How old for Park Touring Alone ??

[clm3]

What age do you all let your kiddo's go to the parks alone? I am so paranoid, but my DS who will be 15 when we go says he is more than capable of handling himself and my DS10. I told him its under consideration, maybe with a cell phone to contact us ?? We would be at an onsite hotel for transportation, but its still SO SCARY to let them go !!!!!!

 

[WAHMto5]

I think it is a personal prefrence and depends on the child. This December trip will be the first time we are letting our older 2 go by themselves, they are 17(ds) & 14(dd).

 

[_pretty_pixie]

What age do you all let your kiddo's go to the parks alone? I am so paranoid, but my DS who will be 15 when we go says he is more than capable of handling himself and my DS10. I told him its under consideration, maybe with a cell phone to contact us ?? We would be at an onsite hotel for transportation, but its still SO SCARY to let them go !!!!!!

I total think it depends on how responsible your child is. I think if you say yes then cell phones or walkie talkies are a must. Also a good way to be sure your kids are doing ok is to give them water bottles for the park and then agree to meet for lunch some place, trust me when they get hungery and they have no money they will be very happy to see mom and dad again. Also they are more likely to stay with you longer to get gifts in the park if you are the one with all the money. Yes I have done this before with my 16 year old sister and it worked like a charm.

 

[Elfstar]

On a Keys to the Kingdom Tour (which I absolutely recommend), I asked the tour guide that question ( my child is grown but the subject of park safety came up and it just seemed a logical question to ask) - his answer was that any responsible child of 12 and up would be fine touring without the parents - especially if there are two or more together. And the cell phone is a great idea to stay in touch throughout the day.

 

[bianca]

Our girls are 16 and 14 and have been touring by themselves (on occasion) for 2 years now. They still prefer being with us, but on the rare occasion that DH and I are doing something that they consider "boring", they head off by themselves. With that said, they also have about 30 WDW trips under their belt and know the place every bit as good (and perhaps better) as their own neighborhood. I think it is really a personal call, as only you know your child/ren. The cell phone does work as an additional tool, though.

 

[bjakmom]

We have allowed our kids to tour my themselves in 'steps'. At 11/12 we let DS go the arcade and boardwalk shops by himself for short periods - always with walkie/talkies and now with cell phone - in the evening we would keep tabs on him from our balcony. At 13/14 we would separate in the same park and meet up for meals or special rides. Last year on his 16th he took a buddy and we felt fully confident to let them travel to and from the parks by themselves. We knew from past trips that he knew how to handle himself in crowds, etc and we kept in touch with the cell phone - we even let them go to CityWalk and DTD by themselves one evening each. He is a musician and is used to maneuvering clubs, etc on his own and we kept in close touch by phone - they always had to call us and let us know when they were on their way back to the room, so we always knew when they were 'in transit'. I wouldn't hesitate to allow a 15 yo and 10 yo to be off in the same park we were in by themselves and maybe leave a bit before them and see how they do getting back to the hotel by themselves. My next 'parental challenge' is going to be sending him off to college at a major city university !

 

[littleprissboutique]

I am a mommy now to a dd ( will be three this weekend ) I see these ages on here and start to panic.... LOL... I dont want her to grow up.....!!!

But truth is--- When I went with my band group in high school I was 15 and not by much... ----I cant believe my parents let me go.... They stayed here in Tennessee..... At that time I thought I was just the coolest thing.....

We did have supers with us, but we were allowed to go walk around the parks all day by our self. We had to meet at the front entrance at 10 pm..... I was touring with a friend. SO there was two of us, both 15. We were there in March that year, and crowds were kinda heavy. We all came home safe, and had no problems. None of us had cell phones, but I think that is a great idea.....