Traveling with Teenagers and Need Advice!

[hamold]

Hi! I am new to the boards and have learned sooo much from reading all of your posts! My husband and I are taking our two teenagers (19 & 16) to WDW for Christmas vacation. It was their idea to go because they thought it would be fun to go now and see everything from a more adult perspective. Even though they are older, I want to make sure they have an unforgetable time. I would really appreciate any suggestions you may have!! We are staying at CSR and have dinner reservations at Ohana, Coral Reef, Sci-Fi and Liberty Tree. These are ALL new to us. Let me know if you feel they are bad choices. Thanks so much for any help you can give!!!

 

[dawgfan]

As teenagers or adults they should have a great time. I do not know how old they were on previous trips. They may already have preconceived notions of what there trip will be like. They obviously feel they will have fun now as it is their idea. They can possibly ride things that they could not or would not when younger perhaps. There may be some new rides that have come into play since the last trip as well. Ohana is great. We always eat there. I have a 13 year old and was worried that she may be outgrowing this place. It is a kid friendly, not kid oriented place. It is a fun place. She said she definitely wants to go back to Ohanas and makes this a regular stop for us no matter what her age. Sci Fi is only so so. We did it last year but will not be returning. They may get a kick out of 50's Prime Time better. Never been to the Liberty Tree. All in all I think they will have a blast. They may revert to childlike goofiness. As far as that goes why don't you do the same. Be childish!! Have fun!

 

[Boo Bear]

I would recommend the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for Adults. I have an extra copy if you can send me postage cost it's yours. PM me if you're interested. That being said, I think WDW is a wonderful place for young adults. I think that older teens might enjoy Hollywood Studios the most so don't miss Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror!

 

[Kaler131]

Take them to eat at 50's Primetime Cafe for lunch or dinner. We were there last week with my DD14 and we had so much fun!

They have a "no elbows on the table" rule and my DD thougt she would be smart and put two sugar packets on the table and put her elbows on them. Needless to say she got busted....BIG TIME! It was sooooo funny! A CM (a manager I think) came along and asked her why she had her elbows on the table and DD told him that they were not ON the table, but on the sugar packets. The CM made her put the sugar packets up against the wall and hold them in place with her nose! Then he had everyone in the vicinity of our table point two fingers at DD and say "shame, shame, shame!". We were laughing so hard we were crying! It was classic and SO what our DD deserved! And she LOVED every minute of it I would have been soooo embarassed, but she was having a blast!

 

[danceintherain]

Don't worry. If it was their idea, then they aren't harboring negative notions about it as a "kiddie" place. I love Disney just as much now (or more...legs longer, walk farther) as I did when I was younger. Let them lead and it will be an amazing trip.
When I went on a family trip when I was 19 (about 2 years ago), one of mine and my 17 year old brother's favorite thing to do was take pictures with characters and also we had a TON of fun taking pictures in the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" playground of MGM, now Disney Studios.

As far as your dining choices I can't be much help other than 3 out of your 4 choices I have on my itinerary for my trip in January. The only reason I don't have Liberty Tree is because I already have three Magic Kingdom vicinity restaurants planned (Ohanas, 1900 Park Fare, and Cinderella's Royal Table) and I'm only doing one table service a day.

Let your kids set the pace, and if its a bit fast you can opt to spend some time apart, but make sure you spend SOME time together.
One of my favorite memories from my last trip was riding the Tomorrowland Transit Authority around and around with my Mom, because it was New Year's and we were both exhausted. For some reason everybody else was interested in the various "parties" so there was no line *shrug*

 

[pepe of ohio]

It's really hard not to get teens to like the Hoop Dee Do Revue, all the food you can eat, drink, a superb buffet and dinner show, pricey but worth every penny. Fried chicken, ribs, salad, bread, corn and pop, beer and wine and a good hootinanny atmosphere where the whole place gets involved, just a suggestion. We've done it at least 20 times in our 41 trips to WDW.

 

[1LittleGreenMan]

Hi! I am new to the boards and have learned sooo much from reading all of your posts! My husband and I are taking our two teenagers (19 & 16) to WDW for Christmas vacation. It was their idea to go because they thought it would be fun to go now and see everything from a more adult perspective. Even though they are older, I want to make sure they have an unforgetable time. I would really appreciate any suggestions you may have!! We are staying at CSR and have dinner reservations at Ohana, Coral Reef, Sci-Fi and Liberty Tree. These are ALL new to us. Let me know if you feel they are bad choices. Thanks so much for any help you can give!!!

