Sending 11 year old on shore excursion from Carnival

[GoinCruisin]

Angel, I'm laughing my head off. There are lots of things I like to do, but some are "once is enough" and some really are too strenuous. True, I'm not the usual 80 year old and can dance all night, (sitting out now and then is the secret) but, if there were counselors who took responsibility for kids on excursions, taking my grandson's common sense into consideration, I wouldn't hesitate to send him off...anymore than I'd hesitate to let him roam free on board with his walkie talkie or join in the kids' activities with the counselors. In short, I'm not a worrywart, having travelled alone in places where scaredy cats wouldn't dare roam. I'm familiar with most all of the Caribbean ports and excursions, but have never taken my younger grandshildren. Surely, I wouldn't risk my grandson's safety, but I'm getting a kick out of the advice of young 'uns...that is, kids under 70!!

Thank you again and of course, I'll have a great time on my cruise starting Saturday as well as when I do take my grandkids along.

 

Venice, I know you are getting a kick out of the advice here, but seriously... this isn't YOUR kid right?? You didn't say if you were the sole guardian or not... it's okay if you have gone off in places that scaredy cats wouldn't, you took responsibility for yourself... but you are going to be responsible for a CHILD... who is counting on you to take their best interest into consideration. If you are not the guardian, are his parents okay with him going off with a staff member?? Even though we know that is not going to be allowed on Carnival... just hypothetical. You seem to be taking all of this very light hearted, and looking from the outside, it is scary. 15 year old girl died on a Costa ship last year. Other scary stories are out there to be found. They don't do a background check... keeping an eye on an 11 year old isn't bad advice... not letting them roam around with strangers in a foreign country isn't laughable advice. You don't have to be a worrywart to want children to be safe.

[wentworth]

VeniceLady; Apparently you are not taking the advice you asked for

seriously. In no way should you allow your grandson to go off the ship

with the Carnival Staff!!! Thank God they don't allow it. Too many

children are being abducted and molested today and your grandson

should not be allowed to roam the ship alone either!!! Its fine if he

is in Camp Carnival but otherwise he should be with you or in sight

of you at all times. With 3000 passengers on the ship, you never

know how safe you are.:confused: :(

[cusyl]

I would never allow my children to go on any trip, long, short, near or far (and most especially to a foreign country) with anyone (grandparents included) without having the guarantee that that person would not leave them alone and would accompany them throughout the trip. This is a crazy world we live in and I know I could never live with myself if I was in charge of someone else's child and something happened.

Like the previous posters state...go along or he has to stay behind. Trust no one with your precious grandchild!

Hope you all have an enjoyable time!

My sentiments exactly. We have to do a lot of things we don't want to in order to enjoy our grandchildren. :eek:

[golf43]

Camp Carnival is wonderful. We have a teenager and have been on many cruises since he was young. He always enjoyed being with camp carnival. He has met so many new friends. They do have excursions for them to go on. Check with the Camp as soon as you get on board. He should have a fun time meeting others.

[hoody4]

Maybe you could see if others w/kids are going on any excursion's, and maybe they would be willing to help you out. When is your cruise?

[Moeve]

Before you all stomp on VL how about your kids -are they allowed to walk home from school?? Go the the movies oh and to the Mall nowdays should I guess also be an option too.... So what is the big difference between walking home from school and walking around a ship... well unless of course you live in the Pampa somewhere with on a handfull of houses you are not going to know everyone in your town either are you???

 

As to the shore excursions here I would put on the brakes tooo. Accidents can happen on all excursions and I would rather be there to judge the safety etc myself and if I felt he was in over his head - stop him... VL the bit about being in a foreign country well I would consider valid input too... I didn't look to make sure but I would believe you are a US Citizen right.... well in this day and age that isn't a garantee for safety anymore infact it might even put your GS into even more latent danger. I may be a good deal younger than you but I have lived in many (good & bad) parts of the world and I have to be honest I wouldn't feel at all comfortable with him being ashore on his own.

 

Tip however would be contact HAL and ask if those excursions with the Kids camp are going to be available during your cruise or think about taking a responsible younger adult member of the family along too....

[wentworth]

Before you all stomp on VL how about your kids -are they allowed to walk home from school?? Go the the movies oh and to the Mall nowdays should I guess also be an option too.... So what is the big difference between walking home from school and walking around a ship... well unless of course you live in the Pampa somewhere with on a handfull of houses you are not going to know everyone in your town either are you???

