Age to go through lines alone?

[la79al]

At what age would you feel comfortable sending your pretty mature child through lines alone or with a slightly younger sibling? 1 adult, 3 kids, the youngest is 2 so not able to go through everything 7 and 9 will want to go on. Thinking about BTMRR and 7DMT.

 

[KrazeeK120]

A child must be 7 to ride alone. A 7 and 9 year old can go through the line and ride together. Or, if either of them want to ride something alone, that would be fine too.

Just make sure you have a clear meeting spot because many rides have the entrance and exit nowhere near each other.

 

[AngiTN]

We sent DGD through lines alone starting at 7. She was counting the days till she could do this too. It was a HUGE deal to her to be able to do it. She felt so grown up. She loved being able to proudly answer 7! when asked how old she was. We didn't hesitate to let her ride alone. Though often she has someone seated with her, so she doesn't truly ride, alone.
She also enjoys being the "odd man out" on rides where we have to split up 2 and 1. We let her decide
Her #1 goals on her first trip after she turned 7, ride Goofy's coaster alone and ride Dumbo alone. Our #1 goals on her first trip after she turned 7, to no longer have to ride Goofy or Dumbo with her! Neither of those are built for adults (of our size)
DH and I look forward to finding a time to let DGD ride Goofy over and over and over again. We sit on the wall outside the ride, so we can see both the entrance and the exit, grab a snack and let her ride till she's tired of riding. Usually, it's 5, 6 times in a row.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

As PP noted, you must be 7 years old to ride alone at WDW. That being said, there are certain lines I would be more comfortable with DS9 going in alone than others. As AngiTN mentioned, you can see both the entrance and exit to Goofy's, so I would be comfortable with that. My concern is if a ride breaks down and they ask guests to leave the ride (we've experienced this at Space, Haunted Mansion and TT), I want to know where DS will be when he exits. For that reason, I still walk him through lines of rides I know I will not ride, but I can see him enter the ride and then go to the entrance so I'm there when he gets off. We do this at Space Mountain and EE (I burn my own FP+ for Space to do this, but I don't really care). On EE, I walk DS9 through the single rider line and then meet him at the exit of the ride. Your kids will be together, so probably not as much as an issue. I would, however, pick a designated meeting spot at the end of each ride where they should go when they exit OR if the ride happens to break down. Perhaps I'm overly cautious, but I don't particularly want to lose DS9 in WDW!

 

[AngiTN]

As PP noted, you must be 7 years old to ride alone at WDW. That being said, there are certain lines I would be more comfortable with DS9 going in alone than others. As AngiTN mentioned, you can see both the entrance and exit to Goofy's, so I would be comfortable with that. My concern is if a ride breaks down and they ask guests to leave the ride (we've experienced this at Space, Haunted Mansion and TT), I want to know where DS will be when he exits. For that reason, I still walk him through lines of rides I know I will not ride, but I can see him enter the ride and then go to the entrance so I'm there when he gets off. We do this at Space Mountain and EE (I burn my own FP+ for Space to do this, but I don't really care). On EE, I walk DS9 through the single rider line and then meet him at the exit of the ride. Your kids will be together, so probably not as much as an issue. I would, however, pick a designated meeting spot at the end of each ride where they should go when they exit OR if the ride happens to break down. Perhaps I'm overly cautious, but I don't particularly want to lose DS9 in WDW!

You know that kids never get lost, only parents

 

[TulipMom]

Even though 7 is the rule, I would be hesitant to send kids age 7 & 9 to ride alone except for the kiddie rides. (Barnstormer, Dumbo, Tea Cups, etc.) When I was 8, I was on a ride that stopped mid-ride due to a passenger in a car in front of us that had a heart attack. Even seated next to my dad, and not being a particularly fearful kid, it was pretty terrifying to be stopped on a ride for a while. I will probably only allow my kids to ride alone on the smaller rides where we can see them the whole time, until they're probably 10.

(Also, my oldest is 7 now and an extremely confident kid, but we definitely wouldn't let him ride alone on bigger attractions yet. Even 7DMT.)

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

I sent my oldest alone on the single ride lane of RnRC at 8. She had a cellphone and we had a designated meeti g spot. She texted me the entire time she was is line bc she was bored and had nobody to talk to.

