Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sewalabelintoeachchild'sshirtthatstateshisorhername,yourname,thename
of your hotel, and if you have one, your cell phone number. Accomplish the same
thing by writing the information on a strip of masking tape.
Other than just blending in, children tend to become separated from their parents
under remarkably similar circumstances:
1. PREOCCUPIED SOLO PARENT
In this situation, the party's only adult is preoccupied
with something like buying refreshments, loading the camera, or using the restroom.
Junior is there one second and gone the next.
2. THE HIDDEN EXIT
Sometimes parents wait on the sidelines while two or more
young children experience a ride together. Parents expect the kids to exit in one place
and, lo and behold, the youngsters pop out somewhere else. Exits from some attrac-
tions are distant from the entrances. Make sure you know exactly where your children
will emerge before letting them ride by themselves. If in doubt, ask a cast member.
3. AFTER THE SHOW
At the end of many shows and rides, a Disney staffer will an-
nounce, “Check for personal belongings and take small children by the hand.” When
dozens, if not hundreds, of people leave an attraction simultaneously, it's surprisingly
easy for parents to lose contact with their children unless they have them directly in
tow.
4. RESTROOM PROBLEMS
Mom tells 6-year-old Tommy, “I'll be sitting on this bench
when you come out of the restroom.” Three possibilities: One, Tommy exits through
a different door and becomes disoriented (Mom may not know there's another door).
Two, Mom decides she also will use the restroom, and Tommy emerges to find her
gone. Three, Mom pokes around in a shop while keeping an eye on the bench but
misses Tommy when he comes out.
