Can I leave kids on the ship while I leave?

I'm going on RC Enchantment of the Seas. Would I be able to leave the kids in the kids club (4 and 6) and the 1 year old with a babysitter while I left? Someone said that they must be able to contact you at all times and you may not leave the kids in the club while you went shopping while at port.

TIA!!!

You can leave any potty trained child with the RCCL staff kids club during port excursions. They have special activities throughout the day. You just sign them in, and then pick them up when you get back onboard. My kids love the club, and always have. If there is no separation anxiety issues with your kids they will be fine and have fun.

Can you? Yes

Should you? lol...that's a tough one for me. I tell everyone this story that asks this question.

Our story in a nutshell -

My dh was scheduled to go on a kayak tour. The tour was cancelled due to weather. He was the one to find our youngest seizing in the cabin. (she caught a virus onboard the ship, stopped breathing and seized)

We spent 2 days in the ship's hospital with her before she was medically evacuated.

So I always tell the parents here...on a ship it's not like leaving the kids at school or at a daycare...when something happens on land you can reach the hospital your child was taken to in under an hour.

On a ship, they were going to airlift our daughter to an airforce base in the Bahamas, then we were going to fly from there back to the states.

I can't imagine what would have happened if the kayak tour had gone on and we hadn't been there. :( So the answer is yes you can leave the kids onboard but you WILL be out of contact in case of emergency. :(

You can leave the two older kids, but not the infant. Just make sure you get back to the ship on time. I've been on cruises where parents missed the ship and the kids were alone until the parents could meet up with the ship at the next port. I may be an overprotective person, but I would not leave a child on the ship. On my last cruise, a child stopped breathing and needed to be revived and I know another cruiser on this board had a child go into a seizure, so you just have to decide if it's the best idea for you.

You can't leave the 1 year old onboard. Royal Caribbean does not offer babysitting during the day for 1 year olds. They have incabin sitting at night.

As for excursions- I would think twice about doing an excursion that wasn't arranged thru the cruise line if you are leaving your kids onboard. I say this because if it is a cruise line excursion- they will hold up the ship in the event that the tour runs long or gets stuck in traffic, etc.

Also, the ship would be able to contact your tour guide somehow in the event of an emergency. In fact, I would leave this information with the youth staff ( Tour you are on).

As for me, I did get off the ship in Santorini and Dubrovnik without my son and didn't feel any guilt. I was just gone for a couple hours- and I wasn't at the mercy of a tour bus. I just tendered into town and walked around. I also took the train to Monte Carlo by myself and was gone for about 4 hours. So I did do alot without my son and he was fine. I guess I am an optimist. My parents were onboard and were a second contact- but they were also off the ship when I was. Now when I travel this summer- he will be almost 8 and we are doing Greece and Turkey and he will get off the ship because I do want him to see the sights. I am sure he would rather be in the youth program but it is time for him to get some exposure to history and culture.

Obviously if there was a medical emergency the youth staff would contact the ship's doctor and in the end- the child would be attended to. These things happen- but they are extremely rare.

Can you? Yes

 

Should you? lol...that's a tough one for me. I tell everyone this story that asks this question.

 

Our story in a nutshell -

My dh was scheduled to go on a kayak tour. The tour was cancelled due to weather. He was the one to find our youngest seizing in the cabin. (she caught a virus onboard the ship, stopped breathing and seized)

 

We spent 2 days in the ship's hospital with her before she was medically evacuated.

 

So I always tell the parents here...on a ship it's not like leaving the kids at school or at a daycare...when something happens on land you can reach the hospital your child was taken to in under an hour.

 

On a ship, they were going to airlift our daughter to an airforce base in the Bahamas, then we were going to fly from there back to the states.

 

I can't imagine what would have happened if the kayak tour had gone on and we hadn't been there. :( So the answer is yes you can leave the kids onboard but you WILL be out of contact in case of emergency. :(

Thank god you were there ^^^^that is horrible!!!!

Our youngest is now 16 and even now I couldn't imagine getting off a ship and leaving him on board. Too many what if's????

I am so over cautionous that I am freaking about the departure port of our next cruise (NYC) and what if we were to get seperated?? I think I might make him carry the hotel business card where we are staying along with dh's cell phone.

