A No Drama Trip to Disney with Teens

This summer we took a trip back to Walt Disney World. It had been about 10 years since our last trip to Disney. We loved our last trip. Our son was about 9 and our daughter was four years old. Everything was exciting to the kids. They loved the trip, and we did as well.

We weren’t so sure how this new trip would go because our daughter is now 14, and we were also bringing her 14 year old cousin. We weren't sure if it would be the same with two 14 year old girls. We’ve learned that the one thing you can count on with teenage girls is that you can't count on anything.

Since we weren’t sure if they would still love Disney and all it has to offer, we took extra steps with our planning to make sure that we had an amazing trip that everybody loved. Today, we are going to share that planning and our trip with you. You can use these tips for traveling anywhere with teenagers. 

Show Notes:

[03:44] Tip number one is to plan. Disney helps you with the Disney app. It helps you plan each day, it has your hotel information, meal reservations, fast passes, and more. [04:42] Download the app and look at each park you want to go to and which days you will be there. You get access to one fast pass per park a day. 

[05:53] You only get three fast passes per day. Make sure to set up your fast passes as soon as they are available. Teens will want to choose the rides they want. 

[07:19] Dianne had to ride the Tower or Terror. 

[07:49] You get an hour block of time for your fast pass. You can't book your next one until after that time slot is over. This is why you need to plan your day and the rides.

[08:44] After you have your day and fast passes planned, it's time to think about food options. If you're spending the day in Epcot, get a meal in Epcot for that evening. Travel between parks can be time consuming. 

[09:37] Having a plan where you are going to eat helps avoid "teenage slump". 

[10:16] Once everything is in the app, the teens can approve. 

[11:01] Bring a comfort item for your teens. Our teens wanted a blanket. It's cold on the plane. It's nice to be able to relax with a blanket. 

[12:51] Make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes. We walked 17,000 steps everyday. 

[15:10] Tip number four is to let your teens pick out a souvenir. Disney is great at merchandising. Going shopping is also a great break from the heat. The teens were invested in shopping when they knew they had a budget. 

[17:52] Number five is about keeping your teens hydrated and well fed. Encourage them to eat, even if it's on a different schedule than you. 

[19:25] Pro Tip: Where ever there are soda machines, you can get ice water. It's much colder than the bottles and free. The girls loved it. You don't have to carry anything in the park.

[21:04] We used Shipt to purchase two cases of water for the hotel. 

[24:27] It get hots at Disney in the summer. Teenagers will start to get moody. Stay cool by taking shopping breaks in cool shops. Eat meals and slow down in cool inside environments. An ice cream break after lunch is good too. Shade breaks are also helpful. Cooling towels can be bought in advance. They have them at Disney too, but they are almost $17.

[28:53] Battery operated misting fans also helped so much. Bring hats for shade and to avoid sunburn. Also bring sunglasses. String bags are also part of the pre-Disney pack. We only bought food and souvenirs. 

[32:06] Let the teens use their cellphones at Disney. Having them use the app helped with everyone knowing the schedule and fast passes. The phones were also great for photos with characters. We did ask them to stay off of social media. We also used the phones for games in line. 

[35:45] Tip number eight is to let the teenagers sleep. We had later dinner reservations and the girls were happier. 

[38:08] Tip number nine is also giving them enough down time. Parents need down time too.

[39:01] Tip number ten is to give the kids some freedom. They liked riding the rides alone and exploring a bit on their own.

[40:16] Pro Tip: There are lines for single riders only. This line allowed us to walk right on. You can also get more rides in. 

[41:42] Allow the teens to make some choices with the fast passes. 

Links and Resources:

Airbnb Get $40 off your first home booking of $75 or more and $15 off towards an experience of $50 or more

Lyft  get up to $5 off with your first ride

Disney App

Park Hopper

Tower or Terror

Shipt

Postmates

Cooling Towels

Misting Fans

Disney Hats

String Bags

For pictures, tips and more, be sure to check out our Fly with Chris and Di Facebook page and signup to download a copy of The Best City for You. Please take a moment and subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. Become a Fly Insider and get the inside scoop, behind the scenes photos, and exclusive travel deals.