What age to allow to tour alone?

[imthatgirl]

I agree that if the parents are close by, then it's probably ok for the child to go off alone. Every kid is different and some can handle it and some can't. Parents should be able to judge whether their kid is responsible enough to be alone. I do think that parents should be visiting the same park at least. The way the tickets are worded it seems to be saying that its ok for a 7 year old to enter and tour the park alone.

thats probably because of park hopping. they need to make the cut off at some point. some 8yo are mature enough to handle hopping alone. definately a 10yo is, so i guess they just decided 7 to be the cut off.

 

[Belle4mygrl]

In September, I let dd15 and ds13 tour alone most days and one time I let them sleep in while we went to BBB with the then 3 year old. I was nervous but they LOVED the freedom. I gotta learn to let go just a little bit more.

 

[janni518]

On our last visit I let my 17 and 15 year old go off by themselves quite a bit. They were asked to check in via cell from time to time. Texting, it's a beautiful thing!

 

[Bren's Mom]

When I was 13, our parents let a friend and I fly from the New York (we lived in CT) to San Diego unaccompanied. We were met by my aunt and we spent a week there. Some places she took off work and went with us. Some places we went alone.

One of my best childhood memories was going to Sea World San Diego on a city bus, just my friend and I, and on the way home getting on the right bus but going in the WRONG direction. Boy that was a long bus ride! And no cell phones. But we were smart kids, we asked the bus driver for help, we were able to get it figured out and get back to my aunt's apartment. And we'll carry the memory of that fun day forever!

17 is definitely not too young, imo.

 

[crisi]

I think its probably worded such so that your fifteen year old can be with your seven year old, but your four year old requires someone eighteen or above. And because you need to "accompany" a smaller child everywhere - a seven year old can get a little freedom (depending on the seven year old and their parents).

When my son was seven we'd let him ride BTMRR - stand in the line by himself, get off, come meet us on the bench. i.e. he wasn't "accompanied by an adult."

 

[miprender]

When I was 17 I used to drive 2 hours every summer from RI to Hampton Beach,NH with just my friends and stay for the weekend. Sometimes I still can't believe my mom let us do that. I probably won't let DD do that when she is older.
But I agree with the other posters that she will be fine. When I was 16 I took our friend with us on our family trip to Bush Gardens Williamsburg and we felt soooo cool because my mom let us go off on our own. She just gave us a time to meet up (this was before cell phones) and we had a real great time.

 

[amandaraye]

I think they're absolutely old enough and I think you and they will enjoy the trip all the more for allowing some time apart. When my sister was 16 and I was 12 my mother (who was pretty strict) let us go and do our own thing as much as we want. Often being in a totally different park than them. I'm sure the girls have cell phones so it will be easy for them to stay in touch. They'll have a blast!

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

When I was 18, 7 of my friend and I (all 16-18) rented a cabin in Fort Wilderness, drove up 4 hours from home, and spent the weekend in Disney. Some of us couldn't do Grad Night at Disney, so we decided to do Disney our way! We had the best time, and we were completely on our own. It was great!

 

[mjkacmom]

When I was 17 I used to drive 2 hours every summer from RI to Hampton Beach,NH with just my friends and stay for the weekend. Sometimes I still can't believe my mom let us do that. I probably won't let DD do that when she is older.
But I agree with the other posters that she will be fine. When I was 16 I took our friend with us on our family trip to Bush Gardens Williamsburg and we felt soooo cool because my mom let us go off on our own. She just gave us a time to meet up (this was before cell phones) and we had a real great time.

LOL - that reminds me of when my gf's and I, junior and senior years in HS, went to Wildwood on our own for memorial day weekend. Heck, my sister and her gf's went to Mexico senior year!

 

[sk!mom]

On our next trip we have 2-17 year old girls (my daughter is one of them) in our group and my in-laws. MIL wants to visit Sea World one day, DD does not. At what age would you feel comfortable to allow your child to visit a park all day without an adult from your party at the park too? The girls want to go to Hollywood Studios while we are at SW, they would just use the Disney transportation during the day.

17 year olds should definitly be fine. They could be on their own in a year.

 

[JLTraveling]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm another one that can't fathom even asking the question about a 17 year old. Did you never send your kids to summer day camp?

I grew up less than an hour from Disney, and went to day camp every summer. We went on field trips regularly to all the area attractions, and the rules were simple: under age 7, must be with a counselor. Over age 7, just don't miss the bus at the end of the day. Sure, the counselors were in the same park, but this was before cell phones, they were barely over 18 themselves...we weren't exactly "chaperoned." The age 7 rule was to conform with theme park regulations...kids of that age are even free to go Halloween Horror Nights by themselves If their parents allow it, of course.

