Leaving a child on the boat at port

[BeachChik]

Guess we all have different ideas of what is appropriate, huh?

 

That is exactly my point. Yet some come here and throw out parenting advice like their way is the only right way. The right way varies from parent to parent and child to child.

[babyher]

really?

 

From your picture you don't seem to be an extremely young person.

 

Think back to when you were 10 years old. Were YOU with your parents every minute of every day? Heck, did they even know where you were every minute of every day?

 

When I was 10, I had full responsiblity several days a week for a 4 year old, a 2 year old and an infant, with no adults around for miles. (I grew up on a farm - closest neighbors were several miles away).

 

When I had free time, I was often in the woods, swimming or fishing in the river, riding my bike 10 miles into town, playing at a friend's house, or out roaming with friends. My parents had no CLUE where I was or what I was doing. I had a dime in my shoe in case I needed to make a call from a public phone booth in town, and I had a time I had to be back home.

 

My goodness. Now we're raising a generation of children who can't even be in a relatively safe place at 10 with some responsibility for themselves? No wonder I see 20-somethings at work that have their mommy or daddy argue with their bosses on their behalf. They've never learned to be independent. (And I wish that was hyperbole, it's not.)

 

Why do children need to be watched 24/7/365? Doesn't anyone just go outside and PLAY anymore, without a cell phone, without being in constant contact, without a parent knowing where they are and what they're doing every second, without it being organized and scheduled to death?

 

I think that's doing kids a great disservice, in my opinion. I think a parent who knows her 10 year old is mature enough to be responsible and /allows/ him the freedom to prove her right has taught him an invaluable lesson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIKE

 

 

Grew up the same as you. What computer, cell phone Video game.

 

We rode bikes , played in the woods, got dirty , scraped up, bruised up, and had a ball doing it. Just went outside and played with the kids next door or down the street. What the hell with "play dates"

 

And I have seen first hand Mommy come in to plead her babies case to the boss. Fortunately Princess didn't last too long here.

[liljay6915]

It's interesting watching the insults fly on this topic about others parenting. I guess that's the nature of the Internet. But I like that on Labadee the sea phones work. We left our 12 month old in the nursery for 4 hours at Labadee and he had a bit of a diaper explosion. They called to tell me they were going to change him into an AO sweat suit and to say he was fine. They were wonderful about communication and I was able to call if I had any concerns. I'm not sure if it is the same for older children but the sea phones really made me feel better about leaving the ship with out my most precious asset.

 

 

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[cruizinawayinva]

Just off Adventure with my 3.5 year old. He LOVED AO and begged to go every day. We couldn't get him to stay with us. We did leave him at AO one time for about 45 minutes while both of us were off the ship. DH was on a dive and I got off and walked down the pier on St Croix to walk the little strip of beach just off the pier. It did feel weird leaving him on board with both of us off but we had taken him to the beach the day before and he HATED it. So knowing I was within walking distance and view of the ship the entire time I threw caution to the wind and got off. I used to wonder why people had their kids with them if they put them in AO all the time, but after we went with my son I now see sometimes it's the kids who want to be there, not the parents just dropping them off because they don't want to be with them. :) In the end it is his vacation too and since I am a stay at home mom who he spends much of his time with allowing him to enjoy AO with other kids just seemed fair.

 

That said they didn't ask where we were going, or if we were getting off the ship when we dropped him off. They didn't have any way of contacting us on board either if DS needed us. We just checked on him every once in a while to be sure he was ok.

[PattyG12]

That is exactly my point. Yet some come here and throw out parenting advice like their way is the only right way. The right way varies from parent to parent and child to child.

 

so if mom and dad want alone time and leave the ship and don't make it back before the ship leaves, what do you propose they do with the little darling that is now roaming the ship alone?

[Jobeth66]

Yes really! :rolleyes: No, when I was 10 I wouldn't have been with my parents every minute of every day. Yes, they knew where I was at all times - the few times they discovered that they didn't, resulted in grounding or other punishment.

