Minors leaving ship at ports

[JRosamonda]

He got off the ship by himself because he had heard on ship that there was no drinking age in Bonaire. That is exactly what he did he got off and went to a bar down the street so that no one from the ship that was still off would see him and ordered a Long Island ice tea. All he had to do was ask me and I would have taken him for a drink in Bonaire if he was able to be served a drink.

 

as for punishment.... I really had difficulties with this... I never actually told him you don't get off the ship alone... I kinda figured he wouldn't as my children would never do so. So I had a very long talk with him. And his mother was told which led to hum being grounded this week

[dettlja]

Thanks for posting this. The thought had never crossed my mind. I'm going to make sure I talk to my kids about not leaving the ship without me.

[Cruising Jedi]

This is a vacation. The crew are not glorified babysitters.

 

Agreed. The children's safety is the responsibility of their parents / guardians and should be enforced by parenting and rules. That's it. If you go to a land resort, do you expect people to be at the doors preventing 16-year-olds from leaving?

[KatieBug28]

I never actually told him you don't get off the ship alone... I kinda figured he wouldn't as my children would never do so.

 

I think this is the key issue at play. Different parents have different rules and expectations for their kids. I ran into this when traveling with friends in high school and college. My parents would have had no problem with me leaving the ship on my own (though they would have freaked out about me drinking). So I would have thought nothing of heading off the ship on my own, especially if the guardian I was traveling with hadn't said anything. I think the take-home message is to set very clear expectations with kids — either your own or someone else's — when you are traveling.

[Elaine5715]

He got off the ship by himself because he had heard on ship that there was no drinking age in Bonaire. That is exactly what he did he got off and went to a bar down the street so that no one from the ship that was still off would see him and ordered a Long Island ice tea. All he had to do was ask me and I would have taken him for a drink in Bonaire if he was able to be served a drink.

 

as for punishment.... I really had difficulties with this... I never actually told him you don't get off the ship alone... I kinda figured he wouldn't as my children would never do so. So I had a very long talk with him. And his mother was told which led to hum being grounded this week

 

So, you wanted Carnival to stop this young man from getting off the ship but you are willing to take him drinking? Huh?

[Elaine5715]

On Disney minors are not allowed to get off the boat unless their guardian fills out a special form. Some love it, some hate it! I feel as though Carnival should make that policy more known because I think parents would take advantage of it.

 

Disney goes let kids come and go in the parks without an adult.

[Elaine5715]

Oh, that's right, the crew are not babysitters. However, even Chuck E Cheese has a very good plan in place that prevents children from leaving the facility alone, and also from leaving with a stranger who didn't bring them. They have matching armbands for the kids and adults that prevent this. They are checked coming and going. That essentially makes the employees of Chuck E Cheese glorified babysitters as you put it. Too bad the staff of a cruise ship is above that.

 

The crew has no idea who is traveling with who. Are they supposed to stop every one under 18 and match them with a guardian? Would this be where "those papers who traveling with kids" half the folks poopoo on be needed?

 

Has there been one case of stranger abduction from a cruise ship?

 

Why are minors even being left on board when the parentals are off? Aren't they left strict instructions if left on board?

 

Shoot, my mother never left the house without a lecture on what to do..

[cruizinisthebest]

So, you wanted Carnival to stop this young man from getting off the ship but you are willing to take him drinking? Huh?

 

I don't understand that either. Sort of changes the dynamics. He probably didn't see anything wrong with doing what he did. Seems the problem is more that the adults weren't invited. He was easily found down the street. Crazy.

[IPlayWithString]

Experienced the same thing in Nassau...it was past time for the ship to leave and they couldn't because there was a frantic mom on the gangplank freaking out because her teenage daughter and her daughter's friend hadn't returned.

 

They were, eventually, found and I imagine they got a stern talking to from mom.

[pamrose228]

Experienced the same thing in Nassau...it was past time for the ship to leave and they couldn't because there was a frantic mom on the gangplank freaking out because her teenage daughter and her daughter's friend hadn't returned.

 

They were, eventually, found and I imagine they got a stern talking to from mom.

 

Stern talking to. If my underage son or friend had done something like this for a drink they would have been confined to the cabin for the remainder of the cruise. Just like jail.

 

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[A&Jfamily]

Stern talking to. If my underage son or friend had done something like this for a drink they would have been confined to the cabin for the remainder of the cruise. Just like jail.

 

Sent from my LGLS990 using Forums mobile app

 

Amen.

[RuthlessBoss]

So, you wanted Carnival to stop this young man from getting off the ship but you are willing to take him drinking? Huh?

 

I don't think you understood the statement about drinking. I think she meant she'd rather escort him for his legal on shore drink and make sure he was okay, then bring him back to the ship.

[IPlayWithString]

That was my take on it also.

 

But then I'd researched if any of the ports I was going to be stopping at had underage (well, what would pass for underage here in the US) drinking and asked the parent of the minor accompanying my own minor child if it was OK if we went ashore and drank.

 

We were brought up to believe that drinking was not really a big deal because EVERYBODY did it. In front of the kids even. :eek: :D

[JRosamonda]

So, you wanted Carnival to stop this young man from getting off the ship but you are willing to take him drinking? Huh?

 

My husband and I don't drink at home, we don't even have it in the house. When on a cruise we do drink and if at a different country we do allow the "kids" to have a drink if they are of age at that country. We have never seen anything wrong with it being it is not breaking the law of that country. I was more upset about him being allowed to get off the ship not because I expect carnival to be responsible for them but because I never imagined the security guards to allow a minor off the ship alone.

