At what age did you give your kids "free reign"?

[LrgPizza]

.... nervous about her getting pulled into a room by someone, etc....

 

This is why we had a rule that our child wasn't allowed in cabin areas at all. Much safer hanging in the buffet, pool deck, or other public areas than wandering up and down cabin hallways.

[luvtheships]

I suggest you give your child the same amount of freedom you're comfortable giving him or her at home. Not everyone on a cruise ship is someone you'd want your child to encounter anymore than everyone in your home town is. For me, being on a cruise ship doesn't mean my daughter is any safer than she would be walking down the street at home.

 

 

Agree

 

If you would give your child free roam in a small town of 3000 at home then go for it on the ship

 

I know the ships are relatively safe but I'm never going to be comfortable letting any young child go to a cabin alone

 

 

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[cdnsteelman]

At what age should responsible children give their UBP-lubricated parents free reign to roam the ship and act like minors who's parents have given them free reign to roam the ship? THAT is the question!

[luvtheships]

At what age should responsible children give their UBP-lubricated parents free reign to roam the ship and act like minors who's parents have given them free reign to roam the ship? THAT is the question!

 

 

That is exactly why any parent of any kid under 18 on a ship should think twice about letting those kids roam free on a ship with technically an open bar

 

A few years ago I wouldn't have said this but that was before the proliferation of free ubp

 

 

I don't want to encounter a drunken 40 yo in the hallway outside my cabin or anywhere else at 2 in the afternoon .....nor do I want my kids too either

 

 

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[nednrom]

My children are grown but I'd like to offer an opinion if you don't mind.When I cruised with kids, none had "free reign" as you call it and I'm glad they didn't because I now see how they are especially when they make friends with other kids their age.

 

These are some of the things I see kids doing within their age groups:

 

1. sliding down staircase railings ( 8 and above)

2. sitting on the steps at 10-11 pm at night getting in the way (8 and above)

3. getting in the adult only(or any hot tub for that matter) with their new friends with no adult supervision ( 8 and above)

4. Getting alcoholic beverages through other young irresponsible adults (14-16 age group)

5. smoking weed in public areas (yes, somehow now, kids rig the e-cigs to pack weed in them and think that as adults we can't smell or know what weed is -- 14-16 age group)

6. Trampling over people/wheelchairs - just being rude in general.

7. Damaging property-- I have seen kids in a hot tub picking at the filter and throwing pieces out

 

I am not saying your kids are like this at all. These are just my observations. Even without today's technology, kids should check with parents every 1-2 hours with parents and should have a curfew.

 

Ultimately, it is your decision how much reign you want to allow your children. Numbers don't necessarily mean safety - some kids tempt others to do dangerous things like sliding down the rail which may result in injuries.

[FLSteve11]

We started at 10 with our DD. She was allowed to sign out and go back to the cabin if she wanted to. She could also go places at that age so long as she told us where she was going and stayed there (like see a movie on deck or in the theatre). Now she's 12 and we let her go around the ship, with some rules of course (generally no going into other people's cabins, and not bringing others to ours). We have given her charging privileges as well, but she knows to be responsible with it (I can see what she's charging, after all). So she can get drinks, or snacks if she wants, but not buy any major things in the shops. She's been on a lot of cruises, so she knows what is proper behavior.

[Lido_Deck]

IMHO, kids sailing with parents should not be set free while on board until the age of 21!!

 

I was thinking more like 25. Free range kids are the worst part of cruising these day.

[FLSteve11]

This is exactly right. It floors me how many people think it's ok, or safe, to let their kids just wander in a "city" of 3,000 strangers. :eek:

 

That's because we live in one of the safest times in history, so primarily it is. :) I think for most of us, we spent most of our childhood out doing things on our own, and it's far safer now then it was then.

[NHL Philly Fan]

Just ask yourself this. Do you want to deal with other people's kids running all around the ship unsupervised doing god knows what, when, and where? Being on vacation does NOT mean you can stop being a parent. If you do not want to supervise your kids on a cruise then do everyone else on the ship a big favor and leave them at home.

[MizDemeanor]

This is funny stuff. Pribaly these kids running down the hall unspuerivsed are doing it not as a norm but as a one time crazy thing. I doubt its bad parenting or a way of life. I'm going to suggst that anyone of us ran in a hallway when we knew we not supposed to. Spoke to another in an unfriendly manner. Picked our nose, said a curse word, stuck out our tongue, or what ever. Don't be so serious....

[mjkacmom]

This is exactly right. It floors me how many people think it's ok, or safe, to let their kids just wander in a "city" of 3,000 strangers. :eek:

 

Well, my 13 and 15 year olds walked around NYC for hours with their friends, so a cruise ship seems like nothing!

[NHL Philly Fan]

This is funny stuff. Pribaly these kids running down the hall unspuerivsed are doing it not as a norm but as a one time crazy thing. I doubt its bad parenting or a way of life. I'm going to suggst that anyone of us ran in a hallway when we knew we not supposed to. Spoke to another in an unfriendly manner. Picked our nose, said a curse word, stuck out our tongue, or what ever. Don't be so serious....