 

Would I have been allowed to have free run of a ship with thousands of passengers and crew while my parents went ashore to enjoy themselves for the day? Absolutely not. If they're checked into AO, I can *maybe* see it. But giving a 10 year old checkin/checkout privileges and giving them free fun of the entire ship while I'm not even onboard? If that's your definition of "safe place" then we'll simply have to agree to disagree. Yes, children should be given increasing amounts of freedom AND responsibility as they get older. But giving a 10 year old free run of a ship with thousands of people you don't know at all while you go ashore for the day is simply abdicating your responsibilities as parents.

 

My best friend grew up in NYC. At age 10 she was navigating the buses and subways all on her own to get to school or other places she wanted to go - same as me, she had a time to be home and a dime with her at all times, but other than that, if she and her friends wanted to go to Central Park and play, they got on the subway and the bus or walked there with no adult supervision.

 

Not just thousands of people, but she had run of a city with millions of strangers in it, while her parents were at work or with their friends.

 

Yes, giving a 10 year old (who the parent knows is mature enough to handle it) the ability to check themselves in & out of a children's program on a ship where there's nowhere else for them to go BUT on the ship, is harmless, in my opinion. If the child is not mature enough to handle him or herself, I absolutely would expect the parent to intervene. But we have no indication that this is the case. She knew where he was at all times - he was on the ship. She may not have known exactly WHERE on the ship, but it's not like he could have gotten far.

 

I have 3 adult children. Each of them had a different maturity at age 10 - 2 of them I would have had no qualms about giving that sort of freedom to, and would have bristled at anyone telling me that allowing them that freedom was 'bad parenting'. 1 of them, I would've agreed with you totally - and he would never have been given that level of freedom at that age, my doing so would have been bad parenting.

 

Let kids be kids, though. There's not much trouble they can get into on a cruise ship, and they're sure as heck not going to get far. As long as they are being respectful and mindful of others, there's no reason an 8-9-10 year old can't be in the kids' club or in the buffet or wandering the decks on their own.

 

Kids running wild or rampant is a whole different situation. And I'm betting that most of the kids behaving that way are generally under lockdown and watched 24/7 at home and have never learned how to entertain themselves.

[Cindy]

I work in human resources. It amazes me the amount of 20 something's that when they have an issue with their job that have their parents call to complain on their behalf. And a lot of times it is something petty like having an issue with another co worker or their paycheck is incorrect. Old enough to have a job but not mature enough to handle problems on their own.

 

 

Off topic, but this made me laugh. When I was working, I was an elementary school principal. I had the husband of one of my teachers call me to request a meeting. He wanted to provide me with the guidelines for how he expected me to treat his pregnant wife, and outline the campus and district policies he thought she should be exempted from!:eek:

Edited April 3, 2014 by Cindy

[liljay6915]

Off topic, but this made me laugh. When I was working, I was an elementary school principal. I had the husband of one of my teachers call me to request a meeting. He wanted to provide me with the guidelines for how he expected me to treat his pregnant wife, and outline the campus and district policies he thought she should be exempted from!:eek:

 

I would be mortified if anyone other than myself were to speak with a superior of mine about an issue I was having. Oh lord it amazes me how little responsibility people take for themselves and their actions. I own a couple businesses where I employ many that are under 20 and I get calls from parents a couple times a year. I roll my eyes every time. But nothing beats a husband calling, oh my I can only imagine what you were thinking during that meeting.

 

 

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[purplethorn]

I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my child and get off the ship, but then again it all depends on the child. If i trust them and i know they are responsible I would prolly leave them , but only on a US port so my cell phone works and I can be reached by the staff at any time. And hell no they will not have sign in and out privileges.

