Can i leave my children onboard

[slaine29]

Tried to find the answer to this but failing miserably. If i get off the ship to have a mooch around the port, do my children (15, 12) have to get off with me or can they stay on the ship. We have been with many different cruise lines and some allow them to stay on and others say they cannot be left on unsupervised. Does anyone know MSC policy or had first hand experience of this.

[EngIceDave]

You're gonna get some great responses....

 

IMO, the 15 is likely fine alone, the 12 YO, not so much. Doubt the staff or security officers would care for it.

You know your kids and their maturity level.

 

I wouldn't do it though. 

[slaine29]

They 12 yr old is never a problem, once on the ship we can never get him out of the kids club, but the 15 yr old.........well we all know what 15yr old boys are like......lol

He will just park himself on our balcony and venture out on frequent trips to the buffet/bar inbetween playing on his laptop/phone/switch.

We only get off for an hour or so, save dragging them (unwillingly) around the shops

[G.M.T.]

I often tried to leave dear MiL onboard (permanently) but never had any luck (so far).

[emmas gran]

I would say No if one of you is taken ill or has an accident ashore the kids are on their own. It would be different if there was another adult to care for them in any eventuality.

[EngIceDave]

Or what if the child falls ill, injured or gets in trouble?

No one is there to respond

[sptrout]

During our 12/18 Seaside cruise a couple left their two very young (do not know their exact age, but very young) and the parents did not return to the ship until two hours after the ship's scheduled departure. The Captain told us via the PA system that he would not depart with two minors on board without their parents. The parents were onshore on their own and I do not know their excuse when they finally returned. I would have loved to have heard their reason and the crew's response. 

[mafig]

For me, no.  I'd be a nervous wreck the whole time and couldn't enjoy myself.

[mef_57]

That's a hard one to get a google answer for. They do say minimum age for going off ship unaccompanied is 18, but that doesn't help. Call them. Ask your travel agent. Wait to find out once on board. Use your conscience/common sense.....you know your kids and they have done this before.

[Até]

Aside from being a terrible idea it's against MSC's conditions of carriage: "Minors onboard must be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times and are welcome at the activities onboard or at shore excursions, provided that a parent or guardian is present. Children cannot remain onboard if their parents or guardians go ashore, unless expressly authorized by the on board staff."

 

And it's not just your children's behavior that is the problem.  Scroll through the dozens of recent reports of attacks against children on cruise ships at the link below:

 

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/articles/sexual-assault-of-minors/

[TrinaLC]

If you are literally wandering around a very local port and your kids are reasonably mature, for me it would be fine. For example, strolling within a few blocks in Nassau ... I’m kind of a free ranger ...

[emmas gran]

8 minutes ago, TrinaLC said:

If you are literally wandering around a very local port and your kids are reasonably mature, for me it would be fine. For example, strolling within a few blocks in Nassau ... I’m kind of a free ranger ...

 

Looking at the itinerary for Seaview it’s a European cruise in Mediterranean and as posted above by Ate minors should not be left on board. 

[GUEST080219]

From the way the scanning process when leaving the ship works it shouldn't be a problem. Cruise lines can more easily spot when a minor tries to go ashore without an adult family member. But it would be really challenging tagging the adults cards appropriately especially with a bigger family group. 

[jcathers1]

Can you get away with it? Probably. But it is a terrible idea.

[HLR]

11 hours ago, TrinaLC said:

If you are literally wandering around a very local port and your kids are reasonably mature, for me it would be fine. For example, strolling within a few blocks in Nassau ... I’m kind of a free ranger ...

 

But they are not going to be wandering or strolling, or even free ranging....they are going to be Mooching!

[Someone had to say it!]  But the Conditions of Carriage are quite clear...nope.

[toinoi]

13 hours ago, Até said:

Children cannot remain onboard if their parents or guardians go ashore, unless expressly authorized by the on board staff.

 

59 minutes ago, HLR said:

But the Conditions of Carriage are quite clear...nope.

 

Well not quite. The Conditions of carriage DO say "unless expressly authorized..." So the OP may be able to get permission.

[slaine29]

So no one knows really, doesn't matter was just curious. As when we took our boys on a previous cruise (this one will be our 9th) when the boys were in the kids club we could get off, as they were not allowed out unless we signed them out, thats probably what covered the "supervised"

The 15 yr old will just have to whinge about looking around the shops (nothing new there then....lol)

 

[caffeine_demon]

I know they can be annoying, but it sounds a bit extreme!

[slaine29]

annoying can be an understatement at times 😆

[Fogfog]

On 6/2/2019 at 11:53 AM, micm said:

From the way the scanning process when leaving the ship works it shouldn't be a problem. Cruise lines can more easily spot when a minor tries to go ashore without an adult family member. But it would be really challenging tagging the adults cards appropriately especially with a bigger family group. 

FWIW

 

Once in Belize or Honduras (forget which) we decided that "as a family" we were not going to tender ashore etc as we had been to the port area once and it was not worth it etc.

 

We didn't know til AFTERWARDS that our Minor son --took the tender and went ashore himself... had left the enclosed port area for awhile (and a local found him and told him to go back to the port area because it wasn't safe!)

He was in his teens.... like 14-16-- 

 

WE were NOT amused by his choices at all! 

 

The crew does not babysit!   

And they aren't looking for sequential names etc. when scanning cards.

 

 

 

[Homosassa]

From what I have observed on MSC cruises, the cruise line is set up to be family friendly.

 

However, MSC's idea of family friendly does not match the idea of some parents of "dump and go."

 

MSC expects, and the parents on board follow, the idea that children will be with their parents or in the children's  program area.  The activities mentioned in Ate's post are the activities on board that are labeled  "family friendly" and means that a child cannot participate without a parent.  An example is a ship scavenger hunt.

 

I have seen unattended children that are roaming the ship be approached by security, the parents located and the child is attached by the security staff to the parent's side.

 

So, you can asked, but don't expect to be able to leave your children unattended.

[GOLDENBONNY]

On 6/2/2019 at 9:46 AM, sptrout said:

During our 12/18 Seaside cruise a couple left their two very young (do not know their exact age, but very young) and the parents did not return to the ship until two hours after the ship's scheduled departure. The Captain told us via the PA system that he would not depart with two minors on board without their parents. The parents were onshore on their own and I do not know their excuse when they finally returned. I would have loved to have heard their reason and the crew's response. 

I was on this cruise and its very very unusual for cruise ship to wait that long. MSC did great job here. 

[gadaboutgal]

Would loved to have seen the Captain put the Parents and Children off at the next port.  Two hours is a terrible disruption to the cruise for those who are willing to abide by the ship's rules.

[capriccio]

1 hour ago, gadaboutgal said:

Would loved to have seen the Captain put the Parents and Children off at the next port.  Two hours is a terrible disruption to the cruise for those who are willing to abide by the ship's rules.

I wonder if MSC incurred extra costs (docking fees, longshoremen, etc.) and, if so, were they passed on to those passengers.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

6 hours ago, GOLDENBONNY said:

I was on this cruise and its very very unusual for cruise ship to wait that long. MSC did great job here. 

If I were the Captain I would have dropped that family off at the next stop...luggage and all.