[KittieKChick]

DH and I are considering taking his niece, who is 12. She's NEVER been to WDW, and we would love to be the ones to take her. We may take her this year, or may have to wait until next year depending on what her mom says.

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on what to do with kids this age, or first timers for that matter. I know a lot will depend on what she likes to do (thrill rides, dark rides, etc) but I cannot remember what I liked to do when I was 12. So anyone that has experience with this age please send some advice my way!

[dac921]

Hey KittieKChick... DD who is 13 loved WDW. She was there when she was 3 and again when she was 6 but couldn't do much.
She is a ride lover so we went on everything, I think her favorite was Spalsh Mountain. She was lucky enough to wake Tinkerbell one morning...

[KittieKChick]

Originally Posted by dac921

Hey KittieKChick... DD who is 13 loved WDW. She was there when she was 3 and again when she was 6 but couldn't do much.
She is a ride lover so we went on everything, I think her favorite was Spalsh Mountain. She was lucky enough to wake Tinkerbell one morning...

Wake Tinkerbell? OMG! DN would love that. Please explain a little more.

[bethishooked]

I think the best thing to remember, is let her try everything, even the ones you think only toddlers would like. My DS', 12 and 15, do turn into little kids when they are at Disney, and go on every ride, from the thrill rides to Winnie the Pooh. Their favorite park is Epcot, but I would imagine that depends on personality. A day at the water parks is also usually a big hit.

Enjoy. I hope her Mom says yes to this year!

[MerlinMatt]

DisneyQuest. ALL teens and pre-teens LOVE DisneyQuest.

MGM (IMO) is the most teen-friendly park. Ya can't go wrong there.

[llama]

Honestly, it depends on the 12 year old.

12 year old girls, especially, are just entering that phase when "EVERYTHING is embarrassing".... (especially mothers )

Once you're sure you're going - I'd get a WDW DVD and sit down with her and watch it. Maybe give her Birnbaum's "WDW for Teens" to read. Ask her what she wants to do. Some kids her age love getting into the characters and things - others would be "Mortified". No sense taking her to character breakfasts if she's going to feel uncomfortable...

Speaking as the mother of 2 girls - NEVER assume what they're going to do or "feel" next.

[Dana]

My DD is that age. She will be 13 on Thursday. Here's what her and her DGF liked most last trip:

At MK: Buzzlightyear, space mountain, phillarmagic, splash mountain, pirates, jungle cruise and they really also enjoyed pooh, peter pan and small world

at Epcot: they loved soarin, mission space and test track. They thought the living seas was a dud and turtle talk was "for little kids". The both very much enjoyed going from country to country in the world showcase and getting a piece of candy from each country. Each country has some pretty cheap candy to sample.

At MGM: Rocking rollercoaster, tower of terror, muppets 3-d, great movie ride, little mermaid....backlot tour was ok.

At AK: Expedition everest, safari, animals trails, it's tough to be a bug, dinoland for some reason and they both said no to dinosaur..lol

They LOVED DTD. The shops kept them entertained for hours...they also enjoyed all of the parades and night shows.