Which trip would you "let" your new high school graduate go on?

[abdmom]

You said the airfare is out of this world for WDW, right? Now IF the friends could pay for airfare plus their park tickets & food then I would offer Disney however that seems totally super expensive! However maybe all of you are rich and can afford it. If that is the case, then do Disney.

Yes, Disney was ds' original choice. However, when we added up the costs, it was crazy for a 3 or 4 night trip, and that was with me covering the accommodation. Hence, the other 3 choices I came up with.

I have no idea if the friends will want to do ANY of the choices. Maybe they have family trips or other plans for right after graduation. I just wanted to see if the people of Dis thought I was totally off base offering any of the possibilities.

 

[ronandannette]

I know you're concerned about letting the "kids" go by themselves, but at 18 they're not classed as kids anymore. They've by no means made all the bad decisions that they're going to, but babysitting them on their trip isn't going to help them be responsible, and turning it into a family vacation may make the whole group resent you. If you raised him properly you should be able to trust him.

For perspective, when I graduated high school I was 17 and moved nearly a 2 hour drive away. My father had to co-sign my lease so I could get an apartment because at the time (not sure about now) you had to be 18 to sign one. I needed to behave as an adult because if I did anything wrong it could come back on Dad, so they simply had to trust that they raised me properly.

I'd be concerned about the drive option only because it allows a lot of opportunity for an accident. Not because of them, but other drivers can be crazy.

Now, if you're financing it, I'd be going with the cheapest option! But that's me...

The 17y.o is not legally an adult in any of the jurisdictions you're considering. You mentioned living in Canada; are you aware that even to get through American customs at the airport his parents will have to provide a notarized letter naming one of the "adults" as his guardian and giving him permission to cross the boarder with them? Also (heaven forbid) one of them would have to be responsible for any emergency medical decisions. (Don't forget to be sure everybody has supplemental insurance; the US health care system works extremely different than what we're used to and few young people would be aware of that.)

Not sure where this "mountain resort" is but if it's in Canada it would definitely be less complicated.

PS - We're in a similar situation here; DS graduates 2014 and he and his "boys" are already talking about a 24 hour road trip to California for ComicCon. He will still be 17 at the time and while we haven't "shot it down" yet, I really don't see it working out.

 

[burnurcomputer]

I went with option one. This was the plan from the get go. They can't drink at Disney, transportation is provided, and you can send food to your resoprt so keep costs down. 18 is old enough to go to Disney with out a person hovering over them. TBH, Disney is tame compared to any options they could have come up with

 

[LittleMissMagic]

The cost to Hawaii is just the cost to my son's friends for their airfare. I am supplying the accommodation for any of the trips except the cruise.

I'm a BLT owner which is why the WDW plan is at BLT. My son has no experience with the bus system so I'd rather he stay there than other resorts. We usually stay offsite. When we're onsite, we have a car, which he won't have.

So he is only going to be able to go to MK or Epcot???

The bus is easy to use. You just get on the bus with the location that you want to go. They run direct from your resort to the parks and all have signs on the front with the park they are going to. Really simple. If you're worried about your son using the Disney bus system, then I think you should reconsider sending him to WDW without an adult.

And why are you supplying the accommodation costs for all of his friends? I mean, that's really cool, but I think you should talk to the parents of his friends before making any real plans. They may have completely different ideas. And have you talked to your son? Because he'll probably want a say in planning his graduation trip, and he might have already been thinking of something completely different.

 

[NHdisneylover]

OP--I am sorry I offended you bu asking about other costs. You had indicated that you were providing "accommodation" (which usually means somewhere to sleep) and the costs were for "airfare" I was not trying to be critical, but was trying to be realistic. As a parent of teens myself I would be asking about costs for food, activities, tips, etc--thus I asked here. I thought it would be helpful for you to see how parents might think. Wasn't that the point of this thread?

The 17y.o is not legally an adult in any of the jurisdictions you're considering. You mentioned living in Canada; are you aware that even to get through American customs at the airport his parents will have to provide a notarized letter naming one of the "adults" as his guardian and giving him permission to cross the boarder with them? Also (heaven forbid) one of them would have to be responsible for any emergency medical decisions. (Don't forget to be sure everybody has supplemental insurance; the US health care system works extremely different than what we're used to and few young people would be aware of that.)

