How have your Disney resort needs changed now that you have teenagers?

[mom22boys]

Our needs have changed so much in so many different ways. One of the funniest to me is with the swimming pool. When they were super little, I was looking for zero entry pools and splash playgrounds (not all resorts had them back then). As they got a little older, the pool slide was a must. And, now that they are teenagers, all they really need is a lounge chair so that they can listen to their music and take a nap! How about you? What are you looking for now that you weren't looking for back then?

 

[reluctantredhead]

Our needs have absolutely changed. When our D was little our resort of choice was the Poly because it was all about MK for her, and hops to Epcot for dinner (and a few rides that she could actually go on) for H and I. For those two parks, the Poly's transportation can't be beat IMHO. But once she was old enough (around age 10 or 11) that Epcot and HS actually became her favorite parks, and she started actually liking more grown up food, we began staying at the BC/YC/BWI. We've stayed at one of those 3 resorts ever since then because we LOVE being able to walk to two parks and eat most of our dinners at Epcot. I also thought the volcano pool at the Poly seemed a lot easier for keeping a close eye on her when she was little. And now that she's 16 of course she pretty much just wants the lazy river at SAB, lol.

We're changing it up a little bit for our Christmas trip this year, though -- doing a split stay between WL and BC because I'm worried about crowds and traffic. We'll do our MK and AK days when we're at the WL, and our EP and HS days when we're staying at BC.

 

[Anniefrances]

Same here! When my boys were little it was all about proximity to MK, so when I could afford it, WL and CR were the way to go (no need to wake up kids and fold up that dang stroller!)

Once they outgrew the stroller, they loved the values - the over the top theming and the food courts captivated them. Given my budget as a single parent I was happy to go along with that. To this day, AS Sports is my younger son's favorite, largely due to the great memories we created there.

And now that they are teens, for my older son it's all about luxury in dining options and chilling by the pool. He is the reason we have now done Poly CL twice. Personally, other than the lounge view, it doesn't grab me, but I get to him it is the quintessential experience. And I will say I do like the ease of catching the monorail over to EP for dinners.

This summer, I have no idea where we will land....I fell in love with YC CL last summer, so if there is a good discount, I will jump on it (and add a few starting days at Sports). But if not, I suspect it will be a mix of Sports and whatever deluxe has the best deal for our dates - at least that way I know both kids will get some of the experience they enjoy.

 

[BabybetterDisney]

Yeah, bigger beds. Kids used to fit on the double beds at values, but not any more. Luckily, Pop has refurbished itself into queen beds right when my kids need it! What luck! We stay for over 2 weeks, I don't want to pay moderate or deluxe that whole time.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Yes two rooms!!! I can't do a week-10 days in a room with the both of them. A night here or there is fine but not an entire week.

Last trip we did one room for 10 days. It wasn't ideal. I'm the type of person who needs my me time/quiet time. Even if it's just 20 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. I just need it to decompress. Can't get that with two teenagers plus two adults sharing 350-400 square feet of space.

After that we did an all inclusive and one room. At that moment I swore to never vacation in one room again. They're messy, they leave their clothes everywhere, they bicker, etc. You know....teenage stuff! lol

We always looked for pool slides since my kids are huge pool people and love a good pool slide. So we've always stayed deluxe or moderate. For any future trips I will definitely have to think about value if we are going to get two rooms depending on our budget. Since they are older the pool slide may not be so important to them.

 

[TJA]

Lots of differences!! Especially the time of year we can go to WDW. Now they can't miss sports and school. Back then, I didn't have to limit trips to major holidays because it was ok (though not encouraged) to miss a few days of school and sports.

Definitely larger beds. Even some of the queens seem smallish. We definitely need a daybed in our room to spread out.

Pools are not that important now that they're teens, but when they were younger they loved the sandy bottom pool at BC so we stayed there quite often!

 

[mom22boys]

Yeah, bigger beds. Kids used to fit on the double beds at values, but not any more. Luckily, Pop has refurbished itself into queen beds right when my kids need it! What luck! We stay for over 2 weeks, I don't want to pay moderate or deluxe that whole time.

Isn't it funny how much more space they take up now?! Even their suitcases and clothes are bigger and taking up more room. I think about their old cute little Buzz Lightyear suitcases that were so tiny and get nostalgic.

