16 year old not excited about going to DL...

[Lynzer Torte]

Are you sure he's not going to have a good time? I know that my sister was sometimes like that but once we got there she was fine and had a lot of fun. Was always thankful we "made" her go along.

Yeah, I'm sure. He was the same way last year but we thought it was mostly because he was missing his "girlfriend" (he's not allowed to date until he's 16 so it was pretty much his best friend, who's a girl ).

Well, coming from a guy (my hubby), this is his advice. He would tell him, "Suck it up buddy. You'll live."

Okay then. That was short.....and to the point.

Yeah- we tell him that all the time! I just hate to "drag" someone to the Happiest Place on Earth, ya know?

 

[blackjackdelta]

Is he in to cute girls? Just remind him that So. Cal. is host to a bevy of cute girls of all ages! Just another angle for you to try. At least he said that he would be excited to take his family, that's pretty cute.

My 19 y.o. son loves Disney for this very reason and because he likes being with the family. We are all so busy with me traveling, DGF working Neonatal transports and college this remains a fun time for us. He also loves to hit the beach for 1 day while we are there and USH.

Jack

 

[alvernon90]

At the risk of veering off topic because this doesn't directly address the problem, I would be careful about attributing the guy's lack of excitement to being 16 years old. Sure that is part of it, but maybe he is just bored with Disneyland. I mean, seven times in 12 years? Six days at a time? IMO, you have to be a hardcore DL lover not to get tired of it, there just isn't that much to do at DLR.

This might be different if you were talking about WDW with multiple parks, numerous hotels, water parks, DisneyQuest, golf courses, watercraft rentals, etc. etc. etc. But at DLR a guy can get bored, even if there are cute girls around. The best solution might have been shaking up the vacation experiences a little more, and the second best solution would be giving him a get out of jail free card for this trip. Since both are off the table for this trip, I recommend outright bribery -- promise him another special trip, or a car, or something.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

At the risk of veering off topic because this doesn't directly address the problem, I would be careful about attributing the guy's lack of excitement to being 16 years old. Sure that is part of it, but maybe he is just bored with Disneyland. I mean, seven times in 12 years? Six days at a time? IMO, you have to be a hardcore DL lover not to get tired of it, there just isn't that much to do at DLR.

This might be different if you were talking about WDW with multiple parks, numerous hotels, water parks, DisneyQuest, golf courses, watercraft rentals, etc. etc. etc. But at DLR a guy can get bored, even if there are cute girls around. The best solution might have been shaking up the vacation experiences a little more, and the second best solution would be giving him a get out of jail free card for this trip. Since both are off the table for this trip, I recommend outright bribery -- promise him another special trip, or a car, or something.

Point well taken! I guess it is hard to think in the mindset of others because I LOVE DL and WDW and would never tire of them...however DLR has much less to offer. I agree that bribery might work at this point. And he will be okay, try not to let him ruin your trip

 

[Lynzer Torte]

At the risk of veering off topic because this doesn't directly address the problem, I would be careful about attributing the guy's lack of excitement to being 16 years old. Sure that is part of it, but maybe he is just bored with Disneyland. I mean, seven times in 12 years? Six days at a time? IMO, you have to be a hardcore DL lover not to get tired of it, there just isn't that much to do at DLR.

This might be different if you were talking about WDW with multiple parks, numerous hotels, water parks, DisneyQuest, golf courses, watercraft rentals, etc. etc. etc. But at DLR a guy can get bored, even if there are cute girls around. The best solution might have been shaking up the vacation experiences a little more, and the second best solution would be giving him a get out of jail free card for this trip. Since both are off the table for this trip, I recommend outright bribery -- promise him another special trip, or a car, or something.

I didn't realize going 7 times in 12 years was a lot. Check out my sig- sometimes there were large gaps between visits. I almost don't want to know what you think of AP holders who go weekly.

None of us have a real desire to go to WDW.

We take plenty of vacations besides DLR.

We will not be buying him a car. He is getting a Les Paul electric guitar in 3 days.

 

[Judy from Boise]

Honestly, trying to tell someone how to feel is a loser's game. Why must he be excited? I would focus on the behavioral expectations and call it good. For example....you certainly don't have to be excited, but every day until lunch time, you will hang with the family and be a polite participant. At lunch you are free to break off and do what you want until we all gather at our room at 7 pm.If you back off, it is more than likely he will be caught up in the magic and have a good time.
But, I also agree that he might genuinely be "tired" of DL. That is not a rejection of anything in the past....just an honest assessment of the future.

