Worried About Daughter In Shore Exc.

[Cruisegirl6]

Hello,

 

We are going on the LOS on June 30th. My daughter will soon be 16 and she used to do english riding. In Grand Cayman she wants to do the horseback riding trail excursion which is 2 1/2 hours long. Yes, she will be with the ships tour and my husband or I will not be there with her. I have disabilities an definately cannot ride and my husband has herniated disc in his back and a very bad knee, torn main muscle, he can't ride. My question is the excursion leaves at 12 and its 2 1/2 hours long, the ship leaves at 4. I always am on the ship 2 hours before sailing, what happens if the excursion does not get back in time, will they wait for them?

[kathyemma]

book thru the ship - Yes. So i wouldn't worry.

 

Kathy

[nanfromatlanta]

Hello,

 

We are going on the LOS on June 30th. My daughter will soon be 16 and she used to do english riding. In Grand Cayman she wants to do the horseback riding trail excursion which is 2 1/2 hours long. Yes, she will be with the ships tour and my husband or I will not be there with her. I have disabilities an definately cannot ride and my husband has herniated disc in his back and a very bad knee, torn main muscle, he can't ride. My question is the excursion leaves at 12 and its 2 1/2 hours long, the ship leaves at 4. I always am on the ship 2 hours before sailing, what happens if the excursion does not get back in time, will they wait for them?

 

If the tour was booked through the cruise line, the ship will wait for her.

[Travel Angel]

Hello,

 

We are going on the LOS on June 30th. My daughter will soon be 16 and she used to do english riding. In Grand Cayman she wants to do the horseback riding trail excursion which is 2 1/2 hours long. Yes, she will be with the ships tour and my husband or I will not be there with her. I have disabilities an definately cannot ride and my husband has herniated disc in his back and a very bad knee, torn main muscle, he can't ride. My question is the excursion leaves at 12 and its 2 1/2 hours long, the ship leaves at 4. I always am on the ship 2 hours before sailing, what happens if the excursion does not get back in time, will they wait for them?

 

 

Although I would not be worried about it being a tour booked thru the cruiseline and not getting back to the ship on time, what would worry me more is that you are going to let your 16 year old daughter go on a tour w/out a parent or guardian present ? I understand your not wanting to dissapoint her, but to send her on her own at that age ?

 

I guess you can call me protective and even though there are justified reasons that the parents can't go, the child should understand the reasons why she should not go.

 

Perhaps you can talk to one of the Youth Counsellors onboard or the Shore Tour Desk to see if they could offer someone to watch your child in your place ?

 

Just my 2 cents as a parent who has been in a similiar situation and whose children did get over the disappointment of not getting to do what they wanted to do.

[nrh322]

I've been told that the ship won't necessarily wait for one of their own excursions that is running late, but they WILL make whatever arrangements are necessary for the people that got left behind to catch up to the ship at the next port. I don't know if that's true or not, but it might raise a variable that you hadn't considered.

[CruznTom]

If I were you, I would go to the Excursions desk and express your concerns and ask them to put you in contact with maybe an adult couple beforehand who are doing that excursion.

[rolloman]

I think you should have more fear having your daughter go to school each day rather than horseback riding in the Caymans. It is a small Island, the ship will wait for a ship purchased excursion. You are on vacation..... chill.

[nlcentralchmps03]

They should wait for them.

 

Enjoy your cruise :)

[nrh322]

As far as being worried about her being by herself on the excursion goes...

 

By the time I was her age, I'd been on four group dive trips to Grand Cayman... without my parents. I'm still here! :)

[zantedeschia]

If she's an experienced rider, she may be bored. A lot of these excursions won't let the horses go above a walk. The ones where you swim with the horses are pretty cool, tho.

[Kryssa]

Don't worry about it. As long as she understands that the horses are probably not going to be running (liability risk) and she's ok with that, I'm sure she'll have a lot of fun. Like someone above me said, going in the water on a horse is a lot of fun- I did that in Puerto Rico. If she's bringing a camera to get a pic of herself on the horse in the water, make sure it's waterproof :D

[bplazo]

I have heard several stories where it was a ship sponsered tour and the ship did not wait. I have an 18 year old daugher and I still will not allow her to go off on a port without me. Yes, I know they can go fight for their country at 18 but she is not doing that either unless I am with her.

