5. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Image: Disney

We can’t go on enough about how excited we are for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2019. Disney purists might be bemoaning the Star Wars takeover of The Most Magical Place on Earth, but it looks like this new section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios is going to hold insane appeal for teens who grew up on the Star Wars prequels and Clone Wars cartoons.

One of the complaints some readers have voiced about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is that it won’t be based on the classic films but will simulate a separate section of the Star Wars universe: the planet Batuu which exists during the timeline of the new film trilogy spanning from Episodes VII-IX. For fans of the Star Wars Expanded Universe and for teens, the choice to base Galaxy’s Edge on a new world is a welcomed one that leaves lots of flexibility for future expansions. It also will help make the new land feel more realistic.

We’ve talked in length about how Galaxy’s Edge will be Disney’s most immersive theme park land to date, with elements that appear to be heavily inspired or at least similar RPG video games. Both the Millennium Falcon and First Order battle attractions will have gaming elements where choices made on the attractions will affect how characters interact with you in the parks. Merchandise, dining, and even the expansion’s neighboring resort will be designed to be fully immersive. For teens who are fans of both Star Wars and immersive video games, Galaxy’s Edge looks like its going to be a slam dunk, even if initial crowds will no doubt be huge.

6. A fresh fanbase for classic attractions

Image: Disney

Even with all the new developments at Walt Disney World, there are some attractions that have stood the test of time for teen visitors, and these classic can do nothing but help in appealing to new teen visitors. In Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad all remain teen favorites. For Epcot, Test Track and Mission: Space consistently top our teens’ list (despite the common opinion that Epcot isn’t teen-friendly, we actually meet a surprising number of teens who love both Epcot and World Showcase for its more mature feel vs. Magic Kingdom). In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Expedition: Everest and Dinosaur still reign supreme amidst the classics, and of course, Disney’s Hollywood Studios still holds the crown for teen-friendly attractions with The Hollywood Tower of Terror, The Aerosmith Rockin’ Roller Coaster, and Star Tours.

The new teen-friendly attractions arriving throughout Walt Disney World will likely draw new families with teenagers who otherwise might not have visited. The more love classic attractions get, the more likely they will remain in Walt Disney World for many, many long years to come. While the future looks bright for families with kids of all ages visiting The Most Magical Place on Earth in the future, it seems to us that perhaps it may look brightest to families with teens who have long waited for a run of attractions like the ones we see coming soon.

Which of these attractions are you most looking forward to?