Teens/Tweens time alone?

[jldunbar]

DM lurking here

Will be traveling next week for 10 days at WDW. My DD (11) and DNiece (15) want to go to the waterpark alone. At what age did your parents let you do some touring alone? Last year they were allowed to go off alone once the whole family got to a park but this would require them taking transportation by themselves.

 

[::Snow_White::]

Until I turn 18 and can do whatever I want. Until then I have to stay with my family and it would be the same way if I had kids. I would be too paranoid to let them run around by themselves.

 

[MusicalDisneyDreams]

Well, for a day on the school trip I just took, my mom was cool with me taking a bus (Disney bus) by myself to meet her at Epcot. And we were in groups of 2 for most of the trip and she was okay with it. After the sachool part of the trip, she said my sister and I could go off by ourselves (we had a Fantasmic! vs Wishes vs Illuminations dispute) but we ended up staying together. We're 14 (me) and 16 (my sister) and we're extremely responsible. I think i'll depend and vary by parenting style and how trustworthy kids are. Have a magical trip!

 

[big_thunder_girl]

Well, I'm 13 but I can only go off by myself in a disney park/water park ONLY if I were with someone I knew and my family were in the park and could meet up later...... If I were you, I would NOT let them take transportation by themselves unless you think they are responsible enough!!! Remember to think about past experiences with them going off by themselves if you've had any! I mean, my mom MIGHT trust us to (me and a friend or sister) But what my mom would do is let them go off if she were in the park too. If you think it's okay, I think you should let them go off, make a meeting place and time, make sure they have a cellphone with them, and then leave the waterpark. Come back at your meeting time, pick them up and go back home/to the hotel or whatever.

 

[CandyHead09]

oh they will be more than fine I think it depends on how mature you think they are. I was 14 and my cousins were 10 and 12 when we were allowed to go off in the parks and explore by ourselves.

Basically if your daughter sees the 15 year old as the one who is kinda in charge and they get along well they'll be fine if neither of them has a cell phone than I would make sure they have one just in case :]

 

[Savikins]

Well, I'm 15 and I've gone to the parks alone with my BF three times since December, and two of those times my parents just dropped us off and went back home (we live an hour away from WDW).

But I don't think I'd be allowed to take a little cousin to a park alone unless I had another person my age with me.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

When I was about 12, my mom let my friend and I go around the MK alone, I called her constantly on my cellphone, making sure she knew I was OK. Waterparks are a bit of a different animal, though.

Just as an aside, I plan on taking my first solo trip before I'm 18.

 

[MickeyisBeast]

I'm 14 and since I have a cell phone, my parents would let me walk around the parks by myself/ with friends my age.

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

My parents started trusting me with going into the parks on my own. When I was 15, my parents stayed in the hotel room (BC) while I went on Soarin'. I was gone for probably about an hour.

Last summer, (16), my mom let me run to MGM while she and my cousins went on Honey I Shrunk the Audience. That was also an hour-long trip. I went on rnrc twice, got myself a mickey bar, and tried to outrun a downpour back to the boats to the Beach club.

The reason why my mom trusts me is because there are cameras and undercover security pretty much everywhere.

 

[skeeterbuge]

Well I have never been to a water park at WDW so i cant help with that part!! But I have gone off with my sister in the parks the first time we did i just turned 12 and it was the weekend of my sisters 16th birthday, we also had her phone with us at all times so they could check in on us and e could meet up if we needed to! this past time we went in December we did get to go off by ourselves also. Again we had her phone but we also had my phone this time with us! My sister and i didn't always want to ride the same rides together or one of us would have a fast pass and the other would wouldn't or the other way around. like i had a fast pass for splash mountain and she wanted to go on Big thunder mountain and i didnt so i wen ton splash mountain with she went on BTM and we just set a meeting spot by the two and we would meet each other there or call each other. We did take transportation alone with out any one...this last time and i had no problem with it at all! now on the other hand we did meet up with our family once we got to the park we did call them but ik my ways around the park front ward and back so i could get anywhere in any park from any spot!!

Its about how much we can trust you guys to be safe and not do things ur not spose to do!
is what my parents said...

 

[Sparx]

I think it might be a better idea to do this in a different park. In Epcot or MK or something, you can easily carry your cellphone around. But unless the girls just want to lay in the sun all day, they'll really need to put their phone in a locker. Its easy to lose track of time in the water parks (without a watch or phone to keep up with the time) so it wouldn't take much for them not not show up where they're supposed to be on time. I think at their age, going to a different park would be fine, but probably not a water park.

 

[froggy5657]

I went off into the parks alone last year with my friend. (Im 15). First, I think that the family should go to the waterpark together because it is a bit more risky than the other parks (there have been instances of people groping others, no often but..., also I find it is easier to get hurt at a waterpark). I think that going into the regular park by themselves should be fine, just take a trip with them once so they learn how to use the transportation.

And make sure they have cell phones!

 

[aquarhapsody]

I'm 16, and about 3 years ago, started going off on my own in Disney World.
Now I do it all the time. My mother tells me where they plan on going, I tell them where I'm going, and I go on rides by myself pretty much the whole day.

The last trip I went on I stayed with the family, though, and only left the group once or twice.

I say whatever your parents tell you is okay is good. It's not hard to go off into Disney alone if you know the place.

I feel like I know the parks like the back of my hand, so my mother isn't as worried for me.

 

[ihavewaycutecats]

I went off into the parks alone last year with my friend. (Im 15). First, I think that the family should go to the waterpark together because it is a bit more risky than the other parks (there have been instances of people groping others, no often but..., also I find it is easier to get hurt at a waterpark). I think that going into the regular park by themselves should be fine, just take a trip with them once so they learn how to use the transportation.

And make sure they have cell phones!

I agree with this. I think waterparks are a little more risky than just a regular park.

Since they are a pretty young, it would be safer to have an adult go with them to the waterpark, but I think they would be fine alone at the regular park.

 

[KidGoofy]

I did last year completely alone(I was 17)...I met up with some DISers. But before that when I was 15 with my sister who was 17.

 

[Kool Kat]

Im 14. and my brothers 15. Our parents would only let us go off alone if they were in the park too. (not that i would ever wanna go off with just my brother...) ive walked the parks alone with a friend before, but my mom was in the park. my parents would never let us take transportation by oursleves.

 

[_MickeyisMyboy_]

Just Last year my mom let me wander our cruise ship (I was 12), but thats a little different than a huge park. I'd say they would be fine by themselves, my brother is 15 and he goes alone most of the time when we travel.