 

As to the shore excursions here I would put on the brakes tooo. Accidents can happen on all excursions and I would rather be there to judge the safety etc myself and if I felt he was in over his head - stop him... VL the bit about being in a foreign country well I would consider valid input too... I didn't look to make sure but I would believe you are a US Citizen right.... well in this day and age that isn't a garantee for safety anymore infact it might even put your GS into even more latent danger. I may be a good deal younger than you but I have lived in many (good & bad) parts of the world and I have to be honest I wouldn't feel at all comfortable with him being ashore on his own.

 

Tip however would be contact HAL and ask if those excursions with the Kids camp are going to be available during your cruise or think about taking a responsible younger adult member of the family along too....

 

Sorry, but when I invite my grandson on a cruise with me I will know

where he is at all times. If he joins in with the Camp Carnival activities

and is supervised by the staff for a few hours, I can enjoy a little free

time. He doesn't have to stay with me 24/7 but if not with me, I will

know where he is which might be with a friend and his parents.

 

At eleven years old he does not go to the mall or the movies alone.

 

I wouldn't take on the responsibility of taking him on the cruise if I did

not want to spend time with him:rolleyes:

[cusyl]

Angel, I'm laughing my head off. There are lots of things I like to do, but some are "once is enough" and some really are too strenuous. True, I'm not the usual 80 year old and can dance all night, (sitting out now and then is the secret) but, if there were counselors who took responsibility for kids on excursions, taking my grandson's common sense into consideration, I wouldn't hesitate to send him off...anymore than I'd hesitate to let him roam free on board with his walkie talkie or join in the kids' activities with the counselors. but I'm getting a kick out of the advice of young 'uns...that is, kids under 70!!

.

Well, I am WAY over 70 and I would not contemplate what you are asking!!!!!!! As another poster suggested, the best way for your grandson to experience the awesome experience of a cruise is to invite some or all of his family too. I have done that SEVERAL times and it is a lot of fun.

It makes for wonderful bonding, sitting at the dinner table with all your loved ones. If you can afford it that's the way to go. I have an 11 year old grandson and he is smart, but there is NO WAY I would ever subject him to getting off the ship in a foreign country without a family member.

[I Luv Crusin]

Ok, I admit I may be an ostrich, or just naive but I sent my boys (16 and 17) on a bike tour in Belize. They were fine.

 

Also, in Barcelona my daughter (then 18) did a separate tour with Carnival.

 

I think I may have a misplaced sense of safety sending them with a Carnival tour. :rolleyes:

[grenny4031]

I am also a grandmother. Although only 50, I am retired due to disabilty. My 4 y/o GS is my life. If I were healthy, I would be doing everything I could possibly do with him. Even things that I would not consider doing myself.

 

:mad: How dare you think that you are the "worldly, all knowing, free-spirited" grandmother that has saw and done it all. Just because you have always been safe, does not mean that your GS will. You admit youself that you have never taken your "younger" grandchildren on a cruise just you and them. Then wait until he is older. Sounds to me like you do not want him to cramp your style. You can sit and rest on some of the excursions too. You could take a 4-wheeler tour with him. Then he gets an excursion and you get the "bouncing around" that you tend to lean toward. Also, are you aware that a girl was attacked by a monkey on an excursion the end of November in Costa Maya? What if that would have been your Grandson. Yeah, I guess you are right, he would know how much you loved and cared for him when he was out in the jungle, attacked by a monkey and no family member around to comfort him. Oh yeah, by the way, did you know that 11 y/os needed comforting sometimes too?

 

:( What if he was abducted and raped or killed? OH, you mean you did not realize in this world that boys get raped too, not only by women, but by men!

 

:eek: I do not care if you are 81 y/o, YOU NEED TO GROW UP! My Daddy is 82 and he would never think of letting one of his GGS to go off by themselves. He has enough sense to know what really goes on in the world. WAKE UP! or it could be your last cruise with a "younger" GC of any kind. Sounds to me like you are trying to buy his love, or maybe you need a companion and he is all that is available.:rolleyes:

 

:) My prayers are with your GS on the cruise you choose to take him on. I truly hope it is not the one you are going on Saturday. But just in case, I am praying for both of you.

[jckvpa0]

Before you all stomp on VL how about your kids -are they allowed to walk home from school?? Go the the movies oh and to the Mall nowdays should I guess also be an option too.... So what is the big difference between walking home from school and walking around a ship... well unless of course you live in the Pampa somewhere with on a handfull of houses you are not going to know everyone in your town either are you???

