surprises for 13 yr old son ??

[panthergurl81]

Me and my husband have been planning a September trip for a while now. Recently my 13 year old step son has decided to come move in with us.. so he is going to be going with us I am so excited!! He knows we are going to Disney but he has no clue we will be going to Universal as well. He has never been to either and I doubt he even really knows much about them. I want to do something really fun for him either right before our trip our whenever we get there.. I have heard of the "tinker bell gifts" and think that would be awesome! I just need help coming up with gifts/surprises for him.

This is what I have thought of so far...
A star wars lanyard with some trading pins
A Mr. potato head
(so we can go to once upon a toy)
a hidden mickeys guide book
(if there is such a thing)

And for universal ..
A customized Hogwarts letter of some kind

anyone else have any good ideas on ways to surprise him, gifts, etc?
What about things for universal ??

 

[MSSANDRA]

So glad you get to take him along. I doubt that at 13 year old is going to want a Mr Potato Head. My oldest DS really liked pressed pennies at that age. Take plenty of pennies and quarters and we bought the book. Neither of my guys were into the pen trading but if he is friendly and outgoing he may enjoy it. They both love the Star Wars store at DS and a special purchase there is always a treat. If he is still into legos, the lego store at DTD is great and the fill your own container is fun fun fun. The new HP stuff is opening now so if he is a HP fan, he will be thrilled with that!!! Let him pick a meal or two and just the trip it's self is super special and fun.

 

[eskimopie]

I wonder if a couple gift cards (one for Universal, and one for Disney) would be good. That way he has a little of his own spending money while he is there and is able to purchase a few things by himself.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

My son loves pin trading and is about the same age as your step son. So nice that he will be going with you. My son loves reading the Disney Kingdom Keepers Series. Maybe he would like books like that.

 

[laughinplace199]

It depends on the kid and what he likes.

I have a DS who will be 13 in June. He wouldn't be interested in pin trading and he definitely wouldn't want a Mr. Potato Head (we did that when he was younger though).

I like the idea another poster had of giving him gift cards for both Disney and Universal. Then he can pick out things that he likes.

What are your DS's interests? Maybe there's a tour that he would like? DH & DS did the Wild Africa Trek last year because DS is really into animals (especially African ones).

 

[panthergurl81]

Thanks for all the ideas guys
Gift cards are a GREAT idea ... I will deff. Have to get a few of those ... I believe he will love Lego store .. I didn't even think of that one .

 

[pinoke]

My son is almost twelve and has been lucky enough to go to WDW four times.
There is a kids guide to disney book that he loves. It describes a few highlights and he picks his "must do's" from reading that. I'd give him either that or another Disney book to look at on the plane.
My son never got into pin trading and wouldn't want a potato head- kind of young. Some of his favs:
- Pool slides, Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Dole Whip, any buffet dinner with unlimited mini desserts ( he loves character dinners-really gets excited when I get excited. We don't wait in character lines so are sure to book a meal or two. We like Tusker House with Safari Donald and Chef Mickeys), EE, Mexico dinner and Fiesta Tour ride, Thunder Mountain, and pulling his own ( small) suitcase.
Where are you staying?

 

[cherokeemamma]

My son is 19 now and he has always liked baseball caps...so if he wears hats that might be an idea. Another is Disney music CDs. My son is a real fan of the classic Disney stuff; he seems to always buy some music to add to his collection while we're WDW. They now sale all sorts of techno savvy stuff too. Another thing my DS has collected are the bobble-head statues. Like I said he really likes the classics so we have the ones that look old fashioned like Steamboat Willie, Mickey in a football uniform and Tigger in a baseball uniform..etc. Disney snacks are always a big hit and you really can't go wrong with gift cards....most kids love Starbucks and that is now an option at WDW.
Honestly, there is nothing better than a first trip to WDW. Hoping he has the time of his life! It sounds like you are doing everything possible to insure that happens. Have FUN!!!

 

[panthergurl81]

My son is almost twelve and has been lucky enough to go to WDW four times.
There is a kids guide to disney book that he loves. It describes a few highlights and he picks his "must do's" from reading that. I'd give him either that or another Disney book to look at on the plane.
My son never got into pin trading and wouldn't want a potato head- kind of young. Some of his favs:
- Pool slides, Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Dole Whip, any buffet dinner with unlimited mini desserts ( he loves character dinners-really gets excited when I get excited. We don't wait in character lines so are sure to book a meal or two. We like Tusker House with Safari Donald and Chef Mickeys), EE, Mexico dinner and Fiesta Tour ride, Thunder Mountain, and pulling his own ( small) suitcase.
Where are you staying?