 

We were on a Disney cruise in Nov 13 and I was reading on the board about the nursery and kid club etc before the cruise... you would think that since it's a Disney ship and well organized child care ( they have phones you can take with you , bracelets for the and so on,) that parents will be more comfortable leaving their kids .. nope everybody on the boards was advising against it and the nursery was empty even on port days.

We left DD (2 yr old) for an hour in the nursery while we were on the ship , but that was about it

I was tempted to leave her more so we can enjoy some peace and quiet , but it didn't feel right and i missed her too much

If she was older she would have been with us when getting off the ship - regardless if she liked it or not.

 

We are going on the Liberty in a few days and we will have my mom with us ... we might leave DD in the nursery but only while one of us adults is on board the ship at all times. We are considering booking a 2 hour excursion on Jaimaica for me and DH , but grandma is staying put .. I have the best mom:D

[steveru621]

Wow, we certainly have a diversity of opinions on this subject.

 

We humans have a difficult time assessing risk. Some are afraid to fly, but think nothing of driving 70mph on a highway. Where are you more likely to be hurt? A lot of 6 year-olds are put a bus every school morning and rely on others to protect their child. There are many countries where I wouldn't want to bring my child on an excursion. I remember our Mexican Riviera cruise with law enforcement standing on the corners, had machine guns. There have been lots of tour buses that I didn't want to be on, let alone put a child at risk.

 

There are many reasons that cruisers bring their children. I would say, in many instances AO is a lot safer for them than on an excursion. I'm amazed at the children that are on a cruise ship during the school year. On our last cruise, we had educators as table-mates. They didn't think there was any problem with parents taking their kids out of school to go on vacation. They thought is was an educational opportunity.

[dcedar]

I didn't notice anyone claim they were perfect parents. And as for giving parenting advice? Some just need it badly...

 

Case in point...

 

 

Bahahahahaha!!! I need no advice. And yes, I even leave my 11 year old home alone for hours at a time. OMSeriously! And he sometimes sneaks potato chips or icecream when I am not home. Oh, bad parenting? ha!

 

If I didn't know where he was on the ship it didn't take me long to find him. He was always in one of three spots. Camp Carnival, the chess board, or getting on his icecream. So if he said he went to get icecream I knew he would be on his way to one of those other two places with cone in hand.

 

When we left him on the ship his brother was on the ship. Yes, I left him alone on the ship too. And he was only 17 at the time. eeek! Still a minor! He met a bunch of kids on the first night and they were like glue.

 

My children were more than welcome to come with us and do anything we were doing. My older son went snorkeling with me and before you judge that my husband chose to stay on the ship. This cruise was for my children. I planned on them being stuck like glue to me and that was fine with me. It turned out they wanted to do their own things and mom and dad were cramping their style. We all had a great vacation. We all spent time with each other. We had no arguments. Neither kid got in trouble, not with the ship or us.

 

My next cruise is without the kids. Now judge me for going on vacation while my children are stuck home. Either way I don't need advice. LOL

[beckyjohns]

I won't get into the good/bad parenting, etc, but just wish to share a story. We have left our kids at camp in port many, many times. If we're doing a shore excursion that isn't appropriate for them and they would have more fun at camp, that's what we do. And, no, I don't think that our kids need to spend every waking minute with us just because it's a family vacation. A family vacation is about everyone in the family having fun, not dragging the kids around with us when they'd rather play at camp. We spend plenty of time together throughout the week.

 

On one occasion, we left our kids while we went on a ship excursion scuba diving. Long story short, the weather was nasty that day and tender boats were delayed, so our excursion was delayed leaving. So, of course, we were late returning. This particular cruise was on Carnival and camp closed at 5 that day, then re-opened at 6 for dinner in the buffet. I was a total nervous wreck. I knew the ship would wait for us since it was a ship excursion, and in fact, we arrived back at the ship at 5:30, plenty early for our 6:00 departure. We literally RAN to the camp as soon as we got on the ship, but the doors were locked and camp was closed. Assuming that maybe the counselors had moved to the buffet for dinner at 6, we headed that way. Sure enough, there were our kids, happily playing with 3 counselors in the roped off area of the buffet. We apologized profusely and they would have none of it. They reassured us that it was no problem, really, and that they had been playing games, etc and getting ready for dinner. In fact, our kids didn't even want to come to dinner with us, they wanted to stay with the camp for dinner at the buffet. We said no, but the counselors offered to prepare a couple plates of food for them to bring with us to the dining room.