 

Ugh that would be a no !!! At eleven I picked my child up at the bus stop & no they did not walk around the mall at eleven.

 

Curious as to what the op's grandsons parents think about letting him roam around the ship alone. If it were my child I wouldn't be to happy about it. Also, would you feel the same if this was a granddaughter?

[jckvpa0]

I am also a grandmother. Although only 50, I am retired due to disabilty. My 4 y/o GS is my life. If I were healthy, I would be doing everything I could possibly do with him. Even things that I would not consider doing myself.

 

:mad: How dare you think that you are the "worldly, all knowing, free-spirited" grandmother that has saw and done it all. Just because you have always been safe, does not mean that your GS will. You admit youself that you have never taken your "younger" grandchildren on a cruise just you and them. Then wait until he is older. Sounds to me like you do not want him to cramp your style. You can sit and rest on some of the excursions too. You could take a 4-wheeler tour with him. Then he gets an excursion and you get the "bouncing around" that you tend to lean toward. Also, are you aware that a girl was attacked by a monkey on an excursion the end of November in Costa Maya? What if that would have been your Grandson. Yeah, I guess you are right, he would know how much you loved and cared for him when he was out in the jungle, attacked by a monkey and no family member around to comfort him. Oh yeah, by the way, did you know that 11 y/os needed comforting sometimes too?

 

:( What if he was abducted and raped or killed? OH, you mean you did not realize in this world that boys get raped too, not only by women, but by men!

 

:eek: I do not care if you are 81 y/o, YOU NEED TO GROW UP! My Daddy is 82 and he would never think of letting one of his GGS to go off by themselves. He has enough sense to know what really goes on in the world. WAKE UP! or it could be your last cruise with a "younger" GC of any kind. Sounds to me like you are trying to buy his love, or maybe you need a companion and he is all that is available.

 

:) My prayers are with your GS on the cruise you choose to take him on. I truly hope it is not the one you are going on Saturday. But just in case, I am praying for both of you.

 

Com-on, tell us how you really feel :p !!!

 

You sound like a great grandmother ,( I just became one at 44!), and I'm sure your grandson loves spending time with you despite your limitations!

[45014]

Ugh that would be a no !!! At eleven I picked my child up at the bus stop & no they did not walk around the mall at eleven.

 

Curious as to what the op's grandsons parents think about letting him roam around the ship alone. If it were my child I wouldn't be to happy about it. Also, would you feel the same if this was a granddaughter?

 

My question exactly, if I knew my mother were taking one of my children, and having this attitude, I would forbid the child from traveling to the grocery store, much less a cruise, with her. Someone needs major help (VL).

[Moeve]

Hey who said anything about 11 at night.... Besides don't I remember reading something about a curfew on carnival.. During the day you can agree to certain meeting points at the top of the hour for example. Make sure he always tells you where he is an spot check if he is really there..For example he is to be at the video arcade from 10 to 11 well go check on him at 10:20 to see if he is really there... and meet at the pool at 11:00. If he knows you will spot check he will play by the rules if not well then you have to throw the book at him Ground him to the cabin for the rest of the day. Once you are satisfied he is playing by the rules well then Grandma can enjoy a spa treatment or a game of bridge. You could also give him a walkie talkie they are not expensive and it adds a safety factor for both sides.

 

Since he is on his own you will probably find he would either rather hang out with Grandma or stay with Camp Carnival.....

[wentworth]

Hey who said anything about 11 at night.... Besides don't I remember reading something about a curfew on carnival.. During the day you can agree to certain meeting points at the top of the hour for example. Make sure he always tells you where he is an spot check if he is really there..For example he is to be at the video arcade from 10 to 11 well go check on him at 10:20 to see if he is really there... and meet at the pool at 11:00. If he knows you will spot check he will play by the rules if not well then you have to throw the book at him Ground him to the cabin for the rest of the day. Once you are satisfied he is playing by the rules well then Grandma can enjoy a spa treatment or a game of bridge. You could also give him a walkie talkie they are not expensive and it adds a safety factor for both sides.

 

Since he is on his own you will probably find he would either rather hang out with Grandma or stay with Camp Carnival.....

 

 

I was talking about an eleven year old child. Not being out at 11. I

think the above poster also meant that the child was eleven years

old which is the age of the grandson of the op.

[GoinCruisin]

Ok, I admit I may be an ostrich, or just naive but I sent my boys (16 and 17) on a bike tour in Belize. They were fine.

