Need help convincing teen friends to go to WDW

[brertigger]

Need help convincing friends to go to WDW

I have been to WDW many times. I am trying to convince a few 17-18 year old friends to go with me to WDW in April or May of next year.

What are some ways that y'all can think of to convince them that they will enjoy WDW? Some of them have never been, others have not been for many years.

One of them commented "all WDW is spinning Dumbo-type rides."
I figured I can show them pictures of some of the exciting, teen popular rides (like EE, the MK mountains, and the like).

I can use any suggestions y'all can think of! If they can't be convinced, the trip is off!

 

[WDW Monorail]

Show them some exciting ride videos from this site.

I don't understand why older kids these days think of WDW as a childs theme park.

 

[Tigger1988]

Tell them about Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island, and maybe show them one of the more recent planning DVDs

 

[TheDisneyQueen]

im 16 and i still love it gonna be 17 shortly i never understood why my friends thought it was a baby place... its just magical 2 us cuz we havememories there as children and u can relive that each time u go i guess i wouldnt have as strong a bond with wdw if it wasnt for me goin there so often as a child. i guess i understand them cuz if u had never been there orexperience disney i dont think ud want 2 go as much...just let them no that its an expierence that everyone should have and when they are there u just have got 2 show them every aspect and how there is downtown disney for them 2!

 

[MacDuffieMuppet]

im in that age brakcet that your friends are and i think it has to do with how much disney is in there background. I went alot growing up so wdw is practically my second home...my friends give me weird looks when i talk about disney, and say that place is lame..if they havent been there in a while then they dont know how much it has changed... if they wont go then it is there loss! they have no idea what they are missing out on..

i trying to get my class 2 go to disney grad nites but i am having the same problem...that and its a little far away but thats a different story.

good luck with your friends.

 

[barnum42]

Teenagers already know everything, so nothing you can say will convince them otherwise

If your friends are open to discussion you can tell them of your experiences at the parks. Just don't try and change their minds, let them come to their own conclusions. If someone goes on the back of their own decision they should enjoy it, if someone is dragged unwillingly they will be determined to not enjoy it and thus bring the whole trip down.

 

[BRER STITCH]

:brick:

Above is a picture of everyone who ever tried to convince their teenage friends to do anything.

Don't let it be you.

With Disney ads on TV every 5 minutes, and everything they need to know about the place a mouse-click away, it's silly that you would even have to talk to them about WDW.

If they don't want to go and you "convince" them to go, you are just asking to have your own vacation ruined by their poor attitude. Suddenly it will be up to YOU to make sure they have fun, and nobody needs that burden while vacationing!

The best bet? Show them videos and pictures of how much fun you had without them when you get back, and chances are, they will be anxious to go the next time.

GOOD LUCK!

:wave:

 

[imagineer boy]

I don't understand why older kids these days think of WDW as a childs theme park.

Because the commercials show it that way. Let's face it folks, the marketing department has made these misconceptions with these commercials because they mostly show young kids and their parents riding dumbo. They need to show more teens having fun.

Anyway, like someone else said, show them a ride clip of E:E. I'm sure that will impress them enought to make them wanna go.

 

[metscool]

You should drug them and then bring them to WDW.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Show them the planning DVD and tell them cool people like Luke go there...:lookaroun .... on the otherhand, dont do that....

 

[xx_lilo_xx]

fidn some one who nows ( around your age about disney al sat talking about it with them, abotu all the big rides..ect and your fav bits, but dont over do it or there just get board

 

[kasey1988]

I had the same problem on my last trip.. me and my bestfriend (17 and 18) wanted to go to cuba, but my mom wasnt really happy about that and offered to pay for all food if we went to disney, i was thrilled. My friend not so much! she was convinced it was a baby place and she would be bored silly and refused to go with me . I eventually convinced some family members to join me and my bf agreed to come to, even though he felt the same way. He also thought it was alot of money and he would be bord. Now he wants to go back he had the time of his life, he loved the rides and the food! We are even planning to return next year! I would say show them some pictures, ride videos, and planning videos. It might not work but its worth a try! Even if some wont go they will regret it when you return and show all the pictures to them!

 

[raven]

I've been in this situation before as well. Just show them your enthusiasm toward WDW and soon it will peak their interest. People can't resist a good storyteller so start telling them exciting stories about WDW and see what happens! :wave:

 

[WDW Monorail]

At least your friends don't think that you are a little strange or child-like because you like Disney.

My own parents think that I am too childish JUST because I visit this website.

They can't stand Disney and have been there as many times as I have (10).

 

[Frosty689]

As i know from being 17, people around my age, are very close minded and probably won't listen to you unless you shove it down there throats (so do it). Disney is the most amazing place in the world, and the whole "to chilidish thing" is rubbsih... I know many many poeple that think im abs. crazy for doing everything disney (disney channel.....Disney bedroom... Disney Parks.... Disney.. u get the point), but the come to live with it, becuase it's who i am. It's what i want 2 do when i get out of high school, i mean the place is incredible.. Tell them about the rides, the waterparks, Pleasure island.... but your really going to have 2 force it on them, becuase once they get there.. theyll always wannag o back =D.. sry .. this kinda thing makes me so fraustrated, becuae all of my friends r the same

 

[DisneyBride94]

Exepdition Everest
Rock N Roller Coaster
Splash Mountain
Mission Space
Test Track
Space Mountain
Soarin'
Tower of Terror...

These are NOT Dumbo spinning rides... sheesh... What kind of friends are you hanging out with any way? LOL.

