How old before you let your kids go into the park unsupervised?

[kra623]

Hi,

We're planning a surprise trip to DD for her 12th B-day. We are staying on-site and I was wondering your thoughts about letting her and her friend also 12 travel around the park on their own. They will both going into the 7th grade and my DD has been to Disney three times before.

I was wondering how old your kids were before you let them explore by themselves?

 

[mamaLori05]

Before you make a decision, I think it would be best to discuss this with dd's friends parents. It is one thing if it is just your dd, but since you are adding her friends, you need to make sure it is okay with their parents.

My oldest is almost 5, so I can't say for sure, but right now my feeling is that I would be uncomfortable letting my 12 yr old girl roam the parks unsupervised. That seems young to me. I also would be pretty upset if I though my dd was going with a friend and her parents, and found out she was roaming the parks unsupervised.

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

At 12, I think responsible kids would be OK separating for a ride and meeting up afterwards. I don't know if I'd let them roam the entire park all day by themselves, though. My older two (12 1/2 and 10) will have a cell phone with them and I'm sure there will be times when we may separate briefly so they can ride something and I'll take the younger two on a different, nearby, ride. And I agree that you should talk with the friend's parents about any of these arrangements.

 

[mjkacmom]

I'd check with the parents, but I'd allow my ds12 to go to the parks alone with a friend, and would've let dd13 do it, too. Mine have been walking to school since fourth grade (my oldest was in fourth, ds was in second). By 10 or 11, they're riding bikes all over town, so they are used to being independent. Heck, in fifth grade, they start going out for lunch some days instead of staying in.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I'm taking my DS and a friend this summer for his 11th birthday, so my thoughts are based on where I see them with another year's maturity.

I'd let them go somewhere in the same park, but I wouldn't leave them at a park and go back to the hotel, or let them run across to DHS while I stay at Epcot. I'd probably want pretty regular cell phone contact (maybe every hour), and to know their general plans (e.g. "we're going to go ride Stitch, Buzz and Space Mountain, if we leave that area we'll call you) and to meet up every couple of hours, perhaps for meals.

I've wondered about letting them go the Disneyquest by themselves while I look at the shops in the area - it seems more self contained, and I don't really enjoy it.

 

[iwrbnd]

I let my 13 yr. old son and his friend go off on their own for short amounts last summer. I wasn't worried about THEM but about other guests! They got "a talking to" about leaving their teenage persona behind! Nothing worse than too cool behavior at WDW!

 

[rodeo65]

We're about three years away yet, but I can't see leaving either of my kids alone at a park, especially if I were also responsible for another child not my own. As other posters have said, I think I'd allow them having some time to go explore on their own if we had an agreed meet up time and place and regular cell contact.

I would also not leave the park or let them make their own way there and spend the day.

When I was 14 our family took my best friend with us. My parents really had to sell her mother that it would be safe and we'd be well supervised. We were allowed to go on rides on our own, and walk some distance from my parents as long as they could still see us, but we didn't get to take off on our own. I assume the extreme caution was because of the promise to her mother (and the fact that there were no cell phones way back in the dark ages.)

 

[saraheliz]

i was there the week i celebrated my 13th birthday (many, many moons ago) and my parents let me go into the park by myself one evening. we were staying at the poly, so i could just take the monorail back...but it was in the days before cell phones.

i really think it depends on the kids, etc.

 

[Princess Steph]

I was 14 the year we went to WDW, before cell phones. My parents were celebrating their anniversary and my brother (10) and I were allowed to take the bus from CBR to DTD for a movie. I would let a 12 year old explore WDW but I would not allow them to go to the local carnival. I feel the level of security and the crowd (families vs. teenagers) is different. Just set boundaries:meet here in 3 hours, stay in the park, text right back, etc.

 

[MSSANDRA]

With cell phones, I MIGHT let them do one or two rides alone while you were in the same location. I would not be ok with them roaming the whole park or being done more that an hour at most.

 

[Hannathy]

I would definitely let them be alone in the park. 7th graders go on all kind of field trips and are given even more freedom than that.
I would let them go to the pool or arcade on their own or Disney Quest, but at DQ I would want them to stay in the building not walk around DTD at night.
If they are used to some freedom I would let them ride the bus or monorail from the park to the resort.
I would let them go off away from me at BB or TL and just meet back for lunch at the chair or just to check in at some point in the day.
She'll have a great time with her friend!

 

[goofy's_gurl]

When I was 12 I would never be able to roam the park by myself.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I would definitely let them be alone in the park. 7th graders go on all kind of field trips and are given even more freedom than that.
I would let them go to the pool or arcade on their own or Disney Quest, but at DQ I would want them to stay in the building not walk around DTD at night.
If they are used to some freedom I would let them ride the bus or monorail from the park to the resort.
I would let them go off away from me at BB or TL and just meet back for lunch at the chair or just to check in at some point in the day.
She'll have a great time with her friend!

Wow - you definitely give a 12 year old a lot more freedom than I do. My girls are 12 and 11 and I wouldn't let them go to the parks alone, go to the pool alone and definitely wouldn't let them go to DTD and Disney Quest by themself.

 

[LWatson]

Yeah probably wont do it unless they are like 16. 12 is a little young to be wondering around on their own. I get that they go on field trips, but even then they have chaperons close by. Our 8th grade field trip was over night in Louisville and we were always in groups, BUT we also had an adult w/ us all the time...and we were over 12.

 

[djp0630]

Hmm...I was thinking 13. I went to WDW when I was in 8th grade with a school trip and was allowed to walk around by myself. However, at 12 I was allowed to babysit other people's kids so 12 can be responsible. I would definitely talk to the other parents and meet up for meals, etc. Does she have a cell phone? I would also have her call every few hours to check in.

 

[tinkerbell198530]

I was allowed to go with just friends on my 14th b-day

 

[sjs314]

My two DS never broached the subject of going to the Parks alone when they were young as 12, well first time we went DS #1 was 19 and met up with friends from HS, heading to the parks with them and DS#2 was 18 the year his best freind came with us to WDW and they went to the parks alone. Honestly I think I would worry about a 12 yr old, I know my head was not screwed on too tight at that age

 

[Rosetta89]

I would never let a 12yr old wonder around on their own, maybe a ride or so in the same area as you but that's about it. It isn't based off of just their maturity, but the fact that even though you are in WDW there are thousands of people you don't know and 12 is a little young in my eyes to wonder off alone.

 

[sparklynails23]

As long as you're in the same park, I don't see a problem with letting the 12 year olds run around by themselves, but it really depends on the kid.

 

[SILLYANDI]

My DD12 is very comfortable navigating the world (Disney and the real one) and I would absolutely trust her (and her ability to deal with strangers) in the same park as me, checking in every few hours or so. The middle school choir dumps the busload of them off at Disneyland every year with the "be good and be back to the bus by 7PM" speech & doesn't have a problem with it.
She has travelled extensively including flying alone to visit grandma 6 hrs away and is very responsible and aware of her surroundings.
My DS9 on the other hand-not sure he will be able to do that by the time he is 12. He just doesn't have the same awareness and confidence that DD12 has..maybe he will develop it in a few years. It really does depend on the kid.