Not sure where this "mountain resort" is but if it's in Canada it would definitely be less complicated.

PS - We're in a similar situation here; DS graduates 2014 and he and his "boys" are already talking about a 24 hour road trip to California for ComicCon. He will still be 17 at the time and while we haven't "shot it down" yet, I really don't see it working out.

My kids are 14 and 16. They fly to/from the US (from Germany) as well as to/from other places in Europe (the UK and Spain) with no adult at all and they do not need a notarized letter.

When they were too young to fly unaccompanied and I took them out of the country without my DH we always had a letter--but an older teen should not need it.

(the OP would need a notarized form from the parents to take the 17 year old on a cruise though).

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

The cruise would be my last choice. Easiest access to alcohol. Yes, I know they can get alcohol anywhere. But on a cruise ship, alcohol is a primary focus, and I can see the younger crew letting DS and friends come to their after hours parties. 20/20 just did a piece on this. They get WILD and sometimes get passengers involved.

 

[DSNY4ever]

I would let them go on any of those trips. They are all about to go off to college without any supervision, right?

The only thing I would not let my child do is one of those group Mexico/tropical graduation trips that are organized through those Party trip groups. I went on one (in fact I was the organizer for my class) and even while I was there as an 18 year old I thought "There is NO WAY I will let my child go on one of these trips." My parents are incredibly lucky I have a sensible head and was not a drinker. I don't know how anything good comes out of those trips.

 

[hereyago]

The ones that wouldn't require a parent to be there as well. It isn't a graduation trip if family goes.

 

[yoopermom]

My DS18 (senior) just got back from a 12 day trip to Sweden with three of his BFs (two are 18, 1 was 17). They largely stayed with a friend they met who was a foreign exchange student here the year before. We talked ahead of time about the fact that the legal drinking age over there is 18, and how even though we wouldn't be there to supervise, we also wouldn't be hopping a plane to bail them out. (And yes, they fb'ed us a picture of them drinking beer in a McDonalds )

I won't lie to you, they did drink a fair amount, but also learned all sorts of adult skills like money management (everything was very expensive), getting around with public transport, etc. It wasn't The Hangover 3, but it wasn't Disney, either.

My long bewinded point here is that seniors are going to want independence on this kind of trip, even if it's largely paid for with your generosity. I asked my DS about your choices, and he said they'd rather have the cash, pile in a car, and go on a road trip. So all you can do is balance giving them freedom with also keeping them safe.

Tough one, I know....

Terri

 

[VulcanGirl]

I am 16 and as a teen the following would be what I would want to do.

Go to the lodge in Canada. All of the other ideas are a lot of money to spend with college cost coming in, etc. and personally I would not do it. Have your younger two either stay home by themselves or spend the time at a friend's house, depending on their ages and what you are comfortable with. You would come along, but, bring a book or something and plan on spending most the time staying out of the way and letting the boys hang out by themselves.

The point of this trip would be to have once last fun time together before college; therefore, you really do not need to be spending a lot of money to go somewhere 'special'. It is the people you are with, rather, than the place in this instance. I think that the place in Canada sounds perfect for that.

 

[scrapquitler]

DS will be graduating high school in June, 2014. He would like to go on a trip with his friends just after graduation. Up to 3 friends would be going. He thought of going to WDW and staying at BLT for 3-4 nights using my DVC points. However, the airfare from here is crazy expensive and there would be no parental supervision. All of the boys would be 18, except maybe one 17 year old.

I came up with a list of 4 options for him and his friends to discuss and run by the friends' parents. The other 3 options would involve myself and my younger two going along and staying in the same condo or room. The other 3 options would also be less expensive than WDW, even though they are longer trips. This is my oldest child and I have no idea if any of these options would be OK with the other parents. DS and one of his friends did go on a 10 day school trip to Europe this past Spring Break, so I know at least one set of parents was OK with their child travelling without them. What do you think?

You can choose more than one answer in the poll.

