What do kids who sign themselves out of the lab do?

[3smithboys]

We have an 11 year old boy and have signed him up for the Lab. While signing him up we noticed that we have the option of allowing him to sign himself out.... DH and I looked at each other and at first thought "Heck No..." but then DH said to come to the DIS boards and check it out with all of you!

Since we've never been on a Disney cruise before, what do most of you do? Do you allow your 11 year olds to sign themselves out? I don't want him to be left behind! Where do they go? What do they do? What rules/boundaries do you set (ie - don't go into anyone else's cabin) How do you keep track of where they are? Sigh... Thanks for your help!

[crafty91]

We let our 9 year old son sign himself out this year and it was fine. We told him that when he checked out he had to come find us (by the pool usually) and tell us where he was going. Then he needed come back and check in periodically. Also the kids club will page you that your son has checked out so you'll know. We set the boundaries of not going to anyones room and not inviting anyone to ours. Other than that there are only so many places they can go!

bottom line its up to the maturity level of the child so only you can make that call, don't worry about what other kids are doing.

[allaboutdisney1967]

I have an 11 yr old DD and will be taking first cruise on Wonder in September. I signed my DD up and am wondering that same thing.

Me (42) , DH (44) , DD (11)

[5lilfish]

We allow our 12, 11 and 9 yr old to sign out. This is a very personal decision.

Here's what works for us:

First of all, we've been on a few Disney Cruises, so my kids know the ship and how to recognize the Cast Members. My son is 12. He can check out on his own. My daughters are 11 and 9. They have to stay together if they check out (unless I have given them direct permission to go someplace). My kids are not allowed on any outside deck alone (except deck 9 because it is plexiglass from floor to ceiling). They may not go outside on decks 4/7 and they can only go out on deck 10 long enough to go directly into the sports area. They usually check out to: go to a movie, grab a drink or food on deck 9, use the family hot tub or Mickey Pool (we do not allow the Goofy pool without an adult), do some event (Wii, dance), go back to the room and rest for a little bit). Basically, they are told to stay in public areas that have a lot of trafic (absolutely no going in anyone's room or allowing anyone in our room, and no wandering on less travelled hallways).

Generally, we go through the day's activities ahead of time and have some idea who wants to do what. Then, the kids have to page me whenever they check out (teling me where they are going) and when they check in. So far, I have to say, I have never had to go looking for my kids. They also know not to play in elevators, race on stairs or misbehave in general. Last cruise we went with friends. My 9 yr old was with them and their 8 yr old. they started to walk outside on deck 4 and my daughter stopped dead in her tracks and said, "I am not allowed out there without Mom or Dad." Our friends told her that it would probably be ok for her to go out with them and she still refused to go. At that point they knew that she was doing as she was told and did not try to sway her.

You can always start out saying no and change your mind mid-week (once you decide on boundaries and get a little more comfortable).

Jess

[dietcokefan]

My sister and brother in law allowed their 11 yr old DD to check herself out as well. She is pretty responsible and they too set boundaries...I recall that one night they got a page from the counselors just saying "she has gone up to deck 9 to get ice cream w/ a friend". So, while she could come and go, they were pretty good about letting the parents know what they were up to...now, I don't know if this was something that the daughter had asked the counselors to do or if the counselors did it on their own. But, all in all, it was totally fine and it was convenient too. I recall my sister saying that she thought this was a perfect opportunity for them to let go of the leash a bit and give her some freedom and see how she did with the responsibility. One night she (DD) wanted to go to the lab for some activity, so my sister said, great, just be back at the room by 11 or 12 whatever time...and she was right there back at the room when she knew she had to be.

Like the others have said, there are only so many places they can go, and if they are pretty trustworthy, mature, and responsible it is totally fine IMO.

[kcashner]

As above, YOU set the rules. On the first cruise where DD was allowed to sign out, our rule was that she had to ask the CM to page me that she was leaving (this is not always reliable), and that she could go only to the cabin. Then we moved to she could go elsewhere but had to leave me a note in the cabin as to where she was going. Of course, we also have established safety rules--NO ONE else in our cabin, she can't go into anyone's cabin, etc...

We've never had a problem with her signing out. What do they do? Go to deck 9 for food, drink, ice cream, etc. Sun, (swimming gets old after about the first time since the pool is so small). Go to the sports deck and play whatever. Boys may choose the arcade, DD never had any interest.

The reason I allowed the initial sign out was that they lined up the kids to go to dinner BEFORE the transition time on the Navigator....and I couldn't get her out for 20 minutes. She knew that I was picking her up, and she even pointed out to the CMs that it was early, but they wouldn't listen. When I showed up 2-3 minutes before the transition time, they wouldn't release her. Since she was then allowed to sign out, if they started to line up she'd just sign herself out! I understand the safety issues....but I also think they should stick to the printed schedule.

