ideas for 17 year old to do besides the parks

[holdem]

my 17 year old is into paintball and video games. i've heard disney quest is nice. any ideas of other activities to keep him from getting bored. also need ideas for evening entertainment.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

My 13 yo ds (who is a gaming geek) spends most of his time in DQ. He also enjoys just walking around DTD on his own.

 

[DeeDeeDis]

When are you going? Is bringing a friend an option??

If he likes rides he should be kept from getting bored just by visiting the parks or even the water parks.

An activity that he may enjoy sedway tour at epcot, i'm waiting for ds3 to turn 16 so we can catch a few of the tours they offer at the parks. The adventurers Club at PI does a variety of skits that are teen friendly and pretty funny.

I believe each resort has some sort of arcade.

We have three teenage boys (19, 18 & 14) and they seem to have no problem from keeping from getting bored, of course they love the rides

 

[holdem]

going the week before x-mas. his friends will still be in school. what is dq like?

 

[DeeDeeDis]

Its a big arcade, but alot of the games you are kind of in them, like you can design a rollercoaster ride then get into a virtual reality car and you get to experience your coaster ride. or you get into a inflatable raft and it feels like your whitewater rafting. its pretty neat but i'm sure more fun when doing it with someone.

If this is not included in your park pass, ticketmania online has them for 24.00 (i think thats a 10 to 12.00 savings from the door price)

 

[dzneelvr]

DH and I have definitely changed our daily WDW routine now that DS is 18 and DD is 16: now allow them to venture out without DH and I for at least part of every day; let them sleep late--no alarms before 10am; we stay til after closing at the parks, etc.; we schedule special events that appeal to their age bracket--this trip we're doing the Sedgeway Tour in EPCOT and the KTTK Tour in MK. You may also want to run a thread on the college board to ask for activities other 17y/o would recommend.

 

[holdem]

thanks for the help. maybe i'll try on the college post. what are the tours your talking about?

 

[DeeDeeDis]

below is a list of tours that wdw offers

DisneyQuest
DisneyQuest is a "virtual reality theme park" with many interactive games, old and new video games (including a whole area of early classics like PacMan and Galaga) and some pretty amazing virtual reality "rides."

Cirque du Soleil La Nouba
By all accounts, La Nouba is a spectacular show with amazing feats of acrobatic prowess, beautiful lighting and costumes. Most people think it's well worth the price.

Movies
There is an AMC 24-plex movie theater in Downtown Disney and an AMC theater in Celebration where you can take advantage of various AMC specials.

Tours and Special Backstage Programs
Disney offers many interesting backstage tours in the theme parks. In general, you must reserve tours in advance through (407) WDW-TOUR (939-8687).

Behind the Scenes Experiences

Backstage Magic (Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Disney-MGM Studios)
Disney's Yuletide Fantasy
Gardens of the World (Epcot)
Hidden Treasures of World Showcase (Epcot)
Guest Relations Tours - Magic Kingdom

Disney's Family Magic Tour
Disney's Keys to the Kingdom Tour
Disney's The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour
Mickey's Magical Milestones Tour
Guest Relations Tours - Epcot

Simple Segway Experience
The UnDISCOVERed Future World
Living Seas Program - Epcot

Dolphins in Depth
Epcot DiveQuest
Seas Aqua Tour

Animal Programs - Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Wild by Design
Backstage Safari

 

[WAHMto5]

We also just let our 2 oldest ds~17 & dd~14 go off together on their own to do what they enjoy.

 

[holdem]

we only have one 17 year old. don't think i would want him going off by himself. may get bored as well

 

[HaleyB]

When we went in with my then 17 year old we got him an unlimited pass to DQ so he could go every day. We let him do whatever he wanted park wise. We had cell phones so he could always hook up with us if he wanted. He loved Epcot. Riding solo has some advantages (short single rider lines). He spent one day with us in AK and liked it there too. He always managed to catch up with us if we were eating somewhere good, lol. We had the meal vouchers for him and he liked eating his way around WDW.

He really liked it and was sad he couldn't go with us this year (he couldn't miss classes now that he is in college). Next time he goes we will do the dining plan so he can enjoy the food again. We will also get him another season pass to DQ because he did go every day (we were there for 17 days). He could send out email and update his blog from DQ so it was what kept him happy (aside from the food). He really liked the freedom that the Disney transportation afforded him. He always slept in and met us around lunch or dinner time.

He did see one movie as well, but he said "I can see movies anytime" He really thought the World Showcase was cool- we caught him flirting more than once. Most of the CM's there were only a little older than him and he is pretty out going so he talked to a lot of them. I would say he spent most of the 17 days between DQ and Epcot. He is a good kid, so he did do MK with us too. He is the oldest by alot, brother and sister are 11 and 14 years younger than him.

 

[tmt martins]

my 17 year old is into paintball and video games. i've heard disney quest is nice. any ideas of other activities to keep him from getting bored. also need ideas for evening entertainment.

When are you going you know WWoS has 2 of the biggest PAINTBALL events in the world.Around April/and last week of Oct.

 

[CastMemberDWA]

If your 17 yr old is into skateboarding there is a VANS indoor skatepark located at Festival Bay Mall....this is clear across town...but might be a fun outing a day you are "parked" out. Let him/her skate while you shop....

Just a thought.

 

[DianaPrincessofWales]

I'm taking my DD to WDW for her 13th birthday next year. Two special things we're doing is HoopDeDoo Review and going parasailing from the Contemperary Resort. Whatever you plan will be fun!

 

[Feralpeg]

Send him over to Universal IOA. Teens tend to love IOA. Many more thrill rides than you'll find at Disney.

 

[NotUrsula]

we only have one 17 year old. don't think i would want him going off by himself. may get bored as well

Not to turn this into a debate thread, but a 17 year old is old enough to go off to college. Unless he has some sort of disability that limits his cognitive abilities, he should be just fine doing his own thing in a theme park for a few hours, or hanging around a hotel. As long as he doesn't steal, doesn't have his own vehicle, and doesn't have access to a good fake ID, I really wouldn't worry about leaving him to his own devices during the trip.

Last spring we took my 17 yo niece along with us as a grad gift. I think that she spent one afternoon and one e-night with us, and the rest of the time she explored on her own, or hung out by the pool reading. She was absolutely fine, and actually spent a lot of the time snoozing in her hotel room -- the mere freedom of not being harassed about sleeping in is worth the world to a 17 yo on vacation.