Legal Question - Age in Room

[Old Swan]

Hi All,

With 40 days left till departure I took the plunge and booked one night at Royal Pacific Resort at Universal to thoroughly indulge us for two action packed days of glorious FOTL access

Theres 5 of us and the rest of the trip will be in a 3 bed villa at Orange Lakes. Myself and DW have no intention of cramming the 5 of us into the room at RPR overnight, instead planning to use it as a crash spot in the afternoon, and then head back to the villa later in the evening. However, DS (16) and DD (18) are keen to stay at RPR by themselves to make the most of it .

We are a little unsure about this. They are both really sensible and I would trust them absolutly 100% to be safe and sensible. It just seems a big step to leave them for that night on their own over there. Rather then just a blanket "NO" I wondered if there was any legislation on an 18 and a 16 year old in a hotel on their own? Would our 18 year old classify as guardian for her brother?

Incidentally - i wouldnt think twice about giving this the go-ahead in the UK. I just dont want to fall foul of the law over there. I've no desire to feature in a Louis Theroux documentary on "Brits in US Custody"

Many thanks for any input!

 

[wilma-bride]

I have a feeling (in fact, Ii am sure I read it somewhere but I cannot honestly remember where) that most FL hotels do not allow under 21s to stay in a hotel room without somebody over the age of 21, expecially if the room has a mini bar.

ETA: Found something on Expedia where it says minimum check=in age is 21 - that would suggest they wouldn't allow under-21s to stay alone in the hotel

http://www.expedia.com/Orlando-Hote...oyal-Pacific-Resort.h856706.Hotel-Information

 

[It'sWDW4me]

I may get flamed for this, but I say let them do it. As long as they behave, nobody would be the wiser that the "adults" aren't in the room with them and they're old enough to know how to get themselves out of the room in the event of an emergency. I assume that you would have cell phones in case they should need to call you and that you would leave them late in the evening and be with them again fairly early the next morning? Of course, I'd walk them to the room with threats of bodily injury (joking and yet not ) if they should act out in my absence.

 

[wayneg]

Its down to the individual hotel some say 18 some say 21 to check in.

Post here about it
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100110190347AA4VCaM

This one suggests HRH is 21 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...QIe_oA9a7hR.;_ylv=3?qid=20091103203951AAkwZKl

As far as I know its to do with the contract you sign at check in, it has to be done buy someone of that age or older, if someone younger then stays in that room the person that signed is responsible for anyone younger.

Another I just found
Q Whats the minimum age to reserve a hotel room in Florida?

A I'm a manager at a hotel in Florida. In this state we're not allowed to refuse lodging to anyone with a valid method of payment. Read: There is no minimum age.

 

[joolz1910]

You know your kids best - if you trust them, I would go for it.

 

[ben1993]

Whilst I think 18 is definitely old enough to be left alone (I'm 17 and went to Florida without any "adults"), I did notice the Universal hotels all have minimum check in ages of 21, although I suspect they wouldn't actually make an issue out of it as long as they had a credit card on file

 

[rpbert1]

21 is what they require at Universal hotels, and someone has to be over 21 staying with them or in an adjoining room. While no one would know if you left them, but if there was something happened unforseen accident at the pool resort or anything, they would get police involved.
It would be down to you , but personally i would not be willing to take the risk.
,

 

[higgy66]

Gee those pesky kids grow up too fast!

When we're out in restaurants - I've only just let mine start going to toilets on their own (well together but without me). I have to be able to see the toilet door from my table and we will have been to that restauarant several times before

I dread the day something like this comes up!!!

In all honesty I can say at 17 and 18 I would have been more than capable and sensible enough to have stayed one night in a hotel but would I let my daughters???

Good luck!

 

[wilma-bride]

When we're out in restaurants - I've only just let mine start going to toilets on their own (well together but without me). I have to be able to see the toilet door from my table and we will have been to that restauarant several times before

lol I'm exactly the same Janet - my DS is only allowed to go to the toilet on his own if we're somewhere he knows and I can see who is ocming/going - and then, if he's in there too long, I send DS in to fetch him. He got really annoyed the other day, when we were at a shopping centre, and I wouldn't let him go in the gents because DH wasn't there.

DD, who is 18, has only stayed on her own in the house twice, for 1 night and 3 nights respectively, and she admitted she absolutely hated it. She was bored rigid when we were away for 3 days - she even did housework because she was so bored

Sorry for going off-topic.

OP, to be honest, my DDs are 17 and 18 but I don't think I would let them stay in a hotel room overnight on their own in a strange place, purely because I would never forgive myself if anything went horribly wrong. And if, as I suggested above, and rpbert1 has confirmed, the policy is that they shouldn't stay in the hotel unless there is somebody over the age of 21, I wouldn't think it's worth the risk.

 

[wicket2005]

I would not leave them as you have to have someone aged 21 in the room. Personally I would stay in the room as a family and take advantage of being let in HP land an hour early the next morning. HP doesn't have an express line.