Tell them that they doing Disney with their friends vs. with their parents as children...is a totally different experience... and their next chance may not be for another 10 years when they too are the parents of little kids--and that is a different experience as well... if they ever want to experience the Magic with total freedom... this is the time to do it...

I went one year with my cousin, on spring break... my boyfriend went down with his brother and sister and mom... It was really fun to get together with my friends down there and do whatever we liked... We had a fun trip...

I went on my honeymoon with my DH, too...and a few years without kids...and I have to say that I found Disney to be amazingly enjoyable with just the two of us... I LOVE taking my kids...but we DO miss the freedom we had to do things on our own on a whim...

I guess you guys are techincally too young to enjoy Pleasure Island fully...but can't you enjoy some of the clubs if you are 18 and over?

Even if you do a Disney vacation...you are not stuck at Disney...maybe they'd like to mix it up between Disney and Universal... or Disney and a trip to the beach? What is that they'd prefer to do, anyway? Is it between Disney and some place else? Say...some island where the legal drinking ages is 18 or something? Is that why they want to go somewhere else??? Just curious...

Typhoon Lagoon- The coolest water park there is... How can they not want to spend a day in tropics with their friends riding cool water coasters and floating along Castaway Cay? You could even book an early morning surf lesson...

Okay...well this one works for me... The Captain Jack Sparrow Pirate tutorial with the Jack-a-Like cms... ladies of all ages are swooning over Capt'n Jack... so seeing this street performance is something I am looking forward to on my next trip! Ha ha!!!

There is so much there for kids of all ages... DH and I will always go...even if our kids don't want to come some day... (which I can't imagine!):veryconfu

 

[xcrashx15]

I took my first trip to Disney when I was 7 and I begged to go back yearly during elementary and middle school. When I got to high school I went on a high school trip as a freshman but after that I didn't go for another three years. Then my mom asked me what I wanted for my high school graduation gift; a trip to Disney or a huge party for friends and family here. I chose the trip to Disney and had just as much fun as I used to have when I was younger. I was given the same choice when I graduated college and I still gave the same answer. We had such a good time that we went back the next year too, and our travel party only included people in their 40s and 50s (besides myself). Now I'm going back again in October with several friends in their 20s.

What I say as an unknown message board poster probably won't matter much to your friends, and actually I'm having trouble convincing one of my friends to go myself (he only wants a 2-day base ticket while the rest of us want 4-day park hoppers). I think what I'm going to do is just let him get the 2-day ticket and hedge my bets on the fact that he will buy more tickets once he "experiences the magic," since he's never been there before. Is there any way you could convince your friends to go to a park for one day early in the trip and leave the rest of the days open? That way if they try it and love it they can get more tickets (although they'd be spending more), or if they hate it you probably don't want to be there with them anyway. There are lots of other things to do in the area too, and if they refuse to go to Florida and enjoy the sun at all, then there's definitely wrong with them! (j/k of course).

 

[brertigger]

Great ideas everyone so far! Please keep them coming (I can use all the help I can get!) I will let y'all know what happens.

im in that age brakcet that your friends are and i think it has to do with how much disney is in there background. I went alot growing up so wdw is practically my second home...my friends give me weird looks when i talk about disney, and say that place is lame..if they havent been there in a while then they dont know how much it has changed... if they wont go then it is there loss! they have no idea what they are missing out on..

i trying to get my class 2 go to disney grad nites but i am having the same problem...that and its a little far away but thats a different story.

good luck with your friends.

Good luck also. I am actually trying to convince them to go to Grad Nite. I had gone last year and it is amazing. Disney is pretty far away for us, too.

Even if you do a Disney vacation...you are not stuck at Disney...maybe they'd like to mix it up between Disney and Universal... or Disney and a trip to the beach? What is that they'd prefer to do, anyway? Is it between Disney and some place else? Say...some island where the legal drinking ages is 18 or something? Is that why they want to go somewhere else??? Just curious...

Typhoon Lagoon- The coolest water park there is... How can they not want to spend a day in tropics with their friends riding cool water coasters and floating along Castaway Cay? You could even book an early morning surf lesson...

Okay...well this one works for me... The Captain Jack Sparrow Pirate tutorial with the Jack-a-Like cms... ladies of all ages are swooning over Capt'n Jack... so seeing this street performance is something I am looking forward to on my next trip! Ha ha!!!

These friends are not ones that would be interested in drinking, even if it was legal where they would be. One of the other spots they had thought of was a cruise (mainly because they thought Disney would be boring and too expensive, when really it would not be that much more expensive and be a lot more fun and safe, in my opinion.)


Typhoon Lagoon is a good point. Some of them do like the beach.

:lol: The girls who would be going would be interested in seeing the Pirate tutorial (to see the Jack look a like). :lol: Good idea.

fidn some one who nows ( around your age about disney al sat talking about it with them, abotu all the big rides..ect and your fav bits, but dont over do it or there just get board

Another good idea! Actually, this will be quite easy, since one of the people who would go (and is already convinced ) went to Disney last year. She had a great time.

 

[Emerald Rose]

Typhoon Lagoon is a wonderful suggestion! That's what I would have said also!! Downtown Disney too. Good Luck!

 

[unkadug]

I hope you change their mind. Being a former teenager myself lol, you're at the age where WDW might not sound like a cool place to be, but if you are all friends, then the peer pressure thing really should not apply.

But, if its such an uncool/babyish place, then why do SO many people honeymoon there?