Should I take ds7 on the 8 hour excursion?

[boulders]

We are going leaving the Nieuw Amsterdam 24 night Med cruise starting July 6. It will be me (mom), dd13 and ds - turning 7 on the cruise. By the time we get to Istanbul, we will have been on the ship more than 2 weeks and will have visited Rome, Florence, Naples, Venice and Athens, in addition to a few smaller ports. For the 5 ports I've mentioned, ds will be coming on all day excursions with us, all private excursions. For a few of the smaller ports, ds will be coming on shorter HAL excursions.

 

We will be in Istanbul overnight. All 3 of us will go on an excursion the first evening. The next day, dd and I will be going on an 8 hour HAL excursion. This will be on a Tuesday, when only HAL excursions get into the Topkapi palace, so a private excursion is not an option.

 

Now to my question: The excursion leaves at 8:15 a.m. The listing says the excursion is "about" 8 hours. I would like to leave ds7 in ClubHal, but they close at 4:00. Would you take him on the 8 hour excursion or chance that you will be back in time, and if not, that the ClubHal staff won't kill you?

 

Normally, I would post a "kid question" on the family board, but I can predict that most of the answers would admonish me for leaving ds for such a long period of time. DS has been on several cruises and he is generally the kid waiting at the doors for the kids club to open and complaining bitterly when he has to leave. I know that HE would much rather be in the kids club than on an excursion.

[RuthC]

The tour that includes Topkapi Palace is a long, hard day. I did the tour, and was pooped out long before it ended, and sat by the bus while the rest of the tour went into Haggia Sophia. Only you know if your son can sustain the interest and energy needed to get anything out of that tour.

Personally, I would never leave a child alone on a ship without an adult that the child knows and trusts. Bad things can happen to good people, and you don't know that you won't have an emergency while you are off the ship---an emergency that prevents you returning to the ship. Likewise, something can happen to your child. I would want a responsible adult on hand.

[boulders]

Personally, I would never leave a child alone on a ship without an adult that the child knows and trusts. Bad things can happen to good people, and you don't know that you won't have an emergency while you are off the ship---an emergency that prevents you returning to the ship. Likewise, something can happen to your child. I would want a responsible adult on hand.

 

Unfortunately, I'm the only adult in ds' life. If I were to take him with me off the ship, and something were to happen to me, there would be no one to look after him other than dd. IMO, he would be better off on board in that case.

[peaches from georgia]

IMO, neither option is appropriate for a 7 year old child.

[djhsolara]

Personally, I would never leave a child alone on a ship without an adult that the child knows and trusts. Bad things can happen to good people, and you don't know that you won't have an emergency while you are off the ship---an emergency that prevents you returning to the ship. Likewise, something can happen to your child. I would want a responsible adult on hand.

 

I wouldn't normally speak on a topic like this but you did ask...and I must say that I have to agree with Ruth.

 

I would never leave a child onboard in the hands of anyone other than family for any duration of time. IMHO if your son cannot do the tour with you I don't think you should go.

 

Regardless of yourself, what if something happens to your son while you are off the ship for 8 hours? How would you feel if you got back from this excursion to find out that your son was injured 10 minutes after you left and had been crying and asking for you all day or worse yet had to be removed from the ship for medical attention?

 

I know this sounds like worse case scenario...but you just never know.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Typhoon1]

DS will be in for a long day if you take him along. Conversely, I wouldn't be comfortable leaving him on the ship without appropriate supervision.

[sail7seas]

I agree with Peaches.

 

Neither option is a good choice for such a young child IMO

(You did ask.)

 

[JamesEM]

I did an 8 hours tour once, never again, the day was to long for me.

[Cuizer2]

We are going leaving the Nieuw Amsterdam 24 night Med cruise starting July 6. It will be me (mom), dd13 and ds - turning 7 on the cruise. By the time we get to Istanbul, we will have been on the ship more than 2 weeks and will have visited Rome, Florence, Naples, Venice and Athens, in addition to a few smaller ports. For the 5 ports I've mentioned, ds will be coming on all day excursions with us, all private excursions. For a few of the smaller ports, ds will be coming on shorter HAL excursions.

 

We will be in Istanbul overnight. All 3 of us will go on an excursion the first evening. The next day, dd and I will be going on an 8 hour HAL excursion. This will be on a Tuesday, when only HAL excursions get into the Topkapi palace, so a private excursion is not an option.

 

Now to my question: The excursion leaves at 8:15 a.m. The listing says the excursion is "about" 8 hours. I would like to leave ds7 in ClubHal, but they close at 4:00. Would you take him on the 8 hour excursion or chance that you will be back in time, and if not, that the ClubHal staff won't kill you?

 

Normally, I would post a "kid question" on the family board, but I can predict that most of the answers would admonish me for leaving ds for such a long period of time. DS has been on several cruises and he is generally the kid waiting at the doors for the kids club to open and complaining bitterly when he has to leave. I know that HE would much rather be in the kids club than on an excursion.

 

I wish I could give you some good advise on the options you have. Unfortunately I can't. You know your child best and you know if he can last eight hours without making you regret that you took him. And, it is up to you (and no one else) as to weather or not you are comfortable leaving him along on the ship for eight hours.

