Need advice - tween bringing a friend

[Naglejen]

Hello!

I have a question for those of you who have allowed kids to bring a friend on a DVC trip. How long did you go for, and did you think that amount of time worked?

We usually go to Disney for a little over a week, but my wife worries that will be too long to ask another parent to let us take their kid. Any experiences - good or bad - appreciated

 

[a742246]

If the child is an only child the parents will be more hesitant. The more children they have the less hesitant they will be.
Just remember to understand medical, and parent guidelines and all responsibilities you will have watching someone else’s child.

 

[Sandisw]

We went for 6 days the first time we took someone but they were 14.

 

[cherylmc]

I invited my best friend's 15-year-old son to join us on a trip for 10 days. I told my friend she could stay at my house in LA and have her own vacation while we were at WDW as long as she took care of my two cats. After a couple of weeks of thinking about it, she called me and said:

"I don't know if I can do this. I'm really nervous that something might happen to your cats."

True story.

 

[princesscinderella]

We usually just go for long weekends and have brought friends along. I make sure to get a signed letter stating I can make medical decisions in an emergency and a copy of their insurance card just in case.

 

[heynowirv]

We usually just go for long weekends and have brought friends along. I make sure to get a signed letter stating I can make medical decisions in an emergency and a copy of their insurance card just in case.

smart.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

Hello!

I have a question for those of you who have allowed kids to bring a friend on a DVC trip. How long did you go for, and did you think that amount of time worked?

We usually go to Disney for a little over a week, but my wife worries that will be too long to ask another parent to let us take their kid. Any experiences - good or bad - appreciated

Hi! We just did this for 5 nights. I thought that was a good amount of time. The other child we brought is also 16yo and her parents were completely fine with it. Unfortunately, we could only get a 1-BR villa, so kids were all in the living area which made it a little tough since they like to stay up late, be loud, and sleep in. Next time, definitely doing a 2 BR

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

If the child is an only child the parents will be more hesitant. The more children they have the less hesitant they will be.
Just remember to understand medical, and parent guidelines and all responsibilities you will have watching someone else’s child.

This is so true. The kid we brought is a 3rd child and was 16yo. My younger daughter wanted to bring a friend too, but her friends parents mostly said no

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Good question! How old are the other kids?

 

[Chuck S]

Hello!

I have a question for those of you who have allowed kids to bring a friend on a DVC trip. How long did you go for, and did you think that amount of time worked?

We usually go to Disney for a little over a week, but my wife worries that will be too long to ask another parent to let us take their kid. Any experiences - good or bad - appreciated

Before I'd invite the friend, I'd talk to the parents privately and ask them if they'd be comfortable with it. That way the friend isn't disappointed if the parents say no.

 

[Naglejen]

Good question! How old are the other kids?

The friend would be 12 or 13

 

[Naglejen]

Before I'd invite the friend, I'd talk to the parents privately and ask them if they'd be comfortable with it. That way the friend isn't disappointed if the parents say no.

Definitely! That is kind of why we are trying to figure out the trip length now, so we have an idea of what we are asking them for (we are looking at Aug 2023, so it is a long way away)

 

[Jangles]

Definitely! That is kind of why we are trying to figure out the trip length now, so we have an idea of what we are asking them for (we are looking at Aug 2023, so it is a long way away)

At 13/14 friendships can change quickly. I would be wary of planning too far ahead.

 

[EThomas]

At 13/14 friendships can change quickly. I would be wary of planning too far ahead.

This! I wouldn’t ask a friend a year ahead of time, especially with young teenagers. I’d ask maybe 6 months ahead of time.

We haven’t brought a friend yet, but have brought my niece (12) on vacation before. A week was about the limit before she started getting homesick.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Hi! We just did this for 5 nights. I thought that was a good amount of time. The other child we brought is also 16yo and her parents were completely fine with it. Unfortunately, we could only get a 1-BR villa, so kids were all in the living area which made it a little tough since they like to stay up late, be loud, and sleep in. Next time, definitely doing a 2 BR

I feel like I could make a successful career as a very specific type of resort concierge that people pay to wake up their teenagers in time for rope drop.

 

[Marionnette]

Hello!

I have a question for those of you who have allowed kids to bring a friend on a DVC trip. How long did you go for, and did you think that amount of time worked?

We usually go to Disney for a little over a week, but my wife worries that will be too long to ask another parent to let us take their kid. Any experiences - good or bad - appreciated

Have you vacationed with this child before? Several years ago, our kids were each allowed to invite a friend to stay with us for a week at the Jersey Shore. We're a couple hours away by car so if any emergencies arose the parents could be there pretty quickly.

Well, our daughter's friend (about 14 years old) lasted all of one night before she got homesick and wanted to go home. Her older brother had to do a 4+ hour round trip to retrieve her. Needless to say, he wasn't a happy camper and the girl was never invited on any subsequent trips.

I would make sure that the child is comfortable vacationing with you somewhere close to home before heading off to Disney World with them.

 

[dez1978]

If the child is an only child the parents will be more hesitant. The more children they have the less hesitant they will be.
Just remember to understand medical, and parent guidelines and all responsibilities you will have watching someone else’s child.

As a parent of more than 1 child I agree. Someone, please... Take one of these kids somewhere. I beg you

 

[Bearval]

Hello!

I have a question for those of you who have allowed kids to bring a friend on a DVC trip. How long did you go for, and did you think that amount of time worked?

We usually go to Disney for a little over a week, but my wife worries that will be too long to ask another parent to let us take their kid. Any experiences - good or bad - appreciated

Not to be downer but I wouldn't do it unless DVC is within driving distance in case an emergency pops up. Kids can get hurt, get homesick, have a family emergency back home etc. Sure you can try and cover the medical emergency part with a signed letter and copy of insurance card but that is only going to cover you for first aid. For something like a broken arm ( kids can and do trip and fall) the hospital is going to require a legal guardian and until they show up the hospital is only required to make sure the child is stable. If you ever had a child on a sports team suffer a fracture the parent has to be there.

 

[lfcfan]

Agree to think long and hard about this. Invited my 13 yo family member on our celebratory 10 day universal/disney trip (yes, this is definitely too long.) She was sooo excited and looking forward to the trip, until it got closer and her mom casually told us last minute she (child) was getting hesitant. I tried everything to "let" her back out gracefully, aside from telling her I didn't want her to come, but she refused. She was super homesick (which made us all very sad) and I ended up giving up an evening to get on the phone to change her flight (bad weather made this a struggle), and then my MK morning to uber with her to the airport etc...she was more than willing to fly home solo if it meant getting home. We were all kind of shocked by this, as she is extremely close with us and our child, so you never know. I felt bad for her and bad for us. Not to mention the changes, unused tix, etc cost us a ton.

 

[Best Aunt]

Have you vacationed with this child before?

Beyond that - has this child even been without her family before? Overnight camp? Daycamp with overnight trips? Any kind of school trip or athletic trip?

You don't want this trip to be the first time the child has been away from her family. If the child is extremely prone to homesickness, this is not the time to find out.

(Okay, I'll butt out now. I'm just the Best Aunt, not a parent. But I've seen that some kids spend nights away from their parents at a much earlier age than other kids.)