Do you let your kids sign themselves out of Camp Carnival?

[scrapperluv]

Hi everyone!

 

I read that kids 9-11 can sign themselves in and out of Camp Carnival if the parents have given advanced permission. Do you (would you) allow your child to do this? Where would they go? If they go to the pools are there lifeguards on duty? My son is a strong swimmer but I still don't want him able to go swimming unattended.

 

Thanks! We've never been on a cruise before and don't know how this works :)

[MIcruizeadict]

Good question! My kids are older 12 and 13 and we will be cruising next Feb. This will be the first time they are able to check out themsleves. Even at thier age I am a little concerned - its such a huge ship! We plan on giving guidelines to the kids on where they can go and bringing walkie talkies for communication.

[pansieFL]

Hi everyone!

 

 

 

I read that kids 9-11 can sign themselves in and out of Camp Carnival if the parents have given advanced permission. Do you (would you) allow your child to do this? Where would they go? If they go to the pools are there lifeguards on duty? My son is a strong swimmer but I still don't want him able to go swimming unattended.

 

 

 

Thanks! We've never been on a cruise before and don't know how this works :)

 

 

It is a big leap of faith as a parent, no? :-) I can only tell you about our son and how we handled it.

 

The first time we was able to sign himself out, it was a first step to independence in his eyes. My DH freaked, I just smiled when the discussions occurred as to whether or not my DS should be allowed to - in the end, he won :-).

 

We set rules as to what he can and cannot do once he leaves camp (for us, no swimming without supervision was one of them) - he had to immediately check in with us via walkie talkie to tell us he had left and where he was heading - which usually was getting a Bottomless bubbles drink and an ice cream and he would head straight to us after to tell us all about the camp adventures LOL (so much for the independent thing :-) ) But it made DS feel a bit more trusted by us and he never abused that in return.

 

It truly comes down to how comfortable you feel with it, maturity level and also trusting them - every child has a different rate they grow up at and as parents we are still responsible for them no matter what - just access it for your family and you will make the right choice I am certain :-)

 

Apologies for the lengthy response - just hard to convey in a short synopsis LOL

[vols_159]

Heck no. I don't want my kid wondering around the ship

 

 

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[shipty2]

Not a chance. I wouldn't be comfortable letting my child roam around a large hotel complex unsupervised and a ship has more inherent dangers than a hotel.

[cmdknw]

We are letting DS for the first time this cruise. It will be his 5th cruise, and he's turning 11 while on board. We have told him, IF he goes to camp carnival, he can check himself out. However, if he checks himself out, he can get a soda or ice cream and must go directly to the room.

 

I will say, the last 2 cruises, he hasn't even been to camp carnival--he feels it's too babyish--so it is doubtful he goes. Last time he chose to stay in the room and play his DS while we went to the spa for 30-45 minutes. DS is very mature for his age and being an only child, he needs down time away from people as well as we do!

[cyntil8ing]

If you do not grant permission, they will not be able to participate in the scavenger hunts, which are about the only reason my daughter wants to go to camp.

 

Each time she went to camp, together we decided what time she would sign out and where she would meet us. Mostly, we met her right outside camp. She was never late and always where she was supposed to be.

 

She was so thrilled to have that independence and know that we trusted her. At no time was she wandering the ship. She always had a specific place to go and a specific time to be there. She never let us down.

[ourfamilylovescruising]

I think if you set rules and stick to them everything will be ok Kids like having the freedom they just need to know if they break the rules that is it to the freedom. we have 4 kids and starting letting check them self out at 11 except for our youngest he was 10 and as long as he stayed with his sister who was 11 he could. we have used walkie talkies and they don't always work so we would have a back up plan for them to do if they didn't get a hold of us. we had one of ours that broke the rules and his cruise wasn't fun after that lol and he has had 5 cruises since then with no problems. good luck

[ETinCA]

At 12 it isn't even an option. It's a sign themselves in/out only for circle C and above.

Our kids have always signed themselves n and out after age 9 and we haven't had a problem. We have had strict rules on where they are to be and when. If they break it then we pull them back in by removing the feature. Only had that problem once.

They know they are not to be "those kids" that people hate to sail with. It's a privilege to sail for all of us and they are free to have fun but not do stupid things.

I liken it to this:

Running up and down the halls, pushing elevator buttons, etc= annoying kids

 

running up and down the halls screaming, slamming doors, fighting in the lobby drunk = stupid adults

 

Same idea

 

 

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[MNelson486]

I agree with the setting of limits. This was a big debate with my daughter when she was 10. At first I did not want her to sign herself out, but eventually we set limits. IF she signed herself out, then she had to return to the room (or where we were) before she could go anywhere else. She did fine with this and it worked for our family.

