Do you give your kids the run of the ship?

[Chrisconn]

We have cruised before, but this year we're taking our kids, who have never been. They are 12 and 10 and are very well behaved.

 

When talking to other families who have gone on cruises, they have raved about how much my kids will enjoy being able to "go off on their own", "have the run of the ship", and "enjoy the independence of cruising."

 

One friend even said, "it's the perfect vacation, because they can go off and they're in a contained environment!"

 

I am really shocked by this, and by posts which talk about kids running unsupervised throughout the ship. I do not see letting my kids go off on their own, and I'm wondering at what age other parents allow this.

 

If we're poolside, and the kids want to walk over to get a drink, or we're headed back to the room and the kids want to get a head start, that is one thing. But just letting them go off, and saying, "okay, we'll meet you in 2 hours back in the cabin"? I don't think I'd ever feel comfortable doing that...not because I don't trust my kids, but because it just doesn't seem to be the responsible thing to do.

 

I'm just curious as to what other parents do and how they handle this!

[galavant3]

When our kids were that age we did give them a fair amount of freedom but they spent most of their time with the teen club. We did make sure they followed the ship's rules (and our rules).

 

We would see them out and about with a large group of kids as they traveled from activity to activity.

[rogueangel]

My daughter and I did a 14 day Med cruise last summer, she was 10 at the time. The first week onboard I signed her in and out of the kids club and made sure I knew where she was at all times, but she made friends on the ship and after that first week I relaxed, I let her self-sign in and out of the club, allowed her to go off with her friends and I didnt really worry too much. We had set times to meet and I knew more or less where she'd be if I needed to find her. She's a sensible child and well behaved and I wasn't at all concerned. One night I decided to go to the nightclub, I met up with my daughter on the promenade, told her she needed to go to bed and off she went. I checked on her shortly after and she was fast asleep.

 

Basically it boils down to you knowing your child, knowing if they're responsible and trustworthy and will do what you say. We had lots of other people's kids in our cabin, which was fine, but I've told my daughter that she's not allowed to go into other people's cabins herself. We're off again in just under 2 weeks, I've already set the groundrules, she knows what she can and can't do and she's satisfied with that. I trust her not to misbehave or be a nuisance and if there's even a hint that she is she knows any freedom I allow her will be cut right back.

[Bobal]

Oh no - this is going to turn into another parenting thread :eek:

[NJcruisenewbie]

My daughter was 12 when we cruised in June. She was allowed to do things like go down to the promenade to get ice cream (we would then meet up with her) or walk around the pool deck when we were up there. She was not just allowed to go wandering the ship aimlessly even if she were with other kids.

 

I looked at the ship as if it were a strange town where we didn't know anyone. I wouldn't allow her to roam aimlessly in a situation like that so I don't know why a cruise ship would be any different.

 

At home, where she's familiar with places and there are people she knows all over the place, she allowed to go off to do things.

[cb at sea]

I don't think there's any reason for kids to just "wander". You know if your kids are responsible enough to come and go from SPECIFIC places, for specific reasons. Our kids always had frequent "check ins" with us....they could go to an activity alone, but then they'd have to come and tell me when they went elsewhere.

[galavant3]

I don't think there's any reason for kids to just "wander". You know if your kids are responsible enough to come and go from SPECIFIC places, for specific reasons. Our kids always had frequent "check ins" with us....they could go to an activity alone, but then they'd have to come and tell me when they went elsewhere.

 

Totally agree! I'm was ok with them going from one activity to another but not to just roam around. But there is so much going on, that has never been an issue for us. And now my youngest is 19!

[keishashadow]

just 'the big kid' i.e. DH

[Newtoncruise]

Oh no - this is going to turn into another parenting thread :eek:

 

That is not a bad thing.....we are cruising this week and it is interesting to see the views on this topic........

 

I was impressed with the parent / child contract idea highlighted recently and there are some good ideas floating around (forgive the pun). I have learned lots from similar posts.

 

I am also quite new to the forum.....(dipping in and out as cruises get near) but perhaps this topic has become boring for you.......hey ho!

