What's wrong with a child alone in a cabin?

[wencel]

I'm considering cruising with our 2 yr old DD and have been perusing this board for useful info. One thing that has me stumped is the many postings aghast at the idea of leaving a young child alone in her own cabin with a babysitter using a monitor in another cabin. What's wrong with that? When my DD sleeps at night, she does so in her own room... on the 3rd floor... while DH and I are on the 1st floor. How's that different from sleeping in her own cabin? If I'm in an adjoining cabin with a baby monitor (it has audio & visual with color image in moderate light and night vision in pitch dark), what am I worried about? I wouldn't leave my child alone in a cabin unsupervised. But when she's sleeping at night... what's the problem?

 

Another question I have is... I've read mention of requesting cribs. Didn't realize the cruiselines offered this. We're considering Carnival as we've had very good previous experiences. I couldn't find info on the Carnival website. Do they offer cribs? Are these portable size ones or full size? What kind are they? The white metal ones commonly found in hotels?

[first2008time cruiser]

If your rooms are adjoining, I see nothing wrong with it. Is the babysitter always going to be there with her? If so even non adjoining rooms would be ok. I would not leave a 2 year old in a distant room from you with no adult by no means. I am pretty sure that is what those knocking it were talking about. Some people actually will be on a different deck and all from their kids. If these kids are teenagers and there is more than one in a room, even that might be ok. But you never know what could happen on a cruise ship. I would find my home to be a much safer place to leave my child unattended than a ship or hotel room. But that is just me, I find it should be an individuals choice what to do with their children, you know your child better than I. That being said have a great time whatever you decide.

[minxkelly]

Another question I have is... I've read mention of requesting cribs. Didn't realize the cruiselines offered this. We're considering Carnival as we've had very good previous experiences. I couldn't find info on the Carnival website. Do they offer cribs? Are these portable size ones or full size? What kind are they? The white metal ones commonly found in hotels?

 

We totally got shafted regarding our crib request. Our TA asked and was told real crib no problem. After reading a post mentioning pack N plays, I went to carnival directly. It took 3 phone calls, and about 5 days time for them to give me a straight answer. Our son is 23 months at time of sailing and 33" tall. the pack N play provided is a MINI and is only 24" wide, 36" long. I am pretty mad at Carnival for misleading me and my TA and we absolutely would not have paid extra to bring our son knowing he'd have to either sleep between us or on the floor. Mind you now, our cruise is less than 3 weeks away. Some ships have true cribs, and some only have 1 true crib and others get the pack N plays... only the ship's purser can say for sure and that is what took 5 days for the answer, for the ship's purser to reply to the carnival cust svc rep I spoke with.

 

So, if you can try to get your TA or PVP to find out exactly what you may get, but keep in mind they guarantee nothing even tho when we booked we clearly said "if no crib this is a deal breaker for us"

 

Also, no matter what you are told by Carnival reps or TAs (we were told maybe by both) under 2 yrs old even by 1 day will not be allowed to sign up for camp carnival. They will be allowed to use the camp in the 2 hours alloted accompanied by parents/guardians.

 

I am still looking forward to our cruise, but really dismayed by the misinformation involved.

 

Colleen

[shellie100]

How's that different from sleeping in her own cabin?

 

Well, the difference is that strangers (room stewards, maintenance crew, other staff) probably don't have easy access to your child's room in your house. What you've probably seen here is people recommending that you do not leave your sleeping child and go to a show or to the casino. However, if you are simply in an ajoining room with a monitor, that's probably fine. I don't think you'll find anyone here that has a beef with that.

[wencel]

Thanks much for the helpful info! I would only leave DD sleeping alone if a family member could stay in another cabin with a monitor the whole time. And of course the cabins must either be adjoining or right across the hall.

 

Sounds like the crib requests are very dicey. I would hate to confirm everything and then find out differently once on board. DD has always slept in her own crib. A regular bed, no matter how large seems to unsettle her. I think she feels secure with the confines of a crib. And she seems distracted by someone else sleeping near her. We're kind of disappointed we haven't been able to participate in family naps on lazy weekend afternoons! I think we'll have to bring our own p'n'p.

[kitty9]

wencel, what people are aghast about is parents who are leaving infants and toddlers totally alone in a cabin while they're out going to the shows or the dining room. That can be a problem when you consider that any number of people can have access to your cabin at any time they desire. There's also the issue of an older toddler being left completly alone in a cabin and getting out of that cabin and walking around. Then there's the issue of an emergency happening---like the fire on board the Princess ship and the two recent incidents of ship's listing to the side. Imagine what would happen to a child left completely alone in a cabin while the parents are in a different part of the ship and an emergency happens? What do they do?