 

It really depends on the maturity of your child and if they follow your instructions. My daughter was never away from us without supervision for more than an hour -- plenty of time to get into trouble I know -- but at some point you need to let kids explore the world (or so my husband tells me)

[jujibee]

Hi everyone!

 

 

 

I read that kids 9-11 can sign themselves in and out of Camp Carnival if the parents have given advanced permission. Do you (would you) allow your child to do this? Where would they go? If they go to the pools are there lifeguards on duty? My son is a strong swimmer but I still don't want him able to go swimming unattended.

 

 

 

Thanks! We've never been on a cruise before and don't know how this works :)

 

 

Heck no! Not for us. We were on the Dream in January with our 2 sons, 9 & 10. We were not comfortable with that idea at all. Maybe it's us, maybe it's their level of maturity, maybe it's because of the freaky things that have happened on cruise ships -to adults- buy, yea....no.

 

 

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[Lerin]

That really is a parenting decision that no one on a message board should make for you.

It depends on your kids, your parenting style, and your personal boundaries.

 

If your biggest concern is the pool, then perhaps let your child sign out of the club, but don't allow him to go swimming.

 

eta: no, they do not have lifeguards.

Edited March 15, 2014 by Lerin

[bme]

Two packing list items to recommend for kids who have sign-out privileges:

1. their own watch

2. a lanyard so they can always have their own room key available. (Guest Services will have a hole punch for their card.)

 

We encourage our kids to put their lanyard in the same spot each time they come into the cabin....even so we seem to have more than a few sessions of hunting for one when it's time to leave to get somewhere!

[scrapperluv]

I just discussed this with my husband. I don't think we'll be letting our 10 year old have free reign. We will let him do the scavenger hunt if that seems safe. We have to walk back to Camp Carnival to sign out our 5 year old every time, so we might as well check our older kid in and out at the same time.

 

I'd worry he'd get lost on the ship more than anything. It's our first cruise and he's not the most observant kid. We'd end up getting paged over the PA for a lost child!

[momof4boys]

I always trusted my kids.........................just not the other 2500 strangers on a ship.

 

No way. Even when they were older...they had to stick together ...at least 2 of them. Seriously....my kids were mature......it has nothing to do with maturity.

 

To many crazy people in the world and last I checked....no one is screened when they go on a cruise.

[huntm]

We are letting DS for the first time this cruise. It will be his 5th cruise, and he's turning 11 while on board. We have told him, IF he goes to camp carnival, he can check himself out. However, if he checks himself out, he can get a soda or ice cream and must go directly to the room.

 

I will say, the last 2 cruises, he hasn't even been to camp carnival--he feels it's too babyish--so it is doubtful he goes. Last time he chose to stay in the room and play his DS while we went to the spa for 30-45 minutes. DS is very mature for his age and being an only child, he needs down time away from people as well as we do!

 

We feel the same way. Our son has had the privilege of signing himself out the past 3 cruises. He is an only child and very mature for his age. Our rules are he is to go straight back to the room and wait for us to return.

 

He usually doesn't want to go to camp for the same reasons... Feels the activites are too baby-ish. We look at the schedule and know approx when he is coming back. Often he comes back early.

[FlaMommy75]

If you do not grant permission, they will not be able to participate in the scavenger hunts, which are about the only reason my daughter wants to go to camp.

 

Each time she went to camp, together we decided what time she would sign out and where she would meet us. Mostly, we met her right outside camp. She was never late and always where she was supposed to be.

 

She was so thrilled to have that independence and know that we trusted her. At no time was she wandering the ship. She always had a specific place to go and a specific time to be there. She never let us down.

 

We just got off the Dream today and I did let my 10 year old daughter have sign in/out privileges. Before the trip I said "no way!" and last year we were on Royal Caribbean and she was 9.5 and I said no, but this time I let her because of the scavenger hunt and other activities.

 

She is very responsible and trustworthy and never abused the privilege. She also loved signing out of the camp and going for ice cream with friends. We allowed her to do this as long as she stayed with friends and limited her to the Lido buffet (no swimming, no going to other's rooms, etc).

 

I am glad we allowed her to do this because it really gave her a chance to practice some independence. My son who is 8, on the other hand, I can't imagine ever giving sign in/privileges for in fear he will be hanging from the guardrails and hour after we drop him off at camp :eek:

[xitappers2bx]

I've been wrestling with this too, and as we're leaving Monday, still haven't made a decision to be honest...

 

You really have to know your kids. If this is your first cruise, I'd be inclined to say no, and have to sign them in/out.