[JRosamonda]

How do you feel about camp carnival O2 allowing 19 year olds and 24 year olds hang during O2 activities? Those that are not aware O2 is for 14-17 year olds.

[pamrose228]

How do you feel about camp carnival O2 allowing 19 year olds and 24 year olds hang during O2 activities? Those that are not aware O2 is for 14-17 year olds.

 

Wrong wrong wrong. For minors not adults.

 

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[deetrayn]

We had a situation that could have been a disaster. I was on the Liberty this past week. We had a wonderful time but I thought I would share this with others just so people are aware that minor children can get off the boat while in port anywhere without a parent or guardian. I never really gave it much thought because my children have such fear that I could never imagine them getting off the boat without us. Unfortunately, that was not the case this past cruise when I brought a friend of my son along with us. No, my son did not leave the ship... He came and told me that his friend left the boat in Bonaire and it was 8:30pm. Needless to say I went to look for him, found him and we were back on ship before the boat left port at 10pm.

 

I know ultimately I am responsible for the minors I bring on ship. I just never would have imagined that Carnival would allow a minor to leave the ship without an adult..... If this scares you as it does me here is what you need to do...

 

Go to the guest services desk and ask them to put a block on your minor children that they are not allowed to leave the ship without an adult from any cabin of your party. Guest services will then call down to security and put a block on the minors account for leaving the ship without an adult. When your child then goes to leave a loud beep will be heard and they will look for the responsible adult.

 

Thank goodness all worked out for us but it easily could have ended up being a very serious situation. I was just very surprised that a 16 year old ( who is very young looking) could just walk off the boat by himself.:eek:

 

Wow! That is something I have never thought about, but definately a good point to bring attention to. My daughters are no longer minors, but when they were teens, there was a time when something like that could have happened.

 

When we went to San Juan, our entire group left the ship together for a tour. After the tour and spending some time in Old San Juan, we took our kids, who were teenagers back onboard the ship. The adults left again and went to Senor Frogs for a couple hours.

 

If one of the teens had decided on their own to get back off the ship, that would have been a very stressful situation. It never occured to me that we should have stopped by guest services first to tell them my daughter, niece, and nephew were not to leave ship alone.

[sprint180]

Thanks for telling us. I had no idea, I just assumed they had to be with an adult. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that though.

[Cruising4]

Why should the rules for getting off the ship be different than those of getting on the ship? My 15 year old and his friend can't book a room and board in Miami.

 

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that underage people cannot get off the ship unaccompanied by an adult who is responsible for the kid whilst onboard.

[hm212]

Thanks AltaJewel,

 

You have just managed to make me nervous. I will be on the Splendor with my 15 year old daughter in April. We have planned to do things together in two ports (Cozumel & Costa Maya), but I could see her "taking a walk" just down at the docks with some girls. All I see now is disaster - A group of stupid teenage girls without any real money and no passports.

 

Going to have a major discussion with my daughter before we get on the ship.

 

She has cruised many times, but now that she is becoming a more independent teenager...

[JRosamonda]

Why should the rules for getting off the ship be different than those of getting on the ship? My 15 year old and his friend can't book a room and board in Miami.

 

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that underage people cannot get off the ship unaccompanied by an adult who is responsible for the kid whilst onboard.

 

That is a very good point. My biggest problem here is that I never knew the kids could just get off the ship. I have been on 8 cruises before this one and have never realized that the kids can get off the ship without an adult. If I had known then they would not have been allowed the freedoms that they have had in the past on the ship. At least I know now we can place a restriction on their room card which will make security look for an adult associated with the child.

[Cruise, J.D.]

I may have missed it in this discussion, but does Carnival have a formal policy of a minimum age to leave the ship unaccompanied at port?

Edited February 1, 2015 by Cruise, J.D.

[LCTXcruiser]

OP - This is great information and I thank you for posting it. Although I always have my son with me when we dock, I know there are some parents that don't. Hopefully this will make parents aware that there can be a chance that their child is left at port in another country - if they don't watch them.

 

For everyone else - please keep negative and judgemental comments to yourself. This person was just trying to inform of what could happen. As you can see I'm not a regular poster but I'm a regular reader. It amazes me how many people have nothing better to do than find fault in others.

 

Again, OP Thank you. This could help one parent not leave a child behind.

[Rena921]

Thanks AltaJewel,

 

You have just managed to make me nervous. I will be on the Splendor with my 15 year old daughter in April. We have planned to do things together in two ports (Cozumel & Costa Maya), but I could see her "taking a walk" just down at the docks with some girls. All I see now is disaster - A group of stupid teenage girls without any real money and no passports.

 

Going to have a major discussion with my daughter before we get on the ship.

 

She has cruised many times, but now that she is becoming a more independent teenager...

 

Technically, Carnival will make several announcements and try to contact the person/persons that have not re-boarded before they leave. So the parent/parents would be able to leave the ship with passport, etc and go look for the kids. It would suck for the family to have the ship sail away without them and have the added expense hassle of flying home, but at least the kids wouldn't be left alone in port with no money/passport....

[BullDawg91]

Why should the rules for getting off the ship be different than those of getting on the ship? My 15 year old and his friend can't book a room and board in Miami.

 

 

 

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that underage people cannot get off the ship unaccompanied by an adult who is responsible for the kid whilst onboard.

 

 

Excellent point!