Leaving toddler onboard

[Macawy]

This is our first time traveling with a toddler (3 1/2) who is old enought to participate in the children's programs. Is it acceptable to leave your child onboard while you go to shore excursions? I have to admit, the thought of it makes me nervous but he's just not old enough to do everything my husband and I and our older kids want to do!

 

We're on Princess this time in case anyone has any specific experience/advice.

 

Thanks!

[Paleochick]

We're taking our kids for their first cruise. We have a 3 year old, and initially I considered leaving him on the ship while we do excursions, but I changed my mind. I am certain that the crew follows protocols in the event of an emergency, and I am sure they would do everything they could to protect my son, but I can't risk that with a boy so little. I'm sure 99.9% of the time, it works out perfectly for people. I worry about my excursion boat running out of gas or my taxi getting into a bad accident, and not making it back to the ship before it sails. I worry about him having an allergic reaction (I read about something like that happening to the child of someone who posts on this board) or breaking a bone or...? So, we've decided to find excursions we all can do. I'm sure others will chime in and tell you about how they've done it many times, but it's not a risk we're willing to take.

 

 

[Kerry's Girls]

I travel alone with my girls, so we do shore excursions together, but I wouldn't hesitate to do a ship-sanctioned shore excursion with my spouse and leave my child in the kid's program. The ship will not leave if passengers are delayed on an excursion sold by the cruise line. There's a small chance your child could have an emergency while you're away, but they're probably safer on board than on shore.

 

There was a thread on this same topic not too long ago, where I think the majority thought parents should not leave for shore excursions on a European cruise, so you might find some useful info if you search through some older threads.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Best,

Mia

[loobylouuk]

This is our first time traveling with a toddler (3 1/2) who is old enought to participate in the children's programs. Is it acceptable to leave your child onboard while you go to shore excursions? I have to admit, the thought of it makes me nervous but he's just not old enough to do everything my husband and I and our older kids want to do!

 

We're on Princess this time in case anyone has any specific experience/advice.

 

Thanks!

 

Hi I cruised Sea Princess last year and took my 3.5 yr and 5yr old and left them aboard twice while my DH and i went ashore. The Princess youth crew were great.

I have to tell you that it was not some thing we intended to do as we are very over protective parents and our children have never actually been in a kids club before!

We did only leave them for 4 hrs Max and of course there were the 2 of them but i have to say it was bliss!!

It seemed to be a little like nursery ,some of the younger children did get upset about being left but princess do give you pagers while you are on board so that if there are any probs they will contact you.

We found that the kids mostly liked to be in the club on the 7-10pm session when the bean bags are all put down and they can watch a movie.Having fed them before ,we would then go and have a lovely dinner and enjoyed sharing tables but be prepared to be interupted!

It was by far the best family holiday we have ever had because from a womans/mums point of view you do not even have to make a cup of tea! the kids were well catered for and loved playing with the other kids and hubby just loved all of it!

Any questions please ask.

I hope you have a fab time

Lou

[kitty9]

Just make sure your child has no medical problems or that you don't miss the ship. I've been on cruises where a child had a seizure due to a high fever and the parents were off on a tour. Another time, two sets of parents traveling together left their kids on board and missed the ship. Here were kids, and one was an infant, who had to be without their parents for two days before they caught up to the ship.

[KimberlyC]

Different people have different comfort levels but you asked if it is "acceptable" (subjective opinion) as opposed to whether it is "permissible". IMHO, H$LL NO! I won't get off the ship without my passport because if there is an emergency (even on a ship excursion) and we can't make it back to the ship I want to be able to fly home (or to the best possible medical attention) in a hurry. My kid is far more important than my passport so I'm not getting off without him. Sure maybe I have a better chance of getting struck by lightning or winning the lotto than missing the boat for whatever reason (including medical emergency) BUT people do occasionally get struck by lightning and people do occasionally win the lotto. I won't risk abandoning my toddler (and if we missed the boat that's what it would be).