[CaribeDiver]

It's inevitable that kids are going to run around the ship and do things that may not be appropriate. I know many kids are just going to have fun and not cause trouble but there are those select few. One cruise on the Voyager there was a group of a few kids constantly going into the elevators and punching all the buttons and then jumping off as the doors closed. Well, one morning my DW and I were on deck 3 and were going up to the WJ for breakfast when 2 kids (Maybe 10-13 years old) got on and pushed every button and started to jump off. I caught one of them by the shirt tail before he could leave and I told him he was going to stand in the corner and ride all the way up since he thought this was funny or we were going to go the front desk and have a talk with security and probably get his parents involved. He chose the ride instead. Needless to say, I know I shouldn't have done this as my DW let me know later, but I think the little turd didn't do it anymore.:D

[smoosh21]

10 may be a little young, but I don't see any reason why well behaved Teens can not go to the pools or the other public areas by themselves. If they have been raised well, they are not going to cause a problem, especially if they know the consequences for misbehaving are severe. In fact, I think teens would probably have more fun if they could go off to the Mini Golf, or the pools by themselves.

[jakenashleysmom]

Well, yes I do let my kids "wander" around the ship. They are 14 and 12 and they stay together and have walkie talkies. They like the freedom, they are not prisoners and walk to the store and pizza place at home alone all the time. It comes down to YOUR kids, what they are like and how responsible they are. My kids are not interested in running through the windjammer, pushing elevator buttons, or making general nuisances of themselves. They like to go to a movie, get a snack, get another snack, maybe go to the library or the arcade. They like to play ping pong, and sometimes play a game in the card room. They really like to watch movies in the room (go figure)....but its their vacation too and again, they are not prisoners. They do check in, and we do have all meals together and they know where to find us while they are "wandering".

 

oh and flame away, its not going to change anything..just stating the facts.:rolleyes:

[Magnetchief]

We let our 13 year old have the run of the ship when we were not involved in family activities.

He's a good kid, well behaved (we hope)

Most of the time he was on the flowrider or in the teen room playing video games.

 

He did mention that 'Some old lady' (His words) shouted at him for sliding down the hand rail in the stairway.

He didn't do it again, so lesson learnt.

[cruiseguy1016]

We let our 13 year old have the run of the ship when we were not involved in family activities.

He's a good kid, well behaved (we hope)

Most of the time he was on the flowrider or in the teen room playing video games.

 

He did mention that 'Some old lady' (His words) shouted at him for sliding down the hand rail in the stairway.

He didn't do it again, so lesson learnt.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble but if he's sliding down the hand rail, he's not a well behaved kid. What else is he doing when you're not looking?

[galavant3]

Well, yes I do let my kids "wander" around the ship. They are 14 and 12 and they stay together and have walkie talkies. They like the freedom, they are not prisoners and walk to the store and pizza place at home alone all the time. It comes down to YOUR kids, what they are like and how responsible they are. My kids are not interested in running through the windjammer, pushing elevator buttons, or making general nuisances of themselves. They like to go to a movie, get a snack, get another snack, maybe go to the library or the arcade. They like to play ping pong, and sometimes play a game in the card room. They really like to watch movies in the room (go figure)....but its their vacation too and again, they are not prisoners. They do check in, and we do have all meals together and they know where to find us while they are "wandering".

 

oh and flame away, its not going to change anything..just stating the facts.:rolleyes:

 

I think everyone might define "wander" differently. I don't view what you've decribed as "wandering". To me they are just taking advantage of what the ship has to offer. I guess when I think of "wandering" I automatically think "aimlessly".

