Change to Park Entry Minimum Age Requirement

[gerald72]

So, does this park entry age requirement mean that they have to stay with them the entire time? Is this just meant to stop locals from dropping their kids off and leaving?

Given that kids 11+ are paying adult prices, seems like they should have adult access.

Exactly. They are adults when Disney wants their money.

[Ian]

Yeah, this is clearly just a revenue play. Disney sees the potential that every child 14 and under that currently comes to the parks now could come with an adult and that adult would have to pay admission.

I can't imagine that's a huge thing in WDW, but I know in DL that would boost revenues tremendously. Assuming the parents actually do it, of course. I'd imagine there will be a pretty big backlash out in CA.

[bruin1344]

My 12/13 year old self in the 1990s would be mad. That was the age I was allowed to split up from the parents and go to the parks with my siblings/cousins of the same age only.

[SandmanGStefani24]

so how does this affect the tour groups? not all of them are over 14, do they have to have an adult for all the ones under, or can they just use the same chaperone/teacher?

[Main Street Jim]

so how does this affect the tour groups? not all of them are over 14, do they have to have an adult for all the ones under, or can they just use the same chaperone/teacher?

As long as the group is in the accompaniment of an adult (chaperone).

[EeyoresBestFriend]

I think it's a fabulous idea.

Disney isn't a babysitting or respite service. As much as we would like to think our children are smart and grown up, they are still children and we are responsible for their actions at that age.

And if anyone in the parks has ever had to deal with an unruly group of teens that are without adult supervision is truly honest, I really can't see them disagreeing with this policy.

Just my

[TysMomTink]

Perhaps I am naive but there are parents who would drop off an under 14 year old alone to places like DL? Seriously?

[Pirate Granny]

So, perhaps Disney should give UP revenue and raise the adult pricing to 14 and over...then the tickets would designate those under 14..and magic + could be specific colors...also to designate but not track????

[Mickey'sGirl]

Perhaps I am naive but there are parents who would drop off an under 14 year old alone to places like DL? Seriously?

ABsolutely I would drop of my son and his friends at a theme park at age 13 or 14. He makes his way around Toronto on public transit by himself, he certainly can handle a theme park with his friends.

[Tekneek]

So, perhaps Disney should give UP revenue and raise the adult pricing to 14 and over...then the tickets would designate those under 14..and magic + could be specific colors...also to designate but not track????

It won't happen, but I wouldn't have a single complaint about this policy if they did do that.

As to those claiming this will resolve some supposed problem with immature children wreaking havoc, a park entrance policy (that does not require adults accompany them throughout the park the rest of the day) doesn't address that problem at all. If it was meant to address that problem, they would require that adult accompany them into every ride queue, restaurant queue, store, and exit the park with them as well. Given the lack of that requirement, and the only requirement being for park entry, there is only one logical conclusion we can draw from this change.

[BrerGnat]

Perhaps I am naive but there are parents who would drop off an under 14 year old alone to places like DL? Seriously?

TONS of parents do this at Disneyland. It's a very well used way to get your kids out of the house on weekend, school breaks, and most weekday afternoons. The amount of parents who use DL as a free babysitter is actually staggeringly huge. Disney used to have no issue with it, and even has established "drop off" zones for this. However, my guess is that Disney doesn't want the liability and aggravation anymore. My GUESS is that it has more to do with MyMagic+ (and it's associated RFID tracking) than anything else) but it's also highly possible that there are legal reasons for it beyond that. California is one of the most strict states in the country, as far as liability laws are concerned, and lawsuits are aplenty out there. I would wager a guess that this new policy is the result of a silent lawsuit "settlement" of one sort or another. Or, Disney is just tired of dealing with unsupervised kids in their parks.

But yes, go to Disneyland on any random weekday where there is a day off from school and you will see TONS of groups of kids/tweens/teens walking around without a parent present.

[Aurora]

Maybe it's related. Maybe it's not.

BUT, part of MyMagic+ is that guests 13 and under are not "tracked" in the parks, nor can they have magic bands with charging privileges.

Perhaps this is Disney's way of making sure that those guests 12 and under are able to utilize MyMagic+ (and allows Disney to track the "family").

Makes sense.

I'm actually surprised it took them this long to make such a change. An 8-year-old could have walked into the parks all by himself before? I have a word for what I call my 8-year-old roaming the parks by himself: Lost.

That said, I have no problem with letting 14-year-olds in the parks under their own supervision. There are thousands of kids in Chicago who take public transportation to and from school all by themselves at that age, and many 14-year-olds are in high school. If they can navigate the real world with responsibility, I don't see the rarified world of Disney being a problem.

It won't happen, but I wouldn't have a single complaint about this policy if they did do that.

As to those claiming this will resolve some supposed problem with immature children wreaking havoc, a park entrance policy (that does not require adults accompany them throughout the park the rest of the day) doesn't address that problem at all. If it was meant to address that problem, they would require that adult accompany them into every ride queue, restaurant queue, store, and exit the park with them as well. Given the lack of that requirement, and the only requirement being for park entry, there is only one logical conclusion we can draw from this change.

