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When can kids roam the ship alone?


amyhphoto
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Some ships have rules, like after a certain hour they need to be escorted.

 

With that said, if you were to let your kids roam, make sure to they know to act properly (don't push all of the elevator buttons, don't pull DND signs or room service orders down, in cabin hallways, no running/screaming, etc).

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I can only speak about Carnival since that's what we sail.

There is no set rule that says when your kid can roam on his/her own. If you trust your kid to go out by themselves then go for it. Just make sure they're behaved and respect other people.

 

We started letting our oldest son roam the ships by himself when he was 12.

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ROAMING is bad. I would allow my kids to come and go from specific things at around age 10....depends on the kid. I never allow "roaming" without reason. If they want to go to the sports deck...that's fine...but when they're done, they need to physically check in with me....(tell them where you will be!)...before they go to the next thing! Roaming is a problem waiting to happen. Give them freedom, but with frequent "check ins"... You want to SEE your kid....a text tells you nothing. Look at your child..then approve or not, their next adventure!

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I didn't let my daughter roam at 11 and don't plan to now that she's 13. It depends on the individual child and their maturity/responsibility level. Mine is too trusting and is easily led astray, but I know other 13 year olds who would be just fine.

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I didn't let my daughter roam at 11 and don't plan to now that she's 13. It depends on the individual child and their maturity/responsibility level. Mine is too trusting and is easily led astray, but I know other 13 year olds who would be just fine.

 

A realistic approach: of course it should depend upon the maturity and reliability of the individual child - as well as the responsibility and common sense of the parent.

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At home they start walking around town at 10 in the daytime, I let my kids go here and their on cruise ships around that age, but I know where they are. I'd say around 13 they take off in the morning, and I see them at dinner (crossing paths several times during the day).

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We let them go to specific areas at about 12. They had to check in with us if they were going to a different area. When they were about 14-15 we started letting them roam. We also gave them a good list/lecture on conducting themselves on a ship and the consequences of not adhering to our rules.

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Roaming and going to places alone are sort of different The age so depends on the child.

 

It also depends on the parents. When my mom (in her 60's) visited my grandparents, my grandpa would wait up for her when she came back home a little late.. like after 10pm... :D

 

She told us about it and we thought it was cute. :')

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When we stay at a hotel I let my kids go get me coffee in the morning (they're 14, 11, and 7). I think I'd let them do things like that. The 14 year old can be on his own with no issue. The 11 year old, just her personality, will go from point a to point b exactly as she should, no more no less, and will confirm that she knows the route seventy times before she goes. The 7 year old will only go with the oldest, but mostly will be holding my hand, and that's fine.

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ROAMING is bad. I would allow my kids to come and go from specific things at around age 10....depends on the kid. I never allow "roaming" without reason. If they want to go to the sports deck...that's fine...but when they're done, they need to physically check in with me....(tell them where you will be!)...before they go to the next thing! Roaming is a problem waiting to happen. Give them freedom, but with frequent "check ins"... You want to SEE your kid....a text tells you nothing. Look at your child..then approve or not, their next adventure!

 

This is pretty much what we let our 11 year old at the time. He could go places but always had to check in and out with us. He is a pretty responsible kid and knew what the rules and consequences would be too.

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It also depends on the parents. When my mom (in her 60's) visited my grandparents, my grandpa would wait up for her when she came back home a little late.. like after 10pm... :D

 

She told us about it and we thought it was cute. :')

 

I can go you one better on that. I'm 67. When I go to visit my dad, he fusses like crazy if I'm out after dark. :D

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We would start out by letting them go places close by alone.

Like if we were sitting around outside at a table in the shade and allowing the child to go get a slice of pizza (or something) alone and bring it back to the table. :)

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I don't like the word "roaming". It implies loads of unsupervised time, allowed to go anywhere without supervision. Regardless of terminology, I'd say it ought to be a staggered thing:

 

- 8-12 years old -- check themselves out of the kids' club and return to the room or find me ... may stay alone at the pool while I go briefly to get a drink or to run an errand back to the room ... or the child may run that brief errand while I stay at the pool.

- Young teens -- a couple hours to go here or there with siblings or friends ... but only during the daylight hours, and you let me know exactly where you'll be ... after dinner we're together as a family ... if you want to go to a teen activity after dinner, fine, but we'll come pick you up afterward.

- Older teens -- go where you please during the daylight hours, but you let me know generally where you'll be, and you're back with us around 8:00 or 9:00 or in a supervised club activity ... no roaming after dark ... the ship's curfew is ridiculously lenient.

 

And for kids of all ages, we talked pre-cruise about being careful with drinks, never going into anyone else's cabins, and courtesy to fellow cruisers.

 

My kids are adults now, but these general guidelines worked well for us, and the kids never chaffed at them.

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Are there rules for how old kids need to be to be unaccompanied by a parent? How old were your kids when you let them go places alone on the ship?

 

 

technically, never.

 

the curfew is 1 am when not participating in a supervised kids club activity. after that they must be in the company of an adult or in the cabin.

 

children of any age should not be allowed to 'roam freely' no matter what. as for when you give them the freedom to head to the ice cream machine on the pool deck or to run up to the sports deck for a game of pick up without you tagging along, well that is up to the parents and the maturity level of the kid in question.

 

I believe under 9 cannot leave the kids club without being signed out by their parents. might be 12, not quite sure. for the ones who can come and go as they please, it is up to the parents to determine what is appropriate. it is advisable for all kids to have rules to abide by, to include regular check ins with the 'rents.

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Remember a ship is a small city with doors that all look the same. My son has been cruising since he was six but only allowed to roam at 13. He traveled to and alone from high school in NYC at that age so I figured he could handle the ship

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Roaming anywhere depends on the parents, not the kids. All parents raise their kids differently, so some kids have the maturity and manners to be trusted with freedom.

 

So, based on my experience of raising three kids and working as a volunteer in youth organizations; if the question of whether kids should be allowed to roam a ship alone is based on their safety, I would say yes, they are pretty safe to roam alone on a ship. If the question is asked more because the parent is concerned that their own kid doesn't have the maturity or manners to roam among strangers (causing some trouble), then I would suggest those kids are not ready to roam the ship by themselves.

 

Burt

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I was 4 when I was allowed to walk to school on my own, and probably about 6 when I was allowed to go shopping into town on my own. My brother was 11 when he was first allowed to roam a ship on his own, because that was his age when he sailed to Denmark (18 hour overnight crossing) with his 13 year old brother but no adults. Children are a lot more capable than people think, if only they get the chance.

 

Whatever you may be told about the dangers of cruise ships, they're a lot safer than cities. For one thing, criminals have no quick getaway; for another, they have no secure place to hide; for another, you're always close enough to people so they can hear you scream. If the child is capable, a cruise is a good place to learn freedom.

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On just about every cruise we come in contact with groups of unsupervised "roaming" children. Most times they are fine but many times we have crossed paths with those who were not.

 

I am not anti-children but please understand that turning your children loose on a ship for hours on end does not always bode well for other cruisers.

 

While I am sure all of you believe your child is well behaved, more often than not if you put them with a group of new friends who are a bit daring they will almost always go along just so they fit in.

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