[mark290]

It's inevitable that kids are going to run around the ship and do things that may not be appropriate. I know many kids are just going to have fun and not cause trouble but there are those select few. One cruise on the Voyager there was a group of a few kids constantly going into the elevators and punching all the buttons and then jumping off as the doors closed. Well, one morning my DW and I were on deck 3 and were going up to the WJ for breakfast when 2 kids (Maybe 10-13 years old) got on and pushed every button and started to jump off. I caught one of them by the shirt tail before he could leave and I told him he was going to stand in the corner and ride all the way up since he thought this was funny or we were going to go the front desk and have a talk with security and probably get his parents involved. He chose the ride instead. Needless to say, I know I shouldn't have done this as my DW let me know later, but I think the little turd didn't do it anymore.:D

 

Your DW was right. The kid might not have been a turd but he did do something stupid. A grown man should know better. You do not put your hands on a kid and draw him into a confined space for being stupid.

[MOSusan]

I have a 13 and 14 year old and they are allowed to "roam" around the ship without thier parents. We have allowed this since the oldest one aged out of AO. With the stipulation that "you don't leave your little sister - ever". They have enjoyed mini golf, pingpong, and rockwall climbing together. They have also spent (in my opinion) too much time in the room on their electronic devices!

 

We always have dinner together and on our last cruise, they joined us every night at the show after dinner. They are your kids and you are the best judge of how much freedom they can handle. I have two so I feel a little more confident about them being out and about. If I had only a 10 yr old girl, I might not feel so easy about letting her walk around. It helps that big brother is already 5'10"!

 

Our last cruise was so port intensive that none of us had much energy to "get into trouble."

[NJcruisenewbie]

Sorry to burst your bubble but if he's sliding down the hand rail, he's not a well behaved kid. What else is he doing when you're not looking?

 

Ouch, but I was thinking the same thing.

 

I think it does make a difference if you have more than 1 child. I'm a big believer in safety in numbers. For me it isn't so much that my child would act inappropriately (she's a HUGE rule follower) but rather that someone might take advantage of her.

 

At home she grabs a friend to pal around/hang out with. We're doing a land vacation next summer and will most likely have our daughter invite a friend so they can go off together.

[Sharon I]

I am a grandparent and have raised my own children. Kids will be kids, will be kids. In saying that no matter what age they are until they are eighteen they need supervision. Not only do you have to worry about their conduct you have to worry about the other people on the ship, you don't know who they are.

We just came back from a cruise last year with our son and ten year old grandson. My grandson was signed in and out of the children's program and with a parent or grandparent when not in the children's program. No complaints from him, he knows we love him and want to make him feel as safe as possible.

While on the cruise we witnessed unsupervised teens between the ages of fifteen and eighteen raising @#@#! throughout the ship. They spread peanut butter and jam on the elevator buttons on all the elevator buttons and they ran a muck everywhere. Yes people supervise your children.

Two years ago we were on a cruise and a little boy (young teen) purposely through a basketball in the water. He and his whole family were kicked off the ship at the next port. Had this little boy been supervised this would not have happened.

Just a few of many instances of why children should be supervised on a ship, at the mall, at the movies, anywhere. They are not adults yet and certainly they don't act like them sometimes.

Sharon I

[richardb]

If you let your 10 and 12 year old run around the mall (where many are drinking to excess) at home, then I'd say you're fine to let them run around the ship. But just because the other 2000+ passengers may have paid big bucks to go on a cruise, doesn't make me trust them any more than the low lifes back home. After all, the cruise lines screen out sex offenders.......not. Just read some of the articles about crime aboard ships and then you can answer your own question.

 

This isn't intended scare you, just to advise you of the realities. I'll continue to cruise and take my grandkids, but I'm not letting them go off on their own until they are at least 14 or 15 and then only with strict rules and in a group.

[Racing fan]

It all depends on the child. Many children are very well behaved and are never a problem with other passengers. The problem comes when groups of youngsters get together and run wild on the ship. You ave to be the judge of your child and make sure she checks in with you

[mommaof 3]

No, it was our family vacation and we spent the vast majority of it together. Our daughters were 7 and 3, obviously they were with us or staff the entire time. When our son did go to the teen area we checked him in & out, he was only 12 and there are a bunch of unknowns on a ship.

 

The next time we go with kids he'll be 17 or 18, so obviously we'll have to reevaluate that plan.

