Walt Disney World Must-DOs!
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And here’s your Walt Disney World MUST-DOS!
Walt Disney World Must Dos for Tweens and Teens
This week I am starting my new blog series: Walt Disney World Must Dos! Today we are tackling the teens and tweens!
Are you going to Walt Disney World with a tween or teen? With every age group there are different interest, especially to this age group! They are at the age they want to do more of the adult things but still want to hold onto their childhood, (or at least we want them to). We have made a list that may help plan your WDW trip with your tween or teen! Let’s start with the roller coasters and thrill rides! Let’s face it, most tweens and teens love a thrill!
Magic Kingdom
•Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
•Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
•Space Mountain
•Splash Mountain
Epcot
•Maelstrom
•Soarin
•Test Track Presented by Chevrolet
Hollywood Studios
•Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
•Star Wars
•Tower of Terror
Animal Kingdom
•Expedition Everest- Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
•Dinosaur
•Kali River Rapids
Now onto the other attractions that would appeal to this age group! There are plenty more!
Magic Kingdom
•A Pirate’s Adventure- Treasures of the Seven Seas
•Astro Orbitor
•Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
•Frontier Land Shootin’ Arcade
•Haunted Mansion
•Pirate’s of the Caribbean
•Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
•Tomorrowland Arcade
Epcot
•Club Cool
Hollywood Studios
•Toy Story Mania
Animal Kingdom
•It’s Tough to be a Bug!
•Kilimanjaro Safari
Downtown Disney
•Disney Quest
Don’t forget about Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course and Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Courseare always a great hit with this age group!
We just hit the highlights, of course there is always the classic attractions and rides, they may not admit they like them but, we know deep down inside they do! Hopefully this list gets you started planning your tween and teens Walt Disney World vacation! You can also go to the Disney site to get more ideas and attraction descriptions. What would you add to the list? I would love to hear what your tween or teen likes to do at WDW! Stick around for the next blog post of this series, Walt Disney World Must Dos: For the Little Ones!
Walt Disney World Must Dos: For the Little Ones
This is the second posting for our blog series, Walt Disney World Must Dos. (Check out the first one HERE.) Today is all about the little ones. One of the questions I’m asked most often is what age is the best for taking your kids to Walt Disney World. Although I don’t know the perfect age, I do know my husband and I have taken our three kids on lots of trips since they were babies. Our twin boys went for the first time as infants and are now 2 1/2 and have been a total of A LOT! Some may call us crazy, and we may be. But, I do know we enjoy it and our kids always enjoy it even more. So with that being said, we have gathered up the “must dos” for preschoolers in every park at Walt Disney World! This will help you make a master plan or itinerary for your upcoming Disney Vacation with your favorite preschooler! Your junior princess or pirate will absolutely adore these ride and attractions. So in no particular order, here are our favorites…
Magic Kingdom
•Enchanted Tales with Belle: Let Belle capture their attention with mesmerizing tales of her life with the Beast!
•Peter Pan’s Flight: Come on, what kid (or adult, ME, ME) wouldn’t love this! They can fly!
•Princess Fairytale Hall: Your little ones can visit and meet their favorite princesses! What a fairytale!
•Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theatre: Meet your favorite Mouse and take a pic to mark the occasion.
•Country Bear Jamboree: Your child will love the knee slappin’ good ol’ time with this sing along bear musical.
•Dumbo the Flying Elephant: Who wouldn’t want to ride this cutie? While you wait your kids can play in a play area, so you don’t even feel like you are waiting in line!
•It’s a Small World: Enjoy a relaxing boat ride through different countries. You won’t be able to get that song out of your head!
•Walt Disney World Railroad: This isn’t really a ride but it has four stops in the Magic Kingdom Park. Make sure you take a ride on it at least once. Little boys and trains are always a hit!
•Prince Charming Regal Carousel: Ride like a Prince or Princess aboard a carousel horse inspired by Disney’s Cinderella.
•Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid: Do you have a Little Mermaid fan? This attraction is for you! Located in the new Fantasyland.
Epcot
•The Seas with Nemo and Friends: Take a trip with Nemo and his friends on this fun, low key ride.
•Turtle Talk with Crush: Dude, sit around Crush’s tank and have a chat. He’s totally cool, Dude!
•Journey into Imagination with Figment: Figment takes you on a ride through your mind of imagination.
•ImageWorks: After you take a ride with Journey into Imagination with Figment, go and play in the “what if” labs and experiment, create and explore.
•Epcot Character Spot: The name says it all. See all of your favorite characters in one spot!
•The Great Piggy Bank Adventure: Your little one can learn how to save money for a rainy day or for any day at that!
•Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros: Take a low key boat ride through Mexico with the The Three Caballeros.
Hollywood Studios
•Disney Junior Live on Stage: Do you have a Disney Junior fan? If so, this is the show for you. Go with all of your favorite Disney Junior puppets characters into a magical interactive story and show.
•Toy Story Mania: This interactive 3D ride brings all of the Toy Story characters to life.
•Voyage of the Little Mermaid: This show takes you under the sea with Ariel and all of her friends.
•Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage: Capture the magic of the movie live on stage.
•Muppet Vision 3D: If you have a Muppet fan on your hands this is the perfect show for you!
Animal Kingdom
•Kilimanjaro Safaris: Take a ride on a rugged safari vehicle and take in all of the breathtaking sights and sounds of the African savanna.
•Finding Nemo the Musical: Capture the movie in this must see musical!
•Triceratops Spin: Take a spin on one of these dinos!
•Affection Section: Pet, feed and love on the cutest animals around on Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
•Maharajah Jungle Trek: Take a self-guided tour through this zoo-like adventure. Look at all of the exotic animals!
