A guest recently emailed me and asked me “will teenagers enjoy Disney?” Of course! And decided to send a quick insight into some rides for her son and daughter
Disney is great fun when you are young as the sight of Mickey is thrill enough but teenagers needs something more exciting than the characters and Disney has lots of things to do for teenagers. Get yourself some walkie-talkies so that they can head off on their own and you can still contact them when you need to. With Disney transportation, they can go to other parks on their own and you can meet up at the end of the day.
Disney Hollywood Studios: Go straight to the Rock and Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. This is an indoor high speed ride and you go on a “musical journey” in one of the 24 cars which are supposed to be stretch limos and there are lots of twists and turns. A good ride and of course if you like Aerosmith (I don’t) then even more exciting – often see youngsters getting off and going straight back in the queue.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – you can see this advertised on the approach to Disney’s maingate with people hanging out of the lift. This has recently been updated to add a frightening new twist to what was already a great thrill ride. New special effects, lighting, musical score and accelerated speeds plummet guests 13 stories, again and again! Very popular ride so be prepared to queue.
Star Tours : A flight simulator, with rocking seats and on-screen action, makes you feel like you're hurtling through space and dodging debris. Great for Star Wars fans – you need to be into the films to appreciate this I think.
Studio Backlot Tour : This begins as a seemingly informative tram ride through movie sets, wardrobe areas and lighting departments where you can see movie’s “houses” and set from George of the Jungle and just as the teenagers think this is boring, it suddenly turns into a thrilling trek through Catastrophe Canyon, with an explosion and flash flood. Sit on the right if you don't want to get wet – great fun and not to be missed.
Epcot: Test Track - really takes teenagers for a ride! The longest and fastest ride ever in Walt Disney World, Test Track screeches through a 150,000-square-foot pavilion with hairpin turns, spirals and spins, with speeds revving to 65 mph. Riders in test vehicles zoom into the exclusive world of automobile testing in an exhilarating mile-long adventure. Great fun and gives teenagers a chance to experience “driving” – brilliant! (Teens age 16 or older can buckle up for a joy ride at speeds as great as 145 mph at Walt Disney World Speedway. The ride-along is offered as part of Richard Petty Driving Experience. For more information, call 800/BE-PETTY).
Teenage girls love to shop – so let them loose in World Showcase – they can spend hours (and money!) wandering around all the shops of the different countries. Some of the shops are expensive but well worth a visit. They can all get something to eat in the World Showcase as so many different tastes are catered for.
Animal Kingdom :A peaceful journey through the prehistoric world of dinosaurs suddenly turns into a thrill ride through Dinosaur U.S.A. at AK. An all-terrain time rover whisks travellers on a turbulent trek back 65 million years to a world filled with frightening close encounters with extraordinary dinosaurs, fiery asteroids and meteor showers. Get your photo taken on the ride and view it at the end – usually hysterical and a great momento of the holiday.
Magic Kingdom :The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter - an eerie encounter with a monstrous alien, teenagers may find this a bit cheesy but well worth a visit. A must-see classic thriller coaster, Space Mountain – a coaster in the dark and spectacular views – my 9yr old loved this too. Takes you through the Space Age.
In Frontierland, guests on Splash Mountain…..87-foot drop at 40 mph -- one of the worlds longest, steepest flume drops…..always large queues but on a hot day a welcome cooling off ride.
Downtown Disney West Side : offers another mountain to conquer at Walt Disney World Resort. Buckle up and custom-design the roller coaster of your dreams with barrel rolls, flips and multiple inversions. Then ride your coaster creation aboard CyberSpace Mountain, a 360-degree motion simulator at Disney Quest : the ultimate interactive family adventure.
Then of course – the water parks. Blizzard Beach I think was designed for teenagers. A great place for fabulous rides and areas for the girls to get their tan on! You will always see young groups of local children there at the weekends and it is great fun with so many different things to do. Plunge down Summit Plummet at speeds up to 60 mph. The 120-foot-tall Summit Plummet is the fastest, tallest, free-fall speed slide in the world. Or “catch a wave” at Typhoon Lagoon water park with waves every 90 seconds ranging from three to six feet. You can book for professional surfers to teach your teens how to cut, carve and "hang 10" during clinics prior to park opening on select days – ring Disney prior to your visit to book 407/WDW-PLAY.
Teenagers who are into wakeboarding, parasailing or waterskiing can cool off at Sammy Duvalls Water Sports Centre at Disneys Contemporary Resort Marina with world-caliber instructors. Again call 407/WDW-PLAY.
This is just quick insight and UNIVERSAL AND IOA have probably more to offer!