 

My best recommendation would be to check with the camp counselors before making your final decision. If you are worried about the tour selling out, make your reservations. You will have plenty of time to cancel with a full refund if things don't work out.

 

As to some of you who have responded, the OP is asking for advise, not parenting lessons. The OP is not asking for what you would do in the same situation.

[GeriatricNurse]

We are going leaving the Nieuw Amsterdam 24 night Med cruise starting July 6. It will be me (mom), dd13 and ds - turning 7 on the cruise. By the time we get to Istanbul, we will have been on the ship more than 2 weeks and will have visited Rome, Florence, Naples, Venice and Athens, in addition to a few smaller ports. For the 5 ports I've mentioned, ds will be coming on all day excursions with us, all private excursions. For a few of the smaller ports, ds will be coming on shorter HAL excursions.

 

We will be in Istanbul overnight. All 3 of us will go on an excursion the first evening. The next day, dd and I will be going on an 8 hour HAL excursion. This will be on a Tuesday, when only HAL excursions get into the Topkapi palace, so a private excursion is not an option.

 

Now to my question: The excursion leaves at 8:15 a.m. The listing says the excursion is "about" 8 hours. I would like to leave ds7 in ClubHal, but they close at 4:00. Would you take him on the 8 hour excursion or chance that you will be back in time, and if not, that the ClubHal staff won't kill you?

 

Normally, I would post a "kid question" on the family board, but I can predict that most of the answers would admonish me for leaving ds for such a long period of time. DS has been on several cruises and he is generally the kid waiting at the doors for the kids club to open and complaining bitterly when he has to leave. I know that HE would much rather be in the kids club than on an excursion.

 

No! ;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

You really need to take a shorter tour.

 

It is too long for a 7 year old. We did your tour years ago and both of us were exhausted by the end of the day.

 

I would never be comfortable leaving a young child on the ship alone for that many hours.

[kazu]

I think KK may have just come up with the best solution for you. find a shorter tour. :):) That is probably your best option. I know it's not one of the ones you listed - but that sounds like the best solution IMO:)

[powderhorn]

No parenting advice here. You know your Son better than anyone.

 

1. Book a seat on the tour for your Son.

2. Once on board, take a read on the staff at Club Hal to see what your comfort level is.

3. Discuss with staff your scenario and ask for advice as to:

- communications options between ship and tour if they need to contact you. Will you have a cell phone?

- their commitment to the care of your child during your absence (food/drink/oversight) and their commitment to care for him until your return should the tour run late

4. If any answers or attitude from HAL creates concerns in the option to leave him on board, then take him on the tour.

5. Only after you get to your comfort level to leave him, then cancel his seat on the tour and make the appropriate arrangements with the Club Hal staff.

 

I look at this as similar to the service airlines provide for travelling minors. I would go along with this idea only because both the tour and the Club HAL facility is operated and promoted by HAL. I suspect they have had these types of questions before so you need to consult with them before making your decision. Good Luck and enjoy your cruise. It sounds awesome!:)

[peaches from georgia]

Your cruise sounds marvelous and one I would love to do someday. I'm sure your children will never forget all they have gotten to see. Unfortunatey, when you have young kids you just can't do everything you would like to do and sacrifices sometimes have to be made. An 8 hour tour can be difficult for an adult much less children. Not only might he make this tour a mistake for all 3 of you if he should go, but he may also make it less than enjoyable for the rest of the adults on it.

 

Personally I would never consider leaving a child on the ship alone for any length of time while I tour anywhere. Too many things can happen to you, the tour, or to him alone on the ship and there is always the remote chance that the tour bus breaks down and the ship can and will sail before it gets back. What then? Even if the tour is only slightly late in returning, which happens often, I'm not sure what you expect the Club HAL staff to do if you are not back by 4 when the club closes and the staff's work day is over. You know going into this you might not be back by the time you are committed to resume responsibility for him.

 

When I said earlier that neither option is appropriate I should have added explicitly that there are other options- shorter tours that all 3 of you could enjoy together without taking the risks of your 2 preferences. Sometimes you just can't do everything you'd like to when you have kids, but you already know that, I'm sure.

[mamaofami]

I agree that I would never leave a 7 year old alone on the ship. Too many things can go wrong.

[Orlandocruiser]

One thing to be said about the Istanbul tour is that it is NOT sitting on a bus for three hours each way to see a site that takes two hours to go through. Yes there is a lot of walking on this tour but if your son has enough energy that would not be a problem. Also at Topkapi, for example, if he is tired you could sit on the grass with him while the others walk through the buildings or if he needs to blow off steam there are large expanses of grassy areas where he could run around without disturbing others. Also if you do decide on this tour make sure you are familiar with the sites so you can explain things to him on his level. While he may not be particularly interested in Constantine and Justinian he might think it is neat that the twisted column in the hippodrome is made from the armour from the Persians defeated in the battle iof Platea in the fifth century BC. Good luck!

