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Shoppie124
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That depends on the parent and the maturity of the child and maturity of the friends. I let my daughter chum around the ship with some pool friends at 10. I only allow this because she's a great kid and very responsible. She knows not to talk to anyone, where to meet us and what time she must check back in with us.

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I’m pretty liberal with my kids freedom but I wouldn’t be comfortable letting them wander by themselves until they were high school age.

 

With friends I’d say middle school.

 

And both would have set check in’s. No going in anyone’s cabin, etc...

 

I should mention that I let my son go to Costa Rica with his older friends when he graduated high school at 17. They were 20. We did not go. I did tell the oldest young man I’d kill him if anything happened, lol.

 

There are a lot of pervs out there, and cruise ships have a lot of drinking and partying in close quarters.

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It depends on the child and the parents, but I would say the same age that you would allow them to wander around your town.

I agree, and that would be 10 for me. 5th graders at our elementary schools go out to lunch starting in 5th grade, and tons of kids that age are walking/biking around town at that age, playing ball, manhunt, and hanging at the little league fields during baseball season.

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My son was ok at 11 when he sailed for the first time.

But make sure you create some kind of communications routine otherwise it will be tough to find them.

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It depends on the child and the parents, but I would say the same age that you would allow them to wander around your town.
I said 10 and everyone has a right to an opinion but I wouldn't let my kid wander around town at that age. The identity of every person on a cruise ship is known, there is security staff, and lots security cameras on a ship. The ship also is only so big and isn't endless like a town. If I lived in a small town like Walnut Grove on Little House on the Prarie I'd be ok with that too, lol!
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ok, so far we have 10, 11, 16, a possible 17 & 20......anybody else beg to differ, feel free to chime in with a different age.

.......ask a simple question........lmao...rofl....lol

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Well let me tell a little story...on our last cruise we sailed on the msc seaside, we were in costa maya and enjoying lunch outside. My 8 year old daughter asked if she could go back inside to the buffet and get some more French fries, her mother was inside the buffet already, so I asked my daughter if she knew where they were and how to get back. She told me where they were (go in the door and turn right, they are at the corner of the buffet) and how to get back, so I let her go by herself. A few minutes go by and my wife came outside, I asked her if she had seen our daughter, she said no...instant fear set in. We both go rushing inside, wife goes left, I go right we meet in the middle, our daughter was no longer in the buffet. Now with MSC we paid extra to be able to track her wristband anywhere on the ship, problem was neither of us had our phones, we did another lap around the buffet, calling her name, finally my wife found her, many tears later from the, both, amd after we all calmed down, it turns out she got her French fries, and went out the wrong door, we were sitting port side aft, and she went out starboard side aft door, when she didn’t see me, she keep walking with her plate of French fries all the way to the spa over the glass walkway to the spa. When she got there she realized that was not the way so she then walked back the way she came...long story short, Yes she couldn’t have got off the ship, yes if either of us had our phones we could have found her instantly, but these ships are large and very easy to get turned around and lost. I’m sure we have all said to ourselves at one time, how did I get here? I thought I was there?? So I have learned that at 8 years old it’s too young to even go get French fries from the buffet. Our next cruise is in feb 2019 and you can bet I will be walking with her to the buffet.

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ok, so far we have 10, 11, 16, a possible 17 & 20......anybody else beg to differ, feel free to chime in with a different age.

.......ask a simple question........lmao...rofl....lol

 

Actually it was high school by themselves, middle school with friends.....the 17 & 20 were asides, not answers to the OP’s question

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ok, so far we have 10, 11, 16, a possible 17 & 20......anybody else beg to differ, feel free to chime in with a different age.

.......ask a simple question........lmao...rofl....lol

 

 

 

Not really a simple question...as many have noted it depends on the child. My DS I would have said 10. At 10 I would only let DD go around with her older brother. She was 12 before I would let her go on her own. You can’t say this is a simple question when the answer is really dependent on the child in question....and only you know you child best in order to answer the question about them.

 

 

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I am curious, how old do you think a child should be in order for them to wander the ship by themselves or with friends?

 

 

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Depends on the maturity of the child, but from sailing with grand kids and great grand kids as well as meeting others with kid, I would say early teens. About the same age as they have to be to go to the teen program. I do remember the first time our grand daughters sailed they were 14 and 11. We did a land tour and their parents let them stay on the ship alone for the few hours we were on shore. I don't know if I would have allowed it but they did just fine. If the 14 year had not been with the younger one, it would have been a different story.

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It depends on the child and their maturity level, sense of direction, and self-discipline. My oldest was at least 10 before I gave him sign in/out and he was never allowed to "wander." It was camp, room or with us (a detour for ice cream on lido allowed). He is more scatterbrained than his younger brother who was more than fine at 9...as he is strict rule follower and cautiousby nature.

 

With him, we sat on the Lido and sent him to find camp and return. He made 3 attempts before he was comfortable. We did it again from the room. And the MDR. When he said he was comfortable and felt like he could navigate the ship he was allowed the same - camp, room or with us.

 

As our boys have their own room across the hall we have to have basic trust in them. Once they were 12+ they had the ability to stay in camp and walk themselves back after 10 when we are in bed. They have full freedom by cruiseship standards on Carnival at 12 so I am glad we started at a younger age with terms. They knew the "grounding to the room penalty" for violations -which is way to high a price to pay when on vacation-so we have never had an issue.

