Tracking Device for Child on Vision of the Seas?

[Billy Baltic]

Tie their shoe laces together. Thay can walk but they can’t run 😂😂

[mo&fran]

26 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

Tie their shoe laces together. Thay can walk but they can’t run 😂😂

They will just take the shoes off.

[jean87510]

7 hours ago, Coralc said:

I would hope that a 3-year-old would never get far enough away from you, that a tracking device would be needed. 

I have 5 kids and 2 were mini Houdinis and easily could have trained the military with their abilities to escape car seats, cribs, gates....you name it.  Luckily we were always with them but the above usually happened with the grandparents who weren't as trained to spot the potential for escape as we were.  We laugh about it now as they are 23 and 28.  Were never whiny or had tantrums.  Just were quiet, quick and stealth.

[A&L_Ont]

13 hours ago, LeslieMusician said:

Maybe it was just the “paging” of parents if need be. The thing I read said it was a wristband. I cannot find the little blurb about it. Too bad there is not even a splash pad for the kids. Not sure how much my 6 yo granddaughter will like it. But since she is a bit younger, she may still think it is fun for a while. 

Between the ages of 3 to 11 all kids wear a wrist band to which the color represents their muster station.  It is put on before they board the ship.  If the ship has an emergency and the child is in Adventure Ocean the wrist bands show what muster station to take them too.
 

If the child is having a problem in Adventure Ocean the “paging” is another technique to contact the parents, while they are off doing their own thing. 
 

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by A&L_Ont

[firefly333]

I was kinda following this as my hc sister used to cruise all the time with me until a bit before covid. She cant find the cabin by herself is why I worry we will get separated. It only happened almost once but scared me. We came out of the theater and were waiting for the elevator and one stopped going up and we were going down or whatever and she started to follow people into the elevator.. I looked up and grabbed her shirt collar and got her off just as the elevator doors were shutting. Just in time.

 

I've told her ask someone to take her to guest services .. but idk .. scared me.

 

I'd like a way to track someone else. Peace of mind. I cant do a excursion except leave her somewhere and tell her not to leave so very limited and she has little interest in the ports except shopping for junk. Sure would be nice to track someone.

[MaddyandMax]

At 3 you will get a phone when the child is in Adventure Ocean.  They'll use that to call you if they have accident, upset or want to leave.  That said, our experience with the phones is that reception is so bad more than 50% of the time they can't even get through to you.

[mjkacmom]

34 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

I have 5 kids and 2 were mini Houdinis and easily could have trained the military with their abilities to escape car seats, cribs, gates....you name it.  Luckily we were always with them but the above usually happened with the grandparents who weren't as trained to spot the potential for escape as we were.  We laugh about it now as they are 23 and 28.  Were never whiny or had tantrums.  Just were quiet, quick and stealth.

I have 5 as well, all good until 1 of the twins (#5) learned to walk, thank goodness for those harnesses (especially since #3 was only 22 months older), otherwise we’d never get to go on walks (had to get 1 for his twin as well, she was jealous). Also had to get door alarms after a couple of escapes. 
 

On our first cruise (DCL) with the grandparents, went to the buffet after embarkment. I sat down with some food, asked “where is C” (almost 5), my mom said “he wanted to go back to the cabin, he said he knows where it is.” I took off, sure enough he was in the cabin (and was never allowed to do that again). He was quite a daredevil but always landed on his feet.

Edited June 21, 2023 by mjkacmom

[jean87510]

23 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I was kinda following this as my hc sister used to cruise all the time with me until a bit before covid. She cant find the cabin by herself is why I worry we will get separated. It only happened almost once but scared me. We came out of the theater and were waiting for the elevator and one stopped going up and we were going down or whatever and she started to follow people into the elevator.. I looked up and grabbed her shirt collar and got her off just as the elevator doors were shutting. Just in time.

 

I've told her ask someone to take her to guest services .. but idk .. scared me.

 

I'd like a way to track someone else. Peace of mind. I cant do a excursion except leave her somewhere and tell her not to leave so very limited and she has little interest in the ports except shopping for junk. Sure would be nice to track someone.

Definitely would be helpful!

[HappyTexan44]

12 hours ago, gerif said:

I totally agree. I was a wanderer as a small child and actually had a leather harness and leash (don’t have any actual memories but I’ve seen photos). I’m 76 now and don’t believe it left any psychological damage. Now there are cute backpacks that kids actually like. 

