11 year olds alone in Disney?

[fireflymedic]

Of course it depends on the 11 yr. old or in this case 2 11 yr. olds, I went off by my self all the time by 11, we just had to be back at a certain place at a certain time and we did not have cell phones back than. (I'm 44) Now I know every one is afraid of stanger danger but facts are kin or freinds hurt/mulaste more kids every yr. than any stanger.

I would start by letting thim ride the buss not having to sitt by you, let thim ride rides without you but you off somewere watching thim. Let thim buy the there own food.

than maybe let thim go off to ride one ride than meet you back somewere.

with cell phones I would not worry about 2 boys being kidnaped, what I would wory about is thim breaking some rule and getting in trouble. If they are well behaved and will mind the rules I would let thim go off for a hr. or two.

but I'm obvioulsy in the monority, but you must start giving children responsabilty sometime. Keeping thim under your thumb untill and after they are teenagers is holding on the the aprin strings a little too tight IMHO

 

[AustinTink]

I'm gonna have to chime in also and say no way. I know all our kids are great, but it's all the crazies out there that you have to worry about.

 

[5 for WDW]

My son is 11 and I would not be comfortable letting him go off in WDW on his own.

We did allow him and my 9 year old son to ride on a few rides alone after we waited on line with them and met them at the end. That was about as much as I am comfortable with.

 

[skitt]

When I was at WDW last year I was spending some time with my baby in the baby center and the CM staffing it was talking to me about how the previous day some parents dropped their 13 year old off there and left. They left him or her there the whole day and didn't come back until park closing. The CMs had rules that wouldn't allow them to let the kid leave without a parent and so he or she was stuck there the whole day. They were looking into getting in touch with the CPS. If that's how seriously Disney treats 13 year olds on their own, I would be really concerned what view they would take of an 11 year old in the parks on his own. Just something to consider.

 

[Leajess99]

Ok this may sound weird but I am already looking and pricing my 1 year Anniversary trip....lol granted I havent even gone on my honeymoon trip...lol!

I don't even know what the prices are going to be...lol!

At any rate we will be bringing my then 11 year old son on our anniversary trip with us. What do you think is the best time to go and what can he do possibly independantly? He is dying to meet his best friend down ther and go off together...Is that a good idea or no? My son wants to do that because he wants to let my then hubby and me do something by ourselves...its a year or more away and I am already questioning it...lol

I know he doesnt want to do Kids Club...he says he is to "old for that nonsense" lol

There is no way I would let my child go off on their own. Shoot my oldest hasn't gotten much freedom and he is a teen. He does get to do more things locally but out of town he is with the family. I am very protective and alot of that comes with my degree studies. You just never know what can happen (look at Georgia theme park incident over the summer or the accident at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom where the young lady lost her foot). And I would be a mess the whole time. My dd will be 11 when we go this time and she won't be off on her own either.

 

[scottish mum]

I wouldn't let my 11 yr old son off by himself but he has a 14 yr old cousin and I would them go off together. They would have to be in the same park though.

 

[stinkerbelle7531]

I think that every kid is different--you know your own child better than anyone and if I read this correctly you are still more than a year away from this decision--lots could change during that time. My oldest is only 8 so I don't have any recent knowledge of 11 year olds, but having said all that, I think it would most likely be fine.


WDW is a huge PUBLIC place. Although some may consider that a disadvantage in this situation, I think it is an advantage. While I agree that you may have undesireable people at WDW as you would anywhere, most people will be good and decent. We are not talking about a small child who can be lured away with a promise of seeing a puppy or the prospect of ice cream. Should anyone try to take/harm your son he would have his friend with him as well as many other people who would certainly step up and help out a kid in trouble. Kids of that age get into trouble with predators when the predator can over power them--just doesn't seem likely at Disney or in any other public places with reasonable security. I guess you would run a small risk of pickpocketing or something like that but you would be able to coach him in those types of things beforehad--all life lessons that need to be learned.

I would still probably want to be in touch via walkie/talkie or cell phone and I probably wouldn't want them getting on any buses without me, but would probably be okay, for instance, if they walked over to Epcot while I was in the Boardwalk/Yacht and Beach Club area. I would probably also insist that they stay together and that if they needed to use the restroom, they both needed to go into the men's room together and wait for each other.

