Teen Paents..Freedom For 1st Timers Guidance Needed

[Girls Scout Leader]

I will be arriving in June with my Girl Scout Troop. This is the roster:

Mom #1 (me) + 15yr old (2nd time to WDW)
Mom #2 + 16 yr old (cna't really remember the 1st time)
Mom #3 + 14 & 16 yr olds ( 1/2 day in Magic Kindom in the past only)
Aunt + 15 yr old (Magic Kingdom in the past only..can't see what the big deal is. Only saw a "amusement park".
Extra 16 yr old that will probabally end up with me. Never been out of the state before.

mom #2 is very rpotective. I was in Walmart with our two daughters last weekend and her DD was shocked that i just let them go off by themselves.

What I guess I need assurance on is it ok to let the girls go off by themselves during the day? We are cosnidering two-way radios for those who do not have cells, perhaps makingt he rule that they have to stay in the park that thier chaperone is in? Buddy system and all that. What would you do?

this is such a diverse group... from a world traveler to a girl who has never been to any kind of park before and never been out of Michigan. Three out of six girls have never flown before. 4 of them have never seen a water park. ( we will be having 5 day unlimited park hoppers.) This is going to be some trip. Glad that I was there for 5 days in 2000.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[donac]

We let our sons go by themselves for the first time this summer. My oldest is 18 and my youngest is 13. The rule was that they had to stay in the same park. It worked out okay. We ran into them a couple of times and we had set times they were to meet us. My sons are very prompt.(this comes from a band director whose comments about time include "If you are 15 minutes early you are on time. If you are on time you are late.)

With a group that has never bee, you might end up hangin together. If one person knows the lay of the land the others will probably just follow along. A lot of people could care less about looking at maps and planning their days.

Dona

 

[Girls Scout Leader]

Ok, that is kinda what I was thinking. Mom #3 has refused to take a look at my Birnbaum's or the videos from WDW and thinks she will jsut sit in the shade and smoke while the kids ride rides and that's all there is to it, like our county fair.

I have list of REQUIRED things that each girl must bring and a water proof watch is one of them. Started this list a year ago, so no excuses. Some said they do not like to wear a watch, so I said they can wear it on their ankle, in thier pocket or around thier neck for all I care, they just must have one with em at all times!

Any other suggestions?

 

[tjmw2727]

My neices were allowed some freedom last spring and at 14 and 15 they did well. We all stayed at the same park, met for meals and at set times like for parades and shows but other than that they enjoyed their freedom.

I have to ask - not a watch wearer myself, why does each girl have to have a watch and why waterproof?

I do think with a group that large you may want to keep an open mind and in addition to letting the girls go alone you may want (Need!) to split up as families or mother & daughter groups as well. We traveled with my dh's brothers and had a wonderful time but it was nice to have family time as well.

If you all have different expectations (and it def sounds like you do) you may be stting yourself up for trouble if you try to hard to make it a trip of a lifetime for everyone. Some of our family were early risers or wanted to hit fantasyland first thing. Others were taking more of a vacation and would sleep in or swim and hit the parks later. We just arranged a time and place each morning to touch base and plan the rest of the day.

TJ

 

[Mic]

We routinely let our 15 and 13-year-old daughters hang together in the same park as us, but not WITH us. We meet up for lunch, and have a set time we will be leaving the park to go back to the room. Occassionally, we have been ready to leave MGM or Epcot before them, and let them stay as long as they called us on the cell regularly. We were staying at the Boardwalk, so they could walk back to the room or take a boat. We've never had a problem. 2 years ago, we let the oldest and 3 other 14-year-olds take a bus from AK back to OKW, and that was fine, too, but it was during the day. Not sure if I would do it at night. Since no girls had a cell phone then, we gave everyone a 2-way radio, and insisted they all 4 stay together, even going to the bathroom(and they ended up mad at the girl with the weak bladder by the second day, but that's another story). While at Epcot, a CM called us on the radios to tell us how wonderfully behaved the girls were being, and I was glad the girls were interacting with other people. We're getting ready to do the same type of trip for second daughter's 14th birthday in a few months, and the girls from the original trip(who are now 15 and 16) are begging to go back! As long as the number 1 rule is "Stay Together", I think your girls are old enough to do this. While on a mother/daughter trip a few years ago with my neighbor, she and I had lunch at Chef's de France while the girls(ages 11,12,12) ate hamburgers in America. They had fun with the living statue while waiting for us outside the restaurant in France(we took some great photos). Perhaps you Moms and Aunt can do something like this the first day, giving them a few hours together to see how it goes.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by tjmw2727
I have to ask - not a watch wearer myself, why does each girl have to have a watch and why waterproof?

