Age to Ride Alone

[lovewdwfun]

I’m afraid I must have missed an announcement. I thought kids ages 7 and up could ride alone. My youngest was asleep in the stroller so I told my 9 and 11 year olds they could go on Pirates last night while I waited on a bench right outside. They had issues with a cast member telling them they were too young. Whoops! What are the current rules?

 

[BrianL]

As far as I know 7 is the correct age to ride alone. Anyone under 7 must ride with someone who is at least 14.

It is unusual that they would have issues. Is one of them a bit small for their age? Did they state their ages clearly when asked by the CM? It sounds like maybe the CM was confused or mistaken.

 

[MomOTwins]

This is what has always confused me about this rule. The rules states "Children should be supervised. Guests under age 14 must be accompanied by a Guest age 14 or older to enter a theme park, water park or NBA Experience. To board an attraction, children under age 7 must be accompanied by a person age 14 or older." If you read the last sentence alone, it sounds like 7 and up can go on a ride alone. BUT the first sentence states that children should be supervised, and if they are entering a ride queue alone, they won't be. One interpretation could be that when they say children age 7-14 can "board" a ride alone, they mean can sit in their own ride vehicle (e.g., a car on a roller coaster, boat on splash mountain, or individual dumbo), but they still have to have an adult with them in the queue for supervision. That would be consistent with their approach to under-7s, which is that someone age 14 or up must be sitting in the same ride vehicle (and sometimes even the same row, depending on the ride).

Of course, this is probably all reading too much into it and the CM was just wrong--wouldn't be the first time a CM didn't know the rules.

 

[mkla2015]

I have a 9 and 7 year old- they were able to ride together last October with no issues but they've never gone through a queue alone... I wouldn't think that would make a difference. I'm not aware of the ages changing.

 

[lovewdwfun]

Thanks! Maybe just a confused cast member? They ended up asking two other adults who went behind my kids to supervise them and let them on the ride - so now harm done. Just trying to understand for next time.

 

[BrianL]

This is what has always confused me about this rule. The rules states "Children should be supervised. Guests under age 14 must be accompanied by a Guest age 14 or older to enter a theme park, water park or NBA Experience. To board an attraction, children under age 7 must be accompanied by a person age 14 or older." If you read the last sentence alone, it sounds like 7 and up can go on a ride alone. BUT the first sentence states that children should be supervised, and if they are entering a ride queue alone, they won't be. One interpretation could be that when they say children age 7-14 can "board" a ride alone, they mean can sit in their own ride vehicle (e.g., a car on a roller coaster, boat on splash mountain, or individual dumbo), but they still have to have an adult with them in the queue for supervision. That would be consistent with their approach to under-7s, which is that someone age 14 or up must be sitting in the same ride vehicle (and sometimes even the same row, depending on the ride).

Of course, this is probably all reading too much into it and the CM was just wrong--wouldn't be the first time a CM didn't know the rules.

The first sentence only refers to entering the Theme Park itself at the entry gates. It does not apply to entering attraction queues. That first part was changed in the past few years I believe as before only 7 and over was enforced for park entry.

 

[only hope]

Maybe Pirates is treated a bit differently due to the lack of restraints and possibility of falling into the water.

 

[kwdw]

Not sure exactly how this works - but I know for single rider at TT - the 7yo (at the time) - needed to join the single rider line with someone over 14. But - the 7 yo could be placed on the ride without that supervising 14 yo + person.

Also - on my last trip - saw a dad with 3 boys under 7 in tow for 7DMT - which sits 2. They did let all 4 ride as a group - but they clearly asked about ages and "rearranged" how dad had paired the group up to ride.

 

[china mom]

My daughter was once told at RnR that she was too short to ride single rider even though she was well tall enough to ride the ride and had ridden it bunches of times in the regular line I think that sometimes cast members either get confused or make up rules on the fly. But, other than that, DD who is super tiny for her age, has been entering the queues and riding rides alone since she was seven without any other problems.

 

[Robo]

I think that sometimes cast members either get confused or make up rules on the fly.

I have that on an 18" Currier and Ives needlepoint hanging on the wall in my rumpus room.

 

[Alison S]

If a parent chooses to go through the queue with their over 7 child and the child gets on the ride alone, is there a shortcut to the ride exist that the parent is directed to? I'd love to put my kid on some rides by himself but I'm not sure of the logistics of it.

 

[Robo]

If a parent chooses to go through the queue with their over 7 child and the child gets on the ride alone,
1. is there a shortcut to the ride exist that the parent is directed to?
2. I'd love to put my kid on some rides by himself but I'm not sure of the logistics of it.

1. Yes. (Commonly called on this board a "Chicken Exit.")
2. Just tell the CM at loading area that you decided not to ride.
Consider that nobody would be "forced to ride" any attraction at WDW.

 

[MomOTwins]

The first sentence only refers to entering the Theme Park itself at the entry gates. It does not apply to entering attraction queues. That first part was changed in the past few years I believe as before only 7 and over was enforced for park entry.

No--the first sentence just says all children must be supervised, period. It is not limited to park entrance. The second sentence says children under 14 must have an adult at the park entrance. The third sentence says children under 7 cannot board a ride without an adult. I wouldn't be surprised if the first sentence about supervising children was kept intentionally vague as to (1) age of children; and (2) what "supervision" entails because they wanted to give CMs some flexibility to intervene if there is a group of unsupervised kids, tweens or teens acting rowdy.

 

[BrianL]

No--the first sentence just says all children must be supervised, period. It is not limited to park entrance. The second sentence says children under 14 must have an adult at the park entrance. The third sentence says children under 7 cannot board a ride without an adult. I wouldn't be surprised if the first sentence about supervising children was kept intentionally vague as to (1) age of children; and (2) what "supervision" entails because they wanted to give CMs some flexibility to intervene if there is a group of unsupervised kids, tweens or teens acting rowdy.

Okay, I was referring to the second sentence. I think the first sentence has an implied meaning of "Children should be supervised - according to the following rules." If there was more to it they would explicitly state it. Disney generally considers a 7 year old as old enough to navigate the parks reasonably and to board a ride on their own.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Thanks! Maybe just a confused cast member? They ended up asking two other adults who went behind my kids to supervise them and let them on the ride - so now harm done. Just trying to understand for next time.

My DS11 has been riding alone on various rides (Space, EE, TT, etc.) since he turned 7. Sometimes I enter the line with him and then chicken exit. Sometimes I don't. We just took a trip with a friend and her DS11 and the boys stood in line without us and rode a few rides on their own. I think the CM at Pirates may have been confused.