Thats a good idea! disney is a great place to go for the holidays. i think that they will have alot of fun!

 

[The Hendies]

Our "Kids" still love going to Disney with their parents, and we love it! Yes, doing Disney with your grown/adult children gives you a great chance to either all be kids together, or all be adults together, you choose. Anyway, that age may enjoy DisneyQuest, a water park, or a "Ride The Mountains" challenge. How many premium rides can you hit in a day? Enjoy your visit to the world with your kids!

 

[hamold]

Dawgfan

The last time we were at WDW the kids were 7 and 10 so I am sure many things have changed since then! Thanks for your input on my ADR's, I am really considering changing the one for Sci-Fi and doing somthing else. Thanks again!

 

[hamold]

Take them to eat at 50's Primetime Cafe for lunch or dinner. We were there last week with my DD14 and we had so much fun!

They have a "no elbows on the table" rule and my DD thougt she would be smart and put two sugar packets on the table and put her elbows on them. Needless to say she got busted....BIG TIME! It was sooooo funny! A CM (a manager I think) came along and asked her why she had her elbows on the table and DD told him that they were not ON the table, but on the sugar packets. The CM made her put the sugar packets up against the wall and hold them in place with her nose! Then he had everyone in the vicinity of our table point two fingers at DD and say "shame, shame, shame!". We were laughing so hard we were crying! It was classic and SO what our DD deserved! And she LOVED every minute of it I would have been soooo embarassed, but she was having a blast!

That does sound like fun! There is nothing better than having a good laugh with the kids. If at their expense even better!!!

 

[hamold]

Don't worry. If it was their idea, then they aren't harboring negative notions about it as a "kiddie" place. I love Disney just as much now (or more...legs longer, walk farther) as I did when I was younger. Let them lead and it will be an amazing trip.
When I went on a family trip when I was 19 (about 2 years ago), one of mine and my 17 year old brother's favorite thing to do was take pictures with characters and also we had a TON of fun taking pictures in the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" playground of MGM, now Disney Studios.

As far as your dining choices I can't be much help other than 3 out of your 4 choices I have on my itinerary for my trip in January. The only reason I don't have Liberty Tree is because I already have three Magic Kingdom vicinity restaurants planned (Ohanas, 1900 Park Fare, and Cinderella's Royal Table) and I'm only doing one table service a day.

Let your kids set the pace, and if its a bit fast you can opt to spend some time apart, but make sure you spend SOME time together.
One of my favorite memories from my last trip was riding the Tomorrowland Transit Authority around and around with my Mom, because it was New Year's and we were both exhausted. For some reason everybody else was interested in the various "parties" so there was no line *shrug*

I will take your advise on this and let the kids set the pace. I think that is the way to go.

I have seen good and bad reviews of Liberty Tree but I think I am going to try it out!! Thanks for you input!!!

 

[hamold]

It's really hard not to get teens to like the Hoop Dee Do Revue, all the food you can eat, drink, a superb buffet and dinner show, pricey but worth every penny. Fried chicken, ribs, salad, bread, corn and pop, beer and wine and a good hootinanny atmosphere where the whole place gets involved, just a suggestion. We've done it at least 20 times in our 41 trips to WDW.

This sounds like tons of fun and we have never tried this. I think I will check it out. Thanks!!!

 

[hamold]

Our "Kids" still love going to Disney with their parents, and we love it! Yes, doing Disney with your grown/adult children gives you a great chance to either all be kids together, or all be adults together, you choose. Anyway, that age may enjoy DisneyQuest, a water park, or a "Ride The Mountains" challenge. How many premium rides can you hit in a day? Enjoy your visit to the world with your kids!

The last time we were at WDW was in 2000. They enjoyed DisneyQuest then but I was wondering if they would enjoy it now. Have you been there recently? I'd love to know what your older kids thought about it.

 

[The Hendies]

Last we went to DQ they were 14 and 15, and the did still enjoy themselves. Another thought is....depending on how you feel about it, our kids enjoyed going off by themselves, even to another park. We had cell phones and they are very familiar with the transportation system. It gave them a chance to enjoy the parks together and DH and I a chance to have some alone time in the parks. Again, we only did this once at different parks and then one other time for about an hour or so while very tired parents agreed to 'hold a place to see the parade'.

