Day at Port - kids staying on ship?

[nyc1967]

If my kids decide to stay on the boat in the kids club, is it open the entire time the cruise is at port?

 

is their an extra fee for this? do they take the kids to eat etc?

 

thanx

 

my kids will be 9 and 11!

[ARCruisinNana]

Adventure is open while in port. It opens 30 minutes before the first excursion and closes (I think) 30 minutes after the last excursion is expected back.

[nyc1967]

thank u...is their an extra charge for this service?

[isdoo]

no there is not

[dohertm1]

Which wouldn't you take the children to the port? Which port? That's an exciting part of a cruise, especially for first-timers. They will be missing out. There are so many things they could do on a family excursion. On the other hand, if you want a break from the kids...

[SI Cruiser]

Please keep this in mind. Things do happen that can cause you to miss the ship. Medical emergencies, crimes, getting lost, etc.

 

I would not separate myself from my children while in port.

[Scotty G]

Please keep this in mind. Things do happen that can cause you to miss the ship. Medical emergencies, crimes, getting lost, etc.

 

I would not separate myself from my children while in port.

This is extremely good advice. It has happened before.

[VanessaM]

Last year when we did a Med cruise, we did leave our 10 yr old son in the kid's club for some of the ports. It is such a port intensive 12 day cruise that I knew if we took him off at every port he would not enjoy it and we wouldn't of either.

 

He had a great time with the other kids left on board. They do take them for lunch and snacks. They also asked if he had permission to go swimming, which they did as well.

 

I will say that when planning on leaving my child that is the only time I will do a ship excursion, unless it's a port I can get off and walk around right off the port.

[matj2000]

When my kids were younger we kept them on the ship all the time while in port. This is a service the cruiselines provide and that is a big reason we cruised. It always worked out well considering most excursions have an minimum age limit it is an only option.

Do not let these people try to guilt or scare you into bringing them ashore if you don't want to. The kids who stay on the ship are in great hands and will be fine no matter what.

This subject has come up a few times and one person even suggested that it was a form of child abuse to leave kids on the ship....Crazy

[lunarfla]

We have left our daughter (when she was 5 and 6 years old )on the ship a few times. She asked to "please please please please" let her stay and it worked out great. She had a great time, we had a great time.

You know your child better than anyone else, we were very comfortable leaving her because she just loves the kids program.

[Jenjer]

We have left our kids and they had a great time and so did my DH and I. Was I worried, yeah but I knew they were in good hands. I would just plan on heading back to the ship early or do a ship excursion.

[nyc1967]

just want to find out the info in case my kids decide they just want to hang on the ship...did not think about missing the ship and them being on board - good thing to think about..also good is that we are travelling with about 4 other families!

[sr5242]

I have nothing against other people leaving their kids on board, but I myself would never do it. Simply because when I plan family vacations, they are "family" vacations- time to experience the world together. I specifically choose itineraries that are family friendly. The whole point of traveling is to leave the house and spend time in new locales, seeing new things, experiencing new cultures. My kids can stay in and play video games and watch movies at home for free.

[gerif]

I have nothing against other people leaving their kids on board, but I myself would never do it. Simply because when I plan family vacations, they are "family" vacations- time to experience the world together. I specifically choose itineraries that are family friendly. The whole point of traveling is to leave the house and spend time in new locales, seeing new things, experiencing new cultures. My kids can stay in and play video games and watch movies at home for free.

 

I feel the same way. Also, just to clarify, even if you are on a ship sponsored excursion, they will NOT necessarily wait for you if it is running late but they will be responsible for getting you to the next port and paying any hotel expenses you incur. Also, in the unlikely event of an emergency with one of your children, they have no way of contacting you.

[familycruisetime]

Surely if they required to contact you they would call your emergency contact no? Most people would take their mobiles with them ashore?

[matj2000]

just want to find out the info in case my kids decide they just want to hang on the ship...did not think about missing the ship and them being on board - good thing to think about..also good is that we are travelling with about 4 other families!

 

 

If you didn't know better you would probably believe that 5 or 6 people got left behind at every port. The fact is that it is very rare and it is not something to worry about. I have no idea why people here are so paranoid about this.