 

My point is that the ship has procedures in place. If they're going to allow kids to stay on the ship without parents, they have rules about what will happen should a parent be late. The counselors were in contact with the crew at the gangway, so they knew exactly when our tender/dive boat arrived back. There were no issues, our kids were fine and taken care of. Was I nervous about being late? Yes, of course. But, I won't worry about my kids because I know they're in good hands.

[dcedar]

I didn't see someone that needed parenting advice. I saw someone whose idea of how much freedom a child should have is perhaps different than yours.

 

Thank you:)

 

I think freedom depends on the child. My mother always said she gave me and my brother enough rope to hang ourselves. Meaning, for those who don't get it, she gave us enough freedom but we knew we were responsible for our actions. We wanted her respect and did not want to disappoint.

 

So we were typical kids and did things other kids did but we kept ourselves out of trouble. We respected our elders and we respected authority. We weren't in jail, drug rehab or pregnant at 16. My mother did a good job with us. Some of my friends had very strict parents. Their parents thought my mother was a bad mother and had no 'control' of us. Most of those 'good' parents had to deal with their kids being knocked up at a very young age. And some of those kids today are crack heads.

 

My children have more privileges and are growing up in a different time but I know my children and their limits. Am I the best parent? Nope. Do I know how others should raise their kids? Nope? Will I act holier than though and tell anyone they are a bad parent? Nope!

 

:)

[LetsGetWet!]

there's no reason an 8-9-10 year old can't be in the kids' club or in the buffet or wandering the decks on their own.

Kids running wild or rampant is a whole different situation. And I'm betting that most of the kids behaving that way are generally under lockdown and watched 24/7 at home and have never learned how to entertain themselves.

Thanks for reminding me why we try to cruise only when children are supposed to be in school. I've seen too many of those 8-9-10 year olds wandering the decks on their own. Yes, they do learn how to entertain themselves. They're in the elevator, riding up and down repeatedly pushing every button. They're jumping in the pools on top of other people. They're grabbing food from the buffet line with their fingers and eating it right there in line. And their parents have no idea what their darlings are doing or whether or not they're running wild or not - because they're nowhere in sight. And heaven forbid if anyone tells their little darling to stop doing any of those things!

 

But I understand, all those totally absent parents will tell you how well their children are behaved. I will say - those kids are not stupid - they know that they can behave totally different with impunity when their parents are nowhere in sight - and do so all too often.

Edited April 3, 2014 by LetsGetWet!

[mickev99]

Thank you all for your responses. Let me just say that I would NEVER leave my child on the ship while at a port like Cozumel for instance, and go on some excursion. I would be anxious and worried the entire time. Even an older kid can get into trouble while left unattended on the ship. I just recently heard some horror stories that involved rape happening to a 13 year old on a cruise ship. I have a hard time leaving the kids alone while I run to the post office.

 

I just thought, having been to Lebadee and feeling like I know the island a bit and where we would be in the cabana, if she wanted to stay in the kid's program I would consider it. I would NEVER just allow her (or my son for that matter) to have free run of the ship even while on Lebadee.

 

No judgement towards anyone who would (except maybe the parents that left the younger kids on the boat unattended...who does that?!), it's just not something I would ever do.

 

For what it's worth, I spoke with her about it today and she said...after asking if there were fish in the water ;) "Can't I just sit in the cabana and read all day?" Yes, yes baby girl you can. Love that girl!

