How old would your child have to be to be alone at the parks?

[Whosemom]

Alone, alone??? That will be hard. Together? I might let them loose in the same "land" as soon as they ask (not the same park, I'm talking fantasy land or tomorrow land etc). My girls are 11 and 8, and the 11yo is the more timid. So I don't see it coming up for another couple of years.

The boy, I will keep handcuffed to my side until he is 18 and I am no longer legally resposible for his actions. lol.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

On one vacation when I was 15, my sister 13, my brother 10 my mom was seriously ill with a hernia and was stuck at the Poly for most of our vacation. That was 15 years ago well before cellphones and we did just fine on our own. My sister and brother ventured out together a few times while I stayed behind to check on Mom. No problems at all. We had the gold key so meals and snacks were not a problem, we went everywhere and still managed to have a great time without Mom. Looking back it probably wasn't a great idea to let my brother eat at Tony's alone while we ate at Crystal Palace, but he lived.

It just depends on the circumstances and the maturity of your children. I think 2 kids going off together is better than a child roaming around solo unless they are 15 or older.

 

[goofy4tink]

My dd, myself, another mom and her dd all traveled to WDW last Oct for the two girls' 13th birthdays. The birthdays are two days apart. They turned 13. Now, my dd could probably give tours in WDW...she's been going once a year, at least, since she turned 6. This was the trip that I had promised her that she could go off with her friend, alone in the parks. They did this several times...we all had cell phones. The other mom wasn't nearly as at ease with this as I was. One afternoon we had told the girls we would meet them at the flag pole on Main St., at 8:15, and then head over to FtW to do HDDR. Ah, big mistake. I had completely forgotten about Spectro that night. While the other mom paced back and forth, my dd called and told us they were going to be a bit late since the parade had started. (like I didn't know this, I was on Main St.!!!!). About 3 mins later the other mom's phone rang. It was her dd checking in, telling her that 'Katie is taking me through all these stores and I'm not sure where she's going but she seems to know.!' I was so proud...she knew just what to do. And they were only 5 mins late.
So....if you have a plan in place...a place to meet, cell phones, time limits, then the kids that are 13 and up should be fine...especially if they've been to WDW before.

 

[wvnative]

I'd have let the two of them go off alone at Disneyland during our May 05 (8th grade) trip too but it was a school trip and they had to stay in their group.

I took my DD (16) and her BF (15) to Disneyland in October. We stayed together the first couple days, but I think they didn't want to leave me all by myself. On Saturday, my friends who live close by, came to the park to hang out with us. My girls were then able to go off on their own. It's not a huge park and they know where they are going. Oddly enough, they ran to get fast passes and came right back. They stayed with the adults all day. lol

When we go to WDW, she will not be going off on her own. I'm sure she's capable, but she's never been there and it's just the two of us unless her dad and step mom opt to go to.

 

[MHTeacher]

My daughters are 11 and 13. I don't think I'm overly protective, but I don't think I could let them go on their own in WDW. (My 13 year old gets lost just riding around town ) Now...a year ago when we were there, DH and I wanted to ride TofT and they did not. So we bought them a snack, sat them on the bench outside the exit of TofT, and gave them strict instructions to sit there, eat the snack, and not move. There was no wait for the ride, so we rode, came out and they were still there !!

 

[blueroses]

I'm taking a solo trip next week. My mother told me she was worried about me being alone in the parks.

I'm 36.

 

[fAnnF]

When I was 10 my dad would let me go to different rides in the same park alone(although is was 10+ years ago) and then when I was 13 I was allowed to go alone as long as I checked in. My dad made us have 1 meal as a family every 2 days. There was one rule my dad liked that I felt a little annoyed with at first. You had to call or meet to check in 3 times a day and if you didn't then you were stuck with the 3 year old sibling for a day, and other family memebers for the rest of the trip.(no more solo), my brothers were 6+ years younger then me.

 

[cabanafrau]

My daughters are 11 and 13. I don't think I'm overly protective, but I don't think I could let them go on their own in WDW. (My 13 year old gets lost just riding around town ) Now...a year ago when we were there, DH and I wanted to ride TofT and they did not. So we bought them a snack, sat them on the bench outside the exit of TofT, and gave them strict instructions to sit there, eat the snack, and not move. There was no wait for the ride, so we rode, came out and they were still there !!

My girls were too young for it last summer @ 12 & 8, but I'm thinking they may get some freedom in '08 when we're back. I have to laugh when you talk about your DD getting lost riding around town, my eldest DD is very responsible & probably emotionally ready to handle it if I packed her off to college next week -- just don't ask her how to get there. My 8 y.o. will be naive until she's 90, yet she can navigate anywhere -- just don't ever let her get a license! My ride w/ her on the Indy Speedway last summer took years off my life. How can you not steer a car that has a rail guiding it where to go?

 

[diskids2]

I'm taking a solo trip next week. My mother told me she was worried about me being alone in the parks.

I'm 36.

Ok I can feel that........I mean I don't think I'll ever stop worrying.

 

[zulaya]

I have DD10 and DS11. We have let them do rides without us in a different part of the same park. Case in point...they desperately wanted to do Test Track...again...I didn't want to go and DH was hungry. So we gave them a cell phone and told them to call us when they were done. We had lunch in Japan and walked toward TT. Kids called and we told them to walk towards Mexico and we met them there.

Now, my kids are WDW veterans and know their way around VERY well. They both are also responsible. I also don't think they are ready to do a park even by themselves together, much less totally solo. But I am cool with them in the same park as me and not attached at the hip.

