Kids in club level lounge?

[jecon]

We were on the first floor at the CL sugar loaf at GF and I let my 8 year old grab a drink occasionally. Sadly I was more concerned about her touching and spilling things so I watched her the whole time. Does that day something about me? :0

 

[khaoskat]

I probably should excuse myself from this discussion since my then 9 year old went to the Arcade at the BC alone the first morning we got there! I would absolutely allow that. A friend and I were talking about traveling to the BC with our families and if we do, we will probably be allowing our kids (then almost 13 year old girls and 11 year old boys, 2 of each) go to Epcot together for short stints. They will all have cell phones.

You need to check out the new age policy at Disney, that came out at the end of March. Basically rephrased --- Anyone under the age of 14, MUST be accompanied into the park by someone 14 or over. They have said that they will check the ages of the kids..

 

[khaoskat]

I would contact the Planning Office of the resort to get the answer. There is misinformation being posted in this thread.

What misinformation is being reported in this thread. If you are talking about people stating the parks unaccompanied minor age being 14, that is correct information. Disney recently (like within the last month or two) put this NEW policy in place.

There have been several discussions about it. I remember participating in one, when the information was softly released and not all details were known, because we usually let our older two wait in ride lines together at non-disney parks...and we were discussing if the new policy would affect doing something like that.

 

[tinkerpea]

I agree with this. I am always trying to teach my children "if you touch a cookie, take it; don't put it back and grab another". Kids don't know the difference; but it bothers me when parents do not correct their children.

This is my biggest pet hate!! I don't even allow my children to do this at home let alone out where other people will be having to eat the food, its one of the very 1st things my children learned you touch it you eat it and if you for like it then you should have looked with your eyes not your hands

 

[tinkerpea]

You need to check out the new age policy at Disney, that came out at the end of March. Basically rephrased --- Anyone under the age of 14, MUST be accompanied into the park by someone 14 or over. They have said that they will check the ages of the kids..

I suppose you could get around that by going with the kids in to the park and then leaving them there for a few hours while you go get food etc that way they get the freedom they would like and you get the adult time,
I know you don't need a person over 14 to accompany you on rides as there are too many parents that don't ride certain things that kids like,

 

[mmtwinmama]

I suppose you could get around that by going with the kids in to the park and then leaving them there for a few hours while you go get food etc that way they get the freedom they would like and you get the adult time,
I know you don't need a person over 14 to accompany you on rides as there are too many parents that don't ride certain things that kids like,

That was going to be my question... regarding rides. Can my 11 year olds go on Star Tours alone if I am waiting at the exit? That's the only ride I can't stomach.... we were there in August and they were able to do that... just didnt know if that age rule has also changed??

 

[tinkbyday]

In your opinion. I and others here respectively disagree.

Well, here's another that cannot believe people are so flippant about their children. Whether we like it or not, there are sick individuals out there and guess what, many of them hang out at Disney because, quite frankly, it is like a candy store for them.

Every time something awful happens there, there are hundreds of posts reminding why people should NOT let their young children wander around without an adult - just really amazes me how quickly it is forgotten.

I could care less about being the minority and my child does not live in a bubble, but some things are just not worth the risk. Seriously, what is so important that it can't wait until an adult is available to go.

 

[jackson2422]

I hear ya, but at some point you have to cut the cord.[/QUOTE
Thanks, but I think I'll wait a few years before I "cut the cord" and let them wander around with a bunch of strangers.
It's just not worth the risk at this point for us.

 

[Ofinn]

Well, here's another that cannot believe people are so flippant about their children. Whether we like it or not, there are sick individuals out there and guess what, many of them hang out at Disney because, quite frankly, it is like a candy store for them.

Every time something awful happens there, there are hundreds of posts reminding why people should NOT let their young children wander around without an adult - just really amazes me how quickly it is forgotten.

I could care less about being the minority and my child does not live in a bubble, but some things are just not worth the risk. Seriously, what is so important that it can't wait until an adult is available to go.

I would not consider a twelve year old(6 years from adulthood) walking to a club level lounge dangerous or risky. Do your kids walk to school? Do they ride bikes? Do they do anything where you are not watching them constantly. I don't think people are being flippant, but 99.999999% percent of people out there would problably risk their own life to help a child not hurt them. I don't understand living in constant fear of something bad happening to your child. It's kind of like being afraid to swim in the ocean because of sharks. You should teach your children how to be independent, and how to handle situations that might arise.