 

Also, in Barcelona my daughter (then 18) did a separate tour with Carnival.

 

I think I may have a misplaced sense of safety sending them with a Carnival tour. :rolleyes:

 

We are talking about an 11 year old here... in my opinion, much different than a 16, 17, or 18 year old... They won't even allow an 11 year old on the Carnival tours by themselves... there's GOT to be a reason for that ;)

[finoky]

Carnival tours will typically have a lot more guests per tour guide. It could be very easy for an 11 year old child to be lost in the shuffle so to speak. I have a 13 year old daughter and I can say that letting her go on an excursion without us just simply isn't going to happen.

[cruisinsmoothly]

We cruised several years ago with our 11-yr old son. The only time he was alone was asleep in our room with his Gm in the next room and 1one time in the arcade while we were outdide the arcade. We dropped him off and picked him up whenever he utilized the CampCarnival facilities. He is a very mature young man now (at 13), and next spring I will still keep him with us unless he is with a CampCarnival group (on board). I would NEVER let my son go offship with a group of strangers. Foriegn country or not.

[truecruiser]

There is absolutely no way that I would let an 11 year old go on a shore excursion without me by his side. Kids go missing here in the states, and it is a terrible experience. If something happened in one of the islands, or Mexico, or whereever, what would you do if you don't even speak the native language. Some people may feel comfortable with it, but I couldn't. I think LHP has the best solution.

 

Here! Here! It's crazy to even consider it!

[I Luv Crusin]

We are talking about an 11 year old here... in my opinion, much different than a 16, 17, or 18 year old... They won't even allow an 11 year old on the Carnival tours by themselves... there's GOT to be a reason for that ;)

 

True, but I wonder what age they allow kids off the ship on a Carnival sponsored tour.

 

I'm still learning interesting "facts" from my daughter's bike ride in Barcelona! :rolleyes:

[carnicrew]

I wrote ealier in this thread but i think my message was skipped over..I worked as a youth counselor for camp carnival for the last 2 years... so to answer the above question. Carnival does not allow children off the ship without an adult (18 or over). Camp carnival on SOME ships do an excursion, but it is for the teens only!

[LittleBit]

My goodness but you people are such worry worts!

Perhaps CPS should come knocking at my door. The kids have been running around town by themselve since they were 10 - they take their bikes to the lake and swim, they walk to school (over the railroad tracks) and back everyday, they "roam" the neighborhood checking to see what their friends are up to, they find pickup games at teh park and the school, they walk/run/skate to the firehouse to visit their Dad when he is working, they go over to the library to walk home with Mom after work. The boys have both have had great opportuniteis to go off the scout camp and summer bike trips (with groups) by themselves, the girls aren't interested in that type of thing yet.

 

Yes, at 11 and 12 they go to the movies by themselves (dropped off by an adult). They know the "rules" they know what theya re allowed to see and they behave themselves - they actually do. At 10 they have been "mothers' helpers," watching other peoples kids while the parent is busy elsewhere in the house. By 12, 13 they have taken care of other peoples kids by themselves.

 

Yes, the world can be a very scary place. Yes, people do get hurt, they go missing, there are BAD people out there. But not as often as the new people want you to think. What are you going to do? Lock your children in cages until they are 18 and then hope they can take care of themselves?

 

You GO Gramma! Ya wanna adopt me???

[tarbashchaputi]

My goodness but you people are such worry worts!

Perhaps CPS should come knocking at my door. The kids have been running around town by themselve since they were 10 - they take their bikes to the lake and swim, they walk to school (over the railroad tracks) and back everyday, they "roam" the neighborhood checking to see what their friends are up to, they find pickup games at teh park and the school, they walk/run/skate to the firehouse to visit their Dad when he is working, they go over to the library to walk home with Mom after work. The boys have both have had great opportuniteis to go off the scout camp and summer bike trips (with groups) by themselves, the girls aren't interested in that type of thing yet.

 

Yes, at 11 and 12 they go to the movies by themselves (dropped off by an adult). They know the "rules" they know what theya re allowed to see and they behave themselves - they actually do. At 10 they have been "mothers' helpers," watching other peoples kids while the parent is busy elsewhere in the house. By 12, 13 they have taken care of other peoples kids by themselves.

 

Yes, the world can be a very scary place. Yes, people do get hurt, they go missing, there are BAD people out there. But not as often as the new people want you to think. What are you going to do? Lock your children in cages until they are 18 and then hope they can take care of themselves?

