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View Full Version : Age for Kids in park without parents



Bruegge
12-28-2013, 11:06 AM
Got a ressie for V&A on June 24th 2014. I told DD15 and DD10 they were on their own for 3+ hours while Mom and I celebrate our 25th Anniversary. I said "go do what you want"

Both Mom and DD 15 asked if they were "allowed" to be in the parks, monorails etc without adult supervision.

Givens: that I'm blessed with two great, well behaved, smart kids and that DD10 will listen to DD15 (especially when she is going to get whatever she wants) Both have Phones, and are staying at GF for the week. And they (obviously) have to stay together...no single lines..

So... my question is Is it ok to let them go to a park on their own? Would you let your kids given the same info? I'd love to know the YOUNGEST age you would let your kids go to the park by themselves.

Thanks Again All

Scott

Ian
12-28-2013, 11:48 AM
Are your kids Disney World veterans? In that, they'll have no problems navigating around and not getting lost?

If so, yeah I think I'd be okay with that. In this era where everyone has phones and you can have them "text check in" with you every hour on the hour or something, I'd probably feel comfortable with them going out and having a good time.

JerseyDad
12-28-2013, 11:52 AM
Got a ressie for V&A on June 24th 2014. I told DD15 and DD10 they were on their own for 3+ hours while Mom and I celebrate our 25th Anniversary. I said "go do what you want"

Both Mom and DD 15 asked if they were "allowed" to be in the parks, monorails etc without adult supervision.

Givens: that I'm blessed with two great, well behaved, smart kids and that DD10 will listen to DD15 (especially when she is going to get whatever she wants) Both have Phones, and are staying at GF for the week. And they (obviously) have to stay together...no single lines..

So... my question is Is it ok to let them go to a park on their own? Would you let your kids given the same info? I'd love to know the YOUNGEST age you would let your kids go to the park by themselves.

Thanks Again All

Scott


....if they had been to a WDW park before ...and knew "the system" ....I'd say 12-13 yrs old.

....I only base that on my own daughter ...and her friends who were of the same age ...at MK about 5 yrs ago. She and her friends were all competitive cheerleaders together since they were 5 yrs old ...and stuck with each other like white-on-rice. So when they (a group of 6 of the girls including my daughter...ages 12, 13, & 14) wanted to "do" the MK 'alone' (no 'old' people) ...and we let them. They were not allowed to leave the MK without calling us (they didn't want to ...although they did express a desire at a point to get on the monorail to go to a gift shop in the Contemporary they'd seen while going to Chef Mickey's)

....I think now ...with phones, etc...for communications ...it's a bit safer ...particularly at WDW ...even if they were going to another park on WDW transportation. I'd be a bit more wary if they were to go to DtD ....since it's really just an outdoor unlimited access mall.

Scar
12-28-2013, 12:30 PM
You may want your 15YO to have ID. They won't let anyone that looks under 14 in without someone who is 14 or older.

disneymom15
12-28-2013, 12:35 PM
I think we let our daughter venture off alone when she was 13.

polarbear72834
12-28-2013, 01:25 PM
I wouldn't let them park hop, but would let them go it alone at the same park I was in. Check in by text every 30 min to hr. and they stay together..

Jen1984
12-30-2013, 10:08 AM
I would let them go. You know your children better than anyone, and how responsible they are (and how well they know Disney). As long as you get regular updates as to how they are doing, and you're happy that they know where they are going, then yes. If you can't let them be a little bit independent at Magic Kingdom, where can you?

Hope you really enjoy your meal!

1DisneyNut
12-30-2013, 11:11 AM
I will start by saying WDW is a realitivily safe place. It isn't a place where child abductors are roaming freely. There are too many checks along the way that would give away the identity of a would be abductor.

With that said, any place where a nut can access somewhat freely I would still be a bit concerned. Downtown disney would be a no go and even though you have to go through a gate, to/from/around the resorts would concern me a little.

The 15 year old would be fine around WDW but the 10 year old would concern me because you don't really know how the 15 year old might handle an emergency type situation if one were to arise. We never let anyone go unsupervised until at least 13.

If it were me, I would escort them to/from the Magic Kingdom gate and once inside they should be fine.

ThanxForNoticin
12-30-2013, 12:57 PM
As someone mentioned before, you know your kids best. We allowed our sons some of their own "free" time when they reached 12/13 - no problem. It seems to me that having a 15 year-old supervising a 10 would not be an issue, especially if they are responsible. If something happens, there are plenty of cast members around to assist - and you are probably only a cell phone call/text away. I bet it would be a lot of fun for your daughters to enjoy that time together.....

Maybe you can answer your own question - how comfortable will YOU be? Do you think you can enjoy a nice dinner together without constantly checking your phone during dinner?!

buzznwoodysmom
12-30-2013, 03:53 PM
My kids are about to turn 12 and 14. They have been going to Disney since they were babies and probably know their way around as well as I do. I would have no problems allowing them to go to MK while we dined at V&A. Not sure how I would feel about them venturing farther out tho. But I am a somewhat protective mom. Lol. They just grow up too fast and I am not always ready for it!

Like others have already stated, only you know your children well enough. As far a it being allowed by Disney, I would think so. 15 is definitely old enough to go into the parks without a parent.

