Advice on BEST Disney World Attractions for 13 year old boy
 

Hey Everyone, so glad I found this forum :) My husband and I are taking our 13 yr old son to DW for a SURPRISE birthday trip. He will turn 13 during our trip. We will have 5 day park hoppers, will be able to attend parks 2 full day, and 2 partial days. We took him when he was 4 but he doesn't remember much. I would LOVE to have everyone's suggestions on the BEST attractions to take him to, so I can plan out our days to get the most fun out of this trip for him...... TIA --
Denise
Frisco, TX

Thinking back to when I took my nephew at that age, he loved the usual suspects: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain. He also enjoyed Philharmonic, Buzz Lightyear, and the Haunted Mansion (all at Magic Kingdom). Over at Animal Kingdom, he liked the safari ride, the river raft ride, the Everest rollercoaster, the dinosaur ride, and the shows. In Epcot, he enjoyed Soarin', and the test track. Suprisingly, he really like World Showcase - just looking at the buildings and enjoying the food.

My first suggestion is - don't "Hop" too much. You will waste a lot of time hopping back and forth. We did not add the Park Hopper to our tickets, just planned and spent our days in each park.

The Future World section of Epcot is just the ticket for a 13 year old. The absolute MUST in my opinion is "Soarin in The Land section of Epcot. It is amazing. He'll also get a kick out of the Test Track and Mission Space. Even though he may be a bit older, we all (adults and kids) got a kick out of the interactive "Turtle Talk with Crush" in The Seas area. Its pretty imaginative. In The Magic Kingdom, I would think he'd like Pirates of the Caribbean now that they've added Johnny Depp to the characters. If he's a roller coaster nut, he'll want to ride Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. The Haunted Mansion and The Hall of Presidents are pretty impressive as are any of the 3D movies - Mickey's Philhar-Magic.

Learn about the FAST-PASS -- how to get them, how to use them. It will make a world of difference in your visit.

Eveyone failed to mention my favorite Aerosmith rockin roller coaster at MGM Studios or whatever they call it now. It is next to Tower of Terror another great ride.

Don't forget the waterparks. Blizzard Beach has awesome slides (one being the tallest / fastest in America).

I believe there is a great site called Mousesavers that might have some good information for you.

As a past Disney employee, I have to recommend:

Magic Kingdom- Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain

At the MK, you should also stay for Spectromagic (parade) and the fireworks. Who else spends over $100,000 a night on a fireworks display?

Epcot- Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space

Hollywood Studios- MUST DO... Rockin' Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror. I also love the new TOY STORY ride... very cute, arcade style 3-D interactive ride.

Animal Kingdom- Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids

Have a great time!!!

Rockin'Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror at Hollywood were my grandson's (12 at the time) favorites.

My 13 year old daughter LOVED the Aerosmith rollercoaster at the Hollywood Studios. Here's a hint - when you get to the front of the line, tell the attendant who directs you to the seating that you want to sit in the front row. They will direct you to a second line and you'll get to sit in the front row. You might have to wait a turn or two, but it's worth it. There are only two seats per row, so this works best if there are only two of you riding together.

Toy Story Mania was my favorite ride - the interactive arcade style was a lot of fun.

WooHoo!! Rockin'Rollercoaster!! It is too short of a ride so we rode it 3 times!!

We also LOVED Expedition Everest!! Along with all the usual suspects. Buzz Lightyear was also very fun.

We did not buy the park hopper option since it added about $50 to each ticket. We just did one park per day and a day at Blizzard Beach.

Chepar, SO right about the Rockin'Roller. We didn't know that- but we will now.

DD is going in June and the smallest is 6 and not tall enough yet. But I'll tell my Son-I-L, because he would LOVE that front row seat.

Ask for the front row for Soarin' as well. Otherwise the effect is ruined by everyone's feet in your face!

Another vote for the roller coaster at Animal Kingdom(Expedition Everest) as well as the Kali River Rapids.

You don't say when you're going but Space Mountain will be closed as of April 17th for repairs.

Just got back from Disney. I loved Test Track and Soarin at Epcot. One ride that hasn't been mentioned that your teenager would probably enjoy is the "Star Tours" ride at Disney Hollywood Studios. It's a Star Wars simulator ride that was a lot of fun.

We got an annual pass...and did a little park hopping on Sunday and I can see where that would eat up a lot of time if you tried to do too much of it.

Once we rode in the front row, my daughter didn't want to ride anywhere else. Plus, you get a great picture if you're inclined to buy it after the ride.

What's great about it is that you can't really anticipate or see what's coming up because there's no one in front of you and it's dark.

We went last June and even though the parks were packed, we typically didn't have to wait more than an additional couple turns before we got on. I don't think a lot of people know you can ask to wait to sit in the front.

What a great birthday! I just returned from a WDW school trip with middle school boys, the past disney cast member is right about the popular rides:

Magic Kingdom: 3 mountains(thunder, splash, space), Pirates ride, Buzz Lightyear,Haunted Mansion, Small world(old fashioned)
Epcot: Test Track, Mission Space, Soarin', Spaceship Earth, Norway ride
Animal Kingdom: Everest, Kali River Rapids, Safari, Dinosaur Ride
Hollywood Studios: Tower of Terror, Rockin Rollercoaster, New Toy Story Ride, Star Wars, Great Movie Ride(old fashioned), Backlot Tour, Cars Motors Action Stunt Show

**If you stay in a WDW resort, the disney extended hours are really cool. The longest line everytime we go is for Soarin'(always 2+hours). If your child is a reader...check out the fictional books Kingdom Keepers/Disney after Dark. The kids liked looking for and making "hidden mickey's". Check out the WDW web site to read up on fast passes and extended hours. Popular ride fast passes can run out by noon.

Have a great time!

In addition to the above suggestions, which I agree with, your son will probably really like exploring the "countries" in Epcot. My son turns 13 this summer and he really enjoys that aspect of the trip. His fave rides are Test Track, Mission Space, Star Tours, Toy Story, Runaway Railroad, and all the water parks. Enjoy!!