I picked "something else" in the poll. Let the kids decide what trip THEY want. At 18, I think they are capable of doing that and going without an adult.

 

[disykat]

My sons would not be spending more than pocket money on a trip because we are in the middle of the college sacrificing years. We are paying most of their college, but the expectation is that they are working and saving most of their income towards college expenses as well. Camping or someone's parent's cabin would be more in their budget.

My older son went to a friend's cabin with a group of kids that summer after graduation, so I voted the mountain resort with no extra expenses.

 

[mjkacmom]

None of those sound like trips a group of 18 year olds would take. I think there is no need for an adult, the cost should be much lower, and they should figure it out on their own.

When I was a junior and senior in HS, my friends and I would rent a hotel room down the shore for Memorial day weekend - now, that was fun! A no-frills hotel, two to a bed, no parents. College years are the lean years - kids don't tend to have luxury accommodations (even when we did Cancun, we had 5 girls to a room, crappy flights, and ate on the cheap). Although I miss those days, I can never go back (a night at a Ramada is camping to me now).

I can't imagine 18 year olds not being able to figure out WDW transportation (if you want to AK, get on the bus that says AK...). Last weekend dd16 and her friends figured out when and where to catch the local bus to the light rail system to Penn station Newark path to NYC. Never even needed a car. And then found their way back home!

 

[PlutoPony]

Graduating seniors here tend to do a beach trip for a week. Parents don't chaperone these trips but one of the parents does arrange the house rental and signs the contract. Then each kid signs a "contract" that they understand the rules of the house and will abide by them, and that they are responsible for any damage. The one whose parents are signing the contract usually does the inviting of who goes along, and the "smart" kids only ask friends who they trust and know won't get out of control (but still have fun).

How much it costs depends on where they go, how many are splitting the cost, and how much they spend on food. We're thinking this will be ~ $500-$600, once the damange deposit is returned. My son's group is going to the Outer Banks, which imo is better than the other options of Myrtle Beach or Ocean City MD....OBX is more family oriented, less party hardy. I'm comfortable with the group of boys he's going with, my worry comes more from the drive there, which is about 4-5 hours. But he'll be close to that far away for college and getting rides back and forth there, so guess it's time for me to let him grow up and do these type things

Obviously an YMMV situation

 

[PlutoPony]

I'm a BLT owner which is why the WDW plan is at BLT. My son has no experience with the bus system so I'd rather he stay there than other resorts. We usually stay offsite. When we're onsite, we have a car, which he won't have.

My guess is he and his friends would do fine getting around WDW on their own, no matter where they stay. My son's high school sports team went to WDW for competitions a couple times and stayed at All Stars, and they had no problem finding their way around using WDW's transportation (and they didn't have many WDW "experts" in the group). Just 24 kids and a couple coaches, and they had no problems getting where they needed to go.

So if they go to WDW and you can't get BLT, I think they'll be fine.

 

[JMLBrats]

I haven't read any of the other posts. And I don't know where you live but if you can take a trip to Hawaii for $1000 for two weeks...that's a no brainer in my book. ( unless that is something your family does all the time and it wouldn't be a big deal)...

Ok, I just skimmed all the posts and saw that you live in Canada. I think what the 16 year old said about the Canada condo is very sweet and nice but I still say do Hawaii. Many people never have an opportunity to ever go there. If you can swing it and the other parents agree, I think it would be a memorable experience that would last a lifetime.

DS will be graduating high school in June, 2014. He would like to go on a trip with his friends just after graduation. Up to 3 friends would be going. He thought of going to WDW and staying at BLT for 3-4 nights using my DVC points. However, the airfare from here is crazy expensive and there would be no parental supervision. All of the boys would be 18, except maybe one 17 year old.

I came up with a list of 4 options for him and his friends to discuss and run by the friends' parents. The other 3 options would involve myself and my younger two going along and staying in the same condo or room. The other 3 options would also be less expensive than WDW, even though they are longer trips. This is my oldest child and I have no idea if any of these options would be OK with the other parents. DS and one of his friends did go on a 10 day school trip to Europe this past Spring Break, so I know at least one set of parents was OK with their child travelling without them. What do you think?

You can choose more than one answer in the poll.