Janmac
12-31-2013, 03:13 PM
I'd have no problem with your plan.

After all, isn't the 15 year old going to be driving next year (or soon).

Jan

Main Street Jim
12-31-2013, 06:49 PM
The "official" WDW policy is that no one under the age of 7 may roam the parks without someone age 16 and over.

Since both are over the age of 7, you should be OK. Make sure they know their transportation options to get back to the resort (4th stop on the Resort monorail, or a boat/launch from the front of MK). Make sure they know that if they have problems, to either get ahold of you guys (you're only one Monorail stop away), or to talk to *any* Cast Member, or go to City Hall/Guest Relations.

Congrats on the anniversary, enjoy your dinner at V&A, and tell the kids to have fun! :mickey:

ibelieveindisneymagic
01-02-2014, 04:18 PM
100% yes - let them go and have fun!

My DD is 15, and she's started going to school in another city. (We live in the suburbs and she's in a school downtown). She takes the subway, the streetcar, etc. on her own. We make sure she has her phone and she calls/texts as needed.

Disney is safer than that. Your kids sound like "good" kids, and there are lots of CM's around if they need help. Especially since they are together, I wouldn't worry at all.

kakn7294
01-02-2014, 05:54 PM
I thought Disney raised the ages last year and that anyone under age 10 had to be with someone over age 14? Regardless, your kids meet the age requirements and if you trust them, they should be fine.

ransam
01-04-2014, 01:21 AM
I think it depends on the kid. My niece is about 14 and no way would I want here to roam WDW w/o us.

11290
01-04-2014, 03:43 AM
Official policy changed to this about a year ago:

Children under age 14 must be accompanied by a Guest age 14 or older to enter the following Walt Disney World parks and locations:
• Magic Kingdom Park
• Epcot
• Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Disney's Animal Kingdom Park
• Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
• Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park
• DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park

Tekneek
01-04-2014, 09:40 AM
You may want your 15YO to have ID. They won't let anyone that looks under 14 in without someone who is 14 or older.

"looks" is the key word. My son was 12, but about my size and nobody ever looked twice at him going in by himself. We went in different lines just to see if anyone would even ask and nobody said a word. It just depends on the person.

Arielfan98
01-04-2014, 10:14 AM
They sound alright to me. Did that for the first time with my boyfriend in August and we both are Disney veterans. I knew exactly where I was going 100% of the time.

Main Street Jim
01-04-2014, 01:22 PM
"looks" is the key word. My son was 12, but about my size and nobody ever looked twice at him going in by himself. We went in different lines just to see if anyone would even ask and nobody said a word. It just depends on the person.But, as a 12-year-old, he's also an "adult" as far as theme-park tickets go. Now, if he had tried to get in with a *child*-priced ticket (age 3-9), someone probably would have stopped him. If you mean no one stopped him because he "was by himself", maybe they figured he was with the people in front of or behind him.

EeyoresBestFriend
01-04-2014, 10:42 PM
It sounds like it wouldn't be a problem for your children - but folks, please, also consider that your kids need to be respectful and not unsupervised hooligans when out of your sight. The parks are not a high school or mall hallway . . . .

We have encountered several of THAT variety, too. :(

irish1967
01-25-2014, 01:33 PM
Givens: that I'm blessed with two great, well behaved, smart kids and that DD10 will listen to DD15 (especially when she is going to get whatever she wants) Both have Phones, and are staying at GF for the week. And they (obviously) have to stay together...no single lines..


Absolutely, given how you describe your DDs.

We let our two DS (ages 13 and 16 at the time) spend the day at DHS with their cousin (also 16) and they had no issues.

We were very specific about what they could do and couldn't do (take the bus to DHS and only DHS, when you are done, take the bus back to our hotel and only our hotel.) In addition to texting us when they got off the bus at DHS and then back on the bus when they were coming back to the resort, we also specified that when we communicated with them (via text) they were to respond within 30 minutes (we figured 30 minutes was enough time for them to get through an attraction if they happened to be on it when we texted)

We also let our two DS spend a couple of hours on their own at DL Paris a couple summers ago. We had very limited time and the attractions that DH and I wanted to see were different then the attractions the boys wanted to see. Once again, it worked out wonderfully.

The only thing I would advise is to make sure that your DDs have cash to cover any purchases you might approve of - even if they have charging privileges, if there are technical difficulties, it is easier have the cash on hand rather then try to deal with figuring it out.

Happy Anniversary!

mom2morgan
01-26-2014, 06:30 PM
I'm very comfortable with a 15 year old on their own, and with the 10 year old it would depend on how well she listens to her sister. From the sound of yours, they'll be fine. My 16 year old and 14 year old went out for the day on their own - and even park-hopped to check out different gift stores. One thing about safety that I thought of - assuming they are always in well travelled areas -is that it would be almost impossible to abduct a child who didn't go willingly. Can you imagine a girl screaming "help, you're not my father" in a crowd of 50,000 Disney parents ;-) And to the poster who reminded them not to be hooligans - absolutely, but I doubt a sibling pair is likely to present any problem. It is more school groups and teams and such, where you end up with a bunch of teens hanging out with their friends. Good sense is more likely to go out the window!