Best Disney Parks for Teens: Keeping Orlando Fun With Teenagers

Discover a new type of magic when visiting Disney World with teenagers

Taking a trip to Orlando with teens can be so exciting! While it is always fun to take the little ones and see how much they enjoy the parks around them, in our opinion, Disney only gets better with age.

Some have the mindset that Disney World is for babies and little kids, but as an adult that absolutely loves Disney World, I would have to disagree.

Disney parks have rides and attractions that will fit the needs of all, meaning your teen will still love going even as they get older. Visiting Disney World with teens is the best because they start to become more self-sufficient, and they are getting to the age where they can decide what they enjoy doing and what they may not enjoy so much.

This means for parents, we get to enjoy the parks with our kids rather than needing to supervise and guide them as we may have to do when they are younger. While all Disney parks are fun for people of all ages, each park does tend to cater to a specific age group a little better than the others.

This post is part of our Disney and Orlando series

Today, we are going to be talking all about Disney World with teenagers. We will cover what we think is the best Disney Park to visit with teens, fun things to do, which rides and attractions your teens will love, and more!

What Do Teens Look for in A Great Theme Park?

As kids enter the tween and teenage era of their lives, they tend to start becoming more daring and adventurous. With that being said, teens tend to gravitate to the more thrilling rides and attractions in theme parks.

In this day in age, teens are also all about appearance and how they look to their friends on social media. This means they want places to take good photos and insta-worthy foods!

Our Top Pick Disney Park for Teens

If we had to pick one Disney Park that we would consider to be the most “thrilling,” it would most certainly be Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Hollywood Studios

You will get the biggest rush of adrenaline at Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Studios features the higher thrill rides among the Disney Parks in Orlando. Hollywood Studios is also the home to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which tends to be very popular amongst the tween/teen age group. 

Some of the attractions at Hollywood Studios that your teens will love include:

• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (High Thrill, Dark, Sudden Drops)
  • Riders will climb aboard the haunted elevator and have a seat inside. Throughout the ride, you will be taken up the lift and shown scenes from the Twilight Zone before long, you will be plunging up and down, causing your heart to race

• Aerosmith Rock n Roller Coaster (Moderate Thrill, Fast Speeds)
  • In this attraction, you will climb into your stretch limo ride car and take off as you speed through the freeways of Los Angeles, racing to get Aerosmith to their concert across town on time. You’ll cruise along to some of Aerosmith’s biggest hits, including “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion”. Throughout your ride, you will experience three inversions, 2 loops, and one corkscrew in order to avoid traffic! Such a fun and exciting ride.

• Slinky Dog Dash (Moderate Thrill, Drops)
  • Although this ride is based on what some may consider a “children’s” movie, this ride is fun and perfect for teens who love speed. This coaster will have you zooming around curves and bends as you make your way through Andy’s backyard.

• Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run (Moderate Thrill, High Speed, Dark)
  • This attraction will put you right in the cockpit of the famous Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars franchise. You will climb into the Millennium Falcon, and based on where you are sitting, you will be assigned a job (a pilot, engineer, or gunner) to play a part in completing the mission at hand.

Unclear on the difference between HOLLYWOOD Studios in Orlando vs. Universal Studios Florida vs. Universal Studios Hollywood? We give you the low down comparing the top movie-based theme parks in Orlando (and, which are actually in Hollywood, CA!!)

More Attractions/Things To Do at Disney World That Teens Will Love

While we would recommend Hollywood Studios as the best overall park for teens and tweens, that doesn’t mean that they won’t enjoy themselves at the other parks as well. There are some great rides and attractions that they won’t miss at each of the Disney properties.

Epcot

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Moderate Thrill, Dark)
  • Based on the Marvel Classic Film, Guardians of the Galaxy, this ride is the first reverse-launch coaster at any Disney parks. Throughout your time, you will travel through the galaxy on a mission to help the Guardians complete their mission.

• Mission: SPACE Orange Mission (High Thrill, Spinning, Dark)
  • Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an astronaut heading into space? The Orange Mission on Mission: SPACE simulates a mission to Mars where you will experience what it’s like to feel the speed and G-forces that real astronauts feel.

Animal Kingdom

• Avatar Flight of Passage (Moderate Thrill)
  • During your flight, you will get to see the moon’s landscape while riding on your very own mountain banshee. By the end of your ride, you will be a pro and an official Na’vi hunter

• Expedition Everest (High Thrill, Big Drops, Dark)
  • At this attraction, you will climb into a train car where you will race to escape the Mountain Yeti. During your ride, you will experience high speeds, big drops, and backward racing

Magic Kingdom

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Mild Thrill, Small Drops)
  • Climb into an old mine train where you will race through an old mountain, see the Seven Dwarfs, and enjoy high speeds as you hunt for sparkling gems.