 

And that makes it OK for them to be disruptive to people who want to enjoy their cruise vacations?

Edited February 3, 2017 by NHL Philly Fan

[1620rock]

That's because we live in one of the safest times in history, so primarily it is. :) I think for most of us, we spent most of our childhood out doing things on our own, and it's far safer now then it was then.

 

 

I am sorry to say that is not true. Why anyone would think it is safe for kids especially solo to wander around a ship full of strangers is beyond me. Also don't think they stay together as told. Saw many kids on ship circling solo looking for their friends. Children are easily talked in to going with an adult that will help them. I work in a place where we deal with victims and you may not find out until years later that someone took your child to a cabin and abused them. Please don't put your kids at risk if you aren't worried about your kids bothering others you should definitely be worried about someone treating your child inappropriately.

[momto2js]

I am a terrible parent apparently. This last cruise we routinely let DS's 10 and 7 go to the sports deck and do the trampoline or ropes course after they were done with dinner. They knew where they were supposed to be and knew where to find us. By day 3 the staff knew them too. The hour up there when everyone else was eating dinner was pretty cool for them.

 

I will say that the last sea day when I spent the entire afternoon as the only parent around trying to make sure that four 7 year olds and 6 10 year old's did cause too many problems while the rest of the parents drank by the pool, I was glad the trip was almost over.

[MizDemeanor]

And that makes it OK for them to be disruptive to people who want to enjoy their cruise vacations?

 

If that two more minutes of sliding down a proverbial bannister while you are passing on to your next on board destination point somewhere ruins your cruise, well... you might want to consider that in big picture terms.

 

Just shake your head, curse under your breath, judge others harshly, and snort with contempt and disgust if it makes you happy.

[phoenix1181]

Am I the only one wondering who the kids sitting on the stairs, running in the hallways & playing on the elevators belong to? Apparently they don't belong to any of the parents posting here.

 

Am I the only parent who knows my children broke the rules when they had the chance & were reasonably sure they wouldn't get caught?

 

My kids have kids of their own now but when they were young, they did things they weren't supposed to do & went places they weren't supposed to go. Sometimes they got caught. Sometimes they didn't & I heard the stories years later. :eek:

 

The point is parents, as well behaved as your children are, when they have the opportunity, many/most of them will do something they know they're not supposed to do. Giving them the run of the ship is giving them the opportunity to get into trouble and still be able to "check in" on schedule. :p

 

Enjoy the casino, bar, spa, whatever but please don't be foolish enough to think your children are not going to do anything they shouldn't. You'll hear the stories years later. Hopefully they won't be too horrifying.

[Lido_Deck]

Well, my 13 and 15 year olds walked around NYC for hours with their friends, so a cruise ship seems like nothing!

 

Perhaps, but you don't have to put up with your kids behavior, we do.

[FLSteve11]

I am sorry to say that is not true. Why anyone would think it is safe for kids especially solo to wander around a ship full of strangers is beyond me. Also don't think they stay together as told. Saw many kids on ship circling solo looking for their friends. Children are easily talked in to going with an adult that will help them. I work in a place where we deal with victims and you may not find out until years later that someone took your child to a cabin and abused them. Please don't put your kids at risk if you aren't worried about your kids bothering others you should definitely be worried about someone treating your child inappropriately.

 

Actually, it IS true. We are much safer today then we have been at pretty much any time in history. Crime is down over 50% from when it was at it's worst (80's and 90's), when most current parents were kids enjoying their time outdoors.

 

Unfortunately we now have the internet to bring up any remote thing that happens, no matter where in the world, to get rebroadcast over and over again so people think it's actually a regular thing that happens. Children being taken by strangers, at least in First world countries like the US, is exceedingly rare. If you deal with victims, then you know that the vast majority of kids who have something happen to them, have it happen by a relative or close associate (like over 95% of the time). Not some stranger. Of course it's much easier to point to a stranger as the boogeyman, and have TV shows and movies drum that up. Now we get kids who can't walk down the street, and have no concept of growing up or independence, and never mature. Because their parents are too afraid to let them actually do so.

[FLSteve11]

Am I the only one wondering who the kids sitting on the stairs, running in the hallways & playing on the elevators belong to? Apparently they don't belong to any of the parents posting here.

 

Am I the only parent who knows my children broke the rules when they had the chance & were reasonably sure they wouldn't get caught?

 

My kids have kids of their own now but when they were young, they did things they weren't supposed to do & went places they weren't supposed to go. Sometimes they got caught. Sometimes they didn't & I heard the stories years later. :eek:

 

The point is parents, as well behaved as your children are, when they have the opportunity, many/most of them will do something they know they're not supposed to do. Giving them the run of the ship is giving them the opportunity to get into trouble and still be able to "check in" on schedule. :p

 

Enjoy the casino, bar, spa, whatever but please don't be foolish enough to think your children are not going to do anything they shouldn't. You'll hear the stories years later. Hopefully they won't be too horrifying.

 

Actually, they probably don't. I suspect the parents who spend the time to go on cruise critic, are those that are responsible and teach their children proper behavior onboard. The ones on here are those who either cruise fairly regularly and thus show their kids the right way to behave, or they're conscientious enough to do research and know what they should be doing.

