Enforcement of 14 yr old restriction

[mom2rtk]

They would only have to be 7 to meet Mickey alone, did they really look THAT young?? I would have been annoyed too, lol!

They still aren't allowed in the park without someone older if one of them isn't 14.

 

[Jfsag123]

They would only have to be 7 to meet Mickey alone, did they really look THAT young?? I would have been annoyed too, lol!

This was going to be my comment. I think the CM might need a little bit of retraining on the park rules. Poor girls.

I know, just reporting what I saw.

They still aren't allowed in the park without someone older if one of them isn't 14.

This. I'm pretty sure her plan was to ask them if their parents were around if they had said they were younger than 14. She also mentioned that she has found kids alone 13 and much younger on a regular basis.

 

[Pixie Dust ✨]

This. I'm pretty sure her plan was to ask them if their parents were around if they had said they were younger than 14. She also mentioned that she has found kids alone 13 and much younger on a regular basis.

They would only need their parents to get into the park if they were under 14. Once in the park, they're free to do as they wish, so I do think it's odd to question them as teenagers. Their parents very well could have gone back to the resort, but they would still be allowed to stay. There's no rule that says they can't be alone in the park.

 

[11290]

They would only have to be 7 to meet Mickey alone, did they really look THAT young?? I would have been annoyed too, lol!

This was going to be my comment. I think the CM might need a little bit of retraining on the park rules. Poor girls.

Sorry but the CM (actually could have been me doing the asking as I have been in this situation before) was correct and does not need "retraining". Park rules and TST meet & greets, in addition to other attractions, require anyone under the age of 14 to be accompanied by either an "adult" or a person 14 or older. (item "f" in the General Park Rules)

 

[gtpoohbear]

Sorry but the CM (actually could have been me doing the asking as I have been in this situation before) was correct and does not need "retraining". Park rules and TST meet & greets, in addition to other attractions, require anyone under the age of 14 to be accompanied by either an "adult" or a person 14 or older. (item "f" in the General Park Rules)

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

Actually item f is pretty clear that only kids under 7 need to be accompanied, which is exactly how we have personally seen the rule enforced for the last couple of years. Does sound like some training refreshing is needed!

 

[Pixie Dust ✨]

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

Actually item f is pretty clear that only kids under 7 need to be accompanied, which is exactly how we have personally seen the rule enforced for the last couple of years. Does sound like some training refreshing is needed!

It specifically says "to enter," not "to enjoy an attraction" or "at all times." In fact, the attraction rules are stated outright. (re: ages 7-13)

 

[bookgirl]

On our last trip we were there at rope drop and followed 2 boys right to Splash. Once we got there the boys talked about how their mom/aunts let them come to rope drop without them so the ladies could get a sleep in. They were NO MORE THAN 10 (I out DD was 8 at the time and they were not far off from her...). Annoying little buggers, just talkers and yellers on the ride and trying to high-five every castmember they saw. They were let in easily at the get and none of the Splash castmembers batted an eye at them.
For what it is worth...

Well splash wouldn't ask you only have to be 8 to ride alone with out an adult, they don't even have to have the parent in the queue with them to ride so the CMs wouldn't intervene. It's at the gate that they should have been stopped for being too young, that's where the 14 limit comes into play.

 

[KristinU]

We are here now and I thought I'd report in that this morning DS and his friend, both pretty beefy 12 year olds, were told they had to wait for us to enter at MK. We went for rope drop. DH and I needed to make a restroom stop, and remembering this thread I thought we'd give it a try and see if they could enter without us. No dice, but I would expect that it differs among the various cast members.

FWIW, the CM didn't ask their ages, just told them they had to enter with an adult.

Once in the park, they've had no problem on the different attractions, though. They are enjoying the relative freedom and are enjoying making friends with cast members at the attractions.

 

[famy27]

Right after Disney raised the age to 14 we tested it with our then 13-year-old. We hung back as she walked up by herself and went in at all 4 parks, no questions asked.

As others have mentioned, the reason why Disney changed it to 14 was because they had parents out in DL using it as daycare. I think if your child is middle school aged and doesn't cause issues they would never be questioned. If they go in and act unruly, Disney wants the right to kick them out.

Since we tested it, I haven't thought of it, but last October, my DD 12, went through bag check. I just walked through to the gate at HS. We were no where near each other and no one stopped her with her magic band, that I think still says she is 10! As a family we rarely go through the same gate, everyone wants to see who can pick the best line!

My younger DD won't be 14 until she is in High School, I personally feel the age Disney set is a little too high, but I don't think they enforce it unless there is a reason to.

It's interesting you mention bag check. I didn't even think about this. My older DD, who was 9 at the time, repeatedly went through the "no bag" line while the rest of us waited for bag check. Nobody said a word to her about it. She went in through the tapstiles by herself twice, and we met up with her once we'd all gone through the lines. She was never stopped or asked her age, and she clearly looks under 14. Now, we were actually there together, but CMs wouldn't have seen us or known she had adults with her. I never even thought about the 14 requirement. Interesting.

 

[Ava]

On our last trip in 2014 my DD were 12 & 5. Our girls wanted to ride the Little Mermaid ride together but the CM asked my DD how old she was and then wouldn't let them ride together because she wasn't 14.

Were you going to ride as well and just sit in a different car? Or were they trying to enter the ride queue by themselves?