Good luck !

 

[bzkds]

Maybe he just *honestly* doesn't like Disneyland? My 18 year old son hates going to Disneyland. He doesn't like going on rides at all, and it's not worth the money to buy him a ticket. He's always gone with us on family vacations, of course. But we go without him now. Actually, only one of my 4 kids really LOVES Disneyland (my 16 year old), which is hugely disappointing to me. But anyway, I agree with others, it might be more fun for him to have a friend/cousin along or hang out in ESPN zone, etc.
Beth

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

I didn't read all the other replies but I can tell you at 16 I was in love w/ DL - BUT didn't want my family to be seen w/ me. I was too cool. So my totally awesome G-ma told me to bring a friend. My dear G-ma paid for all her kids & grandkids (10 total) plus my best friend. So my girlfriend & I went off having a blast - I wasn't w/ my family, but I did have fun. Luckily my family was very laid back about it.

All I can say is this happens often. Being a Disney buff I wasn't one of them but there's many who don't get excited. DH for one, he thought Disney was a crock until he got to see HIS kids faces experience everything. That turned his frown upside down!

I don't know what your son likes but what if you let HIM plan a day. Give him the tools (websites, etc) & let him go for it. It may not be magical at 16 for everyone, but the chance to make your parents do what YOU want can be.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

A suggestion that I have is have him and his bro go off and do a list of tasks, like see how many times they can ride the Maliboomer without barfing or how many churros they can eat under 5 minutes, "manly" competitions like that. If you give a new twist on things, he might find it interesting again.

Then again, he may feel different once he's there.

 

[BrerFox]

I am a 17 year old guy, and I really enjoy DL.

You just have to get them out of that 'cool' mindset. DL is not the place to be all cool. It is a place to have a great time with your family. That is my favourite thing about DL, the innocent atmosphere.

Tell him to just go and be a kid again!

 

[Lynzer Torte]

He's got pretty good self-esteem. He doesn't really care what other people think and he wears and does what he wants (within reason, of course). He's a really cool guy whom I love hanging out with. He's a blast to be with so that's what makes it extra hard.

We're toying with the idea of renting a car instead of taking the DL Express like we've done many times in the past. That way, the trip won't be all Disney all the time. We can take 1 day and head to L.A. or something.


Thank you guys for all your ideas. Maybe I'll have him read this thread to see he's not alone in his aversion to DL.

 

[alvernon90]

I didn't realize going 7 times in 12 years was a lot. Check out my sig- sometimes there were large gaps between visits. I almost don't want to know what you think of AP holders who go weekly.

Please understand that I'm not here to judge anyone's love of DL or the decision to go repeatedly. You said your son wasn't very excited about this trip and many other posters immediately jumped out to say, "Oh, how typical for a teenager." My only point was that, given how often you have gone, you need not be a teenage boy (with all the stereotypical emotional baggage that might entail) to get bored with DL. If you're not the type to get bored with DL, that's cool. I'm just saying that it is not immature or irrational to decide you don't want to take an X-day to DL for the nth time in Y years, whatever those numbers might be.

We will not be buying him a car. He is getting a Les Paul electric guitar in 3 days.

Now that's a lucky boy. If that bribe doesn't work, I agree with the poster who said to create a "manly" challenge between the brothers. Be sure that "Turkey Legs Plus Tea Cups" is one of the events!

 

[A-T-G]

I remember, as a teenager, loving a chance for my sister and I to do stuff without my Mom. Sometimes, as restaurants, we'd beg her to let us have our own "ladies who lunched" table. Occasionally she'd relent. We loved those times to spend together.

If you think your son would be interested in stuff like that, perhaps suggest to him, he think of stuff he might like to do with just his younger brother for a couple of hours. They could stay in the hotel and swim, or play games, go to the arcade. Something like that. I would suggest he or his brother "check in" with you hourly and you guys set up a "meet us at the...." time.

He's just growing up!

When we finally got the chance to take my youngest sister to DL, she was 15. She thought the park was kinda "lame" with no "real" rides (these were her words! I adore DL!). Her favorite part of the trip? The afternoon we spend a the DLH hotel pool, sipping on beverages and playing in the water.