 

BTW, don't throw flames, the OP asked for subjective opinion and I gave mine. I have no problem with people who give theirs. ;)

[Macawy]

What a great range of opinions -thanks! BTW, By "acceptable" I did mean "is it allowed", just didn't word it properly. I can honestly agree with everyone, odds are thing's will work out great and everyone (including my DS) will have a great time. He's a very social kid, no allergies, goes to preschool so is used to time without me, etc. HOWEVER, what if something happens to him or to us? I'd never forgive myself. My DH thinks I'm overreacting, but to me that's just being a mom.

 

There is only one port that we would consider leaving him, towards the end of the cruise, so I think I'll wait until we're on board to make the decision based on how things are going at the time with our particular kids club.:)

[crusinmama06]

Yes I am the one parent on this board who will say NO because we DID have a medical emergency onboard and our child had to be medically evacuated off of the ship (was going to send her to a Bahamian hospital) but they chose to send her to the states and Port Canaveral Medical Center.

 

My youngest caught something on the Disney Cruise Ship. We took her to the ship's doctor who prescribed medicine. She was acting fine but sleepy when my husband took her back to the cabin. I was told to wait for the medicine at the ship's hospital.

 

All of a sudden, everyone started running around. The nurse grabbed me and asked me to wait in a room. My husband came running in with my toddler daughter, blue, not breathing well, seizing and practically lifeless body in his arms. :eek:

 

She had a complex febrile seizure brought on by something she picked up on the ship. She seized for 40 minutes, had to be intebated and was shot up with valium. She spent 2 days in the hospital.

 

My husband and I HAD been scheduled to go on a kayak excursion THAT morning. The currents were too strong and the excursion was cancelled about 45 minutes before my daughter seized.

 

Can you imagine what would have happened if we hadn't been there? She could have gone without oxygen even longer then she did (my husband laid her down for a nap and heard her making a "funny noise like snoring", when he rolled her over, she was blue)

 

So 4 cruises later, we never allow our children to stay on the ship without us. NO cruise excursion is worth it.

 

And I know people here say it's like "having them in daycare"...but in daycare, they are exposed to the same common viruses that all kids share. On cruise ships, with people from all over the world onboard, you never know WHAT your child will be exposed to.

[CruisinFinsUp]

Cruisinmama06 - wow -- I'm so glad for you that everything worked out!!!

That must have been very scary for you all.

 

One thing to consider is that if you are off the ship - 99% of the time, they CANNOT reach you. The pager does not work onland. Usually, cell phone service is limited on land if you are away from the town -- if you are scuba diving or inland doing some tour there is no cell service inland or under water:rolleyes: (My cell phone has worked in port, but once we've gone on an island tour, I've lost signal - depends on what local service your carrier uses and how good it is)

So if something were to occur, you would not know until you came back onboard, maybe hours later. Even if you are on a ship sponsered excursion, you cannot be reached -- they usually take little vans or buses, and if there are more than one van used, they don't know who is with which driver -- virtually impossible to track. The rules state that if your child is showing signs of illness, they will not allow them to stay in the kids centre. Not sure how well this is enforced.

 

Leaving your kids in the kids centre while you leave the ship is allowed, it is encouraged, and it is a service that they provide -- they even take them to lunch if you have said its ok, and if the child is there over the lunch hour. Yes they do a great job taking care of them, and they have a great time. Most of the time everything turns out ok.

[Luxuriate]

I would leave my son on a cruise ship with the daycare staff in a heartbeat. My son has been in an in-home daycare since he was two years-old. My husband and I view raising our son as a "group" effort. Mom and Dad are the main group and everyone else that cares for our child just adds to the variety of experiences he encounters.

 

Of course, if we felt that the daycare wasn't safe or had problems in any way we wouldn't hesitate to pull him out.

 

By the way, we regularly use shopping mall and fitness facility daycare when available. We have never had a problem.

