Teens & Money in Parks???

[SqueakyMouse]

I know I saw a thread about this not too long ago, but I sure can't find it now! I have two 15 yo boys who will be roaming the parks next week, mostly on their own as they won't want to be bothered by the younger kids. In the past, we've made everyone meet to eat together. Since we're not planning any special meals for our upcoming trip, I'm not going to enforce this. Thus, I would like to know what is the best way to equip teenaged boys with the funds to purchase their own meals and snacks. Please keep in mind that this pair loses EVERYTHING. Thus, cash is NOT a good idea. Also, while these are fundamentally good boys, I'm not sure I'd trust them to not go crazy with room charging privileges (although this is seeming to be the best option at the moment). What to do?

 

[Darcy03231]

Prepaid visa gift cards. You can get them in any denomination.

 

[marlynnp]

do you have a local Disney store? Get Disney gift cards. No fees and you could buy several in smaller amounts (like $'s for each day) so that if one is lost it's not ALL of their allotted money.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Forgive me for being dense, but...

I'm not seeing the advantage of small amoungs of cash over Disney Gift Cards with small amounts on them. (Also, the Disney cards are not accepted everywhere, such as the CS at the Virgin Store; and there are sometimes snags with the Disney system and gift cards -- had this problem with 2 different cards at Xmas time -- big headache!)

what if the prepaid Visa is lost? (Which it undoubtedly would be. ) I wouldn't think it would be easily replaced. However, I've never had one; so I have zero experience with this.

 

[Darcy03231]

With the visa gift card if its lost you just have to report it to visa (make sure you take down the card number and the telephone number) and they will transfer any remaining balance to another gift card.

 

[sk!mom]

I would give them cash for each day and if they lose it- well- they learn a lesson and are done spending for the day. If they cannot be trusted with a days allotment of money then I wouldn't let them go off alone.

Visa cards for each day are another option but I wouldn't want to deal with having a bunch of small denomination cards.

 

[breebella]

I ran into this same situation last year. I took my DD's (5) and (14) and dd's best friend (14). We all went to the parks together, but the teens occasionally went off on their own (equipped w/cell phones). We were on dining plan so they knew to use their room key to swipe for snacks and meals. I also made sure they had anywhere between $15 - $20 on them for extra drinks or whatever they might need. Prior to our trip, I went to the Disney Store and purchased Disney Dollars in increments of $5 - $10, which they loved using.

 

[daisyduck123]

My DD has had room charging privileges since she was 12yo.
It works great for us.

Just tell the boys that anything they charge that's not within reason...they'll be paying for later.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I would give them cash for each day and if they lose it- well- they learn a lesson and are done spending for the day. If they cannot be trusted with a days allotment of money then I wouldn't let them go off alone.

That is what I was going to say. What if they loose their cell phones, what about thier passes (they will need these for fast passes), or "forget" what time to meet up??

I am fine with my 15 year old alone in parks with SOME of his friends but not others. 15 year olds varry so much. While it will be fun to eat some meals on thier own, I would still insist on a few meet face to face times during the day and also be in the same park as they are in.

Good luck. That is a tough age.