Kids on their own in the parks? What age?

[D C]

For those with "older" kids, at what age would you (or have you) felt comfortable letting your kids take on the parks on their own?

My son will be 15 this trip, my daughter 9. They've each been to WDW many times and know it all like the back of their hand. They know how to act and I see no reason why I should hesitate to let the two of them explore a park while we do something else either at the same park (or maybe the hotel if we were talking Epcot while we're staying at Boardwalk or somewhere close).

Not to mention, they both know that if one did something wrong, the other would jump at the chance to get them in trouble for it!

 

[grandmadebby]

I would think 15 would be an ok age but 9 is fairly young IMO. It is pretty easy to get lost in those crowds or side tracked looking at something while your group wanders off. Parents are much more in tune to watching out for young ones but a 15 year old, again IMO, that is alot of responsibility for them. Of course I don't know your children at all and could be way off base here.

 

[cassandrap83]

I think your kids, together are plenty old enough!

I was 13 when we went on a trip in HS for marching band, and I hadn't been there since I was 4yrs old. I did perfectly fine.

Give the kids a cell phone, a hotel key, and send them on their merry way.

 

[PirateKate]

I cannot give a parent's perspective on this, as my two boys have not yet gone to the parks alone. I will say, that when I was fourteen and my brother was fifteen, my parents let us go to MGM by ourselves on New Years Eve, and it was one of the best times I ever had. My brother was really nice to me the whole night. He even bought me a Tigger watch. I would think that your fifteen year old would do a really good job of looking out for his sister, if it was just the two of them at Disney.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I think a 15 year old would be fine in the same park as you but it depends on the relationship between the two if I would allow him to take his little sisiter. Will she obey him? Can he remain in control even if he gets mad at her?? Does he babysit at home??

I would be ok leaving them in the room while you and DH had a nice dinner out near by.

 

[lucyem]

Only you can tell if they are mature enough to do this. Maybe start off with them having time on their own in the same park as you. Make sure both have your contact info, or better yet each have a cell phone, in case they get split up for some reason.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I would be OK with my DS14 and DS11 exploring the park, although we do tend to stick together on vacations. They've been enough times that they can navigate easily. I don't think I would let them take DD7 with them though as she has a tendency to get distracted and I would be afraid she'd inadvertently wander away. I'd say it depends on their relationship and how responsible they each are.

 

[perpetualplanner]

We just returned from our trip and for the first time (and also the first time they requested) we let DS14 and DS11 go off by themselves. They wanted to hang in Innoventions and DH and I wandered the World Showcase. Older DS had his cell phone and it went smoothly. The boys even commented on how "cool" it was to be able to go off by themselves.

I would just want to make sure you had some way to communicate with them should you need to meet up early or they don't arrive at the designated time/place.

 

[NewCrew42]

My kids are DD12 and DS15. DS is usually my fast pass volunteer and picks up fast passes for us. I would be comfortable with him doing things alone. He is a big guy and could certainly take care of himself. I would let he and DD go off together in a park that I am in together.

DD just got back from a church trip to Silver Dollar City. The kids were allowed to wander the park with their group of 2 or 3 kids.

That being said, I just can't imagine me allowing my dd to wander alone or to go get our fast passes. She gets easily distracted. Like oh a parade, I think I'll watch this for awhile. Completely forgetting that we are waiting for her.

So, I think it depends on the kid.

You know there are adults that are more responsible about meeting up with you. Same thing.

 

[nchulka]

Your kids are old enough My kids are 6 and 8 and I let them go ride things by themselves at Six Flags. We have had season passes for years and go every 2 weeks or so all summer every summer. I have no problem splitting up and riding 1 ride with 1 kid and letting the other ride something nearby. We stay pretty close, they're not old enough to let them go for 2-3 hours at a time and then meet back up. I actually trust my 6 year old more than my 8 year old, they are both very responsible and would not get into any trouble, but my 8 year old has no sense of direction I have to tell her to stay with her brother, he knows where he's going Have a great trip and enjoy the time alone without the kids, they'll have a great time exploring on their own. I find with my own kids that the more freedom I give them the more responsible they are

 

[mickey&minniealways]

15 not a problem. 9 I would really have to think twice on that one. When DD was 9 she would be more likely to get stuborn about not wanting to do something that her DB wanted to do and would refuse to move an inch. Then comes the phone call. " Mom she's refusing to do anything she's just standing there. " I would think this through very carefully. Now somehow everytime we go to WDW we run into someone we know and DS's have been taking off with friends since they were 13 as long as we were in the same park. When one of them turned 15 they got to go where they wanted. With a 9yr old though and the amount of people who go into the parks. At 15 you have raging hormones and are easily distracted by a pretty face. Ben there done that. As responsible as they may be its something to keep in mind.