 

Cheryl

[bmgaritty]

I'm sorry but the cruise ship programs are NOT daycare. Daycare requires that they can always be in touch with you or a back up person. A cruise line does not.

If you and your husband are off the ship, they most likely will not be able to get a hold of you. What would happen if an excursion missed the ship? It does happen, even on SHIP sponsored tours.

 

Sorry - I could not leave my child 'unattended" while I was on a shore excusion. I would/could only leave if grandparents or other close relative stayed on board.

 

Barbara

[Kerry's Girls]

Just to clarify - ship sponsored excursions do not miss the ship if delayed. The cruise line sells them with the guarantee that they will not leave without passengers on a ship-sponsored excursion.

 

In my opinion, I would have no problem leaving my children on board to do a ship-sponsored excursion.

 

Best,

Mia

[kitty9]

Mia, unfortunately what you say is incorrect. I've been on ships where they DID leave even though a ship's sponsored tour was not back. It's happened when a ship absolutely has to leave at a certain time due to tidal conditions and they had no choice but to leave---otherwise they would have been stuck in that port for another 16 hours. So, even if you're on a ship's tour, there's absolutely no guarantee that the ship won't have to leave you behind. (BTW, this has happend twice on cruises I've personally been on) While they make every effort to remain until everyone is on board, there are situations where that isn't possible.

[bmgaritty]

Just to clarify - ship sponsored excursions do not miss the ship if delayed. The cruise line sells them with the guarantee that they will not leave without passengers on a ship-sponsored excursion.

 

In my opinion' date=' I would have no problem leaving my children on board to do a ship-sponsored excursion.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

Mia,

You may want to do a search - there have been SHIP sponsored tours that have missed the ship - it's the reason I posted it. So much for the guarantee.

 

Did you know that some passengers have even been stranded on a cruise line's private island? Might want to do a little research before you leave your children on board without you!

 

Please don't mislead others!

 

Barbara

[Kerry's Girls]

Mia,

 

Did you know that some passengers have even been stranded on a cruise line's private island? Might want to do a little research before you leave your children on board without you!

 

Please don't mislead others!

 

Barbara

 

Oh. Ok Barbara. I won't mislead others!

[rebeccalouise]

I have a six year old and am prepared to leave him for up to 3 hours on the ship but wouldn't go all day. I don't like the idea of no one being able to get ahold of me.

So, yes I have confidence in the cruise staff but still don't like the feeling that no one could get ahold of me in an emergency.

 

Plus, you need to see if your child likes the kids club before making plans. Most kids do like it but I always picked my son up at lunch- so he was never there for more than three hours without seeing me.

[bmgaritty]

I just wouldn't want it to happen to my child or anyone else's.:rolleyes:

[akysmom]

I just wouldn't want it to happen to my child or anyone else's.:rolleyes:

Amen Sister! One experience like CrusinMama's and everyone here would change their mind, I'd bet my right arm! It's not worth it!

[Kerry's Girls]

I just hope no one reading this thread thinks they will be judged as poor parents if they leave their kids on board to do an excursion. Many, many parents do it every day with no problem, and taking a ship-sanctioned excursion is the safest way to do it. I don't happen to be a parent who makes plans based on the worst-case-scenario (and it's not like I haven't experienced some first class tragedy), but many different kinds of very good parents just have different levels of risk they are willing to take. I have seen some parents on these threads don't let their children ride a school bus and others want to carry their baby up the waterfall in Ocho Rios. I fall somewhere in between - and that's why these threads are so valuable - a reader can assess the risk level and make a judgement for themselves how comfortable they are.

 

My best to all - hope to run into you in a cruise one of these days!

 

Mia

[Odd Ball]

I just hope no one reading this thread thinks they will be judged as poor parents if they leave their kids on board to do an excursion. Many' date=' many parents do it every day with no problem, and taking a ship-sanctioned excursion is the safest way to do it. I don't happen to be a parent who makes plans based on the worst-case-scenario (and it's not like I haven't experienced some first class tragedy), but many different kinds of very good parents just have different levels of risk they are willing to take. I have seen some parents on these threads don't let their children ride a school bus and others want to carry their baby up the waterfall in Ocho Rios. I fall somewhere in between - and that's why these threads are so valuable - a reader can assess the risk level and make a judgement for themselves how comfortable they are.