 

[Rylee]

Hi! I am new to the boards and have learned sooo much from reading all of your posts! My husband and I are taking our two teenagers (19 & 16) to WDW for Christmas vacation. It was their idea to go because they thought it would be fun to go now and see everything from a more adult perspective. Even though they are older, I want to make sure they have an unforgetable time. I would really appreciate any suggestions you may have!! We are staying at CSR and have dinner reservations at Ohana, Coral Reef, Sci-Fi and Liberty Tree. These are ALL new to us. Let me know if you feel they are bad choices. Thanks so much for any help you can give!!!

Are you planning 1 day in each park, or will you have hoppers? I ask because I see you already have the Coral Reef in Epcot... we love the Coral Reef and I would definitely keep the reservation, but our (everyone of us, myself, DH and kids, 7, 10, 18 & 23) favorite meal, on our last trip (12 days) was Teppan Edo in Japan at Epcot.

Also, my kids love the Si-Fi, even the older kids. The 50's restaurant depends largely on the interaction of your waiter... some are great, others aren't.

We thought 'Ohana's was just okay. The food was good, however, everything is sweet and I thought it would compliment the flavors to offer something savory. (Most people on this board love 'Ohana's, so maybe it's just me.)

For a character meal, our favorite is Chef Mickey's, but we have never been to LTT.

As for a Christmas trip... (don't know your actual dates) You really need to plan to get to the parks early. If you will be there the week of Xmas - New Year's, getting those teenagers up and out in the morning, having a touring plan (at least an idea of your "must-see-and-do's," and hitting these attractions first thing in the morning) and using Fast Passes, will be an important factor in determining how much you can see, do and experience.

 

[disneygrlkat]

As a teenager, I can safely say that your kids should have a great time. I went to Disney during Christmas break last year, when I was 17, and had an AMAZING time. Christmas is such a great time, you'll all love it. I'm assuming your kids will be able to ride any ride (height-wise) so let them pick what they want to do and go along with it. I enjoyed being the "planner" on my last trip and also doing things like getting the FPs for everyone.

Also, I'm not sure if this has been suggested but if you're comfortable with it, let your kids do EMH by themselves. During that time of year the park hours can get pretty late, and my cousin and I were at the MK until about 1am one night and we had a blast. The adults liked it because they could rest and know that we were still having fun, and my cousin and I were able to do pretty much everything with no lines (like Space Mountain three times in a row with no wait). Have fun!

 

[hamold]

As a teenager, I can safely say that your kids should have a great time. I went to Disney during Christmas break last year, when I was 17, and had an AMAZING time. Christmas is such a great time, you'll all love it. I'm assuming your kids will be able to ride any ride (height-wise) so let them pick what they want to do and go along with it. I enjoyed being the "planner" on my last trip and also doing things like getting the FPs for everyone.

Also, I'm not sure if this has been suggested but if you're comfortable with it, let your kids do EMH by themselves. During that time of year the park hours can get pretty late, and my cousin and I were at the MK until about 1am one night and we had a blast. The adults liked it because they could rest and know that we were still having fun, and my cousin and I were able to do pretty much everything with no lines (like Space Mountain three times in a row with no wait). Have fun!

Thanks. It is nice to hear that from someone close to their ages! Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[ToddyLu]

Just food for thought. As a teen and adult I love milkshakes. 50's Prime Time has better shakes than anyone so far. They are hand dipped, the ones at Sci Fi are more like Frosty's......have to get a Prime Time shake every year.

 

[hamold]

Just food for thought. As a teen and adult I love milkshakes. 50's Prime Time has better shakes than anyone so far. They are hand dipped, the ones at Sci Fi are more like Frosty's......have to get a Prime Time shake every year.

I am trying to decide, but I think everyone is helping me lean towards cancelling Sci Fi and trying to book 50's Prime time. Thanks!!!

 

[themudd4]

Your gonna have a great time! I loved your food choices! My only suggestion would be to make Sci Fi a light lunch but not cancel if you can avoid it...then you will fill like your missing something. My kids got really upset when we didn't eat there trip before last. But yes...add dinner at 50's Prime Time. As PP's have said...we too laughed so hard we cried. our waiter/brother actucally gave our 14 yr old away this June to another family because she was too spoiled. lol. It was worth it for that alone...but the food is really good comfort down home kinda cookin' too.
I am sure there will be things from each park that you all will like. My last suggestion would be just because you are all pretty much adults...dont think of trying to go full force for your entire stay. Take time to relax and just enjoy time together.
Are you doing the party? Sorry if you already answered that...I just don't remember seeing it!