Port Days - leaving your kids on board

[momofmab]

I don't think it's selfish at all. Many families choose to travel extensively with their children beginning at a young age, and as a result these children benefit greatly from the experience of learing about different cultures.

 

I am not one to subscribe to "worst case scenario theories" - especially those involving death and dismemberment. If I did, let's face it, I probably wouldn't leave my house :D I also agree with the posters who were confident that the ship's staff would properly care for their children. I have happily left my kids on board on port days (not every port day, mind you, because family fun is important too)

 

That said, if the op feels like she just could not be comfortable leaving her kids onboard, and feels that she could not enjoy the European ports with her kids in tow, then I DO agree with the part of the "selfish post" that suggests postponing a European trip until the kids are older and enjoy the ports.

[UKBayern]

I don't think it's selfish at all. Many families choose to travel extensively with their children beginning at a young age, and as a result these children benefit greatly from the experience of learing about different cultures.

 

How are children learning about different cultures when they are left onboard? That was the main question we had when reading the OP. What do the children get out of this apart from being dragged half way round the world and then left on the ship in daycare?

[quincytoo]

I was part of the "I would never leave the children on ship in kids camo while you do a port day" then on our CB cruise our 15 year old decided he didn't want to get off the ship in Antiqua. Little bugger.....:rolleyes:

 

We took him to the teens club and talked to the staff who had already spent much time with him, told them where we were going and about what time we were expected back at and they reassured us to go have a nice day and our son would as well in the teens zone with them. There were actually a few parents dropping their children off at all of the other clubs.

 

We had a great day (I was worried a little) but it proved to be for not as we had a great day and so did he. Would I leave him on the ship for all the port days??? No way, I would pick and choose my ports.

 

Maybe there will be a few ports that the whole family can do a port day or at least a partial family port day??

[PottyMouth]

My sister & I actually did the OPPOSITE when we cruised with Disney last year. At Castaway Cay the kids club moves to the beach. We dropped the kids off at the beach, went back to the ship and hung at at the adults only pool (just us and three other people), had a nice quiet lunch, then picked them up around 2.

 

It was nice to have a quiet afternoon away from all the crowds. The funny thing was, the kids didn't want to leave the beach!

[UKBayern]

I was part of the "I would never leave the children on ship in kids camo while you do a port day" then on our CB cruise our 15 year old decided he didn't want to get off the ship in Antiqua. Little bugger.....:rolleyes:

 

15 or 3 years old is a large difference. Your child can make a decision himself, he knows where he is, he understands where mommy is, he will probably have his own cell phone to call you anyway.

[quincytoo]

15 or 3 years old is a large difference. Your child can make a decision himself, he knows where he is, he understands where mommy is, he will probably have his own cell phone to call you anyway.

 

Actually no cell phone.....We told him when he finishes high school we might let him have a cell...maybe.

 

Actually you don't know my son so don't make assumpations....yes he was 15 actually 15 going on 11 mentally now he is 18 going on 14 mentally so there you go...happy??? That day was actually a huge milestone for us.

 

Besides a 3 year old could gives a rats butt where mommy is if they are happy well adjusted children.....clingy children who are never allowed to leave Mom's side are another story.

 

I am done here...to the OP happy cruising :) I know you will make the best decision for you and your family, don't let one or two posters guilt you out of spending some time in port away from the kids :)

[momofmab]

How are children learning about different cultures when they are left onboard? That was the main question we had when reading the OP. What do the children get out of this apart from being dragged half way round the world and then left on the ship in daycare?

 

 

If you read my post, you'd realize that I am not advocating leaving your children on the ship for every port - surely some ports are likely more more kid-friendly than others. You, on the other hand, are implying that young children are unable to cope with "being dragged half-way around the world and left on the ship in daycare", which simply isn't true. Perhaps it would be a miserable trip for YOUR children, but not for the OP's :rolleyes:

[mjkacmom]

Maybe you should postpone your trip to Europe for a few years, until the youngest is a little bit older? What if there are tears in the kiddy club every day when you try to leave them there? It will ruin your holiday.

Why go so far away? Your children will also have to deal with jetlags, long flights etc, and they have no notion where they are anyway. Other people have also commented on hot weather and crowds. For your children, there is no plus.

 

I am probably going to get flamed for saying this, since most people on this thread are perfectly cool with leaving their kids in a foreign port with total strangers and living their lives as if they have no children, but it does all sound a bit selfish.

 

I don't think the OP said she was leaving them there every day, and I assume if she came back on ship to crying kids, she probably wouldn't do it again. However, my experience with kids clubs, whether on cruises or at resorts, is that the kids love them, and would much rather spend several hours at them then hanging around with mom and dad (I'm a SAHM to 5 - they're sick of me!). Kids clubs make family vacations win/win - family time, couple time, kid time - it's all good! We've put our kids in clubs on the DCL, at Beaches, at ski resorts - my kids loved them all!

[schoolinmy3]

I don't think the OP said she was leaving them there every day, and I assume if she came back on ship to crying kids, she probably wouldn't do it again. However, my experience with kids clubs, whether on cruises or at resorts, is that the kids love them, and would much rather spend several hours at them then hanging around with mom and dad (I'm a SAHM to 5 - they're sick of me!). Kids clubs make family vacations win/win - family time, couple time, kid time - it's all good! We've put our kids in clubs on the DCL, at Beaches, at ski resorts - my kids loved them all!

 

I'm not only a stay at home mom, they were all three homeschooled. (Now, only my youngest is homeschooled as the boys have graduated although still living at home.) So I don't have much "alone" time as you can imagine. Instead we do almost everything together as a family. We have already taken our children to Europe, three years ago, and they are going on their first cruise to the Mediterranean. Since our daughter is 10, my husband made the point that she is old enough to get off the ship and see cities, culture and history that she may never get to experience again. But, on the other hand, my husband and I have often left the children for the weekend so that we can do things they are not interested in such as visiting art museums in NYC or a concert in Asheville, NC. There is nothing more annoying than a teenage boy who says the minute you walk in, "So how long are we going to be here, 5 minutes?" Can you tell that is from personal experience? However, Europe is different in that there is history and culture that not every pre-teen or teenager will get to experience!:) For younger kids though that would be a whole different story!

diane

[lds26]

Well I wasnt sure of whether or not I would be the mom who would leave her kids or take them with her to all the ports. So after much debate and after a frustrating 4 days of kids who were with me 24/7 I had decided to take a 'time-out'. I took my 2 lil boys to CC and took my eldest son to the island where we quickly shopped then took an hour at the beach and were back on ship in 3 hours. The lil boys didnt even know we had left the ship. I can't say that I was completely at ease with my choice but I felt that everyday I leave my sons with strangers at school and daycare with the same information that I left at CC. I can't speak for anyone else on this board but for me it was the right decision and I probably would do it again. We did however take them off at a few other ports and spent tonnes of time with them in evenings and at sea.

[toonye]

I felt that everyday I leave my sons with strangers at school and daycare with the same information that I left at CC. [...]We did however take them off at a few other ports and spent tonnes of time with them in evenings and at sea.

 

That's exactly the way I feel.

 

We've just chosen our next cruise for 2011 and our daughter eventually took the final decision!

We'd been hesitating between a 7 day cruise in the Carribbean and an 11 day cruise to Panama and the Carribbean.

 

She told us she would rather stay at my mother's if we chose the Carribbean cruise as she would not want to get out at any port .

 

But she had a look at the other itinerary and told us she would really enjoy this cruise.

She especially wants to return to Aruba!

 

So, she not only decided to come, she already decided where she'll go ashore: Cayman and Aruba!

 

In Colon, Cartagena and Puerto Limon, we're more than welcome to have "parents only excursions"!, she'll stay at AO anyway!

 

So, you see: it's EASY, stop worrying, just ask your kids:D

 

Btw, she'll turn 8 in June.

 

And I just wanted to add that in deed touring the med ports can be boring to death for children...

 

I'm from Europe and had to follow my parents to any place as a child.

 

They took me everywhere and there always were "cultural trips"

 

Even if I'm happy to have seen most of these places, I can tell you that at that time, I had given everything I had to either stay at my grandmother's or just spend a holiday at a resort!!

 

You have to imagine that I had to look at the other children enjoying themselves at the beaches when we toured the med and I could just watch when we passed by...we visited the sites, walked under the sun, etc...

Only ONCE would they allow me 10 minutes to sea bathe...:eek:

 

So, please , for your kid's sakes, let them enjoy the A/C kids clubs rather to take them to some ruins!!!!!!!!! :D

 

Toonye

[UKBayern]

I'm from Europe and had to follow my parents to any place as a child.

They took me everywhere and there always were "cultural trips"

 

You have to imagine that I had to look at the other children enjoying themselves at the beaches when we toured the med and I could just watch when we passed by...we visited the sites, walked under the sun, etc...

Only ONCE would they allow me 10 minutes to sea bathe...:eek:

 

We are also both from (different) European countries and our parents always took us on cultural trips through Europe, even at a very young age. Both DH' mother and mine were teachers, so not only did they want to immerse us in culture and history at a young age, but on the other hand they also knew what children want out of a holiday.

 

We went to the ruins in the morning when it was cool for a few hours and to the swimming pool or the playground for the rest of the day. You can do both and all have a great time. When it is about Me, Me, Me and your child is not allowed to go to the beach, yes, then your kid is going to be frustrated for the rest of his life. You have kids to raise them and spend quality time with them. My fondest memories are the ones where we did both cultural and fun things, and therefore appreciated the cultural things too because it was such a great holiday feeling. It is not realistic to take a 3 year old to the Louvre and expect it to look at paitings for 5 hours. It is just as bad to only do what the kids want, because it will affect your pleasure too much and that will rub off on the children.

 

My parents and DH' parents always read carefully about the sights we were going to if it was suitable, explained a lot and made sure they had this interesting story on hand about Greek gods, Roman soldiers or cavemen for that boring moment (even if it was just a made-up one). Also good things with kids are things they can get involved in, such as getting dressed up in period clothing, enactments with actors, making something (earthenware, candies, brass rubbing), a ride (cablecar, mine lift). Most sights and tourist offices in Europe have special tours with kids or lists of suitable family outings.

 

And I repeat here: if you are not taking the kids to Europe to show them something or let them experience a different culture, you can just as well go to Florida and sit on the beach there with them. A kiddy club is a kiddy club, whether that is in some resort or any cruise ship anywhere in the world. Then there is no added value of putting your kids through jetlag etc at a young age.

[Kerry's Girls]

I took my 5 year olds on a 12 day Med cruise and they loved all the sightseeing we did, and came back able to tell all their friends about each place. I did a lot of research ahead of time to find kid-friendly places to see (no museums except at the Vatican) and we included stops at playgrounds so they could play with local children in most of the places. They were thrilled with leading us up the Acropolis, exploring Roman ruins at Ephesus, wondered how the ceiling got painted at the Vatican, and, of course, climbing the pyramids. By reading books/watching shows about all the places we were going, we built up anticipation, and the girls had some idea of what they were seeing ahead of time. Then, we didn't pack too much into any day and always did private tours or went on our own so we could go at our own pace. In places with long drives (Rome, Cairo) I brought their Leapsters or portable DVD player for the ride, and always had plenty of snacks/water. This all resulted in no-whining sightseeing, though I don't know how successful it would be with teenagers :rolleyes: it worked quite well with toddlers!

 

Best,

Mia

[schoolinmy3]

I took my 5 year olds on a 12 day Med cruise and they loved all the sightseeing we did' date=' and came back able to tell all their friends about each place.

This all resulted in no-whining sightseeing, though I don't know how successful it would be with teenagers :rolleyes: it worked quite well with toddlers!

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

Fortunately, my teenage boys are very much into history and culture so they are quite interested in the ports themselves. It is my daughter I am a bit worried about, at age 10 she can mostly keep up with her brothers who are 19 and 17, but fades very fast if she does not have snacks with her. I can relate as I always need to carry a granola bar, etc in my purse. ;) We took them to Europe 3 years ago and my husband and I were both amazed at how well they traveled. We bought a car through the overseas program with Volvo and drove through London, France, Belgium and Germany. We had no meltdowns and my son only committed one major error. (He sometimes acts without thinking first if you know what I mean). He pulled the alarm on the high speed train in France thinking it was the button to open the door between the train cars. That only resulted in the immediate appearance of half a dozen red bereted French police with machine guns. But they sized up the situation pretty quickly, major national disaster averted.:rolleyes:

diane

[RoadTripFanatic]

I've done it once and I will never do it again. I was a wreck the entire time we were gone. My only sanity saver was the fact that I could see the ship from our beach! Please note it wasn't the fear of someone not being nice to her. I was just scared something would happen to the ship. I know it's crazy but that was my fear.

Please check to make sure you cell phones will work over there. I know with Verizon you need a certain type of phone and you have to activate a special service in order to have a signal over there. You just can't go over and expect your phone to work. :(

[sas80]

It's nice to see that so many people have done it and plenty of those people were happy that they did.

 

We will probably do it.

 

I wish we had the luxury of many of the alternatives that everyone recommended but we don't. The only option we have is to either choose a different destination, drag the kids along with us and hope they don't melt or do a staycation.

 

The idea of leaving them at AO for the day is also spurned from the fact that, since we don't have family living near us, we really never get time alone. What better place to get some romantic alone couple time than Europe?!

 

Thanks again for all the input.