 

My best to all - hope to run into you in a cruise one of these days! Mia[/quote']

Because many do it, does it make it right ?

This sounds like an excuse to justify leaving a child to go off and have a good time.

 

[crusinmama06]

I just hope no one reading this thread thinks they will be judged as poor parents if they leave their kids on board to do an excursion. Many' date=' many parents do it every day with no problem, and taking a ship-sanctioned excursion is the safest way to do it. I don't happen to be a parent who makes plans based on the worst-case-scenario (and it's not like I haven't experienced some first class tragedy), but many different kinds of very good parents just have different levels of risk they are willing to take. I have seen some parents on these threads don't let their children ride a school bus and others want to carry their baby up the waterfall in Ocho Rios. I fall somewhere in between - and that's why these threads are so valuable - a reader can assess the risk level and make a judgement for themselves how comfortable they are.

 

My best to all - hope to run into you in a cruise one of these days!

 

Mia[/quote']

 

You're right and I wouldn't deem someone a bad parent if they left their child onboard. We are the worst case scenario and I need to let others know that there is a possibility, no matter how small, that something could go wrong.

 

I hope none of you experience what we went through.

[Kerry's Girls]

You're right and I wouldn't deem someone a bad parent if they left their child onboard. We are the worst case scenario and I need to let others know that there is a possibility, no matter how small, that something could go wrong.

 

I hope none of you experience what we went through.

 

Your posts are always so friendly and amazingly informative - I always learn something from you. Even aside from the question of to leave/not to leave - sharing your experience is important so we all know to watch any illness closely since it may not be the usual we are used to at home.

 

Thanks - as always - for the time you spend making all of our trips better!

 

Best,

Mia

[As You Wish]

Your posts are always so friendly and amazingly informative - I always learn something from you. Even aside from the question of to leave/not to leave - sharing your experience is important so we all know to watch any illness closely since it may not be the usual we are used to at home.

 

Thanks - as always - for the time you spend making all of our trips better!

 

Best' date='

Mia[/quote']

 

I have to second your thoughts, Mia. I really value reading everyone's perspectives and experiences especially when they offer them without judgement. They help me make well-informed decisions when I'm preparing for a cruise. I'm planning what will be my third cruise, but the first with my daughter who will be two, and I appreciate all of the info I can get.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

First, cruisinmama, thanks for sharing. I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been. I'm so thankful it turned out well and so sorry your family went through that!

 

Our DD was 21 months when we first cruised so she was too young for the kids' club. But, even if she had been more than 2 years old, we wouldn't have left her on the ship. When we cruise, it's a family vacation and with only one exception ever, we plan excursions that everyone in the family can enjoy (the one exception was when I went alone on a salmon fishing excursion in Alaska--DH stayed on the ship, and then we all went into town together after my fishing excursion).

 

I don't ever expect the worst to happen, but realistically, it does happen sometimes. I would never want my DD in an emergency situation and not be able to get to her or not even know about it until hours later. As others have said, each parent has a certain level of risk they can accept, and that's beyond ours.

 

As I mentioned before, we do excursions the entire family enjoys. Everyone has input into the planning. When our older DD cruises with us there's a wide difference in the kids' ages (almost 10 years) so sometimes our excursions aren't as adventurous as she might like, but we all want to vacation together, so sometimes everyone doesn't get to do everything they might like to do (but they do get to do most). There have been excursions I've wanted to do (like ziplining) that we haven't done because DD was scared to do them. Likewise, I've gone on a couple of excursions that certainly wouldn't have been my first choice, but the kids wanted to do them. The important thing for us is that we're having a fun time together as a family.

 

JMHO

 

Cheers!

Jayne