Kids in club on ship while ashore

[sg4crzn]

Has anyone left their children on the ship in the club while going ashore? I think it sounds bad but in San Juan it would be easier to tour the forts without two small children. Is there a means of communication provided?

[Ashland]

Has anyone left their children on the ship in the club while going ashore? I think it sounds bad but in San Juan it would be easier to tour the forts without two small children. Is there a means of communication provided?

 

I completely understand...(other's may not on these boards). We left our toddler onboard RCI Radiance in the Royal Tots Nursery while on an excursion in Alaska. He enjoyed being there much more than doing what we were doing at his age. The staff was amazing...and we were lucky to have had reservations for him....other's weren't....so that says a lot as there were many little ones on our particular cruise.

 

They had my DD & DSIL's cell phone # but it was never needed.

 

Enjoy your port time.

[GUT2407]

It's not something I'd do.

 

But I suspect the Lin has procedures in place un case anything goes wrong.

 

You need to do what's right for you and your kids and not let people here brow beat you.

[Catu]

We have also left our kids onbord on differensiert ship(freedom, oasis, independence), and they love it. The staff was great with them. We felt completely safe and everytime it was a lot of kids at the children club although the ship was in port. So we have no qualms about it.

[sg4crzn]

It's not something I'd do.

 

 

 

But I suspect the Lin has procedures in place un case anything goes wrong.

 

 

 

You need to do what's right for you and your kids and not let people here brow beat you.

 

 

Posted for previous experiences. I only do what's right for me.

[sg4crzn]

Thanks for the info. I feel my son and daughter in law would enjoy the fort with their older daughter and their two children would only be hot, tired and grumpy. The forts aren't that far away from the ship and are within walking distance so I feel if there was an emergency it wouldn't take long to get to the ship. I've never thought this as an option until reading post.

[Ourusualbeach]

Has anyone left their children on the ship in the club while going ashore? I think it sounds bad but in San Juan it would be easier to tour the forts without two small children. Is there a means of communication provided?

 

 

Royal does not provide any means of communication. If they have cell phones they could turn them on and provide Royal with their phone numbers.

[spookwife]

Has anyone left their children on the ship in the club while going ashore? I think it sounds bad but in San Juan it would be easier to tour the forts without two small children. Is there a means of communication provided?

 

1: people do it all the time.

 

2: no.

 

so with that information, make your own decision. for some people its uno worse than going out on a date and hiring a babysitter. for others it would be a disaster. usually because the kid left behind has a meltdown or 'accident'

[bouhunter]

When our daughter was younger we wouldn't have done something like taking a ferry to another island or a long drive from the port. Just to be sure we didn't miss the ship...... But taking a walk to the forts in San Juan, can't see any reason to worry about something like that.

[matj2000]

We did it all the time when our kids were very young and had zero issues.

 

It is a service that the ship provides and it works very well.

 

This works much better than dragging kids around onshore, especially when its hot out.

 

If you go to the kids club on port day morning you will see a ton of activity and that many, many people take advantage of this option.

 

For unknown reasons, people on this website become highly spirited and opinionated about leaving kids on the ship, with no firsthand experience.

 

 

[bobbie0253]

I have done it on Disney's private island.

 

For our upcoming Indy cruise I may do it in Nassau with my 5 yr old. He has a sensory processing disorder and melts down easier than other kids and has sensitivity with the sun and smells. He would be MUCH happier in Adventure Ocean. We will remain walking distance from the ship.

[quirkygrl16]

I personally couldn't do it, but I'm sure people do it. I've actually been to the fort and it's actually a decent walk to it from the port with the cruise ships, and up and down winding roads. Unless y'all are bringing strollers or something it's probably in your best interest to go without the kiddos.

Edited February 20, 2016 by quirkygrl16

[Grandma Dazzles]

Have not paid attention to where the ship docks in San Juan, but I remember when sailing from there that there are two piers and one is a cab ride away, and not within walking distance.

 

It's a personal decision and best to do what you are comfortable with.

[brillohead]

I did it on another line when my son was 4yo. Hubs and I rented scooters and motored all over St. Maarten while the kid had a blast in the kids club. As long as the kid is happy being at the kids club, I wouldn't hesitate to leave a kid there.