Disney seems like a good place for a first "out in public without an adult" experience. I would feel more comfortable doing that than leaving them home alone.

Very well said, mum! Kids have a higher chance of being hurt, assaulted, abducted by someone they know. That makes their teachers, scout leaders, and the bullies at school more potentially dangerous. Do you all keep them home to protect them?

 

[mdsouth]

I went off with my sister when we were 9 and 7 for a few hours here and there (especially in Fantasyland).

To me, the key is - will you be in the parks, too, so you are only a phone call away IF something happens, or will you be elsewhere? I don't think I'd feel comfortable doing this, but if you will be elsewhere, can you trust him to take Disney transportation back and forth to the parks by himself? Will he behave appropriately and respectfully to adults/CMs?

First, I would not let a child that age go venture off by himself or herself or even with an older friend at WDW. I teach middle school and I know the age fairly well. I would not let even my most mature students go off alone. Kids feel they are invincible and know more about the world than they really do. Plus, when two or more friends get together, they are easily distracted and forget to be careful. So, no, I would not let them go alone.

Please, please keep in mind a cell phone gives people a false sense of security. Cell phones can be dropped, lost, or even grabbed by a stranger easily. They also have been known not to work properly (dead battery, poor connection, etc.).

 

[Kevenswife2]

Maybe that is your perception. I was traveling the world with a group by the time I was 12. We weren't wild, we were on our own on occasion, and we managed not to behave rudely. Maybe you were one of the sheep at the mall, but I certainly wasn't. Nor would I expect my child to be.

I haven't actually been at WDW when these groups were there, I've only read the horror stories on here.

As for being a 'sheep' at the mall...I grew up in Amish country. The closest mall was 50 miles away. Maybe that's why 'today's world' tends to scare me.

 

[crisi]

When I was at WDW last year I was spending some time with my baby in the baby center and the CM staffing it was talking to me about how the previous day some parents dropped their 13 year old off there and left. They left him or her there the whole day and didn't come back until park closing. The CMs had rules that wouldn't allow them to let the kid leave without a parent and so he or she was stuck there the whole day. They were looking into getting in touch with the CPS. If that's how seriously Disney treats 13 year olds on their own, I would be really concerned what view they would take of an 11 year old in the parks on his own. Just something to consider.

I doubt they enforce those rules as my kids have been running ahead and exiting the turnstyles themselves for years. Then they run up the ramp to the monorail at the MK or Epcot and wait for us there. They are often five minutes ahead of us. They've never been stopped and have been through turnstyles with us a few minutes behind them probably a hundred times.

 

[NotUrsula]

When I was at WDW last year I was spending some time with my baby in the baby center and the CM staffing it was talking to me about how the previous day some parents dropped their 13 year old off there and left. They left him or her there the whole day and didn't come back until park closing. The CMs had rules that wouldn't allow them to let the kid leave without a parent and so he or she was stuck there the whole day. They were looking into getting in touch with the CPS. If that's how seriously Disney treats 13 year olds on their own, I would be really concerned what view they would take of an 11 year old in the parks on his own. Just something to consider.

Are you sure that you understood the circumstances? I'm quite sure that they do not normally treat unaccompanied 13 yr. olds that way, and the reason is this, the fine print on the tickets receipt from my MNSHHP tickets this year:

"Persons under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult when attending the Magic Kingdom® Park, Epcot®, Disney-MGM Studios or Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. If your ticket includes admission to Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park or Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, please note that persons under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult."


I'm guessing that the 13 yo that the CM was speaking about had gotten into some sort of trouble in the park. (If the parents dropped the child off without any money for food, that could also have been an issue.)

DLR has a very busy drop-off area that is heavily used by locals, especially in summer. I was there last June, and as I was leaving the parks at closing time I always saw quite a few pre-teens sitting on the curb waiting for their ride to arrive. If there were a big issue with Disney being concerned about abduction/abuse by strangers that would be the place where they would be worried about it -- it's a busy intersection with no separation from the public road other than some low landscaping.