 

I cannot imagine how I would feel if I missed the boat and my kids were on board. Seems kind of irresponsible to put yourself in that position in the first place. I would be going crazy!!

 

Just FYI, when in labadee the kids program is on the island, not on the ship, so that is something else to think about. I haven't been yet so I don't know the location I the island, but I have seen the kid's program that states there is no adventure ocean on the ship from 8:30 until 3:00. This is for the kids ages 3-11.

 

 

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[babyher]

Thank you:)

 

I think freedom depends on the child. My mother always said she gave me and my brother enough rope to hang ourselves. Meaning, for those who don't get it, she gave us enough freedom but we knew we were responsible for our actions. We wanted her respect and did not want to disappoint.

 

So we were typical kids and did things other kids did but we kept ourselves out of trouble. We respected our elders and we respected authority. We weren't in jail, drug rehab or pregnant at 16. My mother did a good job with us. Some of my friends had very strict parents. Their parents thought my mother was a bad mother and had no 'control' of us. Most of those 'good' parents had to deal with their kids being knocked up at a very young age. And some of those kids today are crack heads.

 

My children have more privileges and are growing up in a different time but I know my children and their limits. Am I the best parent? Nope. Do I know how others should raise their kids? Nope? Will I act holier than though and tell anyone they are a bad parent? Nope!

 

:)

 

Agree

 

For the time , my parents were pretty liberal with us and gave us a lot of slack. We had our rules that were pretty set in stone . But for the most part they were pretty lenient.

 

I am gonna badly date myself here *LOL* But I remember one of my friends mother's stopping by and "shocked" that my parents were watching "Love American Style" with us young teens in the room. *LOL*

 

 

Both my parents had to work full time with 4 kids to raise. They didn't have time to "helicopter" . But they taught us manners, respect, how to use good sense. and then gave us the slack to use it all. And boy were there consequences if we didn't.

 

Believe me none of us were angels. But we never got into any REAL trouble (arrested, suspended, expelled, pregnant)

 

My kids had to grow up a little more than most due to circumstances .(Long Story) I had to work and take care of them, while their mother was .....longer story :(

 

Maybe I wasn't the best at parental discretion in their TV watching, and could occasionally be a little inappropriate in front of them with an opinion or two. But i did teach them the same basics my parents did , and now all in their 20s I am very very proud and amazed by them.

[Jobeth66]

Thanks for reminding me why we try to cruise only when children are supposed to be in school. I've seen too many of those 8-9-10 year olds wandering the decks on their own. Yes, they do learn how to entertain themselves. They're in the elevator, riding up and down repeatedly pushing every button. They're jumping in the pools on top of other people. They're grabbing food from the buffet line with their fingers and eating it right there in line. And their parents have no idea what their darlings are doing or whether or not they're running wild or not - because they're nowhere in sight. And heaven forbid if anyone tells their little darling to stop doing any of those things!

 

But I understand, all those totally absent parents will tell you how well their children are behaved. I will say - those kids are not stupid - they know that they can behave totally different with impunity when their parents are nowhere in sight - and do so all too often.

 

Your children will live up - or down - to your expectations. It's up to you to set them. My children have always lived up to mine. One of my children did something I consider "misbehaving" on a cruise, ONCE. He was 17 and sitting with some of his new friends in an inside area, and he was sitting on the back of a couch. My friends have never seen MOM MODE come out so quickly in their lives - he knew what he was doing was inappropriate, and not something I would ever countenance, I remedied the situation as soon as I witnessed it, and that's that.

 

If my children ran rampant and jumped on people and behaved inappropriately, they would be summarily dealt with. I agree there are some parents who /don't/ discipline their children, but that doesn't mean all parents don't, and I blame the behavior of small children on their parents, not on them. I treat each person I meet - adult or child - with respect and courtesy and assume the best of them unless they prove otherwise.