I thought about getting some sort of guide book for him, maybe a hidden mickey book as well. & we are staying at pop century!

 

[westonkamom]

My DS just turned 13 in March. We have the Hidden Mickey book and he uses it every trip. It's actually what got my husband hooked on WDW, lol. I think the gift card idea is a great one. My son also likes to get a pair of the Disney crocs every visit that have the Mickey head cut-outs. He obviously doesn't wear them to school, but he wears them the whole trip and usually all summer at home. I also always let each of the kids pick a dinner adr. One thing my son really enjoyed last trip, and has asked to do again this Christmas is the HDDR dinner. It was a blast and had him laughing the whole time (sometimes tough to amuse a 13 y/o, lol). He was adament that he didn't want to do pin trading, but as soon as he saw how much fun is younger sister was having with it, he really got into it. I think he was just nervous at first and didn't think it was going to be "cool" to do, but after seeing how many people participate he changed his mind. What resort are you staying at? Some have pretty cool arcades. Maybe you guys can have fun some night or a rainy day (if that happens) and hang out there. Oh, and my son begged to go to DTD to go to Disney Quest. I also pack his carry-on backpack full of snacks he loves for the plane.

 

[EMode]

The hidden Mickey book is a good idea, we used one on our last trip and surprisingly my 13 year old was into it.
All the other stuff on your list wouldn't have interested him so (if it were my ds) I'd just give him his own spending money. My ds used most of his in the arcade at the resort

 

[westonkamom]

My son loves pin trading and is about the same age as your step son. So nice that he will be going with you. My son loves reading the Disney Kingdom Keepers Series. Maybe he would like books like that.

Btw, DisneyFansInNYC....YOUR WDW VIDEO IS AWESOME!!! I never click on links, but I'm so glad I did bc your family just made my day!!

 

[Wendybird55]

Why not give him his very own park day...a day where he is control of planning where you go and what you do...this way he can get into the trip by researching a bit and figuring out what he would want to do on his special day...rides, food, resort activities...everything. You can give him a B&N gift card, let him choose which park (Disney or Universal) he wants his day for and let him go and buy some guide books. I'm not sure how many days you will be going, but if it's feasible you may want to give him his own Disney and Universal days.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Btw, DisneyFansInNYC....YOUR WDW VIDEO IS AWESOME!!! I never click on links, but I'm so glad I did bc your family just made my day!!

Ahh. Thank you for the post. We love watching it. My kids laugh as to how many times I watch it. This year we are going with different friends and they can't wait to make one with us. We love the CMs. They were all so happy to be part of it. We can't wait to go and find some of them to show it to them. They asked us to come back. Thanks again for your post it made our kids happy.

 

[puffkin]

My DS8 has outgrown most of the stuff on your list so I would say it really depends on the kid, their interests and personality. While my DS8 still loves going to Disney, there really isn't much for the "tween" age for him in terms of special things. But it really depends on their interests

Is he into Fantasy Stuff? He might like a day devoted to playing Sorcerors of the Kingdom at MK. There are different accessories that go with that.

Does he like video games? He might like a day at Disney Quest.

Is he into performing arts? Maybe tickets to Cirque or Blue Man Group.

Is he a foodie? Maybe a signature dining experience.

Some of the tours might be of interest, but just check the ages because a lot are ages 16+.

I would be hesitant with gift cards only because my DS hardly ever uses his. He just isn't into wearing Disney clothes and is too old for the toys and trinkets. I just would hate to see you get stuck with a lot of money on a gift card.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

there IS a Disney for teens book you could pick up for him as well as the previously mentioned hidden Mickeys book

My son just turned 13 and while he thinks mom is corny, we get an LOL over the play on words, stupid jokes... pick up some Disney themed snacks that coincide with plans for the day....
Animal Kingdom - box of animal crackers
Epcot - Living Seas, Nemo/Goldfish crackers
Hollywood Studios - Fruit snacks in Toy Story shapes
- I know I'll get an eye roll from him but he'll also enjoy the snacks and laugh about it.

