1st Trip for 10-year old

[Throckmorton]

I will be taking a 10 year old little girl to Disney for the first time. I am looking for ways to make her trip special but she has already outgrown most of the classic characters and princesses. Can anyone help? Thanks!

[andreallybadeggs]

1) You might be surprised; our DD still enjoyed the character and character meals at that age, especially some of the ones with "spunk". Mad Hatter is fun to watch so we often did the 1900 Park Fare bkfst. Now that the Tremaine girls are there for dinner and are quite funny that might be another option.
2) A meal in the castle is still special, no matter what your age.
3) Depending on when you're there she might enjoy one of the extra-ticket events such as Pirates & Princesses.
4) Would think lots of 10 yr. olds might enjoy searching for Hidden Mickeys so you might prepare for that with internet research and/or a book.
5) If she still likes stuffed animals, it's costly but a Pal Mickey might really please her.
6) Are you staying on site? Almost all the resorts have extra activities as well as just the fun of hanging around the pool.
7) Anticipation is fun...let her watch the planning DVD or read a guide book before the trip and create her own list of must-do attractions at each park.
8) Most 10 yr olds love water parks
9) Shopping!
10) Try to find a less busy time to ride the monorail so she can be in the front.
11) Photopass and/or plenty of your own photos, then make sure she has a nice album for them. Scrapbooks are great fun for kids that age as well.
12) At that age (and every other) our DD would not dream of missing a parade at and she especially loved Wishes and Fantasmic.(still does)
Hope you have a very special trip!

[dixielandings]

I agree with just about everything the PP said. My first thought was front of Monorail. But truly - anyone's first visit is magical. Mine was at age 24 and I thought I had arrived in paradise. We didn't do anything particularly out of the ordinary on that trip - we had one character meal, a few other sit-downs, saw some shows, stayed on property - all things I would still recommend today. There's hardly a way for a kid not to enjoy herself here. Even if it rains!! Get a poncho and get on out there!

[Magic Smiles]

Being her first visit, I would think that anyone would still enjoy getting their photos taken with any character. I would do the autograph book also. It is a classic souvenir. If she was 10 and had already done the character thing, that would be different, but everyone needs to experience the characters.

[KAT1811]

Our oldest DD is almost 12 and we are headed to the World again in November. She has been a zillion times and is very mature and sophisticated for her age yet she still loves everything about Disney. She loves eating in the castle, getting her face painted (granted face painting Disney style is pretty amazing), taking pictures with the characters, etc. Being this little girls first Disney trip I'm fairly certain she will be so enamored with the enormity of Walt Disney World that she'll enjoy every piece of it. As a 32 year old mother of soon to be four I still enjoy taking pictures with the characters and character meals. She still has a lot of childhood innocence in her at 10. Most adults I know are completely taken with Disney and in awe of everything.

How about taking her to see La Nouba, maybe a day at the GF spa, horseback riding at FW, a fireworks cruise?

[eeyorelover63]

i was 10 on my first visit and i loved everything from autographs from characters,
pics, and just everything about disney. i wasnt into princesses but i still had fun i loved the shopping!!!

[Throckmorton]

Thanks so much for all the input. I hoped she would enjoy the characters once we arrived despite the fact that she thinks she's too old now. I think I'll schedule a character meal anyway to go with MNSSHP.

[kemps@wdw]

Don't forget to look outside the parks. The little mouse racer boats were and still are a fave for our 15 yr-old. Give her a camera or video camera and let her make her own vaca slide show/video complete w/her own narration! No matter how old she is, she'll probably still want her character pics. Get her an autograph book and put her character pic in the book beside the signature. (character dining is great for this). If shopping is her thing, spend an afternoon/evening @ DTD. Take her to the Hoop-Dee-Doo and talk to the "Pioneer Hall Players" about getting her into the show. If she's into horses, take her over to FW for riding. If she's not afraid of sharks, take her to TL to "Shark Reef" to swim w/the sharks, It ROCKS! (Don't forget the waterproof camera for underwater pics). These are all the things our DD has done over the 6 times she's been since she was 8 yrs-old (all suggested by her). Before you go, watch the vaca dvd together and let her pick out the things she likes. Also, there's a WDW kids book that she may find interesting.

[Cookie123]

I was 33 years old my very first time at WDW.
My DH and I do NOT have any children.

We went to just one character breakfast.
Tigger was approaching me. I stood up and just blurted out: "Tigger - you're my very favorite"! The magic got to my gut, and I nearly cried on the spot.

I will bet that 10 year old girl with you will also get caught up in the magic of Disney World.

[Sharon1026]

Watch (or re-watch) some of the Disney movies before your trip - it gets you in the Disney spirit and brings more meaning to the attractions. Peter Pan, Dumbo, Alladin, etc.

[mouseketeer mom]

10? Thats still awfully young! I bet the magic is very well alive and inside of her still! My kids are 14, 12, and 9..and we still do character meals, photos, all the rides, shows..Gosh, I think I like it as much as the kids, if not more so! I wouldn't worry about her having outgrown these magical things...But..if you want another idea..renting a water mouse and scooting around is terrific fun. We do it a couple of times each trip. My whole family loves it.

[Insanity Clause]

There is no such thing as outgrowing them. My DD is 10 and she loves Mickey and Cinderella as much as ever. I myself am 28..Okay 38, but about 10 in my heart and I still love Mickey and Bella and all the characters. I think anything you do as long as you do it together will be magical. Disney is about family.