It's hard to set a meeting place and time if not everyone has a watch. There are clocks all around WDW, of course, but much easier if everyone can synchronize their watches at the beginning of the day. As for waterproof .... so that if you're on Splash Mountain or Kali, or if it rains, or if you're at a waterpark, your watch doesn't become waterlogged and useless!

(I'm not the OP, and I'm only guessing, but it seemed pretty logical! )

 

[tjmw2727]

Ok - gotcha on the watch but I am thinking with a cellphone, carabener or even a digital clip on (what I have) there are plenty of ways to keep time. I just took interest in the "waterproof" watch requirement! I guess I think that just having a set of guidelines would be enough and if the girls are indeed responsible enough to go off alone they can figure out how to meet at a specific time. Can you tell I don't like to have a wristwatch?

TJ

 

[Mad4Dizne]

Traveling at Walt Disney World is like traveling in any large City. If you would feel comfortable with the arrangements you have in say New York City or Boston, I say it will work. If not, I say err on the side of caution and have more group or escorted activities.

Have a good trip!!!!

 

[Girls Scout Leader]

That's it exactally about the watch. Water is everwhere, so a dead watch is no excuse. Other time pieces that you mentioned are fine...like i said they can have it in thier pocket, as long as they cannot use "I didn't know what time it was" as an excuse to hold up the crew somewhere.

I do NOT want to try to keep the whole group together. What a nightmare. We have smokers, non-smokers, "Commando Nikkis" in training and morning slugs, big eaters and birds, swim team captains and non-swimmers, fearless ones and ones who have never been on anything bigger than the county fair rides.

My service unit director told me we should be all in a group because we are "all scouts together". Who is she kidding?

 

[zurgswife]

If you have any chance of borrowing (or maybe you already own) 2way radios...this is the best way to keep in touch...

 

[NotUrsula]

"Traveling at Walt Disney World is like traveling in any large City."

That could not be further from the truth. WDW is a contained environment. Transportation provided within it does not run outside of it, and there are no "bad neighborhoods" to accidentally get stranded in. In addition, when you are talking about the theme parks, you are talking about facilities with walls, gates, and a rather expensive price of admission; it keeps crime opportunities WAY lower than they would be in an ordinary city (the exception being pickpocketing, but even that is less prevalent inside theme parks than it would be in a real city. It takes an initial investment to go into the pickpocket business inside a theme park.)

While it is rather easy for the inexperienced to get confused about locations within WDW, or even within a theme park, it really is not very easy to really get truly *lost* at WDW. Any CM can put a child in touch with someone who can make sure that she gets reunited with the proper adults, all the child has to do is ask.

I think that the OP is more likely to have to deal with confusion on the part of the Moms than the girls. The natural curiousity of teens is going to have them checking over park maps to see what cool stuff is available, and they are usually still in the habit of respecting geographic limits, especially if they are suburban kids. The Moms are far more likely to decide to go offsite for lunch or to an outlet mall and then end up halfway to Tampa before they realize they made a wrong turn.

If it were my 15 yo, I wouldn't be worried, but in my family, 15 is a normal age for travelling internationally on a solo basis. I say have them check in at regular intervals, which doesn't mean they have to reach an adult; they can even leave voicemail on the room phone to be checked. Failure to check in means loss of privileges or loss of money. Try to pair the more experienced kids with the more sheltered ones, and start testing the sheltered ones the minute you hit the airport. Have them go first through security, find the gate, etc.; it helps to set the expectation for self-sufficiency where it needs to be from the start.

