When my oldest kid turned 13 this summer, I knew exactly where they wanted to spend this milestone birthday: Disney World. But unlike previous trips, where we just had our family to keep entertained, we decided to let them bring along their best friend — meaning I would be doing Disney with two newly minted teenagers. And while you often hear people talk about the must-not-miss things to do with your younger children at Disney World, trips for tweens and teens don’t seem to get nearly as much fanfare. They should, though, because they’re a total blast.
I worked closely with Disney World in planning our trip, as well as researching for this article after the fact, to bring you some of the best experiences you can have at Disney World with your tween or teen. So, if you’re wondering if it’s worth it to plan a trip if you have a 13+ kid, here’s your sign to book away.
The Thrill Rides
If you’re worried the rides at Disney World won’t be exciting enough for your tween or teen, don’t be. Yes, there are a ton of gentle and nostalgic rides that little kids are sure to love (here’s looking at you, Dumbo). However, Disney World has plenty of adrenaline-pumping options across its four parks for your older thrill-seekers:
- The two biggest hits for my teens at Magic Kingdom? Careening through the inky blackness on Space Mountain and blasting around the high-tech, high-speed computerized world of TRON. Over in Frontierland, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad also meets their need for speed, while you can never go wrong with a water ride featuring a big drop like the recently reimagined Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
- A lot of people sleep on Animal Kingdom, but that’s a mistake. From riding a runaway train through the Himalayas on Expedition Everest to flying on the back of a mountain banshee on the reigning “best ride” at Disney World, Avatar Flight of Passage, this park offers some of my teens’ favorites. Throw in the heat-beating splashes on Kali River Rapids and the general wow factor of Pandora’s floating mountains, and this park is tween and teen nirvana. Plus, the next few years will bring attractions inspired by Zootopia and Encanto, popular picks with the “big kid” crowd.
- Epcot’s new Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind alone is enough reason to visit this park with your tween or teen. When I say it rivals Flight of Passage, I’m not joking. And since the reference point here is a popular modern movie franchise, your teen may be more excited about it than, say, a ride based on an older animated Disney movie.
- While we generally consider Hollywood Studios a half-day park, the teens could spend all day here, just riding and re-riding The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. They also think Star Tours is more thrilling than it’s often given credit for, and they’ll wait for an hour to ride Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land.
The Enchanting Extras Collection
Something I admittedly did not know anything about before planning my most recent trip was Disney World’s Enchanting Extras Collection. The best way to look at this is a chance to tailor your WDW vacation to the interests of the people in your party. There are lots of options, but a few that really stood out to my teens were:
- Epcot Seas Adventure — DiveQuest: Scuba certification is required for this one, so we had to pass… but honestly, how frickin’ cool would it be to go swimming in Epcot’s 5.7 million gallon saltwater aquarium?! If you’ve got your certification and the means, this one’s definitely a bucket list experience.
- Wild Africa Trek: This privately guided tour is the way to go if you have a tween or teen who loves animals. Sort of a VIP version of the popular Kilimanjaro Safari attraction, you get to go behind the scenes to get up close (but not too close; don’t worry) and personal with the incredible animals on the tour, like hippos, rhinos, and giraffes. Spread out over three hours, it includes a lovely African-inspired lunch, crossing a rickety rope bridge your teen will think is amazing, and a souvenir water bottle.
- Specialty cake decorating: For the tween or teen who loves to bake, what better surprise than taking them to bake with a Disney pastry artist? They’ll walk away with a sweet treat and some new baking skills.
- Starlight Safari: OK, but what if you get to see all of the safari animals… through night-vision goggles? Yep, this tour takes you to the savanna after dark. As a bonus, it’s more affordable than the Wild Africa Trek.
- Horseback riding: Did you know you could go horseback riding at Disney? Neither did we! But if you’ve got a budding equestrian, it’s worth looking into this 45-minute trail ride at Fort Wilderness.
- Custom souvenir making: On the plus side, your tween or teen probably won’t be begging you for every single bubble blower or Mickey balloon they see. The downside? The souvenirs they’ll want will be much more expensive. But if you’ve got the budget for it and want to score some points, let your big kid make their own avatar at Windtraders, customize a TRON-inspired action figure at Grid Digitization Portal, or build their own droid at Black Spire Outpost’s industrial depot.
The Classics: Shopping and Food
Let’s be real: The only souvenirs your big kid might be interested in could be clothing and accessories. Disney Springs is a solid bet for tween and teen shopping because they’ve got trendy spots like Lululemon and Sephora, along with nostalgic stuff like M&M and Coca-Cola. Or, you know, you could just let them pick out their own ears and Loungefly bag and call it a day.
When it comes to food, there are practically endless possibilities for your tween/teen to get pumped about trying. If they want to feel like they’re eating in another world, try Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo at Hollywood Studios, Space 220 at Epcot (my kid’s fave), or Satu’li Canteen in Pandora at Animal Kingdom. For a fun throwback feel, I recommend the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater and ’50s Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios or Beaches and Cream at Disney’s Beach Club Resort — your big kid will flip over the massive Kitchen Sink sundae.
And speaking of sweets, every tween/teen should experience the enormous cookies at Gideon’s Bakehouse (located in Disney Springs) at least once!
After-Hours Events
If you have the opportunity to do any after-hours events at Disney with your tween or teen, do them. Once the gates close to regular-hours guests, you’ll get to roam the parks with far fewer people — not to mention far fewer younger kids, and we all know how much big kids like that. After-hours events translate into lower wait times, select complimentary food and drinks, and some really cool photo ops.
R&R
I can practically hear some of you now: All of these extras in this economy?! And I feel you. But you can choose one or two that you know will make your tween or teen’s trip — and they’ll still feel like they had the best trip of their lives.
A huge factor here is your resort. We stayed at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, one of the budget-friendly value resorts, and my teens happily spent any spare second we had there. Between watching movies on a giant inflatable screen poolside, eating s’mores by the campfire, hitting up the arcade, and just swimming until their fingers pruned, they said being at the resort was one of their favorite parts of the trip. There were so many kids their age wandering around that the whole experience gave off a cool kid summer camp atmosphere.
Every Disney resort has different recreation options, pool configurations, and energy. Do your research and stay where your family will feel most comfortable, but don’t hesitate to book a value resort if you’re on a budget. They “pass the vibe check,” as my kids would say.