[transam84]

I would be worried too. My son is an only child and he is 19 now and off to college on his own and I still worry. Do cell phones work on Grand Cayman? My cell is my lifeline to my son. I text him all the time. I know you won't be able to call while she is riding but you can find out the general time they will be on a trail vs travel and keep in touch. Also, think the suggestion about going to the excursion desk and connecting with other adults going beforehand is a good idea. No sure if I would have let my son go off on his own for an excursion at 16, but I don't think it is unreasonable either. I would take precautions though, such as finding an adult willing to watch out for her. Also, booking through the ship is essential so you don't have to worry if the the tour is late.

[Clarkk W Griswald]

If I were you, I would go to the Excursions desk and express your concerns and ask them to put you in contact with maybe an adult couple beforehand who are doing that excursion.

 

Not to sound rude or uncaring, but I would find it highly insulting for someone from the excursions desk to ask us to watchover someone else's kid while we're on an excursion. It's not my responsibilty. We're there to enjoy our vacation, not to babysit. And really, how well can you trust any stranger to watch over your kids? Just because it's an "adult couple", makes them trustworthy? I would be very leary of sending a 16 year alone on any excursion, on any island, with any strangers.

[msmayor]

Personal feelings aside, the tour operator and cruise line may not permit a minor to take the excursion without a parent or guardian present, so the point may be moot. I would check with RCI first and find out if its even allowed.

[sandyneck]

I also would check to see if a minor could go on her own. Also, the poster who said she may be bored is right. We have done these type excursions and 2 1/2 hours of walking, not even trotting, on a horse gets old in a hurry. I would find out for sure what they will let the horses do, she may not want to go if it will be walking only.

[Adagia]

Yes, I know they can go fight for their country at 18 but she is not doing that either unless I am with her.

 

:D LOL! That brought quite the image to my mind :D

[nrh322]

Does your daughter have the sort of personality where she's likely to meet a bunch of friends on the ship? If she does, she'll probably be able to sucker a few of them into going with her... their parents too.

[nellydean]

so, let's get this straight? a 'child' of 16 in the USA can legally get behind the wheel of a car, and obtain guns to take into college, but they are not old enough to go on an official tour excurison WITH one of the parents attending?

 

sheesh, sounds about right to me!

[Nliedel]

I was snorkeling in the Caymans at 16 without my parents. Grand Cayman is a small island and there is relativly low crime there. Tourism drives the island and the locals understand that. Further, a ships excursion is usually pretty safe. There are two questions here, however that should be addressed.

 

If the excrusion is running late they may not wait for those people. Grand Cayman charges a fortune to ships that do not leave on time. If this is a ship's excursion, however, they will cut the excursion short, rather than miss the ship. The Caymans are easy to get around in and even if you're on the far side of the island, you're not far.

 

The other question is whether they will allow an unaccompanied minor to sail without a parent. For that, you will have to speak to the shore excursion desk and you may get conflicting answers. The final say will be on the ship.

 

I also agree that she may be bored.

[rsscaptain]

I was snorkeling in the Caymans at 16 without my parents. Grand Cayman is a small island and there is relativly low crime there. Tourism drives the island and the locals understand that. Further, a ships excursion is usually pretty safe. There are two questions here, however that should be addressed.

 

If the excrusion is running late they may not wait for those people. Grand Cayman charges a fortune to ships that do not leave on time. If this is a ship's excursion, however, they will cut the excursion short, rather than miss the ship. The Caymans are easy to get around in and even if you're on the far side of the island, you're not far.

 

The other question is whether they will allow an unaccompanied minor to sail without a parent. For that, you will have to speak to the shore excursion desk and you may get conflicting answers. The final say will be on the ship.

 

I also agree that she may be bored.

