Mind helping a mom out?

[LucyStorm]

Sorry to invade your turf, but thought that all of you could probably help best. My DD is 13. She chose our vacation site this year back in February and chose WDW. I think she had lost her excitement about this trip back over the summer, because it has been so long ago that we made our ressies that I don't think it seems real to her. She was starting to get a little interested before the WTC attacks, but now is adamant about not going unless we drive which is not possible because the drive is 20 hours long.

My question for you is twofold. How do I get her interested in this trip again and not fearful of the flight? And, as teens, what are your favorite things to do in the parks? We have 9 days, so I don't have to be too conservative. Thanks for your help.

 

[DisJosh]

Well tell her that we're doing everything possible to prevent something like this to ever happen again and that airport security is so tight right now that she should feel safer now than ever before. Tell her I said she'll regret it forever if she doesnt go! I've been going to WDW since I was 7 and am 17 now and I still enjoy doing the exact same thing except now the thrill rides are much more entertaining and less scary. As a teen I can tell you that at night I like to wander around the resort on my own time, play some video games in the game room etc..... Does she have a sibling or a friend coming with her? I remember the first time I got to hit the parks alone w/ a friend I had brought.......thats was probably my fav thing to do when I was that age. Even wandering the parks alone is fun. Oh yeah Disney Quest is a teen favorite.....if shes into video games or not she'll prob appreciate quest more than any adult could. Thats another cool spot to hit alone and even meet some kids her own age and have some more fun! Hope I could help a little!

 

[LucyStorm]

thanks Josh, good suggestions!

 

[samster]

I totally get what shes saying. I'm almost 13 and in december we're going. i actually WANT to drive!!!! ok heres my suggestion..get her some blank cds and downlod kazaa at www.kazaa.com to make cds. she'll be occupied and happy the whole flight. I think everything DISjosh said was perfect

 

[WDWfanatic288]

yeah we are going to DL in December and WDW in March and next December and flying all 3 trips!!
am I scared? yeah...I was scared b4 of all of this but I feel that everything will work out.
when i was 13 i went thru a stage of not concerning about our disney trips(actually the whole family did after our 1998 trip)and to get myself excited I help plan, watch disney singalongs and DIS every day!!


um....everything!! LOL..I hate missing things...but some of the cant misses are-
MK=fantasyland, the mtns, HM
EPCOT=SE, the countries, TT
MGM=TZToT,RnR, Hunchback and Muppets
AK=KRR, KS and ITTBAB

I hope I helped!!

 

[natty41]

Yeah, I'm going to WDW in 36 more days and we're flying there. I was a little worried at first, but once I talked with some people, I'm not as worried. The last time I went was in 1999, and I wasn't real excited. Then I discovered the Teen DIS boards and now can't wait to go back!
I second a vote for Kazaa! It's great! Every once in a while, I'll put on some Disney music. I even got a clip of the "please stand clear of the doors" quote from the monorail!
One of my fave things to do is go on the rides at night when a parade is going on! There are absolutely NO lines! I rode Splash Mt twice in a row w/out getting off last time I went. My parents stayed and watched the parade and I went around MK going on the rides.

 

[Meg]

<font color=blueviolet size=4>LOL Natty! I stuck one of those "Please stand clear of the door" soundbytes into one of the CD's I made!

I'd have to agree with what everyone else has said, especially what DISJosh has said about flying, & also add that you can't live your life thinking about what COULD happen, you have to just live every day to its fullest & don't live in fear. It is much more likely for you to get into a car accident than to hop on a plane that will be hijacked. I admit, up until we cancelled (well actually rescheduled) our cruise/flights on thursday, I was also scared about flying, & i'm still kinda uneasy about it, but it's just something ya gotta live with! Things are much safer now & everything is being done so that a tragedy like this doesn't happen again!

 

[Flower4Pwr]

I think one thing you can do to reassure you daughter is to point out this is probably one of the safest times to fly. They are going to put US marshals on planes and are taking extra precautions. Nobody wants this to happen again. Also you should find out everything you can about the changes so that if she has any questions or gets scared you can make sure you know whats going on. I'm 17 and I still feel reassured when I know my mom can answer my questions and understand whats going on!! Let her help plan an itinerary, that always gets me ready! Also we have the Disney vacation video....the possibilities are endless!!
Things not to miss:
Illuminations(EP)
Test Track (EP)
The Mtns. (MK)
RnR(MGM)
ToT(MGM
Surfing @ TL
Winnie The Pooh (Sooo cute!!)