It is a personal choice. I do not believe you can use the babysitter and go off the ship though but you can with the kids club. We did last year. We went to Cayman's for 2hrs for lunch and shopping. We were going to bring DD but she begged to go to the kids club instead. We only did because we were only going to be off the ship for 2hrs, not taking a taxi and staying right by the tender dock. DH and I had a nice time drinking a few drinks and shopping but I was still a little worried. That said, there were more kids in the kids club the Cayman's day then on a normal kids club night so it is obviously a popular choice. One of the councelors said Ocho Rios and Caymen's are the 2 most popular drop off days because of Dunn's River and StingRay City that people mostly do without younger kids.

Anyway if you do, stay on a ship's excursion or stay near the port dock. I would be nervous about taking a private tour or taxi. Not only is their a rare chance of something happening to your child without contact but what if something happened to YOU. A car accident and you are unable to contact or reach the ship? It is so rare I am sure but it could happen.

Crusinmama06 - never heard that story - that is REALLY scary. I am glad it all worked out and I am really shocked your DD went back on a cruise ship after that. Kids are so much better then adults.

I agree with quincytoo. My 'baby' was 16 years old on our last cruise, no WAY would I have gotten off that ship without him. He will be 18 on our next cruise, I still will not leave the ship without him, but thats just me.

I did my first cruise with our kids last spring, ages 6 and 4. DW and I wanted to do a ruins tour while leaving the kids on board. She was more concerned than I was. We decided to do a 1/2 day tour rather than a full day to minimize the time we were away, and to do the ship-sponsored excursion rather than the cheaper local one recommended on cruisecritic. Everything went fine, no problems, kids had a great time in AO.

I think it's like any other situation where you're going to be away from the kids. Like if you do a weekend away with relatives/friends/babysitter watching the kids. It's still going to be a while before you can get back if something goes wrong. But it's kind of a better situation because with AO supervising, if there's a problem at least they have quicker access to help, doctor, etc.

I remember being a cruising teen in the 1980s, when I guess liability wasn't as big a concern. The question wasn't could the parents leave the ship without us -- we could leave the ship without parents! I remember at the Bacardi factory they gave out little sampler Dixie cups with pina colada, and we (a pack of young teens from the ship) kept circling around to get extras. I remember shopping for Swatches too at local shops without any adults around.

I wouldn't do it unless there was another family member aboard who could watch them. It's just one of those things you have to give up for a while when you are a parent. Either take the kids with you or stay on the ship.

I remember being a cruising teen in the 1980s, when I guess liability wasn't as big a concern. The question wasn't could the parents leave the ship without us -- we could leave the ship without parents! I remember at the Bacardi factory they gave out little sampler Dixie cups with pina colada, and we (a pack of young teens from the ship) kept circling around to get extras. I remember shopping for Swatches too at local shops without any adults around.

Well the surprise is that teens can STILL get off the cruiseship with very little problem. Think about how many people walk off the ship in that long line. If a teen hands his card over, they aren't going to check to make sure that the person in front of him were his parents. ;)

And I have to say that it is still a big difference between the child being at grandma's and the child being on a ship in another country. Grandma can make medical decisions in the best interest of the child. In our case, our child would have been on a flight to another country...not the same thing ;)

Can you? Yes

 

Should you? lol...that's a tough one for me. I tell everyone this story that asks this question.

 

Our story in a nutshell -

My dh was scheduled to go on a kayak tour. The tour was cancelled due to weather. He was the one to find our youngest seizing in the cabin. (she caught a virus onboard the ship, stopped breathing and seized)

 

We spent 2 days in the ship's hospital with her before she was medically evacuated.

 

So I always tell the parents here...on a ship it's not like leaving the kids at school or at a daycare...when something happens on land you can reach the hospital your child was taken to in under an hour.

 

On a ship, they were going to airlift our daughter to an airforce base in the Bahamas, then we were going to fly from there back to the states.

 

I can't imagine what would have happened if the kayak tour had gone on and we hadn't been there. :( So the answer is yes you can leave the kids onboard but you WILL be out of contact in case of emergency. :(

What a frightening story...glad everything worked out ok.

We never left our kids on board when they were young...partly because of concern that something might happen to them in our absence, and partly because of concern that something might happen to us while we were on shore...can you imagine how terrifying it would be for a young child if they were left on board and the parents were delayed or injured and missed the boat?!? We just never wanted to take that chance.

On our southern caribbean cruise we left our three kids on board when our youngest was four and oldest was nine. They had all been to Camp Carnival earlier in the cruise and loved it. We cruised off season so the camp was never crowded and the kids got plenty of attention. I would not plan on leaving them during a holiday sailing as I'd worry that the facilities would become overcrowded and any problems the children might have could get overlooked. (I agree with an earlier poster - I also would not leave a 1 year-old on the ship without me.)