 

[snoopy5386]

I was allowed to roam the magic kingdom in the early 90s with my 2 cousins at ages 11,12,13 with an adult in the same park, so i am sure they will be fine.

 

[mmausse]

Just for your edification - the 2-way radios don't work well in the parks. Too much static and too many people on the same channels. It's best to just leave the 2-ways at home.

I wish you great luck, perseverance, patience, and some help from "higher" sources. Take care and have fun!

 

[Sarahsmom85]

I was a Girl Scout Leader, not that that matters but I think you doing the right thing by having at least one adult to each girl.
How do the girls get along? I would play it by ear. You know the one girls mom is not going to let her go off with the others. And the others mom won't care where her daughter goes.
If this is a "Girl Scout Trip" and all your paper work is into the Council and they ok'd the trip, you have to follow there rules.

I would take it day by day. Let the girls wait in line while you shop at a nearby store. Some girls are going to want to go off, some are going to stay nearby. It is kind of nice to stay all together, but thats just me.
ONE THING make sure they know where they are staying and the resort or hotel phone number. We once rented a house and the kids went for a walk and got lost and didn't know the name of the street they where staying at. LOL
A small piece of advise "your never going to please everybody all the time" just remember that.

 

[VAN]

I would tend to compromise. Try to keep everyone together for the first morning (at least) for each park ... that way the girls can get the lay of the land, etc. Then if some want to go off on their own, make sure you have a way of contacting them and them to contact you and let them go with the agreement that they will stay together and will stay in the park.

Just tell them that mornings (or whatever) are the portion of the day that the group stays together.

Best of both worlds?

--- Also agree with making sure they all have watches. I do this with my own kids, even if we do plan to stay together.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I think they are old enough to go off by themselves in the same park as the adults, as long as they stay in pairs. Disney is a safe place, but not 100%. Chances are, teens in pairs will be just fine during the day in the parks. Just keep them away from Downtown at night; esp. Pleasure Island (which I think they can't get into anyway).

Downtown, in the shopping area should be fine as well. But you may want to keep a chaperone with them there.

If they are uncomfortable going off on their own, which they might be given the fact that they have never been there really, then have a chaperone stay with them.

I think the two way radio idea is a good one, or even see about borrowing cel phones from someone for them to use during the week.

Have fun!!!!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by NotUrsula
That could not be further from the truth. WDW is a contained environment. Transportation provided within it does not run outside of it, and there are no "bad neighborhoods" to accidentally get stranded in. In addition, when you are talking about the theme parks, you are talking about facilities with walls, gates, and a rather expensive price of admission; it keeps crime opportunities WAY lower than they would be in an ordinary city (the exception being pickpocketing, but even that is less prevalent inside theme parks than it would be in a real city. It takes an initial investment to go into the pickpocket business inside a theme park.)

I went to WDW with a friend a five years ago, when I was about 22 and we were assaulted at Pleasure Island by a drunk guy. I have no doubt in my mind that a guy like this would have no issues with harrassing teenage girls within the confines of the Magic Kingdom , while sober either. He was just a sleazy guy.

I also recall being harrassed by a guy while alone on a bus when I was 16. He was with another guy and they looked like they were maybe on college spring break.

There *are* bad areas of WDW and these days, Disney is not 100% safe. There are bad people and creepy people and while I'm sure Disney keeps a close eye on it's guests, children (and yes that means teens as well) are targeted everywhere by perverts and creeps.

Not all perverts and creeps are the sort who look like creeps. In the case of those college guys & the guys at PI, they were just normal looking people who just had too much to drink or were looking for some "fun".

So, while the odds of a crime happening are slight, you never know; and where kids are involved, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Lost typically means you don't know where you are. I mean, really, by your reasoning, you're saying you can never be lost anywhere, because everywhere eventually leads to somewhere.

