First of all, I have to tell you, I DID NOT WANT TO BE HERE!!! I had perfectly good plans to see a red necked profane comedian with some friends but NO...my parents had made plans for this trip months ago and even though I'm 18, I decided that it was better to humor them than force the issue and stay home. So, I told them that I planned to be a real pain in the neck as soon as we arrived...which was at 2am. Mom just said, Fine, in her mom sort of way and we all went to sleep. Our hotel was the Buena Vista suites - two rooms, three beds so I had my own space away from them and my little brother. I was actually too tired to start planning how to annoy them the next day so that had to wait. After several trips here before, I had a pretty good idea of how to start.

Day 1: we all slept in until about 10 and then had a pretty good breakfast. I had to keep my head down while eating or they'd probably see that my scowl was starting to vanish. We decided to go to Epcot for the day. It wasn't too crowded and the wine and food festival was going on so my parents got to try different wines and beers as we strolled along. They also had tons of new food stands just for the festival but I turned down every offer...wouldn't want to blow my cover of hating the place. Our first stop was Imagineraium which I got to see some very cool new IBM computers, play a virtual reality game and the 'great pizza game'. Did I say 'cool'? Sorry.... We then walked over to the Test Track and got fast passes for later in the day. On to Mission to Mars where I suggested to go in as 4 singles to keep the wait down to a few minutes. It worked and I didn't have to spend my time on the ride on the same crew. Big relief!! When we got off, my mom asked me what role I'd played. I had to pause a moment to regain my disinterested attitude before answering. Man, this was getting tough. Since we'd had a late breakfast, we basically skipped lunch. The rest of the day was spent at the World Showcase. Yes, the French street show with some little guy balancing on like 5 chairs was funny, the Italian street performance of a goofy play was hysterical and the American Showcase was 'touching' (A mom word) since we were there on Veteran's Day. I know behind those sunglasses, she was getting all teary when the drum and fife corps played Taps. I kept adopting my best James Dean slouch when they were looking but my face kept smiling in spite of it all. We stopped for snacks at the UK Rose and Crown Pub, did a little shopping and then had dinner at Chefs Du France. The food was great even if I say so myself and the service was very quick. Mom and Dad had a bottle of wine that they said was really nice. Back to the hotel by 9 and I finally had some time to read.

Day 2: Mom and dad had some business to follow up on so my brother and I were mercifully left in the hotel room for a few hours in the morning. We watched some TV, went to 7-11 for slurpies and read. Just like home except I couldn't get on instant messaging with my friends. In the afternoon, we went to Disney MGM Studios - the best place in my opinion for teenagers. First stop - FastPass for the roller coaster. Then a quick lunch and I got to choose the stuff to do the rest of the day! We walked on to Star Tours, did the Backlot Tour and even though it had been four years since I was there last, the stuff was still fun and wet! By the time we finished the Backlot tour, it was almost time for the roller coaster. We meandered along the streets and my dad kept asking if I wanted a coke and fries. I finally gave in and said yes. The RollerCoaster is the coolest ride at Disney. Funny thing, the caught me smiling in the photo. The crowds were a little bigger but the 'scenery' was definitely better for a guy than at Epcot. After the rollercoaster, we got FastPasses for Tower of Terror and decided to see the Great Movie Ride. That was fun and gave my folks a chance to sit down for a little while. Tower of Terror rounded out the day. Mom lost her fastpass but the guy let her go in anyway since it was near the end of the day. Major fright for her on that ride. We dropped like 4 times. Darn - they caught me smiling again in the picture! Dinner was at the 50's PrimeTime. Great food all around and the waiter was not totally into his role. He started out a little smart alecky but then got into a talk with my dad about the latest Disney labor problems. First time I'd ever heard a disney employee dis Disney to our faces. Oh well. Even though we were tired, mom had made reservations for this thing called Cirque du Soleil. The show was 90 minutes long, jam packed and excellent. It was hard to watch one act since all around there was other stuff going on. I really liked the bikes and trampoline acts. Back to hotel around 11 - there was an accident on 535 and my dad got to vent about the traffic for 20 minutes....no different than home. This trip is not what I exactly wanted to do but isn't as bad as I expected.

Day 3: We kids got to sleep in again and just hang out until about 10. Then, we all went to Islands of Adventure. After MGM, I was beginning to think that this trip wasn't just for little kids. IOA was a great time for a teenager - even one who was trying hard to not like it. The first ride was the Hulk - awesome. The crowd was mostly teenaged kids. Lots of big groups and lots of class trips. Even so, the lines weren't that long. The day was going along just fine until the skies literally opened up and poured. My brother and I were stuck waiting for another ride on Hulk for almost an hour but that was ok since we were inside and dry. When the ride started up again, we were right in front. When we got off that ride, it was straight back to Dueling Dragons and zero lines. In 25 minutes, we rode 8 times! By then, the rain had mostly stopped. Mom and Dad were waiting for us at Jimmy Buffet's restaurant and being a Parrot Head, I couldn't have been happier - even back home with my friends! Great cheeseburgers in Paradise with music, balloon animals, volcanoes and vidoes to keep us going. It had been another long day so we came straight back to the hotel. I broke down and let them buy me a tee shirt and bumper sticker from Margaritaville.

