Advice for Mom of Teens - h.s. grad trip

[MomBird]

Hi everyone!

I am hoping you can help me with a teen's perspective on planning our next Disney trip.

My son graduates from high school this summer, so we are offering him and a couple of his friends a studio at AKL (we take the connecting 1 BR w/DD).

Should I book FastPasses for my son and his friends and offer them up, letting them know they don't have to use them or instead just tell them that they're totally on their own to do all their own planning? Plus, we want them to have dinner with us a couple of nights, but other than that, should I make their dinner reservations for table service or let them do it all, or hope to find a table for dinner?

They will pretty much be on their own the whole week, since I want it to be a celebration for them and a fun graduation trip. But...none of them, my son included, are planners and the friends haven't been to Disney since they were really little.

I feel like if I don't help them plan, then they will be stuck in lines all week, but I also want this to be their vacation to do what they want. If I reserve Fastpasses for them, how easy is it for them to change them?

Thanks for your help!

 

[verleniahall]

Why not have the friends over for a "planning dinner" and get things put together with "guidance." Gentle reminders that they may not want to wait in lines for x amount of time (im sure there is a way to find what the wait times are for a certain time frame) for x attraction or ride.

Then help them decide where they may want to eat for their dinners/ Maybe a guide book for everyone as an early gift may be a good route to go as well so they can read up on things.

I think this is an awesome gift you are giving them.


As for changes - they can go and change their fp+ at the kiosk or on the mydisneyexperience app or website

 

[MOpGrad2013]

Why not have the friends over for a "planning dinner" and get things put together with "guidance." Gentle reminders that they may not want to wait in lines for x amount of time (im sure there is a way to find what the wait times are for a certain time frame) for x attraction or ride.

Then help them decide where they may want to eat for their dinners/ Maybe a guide book for everyone as an early gift may be a good route to go as well so they can read up on things.

I think this is an awesome gift you are giving them.


As for changes - they can go and change their fp+ at the kiosk or on the mydisneyexperience app or website

This is EXACTLY what I wanted to say

 

[MomBird]

Why not have the friends over for a "planning dinner" and get things put together with "guidance."

Thank you!! That is a great idea - Disney planning dinner it is! I am going to have to serve Dole Whips.

This will help me get a feel for how much/how little time they might like for "family time" too!

 

[verleniahall]

We did our out DIY Dole Whips - Pineapple Sherbet and Orange Sherbet with pineapple juice over them tastes CLOSE to the same things (but we all know nothign compares)


Enjoy the planning dinner.

Maybe go to allears.net and find a disney recipe to use at your dinner.


Something else you could do is give them a sheet of websites to look at before they come over or encourage them to bring a laptop and/or tablet/smartphone to look at things like menus, rides, etc...

 

[MomBird]

Awesome, I was just googling homemade Dole Whips. I'm so excited! We skipped Disney World the last two years and did the HHI and the cruise (which were great, of course, but just can't WAIT to get back)!

Yes, I think I will give them a copy of Birnbaum's, plus ask them to download the Lines app. I think that will be great motivation for planning!

 

[verleniahall]

Enjoy your trip and enjoy the trip!

 

[Newsies]

If I reserve Fastpasses for them, how easy is it for them to change them?

Changing Fastpasses is actually a super easy process, especially if they're all connected! They can just do it on their phones or in the parks with help from a CM at a kiosk

 

[MomBird]

Thanks, Newsies! For three teens, I imagine there will be a few days when sleep will take precedence over rides.

 

[Newsies]

Thanks, Newsies! For three teens, I imagine there will be a few days when sleep will take precedence over rides.

No problem! I understand. We've all been there

 

[Jbuch01]

I am a teen male. Teen males love thrill rides especially my personal favorite, RnR roller coaster at Hollywood Studios. Hollywood studios was a favorite among me and the other teen males in the group. Spend a lot of time in that park. For meals, I definitely recommend almost any table service meal at the Boardwalk including ESPN Club and another one I cannot remember the name of. Have fun on your trip.

 

[MomBird]

Thanks, Jbuch01!

Yes, what can beat RnR!! Plus...it will be Star Wars weekends, too.