 

[AZMermaid]

I think at 15 and 9, they are old enough- providing your 15 year old is the type to look after his sister. I would say he is more likely to stick with her at WDW than the local mall, because he won't run into people he knows and get distracted. You could start with one ride while you and DH wait in a shop or another ride in the same land. Then give them free reign in a certain area of the park for a couple hours and see how they do. If all goes well, I see no reason that they can't supervise themselves in the park. Like a pp said, make sure they both have cells- just in case!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Your kids are old enough My kids are 6 and 8 and I let them go ride things by themselves at Six Flags. We have had season passes for years and go every 2 weeks or so all summer every summer. I have no problem splitting up and riding 1 ride with 1 kid and letting the other ride something nearby. We stay pretty close, they're not old enough to let them go for 2-3 hours at a time and then meet back up. I actually trust my 6 year old more than my 8 year old, they are both very responsible and would not get into any trouble, but my 8 year old has no sense of direction I have to tell her to stay with her brother, he knows where he's going Have a great trip and enjoy the time alone without the kids, they'll have a great time exploring on their own. I find with my own kids that the more freedom I give them the more responsible they are

I can't imagine splitting up with kids 6 and 8 especially at a Six Flags. I think you're playing with fire.

 

[momofrrr]

I think that it would be fine. We have not done that until this visit simply because we have always wanted to do the same things.

 

[D C]

At 15 you have raging hormones and are easily distracted by a pretty face. Ben there done that. As responsible as they may be its something to keep in mind.

So you're saying that DS15 and DD9 might both end up in line to see the princesses, but with different motives?

 

[gigi1313]

i think it totally depends on the kids... only you know if your kids could handle it... it also depends on how much independence you are planning to give them (i.e. have them go do rides and quickservice lunch while you enjoy a slower TS lunch in the same park? or leave you at the resort and spend the entire day at the park, taking buses, etc?)

my kids went off on their own for a ride or two (i.e. they went on big thunder and splash while dh and i waited for tom sawyer's island to open) at ages 11 and 9... they left us at rose & crown while they went on a few rides in futureworld at ages 11 and 13... they left the park and went back to the hotel (w/friends, also teens) at ages 12 and 14... at 13 and 15 we are planning on letting them sleep in and meet us at MK one morning while we take the little guy (now 2yo) to b'fast at CP...

so, 15 and 9, would i let them go off on their own... yes, w/in reason, and probably a little bit at a time, giving more and more freedom as it is demonstrated that they can handle it...

 

[cheshireqt]

So you're saying that DS15 and DD9 might both end up in line to see the princesses, but with different motives?

You made me laugh. Thank you!

A pp said it, depends on your kids and how they interact. With cell phones for EACH kid in hand you can minimize some of the anxiety of letting them go it alone.
The story I have to tell is this: My mother is remarried to a wonderful man. He has younger kids (than me or my sibs) from a previous marriage. Anyway some years back his ex made a big tadoo about taking the kids to disney. What she did was drop my stepbro and stepsis off at MK for the day, they were 14 and 9, while she and her new hunnybunch went off to do something else for the day. Stepsis says that stepbro ran off on her as soon as they entered the park, with all the $. She was totally alone all day with no food or drink for the day. When she told me the story some years later my heart broke for her. Stepbro had a few issues, so not saying your son would do that, but each kid having a cell would still be a wonderful thing if anything were to go south!

 

[Syrreal]

I was 10 and my brother 9 when we were first allowed to hang out by ourselves (with designated check in times and met up for dinner. It was a lot of fun because it was just enough freedom that we felt "grown up" and acted that way.

 

[Bethany2008]

As long as they have a good relationship, I think they should be fine. One of the big reasons I can see a problem is if they get into a fight or disagreement (sayy... over a ride or attraction? lol).

One thing you could do is plan ahead and talk to them about what THEIR plan is. Where they are going to go first, what rides they want to do... ect. It might be fun for them to be able to make the decisions.. then they will have a plan and they wont get there and find out one was planning on spending the time HERE... and the other THERE.
The minute one of them gets upset, THAT is when they wont care about the other and take off.
ALSO If you are planning a time to meet up again, make sure to set an alarm on the phone for the time when they need to head to the meeting spot. Even *I* have a hard time keeping track of time in the world

 

[NHdisneylover]

As others have said, it depends on the kids. My own did short stints "alone together" when they were as young as 7 and 9. That would have been doing something like going to ride the teacups (and planning on getting off and just getting back in line again and again--they never get sick of spinning) while DH and I rode Splash (with a fast pass) or grabbed a coffee, etc.
We like to spend time together at the parks so we have never split up for more than a couple of hours--usually with the kids being together when they do, or DD with her friend. But now (at 13 and 11) I would let them spend most of the day alone in a park if they wanted to. DD did spend about 2 hours on her own in Disney Studios Paris last year (she was 12) because she did not want to ride Crush's Coaster again and the wait for that is brutal. She saw a couple of shows and had a nice time.

I do like to be sure they have their cells. I also make sure they put them on vibrate and know not to answer during a ride or attraction--just call me back as soon as it is over. I try not to worry even if it takes 30 minutes to hear back--some of the shows are long and if you call just when it is starting that can be the normal time frame. I imagine you could get around this issue with texting though.