 

Hi Nancy, I was actually thinking about you yesterday. My husband told me about that terrible accident involving an organ donor and plane wreck. He said the donors organs were en route with a plane of 6 people when it crashed killing all aboard, making it tragic of course for everyone including the person waiting to receive an organ. I thought of you because he said it happened in your town. I really felt heart sick over this incident! Have you heard? I'm not sure how big your town is? In RI everything is pretty small so we know what's going on.

 

It was such a noble cause that went terribly bad, I just feel awful. I just became an organ donor, and encourage anyone who feels they can to help other's in the event of a tragedy.

 

On topic, I can only say, you can't be to careful in this day and age. It's not 15-20 years ago, it's today. What's the name of that girl that went missing on a class trip in Aruba? I know we can't live in a bubble, but extreme care has to be taken in extreme times. That being said, we allowed our daughter to travel with others when she was 16, and we worried but she was always in a group and never allowed to go alone without a buddy, or so we preached.

 

I remember in Disney seeing her standing alone and asking, "Where is Amber?" I was amazed that something as simple as, "Do not leave each other alone ever!" was such a task. They had to be reminded every time we turned around. Kids are kids, and they don't always do what we tell them. That's why they need parents. :)

[Cruisegirl6]

I booked up the shore excursion under her reservation number as she has her own room. Upon doing this, I noticed her name on the side with her reservation number and her age, her age said 15 (she turns 16 in November) so they already know of her age. If for some reason she cannot go because she is a minor (many shore excursions on RC website do state age restrictions and weight restrictions and there was no mentioning of any age restriction only the weight restriction) I am sure I can get my money refunded.

 

This excursion states they are going to ride on a beach where they can ride on shore or in the water. They state you can trot also, so she won't be bored. I will give her a letter with a copy of her health insurance and permission to treat her on board the ship if necessary with my signature and cell phone number (my cell phone does work in the Caymans as I have used it when I docked in GC last year) will be given. Yes, she is experienced rider but I do take two steps ahead just in case.

 

Grand Cayman is very easy getting around. Will I be nervous of course but having disabilities I have learned I cannot restrict my daughter of having the kind of fun she wants, she is also at an age where she is already driving legally here in Florida and will get her license this November when she turns 16. Yes, I can totally trust her she is a very independant and has a head on her shoulder. We are travelling with our family 14 members, everybody has different excursions they want to take nobody wants to do the horseback riding in GC and I understand we all have different interests. I not even think of asking a stranger to watch over her as she is not their responsibility and never put anybody on that kind of spot.

 

I thank you all for giving me your opinons, and do believe the ship will wait. On the other hand, if she is not back I will get off the ship myself with our passports and american express card and meet up with it in Cozumel the next day. I am sure and hope it wouldn't come down to this but I am sure it will be a decent size group where the ship will wait. I would also stress the fact if it came down to leaving without her being back that she is a minor and they allowed a minor on the excursion, that she has no means to pay for a hotel or airfare, I am sure that would work the worse case....

 

I am very protective over my children but I have learned there are times when we have to allow our children to do certain things. Yes, I have a 18 year old son and yes, I do worry everyday, he also is in college away, its just part of life as parents we always worry no matter what age our children are. :)

[Nliedel]

Hi Nancy, I was actually thinking about you yesterday. My husband told me about that terrible accident involving an organ donor and plane wreck. He said the donors organs were en route with a plane of 6 people when it crashed killing all aboard, making it tragic of course for everyone including the person waiting to receive an organ. I thought of you because he said it happened in your town. I really felt heart sick over this incident! Have you heard? I'm not sure how big your town is? In RI everything is pretty small so we know what's going on.

 

It was such a noble cause that went terribly bad, I just feel awful. I just became an organ donor, and encourage anyone who feels they can to help other's in the event of a tragedy.

 

On topic, I can only say, you can't be to careful in this day and age. It's not 15-20 years ago, it's today. What's the name of that girl that went missing on a class trip in Aruba? I know we can't live in a bubble, but extreme care has to be taken in extreme times. That being said, we allowed our daughter to travel with others when she was 16, and we worried but she was always in a group and never allowed to go alone without a buddy, or so we preached.

