Welcome to planDisney, Ignatius! Thanks so much for asking this great question! I'm happy to hear you are planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation!
As a mom with older kids, I can understand why you would want to give them the freedom of being on their own at the theme parks. There are a couple of options for enabling them to have a payment method while they are independently exploring The Most Magical Place on Earth! The easiest payment method they can utilize is a Disney gift card. You can order these on
shopDisney prior to your arrival or purchase and load them once you arrive at a theme park. You can also find them at many retail locations. The gift card will allow them to purchase food and merchandise. If they will have a mobile device, you can have them download the
My Disney Experience app and create a Disney account. With the app, they can utilize
Mobile Food & Beverage Ordering as well as Mobile Express Checkout to purchase merchandise at select locations. You can add a payment method to their account which can be a debit card, credit card, or gift card. The My Disney Experience app will also be helpful because it includes maps of the theme parks that display wait times for attractions, restroom locations, and dining locations, just to name a few features!
There's so much to see and do with
The World's Most Magical Celebration happening right now and I'm sure it will be a magical vacation for your whole family! Please visit us at planDisney again if we can answer any other questions as you are planning!
Warm Wishes,
Lisa