Leaving 16yrs olds on board

Could anyone advise if there are any rules about leaving 16 yrs olds on board while we go on a shore excursion??

if you miss the ship would you feel comfortable with them getting home on their own :confused: that being said, i've never heard of a rule that requires you to take your kids off ship with you.

Make sure you give them you credit card, a signed note giving them permission to charge so if you get left behind, they have a way of paying for their trip home, while they wait for you to catch up.

Watch the video of the woman in Nassau wailing as the ship leaves the dock with her kids on board.

There might be another video of the parent(s) returning to the ship and getting confronted by security for the actions of the kids while they were left unsupervised.

The issue is not about "rule" but more about what is good parenting. While some 16 year olds can act very adult, they are still teens not of legal age. If a parent gets off a ship in a port without their kids, nobody is going to ask a question (because security has no clue) and nothing will stop the parents from leaving their kids behind. However, if the kids misbehave when the parents are gone, or the parents somehow miss the ship, things would get quite interesting. One can pretty much eliminate the missing the ship issue if the parents stay relatively close to the port and make sure to play it very safe and get back to the ship at least an hour or two early. But as to the other issue....who knows.

Hank

Yes, you can leave your teens on the ship.

I doubt that any responsible parent would miss the ship!

IF your teens have gone alone to the mall or the movies or anywhere on their own at all then they should be fine on the ship. You know your kids best but on a family vacation I wonder why you couldn't find an experience ashore to share with them??

If you booked your excursion with carnival that would eliminate the whole missing the ship because you're late issue.

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Have the Steward lock the mini fridge. Just in case.

Yes, you can leave your teens on the ship.

I doubt that any responsible parent would miss the ship!

IF your teens have gone alone to the mall or the movies or anywhere on their own at all then they should be fine on the ship. You know your kids best but on a family vacation I wonder why you couldn't find an experience ashore to share with them??

I think it was likely just a question;) And if it wasn't, maybe it was something the parents wanted, but the teen didn't. Teens often don't want to always be with parents.

Have the Steward lock the mini fridge. Just in case.

The mini fridges are empty these days. I wouldn't worry about that.

I've left my son on the ship younger than that. He was fine. Made it back to the ship in plenty of time. If you think your child is able to handle it, I don't see the problem. But I'm sure plenty here will try and shame you out of the idea.

If you booked your excursion with carnival that would eliminate the whole missing the ship because you're late issue.

 

 

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Actually, Carnival can still leave you. The only thing they guarantee is that they will get you back to the ship (even if it means flying you to the next port).

OP, technically you can leave your child onboard. However, you are still responsible for their behavior in your absence. In the past, some ships have offered teen excursions for the oldest group and you might look into it so your child is still supervised.

There are no rules against it.

Actually, Carnival can still leave you. The only thing they guarantee is that they will get you back to the ship (even if it means flying you to the next port).

Exactly. And actually a non-ship tour will wait for a short period of time so long as the operator can reach the ship and let them know what's going on. If you're grossly late and just an irresponsible person, you deserve to be left whether your child is left onboard or not.

Aren't you glad you asked for some parenting tips OP? ;)

To answer your question without the judgment and assumptions, there is no rule or policy against leaving a teen or a child on board. Happens all the time and without incident 99.99999999% of the time.

If you are booked through a reputable company or through Carnival for your excursion or not going far I wouldn't worry. My teens would know to contact someone and have them meet them back at home port to pick them up. We will have the social media package so they'd easily be able to contact someone.

I personally won't be leaving the kids on board but if you trust them to behave I dont' see a problem with it. I would trust my 15 and 16 yr old to stay on board, they wouldn't let me leave and have all the fun without them though lol. This is their first cruise, no way do they want to miss getting off at the ports if I get off.

If they were young kids I'd only leave them on board if I left them in the kid clubs with supervision but teens should (should being the key word here) be old enough to care for themselves in the event something happens. That is up to the parent to decide, you know them better than anyone. My 17yr old stayed home while we took the rest of the family on a 3 week trip to FL and took care of the house and dog so he could work. No wild parties were thrown, no friends over etc. I knew I could trust him and everything was just fine while we were gone. Grandparents lived close by if he needed anything.

But I have one that's 18 now, going into the Army next week, I still wouldn't leave him home alone while we vacationed out of state. lol

Our son is only 7 but we have left him at Camp Carnival while we get off the ship for a few hours. If he doesn't want to come with us, we don't force him. We just let the staff know that he will be with them for lunch and we will be back to pick him up before the scheduled time. Sixteen year olds should be mature enough to handle themselves appropriately in their parents' absence. Whether you leave them on the ship should be based on your knowledge of them. Carnival has no rule against it.

My son was 14 on our last cruise. He was worn out from shopping, swimming, and seeing new things. Hubbs and I wanted to go do some more shopping and he wanted to eat and relax. We allowed him to get back on the ship with his friend that was traveling with us who was also 14. We have rules for them to follow. They know if they do not follow the rules, they do not cruise. No second chances. We also were just around the port in Cozumel and Roatan. Please note that my 14 year old is 5'8" 175 pounds, squats 320 and is solid muscle...no one would know he is 14 unless he told them.

The point is, you know your child. If they can be trusted to behave and not get into trouble...leave them on board.

Watch the video of the woman in Nassau wailing as the ship leaves the dock with her kids on board.

...

The kids adult Uncle was onboard and took care of them. Still sad for her though.

The kids adult Uncle was onboard and took care of them.

And the Mom remained in Nassau bawling as the ship departed that port.

If you are booked through a reputable company or through Carnival for your excursion or not going far I wouldn't worry. My teens would know to contact someone and have them meet them back at home port to pick them up. We will have the social media package so they'd easily be able to contact someone.

 

I personally won't be leaving the kids on board but if you trust them to behave I dont' see a problem with it. I would trust my 15 and 16 yr old to stay on board, they wouldn't let me leave and have all the fun without them though lol. This is their first cruise, no way do they want to miss getting off at the ports if I get off.

 

If they were young kids I'd only leave them on board if I left them in the kid clubs with supervision but teens should (should being the key word here) be old enough to care for themselves in the event something happens. That is up to the parent to decide, you know them better than anyone. My 17yr old stayed home while we took the rest of the family on a 3 week trip to FL and took care of the house and dog so he could work. No wild parties were thrown, no friends over etc. I knew I could trust him and everything was just fine while we were gone. Grandparents lived close by if he needed anything.

 

But I have one that's 18 now, going into the Army next week, I still wouldn't leave him home alone while we vacationed out of state. lol

Exactly, I left my then 17 yo and 16 yo sons home for a week when DH and I wanted a vacation and they couldn't miss school. We were very close with our neighbors and I knew they would be fine. They had a wonderful week and we were informed upon our return that they were EXCELLENT while we were gone. Only a parent can decide what his/her children are capable of.

Good news about your 18 yo. Army basic training will take care of any immaturity he may have :)

I would not normally leave my daughter as I believe I am a responsible parent BUT we are taking her friend and they are very mature and responsible teens. It is turkey I am thinking about we want to go back to Ephesus but my daughter has been 3 times and her friend is extremely worried about getting off in turkey.

So much judgment hidden as suggestions in this thread. Yes, you can leave your kid on board. I have one kid that is not hugely fond of the beach and was not feeling well one day, so one day, for a few hours I left him on board and took his sisters to the closest beach on St. Maarten. We originally had a big excursion planned for all of us that day (he does like snorkeling) however, he was not up for that. So, I cancelled the excursion, took the girls to the closest beach for a little bit. He stayed in the room. I left him one of our cell phones and took the other one. (Yes we used it a few times, and yes there were expensive roaming charges, but no problem). We got to see a tiny bit of St. Maarten, although not what we planned on; and he was able to avoid the beach and rest. We were back on in plenty of time. He was 12 at the time.

And, btw, I hold that mother completely responsible for missing the ship (ther is my judgement). She was not on an excursion and could have been back in plenty of time, her bad time management

If you booked your excursion with carnival that would eliminate the whole missing the ship because you're late issue.

 

 

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actually, no it doesn't. it only changes the responsibility from the individual to carnival for getting the individual to the next port. if you miss the ship because you were on a non-carnival excursion, you pay to get to the next port or home. if you miss the ship when on a carnival excursion.....they will not hold the ship indefinitely......carnivals pays for you to get to the next port or home.

bottom line, you can still miss the ship even when on a carnival excursion.

The mini fridges are empty these days. I wouldn't worry about that.

 

I've left my son on the ship younger than that. He was fine. Made it back to the ship in plenty of time. If you think your child is able to handle it, I don't see the problem. But I'm sure plenty here will try and shame you out of the idea.

no one....so far.....has attempted to shame the op for anything. we are trying to show her from different points of view how that decision could impact her and her kids. but it sure seems like you are the one trying to shame people here who are giving her common sense answers.

btw, 2 months ago my fridge on the valor was chock full. i pulled 23 cans and bottles out of it to make way for my items and put their items back in the morning we left.