[katyjeka]

As the parents of 3 children, all under the age of 11, we would NEVER leave them alone. We pay for connecting balconies, and with the door open, we feel safe. I agree with the above, to many people have access to the room, unlike at home. Just our opinion. Janice

[CruisinFinsUp]

I would never leave a child in a cabin by themselves - what if they get up to use the bathroom and can't, or slip and fall, the doors swing funny when the ship rocks and fingers can get caught, fingers can catch in drawers too, they can fall and hurt themselves, what if the ship lurches in a large wave (we had a few on our recent CB cruise, and I just read a review the same week, same storm where the Radiance or Brilliance of the Seas (sorry folks, can't recall which ship - review was on RCI board) had a small list suddenly - I would want to be "right there" not across the hall with two locked cabin doors in between. What if the child "by mistake" locked the privacy lock and you can't get in? AND My 4 year old CAN very easially open the balcony doors on the Caribbean Princess much to my shock.

 

When we are asleep at home, my kids get up to use the bathroom by themselves and do not wake us up at all. The only way I know they won't wander outside (they know not to but thats not enuf) is that we have an alarm system on all outside doors, so if they open the door, the alarm goes off and we wake up. This happened last week - 4 yr old son got up early right after hubby had left, and luckily hubby reset the alarm when he left early, I was still sleeping and my son went downstairs and wanted to be helpful and close the outer screen door on the sliding doors to the backyard. So he opened the door, and I tore downstairs when the alarm went off.

If a child were to awaken on the cruise, be in a strange place, and go out quietly wandering looking for their parents - they can get pretty far without you knowing if you are across the hall. In your own house, where strangers cannot access your child's room and your child cannot get outside is completely different from a hotel room or ship where you are separated by the public.

 

Maybe adjoining ocean view rooms, but only if you can prop the door between the cabins open 24/7 without risk of them swinging shut and put an alarm on the door to the hallway so child doesn't wander out ( ie doors open room to room, NOT balcony to balcony - some parents unlock the balcony partition doors on adjoining balcony cabins - that scares me) Children alone in balcony cabins scare me too.

 

I agree with splitting up so one parent is in each room with a child, but no way I would cruise with the young kids across the hall. There is way too much that can happen in a room that you have not "childproofed" yourself, and that your child is not familiar with, and would be very tempted to explore thoroughly, and being across the hall in this situation is a bit too risky for my liking. When you are sleeping, you are not watching the monitor to see if your child has gotton up and is wandering around. Inside cabins as well as outside cabins with the drapes closed are all pitch dark too, so without night lights, you can bang into the furniture pretty well in the dark too!!!

 

I cannot even comprehend the thought of leaving a young child in a cabin, any cabin, alone when you are in a different part of the ship. So much can happen!!! If you are looking for this kind of vacation, leave the kids at home.

[crusinmama06]

Sorry I just wouldn't do it. I may be neurotic, but it's only an audio monitor. And if you're sleeping, how much will you really pay attention to it if someone slips into the room quietly? Like the pp said, staff do have room keys.

 

We actually have video monitors in our kid's room. And even with that...I could never allow my kids to sleep in another room that wasn't connected with the door open on a cruise ship.

 

Here's a true story to consider. On my youngest's first cruise (9 months old at the time), she caught a virus on board and had a seizure. She had never seized before. She did it during her nap and we found her not breathing. Now imagine what would have happened if we left her alone in another cabin? :eek: I know that is the extreme and unlikly circumstance. But we would have NEVER in a million years guessed that would have happened to our child.

 

Have the 2 year old sleep in your room.

[katsmom1]

I wouldn't leave a young child alone in a room. I would think a 2 yr old would be really scared being left alone or waking up alone in a stange room. Also, children are very inquisitive especially at age 2. A child could get out of a crib (or try to) and get hurt extremely quickly, or get into water in the bathroom, etc. We will be cruising with our 3 year old soon and are getting a balcony so that we or a babysitter can sit out there and relax while our dd sleeps. It may be a little crowded with 3 of us in a room but for us, our dd's safety and securiity is worth it.

