Age for kids to ride together without adult?

[TeresaG]

Is there a specific age kids need to be in order to go on rides together? Parents will all be on the same ride, but can they sit together without an adult?

My son is 11 and my daughter is 7yrs. Can they go on rides like BTM, HM, Barnstormer, etc, and sit together? Or do they still need to sit with my husband or I?

We're going with extended family this trip and my 5yr old nephew really wants to sit with my son but squeezing 3 people (2 kids and one adult) on certain rides is going to be really tight. I was wondering if we could let them go together if we're just one car behind them (JOLM for example). If 2 adults go in front of them and 2 go behind them is this something that is a problem?

I'm not trying to circumvent any rules, just curious so when the inevitable "can we ride together?" is asked and then all the non-Disney adults start saying "Of course you can!" we can avoid any disappointment from the kids and mumbling from adults. (Large family trips are fun right? right..?)

Thanks for any help!

 

[belle1986]

7 is old enough to ride solo, under 7 must have someone 14+ ride with them in the same ride vehicle.

 

[anjalee6]

Children under 7 years of age must ride with someone over the age of 14. My DD was asked repeatedly how old she was when she was in line with my son last year.

 

[MischaOz]

I believe it will be okay as long as an adult is in the row behind them. We haven't actually tried this at WDW, but at DL our daughter (who was 4 at the time) wanted to ride some rides by "herself" and it was okay as long as we were in the row behind her.

 

[TeresaG]

Thank you for your quick replies!!

So my 11yr old and my 7yr old can ride together, but they cannot ride with their 5yr old cousin without any adult?

 

[BrianL]

Thank you for your quick replies!!

So my 11yr old and my 7yr old can ride together, but they cannot ride with their 5yr old cousin without any adult?

That is correct, or more accurately, without anyone 14 or older (not necessarily an adult). Many rides will fit one adult and two children fairly easily.

I believe it will be okay as long as an adult is in the row behind them. We haven't actually tried this at WDW, but at DL our daughter (who was 4 at the time) wanted to ride some rides by "herself" and it was okay as long as we were in the row behind her.

This will vary somewhat depending on the ride (and the CM as it is enforced inconsistently), but the rule is that the adult (or person of age) must ride "in the same vehicle" which means they can be in the row behind, if the cars are not separated by a coupling. So, like on Space Mountain, where everyone rides single file, a kid under 7 can ride in front of their parent, but the parent can't be behind the break in the two cars. This type of seating is generally allowed on some rides like Big Thunder. It seems like it is not allowed on 7DMT despite there being two rows per car. Barnstormer is one to really watch out on because each car only has one row of seats.

 

[Klayfish]

Like BrianL said, it's inconsistent in how it's enforced. Our kids are 13, 9, 9 (the twins turn 10 soon) now and we really don't have any problems on any rides. However, when they were 11 and 7 respectively, it was more hit or miss. Some would allow all 3 to ride together, as long as they fit. We would ride in the car behind them, even if it wasn't attached directly...such as Peter Pan, Spaceship Earth or Ariel. Other times we'd have to split them up.

 

[BrianL]

Like BrianL said, it's inconsistent in how it's enforced. Our kids are 13, 9, 9 (the twins turn 10 soon) now and we really don't have any problems on any rides. However, when they were 11 and 7 respectively, it was more hit or miss. Some would allow all 3 to ride together, as long as they fit. We would ride in the car behind them, even if it wasn't attached directly...such as Peter Pan, Spaceship Earth or Ariel. Other times we'd have to split them up.

EDIT: Nevermind most of this. I misunderstood the post. 7 and 11 year olds should be allowed to ride together and I see you are saying that they weren't always. Just ignore the below.

Wow, that's the opposite experience than most. Allowing 11 and 7 to ride together on Peter Pan with you in the ship behind them actually should not be allowed. SSE does have couplings every couple of rows, but you shouldn't have been split by it. I think most people run into the issue where they won't let the parents ride one row behind, even when it is the same vehicle. Interesting, and they really should figure out how to enforce this consistently.

I am somewhat fascinated by this, even though I have no kids to worry about, because it is so enigmatic and not communicated very well by Disney.