Disney World is a HUGE place, and it is set up like a huge city; with busses running from various places etc. I can see an inexperienced person being quite nervous that they do not know where they are or how to get to where they are going. Some of us are just bad at following maps. If the kids are going to be taking busses by themselves, get them in the habit of verifying with the driver that the bus goes where they think it does.

I think the two way radios are a great idea.

 

[NotUrsula]

I didn't say there was no crime and no risk; what I said was that comparing it to "any large city" was inaccurate.

Of course, one has to use common sense, and the usual rules about moving about in public apply: be aware of your surroundings, keep your head up and your eyes open, and ask for help if you are in any way confused or uncomfortable. In the case of harassment, stay in a crowded area, and ask for protection from an authority figure. If there is a problem on a resort bus, then you should get off at the main-entrance bus stop and go into the lobby; hotel security should be able to provide an escort to your room under the circumstances. If it's really bad, then don't get off the bus; stay on and tell the driver what's going on.

"Lost typically means you don't know where you are. I mean, really, by your reasoning, you're saying you can never be lost anywhere, because everywhere eventually leads to somewhere."

No, my reasoning is that a 16 yo without a private vehicle cannot leave the public areas of Disney property without making an effort to do so. Aside from the resort areas, anywhere else one would be is going to be a crowded public place. Help from Disney CM's is available anywhere on-property, and you always know you are on-property, so you're not lost in the sense of being helpless and without resources to find your way back to where you need to be.

 

[imdopey]

I have to agree that WDW is nowhere close to being "like any large city". Having grown up in NYC and living within 50 miles of it now, I can assure you that I still would not allow my 14 year old to wander around alone. She is a suburban teen, not street smart in the least. I have allowed her 17 year old sister to "hang out" with friends in NYC, but these friends were New Yorkers who were used to moving around the city. They knew the rules and followed them.
However, that said, I have and will continue to allow my daughters to wander the theme parks of WDW together without me. My husband and I did this for the first time when the girls were 15 and 12. We would go out early and let them sleep (teenager love to sleep more than WDW). We had walkie talkies and arranged to meet them for lunch. They called us on the walkie talkie when they arrived at EPCOT and we met. This past summer we did this again, only with cell phones. It worked fine as well. The girls and I are going again next weekend, and will probably travel together, since it's just "us girls" but I wouldn't hesitate to allow them to do their own thing.
You just need to remember to set the guidelines and make sure they know to follow them. If you are uncertain as to whether they will, keep a close watch. If you feel comfortable that they will, have a good time!
Lisa

 

[mco-missy]

Hello- Just thought maybe I could add my experience with kids this age. I am the youth leader of my church and we go to Night of Joy every year at the MK. I have about 30 kids from 6th grade to 12th grade. I usually have about 3 other adults with me. Here's what I do:
1. I send home papers to the parents telling them about the event. I let them decide if their child needs to stay with an adult or if he can go with another youth "buddy".

2. I have a folder with me at all times with all their emergency information- parent's phone number, copy of medical insurance card, list of allergies.....

3. The youth MUST stay with at least one other person from our group at ALL times- even potty breaks, shopping, etc.

4. We have two pre-established meeting times. We usually meet at the carousel.

5. I have a paper for each youth that lists the meeting times and places, my name and phone number, a backup name and phone number (one of the chaperones), the name of the group they are with (a lot of these kids are friends of the youth and don't attend our church).

6. They understand that if they are late to a meeting without letting me know in advance (and having a good excuse) then the whole youth group will have to be with chaperones- ok I know that's using peer pressure but hey, I'm only human!

Now, we are only there for one day/night unlike your trip. But, I think that you will be suprised at how well they find their way around. Many of my kids had never been before and could easily read the map.

However, since you will be there for a longer time and have different schedules to work with I think you need to discuss this with the adults traveling with you. I don't think I would let them go off on their own every day but for a few hours I don't think it would be a problem. Of course you and their parents know these kids better than anyone else.

Hope you have a great trip!