Fit For A Princess : Walt Disney World With A Teenager

So you have a teenager, and you think that they are too old for Walt Disney World?  Think again!

Following our latest trip this summer with our now 14-year-old Nia, we can definitely say with confidence that there was so much for her to do and she had an amazing time, we all did!  My last post went over just some of the rides that she loves in each of the parks.  You can read that post HERE. There is much more though to keep teen and tweens amused.

Let’s start off with shopping.  Nia and I are very matched in this aspect, we both love shopping whether it’s for clothes or makeup or just having a browse and window shopping.  We visited Disney Springs whenever we had any spare time. It was Nia’s birthday once we got back so it was the perfect opportunity to buy her some treats, and some things may have fallen into my hands too, and I did need some Ray-Ban sunglasses. *wink*

We allocated one afternoon (we actually came back again for another afternoon in our second week) to some mother and daughter time together. This involved trying on clothes, an epic shopping trip in Sephora (If you haven’t ever been to one of these you really must) and chocolate, oh the Ganachery chocolate shop also at Disney Springs is amazing. It made such a difference to our trip being able to do this, a change of pace that was very welcome.

We even got to try out some of the products whilst we were in Florida, as one evening we pampered ourselves with some eye and face masks we bought in Sephora back at our resort.  If you don’t like the idea of a DIY pampering session you can visit one of the many spas. I spotted that Senses Spa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort do a teen facial which would also be perfect.

 

Disney Springs has some great places to eat as well, it’s like visiting a pedestrianised town.  It’s such a lively hub both day and evening, there really is no reason to leave. One of our favourite restaurants is The Boathouse followed by a ride in one of the retro dream boats which are American Amphicars, so cool.  There is even a dine in cinema (AMC movies) and of course you can also grab some food whilst bowling at Splitsville.

One of the other things you can do is the Characters in Flight, the world’s largest tethered helium balloon. You can experience breath-taking, 360-degree views of Disney Springs as well as other areas of Walt Disney World Resort. Something our teen loved doing.

 

I think the resort you opt for can also make a difference.  Our choice, Port Orleans Resort – Riverside was definitely suitable for tweens and teens alike.  With lots of smaller pools, which weren’t that busy, these were Nia’s first choice rather than the main pool which was aimed at the younger kids really.  The whole resort was also cleverly themed to appeal to adults and teens: there was an arcade room to keep your kids entertained and you can even go fishing as a family! One evening we enjoyed the live entertainment of Yehaa Bob Jackson at River Roost Lounge. It was such a funny show, lots of older children were there, and Nia couldn’t help but get involved! Oh and don’t forget the S’mores at the campfire and the movies underneath the stars, a real American experience that teens love to go home to their friends and tell them about.

So you see away from the parks, there is still so much for teens and tweens to enjoy, it’s a case of trying to fit it all in really!

If you have any questions relating to this, I’d love to know.  Next week I will be putting up a post which will answer any questions you have previously asked me, and I would love to know if you have any doubts about bringing a teenager to WDW, so that I can answer them.  

This post is in partnership with Walt Disney World. All opinions here are my own.