Would you allow two 15 year old girls go to Epcot alone?

[YukiPhnx]

My parents let my 17yr old self bring my 14 and 13 yr old siblings to Orlando for a week at Disney and Universal ALL BY OURSELVES. We flew there on our own and everything.

Since she's such a pro at going to the parks (it was MY first time at Disney then), I would definiely say YES.

 

[ElliBelle]

I would. 15 IS old enough to drive here! These are young women, not children. Presumably they are not always supervised at home. There is plenty of opportunity in high school , at the mall or anywhere to get into trouble. If all the parents involved are on board and trust these young women then I say go for it.

 

[Kidztheater]

I agree with the majority of the posters- YES! I took a group of 14 teenagers ages 14-18 down with me for a performance and we let them roam. We did meet up with them periodically for "check ins" and ADRs. The check ins were more to see how everyone was holding up!

HOWEVER: One tip I would give when traveling with someone else's kid is this: Research what documentation you will need from her parent as a medical release. If something did happen that required her to be treated at a hospital, you will want not only the child's insurance information, but a signed document saying that the parents allow you to take the child to the hospital. We always do a Medical Release that has allergies and insurance info for the kids.

Have a great time! I was roaming Disneyland for an hour or two at a time with friends from 6th grade on. As I got older my time alone was extended.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Sure. I have a 14 year old who could navigate as good as me, and if she had a friend to go with- I would let them go alone. I would give them check in times- to call and be back. Unless the child isn't trustworthy- but I don't thing you would be asking if you didn't trust them!!!

 

[Mom2aJessieGirl]

Yup. I'd do it. When my sister and I were around that age, we used to stay at WL and take the boat to MK all the time. I think my folks enjoyed the late start mornings!

 

[LaurenT]

I would as long as it was ok with the BFF's mom.

 

[Brandi1leigh]

I definitely would. Kids go to Disney all the time with school groups and do not stay with their chaperons. I went on a school trip when I was 13 and we explored all the parks in pairs and that was before cell phones existed! I do agree with others that I would clear it with the other girl's parents too.

 

[smb6]

I probably would allow it

 

[29apr00]

I'm in the minority here, my answer would be no....for several reasons. I do admit that I am overprotective but 2 15 yr old girls surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people at Epcot??? no way. remember the guy who was molesting kids in the wave pool at the water park a year or so ago??? bad stuff can happen while you are watching them, there is no way i'd be letting them out of my sight!!

And this may be just me, since my kids are still young, but why would you be going off doing your own thing on a family vacation?? Isn't the point of a family vacation to be together?? If everyone goes off to do their own thing, how is that any different from what you do at home? I'm not saying everyone needs to be glued to eachother for the whole week.....it's ok for 1 group to ride test track while another group rides mission space....but then you all meet back up and head to the next attraction together.

 

[Hannathy]

yes without a second thought. when my DD was 15 she was in Italy with her orchestra and they regularly went off on their own for hours if not a whole day by themselves in another country that they didn't speak the language! so spending a day or night at Disney by themselves wouldn't even cause me to think about it.

These are 15 yr olds not 5 yr olds for heavens sake. If they can't handle Disney by now I hate to see them in 2 yrs heading off to college.

 

[ChrisHartman]

When I was that age, I didn't want to hang out with my parents all day. In fact, when I was 16, my dad actually did drop my BFF and I off at MK for the day when we were on vacation in Orlando. It was during spring break I think we spent the majority of our time waiting to ride space mountain. (I'm old, it was pre-Epcot or other parks). Nonetheless, it really wasn't a problem.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

I would. Most kids that age are babysitting other kids - if not fully into the formal workforce. If these girls have a little common sense, they will be fine. But again, it's up to the parents of each child to answer this question as all kids are different.

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

As long as the other girl's parents were okay with it, I would definitley let my 15 year-old go off to the parks with a friend. At not quite 16, I went to Paris on a class trip and at times, we toured around by ourselves without chaperones. Disney is a heck of a lot more protective than that.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Quick story: Years ago, we lost my best friend (age 15) in Epcot. This was way back in the 80's when Epcot was new. My mom took my little sisters (6 and 3 at the time) to MK while my Dad took my brother, myself and my 2 friends to Epcot. (Our first time there.) Towards the end of the day, we were in a gift shop and other friend and I decided to ride Listen to the Land again while Dad and brother wanted to keep shopping. We each thought that friend #1 was with the other group until about an hour later and we all met at the gate (where my mom and sisters were waiting) and she wasn't there. The CM's let us back in even though the park was closed. It took us about and hour to find her (she was looking for us).

Anyway, even after that experience, my answer is yes. Although we generally travel as a family because we like to share the experiences, I would let DS15 and DS12 go to Epcot together without an adult. I would make sure that they had cell phones and texted or called to check in and I would be clear about meeting times and places and what to do if they got separated from one another.

 

[addiln]

i would let them go. they have cell phones so you can keep in touch with each other and also i would meet up during the day just to check in with each other. this is epcot so i would not worry about them as much as other places.

 

[angierae]

Without hesitation, but then again 15 year old kids run around all over the place in groups at home - the mall, the park, to the library, in the downtown area of our medium-sized city. I wouldn't think twice about it. I'd have them check in occasionally, of course.

DD will be 17 and her BFF 16 the next time we go to Disney and I expect to only spend part of the day with them (Hubby isn't a rope-drop person so the girls and I will hit rope drop, and then I'll hang out with them until hubby rolls out of bed and joins us, and then we'll group back up for dinner and probably separate again after that.)

 

[pigletto]

My DH, DD and her BFF will be staying at the Beach Club. My daughter has been going to Disney at least once a year (some years even more) since she was 4 years old. She knows her way around better than I do. Would you allow two teenage girls the independence to roam freely around Epcot? With cell phones of course! The world would no longer spin if the cell phones were dead....

I can see this thread already has a lot of responses. I am just going to go with my original answer from reading the title and then read what everyone else said so it doesn't cloud my answer.

It would depend on several factors.
1) How familiar the teen is with Disney. In your case very familiar. As is my dd.
2) Cell Phones a Must. I would need to know I could be contacted immidiately
3) General character of the teen in question.. if they are level headed, know the safety procedures (whatever they may be in your home) and responsible.
4) Confidence. My child could be the greatest kid in the world.. but if she was afraid to say No to a stranger, or approach a cast member for help then that changes things.

So if all those things lined up, and she was with a friend who's parents were also onboard then the answer would be a certain "Yes".

Obviously we would set the rules and pick a time to meet and check in regularly.

 

[DisneyPB]

I do admit that I am overprotective but 2 15 yr old girls surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people at Epcot??? no way.

No. Try tens of thousands.

 

[dismichael]

Disney has, by far, one of the best security systems in the world (including that of states, counties, etc.) I think safety wise, it should be alright.

 

[Thumperr]

I would, but then again I was traveling all over Europe on my own at the age of 14..