ADVICE NEEDED - Teenagers on their own in Nassau

[gkrebs]

In plain English, "not just a no, but a hell no". Can you say Aruba? Sounds like the Chaperones are just looking for the vacation. Might sound nasty, but this would boil my blood if this were happening on a band trip. My daughter went on one and this was not allowed at all. And these were High School kids and the 18 yr olds weren't allowed to do this

 

 

OP just to clarify my statement. Im only refering to the kids being off the ship without a chaperone. that would be a no no for me especially in a foreign country which Nassau is. Checking in every few hours on the ship wouldnt be a problem for me. You will find that most teen kids roam the ship unsupervised, but doesn't mean they aren't checking in with some one. I would assume that there are curfews for the kids and that they will be checked that they are in their cabins and that the chaperones have keys to all the cabins for random spot checks. :-) Yeah I would have been one of the kids to leave the cabin after lights out, but would have been more fearful of getting caught if I knew there would have been spot checks.

[SheriNtexas]

In plain English, "not just a no, but a hell no". Can you say Aruba?

 

 

 

I was going to tell the OP "I have 2 words for you, NATALIE HOLLOWAY"!

[SheriNtexas]

But even if your teen is a Dudley Do Right at all times, that doesn't mean he/she won't inadverdently put him/herself in a situation that is harmful/dangerous, simply due to teens lacking foresight and throwing caution to the wind.

 

 

Well said and I agree 100%!!!! Years ago, when my daughter was 16, she said that a few of her friends' parents were letting them go to Mexico(we lived in a small town in texas) for a day and she wanted to go!:eek: I could not BELIEVE these parents would let their 16 year olds go to Mexico without a parent! We did NOT let our daughter go and told her that if she were to get into some kind of trouble there, we would NOT be able to just show up and help her like we might in the US! The other girls did end up going and luckily nothing happened to them.

[SheriNtexas]

Now all children are ferried around by their parents (I have 2 children now in their early 20) to all events. They never get a chance to explore on their own. I think that is a shame. I enjoyed my freedom and I think it helped me grow up. Having said that, I did let my daughter and a friend of hers, they were 15 at the time, go on a RC excursion without me while we were in Nassau, and they did roam around town for a bit. I am not suggesting others do what they are uncomforatble with but I think at some point, children need to get out on their own. Each child needs to be evaluated on their maturity level, etc. Just my opinion, flame me if you want.

 

Mark

 

I understand what you are saying, I am 42, and I played outside all day long when i was a kid too. I do agree that kids need their freedom at times, but times have changed since we were kids. I think parents are more protective now because the world is more dangerous. My kids are 20, 18, and 16, but i would not let my 16 year old wander around an island unchaperoned. Kids DO get into trouble sometimes, even if they are good kids. Your child can be very mature and still be the victim of a crime or be with someone who might get THEM into trouble! I think the OP should be concerned.

[patrickc]

We just returned from Nassau, on the Sovereign.. and I was shocked about how "kids" are allowed to run around & drink in the Bahamas. We (in our 30's) were heading back to the ship from the Atlantis @ 11pm in one of those shared taxi vans. There were about 4 girls- no older than 16 in the van with us. We thought we were heading back to the ship- but the driver was making a stop at a night club called "Waterloo" where all the "high school aged kids can drink". The driver encouraged my friend & I to go to the club-- "it gets real crazy in there." We asked about the drinking age-- and were told it's 16--but you can drink as young as 14. Which contradicts the Bahamian law of 18. We told the driver we were worried about the "kids" being dropped off-- and he laughed at us, said, "well their parents aren't!" & took us back to the ship. Parents need to be aware.

[Sally Forth]

Thank you to everyone who has replied already. I had no idea I would get so many responses so quickly. As I said I am new to this forum and appreciate everyone's advice. I have had numerous discussions with my son regarding staying in groups, safety and being aware of his surroundings. He is planning on doing a excursion with a group, but not jumping in a taxi to go off the beaten path. I do trust that he will make the right decisions and he is a good kid, I know the other kids that he will be with as well. That being said I realize bad things happen to good kids.

 

This is his 4th band trip with alot of the same kids. It is common for the middle schools to do band trips as well and they have been all over the country. Of couse none has taken him out of the country with little supervison. I will contact the Director and talk to the chapperones as well about the safety concerns in Nassau.

 

Thank you

My kids have been on school trips overseas, and both have been on trips with friends and no chaperones at a young age (18 in South Korea with friends and 17 in Europe), so I don't think I'm overprotective. I am surprised the band was allowed to book and also surprised the school's liability insurance would allow them off the boat without chaperones. I'm not as worried about the kids causing trouble as being targets for crime.

 

Viv

[efan82]

I think if you talk to the director, you will find out more clearly. I don't think the ships will let minors off without an adult with them. This is the experience we have had in the past.