• Space Mountain (High Thrill, Big Drops, Dark)
  • Blast off into space in your very own rocket and race through the galaxy as you experience what you might see if you were actually in space, including comets, meteors, stars, and more.

Typhoon Lagoon Water Park

• Humunga Kowabunga (Moderate Thrill, Big Drops)
  • A body slide where you will plummet into the dark and fall 214 feet at a 60-degree angle before splashing into the water

• Crush ‘n’ Gusher (Moderate Thrill, Small Drops)
  • This is one of the park’s signature rides where you will climb into a water raft and race through a 400-foot-long water slide around sudden turns and twists, small drops, and more.

Blizzard Beach Water Park (Temporarily Closed)

• Downhill Double Dipper (High Thrill, Big Drops)
  • Race your opponent as you both plunge through the waterslide falling 50 feet downhill racing to see who can splash first.

• Snow Stormers (Moderate Thrill, Small Drops)
  • Zoom head first down one of the three waterslides that will take you through bends and turns until you ultimately dive in and make a splash into Mount Gushmore.

Disney Springs

Disney Springs is a huge dining, shopping, and entertainment hub that teens will love to enjoy on their park off days. A couple of popular things to do amongst the teens include:

• Seeing a Movie at AMC Disney Springs 24
• Play a Round of Bowling at Splitsville Luxury Lanes

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

If your teens are sports fans, you will not want to miss out on a visit to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The complex hosts and runs events for over 60 different sports. At ESPN WWSC visitors get the opportunity to watch as well as participate in their favorite sports!

Choosing the Right Resort With Teens

When you are traveling with teens they are beginning to get to the age where they don’t want to spend as much time with their parents and siblings and may want some time and privacy of their own, even while on vacation.

All Disney resort levels offer accommodations that will cater to those needs whether that is a larger room that allows for more space or multi room suites that allow for total privacy. A few of your options include:

• Family Suites (Available at Value and Moderate Level Resorts) – Family suites are equipped with a living space, kitchenette, and up to two private bathrooms, dependent on the size of your suite.

• 2 Bedroom Suites (Available at Deluxe Resorts) – If you’re looking for even more space and want to offer your teens their very own room you may consider upgrading to a 2-bedroom suite.

• Deluxe Villas (Disney Vacation Club Members) – If you have a large family and need multiple rooms for accommodating multiple people, Deluxe Villas may be the best option for you. Deluxe Villas are similar to a vacation home where you will have multiple bedrooms and bathrooms to ensure everyone has their own space and privacy.

Other Fun Things to Do in Orlando for Teens

While your teens will love their time at Disney World, they may interest in other activities and experiences around Orlando. Orlando, Florida is a hot spot for amusements parks meaning there are plenty of parks to visit as well as other fun attractions. Some of those attractions include:

• Universal Studios Orlando – Universal tends to be classified as a park that is catered more toward teens/adults so it is always a good idea to take a visit. Popular rides teens will love include: The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, and the Jurassic World VelociCoaster.

• SeaWorld Orlando – Another great park that your teens will love is SeaWorld. We would describe this park as a cross between an aquarium and an amusement park. Popular rides and attractions at this park include: Kraken, Journey to Atlantis, Dolphin Cove, and the Jewel of the Sea Aquarium.

• MiniGolf – There are plenty of great mini golf courses in Orlando, that is always a popular activity amongst tweens/teens. Some popular courses include: Disney’s Fantasia Gardens, Universal’s Hollywood Drive-In Golf, Congo River Golf, and the Orlando Putting Edge.

• Andretti Indoor Karting & Games – If you’re looking for a day of adventure and fun be sure to visit Andretti. Here you will find Indoor go karting a number of fun games and activities all in one place. Some activities include zip lining, laser tag, arcade games, and more.

If you’re looking for a fun vacation spot for your teens, Orlando is an excellent choice. There is so much to do and so much fun to be had and that is why your teens will love visiting! I hope that this guide has given you everything you need to give your tweens and teens the perfect family vacation.

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And More on Traveling With Your Tweens and Teens

• Our complete guide to tween & teen packing – with a downloadable packing list so they can independently pack for your next trip, plus we share our favorite on-trend teen luggage.
• Tween games and toys perfect for long journeys – keeping them entertained for your journey to and from Orlando
• Our dream destination ideas for traveling with teens – stretching will beyond the United States to these dream destinations perfect for adventurous teens
• The perfect gifts for a traveling teen – ideas for gifting your teenager something practical for their next adventure

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