 

 

For everyone who is sooooooo concerned about "emergencies"... you do realize that there is a fully equipped medical center with an ACLS/PALS certified doctor and an ACLS/PALS certified RN on board and on call at all times, right? The kid will have medical attention faster on a ship than they will on land, unless they live inside a hospital. :rolleyes:

[sg4crzn]

When our daughter was younger we wouldn't have done something like taking a ferry to another island or a long drive from the port. Just to be sure we didn't miss the ship...... But taking a walk to the forts in San Juan, can't see any reason to worry about something like that.

 

 

I agree.

[sg4crzn]

I personally couldn't do it, but I'm sure people do it. I've actually been to the fort and it's actually a decent walk to it from the port with the cruise ships, and up and down winding roads. Unless y'all are bringing strollers or something it's probably in your best interest to go without the kiddos.

 

 

Yes I have walked it many times and it is not a stroller friendly situation. That is why I considered not taking the two little ones. They would not know any difference than if it was a sea day. They loved the club on the last cruise.

[moopetguy]

Yes I have walked it many times and it is not a stroller friendly situation. That is why I considered not taking the two little ones. They would not know any difference than if it was a sea day. They loved the club on the last cruise.

 

Just want to be clear upfront -- I'm by no means invalidating your experience (which exceeds mine -- I've only been to San Juan once, last month). Though I wanted to share my thoughts for others on CC to consider if they are also pondering this.

 

My DD is 4 and we brought a fold-up stroller (not as small as an umbrella stroller, though) along. The cobblestone streets and narrow sidewalks in Old San Juan were a minor challenge, IMO. We just needed to exercise a bit of patience in the crowded streets and sidewalks, but we got to where we needed to go.

 

We walked from the ship to San Cristobal. Then we took the free Old San Juan trolley to El Morro. But it moved very slowly due to traffic -- our friends who walked from San Cristobal got there at exactly the same time as us :rolleyes:

 

From El Morro, we walked back to the ship. The ship was docked from 13:30-22:00 so there was zero danger in missing the ship (even if we did leave DD in Adventure Ocean), since the forts (run by the National Park Service) close at 18:00 -- we'd have to have gone and done something else after the forts (and after sunset) to be late.

 

DD really loved the forts (she's really into "castles") and she would have been very sad to miss them.

 

Every kid/family circumstance is different, though. This was just mine.

[idamae3218]

I have used AO many times when my children were younger. We loved it. There were some tours we wanted to experience, but were not child friendly. ie Mayan ruins in Belize. Not something our then 10 & 7 year old sons would have enjoyed. In fact, another port on the same cruise, we took them on an excursion and they asked when we were going back the whole time. When they stayed onboard, they had a blast eating lunch with AO, since at that time (14 years ago), they only did that on port days. Our kids were beyond tantrums and enjoyed being with the kids & staff in AO, so for us, there was no concern. Everyone was happy. Of course, you have to feel comfortable.

[kassimer1]

each parent has to decide for them selves. I would never have done it and mine was 12 when we started cruising. He is accident prone and has even gotten seriously injured on board. I cant imagine my need to get away making him suffer in pain longer. He needed stitches on his head and they can not do invasive procedures without your permission. I am glad we were on board and came right away when they over head paged us. Cell phones are great but it depends if you get service where you are going. on our last cruise we only had service for about 5% of the time we were on the island. I would have hated myself if he had to sit in the infirmery unable to get properly taken care of for hours while i toured. Like i said its just me but if it can happen to my kid it can happen to yours. would you be ok with your small child being taken care of by a dr they never met? what if it was serious enough to have to be taken to the hospital? If you know your cell gets great service all around old san juan then its not as bad. we had t-moble and the service was almost non existent. the time before that we had verizon and had better service. hopefully your kid is not accident prone

[micmacmissy]

On our very first cruise in 1999, we were pulling away from the port in Calica, Mexico, when a taxi pulled up with two pier runners, a woman and a man. The woman was screaming, "Wait, wait! My kids, my kids!" They had left their kids on board and missed the ship. Who knows why.