It's totally dependent on the individual. My youngest brother...no freakin' way would he be going anywhere by himself, even at 15. The kid can get lost here at home and he's 21. No directional sense if you get my meaning.

Anyhow, I'll judge how much leeway to give me own kids because I know them best. You will know when your kids are ready for the next step. Good luck.

 

[tkd lisa]

My kids are 13 1/2 and almost 15. We live an hour away from Disney and have spent about 30 days there this year. So my answer is probably different than other people.

At this age, I will let my kids (and it would have been 13 for DS and 14 for DD, given their maturity levels) be in the same park with me but not WITH me as long as they have a phone and answer it when I call.

I will let DD (the almost 15 year old) go back to the resort without me, IF it's in walking distance.

I will let both of them stay at the resort (with trips to the food court periodically) or go to the pool by themselves, again with a cell phone at their side.

At this age, I won't let them go to or from a park on a bus without me. I'd be concerned that if there was an accident, it would take too long for me to reach them. And accidents on the bus are a not-remote possibility.

I'd probably let them do this last thing when they are about 16 or so.

One final thing I won't let my kids do. Be in Downtown Disney alone after dark. I think that will be an 18 year old thing for me. It's not as "closed" an environment as the parks, and I'm just more uncomfortable in that situation.

 

[prfctlyximprfct]

I'm 19 and when I went with my friend we'd rather be with our families! However, Disney is not like 6 flags or any other parks we've been too where we have to worry about being hit on or something of the sort!

 

[Mo-Yo]

My kids are still too young - 10, 8 and 6.

But I am a very firm believer that kids need to be given enough freedom and indepedence in small doses as they grow to prepare them for bigger freedoms and tougher decisions as adults.

Kids that live in metropolitan areas take public buses and subways through cities every day...and many kids ship out to college (totally unsupervised) at 18 or 19. Kids can drive at 16 or 17 - much more dangerous than Disney IMHO.

At 19, I went to Switzerland - basically unsupervised - on a college program, and I backpacked through Europe. Kids who had been held too close to their parents' apron strings seemed to definitely to have more problems adjusting that year...and in some cases they made some bad choices.

IMHO, kids need a chance to be able to exercise their wings so they can soar without crashing when they are on their own. A good parent will know what that means for their kids (every one is different)...and I think we should bite our tongues (and I am) when it comes to passing judgment on other's parenting.

As for my own kids, I could see allowing my 13 and 11 year olds some freedom in a park as long as they stuck together. By 16 and 14, I would encourage them to take Disney transportation on their own as an exciting, challenging (and safe) foray into independence under my guidance.

 

[8EONUE8]

We were at the World this past June and let our DD16 and DD14 use the bus system to BB while myself and DW took our DS9 to Epcot. When the finished they called and we met up at MK.

We also let them take their brother with them a few times to give me and DW some alone time (all in the same park). We constantly used cell phones to stay in touch. Don't know if I could do it without them.

Most of the time, the older two wanted to be with me and DW anyway.

We are back to the World in 2 days and I have a feeling that they will want to be on their own a little more.

The oldest has starting driving her own car. If you are struggling with letting them walk around by themselves, wait til the occurs!

 

[DisDarling]

Why are they even alone to begin with? lol Isnt it usually a family trip?

 

[Barb D]

Why are they even alone to begin with? lol Isnt it usually a family trip?

DS15 and DD13 (very responsible kids, and with cell phones) will be free to separate from us in the same park; they have different interests than DD7. But it is a family vacation and we only have a few days, so for the most part we'll be sticking together. If we were going to be there longer, I wouldn't have any problem with them going (together) to another park, as long as they had their cell phones with them.

 

[solgent]

My kids are really reliable. They do things on their own in a limited way around town here. (Example: DD12 forgot something at the YMCA. She went back by herself to get it & caught up with us a few blocks away where we planned to eat lunch.) Same at WDW. I haven't yet let them just go for a period of time, and they haven't asked for that. I'm a lot more familiar with WDW than they are and they want me with them as their guide! They go to do X (such as a particular ride) and then meet up. I've also left the 3 kids "alone" together so that I can wait in line for our food or go to the bathroom or pick up.

 

[MichelleVW]

Why are they even alone to begin with? lol Isnt it usually a family trip?

Because sometimes all that togetherness is too much!!! I love spending time with my children, but sometimes I get tired of standing in line to see Jasmine and would like to go see/do something else. So we spent a few hours apart and everyone is happy.


Don't we have this same discussion about once every month?

 

[cedmonds]

This question can only be answered by the individual parent knowing their child's maturity level etc... There is an illusion of safety in WDW but I think of all places with cell phones and extra security it would be a "safer" place to give your child a little independence then your local mall. My 12 yr old loves to have the opportunity to go in the stores and use his own card to purchase items( one of us is nearby)
we had the opposite experience we go to the parks with our three children
22, 20, and 12. They love being with us. It is my dh and I who beg to go off alone for a few minutes LOL

 

[kjbstore]

Very timely topic for us since we're taking our 15 year old dd and her best friend to DW in November, and we wondered if it's safe and what other parents do. At this time, we plan to let them have some time alone because they will enjoy being together (her bf is from Washington DC and they only see each other once a year and because we'll be celebrating our 25th anniversary and want some time without a teen!). Not sure I will let them go to different parks without us, but certainly in the parks, they can go and enjoy. They are both trustworthy and we all have cell phones.