 

Do I think my DD will never do anything, probably not. I think she does know enough not to do anything major, at least against any major rule I might have. Just like I don't expect every adult to do everything responsibly all the time (like cut in line, be loud and obnoxious, get falling down drunk, etc), I expect that they will avoid major lapse of rules. That doesn't mean you should lock your kids in "house jail" until they're 18. You give your kids some leeway, some rules, and some freedom and that's how they learn to act like responsible adults as they grow. Otherwise you get the kids you talk about, who don't know how to handle freedom as they never get it.

[tgirl25]

My son will be 11 on our upcoming cruise and since it will be his 6th cruise, I'm worried that he will be bored with the kids club. I'm thinking he's still too young for us to just set him free on the ship (and I haven't even brought this up to my overprotective wife yet :eek:), but it made me wonder how old kids usually are when their parents are comfortable doing this.

 

Make sure you bring it up to her 1st, if you tell the kid(s) and she resinds...trouble from the little and the wife = not a great cruise.

 

I think my son was 16 and almost 6ft before I let him do more then just go back to the room, but then he is kinda quiet so it was only to goto the arcade or get a snack at the buffet.

 

The running roudies that try to use the elevators as something fun, talk so loud in public area's about things that are kinda inapproriate for their age group(there were some 10-12yrs olds loudly discussing sex and Aids on one of my cruises a few yearz back) are out of hand. My son of course never joined in on a group like that and was usually tagging along with me(still does at 21).

 

My thoughts are that cruise contracts hold you accountable for your childs actions till they are 21, so the proper age would be when you know your child can hold their own if someone tries to take them. Also that you are sure they will not destroy things, if they do, you are on the hook for it. My sons age was 16, yours might be older or younger but personally much younger and they may not be able to break away from someone trying to harm them, or might not realize what they are doing might break a pricey ship item.

[mkmaj]

I use the tattle tale system at home. If they're not with us, they are together and they looooove to tattle on each other so it keeps them in check for the most part 😂.

 

Planning on playing it by ear on the ship. (Tbh, they will more than likely want to hang out with us) The older one will be allowed to come and go from the teen club, arcade, etc. but he will have his phone on him and we'll know where he is and vice versa at all times. If he screws up, he loses that freedom. My younger one will be with us if not in the kids club, but I wouldn't have a problem with her going to get ice cream with her brother or group of friends if she makes some.

At night, they will be in a kids/teen area or with us.

 

 

 

 

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[mjkacmom]

Perhaps, but you don't have to put up with your kids behavior, we do.

 

For goodness sake, if you can't trust your teens to go out into the world without you, you have surely failed as a parent.

[Peachypooh]

There are two issues here. One is the safety of the children and the other is the safety/comfort of the other guests.

As for the kids in our town the age to be left alone and walk alone, etc. is the 12-13 year old range. By that time they know a bit about "stranger danger" and are physically big enough to defend themselves if necessary. I always used that as a guideline when we vacationed.

As for the safety/comfort of the other guests surely running children in the halls on a ship that most probably has quite a few senior citizens, is a danger to the frail on the ship. Also sitting on the stairs blocking handrails for those with mobility problems and not moving is not fair.

[packer99]

My son was 11 when we went on our first cruise last year. It was a family cruise but he was the only kid. We let him go to certain parts of the ship on his own. After watching him a few times on the ropes course, we would let him do that, go to the arcade, and head down the waterslides. He knew he would have to check in with us and also we used the Iconcierege app to communicate. I know at long dinners in the dining room, he would get served first and then would be done before we got our entrees. So we would let him go to the arcade to play a few games.

 

There was another thread that I mentioned this and I was accused of being a terrible parent. He knew he had to check in and with our phones we could see how much he was spending. He even went over on the arcade one day and he came to us right away and fessed up before we could even mention it to him. He is also a Boy Scout and has had some training. I think it has to do with the maturity of the kid, the ground rules you set and reminding them of not doing stupid stuff. He also knew full well of the consequences if he screwed up.

 

He was never gone more than an hour and he knew where we would be at all times. We wouldn't leave our location without him coming back etc.

[mjkacmom]

There are two issues here. One is the safety of the children and the other is the safety/comfort of the other guests.

As for the kids in our town the age to be left alone and walk alone, etc. is the 12-13 year old range. By that time they know a bit about "stranger danger" and are physically big enough to defend themselves if necessary. I always used that as a guideline when we vacationed.

As for the safety/comfort of the other guests surely running children in the halls on a ship that most probably has quite a few senior citizens, is a danger to the frail on the ship. Also sitting on the stairs blocking handrails for those with mobility problems and not moving is not fair.

 

Your town has a law stating when kids can be alone, and it's 12/13? That's crazy! Kids in elementary school here walk to school every day, walk all over town, ride bikes all over town, and by 12/13,kids are babysitting younger kids. I can't even imagine not allowing kids go to the park, or the balllfield, without parents hanging around. In the spring, our ball field are teeming with younger kids, who spend the day there, game after game (there are playgrounds, restrooms, and concessions). It's exactly like when I was a kid.