 

By the time we started full freedom, they had been on probably 6 cruises for the oldest and more for the youngest. They knew our cruise routine. They had a key to our room. They know to leave if steward comes in to clean. They know no people in the room and not to go in anyone else's room. They know about predators. And on a ship, it is VERY easy to check up on your child and make sure they are where they are supposed to be...so it is easy to maintain trust in your child. They are now 14 and 20 and we see them all day long, passing on the ship.

 

But really, it is all about how well behaved and mature your kids are - and your comfort level with that.

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It depends on the child and their maturity level, sense of direction, and self-discipline. My oldest was at least 10 before I gave him sign in/out and he was never allowed to "wander." It was camp, room or with us (a detour for ice cream on lido allowed). He is more scatterbrained than his younger brother who was more than fine at 9...as he is strict rule follower and cautiousby nature.

 

 

 

With him, we sat on the Lido and sent him to find camp and return. He made 3 attempts before he was comfortable. We did it again from the room. And the MDR. When he said he was comfortable and felt like he could navigate the ship he was allowed the same - camp, room or with us.

 

 

 

As our boys have their own room across the hall we have to have basic trust in them. Once they were 12+ they had the ability to stay in camp and walk themselves back after 10 when we are in bed. They have full freedom by cruiseship standards on Carnival at 12 so I am glad we started at a younger age with terms. They knew the "grounding to the room penalty" for violations -which is way to high a price to pay when on vacation-so we have never had an issue.

 

 

 

By the time we started full freedom, they had been on probably 6 cruises for the oldest and more for the youngest. They knew our cruise routine. They had a key to our room. They know to leave if steward comes in to clean. They know no people in the room and not to go in anyone else's room. They know about predators. And on a ship, it is VERY easy to check up on your child and make sure they are where they are supposed to be...so it is easy to maintain trust in your child. They are now 14 and 20 and we see them all day long, passing on the ship.

 

 

 

But really, it is all about how well behaved and mature your kids are - and your comfort level with that.

 

 

 

Thank you! This is some great advice. My daughter will be 12.5 at the time of the cruise. She is very mature for her age thanks to being the youngest on her Gymnastics team. Her friends range from 10-17 so she is very responsible. I was really concerned someone would report us if I let her go to get food or to the ropes course without me up her butt.

 

You guys have been really helpful!!!

 

 

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It isn’t just about the child and maturity level, it is also about the cruise and time of year. If you are on a Carnival spring break cruise, the decision is different than for a Holland America Alaska Cruise.

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I'd say 14 or 15 for a boy and 16 for a girl. All you have to do is turn on the news or pick up a newspaper ! I would rather be safe than sorry ! Too many "bad" people running around !! Also, safety in numbers !

 

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Why the difference depending on sex?

 

 

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We let DD off with her friends at age 12. We had rules where she needed to be in a group of at least three. And that they needed to stick to public places - no cabins, no odd hallways, etc. We also had strict curfews and pre-arranged check-ins.

 

She was always a pretty mature and responsible kid, and we alway did smaller ships; so it was a bit easier keeping track of her while still giving her the freedom and responsibility she needed at that point in her life.

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I don't think "wandering" is good at any age. I would let kids come and go for specific reasons...but never to just roam. If I we're at the pool, I don't have an issue with allowing my child to go to the WJ for a snack, or go back to the room, or for anything specific. I would want frequent "in person" check ins.

It depends on your child, and how trustworthy they might be.

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My son was 11 and we let him go places. Not wander around though. We let him go to the Arcade, ropes course down the water slides, a trip to the buffet to grab an ice cream. He had to check in and we wouldn't leave our location until he checked back. We also got the iconcierage app at the time so he could text back in forth.

 

Mind you, he is a pretty responsible kid. He knew that ship better than I did. It all depends on the age and maturity. We trusted him, went over the ground rules, kept track of his spending etc.

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Why the difference depending on sex?

 

 

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Why the difference in ages between a boy and a girl ? I guess, I'm kind of old school, as a rule, I think a boy can take better care of themselves than a girl can. Of course, there are exceptions, but, if I had kids today, I would be protective of both boys and girls(as we were with our Son), but, more protective of a young girl. Just my opinion.

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Why the difference in ages between a boy and a girl ? I guess, I'm kind of old school, as a rule, I think a boy can take better care of themselves than a girl can. Of course, there are exceptions, but, if I had kids today, I would be protective of both boys and girls(as we were with our Son), but, more protective of a young girl. Just my opinion.

 

Might want to reconsider that old school train of thought; not only is it unfair to the females, but also, not supported by the science. Boys are LESS mature than girls. Take driving for example - their car insurance premiums are double or more of that for girls - because of their lack of responsibility and judgment. Girls tend to make better grades in school than boys...for the same reasons.

 

Children should be evaluated as individuals and not just crammed into some unsupported stereotype.

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I'm another one who would not let my daughter be out and about on her own at the same age as my sons. Females are several times more likely to be sexually assaulted than males. It has nothing to do with whether or not the child is responsible. It's the danger from fellow passengers that makes me more protective of my daughter.

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