Childcare through other passengers?

When we cruise in June, I will have a 10 year old and 18 month old.

I know the 10 year old can go to CC, but not the baby.

I want to say upfront not taking my kids is not an option. This is a family vacation.

I have no problem keeping the baby with me at all times, but if the option was there, I would likely utilize it one of 2 nights from around 8 til 11 PM since they will be asleep.

Ive seen where some people have sought out other cruisers for a teenager wanting a little spending money.

I know how to properly vet a babysitter, so my question is how did you find a teenager/person willing to babysit one or 2 nights on your cruise? Did you just hit your roll call looking for teenagers with childcare experience?

I would obviously be speaking with any parents first, but I assume the Roll Call is the obvious way, correct?

When we cruise in June, I will have a 10 year old and 18 month old.

I know the 10 year old can go to CC, but not the baby.

I want to say upfront not taking my kids is not an option. This is a family vacation.

I have no problem keeping the baby with me at all times, but if the option was there, I would likely utilize it one of 2 nights from around 8 til 11 PM.

 

Ive seen where some people have sought out other cruisers for a teenager wanting a little spending money.

 

I know how to properly vet a babysitter, so my question is how did you find a teenager/person willing to babysit one or 2 nights on your cruise? Did you just hit your roll call looking for teenagers with childcare experience?

I would obviously be speaking with any parents first, but I assume the Roll Call is the obvious way, correct?

Interesting, I have never seen this (was never looking either;)). Ours are grown and have some of their own, but I would be interested to see what you get for responses (for those who cruise with us that do have young ones).

We didn't. We simply went to bed when the little one was done for the night.

There would be no way for the babysitter to contact you on the ship unless you had Wi-Fi or Internet capabilities. And if for some reason the Internet was not working, they would be forced to call guest services for Emergencies.

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I found this link

http://www.carnival.com/onboard/night-owls

The night owls page says 6 months up. May want to call your pvp to find out. I haven't taken my kids on a cruise that young but my son was 8 and loved camp carnival.

Under 2 Infant Care

On Port Days, care for infants begins from 15 minutes before the first tour until 12:00 noon (or from 1:00pm until 5:00pm for ships arriving in port after noon time). Port Days are for drop off only. Fees Apply: $6.75 per hour plus a 15% gratuity, per child.

On Sea Days, Under 2 time is scheduled from 8:00am-10:00am. During this time, parents have the option of leaving their child in the care of the Youth Staff Fees Apply: $6.75 per hour plus a 15% gratuity, per child for this service or they can stay and use the Camp Carnival facilities at no charge. Please note that this time is designated for the use of Under 2's and their parents only.

Each evening, Night Owls is available from 10:00pm-3:00am. Fees Apply: $6.75 per hour plus a 15% gratuity, per child. During this time, there will be children from other age groups (2-11 years) participating in Night Owls.

Read more: Camp Carnival Night Owls - Carnival Cruise Lines - CRUISIN http://www.***********/info/carnival-cruise-lines/camp-carnival-night-owls.php#ixzz3qYQ8xdTF

Copyright © 2015 CRUISIN. All Rights Reserved.

We are taking our 18 month old at the end of November. DH and I will each have a free night while the other stays with DS and our 17yo DD will stay with him a few hours another night. If we decide we want any other time, we plan to use Night Owls. I'm not being a sanctimommy, but my feeling is that I just don't know what will happen when I'm gone and at 18 months, he's too young to fend for himself if the situation arises or tell me if something happens. Night Owls is affordable and adds the safety of more than one adult with him.

When we cruise in June, I will have a 10 year old and 18 month old.

I know the 10 year old can go to CC, but not the baby.

I want to say upfront not taking my kids is not an option. This is a family vacation.

I have no problem keeping the baby with me at all times, but if the option was there, I would likely utilize it one of 2 nights from around 8 til 11 PM since they will be asleep.

 

Ive seen where some people have sought out other cruisers for a teenager wanting a little spending money.

 

I know how to properly vet a babysitter, so my question is how did you find a teenager/person willing to babysit one or 2 nights on your cruise? Did you just hit your roll call looking for teenagers with childcare experience?

I would obviously be speaking with any parents first, but I assume the Roll Call is the obvious way, correct?

Don't want to start any rumors or give you false hope BUT... and this was years ago... We were able to "hire" the off-duty Counselors to watch our girls in the cabin for a few hours on some nights... Not sure if they are still allowed to do that in their down/off time but it's something I would definitely inquire about once onboard... Good Luck

There is no way I'd ask another passenger, even for pay, to watch my kids. You have no way to "vet" them....and they are on vacation.....

I would inquire at the Customer Service desk about possible babysitters from the staff.

Maybe I am out of the loop but there is no way I would let a total stranger on a cruise ship watch my kids. My kids are grown now so not a problem but still.

I've been on these boards for 9 years and have never seen this. Yes, your Roll Call would be the best/only way to find someone to hire like that aside from asking every age-appropriate person and their parent once on board. Even if you arranged it ahead of time with someone on Roll Call, once on board that kid is likely to fall in with a group of friends and end up not wanting to miss out a night of fun. My guess would be that older teens want to party, not earn some money while on vacation and younger teens who might want the money are going to have parents not comfortable with them alone in the cabin.