I personally would not let a 7 year old go off on his own, but we do allow our 11 yo to do something without us once in a while while were are in the same park in the same "land" -- and even just a little beyond on occasion. Last September I remember that DH & I took the baby to see the Lion King show and allowed DS11 to ride Dinosaur while we did so. He sat down outside the gift shop and waited for us after the ride. I made sure that he was wearing a watch and knew when we would return, but did not give him a cell phone. DS has been to WDW too many times to count and knows the parks like the back of his hand, so I know that he will not get lost, and he is good about doing what he is told when being accorded a special privilege.

 

[mjkacmom]

I have to agree with the majority here and say at age 11 no. Now my kids are 13 (boy) and 16 (girl) and we are going to Disney in May (they will be almost 14 and 17) so we will probably allow them periods of time to themselves (together ALWAYS, that is the big thing) and they will have to be in the same park as us, no hopping alone.
We just did start letting them walk around in our mall together (without us) recently, but we don't drop them off we are there in the mall as well.
As others have said, just too much freaky stuff goes on nowadays.........

When I was 17, I was driving myself to work at a stripmall, and my gf's and I would go down the shore for the weekend, renting a hotel room. My mom encouraged me to take the bus to NYC with my friends (and it wasn't today's cleaned-up version of NYC - Times Square was chock full of porn). Heck, some 17 year olds live away from home in a college dorm.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I would not let my 11 year old tour the parks alone.

 

[mjmoon]

I think it depends on how mature the child is. I know some 11 YOs I'd trust fully to be fine with friends while there are 14 YOs I wouldn't. If it's a very mature 11 YO who is perfectly capable of taking care of himself in a potentially dangerous situation it would probably be ok.

 

[nana2tots]

No no no way, just because it's Disney dosen't make it any safer , there are still Mean azz people in this world.

 

[nana2tots]

I wouldn't and couldn't live w/ myself if someone took or did something to these girl's, you might as well kill me.
Now at 14 w/ several friends for a couple of hours away from me at the same park, i might can go w/ that, but never ever alone !!!!!

 

[nana2tots]

I lost one and this is still killing me, so i am very very strict w/ these girl's !!

 

[jeepgirl30]

growing up my sister and i were very independant. I rode horses and would be gone in the woods for hours at a time completely alone. I can't remember how young i started this but I had my first pony at 2! My sister was 4 years older. I started off going with her and then on my own.

We had a babysitter a few times but my sister was much more responsible than most the sitters! So was I actually.

My nephew is 11 and very responsible. I would completely trust him. I would even consider having him babysit my kids if we lived close enough! My kids are DD8 and DS6.

My DD8 is no where near ready to do anything on her own. She is very dependant and will be for awhile. My DS6 is already starting to show signs of being more responsible. Now before alarming anyone i'm saying he shows signs not that i would ever consider leaving a 6 year old alone!!!

There is no magical age. Each child is different. Each situation is different.

I think the situation would need further defined. Alone in disney sounds really open and scary. However, let the kid and friend venture off in the same park for a little own their own sounds a lot more reasonable. Or, let them go to the resort pool on their own while parents are at the resort.

We have friends we go to the beach with each year. Their DD is one and half years younger than my DD. They are a lot less strict with her than I am with my DD. They allow her to go to restroom at a restaurant where we are dining alone, I just can not. I go in with DD and if DH is not there DS goes with me.

 

[PatsMom]

DD was 11 or 12 the first time we met up with friends of hers at WDW. Both sets of parents were agreeable to letting the kids go off on their own, in the same park we were in. DD had an awesome time with her friends, and DH and I enjoyed World Showcase with other adults. She (and her friend) had a cell phone and could call or text.

She and her friend had been to WDW several times so they pretty much knew there way around. That helped. She go to do something she'd always wanted to do that drove me and DH nuts and that was to spend hours at Innoventions.

 

[skitt]

Are you sure that you understood the circumstances? I'm quite sure that they do not normally treat unaccompanied 13 yr. olds that way, and the reason is this, the fine print on the tickets receipt from my MNSHHP tickets this year:

It was just at the baby center that they had that rule. I didn't know what the rules were for the park in general. I'm shocked they officially allow 8 years old to be unaccompanied considering the number of malls that don't allow it, but I guess it proves they don't normally have problems with it or else they'd raise the age limit.