Any tips for taking our 20 year old son back to Disney?

Walt Disney World
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Hi there, I been waiting for years to get back to Disney and we are finally planning a family trip back! The last time we went our son was 11 and now he will be 20 when we go in December. He is happy to go, but has said numerous times that there may not be enough for him to do and that Disney is for kids (which we all agree is not true). I know that part of our trip will be nostalgic and checking out areas that meant so much to us over the years. However, I’m hoping those of you with older kids (but not yet 21) can make some recommendations for this age group. Thanks in advance!

PS I should also mention that he’s really big into photography and is a film major in college if that helps with any tips. I was looking at old pics and he always had a digital camera in his hand at the parks. Thanks!

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There are tons of things that my 20 year old liked back then. She was majorly into fast or exciting rides like Tower of Terror and roller coasters. She’s 24 now, but our last trip she really enjoyed Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy.

If he’s into film, HS is the place he needs to go first.

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Here’s my list of rides that might appeal more to young adults:

AK:

  • Expedition Everest
  • Flight of Passage
  • Kali River Rapids

EP:

  • Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Test Track
  • Soarin’ (Across America)
  • Mission: Space

HS:

  • Tower of Terror
  • Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
  • Rise of the Resistance
  • Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
  • Toy Story Mania
  • Star Tours

MK:

  • Tron
  • Big Thunder (ride at night and sit in the back for the best experience)
  • Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
  • Space Mountain

Now a slightly more mature (disposition-wise) young adult may also like these rides, that are less thrilling, but still immersive and / or fun:

  • Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Haunted Mansion
  • 7 Dwarfs Mine Train
  • Slinky Dog Dash
  • Spaceship Earth
  • Living with the Land

Some people might also appreciate the shows like Impressions de France (my favorite film at WDW!), Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Feathered Friends in Flight, or the American Adventure. Not to mention live entertainment like Voices of Liberty.

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@Jeff_AZ did a great job talking about rides and shows. Here are some non-ride/show ideas.

Since he’s really big into photography and is a film major, he might be interested in seeing The Magic of Disney Animation. It is set to open Sept 14. Sure, some of it is geared to kids (an indoor playground) but some of it focuses on the animation process and the history of Disney animation.

Your trip is in December, when WDW is fully decorated for the holidays. He might enjoy exploring the different country pavilions around World Showcase in Epcot, looking at merchandise and art to get a feel for each country, eating a wide range of foods - and sampling things from the many food kiosks during Festival of the Holidays.

He can visit resorts to see their theming and architecture (e.g. AKL) and food. He might get ideas about what WDW has to offer for variety. He can go to Disney Springs and get food from heavily themed places like Six Ravens or play any of 60 different life-sized games at Level 99.

So many things to show that WDW is not just Mickey and crew, or princesses!

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I’d add to the great ideas above the following which appeal to all ages:

Fantasmic! (HS)

Happily Ever After (MK)

Luminous (EP)

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If he’s doing a major in film, is he interested in the history of Disney Parks in general? If he is then great, if not try it anyway and maybe he will become one!

Get him a copy of the book “Windows on Main Street” by Chuck Snyder, or “Main Street Windows” by Jeff Heimbuch. And he can identify each of the window tributes and who they were.

Also playing the Galaxy Edge interactive game on his phone should keep him busy.

One Man’s Dream and the exhibition at DHS.

Find out about the architecture of each World Showcase pavilion (wikipedia has an entry for each with some background).

Maybe book Keys to the Kingdom or Wild Africa Trek. I’m not sure if the two Epcot tours of Future World and World Showcase are still running.

Definitely eat around the World and watch the performances in the pavilions.

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Does he have an interest in Imagineering or set design? You might get him to watch some bios of Walt Disney or documentaries on WDW development before you go which will enrich his experience.

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So much to do beyond the parks. Does he play golf? Like to fish? Really into food? Animals? Maybe less parks and more pool just to read or relax. It’s hard to see anyone not having enough to do, so I bet what he remembers are the parks - and even they have changed a lot in the last 9 years.

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Photography wise my . choice of parks would be Epcot )world showcase architecture) and AK

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Possibly the best thing is to bring a buddy. I see that this is a family trip. We’ve had late teens/early twenties with us on family trips.

Well before the trip I would ask the teen/20s person what they remembered. What they liked. Didn’t like. These can be informative but the single best thing is bringing a buddy.

One 20 year old had an 18 yo robotics club friend with us. The 18 yo’s parents paid for food and admissions tickets at Disney as well as transportation. I think they were happy for their kid to “go back to Disney” and they didn’t have to. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Those two were out the door before 7 every morning, rope dropping a park. DH and I moved slower. :wink:

We often met up mid day back at our resort as we took breaks from people, noise and heat.

The only stipulation I had was that we meet for supper. They always did and we had some great conversations about their day.

Regarding photos, I’ve always liked moseying around here and there. One of my favorites over the years is the stack of trunks off to the side waiting further transport at Jungle Cruise I think it was. Another place like that is Expedition Everest. The whole AK is awash with nifty shots here and there.

As is Epcot.

Tho back when I was using 35mm slide film I could expose a 36 exp roll in an hour just anywhere. I often heard from a family member “Why are you taking a picture of that?”

Maybe pick a two or three must do things at each park and then let him and his camera wander. Agreeing to meet at a meal time.

The DME app makes keeping on schedule easy. Never had to tell the 20 yr old anything - he could look it up.

We had a 17 yo with us one trip. He wanted more sleep than food, so he’d join us about 9 am at the park of the morning. For this trip we had tacked on 2 nights at a resort we’d stayed at 20 yrs prior. Since we’d already done 7 nights, the extra two were for extras, repeats, shopping and as it turned out, the resort arcade. The 17 yo thoroughly enjoyed a couple of the games - not available around here. Spent the whole weekend - other than suppers with the family - at the arcade, memorably.

That same person is now 35. His last trip was when he was 28, with his 3 daughters. And the rest of the extended family. :grin:

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Our trip last fall included our 20 year old. The one before that in 2019 included our then 17 year old. I suggest you look for recent park videos for him. There really is something for everyone at WDW so it might take a bit of research to figure out what he likes, but you will. It helped on our 2019 trip that we didn’t insist on spending every minute together. We planned some family things and frequently met up for meals, but our 17 spent a lot of time doing his own thing. I think he rode Expedition Everest more then a dozen times!

Warning though- we took our 20 year old last September and ended up moving her to Orlando in January. She decided the Disney College Program was the place to be. She is having a great experience so I can’t complain, but it was completely unexpected.

Hope you all have a great trip!

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You’ve gotten a ton of great advice. The one thing I will add from the photography angle is to have him read the images at www.disneytouristblog.com. Tom’s photography is outrageously gorgeous. I’ve spent many an hour trying to improve my photography skills to produce images like he does.

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Only suggestion I have would be, if you’re not already, consider splurging on Park Hopper tickets to give him the flexibility to wander off to where he wants, if he wants to. Had a 23 year old on our last trip and he loved to take advantage of the transportation system and take off on his own for a while if he didn’t feel like waiting for us.

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Thank you and great advice, we are definitely doing park hoppers as I like the flexibility and I think you are right… maybe that will even allow him to sleep in if he wants

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This is a super helpful tip, checking it out now. Thank you so much!

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oh that sounds amazing, I would love if he looked into the college program! How exciting! Appreciate your insight :slight_smile:

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I love the idea of meeting up for dinner, and having time to explore on your own too. Thanks!!

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