 

I remember in Disney seeing her standing alone and asking, "Where is Amber?" I was amazed that something as simple as, "Do not leave each other alone ever!" was such a task. They had to be reminded every time we turned around. Kids are kids, and they don't always do what we tell them. That's why they need parents. :)

 

Ugh, to the OP, I meant go on the shore excursion, not sail! Sorry about that.

 

To rsscaptain,

 

The crash was in Milwaukee, but it was a University of Michigan life flight. I did not know any of the people onboard, but they were pillars of the community and well loved. Six people died. Two pilots, two life flight technicians and two doctors. One of the doctors is a high ranking transplant specialist. They also lost the lung for the patient and he is in critical condition.

 

Most of them left behind families and a couple have young children. So sad. The plane, a Cessna, lost trim and was out of control when it hit the water at 230 miles per hour. They have recovered some of the plane and some human remains, but they may not recover much more, due to the speed of the impact into Lake Michigan.

 

Since my dad lives across the lake from Milwaukee and I found an arm in the water when I was a kid, I may not be going home this summer. I don't need a repeat of the arm incident (boater lost it in an accident). Gross, but it happens.

 

My heart just bleeds for these families. Last night I saw the U of M helicopter fly overhead on a transport (daily occurance) and it hit me how fragile life is and how we need to cherish every moment.

 

My husband works at the other large hospital in town and has said it's been very sober there, the last two days. Many of the doctors work together. Even at competing hospitals.

 

Ann Arbor is a mid size town, but in the summer we get closer. Fewer students.

[rsscaptain]

I booked up the shore excursion under her reservation number as she has her own room. Upon doing this, I noticed her name on the side with her reservation number and her age, her age said 15 (she turns 16 in November) so they already know of her age. If for some reason she cannot go because she is a minor (many shore excursions on RC website do state age restrictions and weight restrictions and there was no mentioning of any age restriction only the weight restriction) I am sure I can get my money refunded.

 

This excursion states they are going to ride on a beach where they can ride on shore or in the water. They state you can trot also, so she won't be bored. I will give her a letter with a copy of her health insurance and permission to treat her on board the ship if necessary with my signature and cell phone number (my cell phone does work in the Caymans as I have used it when I docked in GC last year) will be given. Yes, she is experienced rider but I do take two steps ahead just in case.

 

Grand Cayman is very easy getting around. Will I be nervous of course but having disabilities I have learned I cannot restrict my daughter of having the kind of fun she wants, she is also at an age where she is already driving legally here in Florida and will get her license this November when she turns 16. Yes, I can totally trust her she is a very independant and has a head on her shoulder. We are travelling with our family 14 members, everybody has different excursions they want to take nobody wants to do the horseback riding in GC and I understand we all have different interests. I not even think of asking a stranger to watch over her as she is not their responsibility and never put anybody on that kind of spot.

 

I thank you all for giving me your opinons, and do believe the ship will wait. On the other hand, if she is not back I will get off the ship myself with our passports and american express card and meet up with it in Cozumel the next day. I am sure and hope it wouldn't come down to this but I am sure it will be a decent size group where the ship will wait. I would also stress the fact if it came down to leaving without her being back that she is a minor and they allowed a minor on the excursion, that she has no means to pay for a hotel or airfare, I am sure that would work the worse case....

 

I am very protective over my children but I have learned there are times when we have to allow our children to do certain things. Yes, I have a 18 year old son and yes, I do worry everyday, he also is in college away, its just part of life as parents we always worry no matter what age our children are. :)

 

Very true, well said. Have a safe and happy trip!

 

Nancy thank you for the information as horrible as it is. I feel the same way you do. It's just so awful. My heart goes out to all those effected by this!

[CruiseQueen13]

Yes, the ship waits if you're booked thru them.

 

However, IMO, I would not allow my dghtr to go in port w/o me at 16. I would probably pay and go w/ her - wait there while she is on the ride w/ the group. That's just me.