Under 14? Cannot enter DL or WDW alone

[mickeymedic]

When I was 12 and 13 my friend and I used to ride the bus to the local amusement park and hang out all day. Then my dad or her stepdad would pick us up at dinner time. I agree that there should be a minimum age for park entry without an adult. But I think 12 would be sufficient. 14 is overkill in my opinion.

 

[MrsDuck]

I like this rule very much.

 

[MichelleVW]

I like this rule very much.

I have to ask why? I can't see this rule changing my park experience at all. I don't have kids under 14 so it wouldn't effect me there. In countless trips I have never been annoyed by unaccompanied minors in the park, so it makes no difference there either. I've been annoyed by obnoxious children with their parents, and that will still be happening....so I'm just wondering why some people are so happy about this?

The rules that make me happy or unhappy are the ones that effect me personally and I just don't see this rule as being one of them.

 

[Acklander]

Think this will make a difference on any of the school groups?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I remember Mom used to drop me outside Six Flags with 10 bucks and I wouldn't see her again until closing. I was 9 and there were no cell phones back then. Ahhh the good old days

 

[NHdisneylover]

I agree that if ten is an adult by WDW ticket pricing, then it should be old enough to drop off. I think they need to rething their pricing in this case.

I also agree that 14 seems on teh old side. 7 was on the young side. I think 10 or maybe 12 is more reasonable.

It doesn't relaly affect me though. The only trip my kdis went in the parks without us was our last one. My son was 13 but my daughter was 15 and they were together in the mornings--which from what I can tell reading this policy would have been fine, even if a CM had stopped my 5'10" tall son to question his age.

My son did leave EPOCT on his own to go back to the room early one night. I see nothing in the policy preventing this though--only entering parks, not leaving. And by our next trip he'll be over 14 anway.

Funny that at 12 he could (and did) fly interantionall all alone without any unaccompanied minor fees or chaperonage, but he can't go to WDW

 

[kaytieeldr]

I agree that if ten is an adult by WDW ticket pricing, then it should be old enough to drop off. I think they need to rething their pricing in this case.

I also agree that 14 seems on teh old side. 7 was on the young side. I think 10 or maybe 12 is more reasonable.

Not that Disney will make any further adjustments, but they'd be far more likely to adjust down the unaccompanied age than to adjust up the adult ticket age.

The child menu age was adjusted down to match the child ticket pricing age several years ago - in all likelihood in response to complaints about the disparity (ten vs. twelve). By ten, the vast majority of guests exceed all height requirements for all attractions - ergo, pay admission pricing based on potential enjoyment.

Being allowed to be in the park without an adult isn't a pricing issue or situation. So Disney isn't going to be making any age-based price changes due to this rule.

 

[tvguy]

It was a joke referring to this near 40 page thread that at least originally was about moms who take their boys with them to the bathroom, cause the men's room is just too scary!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3077651&page=38

Almost sorry I missed that thread.

 

[Hrhpd]

14 ---- what will a boy do if he has to go to the bathroom and mom isn't with him?!??!

The new rule won't affect them at all. They are not allowed in the Men's Room alone, so they would never be allowed to go into a park unattended at 14.

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

I wish they'd pass that rule at malls.

 

[mom2rtk]

I wish they'd pass that rule at malls.

Our local mall has a rule that kids can't travel in groups larger than some set number, maybe 5 or 6. I wish they'd do that at Disney!

 

[Colleen27]

I'd have set the age a little lower, 12 probably, but I don't foresee it effecting us directly so it isn't worth getting upset over. I'd let my kids go to a Disney park at 12 or 13, not solo but with a sibling or friend, but it is pretty unlikely that I wouldn't be going to the same park anyway.

I am very glad, however, that the policy change only applies to entering the park and not to rides or walking around in the park. My older DD (11) and her best friend (12) went on a lot of rides without me on our trip, usually with me in the immediate area but once in a while I was off doing something else (like picking up our photopass plus while they rode Rock & Roller Coaster for a second time, or shopping in a different store than the one that interested them on Main Street). We've been to the parks so many times that my kids are comfortable getting around, know how to recognize cast members, and are familiar with basic safety rules so I don't see a problem with a little "buddy system" freedom.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I'm not sure what the right age is. But I understand why Disney did it.

Castmembers are not paid to babysit, as a previous poster mentioned. However, I could see the lawsuit now. "I sent my kid in to the MK and they got abducted because a castmember didn't watch them!"

And lets face it, even the best behaved kids can sometimes get brave when mom and dad aren't around and push the limits on appropriate/safe behavior. Especially preteens who are in that weird stage between being a kid and an teenager. While I'm sure there are lots of kids who behave as well on their own as they do with parents, there are kids that are totally different when not with their parents.

 

[weewuvvdisney]

Some pp's have mentioned that when they were younger, they were able to go the DLR or other amusement parks by themselves....to be picked up later by parents.

Keep in mind, the behaviour of some kids today is definitely not what it used to be especially when they are in groups.