 

[MomBird]

Jbuch01, out of curiosity, did your whole group stick together for dinners or split up during table service meals?

We haven't had our Disney planning dinner yet, but I imagine the guys will want to be off on their own for a good bit of the time but then meet up for a least a couple of family dinners.

 

[bugbites]

I'm planning a Spring break too for my daughter and friends who will graduate in May. We are going April 7-14. We have a split stay at AKL Kidani and BLT. I'm chaperoning, but I'm not doing everything with them. We are doing just as you are planning, getting together and choosing together. We have a similar mix as you. My daughter goes almost very year because we are DVC and the other three have not been since they were little. I do have some surprises for them planned too. I'm looking for someone to book tickets with through Disney Youth Education. We are a party of 5. DYE offers highly discounted tickets for high school senior trips for groups of 10 or more. Please PM me if you are interested in pooling our groups or just for advice. In order to get the discounted tickets, we must be traveling around the same time. We are from Michigan.

 

[Jbuch01]

For the table service, normally we stuck together when the meal was outside the parks. Inside the parks, we split up occasionally, but me and the other teens mainly ate quick service being the ride enthusiasts we are.

 

[MomBird]

Bugbites,

We are DVC members, too!

I wish we were going around the same time as your group so that we could do the YES Program. We're not going until early June though. They have really great programs but the timing has never worked out for my kids to do them.

I hope you guys have a great time!

 

[emilayyx0]

Hi everyone!

I am hoping you can help me with a teen's perspective on planning our next Disney trip.

My son graduates from high school this summer, so we are offering him and a couple of his friends a studio at AKL (we take the connecting 1 BR w/DD).

Should I book FastPasses for my son and his friends and offer them up, letting them know they don't have to use them or instead just tell them that they're totally on their own to do all their own planning? Plus, we want them to have dinner with us a couple of nights, but other than that, should I make their dinner reservations for table service or let them do it all, or hope to find a table for dinner?

They will pretty much be on their own the whole week, since I want it to be a celebration for them and a fun graduation trip. But...none of them, my son included, are planners and the friends haven't been to Disney since they were really little.

I feel like if I don't help them plan, then they will be stuck in lines all week, but I also want this to be their vacation to do what they want. If I reserve Fastpasses for them, how easy is it for them to change them?

Thanks for your help!

My mom did the same thing for me. She let me and 2 other friends go to WDW for a week for a graduation gift this past summer, except they didn't come along with us. Whatever nights you want to have dinner with them, you make the reservations ahead of time. They're teenage boys. Don't wait for them to do it, because it won't get done. However, for fastpasses, let them do it. You'll be ruining their vacation by planning everything for them. They're starting college. They need to be on their own. Plus, you don't know what pace they'll be at going around the parks if they havent been there in years, so they may want to take their time and not jump around and skip things because they have to be at certain rides that you picked at certain times. You handle the dinner reservations, but let them do fastpasses. Believe me. My mom tried to do the same thing for us, and I told her to let me be. They'll be fine, and they'll have fun!

 

[MomBird]

My mom did the same thing for me. She let me and 2 other friends go to WDW for a week for a graduation gift this past summer, except they didn't come along with us. Whatever nights you want to have dinner with them, you make the reservations ahead of time. They're teenage boys. Don't wait for them to do it, because it won't get done. However, for fastpasses, let them do it. You'll be ruining their vacation by planning everything for them. They're starting college. They need to be on their own. Plus, you don't know what pace they'll be at going around the parks if they havent been there in years, so they may want to take their time and not jump around and skip things because they have to be at certain rides that you picked at certain times. You handle the dinner reservations, but let them do fastpasses. Believe me. My mom tried to do the same thing for us, and I told her to let me be. They'll be fine, and they'll have fun!

Thanks for the advice, Emilayyxo! That's great that your mom gave you that gift last year!

I've made the dining reservations, since yes, you're right, they haven't gotten around to it. They'll be on their own and all w/the lockout unit and can go wherever they want to go; I told them that they can see us when they want and not see us when they want. For fastpasses, I asked my son and he said he doesn't care if I schedule theirs, but I think it would be good for them to plan those out anyway. As you said...they'll be starting college soon. No more mom to hover overhead. Thanks again!