[MNNHFLTX]

It won't happen, but I wouldn't have a single complaint about this policy if they did do that.

As to those claiming this will resolve some supposed problem with immature children wreaking havoc, a park entrance policy (that does not require adults accompany them throughout the park the rest of the day) doesn't address that problem at all. If it was meant to address that problem, they would require that adult accompany them into every ride queue, restaurant queue, store, and exit the park with them as well. Given the lack of that requirement, and the only requirement being for park entry, there is only one logical conclusion we can draw from this change.

While your conclusion might be partially correct, I do see this new rule as cutting down on the number of tweens and young teens roaming the parks alone. It would deter some parents if they knew that they would have to accompany their kids into the parks (or find someone 14 years or older to do the same), instead of just dropping them off. And I'm not sure increasing revenue would be the primary incentive in Disneyland, since my guess is that many locals already have annual passes of one sort or another.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I think Ian and Nat got the closest... Yes, this is a cash grab to continue the inflation of the bottom line (for WDW, it continues the artificial increasing of the bottom line)...

I think it also plays on COPPA... Companies cannot legally track and collect data on minors 13 and under... By forcing 13 and under to be accompanied by an adult, Disney can use that as the adult consenting to allow Disney to collect the minor's information and track him/her through the park...

I don't think it has anything to do with rowdy teens in the park... Once through the gate, the kids can go off their own way with no adult supervision...

This screams of money grab and COPPA compliance...

[Tekneek]

I think it also plays on COPPA... Companies cannot legally track and collect data on minors 13 and under... By forcing 13 and under to be accompanied by an adult, Disney can use that as the adult consenting to allow Disney to collect the minor's information and track him/her through the park...

Would Children's Online Privacy Protection Act actually apply to a physical location? Perhaps the compliance is in the form of not having any significant PII on the child, but hoping to have a better profile on the adult, and linking them together to form a whole profile.

Even if that is the case, there is nothing that verifies the "adult" they enter with is anything more than an "adult." Nothing that requires they be a legal guardian, parent, etc, or have even known you before you met them in the parking lot.

[ERJDriver]

Also, how is this even going to be enforced? The article says if a cast member suspects them of being under 14 they will start a conversation with them to determine age since most kids that age don't carry id. I'm pretty sure any kid over the age of 9 or 10 is going to be smart enough to say I'm 14 when asked, and what CM is going to want to deal with the hassle of trying to determine a borderline looking child's age?

[BrerGnat]

Also, how is this even going to be enforced? The article says if a cast member suspects them of being under 14 they will start a conversation with them to determine age since most kids that age don't carry id. I'm pretty sure any kid over the age of 9 or 10 is going to be smart enough to say I'm 14 when asked, and what CM is going to want to deal with the hassle of trying to determine a borderline looking child's age?

It's not that hard. The Magic Bands/RFID tickets will have the guests birth dates programmed into them. If a kid under 14 tries to get in, there will likely be some sort of notification that pops up for the CM to see. This is how Disney Cruise line enforces age limitations in their different kids clubs.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Would Children's Online Privacy Protection Act actually apply to a physical location? Perhaps the compliance is in the form of not having any significant PII on the child, but hoping to have a better profile on the adult, and linking them together to form a whole profile.

Even if that is the case, there is nothing that verifies the "adult" they enter with is anything more than an "adult." Nothing that requires they be a legal guardian, parent, etc, or have even known you before you met them in the parking lot.

May be an extension... Everything about MyMagic+ or NextGen or My Disney Experience is all online... So, Disney cannot collect information from a minor 13 or under, online... Chances are an adult is making the reservation and going to book ADRs and FastPass+ ride times, and by doing so, the adult is now granting consent to Disney to gather the minor's information...

A case can be made that this extends to the theme parks... FastPass+ ride times will not be on a printed out ticket, instead it will be available via the app (online)... ADRs the same... Tracking the guests via the app and the RFID bands/cards could all tie together...

I think it is Disney just getting ahead of any complaints or issues or another letter from certain representatives in Congress (trying to avoid having to testify on Capitol Hill and having their true intentions revealed to the whole world.. bad press and all)...

This affects WDW a lot more than Disneyland... I am sure the Disneyland locals won't care so much as they are AP holders, tickets already paid for... The guests most affected will be WDW guests... now adults who may not have planned on buying tickets will have to... WDW needs any way it can to keep artificially driving the bottom line up...

[Tekneek]

...

[Aurora]

This affects WDW a lot more than Disneyland... I am sure the Disneyland locals won't care so much as they are AP holders, tickets already paid for... The guests most affected will be WDW guests... now adults who may not have planned on buying tickets will have to... WDW needs any way it can to keep artificially driving the bottom line up...

But really, how many people are we talking about? How many parents of kids 13 or younger go to WDW and buy fewer ticket days than their tweens? And if they're locals, wouldn't they also have APs?

It just seems unlikely that the number of people who don't go through the WDW gates with their younger kids is a big enough percentage to make any kind of real money dent.