Walt Disney World | Megadose of adrenaline for teenagers

(Bay Lake, Florida) Forget princesses, family shows and balloon shopping. A visit to Walt Disney World in Florida with teenagers turns into packed schedules (designed by them), dashing through parks and a succession of thrill rides.

They set their dial for 7 a.m. A very rare thing when you have teenagers. Also extremely rare: they jump up and get ready without complaining. “We are waiting for you, mom ! », they say to me, feverishly, shoes laced and backpacks ready (with water, snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses and wires to recharge their phones).

At 14 and 17 years old, my two teenagers are ready to spend three busy days in the four parks of Walt Disney World (WDW): Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Despite the oppressive heat (July is not the best time to go), the duo has planned an impressive series of rides – and not just any rides.

Their selection honors their thirst for adrenaline: they have only planned activities classified as “extreme”. Will my heart hold up?

No time for lunch. Teenagers prefer to grab something to take and eat while traveling: minutes are numbered (mine too?).

From our hotel on site, we take the monorail, which remains the best way to get around the 110 km site^⁠2the equivalent of 226 football fields.

The Yeti and Avatar

Direction: Animal Kingdom park. We arrive when the barriers open, a good tip to avoid long queues. Since we are staying on site, we take advantage of the “extra magic hours”, these hours which allow us to enter the parks 30 minutes before “non-residents”. A nice advantage.

My teens created the plan for our days almost to the minute (leaving few breaks and very little time to eat – forget the quiet aperitif!) using the official WDW app, My Disney Experience Appand cleverly using the tool to skip the lines (see box).

I discover the effectiveness of their programming as I see the number of steps on my watch increase. The average? 26,000 steps daily. Active, determined, smiling teenagers away from their screens… No doubt, the magic of Disney is at work!

At Animal Kingdom we start with the Expedition Everest roller coaster. Inspired by the Himalayas and the legend of the Yeti, it reaches 80 km/h… in reverse. I’m screaming at the top of my lungs… my teenagers, no. They are stoic.

In the Avatar section of the park, we test Flight of Passage, a 3D flight simulator-based ride that transports us to the island of Pandora on the back of a banshee. This time, their shell of impassivity cracks: they exclaim with joy and astonishment.

Speed ​​and terror

In the afternoon, between two mouthfuls of fast food and ice cream (it makes them very happy), we go to the Hollywood Studios theme park. This is the park that offers the largest number of thrilling attractions.

On the menu: a long walk in the Star Wars pavilion, inaugurated in 2019 and whose construction cost a billion dollars. Two rides hold the attention of my intrepids: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, a thrilling immersive experience that immerses us in the fight against the First Order, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, where we pilot Han Solo’s famous ship.

Nearby, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror immerses visitors in an old haunted hotel with a dysfunctional elevator. I pass my turn for the dizzying 13-story fall. The two merry men come out laughing.

My heart held out in Rock’n’Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, a roller coaster with a prodigious starting effect (you reach 97 km/h in 2.8 seconds). To conclude the day, I managed to beat them in the Toy Story Mania interactive shooter thanks to my speed – and not my precision, I must admit.

Everyone’s favorite

The following day, at Epcot, we did three rides: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (with its Music from the 1970s and 1980s and its rotations in all directions, a favorite among teenagers), Soarin and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

We conclude the last day with a short visit to the Magic Kingdom park. It is here that we find the most attractions for toddlers, including the brand new Journey of Water: Moana… but it is also here that we find the most formidable ride in WDW : Tron Lightcycle Run.

Sitting in the position of a motorcyclist, in a futuristic world filled with neon lights, passengers take on tight turns and crazy descents (the speed reaches 97 km/h).

Has my heart given out? No. On the contrary. He swelled with joy while observing my delighted and nourished offspring at the end of this stay. This visit to WDW served his passion for life well.