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At what age do child roam around loose on cruises?


WTMhs
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I took my 10 year old on a cruise one January. We were traveling with my very disabled older brother. Because it was January there were only 3 kids on the ship. The three kids met at the kids club the first evening and we were told no programming. The other 2 were siblings and the girl was much younger. (maybe 7?) We met the other boy's parents and established ground rules. The sister ended up spending some times with the boys and other with her parents. The boys were inseparable for the whole cruise. They swam, shot baskets on the top deck, and snacked. We saw them as they traversed from one spot to another and we had then touching base throughout the day. I was comfortable with that because the boys were quiet and well behaved kids. We often saw them before they saw us and were able to observe what they were doing. I was comfortable because there was a buddy system. Would not have liked just one kid wandering, nor would I have approved of a bigger group.

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Quite honestly the comparisons on here are ridiculous. A cruise ship hardly compares to a mall or city in this case. I can stuff a kid in my car and be in another state in about an hour. That is not the case on a cruise ship. I do understand it may not be extremely hard to snatch a kid and get them somewhere private, but if ground rules are established, that can be avoided. I agree with others that is depends on the kid. I'd establish some method of instant communication, such a walkie talkies or cell phones. I understand some cruiselines offer cell phones for this exact reason, and they are essentially glorified walkie talkies. I'd also recommend parting with your child in a public area and encourage them to always stay in more populated areas, i.e. they should not be wandering in the halls where the staterooms are. IMO that is probably the best opportunity for a predator to harm a child. The second best is probably bathrooms, so just have them be alert in that type of situation. Situational awareness is key regardless of age, to include "listening to your gut." Tell them something along the lines of, "if something or someone doesn't seem right, walk away."

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i.e. they should not be wandering in the halls where the staterooms are. IMO that is probably the best opportunity for a predator to harm a child. ."

 

No going to any ones cabin for any reason-= if your new friend forgot something-- they wait for them in a public area./ No reason whatsover that kids should be wander the halls of cabins spaces

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  • 2 weeks later...

The cruise ships weren't really doing organized kid activities when we first started cruising with ours. However, our experience was the kids all seemed to find each other and hook up pretty quickly. We let them go on their own but with some strong rules in place. First complaint from someone and they would have to stay with us from that point forward. That alone is a pretty good incentive to behave. They had to check in with us on a regular basis. They could not, under any circumstances, leave the ship without a parent. If we had a time scheduled to meet, such as for a meal, they had to be there on time. We never had any problem. That said, our kids were pretty seasoned travelers, even at that age. They are now grown with kids of their own, but they still talk about how grown up they felt being able to be on their own.

 

Ironically, the only problem we ever had was when the waiter for our table invited our then college age daughter out. She promptly told her father who reported it to the Captain. Needless to say, there was a different waiter at our table that night.

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