WDW with TEEN SONS

[JRinCO]

My family, (me, wife, and sons 14 & 16) are arriving at WDW on the 30th and I'm trying to make a rough itinerary. I know DS 16 would like to just disappear...pretending he doesn't have parents...and go off to meet cute girls.

The evening we arrive, DW and I plan on goint to Circ de Sole and let the boys go hang at Disney Quest.

What's your thoughts on letting teens run off by themselves?

 

[Karel]

We haven't reached that point yet with our family but I know it's on the horizon. I think if they are responsible enough to know that they have to stay in one 'park' they would be all right. Then there are the little things. Are they responsible with money? Can they act polite in public - stand in line, talk quietly, pick up their trash? Will they stay together?

It's the little things I worry about, when they are not in my sight. I know they can behave but will they when I'm not breathing down their necks. I have seen terrible behavior from teens and would be horrified if my children acted that way.

 

[Kermit]

If you really believe that your sons are old enough, then they probably are. When I was 14, I went to WDW with my best friend's family, and we went off by ourselves. Sometimes we took her 11 year old sis with us. We were very well-behaved (if I do say so myself ), and it's a very safe place for teens to get a little bit of freedom. We were even allowed to go from the resort to the parks by ourselves on occasion, but we had very strict meeting times and didn't dare be late. We didn't even ride rides starting about 30 minutes before we had to meet her parents, just in case it got stuck. Of course, that was many years ago. If your family has cell phones, that wouldn't be as big of a concern. (But I would still encourage you to have meeting times and not just phone calls. Eye contact is important.)

 

[WDWfanatic288]

I'm 15 and one of those weird children that hang out with their family most of the time(espically my mom! )

usually once a trip I have a day where I go do my own thing just b/c I like just going off and chilling
and then I usually meet one DISer a trip and I go off with them for a couple of hours

so my parents have never had a problem with me going off
just make sure to know where the boys are going and when they will be back and give them money just incase they need something

 

[lucki4]

Glad someone else here is going with older kids
We have two boys 12 and 15 that we are taking with us tomorrow!!! They are stepbrothers too, so we are not too sure if we want them to wander the World on there own. We know that we will probably leave them at Disney Quest for a few hours (mom would get sick there ) and Dh did say that we might leave them for a few hours one night and have us check out Pleasure Island. For us, it depends on how they are getting along and how safe we feel there.

 

[WafflehouseCarni]

Im 15 and we will be going in 2 weeks with my 2 16 year old sisters...my mom has already said we can go off by ourselfs as long as we call on the cell phones and tell her when we are going to leave a certain park or something...i think it just depends on if them and how they will act if u arent there

 

[jx3smom]

Our first trip our boys were 7 and 8. Now they are 21 and 22. While in their teens we usually did a lot together but let them have some free time. I think it makes for a much happier vacation. If you trust your kids and set some ground rules there is nothing wrong with allowing a bit of freedom.