Our dd at 14 could find her way at the DWR - no problem but she just never had the chance cuz she had us tagging along.

Perhaps they have had problems with young kids on their own in the parks.

 

[aprilgail2]

Honestly, 14 seems too old in this situation. I would have made it 12, if at all. By 12, I would take public transportation in my hometown to go see movies with my friends or head to the mall or library. I was also babysitting other kids at that age.

We keep taking away responsibility from our children and then wonder why kids are less mature these days.

I agree- my daughter and her friend both 12 last trip took the bus from the hotel to the park one of the days- I think 12 years old is fine to be going on their own- she babysits for other kids for gods sake, she is certainly old enough to go out without mommy places!

I agree. My girls were 12 and 14 when they were allowed to head off into the parks by themselves with Disney transportation. They were Disney vets who knew how to work their cell phones and stay together. We didn't split up much, but sometimes they just drove us nuts and we sent them off on their own.

12 is plenty old- I found the brazillian tour groups WAY more annoying than a couple of 12 year olds in the park.

I wish they'd pass that rule at malls.

LOL- my daughter and her friend were just in the mall today for 4 hours shopping- many dresses were tried on in preperation for the 8th grade graduation dance! She gets dropped off rather than I when I was 12 we were taking the public bus to the mall to hang out all day long.

 

[disney1990]

I agree. My girls were 12 and 14 when they were allowed to head off into the parks by themselves with Disney transportation. They were Disney vets who knew how to work their cell phones and stay together. We didn't split up much, but sometimes they just drove us nuts and we sent them off on their own.

Our daughter started going to Disney World when she was 5. She went to Disney World 2 or 3 times every year. She knew the parks as well as anybody and we started letting her go off on her own when she was 12 or 13. Our granddaughters are now 13 and 14. They have been allowed to do some separate things for a couple years now. They, too, are Disney veterans.

I think the 13 year old can handle Disney alone. She currently walks 3/4 of a mile to catch the bus to school in the morning -- depending on the time of year -- in the dark.

 

[mhsjax]

I agree- my daughter and her friend both 12 last trip took the bus from the hotel to the park one of the days- I think 12 years old is fine to be going on their own- she babysits for other kids for gods sake, she is certainly old enough to go out without mommy places!



12 is plenty old- I found the brazillian tour groups WAY more annoying than a couple of 12 year olds in the park.



LOL- my daughter and her friend were just in the mall today for 4 hours shopping- many dresses were tried on in preperation for the 8th grade graduation dance! She gets dropped off rather than I when I was 12 we were taking the public bus to the mall to hang out all day long.

I guess I see baby sitting in one place, different that taking transportation and running around a bid place like WDW. I don't know. I know our kids have never done it, and I don't see it being done in the future, there really isn't any need. Now that isn't to say that we don't let them go in a different direction and we wait for them at a certain spot, they just don't come and go without us.

As far as the malls, we don't have busses where we live that can take you anywhere, the nearest bus stop to us is about 5 miles from here. My DD will be going shopping very soon for her 8th grade formal. The moms here make a big day of it, including lunch and it usually takes place in another city. this is something that we look forward to, and I wouldn't want my DD doing it without me.

 

[sasywtch]

When I stayed at the Anaheim PlazaI I had to walk through the limited term parking where mom or dads were waiting. 11pm to midnight I would see (looked like) junior high kids getting in the car. I don't know if they have the 10pm curfew there or not? I can definitely see myself if I lived in the area buying the S CA pass and dropping my kids off for the day if they were in high school. However, I can see Disney's point at Disneyland. As a visitor for a vacation, I sort of like knowing kids are getting dropped off. (ok, bash me now but I'm being truthful). Now if I lived down there, it probably wouldn't make me happy.

I also agree with some of the others previously who said that the ticket prices doesn't equate to maturity but the level of rides they are able to utilize.

 

[Colleen27]

I have to disagree with you a little on this one. I think kids are growing up way too fast. Six year olds talk on iPhones, now. 10-year-olds are wearing make-up. We had an issue a few years ago with 5th graders sending nude cell phone photos... 5th graders! When I was in 5th grade, boys still had cooties.

None of that is growing up, though. It is just having traditionally adult things, and expressing their immaturity how they the use of those things. This generation of children isn't getting the "baby steps" to freedom and independence that older generations did; today's kids have a much more all-or-nothing approach where they're allowed very little if any independence and freedom until they reach relatively arbitrary milestones, and then abruptly have a large amount of freedom to learn to handle.

 

[aprilgail2]

My DD will be going shopping very soon for her 8th grade formal. The moms here make a big day of it, including lunch and it usually takes place in another city. this is something that we look forward to, and I wouldn't want my DD doing it without me.

That is different here- the kids all look forward to going off together and making a day out of shopping together without mom tagging along. I don't know any of the kids that don't go shopping in a group for the 8th grade dance. Some moms can't let go and do stay in the mall while the kids are there shopping but don't usually tag along with them.