$$$!) Have you thought of the tours and other experiences that Disney has to offer??
Have you thought of a day at IOA/US? The roller coasters there are even more hair raising!
I love Disney, as it seems all the posters here do and are looking forward to intiating the grandparents!
I bet your son just wants to keep away from "It's a Small World "and concentrate on the thrills!!

 

[Mercy]

My sons will be 17 and 14 this year when we go, they love it and can't wait to go back! Has your son ever been? This will be our boys 3rd trip... wish I had taken them more when they were little Maybe your son just doesn't want to admit he wants to go... it's not cool at 15 to want to go to WDW Maybe he could take a friend with him.

 

[grumpyandbashful]

We just got back from a trip with our sons 13 and 17 and daughter 15. Kids have been to WDW many times. I was a little worried that oldest DS might not want to go, since he is more independent, off with his friends all the time, etc. He didn't act excited at all until a few days before we left. Once there, he had a great time and was happy the whole trip (DSs didn't even fight or bicker) !
Has he been before? Does he know what to expect?

 

[corinascot]

My brother has taken his 2 girls to WDW several times, but the most recent was last year when the girls started college. Said it was far and above the BEST of the trips.

I remember going to WDW for the first time when I was 16. Like many 16 year olds, I didn't like being seen with my family (oldest of 6), but I had a great time! And this was back when the MK was the only park there!

Have fun!

 

[d96j97]

Although he may be at a "tough" age, I can't imagine that once he has hit the world he won't be overcome with that magical feeling. You can guarantee he will look back when he is your age and just feel blessed he had such great parents who wanted to share special times with him...no matter what age.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

I am taking my DS for another father/son trip this summer for the third year in a row. We started going as a family in 1997 when he was 6 going on 7 years old. He will be 14 when we go this year and he absolutely loves WDW.
This will be his sixth trip and my DW was kind of surprised that he wanted to go again this year.
Suggest you have your son involved in the planning. We always work on a rough schedule so we know what parks to hit on what days. We also pick out our favorite restaurants and determine what day/time to eat (my DS loves the Prime Time Cafe at the Studios....tries to put his elbows on the table without getting caught).
He also loves RnR (not my favorite but I go on once in a while for him). We both LOVE TOT and rode it 13 times on our last trip.
Thanks to allearsnet.com I found that the store after Space Mountain has picture taking machines that make stickers and the like. My DS also loves to find the penny souvenir machines throughout the resort. So many things to do besides the rides.
Try some new things if you have been there before.
If this is your first trip try the big rides like RnR, TOT, Mission: Space (which we were fortunate to ride five times last summer before the "official" opening thanks to the info on these boards).
No one is ever too old for WDW.
Wishing you a little magic.

 

[NMAmy]

I think you'll find while he may put on a cool act at home and in front of his friends, when he arrives he may regress and become a kid again! That's the way it seems to happen in my family.

 

[jcanary]

to do. last year we had 4 16 year old girls with us and they want to go back. Tell your son that he can have some free time and stay in touch with cell phones. We got on the boat and bike plan at WL and they spent almost every afternoon there. We let them sleep to whenever they wanted and they would go do the parks and then take a bus to WL and do the boats. They were good with calling every time they were going someplace. And then my 23 DD HAD TO COME DOWN. She brought a friend and they only did the parks one day but they did Pleasure Island, water park and hung out at the pool, they were only down for a long weekend. It was the most enjoyeable vacation I had and the girls still wish they could go back again.
Do not push him on the parks, I am sure he will enjoy them at his own pace but don't forget the other fun stuff, you can even take him out for a night at Pleasure Island. He can get into some of the clubs as long as you are with him. You will find your own great memories and he will want to come back year after year, just wait!!

 

[edcrbnsoul]

My parents brought me down all through my high school years, I liked it because it was one of the few places they knew they could let me be on my own and not get into trouble, mind you this was back in the early to mid 80's but they knew I wasnt going to get lost and there was always a ton of other teens to hang with.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

Too old?????