 

I was chilled to the bone witnessing that- what a horrible feeling.

 

Because of that, I:

A) am super paranoid about missing the ship and always get back like 2 hours before boarding

 

B) couldn't leave my kids onboard, because that woman screaming will always be in the back of my mind!

[brillohead]

would you be ok with your small child being taken care of by a dr they never met?

 

Unless you are taking your child's pediatrician along on your vacation, if something happens while on board, the child will be taken care of by a stranger.

 

Ditto if they go to the emergency room in your hometown.

 

:rolleyes:

[moopetguy]

Unless you are taking your child's pediatrician along on your vacation, if something happens while on board, the child will be taken care of by a stranger.

 

Ditto if they go to the emergency room in your hometown.

 

:rolleyes:

 

I don't want to put words into kassimer1's mouth, but I think the implication was that the parents would not be there if the child was left in AO while they went on shore.

 

If the child got injured on board and needed to be treated by the medical staff, it would be worse because they'd probably be scared with no familiar people or surroundings to be with them for comfort, not to mention no parent to provide consent for certain types of procedures.

[TripleU]

On our very first cruise in 1999, we were pulling away from the port in Calica, Mexico, when a taxi pulled up with two pier runners, a woman and a man. The woman was screaming, "Wait, wait! My kids, my kids!" They had left their kids on board and missed the ship. Who knows why.

 

 

 

I was chilled to the bone witnessing that- what a horrible feeling.

 

 

 

Because of that, I:

 

A) am super paranoid about missing the ship and always get back like 2 hours before boarding

 

 

 

B) couldn't leave my kids onboard, because that woman screaming will always be in the back of my mind!

 

 

On my last cruise, during the bridge tour, the captain basically confirmed that the ship will not leave you behind if your kids are on board. It's a bit of an insurance policy. Although I'm sure there will be other consequences depending on the length of time you make them wait. I'm sure there are other consequences as well. And I'm sure it also depends on whether you're with a group and other adults can care for your kids.

[idamae3218]

I don't want to put words into kassimer1's mouth, but I think the implication was that the parents would not be there if the child was left in AO while they went on shore.

 

If the child got injured on board and needed to be treated by the medical staff, it would be worse because they'd probably be scared with no familiar people or surroundings to be with them for comfort, not to mention no parent to provide consent for certain types of procedures.

 

Agreed. But I found it all to be unnecessarily negative. An accident prone child is not the norm. If that's your situation, you should stay onboard, listening closely for overhead pages. Hopefully your not visting anyone else's cabin. I hope the OP can look past unusual or rare bad situations.

[sg4crzn]

Just want to be clear upfront -- I'm by no means invalidating your experience (which exceeds mine -- I've only been to San Juan once, last month). Though I wanted to share my thoughts for others on CC to consider if they are also pondering this.

 

My DD is 4 and we brought a fold-up stroller (not as small as an umbrella stroller, though) along. The cobblestone streets and narrow sidewalks in Old San Juan were a minor challenge, IMO. We just needed to exercise a bit of patience in the crowded streets and sidewalks, but we got to where we needed to go.

 

We walked from the ship to San Cristobal. Then we took the free Old San Juan trolley to El Morro. But it moved very slowly due to traffic -- our friends who walked from San Cristobal got there at exactly the same time as us :rolleyes:

 

From El Morro, we walked back to the ship. The ship was docked from 13:30-22:00 so there was zero danger in missing the ship (even if we did leave DD in Adventure Ocean), since the forts (run by the National Park Service) close at 18:00 -- we'd have to have gone and done something else after the forts (and after sunset) to be late.

 

DD really loved the forts (she's really into "castles") and she would have been very sad to miss them.

 

Every kid/family circumstance is different, though. This was just mine.

 

 

We would need two strollers and I was thinking of pushing umbrella strollers up the hill on the cobblestone would be difficult. We always walk all the way to El Morro. Stoping at shops and eating local food. After getting to El Morro the youngest would not want to walk around the whole area and it doesn't seem to be totally stroller friendly so a parent would have to carry her. I feel it would be a great opportunity for the parents and their 10 year old to have a special time without hot and whiny toddlers. I do understand what you are saying.