Go do your own thing. Who wants to hall a stroller and all that stuff around an island all day. As for "family vacation", you don't need to be together 24/7 glued at the hip just because your on "Family Vacation?.......

[sr5242]

If you didn't know better you would probably believe that 5 or 6 people got left behind at every port. The fact is that it is very rare and it is not something to worry about. I have no idea why people here are so paranoid about this.

Go do your own thing. Who wants to hall a stroller and all that stuff around an island all day. As for "family vacation", you don't need to be together 24/7 glued at the hip just because your on "Family Vacation?.......

 

Seriously, why do people even have children if they have no interest in them? If you don't want to "haul" a stroller around, don't have kids at all, or leave them at home with family.

 

My husband and I went through hell and back to try to have biological children, and ended up flying halfway across the world to adopt our children. You can bet that while I get tired and frustrated at times, I cherish every moment with them, and look forward to spending as much time as possible with them on vacation. Being a parent is more than just birthing a child, it's about raising a well-rounded, respectful, enlightened individual who will positively contribute to the future of our world.

 

On vacation, we are NOT glued at the hip 24/7- the kids go to the kids' club on sea days, and again in the evenings so that DH and I can spend alone time together. But seriously, the ports of call are the main reason I cruise rather than go to a land based resort. I want my family to experience different sites, different places.

[Fran Harp]

Please keep this in mind. Things do happen that can cause you to miss the ship. Medical emergencies, crimes, getting lost, etc.

 

I would not separate myself from my children while in port.

 

In fact - about two or three years ago there was a couple who dropped their kids off at Adventure and then missed the ship. - and I mean really late, and if I recall there was no really good reason either. Someone had to babysit the kids till the net port, and of course the couple had to get themselves to the next port by air on their own dime. I believe they were all put off the cruise, too. it isn't worth the hassle...

 

Fran in Newfoundland

[gerif]

Surely if they required to contact you they would call your emergency contact no? Most people would take their mobiles with them ashore?

 

Maybe, maybe not. You could be on a scuba excursion, visiting the Aztec ruins, touring Rome - and even if they could/would contact you, you might not be able to get back to the ship for hours.

[01Sweetpea]

On our Liberty OTS cruise DH & I left our 3 teens on the ship for about 2 hours while we went to Grand Cayman. We had been to that port before, the kids wanted to stay on-board and sleep in, and DH & I did a little shopping. We had no problem with it.

[addicted2]

We left my then ten year old and our friends 7 year old on the ship on our first cruise to Ensenada. We also left our then 14 and 16 year olds asleep in the room when we were at Puerto Rico in 2009 (The ship was leaving early at 12:30p.m. so we wanted to get off and walk around for awhile and they wanted to sleep in). However if you do leave your kids onboard be responsible and plan on being on the ship early, don't wait till the last minute. Also leave them a cell phone so you are in contact with them while you are off the ship. Most phones work when in port, you may have to pay roaming charges but better to be safe than sorry.

[CariBear]

Just plan accordingly and both you and your children will have a wonderful cruise! My husband and I left our 4 year old in AO while we took a morning snorkeling trip in St. Thomas. The trip had 2 times frames....we chose the early time as we were back on board by 1pm and the ship sailed at 6pm. We also let our daughter stay in AO this past November as we toured the straw market in Nassau. She loved AO on Oasis....it was hard to tear her away for family time!

[tropiclvrs]

Seriously, some of you need to get off your soapbox! The OP didn't ask for your opinion as to whether they should or shouldn't leave their kdis for a period of time while in port. It is none of anyone's business if they decide to make this decision.

[vaeyedoc]

We left our 9 yo on the ship in Cozumel. It was what HE wanted. He loved the ship and kid's program much more than the shopping - which is all we did at this port. A cruise ship is the safest place to allow them some freedom.

 

As for FAMILY vacation, mabye the kid(s) want the break from the parents! Perhaps that few hours is what they really call a vacation.

[matj2000]

Seriously, why do people even have children if they have no interest in them? If you don't want to "haul" a stroller around, don't have kids at all, or leave them at home with family.

 

Because little kids can't scuba dive....