Planning a Trip with Older Teens

by Alice McNutt Miller
AllEars® Feature Writer

Feature Article

This article appeared in the February 10, 2015 Issue #803 of ALL EARS® (ISSN: 1533-0753)

Editor's Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.

Alice Miller and DaughterI looked at my watch. It was just past 9 o'clock, the Extra Magic Hour was finished, and the "regular" guests were starting to stream into the park. The streets of Hollywood Studios were relatively quiet for a usually busy time of year. My plans to ride Rock n' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror AND Star Tours in that first hour were thwarted by the untimely break down of the coaster, so I was consoling myself with a hot cup of coffee and a croissant sandwich. My phone buzzed. Daughter #1 was texting to tell me that she and Daughter #2 were just getting off of the bus, and where should they meet me? I smiled. I wasn't expecting them to actually make it to the Studios to meet me until a bit later. It was the last day of a great New Year's trip to the World, but everyone was kind of tired, so instead of spending our last morning doing commando-style touring, I suggested some options. My plan had included a morning at Disney's Hollywood Studios before heading to the airport for our afternoon flight, and included attractive FastPass+ options, including Toy Story Mania. I planned to get up early and take advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hour, to make the most of the short day. My husband decided he wanted to wake up a bit later, make use of the hotel gym, and take it easy. The girls told me that while they wanted to go to the park, they did not want to get up quite so early. Ah, compromise. The stuff that keeps families vacationing together, as children get older and not quite so easy to direct.

Our trips have changed immensely since our first trip to the World, years ago when the girls were toddlers. Daughter #1 has just turned 20 (!) and at 17, Daughter #2 only has a few more months of being the "Child" on our Disney reservations. One of the things that I have realized is that it was during our trips in the tween and teen years when the girls really cemented their love of Disney. If you reach that point and your kids are still willing to drag themselves out of bed for park openings, you have done your job correctly. If not, no worries, a few adjustments, and you can maintain family harmony during your Disney vacations. Here are a few observations and tips, which might be helpful as you plan a trip with your not-so-little ones:

SPACE: Older kids just seem to need more space. It seems that every time one of my girls opens her suitcase, there is an explosion of clothing, and suddenly there are no open spaces on the floor for getting from one side of the room to another. We are DVC members, so we find that one-bedroom or larger units help us to keep our sanity by giving the kids a bit more room for themselves and their stuff. (Hint: In a one-bedroom DVC unit, have your kids stash their suitcases, bags, laptops and other paraphernalia in one of the larger hall closets, and go through the work of closing up the sofa bed during the day in order to make the living room usable for everyone.) Connecting rooms also work well if you are staying in a "regular" onsite hotel or a traditional hotel offsite. Deals can also be had at condo and timeshare resorts offsite, even if you do not own at one. Vacation rental homes also can be ideal if you are trying to save money but want your kids to have their own space.

SLEEP: When our kids were little, we found we had a much more pleasant vacation if we adhered as much as possible to their normal sleep schedules. We were up relatively early in the morning and back in the room early enough for them to get to bed around their normal time. Now that the girls are older, we find that we have a much more pleasant vacation if we adhere as much as possible to their normal sleep schedules. We are up a bit later in the morning, and stay up a bit later at night. We do ask them to forgo sleeping until noon, but usually they are OK with that, as they are (almost) as excited to get to the parks at a decent time in the morning as we are. Whatever your teens' sleeping patterns, make sure everyone understands the family's expectations about bedtimes and waking times in order to avoid too much surliness. Also, many teens will need some "down time" to rest, recharge and attend to their social media requirements. Again, setting expectations in advance will make everyone in your travel party happier.

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS: As a result of the changes explained, above, our approach to Extra Magic Hours (EMH) has changed somewhat. We are still not big users of the evening EMH, as even with getting up a bit later than we used to, the Miller Family tends to be too pooped to stay out too late. What has really changed is that instead of seeking out parks with morning EMH — because if the kids are up, why not just go? — we try to avoid those parks, and instead focus on trying to be at the park gates at or close to rope drop at the parks that are opening at the normal time. Much as I am still on the fence about the whole thing, the advent of MyMagic+ and advance FastPass+ reservations has actually made this strategy a bit easier.

