Leaving a kid at camp to go on an excursion??

[aggie_gal]

Are we just the worst parents ever for even thinking this?? Our cruise itinerary has a stop in Belize and we're considering doing a cave tubing excursion. Our son will be almost 4 (we're going in late January and his birthday is in late March). I think he'll like the cave tubing excursion, but just in case he doesn't want to go, has anyone ever left their child at Camp Carnival to go do an excursion?? :eek: At first I couldn't believe we'd even consider this, but the more I think about it, he'll have fun while we have fun.

[yoursurfer]

As long as your going on the ship sponsored excursion, I don't think it's any big deal. We just did this excursion, some things to know are: the caves are a good hour from the ship, also I think he would have fun cave tubing but the walk to the caves is very long and difficult because of the rocks.

[platinum.wannabe]

Absolutely not. :) Do what's best for your kid, works for your family, and what you're comfortable with. And don't worry about what anyone else thinks of it. :D

[KenMo]

Lots of parents do this. I'm sure your child won't be the only one in camp while the ship is in port.

 

I agree that the walk might be a little difficult for him. Especially if you're going with one of the vendors that make you carry your own tubes.

 

Don't worry about it and have fun!

[shelkate1]

We have done it. My son is very independent and we were comfortable doing so. It truly depends on YOUR comfort level, YOUR child's comfort level, and NO ONE else's opinion.

[cruiser fanatic]

If you are booking through the ship the minimum age is 8 years old.

[loxley]

I think it is fine, but you will not be able to do it. They only keep them until noon.

 

and the min age is not 8 with the private tours.

[cruizinisthebest]

No you aren't the worst parents ever. I wouldn't do it - especially at such a young age, but I don't think you are a bad parent if you do decide to do it. Enjoy your trip!

[cruiser fanatic]

I think it is fine, but you will not be able to do it. They only keep them until noon.

 

and the min age is NOT 8 just so you know.

 

They will keep them all day. You have to get them if you are onboard for lunch.

[cruiser fanatic]

I think it is fine, but you will not be able to do it. They only keep them until noon.

 

and the min age is not 8 with the private tours.

 

I said the minimum age is 8 if you are going through the ship.

[GTO-Girl]

I personally couldn't do it.......but that's just me.....I tend to be a scary cat about everything....:p

 

But if you do I would definately make sure I was going a Carnival excursion and not a private one so that they would know where you were at all times.

[cruiser fanatic]

No you aren't the worst parents ever. I wouldn't do it - especially at such a young age, but I don't think you are a bad parent if you do decide to do it. Enjoy your trip!

 

I agree I wouldn't do it at a young age. But you are not a bad parent if you do take him. You would have to go through a private company. The ship requires you to be 8 years of age or older if booking with them. Have fun!!

[billie5]

The last thing you should care about is what other people think. If you are comfortable leaving your son at the camp, that is all that matters.

[cruiser fanatic]

The last thing you should care about is what other people think. If you are comfortable leaving your son at the camp, that is all that matters.

 

exactly you do what you as a parent are comfortable with. Enjoy your cruise.

[Jeano222]

what happens if your return to the ship from excursion is delayed and you miss getting back on and have to get ship at next port. This is not unheard of and if ship sails they won't come back for you. What do they do with your child? I am referring to excursions not booked through ship.

[Athankfulheart]

I don't feel guilty for not including my children in something that we do without them. I don't know if I would leave them on the ship without a friend or family member aboard ( have done this) but I haven't totally ruled it out either'

 

In our family, if mom and dad decide that the family is doing ______________ then the kids do _____________. Sometimes they are given a choice. In this case ( especially at 4yo) there would be no choice.

 

With that said, if you want to do this and leave your son at camp then go for it. It is your decision as a parent and you don't have to answer to anyone else about it :) If a parent misses the ship their child will be cared for and the parents will pay for the coverage of care. Although it wouldn't be ideal and would be costly, I don't think my kids would die with fright if we missed the ship and they had to make due until we could catch up. I believe that a responsible staff member would treat them kindly and keep them informed so they wouldn't have reason to worry.