Here's what we did: We ate breakfast together then dropped kids at Camp Carnival, leaving our cell phone number for emergencies. Husband and I got off the ship and explored the towns and returned to pick kids up for lunch. After lunch we all left the ship and found a beach. Everyone was happy with this. It gave us a perfect combination of family time and alone time.

It's obvious that it's allowed, but you couldn't pay me enough money to do it. I'm in the camp of it's just one of those things that you give up for awhile since you are a parent. Doesn't bother me one bit, as our kids are excellent travellers and have experiences at their ages (4 and 2) that some folks might never have. We find things to do that we can ALL do, or we don't go. It's just right for US this way.

Count me in the group that wouldn't ever do this. Too many things can go wrong and those are the only kids you have. It's not worth it.

Leave the shopping for another cruise and take the kids to a fantastic beach where you can all play together!

Except for the baby. They won't let you leave the little one.

Foreign country,separated from your children:eek: :eek:

Don't care if there on the ship or not:eek: :eek:

Could you live with that the rest of your life?

To get away and shop for a bit....

Don't you have a stroller?

Just one Dad's opinion.

Enjoy the cruise with your family!

Okay, relax. My mom, dad, sister and brother will also be on the ship. I didn't want to burden their vacation. I'm sure they wouldn't see it that way though :p I guess I'll leave her with them.

Cruisemama so sorry to hear about your dd :( . Do you leave your kids in the AO? Also can grandama, grandpa, uncle and aunt pick them up from the AO or are ONLY the parents allowed?

Thanks!

Okay, relax. My mom, dad, sister and brother will also be on the ship. I didn't want to burden their vacation. I'm sure they wouldn't see it that way though :p I guess I'll leave her with them.

 

Cruisemama so sorry to hear about your dd :( . Do you leave your kids in the AO? Also can grandama, grandpa, uncle and aunt pick them up from the AO or are ONLY the parents allowed?

 

Thanks!

Believe me it was worse for my hubby to step back on a cruiseship than it was for my DD. She is "big ship" obsessed lol

Yes I do leave my kids in AO (while I am on the ship of course). Well it's more like THEY demand that they go to AO. And I beg them to come out and go swimming with me :o (I think they like AO better than me...lol)

YES, any family member can get your child out AS LONG AS they they appear on the list of those who CAN sign out your child. Grandma just can't walk in and say "Well I am the Grandma" ;) You have to have an approved list of people. And it always helps to let AO know that they will be the ones picking up your children on a certain day.

And it will be PERFECTLY FINE to leave the ship if you have family members onboard who have the authorization to pick up your kids. You will be given a pager/cell phone for the 4 year old. So just make sure that you don't leave the ship with those. Keep them with the relatives onboard. :)

Have a great cruise! :D

That makes it better,

Just re-read your original post......doesn't state anything about other family being on-board...you had me worried.

I've seen to many non-caring parents in this day and age....sometimes I'm to old school, sorry!

I am sure it would be no problem and your family would enjoy the fact that have the responsibility and know you are getting away from it all for a bit! Just make sure they have authorization and all will be fine.

Okay, relax. My mom, dad, sister and brother will also be on the ship. I didn't want to burden their vacation. I'm sure they wouldn't see it that way though :p I guess I'll leave her with them.

 

Cruisemama so sorry to hear about your dd :( . Do you leave your kids in the AO? Also can grandama, grandpa, uncle and aunt pick them up from the AO or are ONLY the parents allowed?

 

Thanks!

I don't understand, why can't you bring your kids to the tour with you? Isn't it suppose to be a family trip?

That makes it better,

Just re-read your original post......doesn't state anything about other family being on-board...you had me worried.

I've seen to many non-caring parents in this day and age....sometimes I'm to old school, sorry!

I'm sorry, but many, many parents leave their children on board while they go on excursions with no problem. That may not be within your comfort level, but that certainly doesn't make those parents uncaring. Some people think that taking children on a cruise at all is dangerous - does that make all of us uncaring? For the record, I take my children with me, but I don't think the "my way or the highway" kind of post is helpful here and can make people afraid to post legitimate questions for fear of being called uncaring. I prefer Michelle's kind of post that says, "this is what happened to me" and "this is what I'm comfortable with" but doesn't judge those who don't parent exactly as she does.

