Would you let your 15 and 13 year old...

[pixie08]

I was babysitting for young children when I was 15/16 so I think I would say yes. 13 may be a little young alone in my opinion but if the two of them are together and you set defined rules, meeting places etc. ...sure.

 

[maryj11]

I don't think they would want to go without Mom and Dad, but if my wife and I were sick in bed at one of the resorts and the kids wanted to head to the parks, we would be ok with it. It wouldn't be an easy choice though. They would have a cell phone with them at all times so we could call.

Dan

Checking in with the cell phone is a good idea.

 

[mjkacmom]

Oh gee I wished I never posted anything. I just said I would be cautious not lock the teens up to keep them safe or guard them constantly. Everyone just likes to blow everything out of proportion . No I don't let my kids run around disney by themselves but I don't smother them either. There is a middle ground.

But most people would say that having the 13 year old go with the 15 year old IS middle ground.

 

[FosterLovesMickey]

Absolutely. My daughters did this, for the first time, on our last trip (16 and 13). We had reached a point where, in order to continue enjoying our vacation, we NEEDED to split up... lol. My youngest, inspired by my doing all 4 parks in one day on a solo trip, actually did that! We were all solo for about half of the day and my girls met up by dusk (that was my only caveat, once it was dark, I wanted them together) - then met back up wth me at MK for us to all return to AKL together. They LOVED it! They kept in contact via their cell phones and I didn't worry a bit. Having been to Disney many times, they are very comfortable navigating transportation and the parks. I think it was actually a good experience for them!

 

[drinkme]

When my kids were around that age they flew out to Orlando by themselves! They were a little bit older, 16 & 17. I went on a Thursday and they flew out on a Friday after school. Then flew back home on Sunday night. I came home on Tuesday. They took the magical express from the airport.

At 13 & 15 I would definitely let them go off to the parks by themselves using Disney transportation. Make sure they have charging privileges on their magic bands to get food.

 

[bucky1023]

Yes. I was taking two public buses to get to high school in the Bronx when I was 14.

 

[cwnhokie]

It's been a few years for us too. I was trying to decide if I would let my 16 year old and his friend go to the park without us. I'm glad to see all the positive comments here. Then I realized they are flying down by themselves to meet us later in the trip. I'm a goof! If I'm ok letting them drive to the airport and fly down by themselves why would it not be ok to let them go ahead to the park without us. This is my oldest. All this independence stuff is new for me, lol.

And I was taking a city bus around Baltimore when I was much younger than that.

 

[laughinplace199]

I agree with the majority of posters here that 15 and 13 yr olds will be fine exploring the parks on their own. My oldest two kids are two years apart. They explored the parks without us probably starting when they were 13 and 11. We even let them take their 6 yr old brother with them to do some Perry Missions in Epcot while we enjoyed a couple of beers in Germany. My oldest is now 17 and she and a friend just got back from a week in WDW, just the two of them. They flew down, stayed onsite, used Disney transportation, and had the time of their lives!