 

That was my husband.   He had an actual dog leash because the cute backpacks weren't a thing then.  The breaking point was when he went for a stroll on a ledge that went all around this public building at the third story.   He was 3 or 4 and has vague memories of wondering why all those adults on the ground were freaking out.  

 

On the ships, you have to actively try to go overboard.  I could see a wandering 3-year-old actively trying.  

 

[Scottdalfonso]

The kids DO get wristbands, but they are not trackers- just info on where they should go or be brought if they get lost- it has the Muster station listed. 

[topnole]

19 hours ago, LeslieMusician said:

I'm taking my almost 3 yo grandson on Vision of the Seas in August.  He can be a runner and I read that some ships have tracking devices for 3-11 yo.  Does anyone have an first hand knowledge about this ship and if they have them?  I would love to get one for him, too.  Since it is an older ship, I am not sure if it is equipped with them.  Thank you for any advice!  

I have young kids who we’ve cruised a bunch with.  There isn’t a tracking device and there isn’t one you can buy that you can count on for reasons already mentioned.   You will either need a leash if it is that big of an issue, or be prepared to chase and catch him.
 

If you can’t do that and don’t want

to bring some type of leash/restraining device, you may want to consider the wisdom of bringing them.  There is certainly a lot of serious trouble a 3 year old could encounter on a ship. We brought a leash pack back once my oldest was walking/running.  We never needed it however.  She wouldn’t really run too far away from us.  

Edited June 21, 2023 by topnole

[marci22]

Leash. Done.

[Mum2Mercury]

15 hours ago, D4 said:

I was also going to suggest an Apple AirTag ... 

Recently my son-in-law lost his keys.  Because he had an Apple Air Tag on them, he was able to track them to a restaurant parking lot, where they'd fallen out of his pocket.  I can imagine you could put one in a child's back pocket and do the same.  

15 hours ago, poocher said:

Small is a very relative term when talking about a 3 year old’s ability to disappear in the blink of an eye.  

Kids can disappear in numerous ways.  Once we FREAKED OUT because we lost our 8-year old just as we were prepping to leave the ship for an excursion.  We'd just left the Windjammer, and near the pool she said she needed to go to the restroom.  The rest of us sat down by the pool to wait ... and she was gone for a long time.  I went into the steps-away bathroom to look for her ... nope.  As I said, we FREAKED OUT and feared we'd miss our excursion.  We found her.  She hadn't been aware we were standing right next to a bathroom, and she'd gone half the ship away to a different bathroom.  

[ONECRUISER]

Was very fortunate, 3 Kids and not a one would run away from us or act up while out. Now at home...thats where the Fun began and they made up for lost time

[Fa-Li]

This reminds me of when the kids were small and we frequently went to WDW with another family.  Their son was the master of disappearing, and this was before tracking devices, but after we all had cell phones.  The mom wrote her phone number in Sharpie on his tummy 🤣 Got at least one call from Disney security saying they'd found him - or rather he'd found them and showed his belly once he realized we had not all followed on his latest adventure

[Loracpin2]

16 hours ago, poocher said:

Small is a very relative term when talking about a 3 year old’s ability to disappear in the blink of an eye.  

 

14 hours ago, Coralc said:

I would hope that a 3-year-old would never get far enough away from you, that a tracking device would be needed. 

I most likely will get slammed for this and don't care.

 

As Grandmother who has cruised with Family 3 times (Grandkids 5 girls and 3 boys) I can't even phathom that the OP could possibly think that a tracking advice is sufficient to know if her 3 year old Grandson is safe!!!

[mjkacmom]

11 minutes ago, Loracpin2 said:

 

I most likely will get slammed for this and don't care.

 

As Grandmother who has cruised with Family 3 times (Grandkids 5 girls and 3 boys) I can't even phathom that the OP could possibly think that a tracking advice is sufficient to know if her 3 year old Grandson is safe!!!

Do you remember the little boy who got away from his parents after boarding a DCL ship and drowning while his family desperately looked for him? When we lost kids, it’s always been in situations when we had extra adults (family). We lost my dad with mild dementia in Walt Disney world on a scooter because our party split up, and both assumed he was with the other. It wasn’t until we met up for a dining reservation that we realized he was missing. Fortunately he had a cellphone and we could reach him. I think grandma wants her grandkids to be as safe as possible.

[Fouremco]

30 minutes ago, Loracpin2 said:

 

I most likely will get slammed for this and don't care.