 

[Ofinn]

That was going to be my question... regarding rides. Can my 11 year olds go on Star Tours alone if I am waiting at the exit? That's the only ride I can't stomach.... we were there in August and they were able to do that... just didnt know if that age rule has also changed??

Yes I let my 9 and 11 year old ride California Screaming over and over again because I can only do it a couple of times before I start to get nauseated. I think on most rides they have to be 54 inches to ride alone and on some it's only 48inches.

 

[tinkbyday]

I would not consider a twelve year old(6 years from adulthood) walking to a club level lounge dangerous or risky. Do your kids walk to school? Do they ride bikes? Do they do anything where you are not watching them constantly. I don't think people are being flippant, but 99.999999% percent of people out there would problably risk their own life to help a child not hurt them. I don't understand living in constant fear of something bad happening to your child. It's kind of like being afraid to swim in the ocean because of sharks. You should teach your children how to be independent, and how to handle situations that might arise.

The range of age between 12 - 18 is a HUGE difference in maturity level - not a great comparison in my opinion - even between 12 and 15 is a huge difference in maturity. And if you would like to throw out statistical information, how about this one - over 58,000 children are abducted each year by a non-family member. What I haven't provided is how many children are sexually exploited - I happen to, unfortunately, know that it is far more than this.

I don't live in a state of constant fear at all and yes, my 14 year old daughter has certain freedoms and independence, but I do use common sense and would NEVER let a young child of 12 years old walk around a hotel alone or with a younger child - that is just not a safe thing to do. As parents, it is our duty not only to teach our children how to be independent, but it is also our duty to keep them out of harms way and there isn't a person on this planet that would convince me walking around a hotel alone, of all places, is a safe thing to do for a young child.

I know that we all love Disney and would like to believe it is this safe, magical place, but unfortunately, it is also a haven for child predators and maybe you haven't seen the news reports even in just the last year, but the sex offender registry has grown in Florida by 74% just in the last 5 years whereas the rest of the country has only grown by 23% - these are factual numbers, not something I pulled out of a hat for the sake of trying to prove a point!

So, if some want to choose to wear rose colored glasses and pretend that the world is 99.999999% safe, be my guest - I will continue to live here in reality and take a walk to the club lounge with my daughter - there really isn't anything she needs there that can't wait until I can go with her - after all, I'm on vacation to spend time with her anyway!

I am very passionate about this topic because I do believe some parents are too laid back with their young children. There is a middle ground - one doesn't have to be over protective or completely aloof.

 

[DonnaDuck333]

The range of age between 12 - 18 is a HUGE difference in maturity level - not a great comparison in my opinion - even between 12 and 15 is a huge difference in maturity. And if you would like to throw out statistical information, how about this one - over 58,000 children are abducted each year by a non-family member. What I haven't provided is how many children are sexually exploited - I happen to, unfortunately, know that it is far more than this.

I don't live in a state of constant fear at all and yes, my 14 year old daughter has certain freedoms and independence, but I do use common sense and would NEVER let a young child of 12 years old walk around a hotel alone or with a younger child - that is just not a safe thing to do. As parents, it is our duty not only to teach our children how to be independent, but it is also our duty to keep them out of harms way and there isn't a person on this planet that would convince me walking around a hotel alone, of all places, is a safe thing to do for a young child.

I know that we all love Disney and would like to believe it is this safe, magical place, but unfortunately, it is also a haven for child predators and maybe you haven't seen the news reports even in just the last year, but the sex offender registry has grown in Florida by 74% just in the last 5 years whereas the rest of the country has only grown by 23% - these are factual numbers, not something I pulled out of a hat for the sake of trying to prove a point!

So, if some want to choose to wear rose colored glasses and pretend that the world is 99.999999% safe, be my guest - I will continue to live here in reality and take a walk to the club lounge with my daughter - there really isn't anything she needs there that can't wait until I can go with her - after all, I'm on vacation to spend time with her anyway!

I am very passionate about this topic because I do believe some parents are too laid back with their young children. There is a middle ground - one doesn't have to be over protective or completely aloof.