Kids!

Have fun, he's be glad you "made" him to when he's older!

 

[jakoky]

hi there, i replied earlier and thought i would add something...i just asked my 15, soon to be 16 in july, year old son why he isnt" in" to going to disneyland...he said "we have been 3 times in 4 years ( 1 DW, 2 DL), and i would just like to go somewhere else...he said it isnt that he doesnt like DL, he loves it, he just really wants to try something else....funny thing is, the reason i like doing DL, is we always do an extended trip....10 days, so only 4 1/2 were DL, and we did LOTS of other things, including pool days,beach, knotts soack city, nhl hockey game...oh well, i told next trip we can do something else and he is truly ok with going...i just thought i would share his "reasons"....His sisters (17 and 13) just dont understand him
sharon

 

[Husker Mickey]

If you are planning on getting a rental car, and you will spend a day or so away from DL, have him plan a day away for the family. Give him a map of the area and let him explore by internet interesting things to see and do. (A day or part of a day at the beach is a no-brainer for me) We have enjoyed taking one of the tours offered by the travel company that we go through - getawaytoday.com . The bus picks you up at your hotel and takes you to your destination. We have had a day at Universal, a day at Sea World, and a day exploring LA. All of these were day trips and we thoroughly enjoyed them.
Another suggestion is that he gets to be in charge of the video camera for the trip, making sure to get all the interesting angles for his sister's special occation - blog. That sounds cool for any kid. Also he should check out youtube to get in the mood.
As a mother of two teenagers, I can understand. I also remember being 16 and having to go on a vacation with my parents to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. It was the last weekend of the summer and all of our friends were planning to go to the lake and we had to go on a lame trip with our parental units. We tried our hardest to let them know that we didn't want to be there by rocking the car back and forth making my dad think the car was having trouble, putting a sign in the window saying that a "neurotic mother was driving", and turning our backs so as not to be a picture. Yup, we were naughty. All in all, we did have a good trip. We did survive and have some fun memories. Mom and dad just put up with us and they survived too!
Good luck and hope some of these suggestions help.

 

[Lynzer Torte]

Another suggestion is that he gets to be in charge of the video camera for the trip, making sure to get all the interesting angles for his sister's special occation - blog. That sounds cool for any kid. Also he should check out youtube to get in the mood.
.

Funny you say that- we just got a second camcorder for DH's work that we plan on giving to him for the trip. He and his bro are planning out silly movies to make while there. Hey- it's a step!


I've thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated all the comments and suggestions so far. It's been fun reading about personal experiences too.

As they say: "Raising teenagers is like nailing Jello to a tree".

 

[EnnEss]

I have to say my family went when I was 16 for our 3rd trip or so and i loved the previous ones but I didnt want to go to this one. I was away for home for new years (missed various parties) and my 16th birthday and I just didnt want to go.

I recall the trip, I had some fun, but I was so grumpy over going I mostly ruined it for myself.

I think its one thing as a grown up to decide to keep going back there, particularly if you've gone other places. Kids might see it quite differently. I go to WDW or DL once a year now probably but I still go other places, sometimes the narrowness of peoples experiences in regards to travel options confuse me, but it is their choice. Its not a kid's choice though, and at 16 they may come to resent it, as I did. I should note my family went on vacation to multiple places I enjoyed greatly, but I can see this problem arising a lot more if thats not the case in a given family.

I really dont know what would have made me happy. Probably going off on my own wouldn't have done it. I was a largely outgoing, social kid. I didn't want to go to DL to hang out by myself either. I would have preferred to stay home. Having a friend come along may have made me much happier. That is not an easy option though, obviously it would be quite the expense.

By 19 years old I loved going again. I dont think a 19 or even 18 y.o is in any way comparable to a 16 year old. I went with my family (dad and wife) (sis and bf) and my gf when I was 20ish and loved it.

I guess if the kid is against it, and hes going, probably do the best to realize and set expectations ahead of time. Once there ask if he wants to go off on his own (as some have suggested) as this might be preferable to him. Best of luck. My post isn't that constructive I guess, but maybe offers some insight as others have done. Maybe that will help you somehow, i hope so, sorry I couldnt be more helpful.