 

As Grandmother who has cruised with Family 3 times (Grandkids 5 girls and 3 boys) I can't even phathom that the OP could possibly think that a tracking advice is sufficient to know if her 3 year old Grandson is safe!!!

As a grandfather of 5, I'm well aware of the potential trouble that young children can get into. With great ease, I might add. I shudder every time that I see a news item about a young child who has drowned because no one had kept a close eye on the poor tyke. As we have a pool, I've spent many, many hours watching over the little ones as they grew up, and a couple of times I've had to grab one about to make a splash landing in the pool. Fortunately, the youngest is 7 now and, like his siblings and cousins, swims like a fish. Like you, I consider a tracking device of some sort to be totally inadequate. 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

42 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Do you remember the little boy who got away from his parents after boarding a DCL ship and drowning while his family desperately looked for him? When we lost kids, it’s always been in situations when we had extra adults (family). We lost my dad with mild dementia in Walt Disney world on a scooter because our party split up, and both assumed he was with the other. It wasn’t until we met up for a dining reservation that we realized he was missing. Fortunately he had a cellphone and we could reach him. I think grandma wants her grandkids to be as safe as possible.

If the bolded is true, the grandkids should never leave the house.  

 

I'm not sure how well a tracker would even work.  Even airpods MIGHT tell you if the tracker is in front, behind, or to either side, but won't tell you above or below.  AND that's assuming an iPhone is within range AND connected to the internet.  To say nothing about if the ship is moving.  

 

Would a tracker "help"?  Maybe.  If the child is an "escape artist" or a "runner", then I would suggest one of the leash options.  Heck, we experimented with a child fanny pack, a D-ring on the belt of the fanny pack, and a retractable pet leash when our oldest was small.   

[ldubs]

16 hours ago, twangster said:

I have an airtag in my backpack on board Navigator right now.  My backpack is my cabin.   We just were in Mazatlan yesterday,  Puerto Vallarta today, but we've left and are now at sea.  

 

Let's pretend my backpack is child.  I'm in the pub.  Where's Waldo?   OMG he just ran off.  Let's see where Waldo is!

 

 

 

OMG we left Waldo in Mazatlan yesterday!

 

 

Just to make sure I understand.  Is it showing Mazatlan because you turned on airplane mode once onboard?   

BTW, my grandson and I were just "reading" Where's Waldo this morning.  Same one my son and I used to enjoy, so it is getting a little dog eared.     

[mjkacmom]

29 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

If the bolded is true, the grandkids should never leave the house.  

 

I'm not sure how well a tracker would even work.  Even airpods MIGHT tell you if the tracker is in front, behind, or to either side, but won't tell you above or below.  AND that's assuming an iPhone is within range AND connected to the internet.  To say nothing about if the ship is moving.  

 

Would a tracker "help"?  Maybe.  If the child is an "escape artist" or a "runner", then I would suggest one of the leash options.  Heck, we experimented with a child fanny pack, a D-ring on the belt of the fanny pack, and a retractable pet leash when our oldest was small.   

A tracker might be helpful, might not be helpful, but I see no harm in it.

[Loracpin2]

1 hour ago, Loracpin2 said:

 

I most likely will get slammed for this and don't care.

 

As Grandmother who has cruised with Family 3 times (Grandkids 5 girls and 3 boys) I can't even phathom that the OP could possibly think that a tracking advice is sufficient to know if her 3 year old Grandson is safe!!!

Forgot to add "I completele agree" before I posted my response to both poocher's  and Coralc's posts 

[sanchica27]

No to a tracker, it won't work well enough and shouldn't be even thought of as a safety feature. Keep him within reach and use the backpack if he's a runner, don't even take the risk. 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

39 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

A tracker might be helpful, might not be helpful, but I see no harm in it.

The only harm it could cause, IMO, is if it gives the user a false sense of security.  

[twangster]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

Just to make sure I understand.  Is it showing Mazatlan because you turned on airplane mode once onboard?   

BTW, my grandson and I were just "reading" Where's Waldo this morning.  Same one my son and I used to enjoy, so it is getting a little dog eared.     

 

I have paid Voom plan so I have internet, but airtags don't just rely on my phone.  Airtags work best on land where there are lots of phones to leverage.   The airtag is a dumb device, the phone that passes by does all the work.   That works much better where dozens of phones can report an airtag it sees.  

 

One significant issue on a ship is that iphones have no GPS fix when inside a ship.   Even if a phone sees an airtag the phone can't report where it saw the airtag if the phone doesn't know where it is.