 

I've often found that children who are treated that way respond in kind, while children who are never given the freedom to make mistakes or to prove that they are responsible will also behave exactly as you expect them to.

 

We were all children, once.

[LetsGetWet!]

Your children will live up - or down - to your expectations. It's up to you to set them. My children have always lived up to mine. One of my children did something I consider "misbehaving" on a cruise, ONCE. He was 17 and sitting with some of his new friends in an inside area, and he was sitting on the back of a couch. My friends have never seen MOM MODE come out so quickly in their lives - he knew what he was doing was inappropriate, and not something I would ever countenance, I remedied the situation as soon as I witnessed it, and that's that.

 

If my children ran rampant and jumped on people and behaved inappropriately, they would be summarily dealt with. I agree there are some parents who /don't/ discipline their children, but that doesn't mean all parents don't, and I blame the behavior of small children on their parents, not on them. I treat each person I meet - adult or child - with respect and courtesy and assume the best of them unless they prove otherwise.

 

I've often found that children who are treated that way respond in kind, while children who are never given the freedom to make mistakes or to prove that they are responsible will also behave exactly as you expect them to.

 

We were all children, once.

Yes, we were all children, once. You say your children have ALWAYS lived up to your expectations, but then detail an example of when one didn't. Yes, I'm older, but I remember being a child. I freely admit that I did things when I knew there was no way my parents could see me or know what I did, that I would NEVER have done while they were watching. Can you honestly say that as a child you never did the same? If so, you're quite rare.

 

We're definitely in agreement about blaming the behavior of small children on the parents, not the children. As teens my kids sometimes had the run of the ship, given check-in times etc. But at 8-9-10 years old, no. That doesn't mean that they were bad or irresponsible kids at all, but on the other hand I'm not going to assume that 8-10 year olds can be trusted to act like little adults, and I'm not naive enough to believe that they'll never do things when "out of sight" that they wouldn't have ever done in front of me. I think any parent who says "my kids have ALWAYS lived up to my expectations" is exhibiting a degree of naivete. Again, when they KNOW you can't see them, they KNOW you can't tell if they're living up to expectations or not - and small kids (and older ones too) will certainly push the boundaries when they know they can get away with it.

[Paulette3028]

really?

 

From your picture you don't seem to be an extremely young person.

 

Think back to when you were 10 years old. Were YOU with your parents every minute of every day? Heck, did they even know where you were every minute of every day?

 

When I was 10, I had full responsiblity several days a week for a 4 year old, a 2 year old and an infant, with no adults around for miles. (I grew up on a farm - closest neighbors were several miles away).

 

When I had free time, I was often in the woods, swimming or fishing in the river, riding my bike 10 miles into town, playing at a friend's house, or out roaming with friends. My parents had no CLUE where I was or what I was doing. I had a dime in my shoe in case I needed to make a call from a public phone booth in town, and I had a time I had to be back home.

 

My goodness. Now we're raising a generation of children who can't even be in a relatively safe place at 10 with some responsibility for themselves? No wonder I see 20-somethings at work that have their mommy or daddy argue with their bosses on their behalf. They've never learned to be independent. (And I wish that was hyperbole, it's not.)

 

Why do children need to be watched 24/7/365? Doesn't anyone just go outside and PLAY anymore, without a cell phone, without being in constant contact, without a parent knowing where they are and what they're doing every second, without it being organized and scheduled to death?

 

I think that's doing kids a great disservice, in my opinion. I think a parent who knows her 10 year old is mature enough to be responsible and /allows/ him the freedom to prove her right has taught him an invaluable lesson.

 

The comparison you are trying to make, has one major issue that you seem to be forgetting....the WORLD is a much different place than when I was a 10 year old (for example), but even much different than when I was raising my children and they were 10 years old (approximate 20 years ago).

 

As trustworthy as the staff in AO could/should be -- being off the ship and not easily reached in an emergency (which can happen anytime) -- isn't something I would do (others perhaps would).