[boulders]

One thing to be said about the Istanbul tour is that it is NOT sitting on a bus for three hours each way to see a site that takes two hours to go through. Yes there is a lot of walking on this tour but if your son has enough energy that would not be a problem. Also at Topkapi, for example, if he is tired you could sit on the grass with him while the others walk through the buildings or if he needs to blow off steam there are large expanses of grassy areas where he could run around without disturbing others. Also if you do decide on this tour make sure you are familiar with the sites so you can explain things to him on his level. While he may not be particularly interested in Constantine and Justinian he might think it is neat that the twisted column in the hippodrome is made from the armour from the Persians defeated in the battle iof Platea in the fifth century BC. Good luck!

 

 

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. This is likely to be our last big trip for a while and I would like to make it a good one for all involved.

 

This is not ds' first Med cruise. We went when he was 4. There were a couple of 8 hour days and he did fine. I think I will book him the tour and then re-evaluate on the ship. I just know he's going to be asking to stay on the ship. It sounds like this tour would be something that he may be interested in though.

[Grandma Gilly]

As you know from the roll call, we are on the same cruise. Why not book him a seat that you can cancel and see how things shape up on board. If he hits it off with my 6 yr grandson, I am sure we could arrange something.

[JJPacer]

I don't know the answer to this. I do know some cruiselines offer in cabin

babysitting. You might want to ask HAL about this option if your tour runs long. I have sympathy for your situation. We didn't have anyone at home to leave our children with when they were young. There are many people in your situation. Just do the best you can and don't beat yourself up about the decision you make. This one tour in the grand scheme of the child's life or yours is only 8 hours. Enjoy your cruise. :)

[vbmom87]

1. Book a seat on the tour for your Son.

2. Once on board, take a read on the staff at Club Hal to see what your comfort level is.

3. Discuss with staff your scenario and ask for advice as to:

- communications options between ship and tour if they need to contact you. Will you have a cell phone?

- their commitment to the care of your child during your absence (food/drink/oversight) and their commitment to care for him until your return should the tour run late

4. If any answers or attitude from HAL creates concerns in the option to leave him on board, then take him on the tour.

5. Only after you get to your comfort level to leave him, then cancel his seat on the tour and make the appropriate arrangements with the Club Hal staff.

 

I would check the cancelation policy for the tours on this cruise. On my August 2011 14 day cruise, you had to cancel your excursions 3 days BEFORE EMBARKING in order to get a refund. I am fuzzy on whether or not you could get a partial refund if cancelled once on the cruise. I would definitely verify with the cruiseline.

[boulders]

I would check the cancelation policy for the tours on this cruise. On my August 2011 14 day cruise, you had to cancel your excursions 3 days BEFORE EMBARKING in order to get a refund. I am fuzzy on whether or not you could get a partial refund if cancelled once on the cruise. I would definitely verify with the cruiseline.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Here's what I found on HAL's website about cancelling excursions:

 

While no cancellation fee will be charged for bookings that are cancelled online, you need to keep in mind that online cancellations will not be accepted during the 10-day period prior to cruise departure. Instead, you will need to cancel once you board the ship. All onboard cancellations are subject to at least a 10% cancellation fee. If you cancel a Signature of Excellence shore excursion within 10 days of sailing, a 100% cancellation fee will apply since transportation and services will have already been arranged. If the onboard cancellation occurs after the cancellation deadline for the specific shore excursion, a 100% cancellation fee will apply. The ship's Shore Excursion Office will be able to advise you of the cancellation deadline applicable to each shore excursion. Passengers who wish to cancel should go the Shore Excursion Officer upon embarkation.

 

Pretty complicated. At least with the excursion I'm contemplating, it occurs about 16 days into the cruise, enough time for me to make a decision - probably.

 

As you know from the roll call, we are on the same cruise. Why not book him a seat that you can cancel and see how things shape up on board. If he hits it off with my 6 yr grandson, I am sure we could arrange something.

 

Thanks. You're very kind. I look forward to meeting you.

[dobiemom]

OP, My sis has 3 kids and they have been alot of places: Asia (twice), Canada, England, South America, 2-3 cruises, etc. They started travelling before age 2 and are very good travelers. Your kids also sound like they are well traveled. You know your kids best but I think your DS will do OK on the excursion. :)

[dobiemom]

duplicate post

[JDinWA]

HAL policy is: "Parents, guardians and chaperones are responsible for overseeing the conduct of minors in their care. As such, minors may not be left unsupervised on board the ship." (http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-planning/PlanningAndAdvice.action?tabName=Shipboard+Life&contentMenu=Onboard+Services)

 

I doubt if leaving him in Club HAL will suffice for supervision, since: "The program has an open door policy, which means participants may come and go as they please. All activities are supervised; however, the Club HAL Director is not responsible for any child if he/she chooses to leave the activity."

[Riversedge]

I guess I'm in the minority here but I would take your son. My own boys would have been fine in that situation and it sounds like yours will be too. After all, they are in school for that long every day so 7 hours is not extreme. All day field trips last that long. I've taught 5-8 year olds and fully believe that the right 7 year old will handle this just fine. Have a great cruise whatever you do. He's a lucky kid!

Linda