 

You GO Gramma! Ya wanna adopt me???

 

I've sat on the side lines reading this for the past few days just shaking my head. Now I can't resist the temptation to post. You are correct that you must allow children to discover things and must allow them a bit of freedom to do things that kids enjoy doing - riding bikes to a baseball practice, going to the movies, playing in a park, etc, etc, etc. However you are comparing apples to oranges here. You are advocating for an 11 year old child to be allowed to go off a ship, by himself, in a foreign country. Are you crazy? I would not let my 14 year old do this. Your logic is fuzzy. It is not about keeping a child in a cage, it is about providing your child with basic safety. I can't think of many children or teenagers for that matter that are "street smart" enough to handle issues that may arise in North American cities, let alone what they may encounter in a country where they do not speak the language or know the customs.

 

This entire thread just angers me, and I can not comprehend why you are advocating this. :mad:

[LittleBit]

Let me clarify - I did not get a chance to edit my post -

I do NOT think it is ok for Gram to let an 11 year old off the ship ALONE. She was looking for ways that he could go on an excursion without her going. And children do fly across country and even to/from foreign countries by themselves when being shuttled from one parent to another or to camp or whatever.

 

Gram asked if you can hire a crew member. Seem like a reasonable thought. After all, theoretically, the cruise line knows who they have hired. If they are ok to be around the kids in the kids club, they are ok to babysit (and, if I understand other posts correctly) they do offer in room babysitting, done by cruise staff. Since the staff is not allowed to go off the ship as a babysitter, it seems reasonable to ask whether she can have GS go with another family. Don't you send your kids on trips with other families, maybe even with parents you haven't really met much? I've been a last minute chaperone on trips where parents don't even know me.

 

Maybe it's the areas and people we are used to... in NYC, it is not uncommon to see kids of that age on the subway by themselves, or on the streets walking/skating/biking to all sorts of activities.

 

And just so you don't think me naive to the dangers of the world - a friend's daughter (age 19) was violently abducted, raped and murdered. Whenever he is up for parole, we write letters to the parole board, reminding them of the violence this man inflicted and that he will never be "cured" that he will never be "safe" to put into the public life again. I know the world is not Candyland. But I also know that it IS a great place to explore.

[GoinCruisin]

Let me clarify - I did not get a chance to edit my post -

I do NOT think it is ok for Gram to let an 11 year old off the ship ALONE. She was looking for ways that he could go on an excursion without her going. And children do fly across country and even to/from foreign countries by themselves when being shuttled from one parent to another or to camp or whatever.

 

Gram asked if you can hire a crew member. Seem like a reasonable thought. After all, theoretically, the cruise line knows who they have hired. If they are ok to be around the kids in the kids club, they are ok to babysit (and, if I understand other posts correctly) they do offer in room babysitting, done by cruise staff. Since the staff is not allowed to go off the ship as a babysitter, it seems reasonable to ask whether she can have GS go with another family. Don't you send your kids on trips with other families, maybe even with parents you haven't really met much? I've been a last minute chaperone on trips where parents don't even know me.

 

Maybe it's the areas and people we are used to... in NYC, it is not uncommon to see kids of that age on the subway by themselves, or on the streets walking/skating/biking to all sorts of activities.

 

And just so you don't think me naive to the dangers of the world - a friend's daughter (age 19) was violently abducted, raped and murdered. Whenever he is up for parole, we write letters to the parole board, reminding them of the violence this man inflicted and that he will never be "cured" that he will never be "safe" to put into the public life again. I know the world is not Candyland. But I also know that it IS a great place to explore.

 

You seem to be completely missing the point. You keep giving examples, and all of your examples are going off IN THIS COUNTRY!!!! Where people speak ENGLISH! Where you have access to CALL HOME in an emergency!!!! What is going to happen if the 11 year old is with some other family, and they just "let him do his own thing", he's not THEIR kid, and since you have NO CLUE what this families values are, no NOTHING about this family, you have no idea what they will and won't let this 11 year old do. Say he gets hurt or injured, or lost, etc... do you know the number to the ship to call grandma??? I'm going to guess not. Does the 11 year old know enough spanish to get by when he is in trouble or lost, etc??? In NYC, most people speak English... the 11 year old would know a number to call, etc. I would hope people are not naive enough to be comparing riding their bike to school, to roaming with a strange person on the streets of a foreign country :rolleyes:

 

Carnival does not offer in cabin babysitting...