Hi Robin!
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! Thank you for bringing another great question to us. I am delighted to greet a fellow North Carolinian!
This is a tricky one. I have twin 13-year old girls and did something similar on our last visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios. They wanted to ride Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith and I did not, but I wanted to talk to them while they stood in line. When we approached the boarding area for the ride, I spoke with a Cast Member and asked if I could exit because I did not want to ride. A friendly Cast Member escorted me to an exit area for the ride.
Having said this, I would actually not suggest that you try to stand in line with little ones for a ride they cannot experience. Aside from the fact that it sounds as if your little ones may not meet the
height requirement, depending on their ages, they may not be comfortable in the queue. In addition, the actual time in the line could be longer than you anticipate and/or
changes to the queue system may affect the number of guests actually allowed in the line at a given time. Review the
property rules to verify the ages that children must be to ride alone and check the
operational updates for the theme parks as it gets closer to the dates of your visit so that you know what to expect with attraction queues.
Now that my girls are 13-years old, if they are going to ride without an adult, I walk them to the entrance of the ride and then find a spot to wait near the exit. They take their cell phone and text me periodically as they are making progress through the line. I will say that the first time I let them ride alone, it was slightly terrifying, but they seemed confident that they could do it.
Typically, we just plan for a ride or two that they are going to do without us. Make sure your son knows where to meet after he exits the ride in case he does not have a cell phone and/or the cell phone battery dies before he exits. If you are still worried about him standing in the line by himself, then just plan for experiences that the whole family can enjoy together.
Robin, welcome to the teen years. This is new territory for us, and we are trying to nurture these budding wings our girls have while also keeping them safe. The teacher in me knows that they can do it. So, I have learned to
let it go (and by "it" I mean that paralyzing fear that screams "don't grow up too fast" as we smile and wave)!
Magic and memories,
Donyell