Orlando with Teenagers – There's Much More Than Disney

By Lizzie Best

Mention an Orlando family holiday and most people immediately think of Disney World.

But what if your children are no longer particularly interested in meeting Mickey Mouse or having breakfast with a princess?

The good news is that Orlando can be a fantastic destination for teenagers – and in many ways, having older children opens up even more possibilities.

Rollercoasters, water parks, shopping, sport, restaurants, gaming, wildlife, beaches and some of the world's most technologically advanced attractions are all within reach.

So if you're wondering whether your teenagers have “outgrown” Orlando, we'd suggest thinking again.

Thrill rides take Orlando to another level

As children get older, the rides they want to experience often change dramatically.

Suddenly, the attractions they were once too small – or too nervous – to ride become the highlight of the holiday.

At Universal Orlando, teenagers can find some serious thrills, including Jurassic World VelociCoaster and attractions based around Harry Potter, while Universal's newer Epic Universe adds another major theme park to the Orlando line-up.

Disney World isn't just about younger children either.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios can provide plenty of excitement for older children.

For thrill-seeking families, nearby SeaWorld Orlando also has an impressive collection of rollercoasters.

This can be the age when an Orlando theme park holiday becomes less about meeting characters and much more about deciding who is brave enough to ride what next.

Universal Orlando can become a major attraction

For many families with teenagers, Universal Orlando moves rapidly up the priority list.

Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon and other film and gaming-inspired attractions can appeal enormously to older children.

Universal Orlando now offers several theme parks, so it's worth doing some research before buying tickets rather than assuming you'll see everything in a single day.

And if your teenagers are Harry Potter fans, allow some time simply to explore. The detail throughout the Wizarding World areas is part of the experience – it isn't all about rushing from one ride to another.

Don't overlook the water parks

A Florida holiday and a water park make a pretty good combination.

Orlando's water parks offer far more than somewhere to cool down. You'll find huge slides, wave pools, lazy rivers, raft rides and attractions that can keep teenagers occupied for hours.

Disney's water parks and Universal's Volcano Bay are obvious choices, and there are other water-based attractions around Central Florida too.

A water park day can also make a welcome change of pace after several consecutive days walking around the main theme parks.

Just don't be fooled by the word “water”. You'll still do plenty of walking!

Give them a shopping budget

Teenagers who suddenly lose enthusiasm when you suggest another theme park may make a remarkable recovery when you mention an outlet mall.

Orlando is a major shopping destination.

The outlet centres are popular for trainers, sportswear and well-known American brands, while Florida Mall and Mall at Millenia offer even more choice.

Then there are shops that feel like attractions in their own right.

Disney Springs and Universal CityWalk combine shopping, restaurants and entertainment, making them good places to spend an evening without committing to another full theme park day.

Giving teenagers their own spending budget can also be a useful way of avoiding the repeated:

“Can I have this?”

“Can I have this as well?”

“And this?”

Although we can't promise it will stop completely.

Let them choose where you eat

Food can become a much bigger part of the holiday as children get older.

Orlando has an enormous choice of restaurants, ranging from familiar American chains to independent restaurants and some excellent dining experiences.

Let each teenager choose somewhere to eat during the holiday.

It could be burgers, pizza, steak, Mexican food, an enormous American breakfast or somewhere they've discovered on social media before travelling.

It gives them some ownership of the holiday and might take you somewhere you wouldn't otherwise have considered.

And yes, American portion sizes can still be quite an experience.

Try something competitive

If your family enjoys a bit of competition, Orlando provides plenty of opportunities.

Mini golf is everywhere, and some of the courses are remarkably elaborate.

You'll also find bowling, escape rooms, indoor karting and numerous interactive attractions around the International Drive area.

And then there's the competition waiting back at your villa.

A games room with a pool table, table football or air hockey can suddenly become considerably more important when you're travelling with teenagers.

Just be prepared for disputes over who actually won.

Watch some American sport

Seeing a live sporting event in the US can be a great addition to an Orlando holiday.