 

[caribbeandream]

Same here. When my son was really young it was all about the zero entry pools and the splash pads. Our next trip we'll definitely be staying at BC just because of Stormalong Bay and doing the water parks. Also, he wants to sleep in an actual bed, not a sleeper sofa or a fold-out bed. And as far as teen boys are concerned, staying at CL level where food and drinks are available all.day.long works for us.

 

[HunterRose13]

Our June visit was a trip of discovery as we had not been to WDW in several years and had never stayed on property. With two adultish daughters and an almost teen son we found a suite with two bathrooms to be awesome. Staying on property ruined us. We will not stay off property again.

 

[caribbeandream]

@HunterRose13 - Where did you stay that they had two bathrooms?! Asking for a friend.

 

[HunterRose13]

@caribbeandream - AoA Lion King Family Suite. There is a bathroom in the front of the suite and another in the bedroom. It worked will for us.

 

[caribbeandream]

@caribbeandream - AoA Lion King Family Suite. There is a bathroom in the front of the suite and another in the bedroom. It worked will for us.

Thank you! Will definitely keep that in mind when my sister and I take our collective kiddos.

 

[reluctantredhead]

I totally agree with the people who said two rooms or separate sleeping areas and forgot to mention that in my last post because we've been doing it for so long, lol.

I'm the type of person who needs my me time/quiet time. Even if it's just 20 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. I just need it to decompress. Can't get that with two teenagers plus two adults sharing 350-400 square feet of space.

Exactly. To me it's not a relaxing vacation, and we can't sleep well, if we don't have our separate spaces. So we've either stayed in a 1 BR DVC (BWV and BLT are our favorites) or a 1 BR suite since our D has been in the 7th grade.

 

[bigbabyblues]

My teen boys will not share a bed, and a regular room has become way too cramped (we go for 9 or 10 nights at a time). DVC is not an option for us and I don't want to rent points. We stayed offsite in a condo this year, which I said I would never do. It suited us really, really well! We had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, plenty of privacy and room to spread out, a full kitchen and laundry. I don't see us staying onsite again until both kids are out of the house and it is just DH and me.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

DD15 doesn't care where we stay, she's just happy we're at Disney. She prefers POR, but no matter where we stay she's happy!

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

When our kids were little, we stayed in off site rental homes. We liked the extra space & the ability to put the kids to bed basically in the same routine as home. With multiple bedrooms & a living room we could stay up without the worry of waking the kids up or feeling like you are laying in bed for hours.
Now that the kids are older, we have been staying onsite which is great because my teens can sleep in if they want & meet us when they get up or head back if they have had enough.

 

[Magical2017]

We are the point where we need a one or two bedroom unit with W/D. The full kitchen is nice for snacks/drinks.

 

[disneyvoice]

Once our son hit about 12 we decided we needed more space and more privacy so we always stay in an All Star Music Family Suite when our son is with us. It's perfect since it has two bathrooms, my DH and I have the privacy of our own bedroom, and our son has the entire main room all to himself (he is perfectly happy on the pull out sofa bed). It's also great because he stays at the parks much later than we do so he can just use the WDW transportation to come and go as he wants but we aren't woken up when he gets back to the hotel super late.

We also stopped doing a lot of pre-planning. Our son prefers to go off on his own or sometimes has a friend with him and they spend most of the time doing their own thing. He makes his own FPs since he prefers different FPs than we do and is on his own for most of the day. We drastically decreased the number of TS meals we do as a family. He prefers to just grab a QS meal some place while he is between rides. We might schedule a few ADRs sprinkled throughout the trip so we can do a few family meals.

It helps to be super flexible. We don't get offended if he texts to say that he is at another park and doesn't want to head to another park for a planned ADR - when that happens my DH and I just head to the ADR on our own or reschedule/cancel it if we aren't all that hungry.

In general we just text every now and then so we know where he is and when he will be back. We make sure he has charging privileges on his Magic Band. It has worked out well for us.

 

[holden]

2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms minimum now. Thank goodness for DVC 2br units at BLT and Kidani! We each get our own bathroom there (those have 3 bathrooms).

 

[Luvs Mickey]

When we bring the teens, we get a one bedroom villa for the kitchen, w/d, and extra space. Now that they’re older, I order an air mattress online and have it shipped before we arrive, as DS and DD have outgrown sharing a bed.