Question.... kids on the ship while you're in port?

[Maggie'sMom]

I don't care if it is 15 minutes.

You are welcome to enjoy your vacation that way. There is no need to be condescending to adults who recognize that their kids may have more fun in the kids clubs and not walking around a port area shopping.

 

[belac]

ummm wouldn't do it till 16+, just my personal choice at this time as DS is 10. At 11 they can come and go from the Edge on their own. I am not comfy leaving him on the ship while in port knowing he can leave the edge and go wander around the ship.

 

[Disney_traveler]

You are welcome to enjoy your vacation that way. There is no need to be condescending to adults who recognize that their kids may have more fun in the kids clubs and not walking around a port area shopping.

I just question whether this is for the child's enjoyment or the parents'. I just have strong views about family time.

 

[tcufrog]

I was giving an example of how no matter how careful you are an accident or problem can still happen because you can't control everything.

 

[bcwife76]

If we were just getting off the ship to walk around the port, to shop, eat etc for an hour or two then I would totally leave my kids in the kids club if they didn't want to come. But I could not leave them in the club if we are doing an excursion - Disney or otherwise. Just my personal opinion, I'm a bit too anxious and my eldest daughter has inherited my anxious side.

 

[Disney_traveler]

I was giving an example of how no matter how careful you are an accident or problem can still happen because you can't control everything.

I know what you mean. As a teacher when we take kids to contests, I know. Lot of fellow teachers that make sure kids are in and then go off to breakfast or whatever until noon-ish when kids are done. They always ask me to go and I always say no because of the what if. How are you going to explain to a parent/school/law enforcement/etc that something happened and you were off doing your own thing.

 

[xlxo]

I guess it depends on how much trouble they can get themselves into....

https://cruiseradio.net/kid-jumps-cruise-deck-railing-pool/

 

[cruiser21]

I just question whether this is for the child's enjoyment or the parents'. I just have strong views about family time.

Don't you have family time when your not on vacation? Everyone's family life is different. Some people are with their children 24/7 at home. Some people leave their kids at daycare everyday. I think you have to be respectful of other people choices.

I know what you mean. As a teacher when we take kids to contests, I know. Lot of fellow teachers that make sure kids are in and then go off to breakfast or whatever until noon-ish when kids are done. They always ask me to go and I always say no because of the what if. How are you going to explain to a parent/school/law enforcement/etc that something happened and you were off doing your own thing.

The kids are basically in a secured day care with counselors looking after them. They are not left on their own. They can't get out of the Lab. Like you the counselors aren't going to leave the kids alone. They'd be fired. When a parent leaves a kid at school they have to trust the teacher, same goes for daycare. Maybe people don't trust the Disney counselors?

 

[Disney_traveler]

Don't you have family time when your not on vacation? Everyone's family life is different. Some people are with their children 24/7 at home. Some people leave their kids at daycare everyday. I think you have to be respectful of other people choices.

The kids are basically in a secured day care with counselors looking after them. They are not left on their own. They can't get out of the Lab. Like you the counselors aren't going to leave the kids alone. They'd be fired. When a parent leaves a kid at school they have to trust the teacher, same goes for daycare. Maybe people don't trust the Disney counselors?

Apples to oranges in one aspect...

In response to people leaving kids at daycare all day, is it for work reasons? Or just so they can go have some kid free time? Go do their own thing?

 

[elvispursley]

I know my boys absolutely hate shopping and if given a choice, would rather stay on the ship in the clubs for an hour or two while I visit the shops in port. Maybe there are some activities that kids find totally boring and would rather not participate in and would opt to stay in the kids club? I don't see why if it's a "family" vacation so many parents spend 24/7 trying to entertain their kids while neglecting themselves? No one should be placing their family values on others and shaming them for choosing to have some adult-time together. There are some families that believe that having some adult-time strengthens their family bond. OP, I think you need to do whatever YOU feel comfortable doing for you and your family. Ultimately, you know what will make you comfortable and your kids happy . It's a Disney vacation and all of you be able to have fun and relax!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I just question whether this is for the child's enjoyment or the parents'. I just have strong views about family time.

As do I. I don't believe family vacations have to be everything the child wants 100% of the time. My DD and I are headed to Virginia in a couple days to visit Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. This was a trip she wanted, and had been asking to take for several months. In researching it, I decided I wanted to go to the Yorktown battlefield and then visit Monticello on our way home. Neither of those things were on my DD's "want to do" list. She's 13 and I caught some eye-rolling as I discussed these two places. Guess what? Family vacation is for my enjoyment as well as hers and we will be visiting both whether she enjoys it or not. And horror upon horrors, I picked us up some historical fiction audiobooks to listen to in the car on the way there. Not quite Clark Griswold loading up the family truckster but I'm working on it.

When planning our first cruise, DD was super excited about the kids clubs. She was still young enough to go to the Oceaneers spaces. She kept asking me what bars I wanted to go to. I was totally confused. Why did my DD want to know if I wanted to go to the Skyline bar? When I asked, it turned out she thought she would only get to go to the kids clubs if I was doing something adults-only. When she found out she could spend time there without shuttling me off to the 18+ exclusive areas, the pressure for me to go drinking ceased. She was one of those kids that really loved the kids clubs and wanted to be there as much as she could. We had plenty of time we spent together, but there was also plenty of time we spent apart with her in the Oceaneers club and me on a deck chair with a good book. It was still a family vacation even though we didn't spend every minute together.

