So before I get blown up, I'm just trying to get some opinions and thoughts.
We have 2 girls ages 15 and 12. They want to be able and walk around the parks together and explore without us on our upcoming trip. We would have a meeting place after a couple hours and see how it goes.
A-- Has anyone done this at that age?
B-- Any issues you see with it?
My daughters were about 12 when I started letting them go exploring a little on their own....I'd usually find a quiet place to sit and relax and they'd go off for an hour and report back in....then usually another hour, etc. My kids knew their way around the park without a map, knew alternate routes, and are very outgoing in personality. By the time they were 14 (which is the minimum age that kids are supposed to be in the parks alone), I was dropping them off and returning to our rental home to get some work done.
You know your kids best......I was lucky that they are twins so same age, get along a little better than average siblings (most of the time, lol). They had a single phone with them, but honestly it can sometimes be very difficult for them to hear their phone, and of course they can't answer when they're ON a ride, so I don't panic if I call/text and don't get an immediate response, but they have made it a habit to check the phone each time they get off a ride......so worst case scenario I may have waited 30-45 minutes while they were in line and not able to hear the phone then rode and checked. First couple times I will admit to a bit of nervous......but require some basics from them:
1. Check phone often (if they tend to wander and not do ride after ride, our method of "check when you get off rides" may not work, so find something that consistently works with their tour style.
2. Our rule until they were probably 15 or 16 was they MUST stick together....I told them if I ever found out they weren't together that would end this time alone......and I stuck to it the time I found out one didn't want to ride ToT and the other did, so one sat outside and waited while the other rode. They had some logic about they were still "together" at ToT, not like they were at different sides of the park. It didn't feel like a big deal by that time, but I had to make an example, so the rest of our trip, no solo. But, it was on the next trip a few months later that they now both had phones and and we allowed separation. MUST stay in same park though.
3. Be sure they are well versed in the stranger danger ideas....my girls are homeschooled, so obviously they hadn't had this drilled into them every year in school, but they knew that if anyone was bothering them to seek out a CM, even if it meant leaving a line for a ride. If someone does try to "take" them, yell about it.....there are so many people around, attract attention. I can say that in all our years now of doing this (the girls will be 19 this summer) they have never had someone bother them....annoying people yes, but not bothering them, bullying, creepy or otherwise.
4. Set up a meeting place if they do become separated.....I have one that stops to look at things on a whim and even now can't remember to say "hey guys, wait I want to look at this".....so the rule for solo was as soon as you realized the other was not in the immediate area, head to "the spot".....we had a spot for each park and it still has never changed, so you would never forget, lol. 10 minutes without connecting was a required call to mom. I think I drilled this in a little too much, because for a while I got calls if they separated for minutes, lol.
Yes, "bad" things can happen even at Disney, and it has a few times, but I only recall it being very young children. Before children, I worked in the legal field.....and the statistics are very clear that in crowded places, the only "safe" target is little kids that will willingly come with you or can be picked up and run with. That doesn't automatically make older children safe, but they tend to be taken in a snatch and escape by vehicle method, rarely or never with more than 1 or 2 others with them.....the bad guys don't want a fight nor do they want older kids smart enough to remember the license plate, their description etc. Disney is much safer than the local park, mall or walking home from school. According to several CMs that I have spoken to over the years, they are taught to watch at the exits for problems......and how to tell the difference between "I don't want to leave the parks" and "He's taking me".
The VERY first time I let them go alone......yep, I followed along for a while. To my knowledge they never knew, but it wasn't about not trusting them, it was about my need to know I had made the right decision. When I saw they were doing exactly what we'd talked about it was much easier to relax.
If you're nervous, start small.....for your peace of mind and their adjusting to independence........you wait outside the ride and let them go through the line and ride themselves. Talk about it.....did they feel nervous, did anyone bother them, etc. If all went well, let them go on a couple rides while you wait at a CS.
Good luck ....I think "I" had more problems with this in the beginning....