[katyjeka]

When we were on NCL Dawn last December, the doors between the cabins opened and locked in the open position. The door between the balconies also opened, which made for a nice big balcony. I was very skeptical of having a balcony with children, but we REALLY enjoyed ours. A hint for those of you who get connecting balconies. Deadbolt the main door, and move the couch so that it is in front of the balcony door in your childs room. The only access to the balcony would be from the one room, in which you sleep. I can't imagine squeezing five people in a single room, on the ships that allow this, and the two bathrooms are a godsend. Leaving a child in a room alone is CRAZY. It would be the same as leaving a child alone in a hotel room. Anything could happen. What if they sound the alarm. If you are in a different part of the ship, you may find it very difficult to make it back to your room, especially if people are in a panic. Are kids capable of putting on life vests and reporting to a muster station in all that confusion, I seriously doubt it. One note in regards to the above post. We(my DH and I)had trouble unlocking the balcony doors on the Dawn, the lock was one of the best we've ever seen. Another side note, I don't think everyone has taken in consideration the size of the rooms. We could almost touch our childrens bed in the other room, while sitting in our bed in our room. I don't think there was two feet of space between the two rooms with the door open. Happy Cruising. Janice

[Eskwire]

I am not 100% clear on the OP's question. Is she leaving the toddler with a nanny in a second room or by herself?:confused:

[katsmom1]

I am not 100% clear on the OP's question. Is she leaving the toddler with a nanny in a second room or by herself?:confused:

 

 

I got the impression that the babysitter would be in one room while the toddler would be in another room all alone, and the babysitter would only be able to see or hear her with a baby monitor.

[Eskwire]

I got the impression that the babysitter would be in one room while the toddler would be in another room all alone, and the babysitter would only be able to see or hear her with a baby monitor.

 

Yes, upon a more careful re-read, that is exactly what she is suggesting. I'm going to stay out of this one!

[wencel]

Eskwire, my thought was to leave my 2 yrs old asleep in a crib in a cabin by herself while a family member is in an adjoining or cross hall cabin with a VISUAL & audio monitor (the visual has nightvision and works with less than 1 lux light environment - although I would leave a night light in my child's cabin). Basically this would happen during her afternoon nap or when some of us are at dinner or shows. And DD would be monitored by a family member. At no time would DD be left unmonitored. And at no time would a family member be further away than next door or right across the hall.

 

I've received lots of helpful comments, particularly about ship listing, etc. I would not worry about strangers entering DD's cabin. We use an excellent monitoring system and if any such event occurred, the monitor would transmit it very well (esp since cabin doors open & close so loudly!). I am so aware of monitor noise that I am awakened by the sound of DD shifting in her bed.

 

DD has never tried to climb out of a crib (although there's always a first time). But if she did while alone in the cabin, again, I don't see why we couldn't get to her any sooner than if she did so at home on the 3rd floor while we were on the 1st floor.

 

I think the main concern is possibility of fire or listing so violent that it knocks her crib over... a rather rare but very possible occurrence. Then again, fire is likely to happen at home too.

 

I'm very cautious about my child. But I also try to be reasonable. It's very helpful reading everyone's opinions as that will ensure I made the most educated, aware decision, whatever that is. At this point, I'm still undecided.

[VIPBY40]

I am not a mother...but this post is so beyond me! Do you want "permission".....do you want validation......ya aint gettin it from me THAT IS FORSURE....

 

Do what ya wanna do......and well leave the kids at home with grandma if you wanna do what ya wanna do without having them around MOST of the time! Dont make them the responsibility of staff if that is your goal!

 

Is this holiday intended for the entire family? or is it all about you and your rest and relaxation.....do me and all the other pax on board....LEAVE EM AT HOME......Im sure they will get better care...at home.... well hey ya just gatta check in via cell sign up for international for the month.....or via internet....simple solution.......dont fret just leave em at home...my advice!:mad: will make a safer saner sailing for you......I think.

[shellie100]

I am not a mother...but this post is so beyond me! Do you want "permission".....do you want validation......ya aint gettin it from me THAT IS FORSURE....

 

Do what ya wanna do......and well leave the kids at home with grandma if you wanna do what ya wanna do without having them around MOST of the time! Dont make them the responsibility of staff if that is your goal!

 

Is this holiday intended for the entire family? or is it all about you and your rest and relaxation.....do me and all the other pax on board....LEAVE EM AT HOME......Im sure they will get better care...at home.... well hey ya just gatta check in via cell sign up for international for the month.....or via internet....simple solution.......dont fret just leave em at home...my advice!:mad: will make a safer saner sailing for you......I think.

You know what, we're having a discussion here, no reason to flame. She's just trying to come up with a solution to naptimes and such. Let her get the info that she needs. That's what we're here for. But whatever you do, don't come on to the family boards and tell people to leave their kids at home.