[bigdog1958]

Obviously its up to the two of you... I would not do it, only for the remote possibility that both of you were injured with the excursion and had to be treated at a local hospital and unable to continue your cruise.. I do not know how Carnival would handle your child? not sure what happens in that case.. that is the only concern I see...

[lastinga]

I would do it if my child wasn't old enough to go. That being said, if I were you, I would book the excursion through Carnival. We did the cave tubing on our own and cut it VERY close getting back to the ship. A bit scary! Have fun!

[bobsfamily]

As others have stated you do what you think is best. I would urge doing the excursion thru Carnival if leaving the child onboard rather than a private tour. We have left the children onboard to go shopping and all had a great time.

[ronandannette]

Lots of valid points about caution, but we did it in Ocho Rios when our boy was 9; his request actually as he loved the kids club (RCCL) so much that he balked at leaving. We climbed Dunns River Falls through a private tour and had no issues returning to the ship. I would say 999 times out of 1000 most things go how you plan them. Only you can assess your risk tolerance.

[beckyjohns]

We have done it many times for multiple reasons. A) the kids weren't old enough to go and B) they would have much more fun in camp than with us. You are not an awful parent. In fact, if Carnival weren't prepared to deal with the consequences of you potentially missing the ship, they wouldn't allow you to leave the kids while you get off the ship. Clearly, they have procedures in place to handle unlikely situations like that.

 

Like I said, we have done this many, many times and have had only 1 incident. On our last cruise, we went on a scuba diving trip (thru Carnival) in Belize. We were scheduled to get back to the ship at 3, camp closed at 4:45 and the ship left at 6. Weather was bad that day and all the shore excursions were delayed in the morning. To make it worse, we had a longer than normal drive on the dive boat due to the weather. When it was all said and done, we were not returned to the cruise ship until 5:45. I was in total panic mode the whole day because I was afraid we would be late with all the delays. I literally RAN to the camp as soon as I stepped foot on the cruise ship. Once there, I found the doors locked, with no notes or indication of where the counselors were. I figured they may be in the buffet since they have a kids dinner every night, so I RAN there. Sure enough, there my kids were, happily enjoying the attention from all the counselors. So happy, in fact, that they didn't even want to leave. They wanted to stay there for dinner. I apologized profusely to the counselors for being late (even though it really was out of my control) and they brushed it off with a "no big deal, don't worry about it." They had contact with the people down at the gangway and knew that we had not returned to the ship. In fact, one of the counselors said she and my kids watched out the window of the buffet to see when our dive boat arrived. The counselors were really, really great. They even got a plate of food together for my kids to take with them since they wanted to stay and I wanted them to come with me!!

[srlafleur]

If you feel comfortable leaving your kid(s) at daycare or a sitter, then, really, what's the difference? I would, as others have said, stick with a ship's excursion for the peace of mind and potential for communication if the need arises, but other than that, the "what-ifs" are no different than if you work or otherwise go out for the day at home.

Have fun!

[aggie_gal]

Thanks so much everyone for all the replies. Since our son is 3 and we're not cruising until January, we're not telling him anything about going on a "big boat" until the week of the cruise. Our plan is to show him pictures of the excursions we have booked (this one is cave tubing, the other 2 ports are beach excrusions). I just wanted to know that I can leave him if he totally balks on the idea. I think he'll like tbe idea of cave tubing. He doesn't mind being in the water and he wears a puddle jumber brand life jacket/float right now and has never wiggled out of it. I also know how a 3 year old can be and some battles aren't worth fighting. We want to take him on the excursion and we plan on taking him. Just wanted to know we have an option if he absolutely refuses to go.

[scm1063]

We left ours in camp and we explored Key West on our own. Not a big deal.

[shrimpysue]

I did it in Cozumel with my daughter when she is 9, she spent the day in Cozumel with me at the beach and shopping...then after dinner my friend and I went to Carlos and Charlies to dance and have some drinks. They gave me a pager to wear and actually paged a half hour before the camp closed as a reminder.i was back on ship by then, but it was great...no worries at all Do whatever you are comfortable with...She is 21 now and we are going on our second cruise, she will probably want to drink and dance and I will wish to be at the kids camp...lol.