Digital Camera - I purchased a relatively cheap one (under $50) for my kids to bring on class/school trips. If we were on vacation they were welcome to use it otherwise it stayed in mom/dads room. It's fun to see life through their eyes sometimes If that's not an expense your able to do - a disposable camera works too.

Coins for pressed pennies - they also sell folders like photograph books to store the pressed pennies in.

Beach towel for the pool - hotels don't have towels at the pool, many bring the room towels but having something bright & colorful makes it easier to spot his/your spot to meet.

Gift card for the hotel arcade

Re-usable water bottle to bring to the parks every day.

I've read the idea of some type of scavenger hunt but I haven't looked into what people have put on lists for that

And now that you've done something for him, here is a task for him to do for you.... well it's still for him but he won't appreciate it just yet
Pack a couple of ziplock bags - have your son collect different things from his travels to make a time capsule from his 1st trip. Maps, stuff from parades, mickey glitter, a rock from Magic Kingdom, whatever he thinks is cool and isn't destructive When you get home, pack it into a Tupperware container and give it to him at a later date - graduation, wedding, moving out, whatever to remember when.

 

[motherof2boys]

My youngest is almost 12 he wouldn't be into any of those ideas except the Hidden Mickey book. He got the newest one last trip & loves it!

He was really into pin trading a few years ago. Now he just throws a few in his pocket in case he sees a Figment pin he doesn't have.

I would get a GC for Disney & Universal & let your step-son choose what he likes. Within reason of course my son loves Disney & Universal so he'd spend all my money the first day!

We've been to DisneyQuest as well. I was bored but my boys loved it! Most teenage boys would probably love it as well.

Maybe a trip to one of the Water Parks or Mini Golf would be fun too.

 

[blackpearl77]

I think the gift card is a good idea. Mr. Potato head seems a little young for him since my three year old plays with one. Definitely go to disney quest esp. If he likes video games! What are his interests? Does he like comic books (marvel theme?) or is he into sports or video games? That's a hard age. Maybe let him help plan a day? Does he like water parks? I went when I was 13 and that was right when typhoon lagoon opened and I thought it was the best thing ever! Maybe you could do a gift bag based on his interest and somehow relate it to things that are at disney.

 

[gigicnm]

My 13 year old is looking forward to going on the two person boats (they used to be called mice boats). We rented the boats for 1/2 hour before our dinner at Kona (his favorite restaurant because they have the Kona Kone for dessert). You have to be 12 or 13 to drive one. We had a blast, and he thought he was so cool driving.

As far as US goes, the place is made for a 13 year old boy. I wouldn't over think US because it is way more boy-friendly then WDW which tends to be girl-centric. Of course HP is a hit at that age, but my sone loved all of US and Island of Adventure.

Both my boys (11 & 13) would be too old for Mr. potato Head and Legos. They like having their own gift cards for spending money, but they would prefer to make their trips into a store short and sweet. My husband is good at entertaining them for awhile while I shop. They do like the penny squishing machines and Hidden Mickeys. I would suggest a generic gift card (like the Visa cards) that way he can spend his $ anywhere and not just the parks.

 

[MeanestMomEver]

My 19 yr old daughter and my husband (weirdly enough) really got into the pressed penny thing when we visited in March. He pretended to help her look for the machines and she pretended she was going along with it to entertain poor old dad. The truth-they both loved it ---for some reason. She printed out a list of machines that she found on line and we brought it with us along with a few rolls of pennies and quarters. There are hundreds of designs available so he might like collecting a certain theme; only Mickeys or Toy Story, for example. You could bring the stuff for it and if your step son doesn't get into it, at least it didn't cost you anything to offer the idea. For what it's worth, my engineer husband loves stuffing a box full of potato head parts on every trip. He doesn't play with them (well he did have the Star Wars ones in his office for a while) he just likes to collect them. He thinks our future grand kids will play with them someday. But I know it's all about him. Another thing that might get him excited is Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. I don't know if you want to tell him this or if it would spoil it, but he could research on line and find out which targets are worth crazy high points. Be sure to get him a first visit button!

http://www.themouseforless.com/downloads/DisneyPressedCoinsChecklists.shtml