[wencel]

VIPBY40, no I'm not looking for permission or validation. I am an adult and I make my own INFORMED decisions. Which is why I spelled out in detail the specific situation I am considering. And why I have not taken offense at any of the replies ... even yours. I know what I do at home. It works very well, thank you. I also know I have never cruised with a young child nor do I know anyone who has. Which is why I am asking for opinions. I care to hear experienced advice.

 

I take all the postings as sincere. cruisinmama06's cautionary tale of her baby catching a virus and having a seizure is a welcome reminder to be even more cautious of frequent hand washing (I already carry and use anti-bacterial handiwipes with my child constantly). I never thought about the dangers of the ship listing until cruisintoddler mentioned it. And I'm thankful for that.

 

I didn't say I wanted to abandon my child to the crew. Part of what makes cruising with my daughter appealing is the fact that cruising itself is so stress-free. I look forward to being able to spend more time with her than our daily home routine permits. If I don't have to work and cook meals and clean the house and take care of a thousand and one things, I can spend almost all my waking hours with my child. But I do hope to have a few opportunities to see the shows, have a later dinner, etc.

 

The suggestion of childproofing the cabin is good, but doesn't worry me terribly as I've travelled quite a bit with my child and have experience childproofing hotels. At 2 yrs of age, my daughter has travelled considerably to Europe, the Caribbean and various American cities. When hubby and I want an easy getaway, we do leave our child with the grandparents. When we travel with our child, we always do so with additional family and often our nanny too. It's not that we don't want to care for our child on a trip, it's that we know travelling can be stressful. We believe the more caring people we have around, the safer our child will be. Plus we often travel multi-generational so all the adults can watch over all the kids.

 

To put it bluntly, I am a very very experienced traveller. But I don't let that mislead me to think I'm an experienced cruiser with child. So my question and subsequent responses is my way of asking for all helpful, informative opinion.

 

Lastly, the reason for my specific question is that my daughter does not sleep well, if at all, if she senses people in the same room. She's an excellent sleeper except for being highly distracted by the presence of others. If she's aware of someone in the room, she has an extremely difficult time falling asleep. So no, my intent is not to leave my child on her own at-will. The question pertains to a very specific situation arising from a very specific characteristic of my child's sleep needs.

[Eskwire]

Eskwire, my thought was to leave my 2 yrs old asleep in a crib in a cabin by herself while a family member is in an adjoining or cross hall cabin with a VISUAL & audio monitor (the visual has nightvision and works with less than 1 lux light environment - although I would leave a night light in my child's cabin). Basically this would happen during her afternoon nap or when some of us are at dinner or shows. And DD would be monitored by a family member. At no time would DD be left unmonitored. And at no time would a family member be further away than next door or right across the hall.

 

I've received lots of helpful comments, particularly about ship listing, etc. I would not worry about strangers entering DD's cabin. We use an excellent monitoring system and if any such event occurred, the monitor would transmit it very well (esp since cabin doors open & close so loudly!). I am so aware of monitor noise that I am awakened by the sound of DD shifting in her bed.

 

DD has never tried to climb out of a crib (although there's always a first time). But if she did while alone in the cabin, again, I don't see why we couldn't get to her any sooner than if she did so at home on the 3rd floor while we were on the 1st floor.

 

I think the main concern is possibility of fire or listing so violent that it knocks her crib over... a rather rare but very possible occurrence. Then again, fire is likely to happen at home too.

 

I'm very cautious about my child. But I also try to be reasonable. It's very helpful reading everyone's opinions as that will ensure I made the most educated, aware decision, whatever that is. At this point, I'm still undecided.

 

Wencel, good luck, whichever you decide! The reason I said I was going to stay out of the conversation was because I don't tell people how to parent. You, as the mom, make these decisions all by yourself (or with the father).

 

FYI, on another thread, I said that I had worn designer jeans with heels and dressy tops in the dining room. My parenting skills were questioned because of that decision.

[lexxity]

We just got back from the Queen Mary 2 which has excellent childcare facilities. They will watch your baby or child from 8pm until midnight. But they were happy to the them earler, which was great for us as DS is usually spark out by 7pm. This meant that we could have grown up time and family time. We would drop him off and settle him down. The room was monitored and we were given a beeper so we could be paged anywhere onboard. The dark romm as they called it had proper cribs and had a white noise thing so that it aided babys sleep.

 

We could drop him off in the day as the programme is suitable for children from the ages of one up.

 

Maybe this would be an answer to your problems?