 

[AngiTN]

Wow, that's the opposite experience than most. Allowing 11 and 7 to ride together on Peter Pan with you in the ship behind them actually should not be allowed. SSE does have couplings every couple of rows, but you shouldn't have been split by it. I think most people run into the issue where they won't let the parents ride one row behind, even when it is the same vehicle. Interesting, and they really should figure out how to enforce this consistently. I am somewhat fascinated by this, even though I have no kids to worry about, because it is so enigmatic and not communicated very well by Disney.

I thought 7 and 11 could ride together in all circumstances.
That 6 and 11 couldn't, for instance.
No?
Because 7 and up can ride all alone, no adult needed at all.
6 and under can't. They need someone 14 or older

 

[BrianL]

I thought 7 and 11 could ride together in all circumstances.
That 6 and 11 couldn't, for instance.
No?
Because 7 and up can ride all alone, no adult needed at all.
6 and under can't. They need someone 14 or older

I'm sorry...you're totally right. 7 is always fine, even alone. I just completely spaced on the age, and I even typed it. I see now that Klayfish was saying that they should have let the 7 and 11 year olds ride together in ALL circumstances, but that it was not always the case, which is more in line with the experience of most and makes my response irrelevant. It does highlight the inconsistency about rule enforcement though.

Let me edit that. Thanks for keeping it straight.

 

[AngiTN]

I'm sorry...you're totally right. 7 is always fine, even alone. I just completely spaced on the age, and I even typed it. I see now that Klayfish was saying that they should have let the 7 and 11 year olds ride together on ALL circumstances, but that it was not always the case, which is more in line with the experience of most and makes my response irrelevant. Let me edit that. Thanks for keeping it straight.

No biggie. And it does make it confusing because some CM seem to not understand the definition of age 7 and up. They want to interpret it as you must be over 7 to ride alone, meaning at 7 you can't ride alone, you must be 8. And that is incorrect. 7 and up doesn't mean after you turn 8, it means after you turn 7, and up. Thankfully, when DGD turned 7 we never encountered this issue, no CM ever said no to her riding alone. Since we were a party of 3 we usually had to split up 2 and 1 and as soon as she turned 7 she wanted to be the 1, letting DH and I be the 2, for most rides. And for some she rode all alone, we waited at the exit. Now she's 9 and it's not an issue at all. But it does irk me when CM can't understand their own rules. It's not that hard to teach a few basics, like the definition of 7 and up.

 

[TeresaG]

I'm so glad I asked because I had no idea my kids could ride together (the 7 and 11yr olds). I also didn't know my daughter -the 7yr old- could ride alone. Is this really a rule?

It might be fun to sit next to my husband for some rides...

 

[ucfknight]

I'm so glad I asked because I had no idea my kids could ride together (the 7 and 11yr olds). I also didn't know my daughter -the 7yr old- could ride alone. Is this really a rule?

It might be fun to sit next to my husband for some rides...

Yes. That is really truly the rule. If you don't believe anonymous message board posters:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/park-rules/

"To board an attraction, children under age 7 must be accompanied by a person age 14 years or older. "

 

[TeresaG]

Ha! I was just off checking the same thing to confirm it 100%. And not because I don't trust the boards (I can't imagine why anyone would make something like that up), I just had no idea.

 

[srauseo]

It doesn't always seem to be communicated well. I once saw a family try to let their son, who definitely looked younger than 7, ride a Doom Buggy by himself in the Haunted Mansion. The CMs actually shut down the ride the fix the situation.

 

[AngiTN]

Ha! I was just off checking the same thing to confirm it 100%. And not because I don't trust the boards (I can't imagine why anyone would make something like that up), I just had no idea.

It makes sense to confirm the rule. Some things take on lives of their own and become "rules" online even though they were never a rule in the first place, like using a ticket before upgrading it

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thank you for your quick replies!!

So my 11yr old and my 7yr old can ride together, but they cannot ride with their 5yr old cousin without any adult?

correct by the rules

 

[bumbershoot]

It makes sense to confirm the rule. Some things take on lives of their own and become "rules" online even though they were never a rule in the first place, like using a ticket before upgrading it

Except that Mike, a Disney ticketing CM with loads of knowledge, is the one that told us of this with permission from his bosses (he stated more than once). And during those years there were MANY people who weren't allowed to bridge until they used that ticket first. Just b/c things changed between Mike updating his sticky and ravenclawtrekkie telling us the current rules doesn't mean it was never a rule.

 

[JenniKleims]

Oh glad I saw this! this is how old my son and daughter will be during our trip (7 and 11) glad to know they can ride together, especially if I decide to sit a ride out