Depending on when you visit, you might be able to watch the Orlando Magic play basketball or Orlando City play football.

If you're prepared to travel a little further, Central Florida also puts other American sporting experiences within reach.

Even teenagers who aren't devoted sports fans can enjoy the atmosphere surrounding a big US sporting event.

The food, entertainment and spectacle are all part of the experience.

Head to the beach

One of the advantages of staying in Central Florida is that you can swap rollercoasters for the coast.

The Atlantic beaches are within reach for a day trip, giving everyone the chance to see another side of Florida.

Depending on where you choose, your teenagers could spend the day swimming, surfing, walking along the beach or simply doing very little at all.

And after several hectic theme park days, doing very little can be exactly what everyone needs.

Kennedy Space Center isn't just for younger children

If you've never visited Kennedy Space Center because you assumed your children wouldn't be interested, the teenage years could be the perfect time.

Standing underneath enormous rockets, learning about the Space Shuttle programme and discovering what is involved in sending humans into space feels very different from reading about it at school.

If you're fortunate enough to be in Florida around the time of a rocket launch, that's another experience teenagers are unlikely to forget.

Kennedy Space Center also provides something completely different from Orlando's theme parks.

Give teenagers some downtime

This is one of the biggest lessons we've learned about family holidays.

You don't have to fill every waking hour.

Adults sometimes spend thousands of pounds taking the family to Florida and understandably feel that everyone should be making the most of every minute.

Teenagers may have a slightly different interpretation of “making the most of it”.

Sometimes they want to sleep until 10am.

Sometimes they want to sit beside the pool.

Sometimes they want Wi-Fi and their phone.

And sometimes they genuinely don't want to go anywhere.

That's OK.

Building some slower days into an Orlando holiday can make the busy days much more enjoyable.

This is where an Orlando villa really helps

Travelling with teenagers can make the extra space of an Orlando villa particularly valuable.

Instead of everyone sharing a couple of hotel rooms, you can choose a villa with enough bedrooms to give older children some personal space.

There can be multiple bathrooms, separate living areas, a kitchen full of food and drinks, Wi-Fi and, in many homes, a games room or cinema room.

Then there's the private pool.

Parents can sit outside with a drink while teenagers swim, play games or disappear indoors for an hour without the whole family having to decide to do exactly the same thing.

If you're travelling with 2 families, grandparents or several teenagers, that flexibility can become even more valuable.

Let them help plan the holiday

One of the easiest ways to keep teenagers interested is to involve them before you leave the UK.

Instead of presenting them with a completed 14-day itinerary, give everyone a choice.

Ask each family member to pick something they really want to do.

You might end up with:

Dad choosing Kennedy Space Center.

Mum choosing a shopping day.

One teenager choosing Universal Epic Universe.

Another choosing a water park.

And everyone agreeing on a day when nobody is allowed to set an alarm.

You may not create the itinerary you originally imagined – but you might create a better family holiday.

Have they really outgrown Disney?

Possibly.

But don't assume so.

A teenager who has absolutely no interest in meeting Disney characters might still love the rollercoasters, Star Wars, Marvel attractions, restaurants and atmosphere.

And there's something rather nice about returning to places they remember visiting when they were younger.

The Orlando holiday you take with a 15-year-old will be very different from the one you took when they were 5.

That's not a reason to stop going.

It's a reason to experience Orlando differently.

Orlando grows up with your family

Orlando isn't a destination that families necessarily have to outgrow.

As your children get older, you simply start discovering different parts of it.

The character breakfasts might become rollercoasters. The souvenir toys might become trainers from the outlets. Early nights might become evenings at Disney Springs or Universal CityWalk.

And a frantic 14 days of trying to do everything might become a more relaxed holiday combining theme parks with shopping, restaurants, beaches and days around your own private pool.

So if your children are approaching their teenage years and you're wondering whether you've had your last Orlando family holiday, don't write it off just yet.

There is much more to Orlando than Disney – and you might discover that travelling with teenagers is when you finally have time to experience it.