 

Happy sailing,

Lexx.

[shellie100]

FYI, on another thread, I said that I had worn designer jeans with heels and dressy tops in the dining room. My parenting skills were questioned because of that decision.

 

I think that questioning other people's parenting skills has become the new american past-time!!!

[Cruisin' Chick]

At first, I thought you were talking about in-cabin babysitting which Carnival doesn't have, but now I realize you're talking about a family member.

 

We took our girl on her first cruise at 23 months, just a few weeks too young to be able to participate in Camp Carnival. So she stayed with us the whole time. Carnival did provide a crib (resembled a PnP) but if I remember correctly, we just told them to take it out as we had brought along her PnP (we drove to the port and were driving down to San Diego for the rest of our vacation so we figured we may need it).

 

As it was, the three of us had a great time.

 

A few years later, we got an excellent deal on a Princess cruise. We booked an inside as usual. The day before, we got a phone call from Princess that the ship was overbooked and if we postponed for a few weeks, we'll have the full fare refunded and get upgraded to a balcony. We didn't want a balcony...not with a very active 5-yr-old. Even on our last cruise when she was 8, we still got the inside. We would be too nervous having a balcony with a kid.

 

One thing, I wouldn't leave the child completely alone, even with a monitor. Especially after reading accounts from those who were on the Star Princess during last spring's fire.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Here's some info from the Carnival website that may help:

 

For the convenience of our guests Camp Carnival offers babysitting services for children ages 4 months-8 years each evening from 10pm-3am allowing parents time to enjoy our fun-filled nightlife without having to worry about their little ones.

 

All babysitting services are offered within Camp Carnival in the form of a "slumber party", where kids can enjoy watching movies and cartoons. Pillows and blankets will be provided and for the younger children cribs are also available. In order to take advantage of this great service, parents should sign up in advance with Camp Carnival. The cost for this service is just $6 per hour for the first child and $4 per hour for each additional sibling in the same immediate family. Payments must be made with your Sail & Sign card and is due upon pick up. Carnival Cruise Lines does not offer any in-cabin babysitting services.

 

 

For children in the 9-11 year old age group we offer an After Hours program running from 10pm-12am each night which would also be charged at the regular babysitting fee. During this time we will have a variety of activities available including PS2's, Board Games, Karaoke, Games, Theme Nights, and Gameboys. After 12am the 9-11 year olds will join the regular slumber party to watch movies, this will run until 3am. The 9-11 year olds must be signed up in advance for this activity and during this time the 9-11's will not be permitted to sign themselves out, parents must return to pick up their children

[Cruisin' Chick]

In addition to our Babysitting services we also offer a variety of Late Night Parties for children aged 2-11 years. These include a Mini Late Night Party for kids aged 2-11 years, this will be held within Camp Carnival and will run from 10pm-12am (Babysitting fees apply). Activities will vary from ship to ship but may include Candy Art, Dancing and Games, Hula Hoop Contest, Snow Cone making and Face Painting.

 

We also offer a Late Night Party for the 6-8 year olds which will run from 10pm-1am (Babysitting fees apply). Activities vary from ship to ship but may include Sand/Spin Art, PS2's, Dancing and Games, Bead Making, Karaoke and much more.

 

9-11 Year Olds will also be offered a Late Night Party and this will run from 10pm-3:30am this will be at a special rate. Parents, no need to worry, the Counselors will walk the kids back to the cabin at 3:30am so you don't have to get out of bed. During this party the kids will be out around the ship, activities vary between ships but may include a Video Arcade Tournament, Capture the Flag, Sports Games, PS2's, Sand/Spin and Candy Art and much more.

[HappyChick]

Wencel,

 

You know your child better than anyone else. You are doing the right thing by researching the situation and making an informed decision. Then make a decision on what you know is best for your child. I know it can be unnerving when people question your parenting skills.

 

We cruised w/our oldest for the first time when he was 18 months old on Carnival. They brought what I would describe as a mini-crib. It wasn't a PnP, but it wasn't a full-sized crib either. He was a BIG 18 month old and he fit in it fine. He was so exhausted @the end of each day, he had no problem falling asleep and sleeping all night in it. Unlike your child, our son prefers to sleep w/someone else! And w/both sets of grandparents on board, they were fighting w/each other to get to spend time w/him. So, if we wanted to stay out @night, we were able to leave him w/them and he would fall asleep w/one of them.

 

But again, you know your child better than anyone else. If that doesn't work for her, you are solving the issue in the best way possible.

 

Good luck!