No more ncl for us!!!

[Leigh-Anne V]

This was a very informative thread ... we sail on the Dawn in March during our March Break .. I think the ship will be fairly full, but good to know ahead of time these things to keep an eye out!

[CatherineL]

This is worrying - especially the weirdo being able to buy a pic of your little girl. I too would write a complaint letter.

 

We had a similar bad experience on Disney Cruise Line. Much of the cruise was great. But our daughter, then 7, wasn't on the list to sign herself out. And on the last evening, we found her sitting outside or cabin door waiting for us one evening - very upset that she wasn't able to find us.

 

I went to see the staff and they told us that it was our own fault, because our daughter was unable to find us. I explained that we had a pager and they hadn't paged us and they weren't supposed to let our daughter look for us on her own. The staff member didn't answer my complaint and just walked off.

 

I wish I had complained to Disney at the time. You need to feel confident that the staff will use the pager system and not allow your kids to go off alone.

[FabFam4]

I have only taken my two daughters (3 and 8) on one cruise and we had a GREAT experience with the kids club. Just want you to know that they aren't all bad. We were on the Carnival Legend and the counselors were attentive and fun. They did mix age groups for the kid's dinner but that was a very controlled environment so we were fine with that. I didn't allow my daughters to go to the late night parties so not sure it they had a pillow fight or if the ages were mixed at those events. Our girls are normally very clingy and I didn't expect them to enjoy it but they had a blast and kept asking to go back. It really made it a great experience for us. I just wanted you to know that there are good kid programs out there. We are on the Carnival Miracle in April and hope we have another good set of counselors.

[CanadianTwosome]

This is worrying - especially the weirdo being able to buy a pic of your little girl. I too would write a complaint letter.

 

We had a similar bad experience on Disney Cruise Line. Much of the cruise was great. But our daughter, then 7, wasn't on the list to sign herself out. And on the last evening, we found her sitting outside or cabin door waiting for us one evening - very upset that she wasn't able to find us.

 

I went to see the staff and they told us that it was our own fault, because our daughter was unable to find us. I explained that we had a pager and they hadn't paged us and they weren't supposed to let our daughter look for us on her own. The staff member didn't answer my complaint and just walked off.

 

I wish I had complained to Disney at the time. You need to feel confident that the staff will use the pager system and not allow your kids to go off alone.

 

I'm about to spend my second birthday on a cruise, and last January, as a birthday present, one of the couples we met through our roll call went and bought some pictures of us and our daughter. It was a really nice present and of course, there was absolutely nothing sinister about it. The people at the desks selling the photos have no way of knowing who anyone is. If there is a picture of a child alone, why would they question whether the person buying it is her parent or other relative, a family friend... or a roll call acquaintance buying a gift? I hate to even say it 'out loud' but I think it's probably quite reasonable to assume that this sort of thing goes on a lot more than we'd like to think it does (I suppose once would make that list). What's especially offensive about this particular incident is that the man approached the family and admitted it. I would have felt completely repulsed and violated - but I would still place the blame where I think it belongs - on the wierdo.

 

My daughter, at 10, is now old enough for me to give her in/out priviledges on our cruise in January. I do not intend to do so. Freaks like the guy who bought the picture cruise just like everyone else, and while I do allow my daughter a fair amount of freedom on board, I always expect contact to be maintained. Having her leave supervision without my knowledge is simply not something I am comfortable with. If something happened to her, how much time might pass before I was aware that she wasn't where I thought she was? If she had been allowed to leave at 7 (or even 8, on her first cruise) I would have been livid. I can only imagine that it was better to have found her at your door safe and healthy and experienced that anger than it would have been to go to pick her up and find her gone...

 

The best thing about this thread is that it has really brought to light possibilities that I might never otherwise have thought to prepare for. Having only good experiences is wonderful, but it can lead to a false sense of security... I will definitely be making a point of finding out how many kids are registered, and if it's a smaller number, how they intend to handle it. I will be explicitly discussing the sign out option and that I haven't approved it so there is no confusion about whether it's okay to let my daughter wander off on her own. I would also say that I'll stay on top of what activities are actually being done, but I'm sure I'll be hearing all about it anyway from my first hand participant. :)

 

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the thread. I feel much more prepared now - but of course I'm still expecting the same wonderful experience as usual! I can't wait to tell you all about it in a couple weeks. :)

[ladypalmtree]

Sorry..that creep that bought the picture and said that...well...He would of been in for a world of hurt from myself or my husband. Pedophile! Gross...watch your kids on cruises. Anyone could book passage on a ship! lpt