Agree, 100%. If you're locking the door in the parking lot so your car doesn't get stolen or broken into, shouldn't you worry that a dishonest person also may do the same to your unattended child or children... I'm a pretty chill person but I am not going to risk losing my child because of a careless moment of judgement, no mother had regrets of airing on the side of caution when it came to the most precious gift given. They certainly deserve more care than the family car.... I wrote about the boy who was left unattended in the lounge at the beach club and was reprimaded for sticking his hands in all the goodie jars. The consensus of the people witnessing this in the lounge were, that poor kid and why would that Mom be so careless as to set him up with failure as he was clearly not ready to understand the rules and germs being transfered by such handling of food. So kids are kids, not little adults they will sometimes do it their way and not yours. So having a hand caught in the so called goodie jar, not really a big deal. Going away with a stranger because they are so nice and disney zippity-doo-da friendly with only malicious intent is perhaps a mistake that could be too costly as a life lesson.

 

[chasgoose]

Well, here's another that cannot believe people are so flippant about their children. Whether we like it or not, there are sick individuals out there and guess what, many of them hang out at Disney because, quite frankly, it is like a candy store for them.

Every time something awful happens there, there are hundreds of posts reminding why people should NOT let their young children wander around without an adult - just really amazes me how quickly it is forgotten.

I could care less about being the minority and my child does not live in a bubble, but some things are just not worth the risk. Seriously, what is so important that it can't wait until an adult is available to go.

I guess I just wouldn't consider going from the room to the CL as "wandering around the resort." For most CL rooms, both the floor and the lounge are limited access, and there is a CM present right outside the lounge and/or inside the lounge. For example, if you are staying at YC/BC do you stay with your 10 year old at all times? Like with the slide there, unless you actually accompany your child to it, it's pretty hard to keep them within view at all times (especially since the slide deposits riders relatively far away from the start). I would be much more worried about something bad befalling my kid in that pool than I would letting them walk down the hall to get a snack at the CL. The CL seems about as safe a place as any, and you can't supervise your children 24/7. If they are mature enough to behave themselves in a CL, then they should be able to handle a trip there themselves.

 

[brertoad]

The range of age between 12 - 18 is a HUGE difference in maturity level - not a great comparison in my opinion - even between 12 and 15 is a huge difference in maturity. And if you would like to throw out statistical information, how about this one - over 58,000 children are abducted each year by a non-family member. What I haven't provided is how many children are sexually exploited - I happen to, unfortunately, know that it is far more than this.

I don't live in a state of constant fear at all and yes, my 14 year old daughter has certain freedoms and independence, but I do use common sense and would NEVER let a young child of 12 years old walk around a hotel alone or with a younger child - that is just not a safe thing to do. As parents, it is our duty not only to teach our children how to be independent, but it is also our duty to keep them out of harms way and there isn't a person on this planet that would convince me walking around a hotel alone, of all places, is a safe thing to do for a young child.

I know that we all love Disney and would like to believe it is this safe, magical place, but unfortunately, it is also a haven for child predators and maybe you haven't seen the news reports even in just the last year, but the sex offender registry has grown in Florida by 74% just in the last 5 years whereas the rest of the country has only grown by 23% - these are factual numbers, not something I pulled out of a hat for the sake of trying to prove a point!

So, if some want to choose to wear rose colored glasses and pretend that the world is 99.999999% safe, be my guest - I will continue to live here in reality and take a walk to the club lounge with my daughter - there really isn't anything she needs there that can't wait until I can go with her - after all, I'm on vacation to spend time with her anyway!

I am very passionate about this topic because I do believe some parents are too laid back with their young children. There is a middle ground - one doesn't have to be over protective or completely aloof.

I agree 100% with PP, and with DonnaDuck333. It's very unfortunate that we live in a world with horrible people.

Of course, you can do as you wish with your own children.

 

[buzlite]

i think anyone that wouldn't allow their 9 and 12 year old to travel two floors up are acting as helicopter parents. At 12 you are entering high school in Canada and that means being exposed to drugs, smoking alcohol and worse. You should teach your kids to be independent and safe. The more you protect them at this age the more you are handicapping them and setting them up for failure.