Wow...I could go on forever!! Good Luck with your daughter, once you get her there she'll be fine.

 

[AFgirl325]

omg- i have "please stand clear of the doors" on napster too! haha that's definitley awesome!

well first of all, I would tell her not to worry- after all of this, it is going to be SO much more safer to fly so she really shouldn't worry- second of all, to get her excited, introduce her to the DIS! I first come on the DIS because of my trip and it got me SO excited about it, but now, even though I"m going to DL/DCA this year and not WDW, I"m still on the DIS with all the friends I've made! You also can tell her to make an iternary (like other people said) and that will definitely get her excited! Here's some of the rides that she'll DEFINITELY want to go on:

Magic Kingdom: Splash, Space, and Big Thunder Mountains, Buzz Lightyear
EPCOT: Test Track, all the countries, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, and whatever pavilion in Future World that may interest her
MGM: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Backstage Tour, some of the shows
Animal Kingdom: Kali River Rapids, Kilimnajaro Safaris, It's Tough to Be a Bug

She'll have a great time!! Have a good trip!

 

[AFgirl325]

oh I forgot!

definitely go to Downtown Disney! If your DD likes to shop, that's definitely a good place to go to (believe me, being a shop-a-holic, I would know ). Also, she may really enjoy Disney Quest!

You'll deinitely want to go over to the BoardWalk too- lots of good food, good entertainment, and TONS of fun!!!

At which resort are you staying? I'm sure she could find lots of fun to do at the resort too!

Have a good trip!

 

[DisJosh]

Originally posted by Meg
<font color=blueviolet size=4>LOL Natty! I stuck one of those "Please stand clear of the door" soundbytes into one of the CD's I made!

I'd have to agree with what everyone else has said, especially what DISJosh has said about flying, & also add that you can't live your life thinking about what COULD happen, you have to just live every day to its fullest & don't live in fear. It is much more likely for you to get into a car accident than to hop on a plane that will be hijacked. I admit, up until we cancelled (well actually rescheduled) our cruise/flights on thursday, I was also scared about flying, & i'm still kinda uneasy about it, but it's just something ya gotta live with! Things are much safer now & everything is being done so that a tragedy like this doesn't happen again!

Just to be clear......its DisJosh not DISJosh. I didnt make that name b/c this board is called DIS........I started using it long ago on another board. Just wanted to clarify that.....

 

[DisJosh]

Ahhhhh purple! LOL

 

[LucyStorm]

Thank you all. You are a good group! To answer your question, we are staying at Dixie Landings. Would a different moderate more appeal to your age group?

 

[Banzai]

Dixie is great for a teen! That water taxi to DTD is a great 10 min boat ride!

 

[DisJosh]

Dixie is one of my favs.......its now called Port Orleans Riverside......my fav hotel is Port Orleans French Quarter formerly just plain ol' Port Orleans.... Theyre both great and the boat ride to DD is a real convenience and relaxing espescially riding it back to your hotel at night after a long day.

 

[Kiki]

Another tip about 'before you go', We have one of those CD's with music from around the World. I usually have a count down written down somewhere (like my calandar or something) If you have a guide like Birnbaum's or even just the WDW website, you could write down all the attractions, and make like a chart. In one column you could have if you don't want to go on something, you do, you're not sure, and something like based on what it tells you from the description of each ride.

I suggest you go on:

Epcot- Test Track singles line (it's quicker this way), the boat rides in Norway and Mexico, and Spaceship Earth
MGM- RnR, TOT, the Great Movie Ride, the Backlot Tour, and Who want to be a Mill.?
AK- Safari, Dinosaur, and its tough to be a bug
MK- Space and Splash MT., BTMR, Space Ranger Spin, Alien Encounter, TTA, POC, The new Aladdin ride (it's fun! ) most of the Fantasyland rides- Small World, Peter Pan, HM, and that's all I can think of right now

We stayed at DL once, I liked it. I don't think they have a sit down restaurant, but the food court thing is really good.

 

[LucyStorm]

an update for you:

I changed our flight to an evening flight, DD is more comfortable with this. I changed our rooms at POR to the mansions as she felt she would prefer the mansions. I showed her your responses, and she is starting to show some interest.

Thanks for all of your help! And thanks for letting this mom invade your turf!