Adventure Ocean question

[teacherkim]

Hi all! I am trying to plan a June 2008 cruise, to the Med., for a large group of family and friends. Researching now so we can book quickly in the spring when Itins. come out and get the best price. Since everyone is coming cannot leave the kids behind and there will be a 4, 5 , and 7 yr. old in the group. As this is such a port intensive cruise with lots of sightseeing they may get bored with, can we be comfortable leaving them in AO while we are in port? Have any of you done this and can they get hold of you if necessary? (Mind you we would not do this everyday but maybe a few of the ports)

Also, any advice on which ports are better or worse for the very young? I am looking at the BOS out of Barcelona and goes to Rome, Venice etc. I am a history teacher and really look forward to the ruins and such but realize they might be a little young for this sort of thing.:rolleyes:

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

[cruizinmimi]

I have a very strong opinion on this and since you asked, well, here goes. It is not that the kids would not be safe on the ship especially at their age because they cannot check themselves out of AO....BUT, anything can happen while you are away from the ship to you or to them and getting in touch with you guys would be difficult. Now if you say you're going to do all excursions offered from the ship, then the ship may be able to get in touch. It is just too risky and especially being so far away. I would definitely not leave my kids with virtually strangers in a strange country while I'm off and about for a few hours. JMHO

 

I know this is a hard call, but I would think long and hard about this one.

[teacherkim]

I don't mind your strong opinion, that is why I asked. Our good friends are going with us (two of the kids are theirs, one ours) and she thinks they will be happier at AO than on excursions but I don't necessarily agree and think I might be a little uncomfortable being that far away all day. On the other hand I don't know if doing it once or twice for short times (like going into Venice for a few hours for dinner) might not be OK.

Obviously I am not sure where I stand on this and that is why I was looking for advice/opinions.

Anyone else want to chime in?

[wrinklesandme]

I tend to agree with cruisinmimi.

 

Although the kids would be in a protected environment and not have run of the ship, I don't think I'd leave them for more than a few hours and only if we were close to the ship. (shopping, etc.)

 

If something were to happen, and with kids things do, they cannot get in touch with you quickly. I personally would feel very uncomfortable leaving my kids on the ship while I was in a foreign country.

 

Yes, the kids would be happier in AO, but you can also plan some tours that would include things they like and do shorter tours.

 

You need to figure out your comfort level on the whole issue. Plus, if you think you will leave the kids, make sure you get to know some of the counselors. That might make things easier for you.

 

Enjoy!

[kimsbfl]

Hi there,

 

We left our daughter at AO when in Grand Cayman. She begged us and we gave in. We were only gone an hour or two and I felt uneasy but everything turned out fine. She had a blast. We're sailing in March, don't think I'll be leaving her this time, even if she begs. Overall, don't worry. They'll be safe. However, there would be no way to reach you should something happen. It really is a personal comfort issue.

[StormGoddess]

I left my son with AO just this past Saturday while we went into Nassau to the Atlantis casino. Absolutely no problems.

 

I will say this. When you sign the AO consent form, you have to sign for them to administer EMERGENCY medical. Plus, the 3-5 age group, there are beepers that can be given to the parents in case they need to be contacted for various reasons. Perhaps these beepers will still work while on sure. They are only for use with AO so it would be feasible.

 

All the staff in AO have some kind of degree and training in either childcare development, psych, etc, etc. These are not teenage babysitters. But of course, if you aren't comfortable with the idea, it will likely ruin your time as you will be worrying too much. Maybe once you meet the staff and see their policies, you will be able to make a more informed decision.

 

Hope all works out for you all.

 

Th

[molly82400]

I could not keep my 6yr old daughter out of AO. Every night at dinner she would barely touch her food, thinking that she could get there quicker. In my opinion, I would not leave her there unless I was on the ship. I had a tough time letting her go even being on the ship.

[teacherkim]

Thanks for the opinions, that was what I asked for. I think the personal comfort thing is correct and as a teacher myself I feel I can be a pretty good judge of a good environment! But I am tending to think I would not leave him all day if we were off the ship but PERHAPS if we were only in port a couple hours and the beeper worked there. I guess in the end I will just have to judge the situation when I get there and put in a little extra work to make the excursions fun and kid friendly.

[Cruisin-Family]

I know you have probably alrady made up your mind, but let me share my opinions with you....

We have a 3 yr old son who would BEG to go to AO everyday - I felt guilty 'leaving' him there. BUT in HIS eyes -- THAT was his vacation - play play play play!!!!!!!!

 

The pagers do not work off the ship. But when you sign the form that says they cannot sign themselfs out -- they are there until you come and get them.

 

As a parent, you know what you trust in your heart. Your kiddos are going to have a fabulous time. Enjoy your cruise, and let them enjoy thiers.

 

xo

[Cruisin-Family]

I know you have probably alrady made up your mind, but let me share my opinions with you....

We have a 3 yr old son who would BEG to go to AO everyday - I felt guilty 'leaving' him there. BUT in HIS eyes -- THAT was his vacation - play play play play!!!!!!!!

 

The pagers do not work off the ship. But when you sign the form that says they cannot sign themselfs out -- they are there until you come and get them.

 

As a parent, you know what you trust in your heart. Your kiddos are going to have a fabulous time. Enjoy your cruise, and let them enjoy thiers.

 

xo

[MellowMel]

Cruisin-Family is correct, the beepers do not work off the ship, or so the contract you sign to return the beeper by the end of the trip says. We didn't test it as we didn't go into port without the kids.

 

Mel

[hawt1]

I think you need to remember that on the first day of school, the teacher is a perfect stranger to you and your child....but you leave them with the teacher. Most of the staff on board a cruise line are accredited teachers who chose to teach on a cruise instead of in the school system.

 

Now, when yoru kids are at school, you have signed and emergency medical form for them and you need to admit that there are times when the school would nto be abel to contact you if they needed because, if you work, you are in a meeting or on teh road. And if you stay at home, you are grocery shopping or something else.

 

You still need to make up your mind but you also need to compare it to the "reality" of life on land too. Out of touch and no possibility of contact happens much more often than we think when we are on land - and the cruise ship has a doctor much closer than your school/day care/babysitter, etc. In some cases I think that emergency care would be better on board rather than on land.

[teacherkim]

Great point hawt1. As a teacher myself my son's daycare cannot always reach me because I cannot get a call in the middle of class! (I teach 7th grade) My girlfriend made the same point.

Well again thanks for all the advice, I guess I have sometime to think about it since we are not doing this cruise for WELL over a year!

[latravel]

When we were on the Jewel a couple of weeks ago, we would leave our 4 year old son and 5 year old niece in AO during our dinner time. Sometimes, one of the children didn't want to be there anymore for whatever reason so the staff would try to call us in the cabin (since they don't provide pagers) to pick them up. Well, we were at dinner so we obviously didn't get the call. By the time we picked them up after dinner, one of them would be in tears. So, the bottom line is, I was glad that we were close by and didn't leave them for very long.

 

Even though we always took the children with us during excursions (for the above reason), we would leave them at a cafe with my husband when we did something they would consider boring. We would buy them some little token toy that would keep them occupied and buy my husband a drink. This would buy us a couple of hours. It was tough not to be completely free but it's part of the package when we decided to bring the kids. Good luck in whatever you decide!

[esteam]

my children were 3 and 7 on their first cruise. We had a port intensive cruise and took them off the boat with us every day. With a small stroller for the younger. no problems at all. they had a great time.