10 year old Grandaughter navigating the ship alone?

[Judyrem]

This will be my grandaughter's first cruise.  We did a Club Med trip together last year and she was fine.  She is pretty savvy and responsible and can easily find her way around places.  I was wondering if you all thought if she would be ok coming from the the kid's club to our stateroom alone(six decks below kids club), or doing snack runs by herself?

[SimplyMarvie]

It depends on the kid. I would totally let my 13 year old do that, but my 11 year old (while smart) is unbelievably directionally challenged and would never make it back to the cabin without help. If she's got a good head on her shoulders and direction sense, she'll probably be fine.

[kitkat343]

Also, in general what I tell my kids is that if you ever get lost, try to ask a mom with a child for help.  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

some cruise lines require that you sign any kid under 11 yo out of the kid's club.

I wouldn't let my kid to roam the ship by himself at 10. It's not about getting lost on the ship - he has no problem with it even at 7, but you just never know who your kid will encounter. Don't discount child predators. There is 5K people on the ship with you - you never know who you are going to get.

[mjkacmom]

I allowed my 10 year old to do quick trips alone, he has an amazing sense of direction. At the time, dd10 and dd12 were interested in doing different things (and they could do more than a quick trip because there were 2 of them). 

[Spunky946]

We were on a cruise last Christmas and I gave my 10 year old permission to sign herself out from the kids club.  She did really well.  She’d get a snack and meet us in the schooner bar.  She liked having a bit of freedom and it was great to be able to trust her.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

17 hours ago, Spunky946 said:

We were on a cruise last Christmas and I gave my 10 year old permission to sign herself out from the kids club.  She did really well.  She’d get a snack and meet us in the schooner bar.  She liked having a bit of freedom and it was great to be able to trust her.

it's not my child who I don't trust. 

 

Last year at some point I read somebody's posts here about the hugely inappropriate behavior towards minors on the ship - twice. Both times a staff member was very inappropriate - one followed a lone preteen to the cabin and touched her, and in another case a staff member exhibited such behavior with a developmentally challenged teen. And that's just here on CC in 1 year. Who knows how much more often this happens and is not reported on CC.

[cb at sea]

I have no issue with kids doing SPECIFIC things without an adult nearby....kids have to learn to be alone at some point!  I do NOT advocate giving the "run of the ship".  Roaming without reason is trouble waiting to happen.  If you want to allow them to go from point A to point B....that's fine.  

[SimplyMarvie]

I just noticed that this is your granddaughter -- probably best to chat with her mom and find out what mom is comfortable with and do that. (Even if it's not 100% the same as what you might do... 🙂)

[angie7911922]

I would not let my 10 year old run around alone, because he can be a bit scatterbrained. I would let the two kids go together, so they could watch out for each other. I think it really depends on each individual kid.

[#1TravelMom]

This is totally a judgement call on your part.  I felt my daughter needed to be 13 before she could come and go WITH a friend or group, not alone.  Others allow their kids more freedom at a much younger age.  Not judging, just not our comfort level.  I have seen kids that looked 6-7years old alone in elevators and at the pool.  One little boy on a previous cruise told us he was 7 and his mom and dad had a headache and were sleeping in the cabin and told him he could go to the pool.  

[suzannecruisecritic]

I think it’s a difficult decision because you do want to give them freedom and many kids are very responsible but you also worry about inappropriate behavior from other passengers who might try to hurt them if they’re walking alone in an empty cabin hallway. We prefer that they only be unaccompanied by an adult when they are with at least one other friend or sibling. They usually make friends pretty quickly on board so it’s not too difficult to find a couple of buddies to spend time with. 

[cello56]

Ask yourself if you would be comfortable letting her wander around your local shopping mall by herself. There are thousands of passengers on board that you do not know. 

[mjkacmom]

1 hour ago, cello56 said:

Ask yourself if you would be comfortable letting her wander around your local shopping mall by herself. There are thousands of passengers on board that you do not know. 

I don’t think that is apples to apples, people are coming and going at shopping malls with no one knowing their identities. The public space at a mall is so much bigger than public spaces on cruise ships. I wouldn’t let a 10 year old wander alone, but go from place to place.

[cello56]

23 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

I don’t think that is apples to apples, people are coming and going at shopping malls with no one knowing their identities. The public space at a mall is so much bigger than public spaces on cruise ships. I wouldn’t let a 10 year old wander alone, but go from place to place.

 

Shopping malls also don't have literally thousands of private rooms just sitting there. 

[mjkacmom]

17 hours ago, cello56 said:

 

Shopping malls also don't have literally thousands of private rooms just sitting there. 

Which is why kids should stick to the main decks, there is no reason to be walking around the cabin corridors. With all the cruises going on every day, how many news reports of child assault? It’s not like someone can grab a kid and not get caught.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

2 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

Which is why kids should stick to the main decks, there is no reason to be walking around the cabin corridors. With all the cruises going on every day, how many news reports of child assault? It’s not like someone can grab a kid and not get caught.

a few. 

Don't want my kid to become a victim just because I haven't seen any news about child assaults on ships.

[mjkacmom]

45 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

a few. 

Don't want my kid to become a victim just because I haven't seen any news about child assaults on ships.

And that’s your choice. At age 10 my kids had been walking to school for a couple of years, riding bikes all over town, going to the park with friends... I think it’s important for kids to learn to be independent and develop  situational awareness, and a cruise ship where there are cameras everywhere, people everywhere (who can’t leave the ship), staff everywhere, and I’m always a minute away seems like a good place to practice. I also benefit from the fact that I have many kids close in age, so they are rarely alone, plus they always meet other kids. However, I’ve let a 10 year old get a snack from the buffet, and even sign out of the kids club.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Just now, mjkacmom said:

And that’s your choice. At age 10 my kids had been walking to school for a couple of years, riding bikes all over town, going to the park with friends... I think it’s important for kids to learn to be independent and develop  situational awareness, and a cruise ship where there are cameras everywhere, people everywhere (who can’t leave the ship), staff everywhere, and I’m always a minute away seems like a good place to practice. I also benefit from the fact that I have many kids close in age, so they are rarely alone, plus they always meet other kids. However, I’ve let a 10 year old get a snack from the buffet, and even sign out of the kids club.

and it is your choice as well, but it only takes a minute for a child to be molested, and it's easier to prevent it than to deal with consequences. Molesters cruise too, you know. And they know exactly how to separate your kid from the other kids.

[mjkacmom]

1 minute ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

and it is your choice as well, but it only takes a minute for a child to be molested, and it's easier to prevent it than to deal with consequences. Molesters cruise too, you know. And they know exactly how to separate your kid from the other kids.

Yes, and child predators look for children and teens who aren’t confident, aren’t aware of their situations, are gullible, have been sheltered. It’s not like a magic day comes where you let the fly free, it’s baby steps. And the majority of child molesters are people your child already knows, who already has their trust, most likely a family member or family friend.

[clw1624]

Thank you for posting. We’re taking our 12 & 16 DD’s on their first cruise. I have been struggling with how much freedom to give them. The 12 yr old is a city kid who takes public transit during the school year. Our 16 yr old is being raised in the burbs and isn’t as independent. The age difference makes it hard to enforce the buddy system. I like the idea of limiting them to main areas and avoiding corridors. 

[Queen of Oakville]

Am I an over-protective parent?  YESSSSS

 

I would not let my 13 year old daughter nor 12 year old son roam the ship on their own - but I allow them to roam together.

 

Do I trust her and is she responsible?  YES!!!  Do I trust others on the ship? NOOOO.