 

There are no lifeguards on duty, and if anything happens to them, Carnival is NOT liable (it's in your cruise contract). This will be my daughters 7th cruise, and I'm on the fence and I know she knows how to behave and act while onboard.

 

While they might miss out on something they'd like to do (the scavenger hunt for example) for the first cruise it might be worth the extra peace of mind. cruising is a different type of vacation, and while you can give the kids great freedom, there is a great deal of responsibility as well that comes with that.

[Catrin]

This is our Daughter's 9th cruise.. and her first in the 9-11 group.

 

Yes, we will give her permission to sign herself out. ONLY so she can participate in Scavenger Hunts, etc. She will NOT be allowed to leave the camp activities unless me, her dad or her brother are there.

 

As parents, we set the guidelines, as simple as that. She follows the rules, or else privledgs will be removed!

 

When my boys (now 15 and 19 but cruising for 11 years) were in the 9-11 group, we did the same. By the end of the week, they could sign themselves out to get Ice Cream, etc. But that is it. As long as they went in Groups or with another.

I just feel with Girls its different. I do not want her wandering the ship on her own.

 

Catrin

[hftmrock]

i always trusted my kids.........................just not the other 2500 strangers on a ship.

 

No way. Even when they were older...they had to stick together ...at least 2 of them. Seriously....my kids were mature......it has nothing to do with maturity.

 

To many crazy people in the world and last i checked....no one is screened when they go on a cruise.

 

this

[gamma5]

Ok, this is what we did with our 9yr old grandson. Some will agree and some will not, but in the end you know your child and it is your decision. We gave permission for sign out. However, we discussed EVERY SINGLE TIME that he went to Camp Carnival what the plan would be. Would he wait there for us to pick him up? Sign out and meet us at the room, pool, putt-putt, or elsewhere at a specific time? The first few times, of course, we took him to Camp. Then maybe the 3rd time or so, we had him take US to Camp and show us the way, to and from, until we were comfortable that he knew were Camp was. At no time was he allowed or given permission to just sign out and have free run of the ship and it was made clear to him that he was NOT to do so. We had absolutely NO problems with him. He knew his limitations and followed them. The boy is not perfect, don't get me wrong, he had school work he was supposed to do this trip (to make up for missing school) and at times it was a nightmare to get him to do it. But basically he understood the safety concerns we had for him and was willing to abide by a few simple rules. It made life easier for us in a lot of ways. Example, do you know how fast a 9 yr old can scarf down lunch if there is something in Camp he wants to do...LOL So, go! And let Papaw and me finish our lunch! It also gave him a sense of independence and helped him gain a little more confidence in himself. So, win win for us all around.

[chipandsteph]

I allowed my 9 and 10 year old (at the time) sign in and out. We had specific rules for them. The older one is a girl, the younger is a boy. Our rule was that they were only to sign themselves out for the scavenger hunt unless previously discussed with us. If they did leave Camp Carnival, they had to leave together and go straight to the room. Most times we ended up picking them up anyway. I think there was maybe two instances of them signing themselves out. We had agreed before they went that they could do that. They met us at the cabin at the designated time. It really depends on the child and the comfort level of the parents.

[ccarpenter1963]

I always trusted my kids.........................just not the other 2500 strangers on a ship.

 

No way. Even when they were older...they had to stick together ...at least 2 of them. Seriously....my kids were mature......it has nothing to do with maturity.

 

To many crazy people in the world and last I checked....no one is screened when they go on a cruise.

 

This. I wouldn't let my kids roam our small town alone at all hours of the day and night, so I certainly wouldn't on a ship.

[pe4all]

If you are going to let them have sign-out priviledges, please - please- please let them know where you will be at all times so they can find you if they leave early, etc. My nephew had a very bad experience when he was 10 on the Dream. He wasn't feeling well, so he left the kid's club to go back to his cabin. His parents told them they would be there, or in a certain spot on the deck, and when he went to find them, they weren't in either place. He wandered the ship crying for 30 minutes, and then came to find me (his aunt) because he always knew where I sat on the deck. It took us another 30 minutes to track down his parents. (dh and my 2 dd's split up to cover a lot of areas.) I actually think that scarred him, cause on the next 2 cruises they took, he wouldn't let them out of his sight- which pissed them off to no end because they couldn't get the "adult time" they wanted. Post-its work great for messages - use them if changing venues!

[grumpyjr88]

We let my nephew and nieces roam free but they had to come find us to check in (not an easy task on the magic! ) or check in at our rooms and leave a note on the whiteboard we hung on the outside of the cabin door, or acknowledged note we left for them). It worked out well and they had a blast. They also had limits on their s&s cards based on the amount of allowance they saved leading up to the cruise.

 

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