Leaving kids on the ship while going on excursion

I wouldn't be able to get off and leave my daughter at the kids program except possibly to stores right at the dock where I could be assured I wouldn't miss the ship.

I wouldn't be able to get off and leave my daughter at the kids program except possibly to stores right at the dock where I could be assured I wouldn't miss the ship.

As a poster above said...and I a mother of 5 and grandmother of 7...also says...never say "never" ;)

I specifically picked a 7 night cruise with only 3 ports so that we could have a good balance of port/family time and sea/adult time.

Embarkation day we'll check out the kids club, go to the family party, tour the ship, settle in to our cabin, etc. Then one sea day, which will be my daughter (4.5) at the kids club in the morning, afternoon, and evening, and the 3 of us spending time as a family during lunch and dinner.

Then our three port days: Cozumel, we are just taking a cab to a beach club for some laid back family time swimming/snorkeling/playing in the sand in the morning. Lunch and dinner as a family, then back to the kids club in the afternoon and evening.

Belize will be our busiest day, as we are going inland to the Belize Zoo. We'll probably stop by the cabin for a family nap, and then back to the kids club! :)

Roatan will be another beach/snorkeling day, getting back on board at a reasonable time for a nap before kids club.

Then two more sea days of 3 visits to the kids club each day so that my boyfriend and I can have adult time while our daughter gets to have fun with kids.

We did also spring for a balcony so that we have somewhere to sit and chat and sip drinks after she falls asleep.

To me this will be the perfect balance, because I do want to spend time with my daughter on vacation, but not every hour of every day, and I also want her to get a balance between playing with other kids and seeing interesting things/being active/experiencing other cultures. And while I am very comfortable traveling internationally with my daughter, I am not comfortable being separated from her in a foreign country. I have let my mom and my best friend take her places in Quito, a city we all know well, but that is different from risking being separated from her while she is with people she does not know well, no matter how trustworthy and well-trained they are.

Thanks for all of your thoughtful responses. I had no idea that there were even kids clubs on the ports- off the ship.

 

It's definitely something to consider, but I am still not sure. It's hard to know till you meet the people who will be watching your kids, you know? And I am pretty sure that RCI only lets you do it if you do a RCI-sanctioned activity on the port.

 

@notentirelynormal- did you see people bring babies/toddlers on excursions often and the kiddos would just not participate? I had no idea that was an option.

As of last November we were able to leave our girls in the nursery/kids club and go ashore not on a RCI tour. We were doing a foodie walking tour in Jamaica that we knew they would not enjoy and didn't involve going far from the ship. We were very pleased with the kids club and nursery staff.

We've also taken them on excursions. Our older daughter did Atun Ha with us in Belize and a island tour of Roatan. We were planning on the Turtle Farm in cayman but couldn't dock due to winds. In Cozumel we usually do a beach club and the kiddos enjoy that.

Our 3 year old loved Roatan. Bodden's adventures can organize reasonably priced private tours of the island, and can take you to Victor Bodden's house, where you can meet monkeys and other animals they have (just don't do the zip line there - some of the trip advisor reviews indicated it was not terribly safe. South Shore has a great canopy tour if your kids are old enough to walk across bridges and they also have zip lines there). There is also a nice iguana farm if your kids like iguanas. If you go, bring bananas for the monkeys and iguanas.

It is totally allowed. But, it's up to you. MANY do that...especially if they're on ship's excursions....but even if they are just going ashore on their own. It's quite safe...

I've never done it myself, but I'd have no hesitation at all. But I think so much of it depends on the child. My girls are both the type who run into the room and start playing at a new place, while my niece sobs and clings to my sister and cries for hours if she is left at all, even with family. But I know my kids would have a great time, be cared for by fantastic staff, and chances are pretty darn good that all would be well.

Having my kids on board would make me re-think my private excursion rule though. I'd probably book a ship's excursion, just to be sure the ship didn't leave without me.

it all comes down to how you would feel not having them with you and how your child is. I would never have left mine on the ship with out me. He was so accident prone and has migraines, asthma and adhd. he had been in the er or hospital every year of his life til he was 13. One cruise when he was a teen he fell and needed stitches in his head and had a concussion, bruised both arms, chin and elbows and chipped a tooth. They over head paged us to come to the infirmary. I cant imagine how bad i would have felt if i was on the land having a good time while he was feeling miserable. They also waited for my permission to give him the stitches. I know we all have cell phones now a days but we have been on some islands where cell service is patchy. you should probably take that into consideration too. in his case, I would never have done it. Oh and carnival excursions will leave you behind. we were on a carnival excursion in cozumel and 5 people did not come back to the bus at the time they were supposed to. The driver waited about 20 mins and 3 of them came back. The other 2 didnt and the driver left them there. it was a 7 hour long excursion so you dont have much leeway and the driver said he did not want to make us all late. we barely made it in time and those 2 did not make it.