I used to take my sleeping toddlers in their stroller all over the ship at night. I used a beach towel to more fully cover and you can take the stroller pretty much anywhere - any of the lounges, bars, etc - just not the casino, which could be a dealbreaker :)

Best,

Mia

We are taking our 18 month old at the end of November. DH and I will each have a free night while the other stays with DS and our 17yo DD will stay with him a few hours another night. If we decide we want any other time, we plan to use Night Owls. I'm not being a sanctimommy, but my feeling is that I just don't know what will happen when I'm gone and at 18 months, he's too young to fend for himself if the situation arises or tell me if something happens. Night Owls is affordable and adds the safety of more than one adult with him.

I get you - my son is 9 and has never, ever had a babysitter that wasnt family. I figured he was old enough to tattle if needed!

Night Owls begins at 10 and my guys are long asleep by then!

Maybe I am out of the loop but there is no way I would let a total stranger on a cruise ship watch my kids. My kids are grown now so not a problem but still.

I would check references, but people every day hire nannies and babysitters they've just met. My oldest is old enough to alert me to problems. Anyone with baby experience would have references. I figured it wasn't a bad way for a teenager to make a quick $50 to spend.

Don't want to start any rumors or give you false hope BUT... and this was years ago... We were able to "hire" the off-duty Counselors to watch our girls in the cabin for a few hours on some nights... Not sure if they are still allowed to do that in their down/off time but it's something I would definitely inquire about once onboard... Good Luck

This would be perfect!

We're going with a group of 12 other family members so it should be a moot point but I wanted to maybe have a back=up.

On our son's first cruise to the Panama canal, there was another child too young to be left alone in the kid zone. His parents brought their nanny. You could try the roll call - if there is another family considering bringing a travel nanny, perhaps you could split the cost (which must be quite significant if you are purchasing an additional cabin for the nanny). It should be noted that travel nannies are expensive and can be a complicated relationship to negotiate. This article did a good job describing the potential pitfalls: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324556304578118973898281096

 

Night Owls begins at 10 and my guys are long asleep by then!

When our child was young he would fall asleep in his stroller and we took it to the Night Owls. They left him in a quiet corner sleeping. 1 Night there were 3 kiddos all under the age of 4 sleeping in strollers in the corner.

I've also seen kids sleeping on mats/ blankets on the floor.

Night Owls is sometimes split into 2 rooms, sleepers and those who are up and active.

You can try to find a sitter, but don't be surprised if there is no teen wanting to leave their friends to sit in a stranger's dark cabin. Not to mention the teen's parents may be weary of the idea as well.

Thanks all. I had someone confirm to me that she has always been able to ass off-duty counselors about childcare in the room.

In the event of an emergency, they would 1) know where we are, and 2) we're travelling with a large group of family and one of them will always be close by. They could also reach me via the HUB app. I just don't want to ask them to keep an eye on my children while they are on vacation. I do agree kids may not want to leave their friends, but you never know for $50 for 3 hours of sitting in a room watching TV :)

Thanks all. I had someone confirm to me that she has always been able to ass off-duty counselors about childcare in the room.

 

Don't count on this - don't know how recent or on what line her experience was. Because of insurance issues, these days unless the line has a formal policy of in-room sitters, it's usually forbidden - as in, the off-duty employee will get in trouble for being on a passenger deck. Even Royal, which does allow in-room sitters, requires that there be two at a time.

OP was asking about vetting. I won't say what my profession is, but I will say it has taught me many skills that likely make me good at vetting. I wouldn't personally hire a fellow passenger to sit, but since you asked about vetting, here is what I would do:

*Go on the roll call and openly ask if any traveling families have a college aged or young adult child who might be interested in something like this.

*I would seek only passengers over 18 years old.

*If you get a "hit" from someone, you could contact them off the boards and exchange information.

*Once you know the identity of the potential sitter, you could talk to them on the phone and get a resume. Call the references and make sure they are real.

*If the kid goes to college, it's not a guarantee of a "safe" sitter, but that person has at least passed through the college admissions process, so that's a start.

*You can google and search the person's social media for verification.

*Then, you could meet them if they are in your geographical area or do a videochat. '

Just a few ideas. Like I said, I wouldn't do it, but things are changing these days with things like airbnb, uber, sittercity. Do not rely on a website to vet. Rely on yourself!

When we cruise in June, I will have a 10 year old and 18 month old.

I know the 10 year old can go to CC, but not the baby.

I want to say upfront not taking my kids is not an option. This is a family vacation.

I have no problem keeping the baby with me at all times, but if the option was there, I would likely utilize it one of 2 nights from around 8 til 11 PM since they will be asleep.

 

Ive seen where some people have sought out other cruisers for a teenager wanting a little spending money.

 

I know how to properly vet a babysitter, so my question is how did you find a teenager/person willing to babysit one or 2 nights on your cruise? Did you just hit your roll call looking for teenagers with childcare experience?

I would obviously be speaking with any parents first, but I assume the Roll Call is the obvious way, correct?

This is what we did with our youngest one was one/two years old. After dinner, we went to the room and changed her into her PJs. Then put her in the stroller and took her with us to the theater. She went to sleep and we saw the show. I would not feel comfortable leaving the little one with a stranger. Besides, the teenagers are also on vacation.

Perhaps you may be sailing with a cruise line that offers baby sitting services?

Carnival does not offer in cabin babysitting. EM

you might also ask older people if they would want to . some might miss thier grand kids and a night with a toddler would make thier day. I dont have grandkids (son in college still) but love kids. if i was on your sailing i wouldnt mind spending a few hours playing or watching the baby sleep. i miss when mine was tiny. you could also try the facebook page for your sailing. also there is a program called safe sitters that certifies that the teen has training in cpr and emergencies. there may be other programs from where the teen is from that will at least hepl you know they know what to do in emergencies