Alice Daughters with TianaPLANNING: Even if they do not express this fact to you directly, teens will want to be involved in the trip-planning process. If you have been to Disney World before, and have stayed in a variety of hotels, ask the kids which are their favorites. Would they like to go back? What did they like or not like about particular accommodations? Are there other places that they would like to try? If you have not been to Disney World before, ask the kids to sit down with you in front of a computer and do some exploring together before you make final decisions. You might even give the kids the responsibility of planning one of your park days, including figuring out how to make Advance Dining Reservations and FastPass+ reservations. Kids will feel more invested in the family vacation if they have been included in the planning process. My kids like to let me do all of the heavy lifting (after all, planning takes work!), but they do give me input into hotel, attraction and restaurant choices.

PURCHASING PRIVILEGES/MAGICBANDS: One of the best things about the advent of MagicBands is that they have provided me with more peace of mind in allowing the girls to make purchases that are charged to our room. Before, when room keys were used for the charging, I was worried that they would lose the key somewhere, and that some happy stranger would be thrilled to charge up a storm with the lost card, that my daughter probably forgot to sign on the back. The MagicBands (in combination with the charging PINs), which are firmly attached to their wrists at all times, make it easier for me to agree to let the girls have charging privileges. You may wonder if it is a good idea to let your kid have the ability to spend willy nilly, but my experience is that if you set expectations ("Do NOT buy the Dooney and Bourke purse, or any other souvenir of that ilk without prior authorization!"), it is really nice when one asks "Can I have a Mickey ice cream bar?" and you can casually say "There's a cart. Go ahead honey. I am just going to sit here on this nice bench in this nice piece of shade that I have managed to score. Oh, and by the way, can you grab me a Coke while you are there?"

MEALS: Wow! Have meals changed since the kids have gotten older! It used to be that we sought out the more casual restaurants for meals with the girls, and saved the fancier places for date nights. Now, it is the girls who push to have at least one "dress up" meal on every trip (California Grill is their favorite). I kind of miss sitting in the back seat of the car in the Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre, trying to read the menu in the dim light of the dashboard, while they were mesmerized by the old movie loop that that we had seen multiple times. Oh, we still go for lunch there, occasionally, but it is just not the same as when they were little, and being in that car was so much more important than what they were eating. Dietary tastes often change during the tween and teen years. These are the years when kids may experiment with vegetarianism, reject foods that they used to love, and be interested in trying new tastes. Before, buttered pasta and plain steak were the items I looked for on menus before making reservations. Now, Daughter #1 wants a charcuterie board, and Daughter #2 wants fresh sashimi. Check the menus on AllEars.Net to see whether new-to-you restaurants and old favorites have foods that your kids will like, and ask the kids for input before making those ADRs.

INDEPENDENCE/CELL PHONES: One thing all tweens and teens seem to be pushing for is more independence. With the advent of nearly universal ownership of cell phones, even at the pre-teen level, parents may want to consider letting out the leash a bit during Walt Disney World vacations. Especially with widespread free wifi in the hotels and parks, parents and kids can stay in touch even more easily. When my kids and I planned to meet up in the park after I had already been there for a while, they were able to tell me when they would arrive, and we decided where we would meet. If all four of us are in the parks, but only two want to do a particular ride, we can split up, and then meet later. If my husband and I decide to have dinner in a hotel restaurant, and the kids prefer to eat in, we can keep in touch. Of course, only you know the level of maturity of your child and how much being away from you they can handle, but I do think that Disney World is a safe, friendly place to let kids spread their wings a bit.

RIDES: As your kids get older, they may want to gravitate more toward the more "thrilling" rides. On the other hand, they may not. Even though you think you might know which rides your kids want to ride, don't forget to check with them. This has become even more important with the need to reserve FastPass+ times in advance. One of my daughters still will not ride the Tower of Terror, but we have found that she will stand in line with us, then exit right before we get on the elevator. I do recommend, however, that you do not skip the tamer rides that may be favorites from when your kids were younger. On our last trip, one of the most fun times we had in the Magic Kingdom was taking a spin on the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (although I am pretty sure it was called something much less clunky back when we rode it for the first time), and I simply cannot pass up a spin on the Mad Tea Party.

While I miss the joy and wonder of visits with the kids when they were little, I continue to enjoy the time we spend with our girls as they grow up. I feel like I have done my job, since I am firm in my belief that both of them are now lifetime Disney fans, and I look forward to continuing to visit for many years.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

RELATED LINKS

Other planning articles by Alice McNutt Miller can be found in the AllEars® Newsletter Archives.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alice McNutt Miller is a lifelong Disney fan whose fondest childhood memories include "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday nights and her first trip to Disneyland when she was 10 years old. Alice and her family are Disney Vacation Club members, and have visited every one of the Disney parks throughout the world. They live in Vienna, Virginia.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Editor's Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.