Tips for the "Big Kids"?

[swillis]

I am a frequent visitor to this site now that I have booked a trip for my family. (Thank you for a great site!) I'm finding a lot of information for the little ones at Disney, but I'm taking my kids DD11 and DS10 in May. This will be their first real trip. They went to MK 2 years ago with their father (we are divorced) but they only went for a few hours because it was "too hot to stand in line"

So I've been trying to find some advice, tips, words of wisdom to help my kids really experience the magic. They actually didn't want to go on this trip.

Any advice for my preteen kids? We are staying at the Marriott Grande Vista (so they can have a separate bedroom, each have a bed of their own) We are going for 7 nights. We will do all the major theme parks, MK,E,AK,MGM and one of the water parks.

We don't plan to do DisneyQuest, mostly because I fear I wouldn't be able to get my DS to want to do anything else.

Are they too old for character breakfasts? What about shows/parades?

I look forward to everyone's advice, especially if you have experience with "tweens" HAha!!

My new DH (remarried last year!) is not able to come, but a friend of mine is coming to help/enjoy/relax/experience as she doesn't have kids of her own.

 

[eeyoregon]

I have 2 DS ages 10 and 13. This May will be my 6th trip, DS13 4th trip and DS10 3rd trip. Took a vote and our visit to Blizzard Beach is at the top of their favorite list. Animal Kingdom is awesome too and we can't wait to ride Everest! Every park has a large variety of "teen" favorites. DisneyQuest in Downtown Disney would be good too.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[Sweedee]

We just got back this past Sat. with our 14yodd and our 12yods (he turned 12 while at Disney!!). My dd was very blase about the whole trip, but what 14yo wouldn't be! LOL She enjoyed all of it, but didn't just get "jump up and down" excited...except at Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster! My 12yo just LOVED it. He has some special needs, so his maturity is a bit younger than 12. However, he still loved the character meals. I would strongly encourage you to get your kiddos involved with your planning. Buy a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Disney and leave it in the bathroom. Pull up internet sites like this one, and leave them open so your kiddos can read them. Plan your days with your kids, asking them for help! Introduce them to Disney Pin Trading....you can buy Disney Pins on ebay for relatively little and then your kiddos can trade them when they get to disney. My 14yodd collected the villains, and my 12yo collected Stitch and Mickey. Dh and I really just looked for "memory" pins....pins that reminded us of our childhood. If you choose to do the Magic Your Way Dining Plan...let them help decide where they want to eat. If nothing else....buy yourself a set of Mouse Ears, plop them on your head and threaten a revolt until they DO get excited! Embarrass them into having a good time!! I probably shouldn't have been allowed to have teenagers! heheh

 

[daisyduck123]

My DD11 & DS7 have been 3 times in the last 1.5 years.
And we go for 8 days each trip.
We are now planning our May trip.

DD11 loves getting character autographs! She gets over 50 each trip.

Now I want you to know...she is not some 11 yo "little girl".
At home, she is "old for her age". All of her friends are 13.
She's even had a "boyfriend"...this lasted 6 weeks & consisted of just talking at school & instant messaging on the computer.

I'm trying to show you that even "teens" can "get into Disney".

If you saw her at home, you'd never think that she is "so into Disney"...but she is. Besides the autographs, she loves the character meals & pin trading. She also wanted to get her Epcot passport completed on our last trip, but did not have a chance.

Now yesterday, she told me she will not get her picture taken with DS8 "swimming with Nemo & Friends" at the Kodak picture lab in Epcot because it is dorky. I wanted to cry!

You should take your kids to eat at the Whispering Canyon" in the Wilderness Lodge. They would love it.

BTW, Disney is the only place DD11 will wear matching clothes with the whole family. Nothing is really dorky at Disney...except I guess having your pic taken with DS8 at the Kodak picture labs.

 

[Sweedee]

Oh yeah, the autographs....great idea! Both my kiddos stood in line for autographs AND pictures with the characters. There is a place in Epcot where the characters hang out...can't remember the name of it. My dd and dh lucked up and stood in line for only 10 mins and got 10 autographs that day! The next day we went back and the line was unbelievable! Anyway, that's a good idea too!

My dd's happiest moment at Disney was when she went back on the last day to get the Jack Skellington Coffin Purse. I told her she had to wait until the last day (mostly cause I didn't want her to buy it cause how morbid is that????) so when we went back the purse had gone on sale from 32.00 to 15.00...THAT made her jump up and down...and got Momma a HUGE KISS for making her wait! LOL I swear, some days she is 14, and some days she is 2!! LOL

 

[lovethattink]

One of my children is 12. His favorites are Epcot and BB. Until recently he felt that he was too old for MK. Then this summer he discovered Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom (VMK). Now he can't get enough of MK. Why? Because when you play VMK there are prizes you can get at the real MK that you can redeem in the game. The kids can create a character in VMK central on Main st. They can pick up the 3 quests to VMK central. (There is a 4th quest, Tomorrowland quest. You can print this from home before you go.) Then you can go in search of the answers. Fill out the quests and return them for virtual prizes. There is also merchandise to buy in the parks that you can get a free card to redeem for virtual prizes. Check out the DIS VMK board for details. There are alot of us DIS (both dis adults and our dis kids who play).