 

Really, the cruise ships need to take some responsibility - they have created an environment that allows really still pretty young kids to check themselves in and out of the teen areas and has made it clear to parents that it is okay for them to be unsupervised areas for many hours. At most resorts and hotels this is not the case, I tend to think they should be at least 14 to be unsupervised in any area of the ship. I know it is overly protective, but you don't know if a sex offender is right down the hall from you.

 

I also was a really good teenager and kid, but would break curfew and a few other rules, when with my friends - I tend to anticipate the same from my own kids...and try to head off trouble like happened with the 15 year old boy missing curfew.

 

It's hard to balance overparenting with freedom, but contrary to how the cruise ships portray a cruise vacation - this isn't the time to be experimenting with widening boundaries, that is better left to do at home.

[pcur]

We have cruised before, but this year we're taking our kids, who have never been. They are 12 and 10 and are very well behaved.

 

When talking to other families who have gone on cruises, they have raved about how much my kids will enjoy being able to "go off on their own", "have the run of the ship", and "enjoy the independence of cruising."

 

One friend even said, "it's the perfect vacation, because they can go off and they're in a contained environment!"

 

I am really shocked by this, and by posts which talk about kids running unsupervised throughout the ship. I do not see letting my kids go off on their own, and I'm wondering at what age other parents allow this.

 

If we're poolside, and the kids want to walk over to get a drink, or we're headed back to the room and the kids want to get a head start, that is one thing. But just letting them go off, and saying, "okay, we'll meet you in 2 hours back in the cabin"? I don't think I'd ever feel comfortable doing that...not because I don't trust my kids, but because it just doesn't seem to be the responsible thing to do.

 

I'm just curious as to what other parents do and how they handle this!

 

I think you have plenty of answers to your question, and I want to tell you that I applaud your viewpoint.

 

What I have never been able to figure out is why parents think a cruise ship is any different from a land-based hotel with multiple bars and swimming pools. Would they let their kids roam around a hotel, go in the hotel's hot tub unsupervised, be around alcoholic drinks unsupervised, be around all kinds of strangers unsupervised? Then, add to the mix the possibility of falling overboard.

 

What are they thinking????? (Well, actually they aren't thinking; it's a rhetorical question).

 

I once commented on a thread by a single Mom who asked for opinions of her going to the ship's nightclub while her 10 year old was in the cabin alone. I merely asked, "if you feel comfortable checking into the Marriott in some strange city, leaving your child alone until the wee hours in the room, and walking next door to the nightclub, then feel free to do so on a cruise ship".

[reallyitsmema]

No, it was our family vacation and we spent the vast majority of it together. Our daughters were 7 and 3, obviously they were with us or staff the entire time. When our son did go to the teen area we checked him in & out, he was only 12 and there are a bunch of unknowns on a ship.

 

The next time we go with kids he'll be 17 or 18, so obviously we'll have to reevaluate that plan.

 

Really, the cruise ships need to take some responsibility - they have created an environment that allows really still pretty young kids to check themselves in and out of the teen areas and has made it clear to parents that it is okay for them to be unsupervised areas for many hours. At most resorts and hotels this is not the case, I tend to think they should be at least 14 to be unsupervised in any area of the ship. I know it is overly protective, but you don't know if a sex offender is right down the hall from you.

 

I also was a really good teenager and kid, but would break curfew and a few other rules, when with my friends - I tend to anticipate the same from my own kids...and try to head off trouble like happened with the 15 year old boy missing curfew.

 

It's hard to balance overparenting with freedom, but contrary to how the cruise ships portray a cruise vacation - this isn't the time to be experimenting with widening boundaries, that is better left to do at home.

The teen areas on RCI do not check kids in and out, the kids are free to come and go as they please unless the OP tries to have their older child age down into AO 9-11 yr olds.

[2thesea]

I think the answer should be....if you were at home would you allow your child to roam the streets all hours of the night?

 

We have cruised with our children for 15years and even with my youngest now the ripe old age of 22 she STILL checks in and lets me know she is OK and in her cabin. She also checks in throughout the day just so we know she wasn't adducted by aliens :eek: