Emergencies while kids left on board at port

[seacrcsvz]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has ever left their kids onboard during a shore excursion, particularly a long one? We have left ours while we wandered around some of the port stores, that sort of thing, but what about for a long shore excursion. I'm wondering specifically how any emergency situations would be dealt with. For example, what if one of the kids is sick or injured and we can't be reached. Or what if we have an emergency and don't make it back to the ship? I just don't know how the ship would deal with such a situation - maybe the different cruise lines have different policies. Anyone's information or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Sarah

[scubagirrl]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has ever left their kids onboard during a shore excursion, particularly a long one? We have left ours while we wandered around some of the port stores, that sort of thing, but what about for a long shore excursion. I'm wondering specifically how any emergency situations would be dealt with. For example, what if one of the kids is sick or injured and we can't be reached. Or what if we have an emergency and don't make it back to the ship? I just don't know how the ship would deal with such a situation - maybe the different cruise lines have different policies. Anyone's information or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Sarah

 

Precisely the reason I DON"T leave my kids/grands onboard when i am not.

If i'm on a family vacation. My family is with me or another family member.

[crusinmama06]

When you sign your child in to a kids club program, you authorize the kids club to make medical decisions regarding your child if they cannot reach you in an emergency situation. Or at least, this is what Royal Caribbean told me when I asked their Adventure Ocean counselors about this specifically.

 

We were getting off the ship in Belize. We still had a group onboard. The kids didn't want to go to Belize, they wanted to stay at the kids club.

 

I asked what happened in case of an emergency situation. The counselors said that they would take the child to the ship's medical center. I asked if they would take my cell phone number (no).

 

The ship's Dect phones do not work off the ship. Other ships beepers do not work off of the ship.

 

They said that if there was a medical emergency, they would alert security and our sea passes would be flagged. When we tried to check back into the ship, we would be escorted immediatly to the medical center or to someone who could update us on what happened with our child.

 

And then they added "It's ok, we haven't lost anyone yet" :eek:

 

I didn't ask what would happen if we couldn't make it back because like I said, we did have a group onboard that I knew would step in and take care of the kids. ;)

[seacrcsvz]

Good to know. I wasn't all that worried about a medical emergency with the kids - I guess I am pretty confident in the staff at the club and not worried they would get hurt, and I wouldn't leavve them if they weren't feeling well. So, I'm mainly concerned about what happens in the unlikely event we can't make it back to the ship - one of us has a medical emergency or the shore excursion misses the boat (I would only use a ships shore excursion on these days). I guess I'll have to keep asking around. I would have thought that the cruiselines information page would mention this.

Anyone else have any information or personal experiences?

Sarah

[TupeloHoney]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I was under the impression the ship always waits for shore excursions booked through the boat. So if the excursion is running late, the boat waits.

[jerin]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I was under the impression the ship always waits for shore excursions booked through the boat. So if the excursion is running late, the boat waits.

 

As long as it's an excursion booked through the cruiseline, this is generally the case.

[scubagirrl]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I was under the impression the ship always waits for shore excursions booked through the boat. So if the excursion is running late, the boat waits.

 

Yes, this is usually the case. But what happens if there is an accident, detainment or mugging or something else that would prevent an individual from getting back to the ship.

 

The Captain will not hold the ship. Which means that your kids will be on the ship by themselves and you would have to make arrangement to meet them at the next port.

 

Not something I'm willing to risk happening.

[beachchick]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I was under the impression the ship always waits for shore excursions booked through the boat. So if the excursion is running late, the boat waits.

 

Generally, yes the captain will hold the ship. However, he/she will not and cannot wait indefinitely. There are schedules (and all the other passengers onboard), often hefty fines for overtime stays at ports, other ships coming in, and so forth. So no, the ship doesn't "always" wait for shore excursions booked through the cruise line. It's more accurate to say almost always and as long as possible.

 

beachchick

[sprockie]

This topic makes my heart skip a beat. I know people do it all the time - leave their kids on board, but I am too worried about the what if's. We missed our ship in St. Thomas once - before we had kids. There was a recent post on the HAL board about a father who missed the ship by a few minutes and his wife and kids were on board. They had pulled the gangway up and he couldn't get on. Yikes. I feel that you just never know what can happen on shore in an emergency and to have your kids on the ship with no one else on board to take care of them is a haunting thought.

[seacrcsvz]

Wow! I have to be honest, I've never heard of anyone missing the ship! When we last sailed, we made sure we were always back on board well before the last hour (when they say you should be on board). I was always shocked to see people running down the port with only a few minutes to spare, and they always let them on, no trouble. It's almost like I wanted them to pull up the gangplank and make all those people really nervous (let them on in the end, but teach them a lesson). When they say you need to be onboard one hour prior to sailing, they should really mean it.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear that the father that was left behind at least had the peace of mind that his wife was with the kids! I can't imagine what would have been going through his mind otherwise. I've never left the kids other than in Grand Turk when we left them in kids club and wandered around the port store - all of 100 meters from the ship, and a full three hours before sailing so there was no chance we would miss the ship. But the next time we cruise, one of the shore excursions is to the Alhambra in Spain - not a child friendly excursion, but supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime sight. I hate to miss it, but I have so many hesitations. I just can't decide. I figure I've never (until now) heard of anyone missing the ship that it might be ok - and chances are it would. But there is always that small what if - plus our kids are small. Might be different if you had teenagers who would at least have some understanding.

[CeleBrat]

I recall reading a thread on this site from someone who had actually experienced the situation where the ship left without them, and their kids were onboard. For them, counselor was assigned to the kids until they could be reunited with their parents. That counselor slept in the cabin, ate with them. etc.

 

CeleBrat

[gerif]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I was under the impression the ship always waits for shore excursions booked through the boat. So if the excursion is running late, the boat waits.

 

No, actually, if it is a ship excursion they will take responsibility for getting you to the next port to meet up with the ship and will cover all expenses. If you are on a private excursion and miss the ship, you are on your own. There are many instances where they just cannot wait.

[scubagirrl]

No, actually, if it is a ship excursion they will take responsibility for getting you to the next port to meet up with the ship and will cover all expenses. If you are on a private excursion and miss the ship, you are on your own. There are many instances where they just cannot wait.

 

if you mean the excursion will help, that's not always true. I know many tour operators who do cruise tours (I live in the bahamas).. and none of them take on that responsibility. Maybe the cruiseline does, but not the tour operator. They do their best to get back to the ship ontime, and they let the ship/or port know when they are going to be late, but they don't pay for you to get to your next port.

[drblue]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has ever left their kids onboard during a shore excursion, particularly a long one? We have left ours while we wandered around some of the port stores, that sort of thing, but what about for a long shore excursion. I'm wondering specifically how any emergency situations would be dealt with. For example, what if one of the kids is sick or injured and we can't be reached. Or what if we have an emergency and don't make it back to the ship? I just don't know how the ship would deal with such a situation - maybe the different cruise lines have different policies. Anyone's information or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Sarah

Why, why, why would you take that chance with your children?

If you miss the boat, they are on their own (or the kids club) until you can catch up to them on the next port.

I know you received many logistical options for how this emergency would be handled, inclulding whose responsability it is to care for your child (or medical emergencies) in the meantime you are gone. However, nobody has mentioned how the child might feel realizing that his/her parents are gone for the night, and maybe they will catch up in a day or two?

My recommendation is simple: take your children with you when you get off the ship!

There are too many IFs when you are on vacation.

[Kerry's Girls]

Why, why, why would you take that chance with your children?

If you miss the boat, they are on their own (or the kids club) until you can catch up to them on the next port.

I know you received many logistical options for how this emergency would be handled, inclulding whose responsability it is to care for your child (or medical emergencies) in the meantime you are gone. However, nobody has mentioned how the child might feel realizing that his/her parents are gone for the night, and maybe they will catch up in a day or two?

My recommendation is simple: take your children with you when you get off the ship!

There are too many IFs when you are on vacation.

 

If something awful happened to me in port, I know my children will be safe and well-cared for on the ship. I think they would be in better hands than if something awful happened to me while all of us were in port and they were suddenly being handled by the child protection service of whatever country we're in. The chances of missing the ship are slight enough that I'm not going to base my decisions on it (of course taking every precaution not to). Worst case I would have to talk to my children by phone and tell them what was going on. I know my girls would not fall apart.

 

Every time we take a trip, people have all kinds of reasons I shouldn't go since I'm a single parent - what if I get too sick to care for the girls, what if something happens to me and the girls are all alone in a foriegn country. If I worried about every "what if", we would just stay home. As long as someone isn't putting their children in danger, it's all a matter of what each parent is comfortable with.

 

Best,

Mia

[seacrcsvz]

All very valid points. And it is so true in a port like Morocco, your children would be better off on the ship and cared for by their staff, than to be in the country when you are unable to care for them. Child services in some of these countries is non-existant. Your child would be left by your bedside at the hospital. In other countries, your child would be sent to an orphanage, and in some countries (your best hope), they would be taken to the consular office or embassy from your home country. All scary prospects, particularly for young children who are unable to speak up for themselves, or unable to understand what is going on.

So, I'm no closer to making the decision as to what to do for our day in port.

Keep the comments coming - it's great to weigh out all the different opinions and advice!

Sarah

[Sandpiper10]

I would never allow my kids to stay on the boat while we got off. Would it really be so hard to plan a fun excursion for the whole family??? We are cruising with our 3 and 6 year olds in May and we have a fun child friendly excursion planned for every port....this thread makes me very sad to think that these children won't be able to experience a port with their family...if you don't want to be bothered with them or what "could" happen, then leave them at home. Sorry, but thats the way i feel! :mad:

I'm really disappointed that some parents would just up and leave the well being of their child in a complete strangers hands, and like someone else said, how would your child feel knowing that their parents weren't there for them IF something happened....come on people.....really????????

[jam82]

We have left our son in Camp Carnival while we have done tours. There is the same chance of something happening when I am on the ship as while I am off it. There is the same chance of something happening if I am off shopping or on a long excursion. I wouldn't leave him at all if I didn't trust the counselors to keep him safe. Emergencies will happen, but if you plan life around emergencies you are probably not living life. The same goes with missing the ship. Excursions usually return close to on time. Plan for the best. I think if you expect the worst, you will get what you expect. You could try contacting the shore excursion dept of your cruiseline to see what the percentage of people missing the ship is.

[Sandpiper10]

If something awful happened to me in port' date=' I know my children will be safe and well-cared for on the ship. I think they would be in better hands than if something awful happened to me while all of us were in port and they were suddenly being handled by the child protection service of whatever country we're in. The chances of missing the ship are slight enough that I'm not going to base my decisions on it (of course taking every precaution not to). Worst case I would have to talk to my children by phone and tell them what was going on. I know my girls would not fall apart.

 

Every time we take a trip, people have all kinds of reasons I shouldn't go since I'm a single parent - what if I get too sick to care for the girls, what if something happens to me and the girls are all alone in a foriegn country. If I worried about every "what if", we would just stay home. As long as someone isn't putting their children in danger, it's all a matter of what each parent is comfortable with.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

You said "you know your children would be well cared for"....do you know OR are you best friends with the caregivers on the ship. You have no guarentees that your child would be kept on schedule, read a book to, diapers changed properly, eat when they are used to eating...would you want some stranger giving your kids a bath until you got back on the boat:eek: They may be carnival employees, but they are still STRANGERS.....if you are willing to allow a complete stranger to take care of your kids for a few days, then you go right ahead, and go for it!!!!!

[Kerry's Girls]

You said "you know your children would be well cared for"....do you know OR are you best friends with the caregivers on the ship. You have no guarentees that your child would be kept on schedule, read a book to, diapers changed properly, eat when they are used to eating...would you want some stranger giving your kids a bath until you got back on the boat:eek: They may be carnival employees, but they are still STRANGERS.....if you are willing to allow a complete stranger to take care of your kids for a few days, then you go right ahead, and go for it!!!!!

 

You're right, there are no guarantees. As I said, if I thought that way, my children and I would never get to travel anywhere, because if something happens to me while we're away, my children WILL be cared for by strangers, since we travel by ourselves. I don't choose to live my life based on every "what if". Some moms also thought I was irresponsible to take my twins to Egypt by myself, so I'm used to people thinking they're superior parents. Maybe so, but it's my choice to raise children who are not afraid to experience things based on every "what if". My children are not so fragile that they will fall apart if they don't have a book read to them or stay on the same schedule if something horrible happens to me and it takes a couple days for a family member to arrive (and, inf fact, I think travel is part of what has given them backbone and flexibility). If I'm not putting my children in danger, then it's all a matter of what each parent is comfortable with. Leaving them on the ship is not putting them in danger in my opinion, but, of course, your mileage may vary :rolleyes:.

 

Best,

Mia

[jam82]

You said "you know your children would be well cared for"....do you know OR are you best friends with the caregivers on the ship. You have no guarentees that your child would be kept on schedule, read a book to, diapers changed properly, eat when they are used to eating...would you want some stranger giving your kids a bath until you got back on the boat:eek: They may be carnival employees, but they are still STRANGERS.....if you are willing to allow a complete stranger to take care of your kids for a few days, then you go right ahead, and go for it!!!!!

 

They post their schedule and the schedules are usually followed. I have witnessed them reading to my child. You can see that for yourself by viewing the live video camera during story time. I know they change diapers on a regular basis or my son would have developed diaper rash. Since your kids are 3 and 6 you probably don't have to worry about that anymore. The meal schedule is posted and is followed. You can see that for yourself by checking if they are in the buffet at the assigned time. Most of them are strangers at first, but we have had three times where we have had the same employees from previous cruises working with my son on different ships.

 

I wouldn't just drop off my child if I wasn't confident that he would have a good time and be well cared for. We started out dropping him off for very short periods of time and gradually built the time up as our confidence level of the program grew. Don't knock it until you try it.

 

If you are a responsible adult, the chance of missing the ship is so low that it is not even worth talking about. I have seen people miss the ship in Cozumel. As they were running for the ship they were still carrying their 'yards'. They hired a boat to take them out to the ship. What a sight!

[Sandpiper10]

You're right' date=' there are no guarantees. As I said, if I thought that way, my children and I would never get to travel anywhere, because if something happens to me while we're away, my children WILL be cared for by strangers, since we travel by ourselves. I don't choose to live my life based on every "what if". Some moms also thought I was irresponsible to take my twins to Egypt by myself, so I'm used to people thinking they're superior parents. Maybe so, but it's my choice to raise children who are not afraid to experience things based on every "what if". My children are not so fragile that they will fall apart if they don't have a book read to them or stay on the same schedule if something horrible happens to me and it takes a couple days for a family member to arrive (and, inf fact, I think travel is part of what has given them backbone and flexibility). If I'm not putting my children in danger, then it's all a matter of what each parent is comfortable with. Leaving them on the ship is not putting them in danger in my opinion, but, of course, your mileage may vary :rolleyes:.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

Mia,

I think it's great that you travel with your kids alone. I think anyone that would tell you that you are wrong for saying that is wrong. it's great that you are a single parent, and that doesn't hold you back from showing your children the world...great job on that! Yes, if a medical emergency would come up, then I can definately see that we as parents don't get a choice in the matter, and we would have to place our children in the hands of someone to care for them., but I think people that ask questions about missing the boat, cmon, if they are so worried about it, then get back at least 1 1/2 hours before scheduled to leave, or don't schedule an excursion that is close in time to the boat leaving, and they will be fine, but like i said earlier, I would never keep my kids on board and wouldn't have to be worried about being seperated, unless it was an emergency and couldn't be avoided. Love the pic of the babies looking out the window. I'm sure my girls will have their noses against the OV window the whole trip....:D

Happy Sailing!

Jolene

[Kerry's Girls]

Jolene -

 

I agree - that's what's so nice about these boards, we can all share information and opinions and make smarter choices that way. My travels with my girls would be so much less (and impossible in some cases - I never would have gone to some of the places we've been if other moms hadn't posted their great experiences). So glad we have each other to turn to!

 

Best,

Mia

[jtm22372]

when we were in port in nassau we left our dd on the boat . the camp canival gave us a cell phone to use off the boat . also you have to be back on the boat 3 hrs before the boat is to leave port .

[Scrapchick]

I would never allow my kids to stay on the boat while we got off. Would it really be so hard to plan a fun excursion for the whole family??? We are cruising with our 3 and 6 year olds in May and we have a fun child friendly excursion planned for every port....this thread makes me very sad to think that these children won't be able to experience a port with their family...if you don't want to be bothered with them or what "could" happen, then leave them at home. Sorry, but thats the way i feel! :mad:

I'm really disappointed that some parents would just up and leave the well being of their child in a complete strangers hands, and like someone else said, how would your child feel knowing that their parents weren't there for them IF something happened....come on people.....really????????

 

I'd like you to meet my 8 year old DD... We beg her to get off the ship and come and see new places with us, but she is the one who says she would rather stay in the kids club and play with other kids. We give her the choice right up to the very last minute before we leave the ship and she is ALWAYS welcome to come with us. We are indeed a family and it is never a case of we would rather not be with her at all... I look forward to the day that she want to come with us and to share our experiences with her, but for now, she couldn't care less about experiencing ports with us! However, she wants a different type of cruise holiday than we do and the kids club is her world, and that is her choice.

 

Would it really be better for us to dump her with Grandma for two weeks at a time so we could cruise without her?! We definitely don't think so and have never left her with anyone to take a trip. Neither do I judge people who do that... Every family has its own way of doing things...

 

As for leaving her in a complete strangers hands.... Kids club staff are highly trained and well used to taking care of many children of all ages, interests and nationalities. They are screened, and approved to work with kids. i have seen many of them at work on many different ships and think they do a fantastic job. To imply they are just random strangers is not accurate. We talk to them every day when we take our DD to and from the kids club and they get to know us and her pretty quickly. She's not the shy and retiring type. Yes, I DO trust them and I cannot imagine most reputable cruise lines would hire kids staff that had not been thoroughly vetted. They simply would not want the liability.

 

Please don't judge us all the same way... Every family is different.