 

I truly do believe in giving children additional responsibilities as they grow up and mature, but 'freedom on a cruise ship', while I was on shore, would not be one of the items for me -- that is just me, perhaps.

 

I spent many a weekend afternoon in the local movie theater......if I had a 10 year old....today, that could be a worrisome experience -- no one knows who could be in the bathroom or seat right next to them.

 

People have to make decisions for themselves....but I see many decisions that seem unwise being made everyday in my professional and personal life.

 

Then the day comes and something bad happens, and people wonder "how could that have happened to me'.....if you put yourself into a potentially dangerous situation it can -- and sometimes does.

[JetsFanCruiser]

I didn't notice anyone claim they were perfect parents. And as for giving parenting advice? Some just need it badly...

 

Case in point...

 

Just be careful who you give parenting advice to....Of course you can do it freely as a keyboard hero on a message board, but if you do it in person, it may not go over very well.....

[LetsGetWet!]

Just be careful who you give parenting advice to....Of course you can do it freely as a keyboard hero on a message board, but if you do it in person, it may not go over very well.....

He says as he gives advice as a "keyboard hero on a message board"... :rolleyes:

[Jobeth66]

The comparison you are trying to make, has one major issue that you seem to be forgetting....the WORLD is a much different place than when I was a 10 year old (for example), but even much different than when I was raising my children and they were 10 years old (approximate 20 years ago).

 

It really isn't. We just have a 24-hour news cycle that insists on sensationalism and fear in order to drive ratings.

 

We have children that are connected, 24/7, and can be reached no matter where they are. I'd think parents would be MORE willing to give their children freedom knowing they always have a cell phone in their pocket that you can track by GPS from the comfort of your easy chair - no wondering if they are in the woods or in town or at the library or at Billy's house.

 

<shrug>

 

I kind of worry about the generation today's kids are going to raise.

[travelplus]

Here is something to think about.

 

I think all Cruise Lines should have a security measure in place whereby the parents must exit and enter the ship with the kids present or be checked into Adventure Ocean Club. If one of these things are not met then the Parents cannot leave the ship. The Security knows the birthdates of all the children and their account is linked to the child's account.

 

For instance allowing your kids to roam around the ship at age 6 and 9 alone is letting them go around New York City alone. You never know what can happen. Yes there is security but they are not watching your kids 24/7.

 

We have just found a security loophole right here as they allow the parents off the ship without their kids being checked into the Adventure Ocean Club.

[reallyitsmema]

Here is something to think about.

 

I think all Cruise Lines should have a security measure in place whereby the parents must exit and enter the ship with the kids present or be checked into Adventure Ocean Club. If one of these things are not met then the Parents cannot leave the ship. The Security knows the birthdates of all the children and their account is linked to the child's account.

 

For instance allowing your kids to roam around the ship at age 6 and 9 alone is letting them go around New York City alone. You never know what can happen. Yes there is security but they are not watching your kids 24/7.

 

We have just found a security loophole right here as they allow the parents off the ship without their kids being checked into the Adventure Ocean Club.

What about all the multigenerational families that travel together? Mom and dad leave the kids on the ship with the grandparents while they go on an excursion. They don't fit into your so called loophole.

[cello56]

Leaving a child alone on the ship to wander at their pleasure at age 8 or nine or even 10 or 11 is a very bad idea to me. It is not so much how mature your child - and yes all of the ages that I listed are CHILDREN - not teens, not adults - the question is who are the other 2000 - 5000 people on board the ship at that time? Anyone who thinks that their child is 'child proofed' enough to fight off a determined pedofile is foolish and irresponsible. No they cannot leave the ship, but that in no way means that nothing bad will happen to them while they are ON the ship.

 

Let's let children be children. Let them depend on the adults in their lives taking care of them instead of expecting them to make adults decisions that could jeopardize their safety and well being. RCI offers a safe alternative to letting your child wander around on their own.