Best to all,

Mia

That makes it better,

Just re-read your original post......doesn't state anything about other family being on-board...you had me worried.

I've seen to many non-caring parents in this day and age....sometimes I'm to old school, sorry!

I don't understand, why can't you bring your kids to the tour with you? Isn't it suppose to be a family trip?

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I never understood why moms are SO judgemental of other moms. Just because you add "I don't understand" or "sometimes I am old school" doesn't take away that you are judging other people's parenting skills against your own with a rude undertone. I have always wondered the self esteem of people who come on forums and demean parents for asking simple questions.

The fact is you CAN leave a child on board while you go off the boat - IF they are old enough for the kids club. Many many people do as I have seen Adventure Ocean packed on port days and they are also the only days the clubs do not close at all. To allow parents to go on excursions their kids may not want to. Many people get in-room babysitters, many send their kids to the kids clubs while they go have a drink at a bar or watch a show. Many people go to various other "family" vacations and leave their kids at Kids Clubs at hotels. Disney has them at most of their hotels as well as Universal. Aren't those two places considered "family" vacations?

Everyone has different comfort levels and we all know at any given time god-forbid something bad can happen. Some people choose not to leave their kids at the kids club on port days, some choose to never leave their kids there at all, some choose not to cruise at all - the boat could sink and that is a danger. Some choose to not allow their kids on rollercoasters, or allow their kids to go to sleepaway camp, or allow their kids to lock their bedroom doors, or allow them to play contact sports. Other parents allow their kids to be Latch Key kids, allow their 13yr old to babysit, let their 8yr old ride their bike by themselves around the neighborhood. No way is the right way - everyone parents differently and to call moms uncaring for their own decisions they make for their families - well, there is no reason for it but to hurt someone else's feelings. We all are trying our best and try and give our kids everything they need in life. Everyone has moments of doubting if they are doing the best for their kids but the last thing moms need are other moms blasting them for their parenting skills. It is just mean.. :mad:

Okay - off my soapbox. It's been a long week!

Just an observation, this thread has had over 1,000 hits. Makes me wonder if other parents had the same question I did :rolleyes:

Don't worry, the pp's don't make me feel like a bad mom in the least. I know I am there for my kids and am a great mom.

I'm just a stay at home mom who would love a 'break' on on family vacation. Last year we went to Cancun and all I wanted was 2 hours on the beach to myself and I did not get that. The main reason I went with a cruise is for the babysitting and ao.

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I never understood why moms are SO judgemental of other moms. Just because you add "I don't understand" or "sometimes I am old school" doesn't take away that you are judging other people's parenting skills against your own with a rude undertone. I have always wondered the self esteem of people who come on forums and demean parents for asking simple questions.

 

The fact is you CAN leave a child on board while you go off the boat - IF they are old enough for the kids club. Many many people do as I have seen Adventure Ocean packed on port days and they are also the only days the clubs do not close at all. To allow parents to go on excursions their kids may not want to. Many people get in-room babysitters, many send their kids to the kids clubs while they go have a drink at a bar or watch a show. Many people go to various other "family" vacations and leave their kids at Kids Clubs at hotels. Disney has them at most of their hotels as well as Universal. Aren't those two places considered "family" vacations?

 

 

Everyone has different comfort levels and we all know at any given time god-forbid something bad can happen. Some people choose not to leave their kids at the kids club on port days, some choose to never leave their kids there at all, some choose not to cruise at all - the boat could sink and that is a danger. Some choose to not allow their kids on rollercoasters, or allow their kids to go to sleepaway camp, or allow their kids to lock their bedroom doors, or allow them to play contact sports. Other parents allow their kids to be Latch Key kids, allow their 13yr old to babysit, let their 8yr old ride their bike by themselves around the neighborhood. No way is the right way - everyone parents differently and to call moms uncaring for their own decisions they make for their families - well, there is no reason for it but to hurt someone else's feelings. We all are trying our best and try and give our kids everything they need in life. Everyone has moments of doubting if they are doing the best for their kids but the last thing moms need are other moms blasting them for their parenting skills. It is just mean.. :mad:

 

Okay - off my soapbox. It's been a long week!

Thank You for this wonderful post! I could not agree more. It just amazes me that fellow parents can be so tough on each other. I expect judgmental responses on the regular cruise board, but one would think that the Family Board might offer a more supportive environment when people just have a question like this.