Would you take proof of age?

[Minnie_me]

An acquaintance of mine went to Disney in December with her children, ages 3, 5, and 9. The 9-year old girl is about 5'2", and beginning to develop. She looks like she's 12. At least. The mom told me that during the December trip, they were "constantly hassled" about her DD's age, since 9 is the cut-off for being a "child".

They're going back this summer, 1 month before the girl turns 10. I advised her to take some sort of proof of age. She said that it would probably turn into a bigger hassle, since her DD has a different last name than the rest of the family.

Would what you advise? I feel bad for this child. It's hard enough to be that tall and developed when you're only in 4th grade, but to get hassled at DISNEY WORLD has got to be rough.

 

[mitushib]

Always advisable to carry some form of identifiction for every member. If ur flying u will need it at the airport too. Also if tickets r lost identification makes it easier to get new ones issued. U should carry some form of identification.

 

[kidzmom3]

that really stinks for your friends, I see it as a direct result of the people who do abuse the system.

 

[I'mNoPrince]

We always carried DD Ident-a-kid ID as it is good to have just in case something happened but also served as a nice ID for things like that as well.

 

[Barb D]

My kids are very tall for their ages (DD13 is 5'11"!) and I've NEVER been asked for proof of age at WDW.

That said, if she wants ID for her, she can probably get a photo ID at your state's Motor Vehicle Admin.

 

[jcc0621]

We always carried DD Ident-a-kid ID as it is good to have just in case something happened but also served as a nice ID for things like that as well.

If you don't mind my asking, what is this? Where can I get it?

 

[I'mNoPrince]

If you don't mind my asking, what is this? Where can I get it?

Not at all.

We get them through our School (Private) they come each year at the start of the school year.

It comes with DD's name,height,weight DOB,DOI (issue),hair and eye color,all of the parents info then on the back it has her digital fingerprint on the back.

Here's some info on it

http://ident-a-kid.com/

 

[mamacatnv]

If ur flying u will need it at the airport too.

Only for International travel, your child only needs a ticket to fly. My 17 yr old DS does not technically need ID but due to his age and size he has it to avoid questions. My DD is almost 9 and we have never had to show any id for her while flying. The one exception is for children under 2 flying as "lap" passengers without a ticket, then you need a Birth Certificate to prove age depending on the airline otherwise all other ID issues are handled by TSA at the security gate.

When DS was 10 I went to the local DMV and got him an id card, it was not required but it can come in handy.

 

[dis-happy]

We don't live in a police state (as least, not yet) and I personally would not feel that I "had" to travel with id for my children. Does your friend have a health insurance card (that she would carry anyway) which has her dd's birthdate on it? If so, that should suffice if necessary.

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't see why it would be a hassle, just b/c she has a different last name. They would look for AGE, not parentage, ya know?

If I had a child that physically advanced, I DEFINITELY would bring along a certified copy of b.certificate. In fact, I have. My son is still only 2, but last year I felt he was SO tall and *could* talk so well if he wanted to, that I brought his birth cert. in a ziplock bag. I wasn't asked for it, but I was glad to have it.

And my son has a different last name as both of us; we each kept our original names, and DS is hyphenated.

 

[reginaastralis]

My parents friends had a daughter who at 1 1/2 looked like she was four. This kid was HUGE! They had problems all throughout her childhood with Disney CM always thinking she was a LOT older.

They brought along her birth certificate when there was going to be a big problem, when she bumped up the next age group.

She's still a HUGE girl, there's nothing small about their family. She's getting ready to have a baby, and I can't wait to see how big this kid is.

 

[MSSANDRA]

When DS was 9 and a little tall for his age I reduced the size and copied and laminated his birth certificate. We were asked at most buffet meals for his age but never questioned or needed to show the ID. I think too it would be a good idea to carry it. LAst name should not matter at all. LOTS of kids have different last names and many kids travel without parents. They really have no reason to know your last name at all. If you present your id and really are harrassed, I would go to guest relations and stage a complaint but I just do not think that will happen.