I hope this list will help you and your preschooler have a magical time at Walt Disney World! I know it has mine! Remember, we’ve just highlighted the MUST-DOS, but there are other attractions your preschooler will love as well. I hope I haven’t forgotten any! Are there more that you would add? Give me your thoughts! For more information on all of these attractions go HERE and check it out.
Walt Disney World Must Dos: For the Thrill Seeker, Not for the Faint of Heart!
I have to admit, I am not a huge thrill seeker and I do not go to Walt Disney World for the thrill rides. Yes, I know, I am boring! I can at least say I have ridden most of them. That’s an accomplishment, right?! So to be fair, even though I am boring, I can give fair judgment when we came up with this list! Those of you who have never visited and experienced the thrill rides at Walt Disney World, you are in for a treat. Here are your must dos for the thrill seekers. Don’t forget to check out our first two post of this series, Walt Disney World Must Dos: For Tweens and Teens and Walt Disney World Must Dos: For Little Ones.
Magic Kingdom
Space Mountain~ Coast through the galaxy on a never forget thrill ride that soars through the dark and through the stars.
Splash Mountain~ Get ready to get wet, most refreshing on a hot day! It looks innocent at the beginning then all of a sudden it plummets you down a big drop off into the water below! Get ready for some fun!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad~ Sounds innocent enough right, or is it?
Epcot
Mission Space~ This thrill ride takes you through space as an astronaut and slingshots you around the moon!
Test Track Presented by Chevrolet~ Build your own car and take it through the test track and discover how your custom car performs.
Hollywood Studios
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror~ Go back to the Twilight Zone and plummet 13 stories in an elevator back down to the lobby floor in this mysterious hotel.
Rock N Roller Coaster~ The name of this attraction says it all. Rock out to Aerosmith as you free fall and enjoy the twist and turns of this wild ride.
Star Tours~ Voyage to amazing alien worlds aboard a Starspeeder 1000. Come face to face with Darth Vader, Princess Leia and maybe even Yoda.
Animal Kingdom
Expedition Everest~ Try to get away from the Yeti on this wild ride. Just when you think you are safe he breaks the track and you have no where else to go but backwards back where you came from.
Dinosaur~ Take a very realistic ride through the Dinosaur age!
Primeval Whirl~ This ride spins, twists and turns in this dinosaur-themed carnival-style attraction.
Typhoon Lagoon
Crush ‘n’ Gusher~ An abandoned fruit-processing plant takes you through a wild raft ride down 400-foot-long tube slides.
Blizzard Beach
Summit Plummet~ Plummet down a 120-foot slope. You will never see where you are going during the ride so, riders be forewarned!
So ,there you have it, all of you thrill seekers! Please use your best judgement when visiting these rides and attraction. There are height restrictions and warnings for each one. Please go HERE for more information on all of these rides and attractions. What would you add to the list? What are your favorite thrill rides at Walt Disney World?
Walt Disney World Must Dos (Or the NOT Dos): Slightly Scary Rides for Little Ones
When I say “Slightly Scary” rides, I don’t mean “boo, I scared you!” type of rides. I mean the rides that make little ones feel a little out of sorts. The rides that are dark or they may give the impression of making kids feel like they are floating. Nothing crazy but, ones you may not think of during your trip. Everyone wants to have a great time at WDW, let’s face it, you spent a lot of money, honey and you want to make the best of it, right? Right! So who wants a whiney kid, NOT I! I’m here to help limit those whiney moments by letting you know the rides to (maybe) avoid with them even though they look “little one” friendly. Keep in mind these are rides or attractions that have “any height” requirements. This list does not include height requirement rides and attractions.
Magic Kingdom
• Astro Orbitor-This is a spinning ride. I know an adult who almost got sick on this one. (Not naming any names!)
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin– This ride is rather dark.
• Haunted Mansion-Well the name says it all. Even though it’s more silly than SCARY! You be the judge.
• Peter Pan’s Flight-I know what you are thinking, “Are you kidding me?” No, I’m not kidding, I wish I were. I love this ride, it reminds me of my childhood but some kids do not like this ride. Even though it’s not scary, it is dark and it makes you feel like you are flying. I know bummer, right?!
• Pirates of the Caribbean- It’s dark and there are pirates. There are skulls and such. You be the judge.
• Under the Sea~ Journey of the Little Mermaid-This one is also dark and it does have the scene from the movie with the rain and Ursula. You know your kid, you decide if this is right for them.
Epcot
• Captain EO-Very dark and can be scary at times.
• Maelstrom-Keep in mind it does go backwards through some parts of the ride.
• Spaceship Earth-This ride is very dark!
Hollywood Studios
• The Great Movie Ride-Dark and scary at times.
• Studio Backlot Tour-This ride isn’t really scary but, it is a little long for kids and there are loud noises at times, so keep that in mind.
Animal Kingdom
• It’s Tough to be a Bug-Bugs, Bugs and more bugs! If your kid doesn’t like bugs, well then maybe it’s not for them. Some kids love this attraction but, others do not, my daughter included.
There you have it! I speak from experience with most of these. My kids aren’t scared of all of them, a few here and there, their tastes have changed with each visit we take. They are kids! As I said before all of these rides do not have height requirements, so just because it doesn’t have a height requirement doesn’t mean it will be the best ride for your child. Don’t forget about the Rider Switch Service, parents can swap riding a ride without having to wait in line all over again while one parent stays with the child. HERE is more information about the Rider Switch and which attractions offer it. Hopefully I have given you a little insight into some of the rides and attractions for your little ones. What rides do your little ones not like or like?