18 yo girls at DVC resort on their own

irazabul

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Mar 6, 2006
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I posted this on the DVC Resorts board but it may be more appropriate here.

My daughter requested a stay with her friends as a graduation present before they go off to college. I'm inclined to allow it, but any cons or advice or things to look out for that I should be aware of or would be helpful?
 
I don’t know if 18 yr olds can check in? DD18 and friend (but it’d be the same with 3 friends) stayed in a room at dvc, but dh and I had a room at the resort as well. We really didn’t see the girls much. They didn’t have a car, so took the buses and stayed on wdw property.
 
I asked and anyone 18 or over can check in. So they were fine being on their own? It's easier I'm sure with you and DH being there, but in our case they would be on their own - and only my daughter would be familiar with WDW.
 
It depends on the kid. Older DD-no way! Younger DD or DS-I’d trust them to be responsible. I’d be concerned about driving in a different city with a bunch of tourists. Id be less concerned about flying and ME.
Imho wdw is a fun safe place for teens/young adults. If you think they’ll follow good judgment and agree to rules, I’d let them go. The one place that I’d have a bit of concern is Disney springs We told girls they had to leave disney springs by 8 or 9 I think. So they could eat dinner there but not hang out afterwards.
 

I have a 2 nights at GC to my son before, he was 18 or 19 and he said they had a great time.

Hmmm daughter turns 18 end of April, if it opens up would I be okay with it? I’d prob wanna be down there in a diff room just in case!
 
My twin DDs did that and took a friend. They requested the BCV. Got them a studio. Got them plane tickets. Then I talked my mom into going with me at the same time. We stayed at AKV and only did 1 dinner, at Ohana, with them and never any park time together. They booked their own stuff rest of the time. They ended up doing a very very expensive room service once or twice. We had never done room service at WDW before. But their friend asked to do it as she was used to doing it in other hotels. So maybe go over spending rules beforehand.

But, yeah, it is a nice senior trip. Not at beach with the gobs of other kids partying it up. And my mom and I were nearby in case they needed me. BUt they didn't.
 
Imho it’s a relatively controlled environment with lots of cast members to assist. They’ll be away at college in a few months-and as the parent of 3 in college, I’ve been told of lots of crazy stuff that goes on...so letting them go says you trust her and that’ll hopefully empower her to use good judgment at college on her own.
 
They are adults....

But you know their maturity level better than we do.
If you see them as mature then pay for it.
If not then tell her she'll have to book and pay for it herself and you'll give her a different graduation gift.

Either way they are old enough to go...
 
My daughters did it but one was 18 and the other 21. In 1980, my two friends and I went up for 2 nights at 16. Stayed in a contemporary and had a blast!

Not sure how we were allowed, and can’t believe our parents let us! Fond memories of that trip!
 
Good thoughts, thanks everyone. I think we will allow it with some general rules of the road. We know her friends and know they will be reasonably responsible (more so than my DD 😁). They asked to stay at AKL and there is availability. I will have her fly and do ME. Good thing is, she has been to WDW over 20 times in her 18 years, so she can make her way around.
 
Almost 50 years ago, my 18 yr old high school friend, her 16 year old sister, her sister‘s 16 year old friend and I (17 yrs) flew from Ct to Disney for 5 days - we had a blast...so heck yeah - I’d let an 18 yr old and her friends go now - my only advice is the same advice my mom gave us - Stick together, watch your spending and have a great time!
 
before they go off to college.

It couldn't be a better location for your first solo trip as a young adult honestly. Fairly safe, transportation all included, and a ton of variety of options.

3 months or whatever later she is going to be completely alone and possibly without any friends she has known for 10+ years. The big thing is that Disney is really good at taking money so that would be the part of making sure they are not charging too much to the room.
 
My daughters did it but one was 18 and the other 21. In 1980, my two friends and I went up for 2 nights at 16. Stayed in a contemporary and had a blast!

Not sure how we were allowed, and can’t believe our parents let us! Fond memories of that trip!
Different times, much more trusting times.
 
Different times, much more trusting times.
That is what I partly struggle with - things were much more safe when we grew up - either that or we keep our kids closer to us now - probably some of both. I tend to agree with many here that next year they will be off on their own and this would be a great way to experience some independence in about as safe an environment that you can be in.

As a parent there is certainly angst of letting go, or for safety reasons, or less so financial concerns.

Ironically, I was going to say they need to grow up at some point, and then I thought, wait a minute, how is going to WDW with your friends growing up 🤣🤣🤣.

Thanks again for all the thoughts.
 
In the late 2000s, my Mom organized a trip for 4 of my freshman college friends and myself (I was 18) to go to Disney World for a week for spring break and stay at OKW.

We had a great time, and 3 of my friends really treasured the experience as it was their first visit since their family's could not afford Disney.

We were all good kids, so all of our time was spent going around the parks, cooking meals in the room or sleeping. Trust me, with the rope dropping in the morning and staying until park close in the evening with extra magic hours, no one had energy for anything else!

Safety wise, I don't think a Disney can be beat.
 
That is what I partly struggle with - things were much more safe when we grew up - either that or we keep our kids closer to us now - probably some of both. I tend to agree with many here that next year they will be off on their own and this would be a great way to experience some independence in about as safe an environment that you can be in.

As a parent there is certainly angst of letting go, or for safety reasons, or less so financial concerns.

Ironically, I was going to say they need to grow up at some point, and then I thought, wait a minute, how is going to WDW with your friends growing up 🤣🤣🤣.

Thanks again for all the thoughts.

They weren't any more safe, if anything they were more dangerous. You just had access to less information. When I was around that age, my sister and I backpacked through Europe for six weeks. When my daughter was that age, they went to London with a school trip - there were supposed to be adult chaperones, but the chaperones lost her. A year later she was 1500 miles away negotiating a different city and getting home using Ubers and trains and airplanes on her own. A first trip to somewhere she knows (if she's responsible, but if you didn't think she was, you probably wouldn't be asking) will be good preparation for independence. She'll be that much more ready for study abroad, or a visit to a friend across the country over the Summer.
 
They weren't any more safe, if anything they were more dangerous. You just had access to less information. When I was around that age, my sister and I backpacked through Europe for six weeks. When my daughter was that age, they went to London with a school trip - there were supposed to be adult chaperones, but the chaperones lost her. A year later she was 1500 miles away negotiating a different city and getting home using Ubers and trains and airplanes on her own. A first trip to somewhere she knows (if she's responsible, but if you didn't think she was, you probably wouldn't be asking) will be good preparation for independence. She'll be that much more ready for study abroad, or a visit to a friend across the country over the Summer.
Did you say your daughter was missing for a whole year!? 😃
 
Did you say your daughter was missing for a whole year!? 😃



:rotfl2:

Nah, she was missing in the British Museum for a few hours - she met up with the group when they were leaving. Which the school didn't call me about, and then tried to blame her for by saying she had left the group much later. I know the people she was grouped with - she was ditched and the chaperones weren't paying attention. I doubt they even noticed or took a head count. Her phone had a ton of unanswered calls from her to the teacher leading the group for the time she was missing - she was trying to reach someone, he just didn't answer his phone. I found out after she got home. And I wouldn't have worried anyway, getting around London is easy and she could have gotten back to the hotel by herself if she needed to. She'd been in the British Museum before - she spent her time looking at the stuff she wanted to see instead of with the tour group. And I know a dozen or more people in the London area who would have gone and picked her up. That teacher no longer works for the school - he decided to seek employment elsewhere.
 











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