 

[daisyduck123]

My DD12 is 5'6" (been wearing a bra for 2 years now) & we never bring proof of age.

The only time a CM questioned her age was 2 years at the kids area in BB...the area where the kids try to walk across the icebergs. (I think the age cut-off for that area is 12). Well she was 10 then but looked 15. I assured the lifeguard that she was 10. He gave me a "funny" look & let her thru.

We're going next month, she's 12, but has been mistaken for 16 or 17 a lot.
I haven't even thought of bringing proof of age for her. I don't know where I'd put it at BB.

 

[jcc0621]

Not at all.

We get them through our School (Private) they come each year at the start of the school year.

It comes with DD's name,height,weight DOB,DOI (issue),hair and eye color,all of the parents info then on the back it has her digital fingerprint on the back.

Here's some info on it

http://ident-a-kid.com/

Thanks

 

[perdidochas]

An acquaintance of mine went to Disney in December with her children, ages 3, 5, and 9. The 9-year old girl is about 5'2", and beginning to develop. She looks like she's 12. At least. The mom told me that during the December trip, they were "constantly hassled" about her DD's age, since 9 is the cut-off for being a "child".

They're going back this summer, 1 month before the girl turns 10. I advised her to take some sort of proof of age. She said that it would probably turn into a bigger hassle, since her DD has a different last name than the rest of the family.

Would what you advise? I feel bad for this child. It's hard enough to be that tall and developed when you're only in 4th grade, but to get hassled at DISNEY WORLD has got to be rough.

Sounds like proof of age would make sense...

 

[maxiesmom]

We don't live in a police state (as least, not yet) and I personally would not feel that I "had" to travel with id for my children. Does your friend have a health insurance card (that she would carry anyway) which has her dd's birthdate on it? If so, that should suffice if necessary.

No we don't live in a police state, but Disney does not have to allow you into its theme park. If they think your child is actually an adult, they can force you to buy an adult theme park ticket. You would get your money back for the difference once you provided them with some proof of your child's age.

Don't get mad at Disney. Get mad at the people who think it is ok to cheat the system. Because, you know, one year really doesn't matter. Why should I pay more if I can get away with scamming Disney. After all, they are already getting enough of my money. Too many people think this way.

 

[auntie]

I've never had a problem with this at Disney, but was questioned once when entering Sea World about my daughters age. She was not quite 3..a couple of weeks away..but they did ask. I said she was two..and we moved right through. Of course she turned 20 this week! So it was a while ago.

We've been going to Disney alot of years, my kids have grown up going there. We've had passes purchased when they were "child passes"..but returned with them needing "adult passes"..even then we still used their child pass until it was done, because they were good for their lifetime, no expiration. Never questioned or stopped once.
I wonder if this is a new Disney policy..or if people have been really abusing the age restrictions. We are scheduled for visit to the WL in May. My younger son is 6'2"...and he is only 15 years old. I wonder if they will think he is older? It's likely they might. My daughter is 20, and could easily pass for 17. Since we have two rooms..my older son(26 ) is comming we wouldn't incur an extra adult charge anyway..but easily the younger boy might be questioned based soley on his height.
I feel bad for kids..especially girls, when they are questioned about their age because of their being a bit taller, or developing. As if they aren't sensitive enough about this already.

 

[jamesmommy]

Not at all.

We get them through our School (Private) they come each year at the start of the school year.

It comes with DD's name,height,weight DOB,DOI (issue),hair and eye color,all of the parents info then on the back it has her digital fingerprint on the back.

Here's some info on it

http://ident-a-kid.com/

Another option at her age might be a state issued id card, if your state does them. Our state starts at age 5, I plan to get DS one when he is of age. It would be much easier to carry around some sort of id card than a birth certificate, and probably safer too.

HTH, Amie