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I think ds 16 finds disney world to be getting old for him. I am trying to compromise. We usually let him go with his other 2 db to disney quest by themselves. I also scheduled a day at universal, something different then the same old routine. I feel in the not too distant future, the only way he might want to go is if he can bring a friend too. I did ask him if he wants to eat any place special. He said he wants a turkey leg, go figure. THen he asked me to post and see if any teens will be there april 6-14. I also will schedule some mouse boats into the schedule etc. I feel a little independence makes for a big happy family. I do insist on park and meal times together for alot of the time, then its your free time etc. This time I am thinking of maybe the adventurers club or comedy club for him while the other 2 are at disney quest.

 

[webray]

I wouldn't try to change his mind..I would leave him home.

Kids need some freedom from the parents once in a while.
He would probably welcome the change.

 

[DisneyBill]

Convinced he will have a great time yet? Also, consider a day for him at Disney Quest, if that doesn't do it he can't have fun anywhere.

 

[clkelley]

On our last trip, our boys were 15 & 16. They had free reign to do what they liked around WDW, but only had to spend 1 nice meal per day with mom & dad and Uncle. We kept in touch with cell phones, and it worked great!!

We all had a blast!!! They spent most of their trip in Disney Quest. They rode Kali River Rapids 8 times in a row and came back drenched. They obviously didn't see it all or do it all, but they had "their" vacation. They rode Tower of Terror and RnR Coaster Umpteen Million Times. They did Splash Mountain and bought the best picture where it looked like they were terrified, but were just being silly for the camera.

We're going back in May for a few days. This will be a graduation present for my oldest, now 17. Although I expect we'll spend more time together this trip cause Uncle won't be along.

Also, as other posters said, when away from their friends at school where they have to act cool, most teenagers will relax and have a good time with their family

Carol

 

[ragbunch]

We went every summer from when I was ten years old to probably 16. My brother was 18 months younger than me and we rode on the monorails without our parents from the Contemporary. I had wonderful memories of shopping in Adventureland for preppy accessories like grosgrain ribbon watchbands(this was early eighties) as soon as I could get rid of my younger brother. Ideally , I would have been able to bring a friend around age 15, but my brother and I always met other pre-teens / teens and ran around with them. It was so much fun. Now with the convenience of cell phones, teens can meet up with you later, but I think bringing a friend is the best bet. Teens are not going to want to do the baby stuff.
My husband didn't go for the first time until he was a senior in high school and his older sister was in college! There are tons of pictures of them with very sulky faces.

 

[TinkKel]

My DS is 14, we are planning a combined trip WDW/IOA/US. All HE talks about is the "awesome" roller coasters that are suppose to be at IOA. Maybe you can consider taking a few days to tour those parks too. We had orginally planned on staying our whole time at Shades of Green, until I found out that if you stay on-site at Universal that you get front-of-the-line express passes for IOA/US. Thought this was a great deal, so I booked the last two nights at the Hard Rock Hotel. I haven't told my sons that part yet, thought I'd save it for a surprise.

 

[christinadei]

I wouldn't make him go. If he doesn't want to go, he likely won't have a good time. Talk to him and see how he feels about US/IOA or Bush Gardens. I'm sure he'd like those more, more rollercoasters, less mickey. Are there other kids involved to think about, or just him?

 

[HaleyB]

Gosh am I glad my DS loves Disney as much as I do. Does your son realize that there will be tons of teenaged girls at WDW? And that there is great food to be had? Plan to take him to a buffet or two and to the Rain Forest Cafe with connections lunch vouchers. I just showed my 17 year old DS the menu and he wants to know if we can go twice! He is also looking at other menus and getting pretty excited about this trip. Those are the two things that intrest him the most- girls and food. Video games are a close third and he will have unlimited acess to Disney Quest.

I hope your son is just playing it cool, and/or saying the thing he knows will get Mom's goat. Too old for Disney, never!