BB is his favorite water park. He likes the ski patrol area the best. we always ask for a locker in this area.

DQ is his favorite place at WDW. And you are probably right, if they like video games it's difficult to get them to leave that place.

He says the parades are lame and he says he is embarrassed to be seen watching Cinderellabration. However, we have a 21 month old and he enjoys those things. So our older one stands there with us and watches anyway. Our older one, really enjoys the acrobat show at China, the world showcase player shows, Off Kilter, and the Jammitors at Epcot.

For attractions, he loves Expedition Everest, Rock N roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Space, Splash and Big Thunder Mountains, and the new stunt show.

My son does not like the character dinners/breakfasts. However, he really loves Ohana's for dinner and the Clam Bake at the Beach Club for dinner. Those are his 2 favorite Disney dining spots.

 

[2tinkersmom]

My oldest daughter is 11 1/2 and while she is mature for her age, she is definitely still into the Disney magic. She is the only one in our family who can do rollercoasters and big thrill rides, sometimes my DH can do a few with her but he has to watch the rides with too much motion.

If your kids are into rides, they will love Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, Rockin Roller Coaster, Star Tours, Test Track, Mission Space, even Kali River Rapids is one of her favorites. We just make sure we let her do those things around the other stuff we all want to do. She still loves the characters too, loves taking pictures with them and getting autographs.

Both my girls got really into pin collecting/trading. Our first trip last year they just bought ones they liked and didn't really trade anything. But once a cast member asked them if they would like to make a trade.......the rest is history. Our latest trip that's all they wanted to do! Even my 7 year old would approach these tall, male cast members if she spotted a good pin and ask to trade all by herself. The cast members often have unique pins or pins you can't buy in the stores so its kind of a challenge to try and find those.

My oldest still liked character meals too. We also took time on our first trip to rent some of the small two person boats from our resort and she especially loved doing that. We haven't ventured to a water park yet but she definitely wants to try that.

Don't worry...you might be surprised how the magic takes over your pre-teens once you get there!

 

[swillis]

Can't thank you all enough! You've made me feel better about this trip. I loved the idea of leaving the Disney planning book in the bathroom, and I can put some bookmarks on the computer.

The virtual Magic Kingdom is new to me. Is this something you play on the computer at home? Or something you do in the park once you get there?

If I wanted to get pins on ebay before we go, how much should I spend? Pin trading is very new to me, and I have to admit so is ebay.

 

[Sweedee]

Most of the pins *AT* Disney are 6.95 to 15.95. So, if you go on ebay and get 50 pins for 100.00, you have gotten a deal. But, make sure they are stamped with the Disney logo on the back...should be etched in the metal, not a sticky. When you do ebay, you always want to look at a person's feedback first. I tend to stay away from any bidding with a feedback of less than 97%. When you do a search for pins, I would suggest you do a search ON the pins using the term "lot". That way, you will get listings with many pins.

HTH, and I hope y'all have a great time!

 

[dsnymomof4]

I'm sure they will have a great time this trip. I would definitely let them help plan the trip. My kids love the Birnbaum Disney book for kids. I don't think they are too old for character meal - we especially like Chef Mickey's - had really great character interaction. My kids also love the pin-trading. They feel very comfortable going up to all of the CMs looking at their pins(and I do mean ALL of the CMs-sometimes we stop every 2 minutes to pin-trade!). I would recommend mousepinsonline.com for getting a bunch of pins at a low price. We've never been to DQ, I'm afraid I would never get my DS12 out of there! I think they will really enjoy the water park. And even though DS12 would probably say he only does the attractions in Fantasyland because of his little sisters, I think he really does enjoy doing the "family" rides, like Dumbo, Small World, etc., so don't leave them out. Also, be sure to watch the parades and the fireworks shows - they are truly magical! Have a great trip!

 

[solgent]

My older girls are 11 and we are going at the end of the summer.

I think the way to NOT have fun is to have rigid expectations-- "This is going to be the most wonderful magical vacation ever!" That puts a lot of pressure on everyone and people can get really testy with each other if things aren't going as imagined.

Like that "too hot to stand in line" idea. If it was hot and kids didn't want to stand in line, then.... enjoy the hotel pool or go to an air-conditioned show or ride the train around or get some ice cream or browse in the shops. No matter what happens, you can have a good time if you're flexible.

Disney is a company and Disney World is a place with a mission for you to have a good time. There are so many different options because they aim to please everyone-- all ages, from all over the world, thrill-seekers and thrill-avoiders, etc.

So the way to have fun is to not count on things going perfectly. As the parent you should have some options in mind if it's raining, hot, crowded, kids are tired. Ask each other, ahead of time and while you're there, what do you want to do?

Lo and behold, it will be a wonderful, magical time.