Day 4: Again, the kids slept in a little bit while the parents had an adult breakfast. After we packed up, checked out and my brother and I ate, we drove to Animal Kingdom. I'd been there 4 years ago but didn't remember just how big the place really is. We went on the Safari, jungle walk, saw the Tigers and then had lunch at a very good BBQ place. It started to rain a little bit but nothing like the day before. I got us fastpasses to Dinosaur for right after lunch so that was out last stop of the day. My dad bought a bunch of little Disney animals dressed up in Safari outfits - the guy needs to grow up. After Animal Kingdom, I suggested that we go to Magic Kingdom since that is where the awesome cookies are on Main Street, hang around there and then take the monorail to Epcot for dinner. Sorry - I'm starting to sound like a major Disney Fanatic.The cookies were great as usual, my mom got all nostalgic over the way that the place never changes, etc. My brother and I took off after the snack and did the 'mountain range' plus space mountain one extra time. Then, it was time to meet up with the folks at Italy in Epcot for our last dinner. The food was pretty good - they had another bottle of wine as well. We finished up with about 15 minutes to spare before the fireworks; even got super viewing spaces. Then, it was off to return the rental car and take the bus to the Hyatt hotel at the airport since our flight was leaving at 7am the next morning.

All in all - I really didn't plan to like the trip. But, I found that teenagers can find plenty to do and see in any of the theme parks and with flexible scheduling and parents willing to give and take, it turned out to be a great trip. I even find myself wondering if we'll be back again in two more years! Can't let on to the 'rents tho!

So you acted like a spoiled, bratty teenager, while MEN your age are being killed in action in Iraq.

At least you appear to be proud of yourself.

Actually, I thought it was kind of cute, but didn't sound all that teen-agery. If it were a report for a creative writing class , I might go with A- . I'd deduct a few points for sounding a bit like a marketing piece, rather than personal essay, however.

If it's for real, CMeyer, I'm glad you ended up enjoying your trip and having some good QT with your family. Your Mom must have been thrilled. Some good tips here, too, for making trips appealing to teens, ie., sleeping late. Thanks for the report!

Thanks for the amusing TROLL post. Just not realistic, though. Not even an attempt at doing some underage drinking?
Puh-lease!

Um - yeah - Disney may think this kind of thing is going to impress us, but as Dreamer2 says, it really reads like a marketing piece. Nice try.

Errm, Cmeyer54, you've also posted about your "husband and sons" on other threads. I guess teenagers today are getting married REALLY young!

cmeyer54 - great report, made me laugh ... I remember those family trips as a teen (never mind how long ago) where I started out sooooo determined to be miserable but had a fantastic time!

whoops ... husband and sons! Oh well still thought it was a fun read.

Geesh you guys! I just tried to put something together with a slightly different slant than the usual gush. I don't work for Disney, this isn't a troll. When and if you ever travel with teenagers, you'll find that they have very different wants and needs than the typical Orlando kid visitor. Spare me any of your further comments - just take this for what it is - a few suggestions thrown in on taking older kids to Orlando. RonKala - I'm more than aware of the situation in Iraq. 'nuff said.

Not to pile on, but c'mon-- an 18-year-old Parrothead?!? Doesn't seem likely to me....

LOL cmeyer. It's good to know that sometimes teeneagers can have a good time even when they are dead set on being miserable. I immediately got that you were the parent writing from the teenage view. After all when would a teenager readily admit they were sullen?

cmeyer - I figured it had to be a parent writing...I do not think "Sullen" is in a teenager's vocabulary!

I am really glad it turned out to be a good trip!

But c, it IS kinda cute.....

Actually, he loves the 'oldies' and being a parrothead is a big deal to the kids around here.

Although if I was her 18-year-old I'd be absolutely mortified to read this.

But maybe that's the idea...

As a sullen 39 year old, Hulk and Dueling Dragons are two of my favorite rides in Orlando. Rockin' Roller Coaster at MGM and Kraken at SeaWorld round out my top four.

Jeez, am I the only person laughing here? Maybe because I had one of those, a sullen teen with a James Dean slouch LOL
cmeyer, thanks for the laughs. I loved the way you managed to hide the smile, not look like it was cool and that you care about how a Mom feels.

rjw--there are many younger parrotheads. DD's BF is 21 now, but I when they were in HS they went to a Jimmy Buffet show cause he's such a big goofball, er, I mean parot head. [Did I say that out loud?]

And, cmeyer, don't let the turkeys get you down--I knew instantly that it was a parent writing and thought it was a cute way to approach the trip report. Even the subject line caught my eye enough to make me click on it and read it, something I would never have done had you called it "Orlando Trip Report."

And what's wrong with a cleverly written marketing piece, yeah? If it weren't for the marketers, there would never have been an "Orlando" as we know it today. hehe

I'm a former sullen, smart-alec teen but my parents never took me to Disney. I can still get sullen and smart-alecy and I'm far from being a teen.

Only problems I had was with teens skipping lunch. If they are boys, they would notice skipping a meal, IMHO. And sleeping to 10 a.m. When I was a teen I could sleep until 2 p.m.

Glad you had a good time and planned activities around teens and weather.

After reading this rather refreshingly imaginative post I'd say the only people who are acting sullen now are the people who are jealous and decided to post their nasty comments.

Some people just cannot admit that when someone's "travel outlook" is not exactly the same as theirs that it can still be worthwhile. And aren;t you glad you don;t have to travel WITH THEM?