By 16, I was living in my own apartment in downtown Orlando, driving my own car and working at Universal. It would have been rather odd for my parents to not allow me to visit the parks unaccompanied, don't you think?

Some parents have different thoughts though. I had a friend FROM day camp whose mother obviously wasn't aware of how things were done there. We were 10 or 11 when the mother dropped us off for an afternoon movie, telling us she would be at least an hour late picking us up. The theater was in a pretty rough area, and was one of those dollar places that only opens up for specific showtimes, so no way to wait inside. However, there was a nice seafood restaurant next door.

After the movie, I decided it would be safer/better for us to have some lunch while we waited. I always saved my allowance, so I had plenty of cash. I treated my friend to a fairly pricey table service meal (left a good tip too). We exited the restaurant about five minutes before the mother was due...she'd gotten there five minutes before we came out.

She was furious!! She couldn't fathom that I would have been so irresponsible as to take her daughter to lunch instead of waiting in the parking lot (where someone had been kidnapped and raped a week prior). I got yelled at all the way home, and she later called my parents. Boy was she mad when my parents took my side!

So the point is, sometimes kids actually have more information than you do, and often can be trusted to make mature, responsible decisions. I think it's a matter of teaching your kids the skills they need, and then watching them to see when they actually start to utilize those skills. At that point, they can be trusted in that situation. JMO

 

[Kenenitz]

I have to admit I had to laugh at your post. Only because I myself was thinking for a minute would I let my child wander around the park at 17 alone? LOL Never thinking of the fact, that at 17 I was in college.. living away from home. Or that we trust a 16 year old to watch our older children once in a while. Or that I was allowed to drive and go to the mall and MY JOB at 16. lol have fun on your trip!

 

[bonita_babe232]

I think that when alot of us were youngers things were safer or seemed safer so theY wouldn't think twice about sending us out at younger ages ( i'm only 23 talking like i'm 100 "back in the day" lol) That being said i let my 14 yr old cousin watch my son and now that shes 17 and i ahve 3 she watchs all of them inc. my newborn. And i feel safe that i would let my son take a bus to the mall shopping once he was about 12-13 aslong as he called in (then again i'm the mom who said she was gonna get her 5yr a cell phone hahah), so i would have no problem with him doing DW by himself when his 17, in fact i would probley want him to go off by himself and take the other 2 so i have some me time .... aslong as they meet us later casue it is a family vacation after all

 

[angelegod]

I was in middle school the first time I was allowed to tour with just friends and not an adult and even my mom was in the park with me and college when my mom would allow me to tour when she was not even on property again with friends

 

[Missin'Disney]

Just FYI, Disney's own stated age limit for being in the parks without an adult is age 8.

how odd. I can't imagine a 7 or 8 yr. old being completely alone in the parks. Riding a ride while you sit on a bench is one thing, but a day at the park alone is another. My 7 yr. old DD is mature and bright, and I would never expect her to navigate a crowd successfully, even with her many WDW trips under her belt. I think it would be negligent on my part to allow her to do so. I cannot believe Disney doesn't view this as a liability.

 

[angelegod]

well in this day and age with so many kids having cell phones how a parent would allow a 13 year old to roam alone how ever younger then that I would be traified to allow a kid to go alone

Parents Just becasuse it is Disney world dose not mean that you are not amoung kidnapers and stuff

 

[DisneyKT]

I think 17 is fine. But just remind her to be respectful of other people. Sometimes when teenagers are not with parents they become very disrespectful of those around them. Have fun on your trip.....

 

[PatsMom]

We had two 17 year olds with us in August of this year. We made them meet up with us for dinner. Some days we hung out together and some days the girls went to a separate park. One day they just wanted to hang out by the pool. Absent any physical or mental impairment I can't imaging why a 17 year old wouldn't be fine. At 17 I enlisted in the Air Force!

 

[tinkerlisa]

On our next trip we have 2-17 year old girls (my daughter is one of them) in our group and my in-laws. MIL wants to visit Sea World one day, DD does not. At what age would you feel comfortable to allow your child to visit a park all day without an adult from your party at the park too? The girls want to go to Hollywood Studios while we are at SW, they would just use the Disney transportation during the day.

When we go my stepdaughter and my sister will be there. They will be 17 and 14. I feel as long as you are in the park with them, they can wander and we will probably let the two of them go off together. But its really up to you. If you feel like they are responsible enough and are comfortable with them going then let them go. Just make sure you have them check in periodically with you during the day.