[3smithboys]

I keep thinking there must be a reason that Disney allows the kids to sign themselves out at his age. If it was dangerous and kids were getting hurt or in trouble, it wouldn't be allowed, right?!?!? Our DS is responsible, but at the end of the day he is a kid too, and I do have to keep that in mind (I think that is the 6th grade teacher in me!!!) I know that when a group of kids get together what peer pressure can do! This is a tough age for kids who are just getting a taste of freedom, but I have to "let go" a little. (my DS is going into 5th grade.) This is an ongoing conversation that my DH and I have been having this summer - being a parent is the hardest job!!!

Part of me thinks that this just might be a nice place for him to feel like he is getting some real freedom in a safe environment. He is a good rule follower, so I do think that if we set up guidelines he will follow them. It's just tough letting go .

I like the idea of the beeper to let us know where he is going to be....who gets the beeper? Does DS beep us to tell us where he is going or does the CM beep us when he leaves the lab to tell us that he is leaving the lab and where he is heading?

[crafty91]

As stated above the paging is a good thing but not 100% consistent, but if DS knows that is your wishes he can push it to make sure they do it. The CM are the only ones that can do paging.

[jblrn2b]

We began letting our oldest to sign himself out at 11yrs. The CMs always paged me where he was going and most of the time he came to get us or got ice cream - LOL. I am nervous about letting my 9 yo this time. I think you have to know your kid. My oldest is 15 now and I am going to go to college with him - only 1/2 kidding. My 9 yo probably could handle it - his mom could not. LOL.

[Pennyb123]

they wreak havoc running all over the ship in groups and get on the open elevator you were just about to step into and push every single button, then run off screaming at the tops of their lungs... or they take your dry marker board and write a horrible 4 letter F word (can you imaging if some little kid had found that!?!) on it. Yes... that is what they were doing on my last 2 cruises. Of course, not all kids are doing that. It could be much worse.

[frdeb1999]

We began leaving our dd sign herself out at 11 also and set alot of boundries for her. She did very well with all of them. She normally would go to deck 9 and find us to let us know where she would be or would leave a message in the cabin. She normally would go get snacks, to movies, different events they had in the lobby, crafts for families, ect.. There is quite a bit to do throughout the day that always isn't in the clubs or isn't associated with the clubs themselves. Only you know your kids, but honestly we have never had any issue's.

[jbm02]

Ours was a similar experience to most of the posters. We allowed our then 11 yo DS to sign himself out of the clubs. We were paged everytime he signed himself out and where he was going. His favorite thing - to sign himself out at lunchtime, go to the cabin and order room service for himself!!! OMG he thought that was the ultimate cool thing to do.
We're pretty vigilant parents and I was a little worried about this too. However, we decided to see how he did with it. And he was very very responsible and knew he was getting a huge 'gift" so we had no problems. In fact, I think giving him that opportunity made him feel a little more mature so he started acting that way. LOL. For us, it was a good thing.
Now, on this cruise my dd is almost 10 (turns 10 the week after the cruise ends). Right now she does NOT have sign out privileges. She is not quite as responsible as her older brother. We are s going to see how things go and make a decision on the ship. My DS (now 14) will have sign out privileges to take his younger sister out of the clubs in case they want to go to lunch together (they are already planning their room service menus!) or a movie. I am pretty lucky that they get along well and he is very watchful of his little DS.
BTW, we never encountered the 'kids running wild' that a PP spoke about.

[castaway3]

I have an 8 year old son and this will be our 6th Disney Cruise and there is no way I am letting him sign himself out..I too would like to relax on vacation and having to worry about where my son is or going would not be a good feeling..they have a wonderful time in the Lab or Club and if he ever wants me he can page me..I think for peace of mind I would not have him sign himself out until he gets much older.

[Morgey24]

Originally Posted by Pennyb123

they wreak havoc running all over the ship in groups and get on the open elevator you were just about to step into and push every single button, then run off screaming at the tops of their lungs... or they take your dry marker board and write a horrible 4 letter F word (can you imaging if some little kid had found that!?!) on it. Yes... that is what they were doing on my last 2 cruises. Of course, not all kids are doing that. It could be much worse.

LOL. I usually think of the "I'm so bored" 13 - 15 y.o.'s when I think of this behavior. (Though someone repeated ran their fingers over our carefully drawn pictures on our dry erase board every day to partially erase them. I wish I could have caught the kids red-handed....)

[Aurora's Mommy]

I've struggled with this also. DS is 10, and he is an outgoing introvert. I know that sounds like a weird combination, but he loves to be with people, but then he gets to a point where he needs to go off by himself to "recharge." We could be running to the club at any time if he has decided he has had enough, so we talked to him about being able to sign himself out.

He is very excited about this possibility, but we told him that if he is not in the club we had to be able to find him either in the cabin, or on Deck 9 at the beverage station. We have told him that the privilege can be recinded at any point in the week should it be abused.

This is a very helpful thread, I didn't think to tell him nobody in the room, or that he can order room service (I'll have to leave him some tip money ). Oh, and if he is caught "wreaking havoc" . Do they have a brig on the Magic?

P.S. We are cruising the week before school starts. This privilege in contingent upon him finishing the summer math packet and working on his penmanship. That's the deal!