 

[karensi]

So I'm thinking that my 13 yo GS and 11 yo grandson could do RnR alone.
Is that correct?
And if they ride once with their own MB/FP can they ride a second time using my MB/FP and their younger (9yo) brothers MB/FP? The younger (9yo) boy and I always sit out for RnR.
Thanks

 

[AngiTN]

So I'm thinking that my 13 yo GS and 11 yo grandson could do RnR alone.
Is that correct?
And if they ride once with their own MB/FP can they ride a second time using my MB/FP and their younger (9yo) brothers MB/FP? The younger (9yo) boy and I always sit out for RnR.
Thanks

Yes to both

 

[AngiTN]

I forgot the other ride we always send DGD to ride alone, because our bodies can't strand the abuse, Primival Whirl at AK. Like Goofy at MK she was counting down the days till she was old enough to ride alone because we both refused to ride that back breaking ride. She loves the thing. We send her on her merry little way and we sit and wait

 

[karensi]

Yes to both

Thanks so much AngiTN, they'll be thrilled!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

You know that kids never get lost, only parents

Yes, and "I" did get lost once walking from BC to BWI. DS9 wanted to walk ahead of me and open the resort door by himself. I lost sight of him when he turned the corner at Flying Fish to enter BWI. He went up a different staircase than I did and I ended up at the room first even though he had been walking ahead of me. Mild panic set in, but he ended up walking down the hallway toward me about 30 seconds later. And he didn't have his cell phone with him. And . . . we don't do that anymore.

 

[tzolkin]

Also worth noting for others is that 7 is not simply the age requirement to ride ALONE; it's also the age requirement to ride without a chaperone 14+.

So, for example, a 6 year old cannot ride with a 12 year old.

 

[kymom99]

I sent my son on space mountain alone and waited for him where it exits in the gift shop. I think we had one odd fastpass left over. I can't remember if he was almost 9 or almost 11. It can be a little scary since the line is dark and there's no way to know when he would be coming out. But he was pretty good about knowing his way around and he felt confident so I didn't think too much about it.

I also sent him on Indiana jones in Disneyland when he was 13. That doesn't sound like a big deal but it was dark and fantasmic let out while he was in there. If you have ever been to DL you probably know what it's like when F! Lets out. I was afraid he wouldn't be able to find me but he did and all was well.

 

[kagmypts]

I have mixed feelings about this. For me, it would depend on the ride. For rides where I can see the line (Great Goofini/Barnstormer, carousel, Dumbo, Tea Cups, Motor Speedway, etc.) I would have zero problems having my 7 and 9 year olds go without me. However, I would not feel comfortable doing that with BTMRR or 7DMT. For starters, the lines can be long. I would not want to send my children away from me for 45 minutes or longer. Also, these are the kinds of rides, especially BTMRR, that are prone to shutting down. Why not wait in line with them and bail out where the ride actually loads?

As an aside, our kids love Star Tours, and I cannot ride it due to motion sickness. On our last trip, Star Tours was literally walk-on for over an hour. The kids kept circling back to ride it again. My husband and I walked with them to the loading area, and then we were directed to a place to wait for them after their flight. On our third or fourth trip, one of the CMs told my 8 year old that he was too young to ride without a person over the age of 14 accompanying him. The CM was mistaken about the policy, but it took us a few minutes to sort out. I am not sure that my kids would have been able to explain to the CM that he was old enough or ask for another CM to help. Does your 7 year old look young?

 

[yeheyprincex2]

At what age would you feel comfortable sending your pretty mature child through lines alone or with a slightly younger sibling? 1 adult, 3 kids, the youngest is 2 so not able to go through everything 7 and 9 will want to go on. Thinking about BTMRR and 7DMT.

You just made me realize my son will be 7 during our next trip. He's the kid who wants to ride alone. he's six now and 52 inches tall so I do let him get in line alone at six flags on ride I can see him the whole time. But Disney seems like a whole new ball game.
oh man, he will also be able to ride in a car without a booster seat by next year the way he grows
His growth is flashing before my eyes

 

[bumbershoot]

Why not wait in line with them and bail out where the ride actually loads?

Because the OP has a two year old and can't go in the bigger ride lines.