This is the one part of Disney's age policies that I think is too strict. Requiring every child under age 7 to be seated next to an adult on attractions makes it impossible for a single adult with more than one child under 7 to experience any attractions that only seat 2 people per row. Most 5-6-year-olds would be perfectly fine on Dumbo, Barnstormer, etc with their parent & younger sibling sitting in the adjacent row/car, but Disney will not allow this. So the parent either has to find a family with more adults than children and ask a stranger to sit next to their child, or the whole family can't ride.

 

[HM2012Butler]

But since 10 years old is old enough to ride by themselves, why would the CMs have asked if they were in the park by themselves? I'm sure they just assumed the parents were nearby and just didn't want to ride.

This is what I would have assumed

 

[Samdari]

I think the easier way would be at the gate if they see unaccompanied kids they could ask their age and if they have MB they could scan that the age is usually in MDE.

This represents no enforcement. Ages in MDE are entered by the patrons themselves. Using this to enforce age restrictions is like enforcing drinking ages with driver's licenses obtained by the applicants filling out their paperwork without documentation.

 

[maxiesmom]

This represents no enforcement. Ages in MDE are entered by the patrons themselves. Using this to enforce age restrictions is like enforcing drinking ages with driver's licenses obtained by the applicants filling out their paperwork without documentation.

Except that once you have stayed at a Disney resort, they have your age in their computer system. I know not everyone stays on site, but that would stop a large number of people trying to fudge an age.

 

[baler31]

Except that once you have stayed at a Disney resort, they have your age in their computer system. I know not everyone stays on site, but that would stop a large number of people trying to fudge an age.

You can change the age. Many people do this to age up kids for the adult dining plan. Just means you have to pay for adult tickets as well.

 

[Samdari]

You can change the age. Many people do this to age up kids for the adult dining plan. Just means you have to pay for adult tickets as well.

Yup,

Just changed them for my kids, in fact. Since I entered ages, not birthdays, they were the same as I had entered them 3 years ago.

 

[bumbershoot]

Yep, Gavin DeBecker's books were a real eye-opener for me!

Also, my boy was taller than me at 11, too (Edit: I'm 5'8" and he hit 5'10" that year). I remember feeling ridiculous, looking up at him telling him what he could and couldn't do. I can't imagine anyone would have questioned his age, if he'd gone to the Magic Kingdom alone.

He topped out at 6'3'' a few years later.

Wow. I'm only 5'4" so now I feel like ds is shrimpy compared to your ds at 11.

This thread reminds me of a story a friend told me from several years ago, before cell phones, and children with cell phones, were so common. She was working at Sea World and at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon the security department ended up with a five-year-old boy. Evidently his family was going to Universal that day, and he didn't want to go to Universal. So, they bought him a ticket to Sea World and dropped him off at 9 o'clock in the morning with some lunch money. Child made it five hours on his own, but then I guess got lonely or tired and asked employee for help. The parents finally returned at 7 o'clock at night to pick him up. The sheriff was called, but the park didn't have any choice but to just wait for the parents to show back up again.

Now THAT makes me ill.

We were standing in line waiting to meet Mickey and there were a couple of teens in front of us. A CM asked them their ages. I think they were like 16 or so and looked a little annoyed to be asked. Once they headed in to the room to meet Mickey, the CM turned to us and said "if they look young and are alone, I always ask!"

But there was no reason for her to ask. Makes no sense.

Sorry but the CM (actually could have been me doing the asking as I have been in this situation before) was correct and does not need "retraining". Park rules and TST meet & greets, in addition to other attractions, require anyone under the age of 14 to be accompanied by either an "adult" or a person 14 or older. (item "f" in the General Park Rules)

Nope. 14 to enter. 7 to do attractions etc. That's what the rules clearly state.

Except that once you have stayed at a Disney resort, they have your age in their computer system. I know not everyone stays on site, but that would stop a large number of people trying to fudge an age.

You don't have to stick with that profile. First MDE profile for DS I entered his age and it stuck. Next time I made a new profile and entered birthdate so it changed with him. I ended up having tech support merge them so all of his mbs would be under the same profile. But if I didn't care about that I could create a new profile next time that says he's a totally different age.

And that's why mbs don't work as ID/proof of age.

 

[gel_erp]

This past february my daughter and niece rode the 7DMT together. They were asked their age and then allowed to go together with no ploblem. (there were adults in the group). They were 7 and 8 at the time. One is 53 inches tall and the other 43 inches. ( she looks 5 unless you notice her adult teeth)

 

[Xennia]

I was wondering what, if any, expience people have had with enforcement of the 14yr old age restriction at WDW? We are going in a couple weeks staying at the Poly, and was thinking about letting our 13 yrs old daughter and 10 yr old son take the monorail over themselves on occasion.

Before I get flamed, I am not asking if people think that's too young, I do not considering what I know their maturity level to be. I am just wondering if anyone has experienced ages being checked or entry being questioned/denied due to age?

Thanks!

I was that girl. I was 12 years old and responsible. And I checked in. Most helicopter moms will blast you but you know your child.

 

[gorkt]

I have a quick question. My dd will be 14 on our next trip. Does that mean she could bring my 12 year old with her into the park without us?

 

[bumbershoot]

I have a quick question. My dd will be 14 on our next trip. Does that mean she could bring my 12 year old with her into the park without us?

Yes.