 

[diznymom]

IMHO when they are old enough and mature enough to fend for themselves if anything should happen.

We went ashore w/o DS when he was 16. He just wanted to stay in the teen club.

 

[gotomu212]

We've left our son at age 3,5, and 7 on board while we did an excursion on previous trips. Each time in secured club programming and we told them on checkin that we were leaving the ship and the approximate time we were suppose to be back along with our cell number.

My son hates to snorkel (and initially he was too young for any of the snorkeling excursions). We had always wanted to snorkel in Grand Caymen so even though it's a family trip we felt no guilt about taking 3 hours to go do something we had dreamed about. He was safe and happy on board and we also got couples time which I think is just as important to a strong marriage as family time.

On the "what if something happens" side (this is my sisters fear- she was so nervous saying what if were all in a horrible car accident). Personally I'd be so much happier that my child was safe and not in the car accident with us that the particular worry didn't make sense to me.

Every family is different so do what feels right to you. If you want reassurance that people leave kids onboard-they do and it's okay. If you want reassurance that it's okay to worry and not feel comfortable with it- that's okay too.

 

[gotomu212]

IMHO when they are old enough and mature enough to fend for themselves if anything should happen.

We went ashore w/o DS when he was 16. He just wanted to stay in the teen club.

Just wanted to clarify in case some people don't know- if your kids are in the secured kids club, the counselors will care for them. If anything should happen and you couldn't get to the ship 1. very very very rare that they would sail with an unaccompanied child-they would do everything they could to reunite you. 2 if that wasn't possible, the kids programming would take care of ANY minor children even if they were too old for secured programming. They won't not know that a kid is alone or tell a 15 year old to just go back to the cabin.

 

[connie1042]

My grandkids are going to be left on the ship in Jamaica. We will be on an excursion. One grandparent is staying on ship, because she plans on not leaving the ship in any port. The kids will all go to their clubs. Believe me they will have more fun there than on a excursion.

 

[cruiser21]

Daycare is very expensive unless you are very rich you are not leaving your kids there for your own pleasure.

 

[nh3223]

We had no issues doing this and, at one point or another, did so at each of the 5 ports on our cruise. Three of them, we all went out on a family excursion for several hours, came back on board and ate lunch together, then my wife and I went back into the port to just walk around the town, something my kids had no interest whatsoever in while they stayed on board, DD7 in kids club (which she absolutely loved) and DS10 doing his own thing (which was mostly, if not entirely watching funnelvision). On one other, my DD had no interest in going off the boat, so wife, DS and I went off for an excursion and were back for lunch and on Castaway Cay, my son wanted to go watch the new Spiderman movie, so he went back early (wife walked him back to the boat) while the rest of us stayed onshore for a couple more hours.

As for family vacation time, I view a successful family vacation as one where everyone maximizes their enjoyment and fun, whether that is together or apart. My kids had no interest in walking around the ports, they had more fun at the pool or kids club and my wife and I had more fun spending time together and not having to deal with kids who undoubtedly would have been complaining. My son wanted to watch movies on funnel vision most afternoons, I wanted shade and a place that was more quiet so I could read. We were both happy. We did eat pretty much all of our meals together (save for Remy night) and our evenings were all spent together, but that's because we all wanted to do those things together. What made our cruise so great was precisely because we could spend time together but also spend it apart doing our own thing.

 

[cruiser21]

I'm taking my 12 year old son on an Alaska cruise in September. I plan on going jogging in the mornings. After our excursions I plan on heading back into town to do some shopping on my own. In the unlikely even I get mauled by a bear or run over by a moose( and no I won't be jogging off into the wilderness by myself, I'll stick to town) I'm completely confident the DCL officers will take very good of my son until my husband can find his way to Alaska. I also didn't raise a moron so he won't be jumping off balconies into the pool.

 

[SirDuff]

When planning our first cruise, DD was super excited about the kids clubs. She was still young enough to go to the Oceaneers spaces. She kept asking me what bars I wanted to go to. I was totally confused. Why did my DD want to know if I wanted to go to the Skyline bar? When I asked, it turned out she thought she would only get to go to the kids clubs if I was doing something adults-only. When she found out she could spend time there without shuttling me off to the 18+ exclusive areas, the pressure for me to go drinking ceased.

Very cute

I see no problem with some time where kids split from adults during family vacations. We spend a lot of time together but are not joined at the hip (and weren't when I was a kid either).

 

[lklgoodman]

I'm taking my 12 year old son on an Alaska cruise in September. I plan on going jogging in the mornings. After our excursions I plan on heading back into town to do some shopping on my own. In the unlikely even I get mauled by a bear or run over by a moose( and no I won't be jogging off into the wilderness by myself, I'll stick to town) I'm completely confident the DCL officers will take very good of my son until my husband can find his way to Alaska. I also didn't raise a moron so he won't be jumping off balconies into the pool.

Just watch out if you go into any of the jewelry stores in Skagway. Some of the employees were so agressive that you may feel as if you were just mauled by a bear or ran over by a moose as you try to get out of the store!