 

[abk96]

Tinkbyday and Donnaduck333...

I agree with both of you. Things can happen anywhere.

Today I was in CVS with my 3 girls and two of my girls, who are teenagers, were in the make-up isle and I was on the end of the isle where you couldn't see me but I could hear what was going on. There was an older man who asked my younger daughter to come with him to pick out some lipstick. My kids ignored him and I immediately went into the isle and he then said never mind. My daughter's were freaked out and stuck by me the rest of the time.

I'm not sure what his intent was, but I'm sure it wasn't to pick out lipstick.

 

[sz9144]

Tinkbyday and Donnaduck333...

I agree with both of you. Things can happen anywhere.

Today I was in CVS with my 3 girls and two of my girls, who are teenagers, were in the make-up isle and I was on the end of the isle where you couldn't see me but I could hear what was going on. There was an older man who asked my younger daughter to come with him to pick out some lipstick. My kids ignored him and I immediately went into the isle and he then said never mind. My daughter's were freaked out and stuck by me the rest of the time.

I'm not sure what his intent was, but I'm sure it wasn't to pick out lipstick.

Scary.....

You have to be so careful. Once I was staying alone in a hotel and very early one morning there was a knock on my door, I asked who it was and someone said "maintenance." I said come back when I'm awake. I complained to the front desk who said they never sent any maintenance up to my room....

 

[tinkbyday]

I guess I just wouldn't consider going from the room to the CL as "wandering around the resort." For most CL rooms, both the floor and the lounge are limited access, and there is a CM present right outside the lounge and/or inside the lounge. For example, if you are staying at YC/BC do you stay with your 10 year old at all times? Like with the slide there, unless you actually accompany your child to it, it's pretty hard to keep them within view at all times (especially since the slide deposits riders relatively far away from the start). I would be much more worried about something bad befalling my kid in that pool than I would letting them walk down the hall to get a snack at the CL. The CL seems about as safe a place as any, and you can't supervise your children 24/7. If they are mature enough to behave themselves in a CL, then they should be able to handle a trip there themselves.

I think I was pretty clear in my post that I don't think it is appropriate for a child to walk around a resort alone, so yes, I would plan to be with my child at all times at a hotel anywhere ESPECIALLY a 10 year old. If you have stayed CL at the YC then you know that the floor is quite large and my position would be the same at any hotel regardless of size.

I have stayed at YC several times and yes, I got my bum off the chair and walked over to a place where I could see her get on the slide - not really a big deal or inconvenience.

 

[tinkbyday]

i think anyone that wouldn't allow their 9 and 12 year old to travel two floors up are acting as helicopter parents. At 12 you are entering high school in Canada and that means being exposed to drugs, smoking alcohol and worse. You should teach your kids to be independent and safe. The more you protect them at this age the more you are handicapping them and setting them up for failure.

I will choose not to name call even though I completely disagree with your parenting style. For the record, I am far from a "helicopter parent". I think teaching values and morals takes care of the temptations of drugs and alcohol, of course, it is entirely possible that some parents may think experimenting with those things brings life lessons and drives independence as well.

My child is very independent and because I take common sense precautions, she is also safe

 

[tinkbyday]

Tinkbyday and Donnaduck333...

I agree with both of you. Things can happen anywhere.

Today I was in CVS with my 3 girls and two of my girls, who are teenagers, were in the make-up isle and I was on the end of the isle where you couldn't see me but I could hear what was going on. There was an older man who asked my younger daughter to come with him to pick out some lipstick. My kids ignored him and I immediately went into the isle and he then said never mind. My daughter's were freaked out and stuck by me the rest of the time.

I'm not sure what his intent was, but I'm sure it wasn't to pick out lipstick.

Scary.....

You have to be so careful. Once I was staying alone in a hotel and very early one morning there was a knock on my door, I asked who it was and someone said "maintenance." I said come back when I'm awake. I complained to the front desk who said they never sent any maintenance up to my room....

Thank you both for the examples of the things that can happen - exactly the point I am trying to make. I think it is easy for people to have a false sense of security and especially at a place like Disney, but it is the wrong place to become laid back.

I'm obviously not going to change the minds of those that believe their position is the right one nor will they change ours - I do feel strongly about this topic for a variety of reason though.