Leaving kids In club while you get off ship do or don't?

[lovemy3]

Hey guys this is our second Disney cruise our first one was a short one and our kids were 15 months 3 and 5. We left them in the kids club and nursery while we went to the straw market we were off ship for about 1 hour. This time our kids will be 7,5,3 we would love to go on a excursion some of the ones the kids are not old enough how many of you have left them on the ship while you did one???

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hey guys this is our second Disney cruise our first one was a short one and our kids were 15 months 3 and 5. We left them in the kids club and nursery while we went to the straw market we were off ship for about 1 hour. This time our kids will be 7,5,3 we would love to go on a excursion some of the ones the kids are not old enough how many of you have left them on the ship while you did one???

You'll find many who have done just that. And others who will tell you you're a bad parent. It's really up to you what you're comfortable with. For me, if we wanted to do an excursion that I knew the kids wouldn't like, I'd probably use the clubs. Will your 3 year old (or any of your kids) be OK with the fact that you may not be able to respond immediately if needed?

 

[lovemy3]

Thats what I was afraid of when posting i thought well wonder how many people will think I'm awful for posting. They will all be together my 3 year old is potty trained so I think they will be just fine. I just wondered about everyone else how they did it and what was their experience doing this??

 

[minorthr]

Other then it taking you longer to get back in an emergency I don't see how this is any different then dropping them there and going to a show or dinner without them.

 

[CathyCU03]

I would do it if I was sure my kids wanted to be in the kids club all day. My 3 YO loved the club but only in about 2 hour chunks. After that I think she got overwhelmed and needed some downtime in the room or just with us. My 3 YO also refused to eat in the club so we always fed her before she went. That would be tough to manage for the whole day. Bottom line is you know your kids best, having older siblings would probably help. I would also only do a DCL excursion since you know they will wait for you if you get delayed. I wouldn't want to risk the ship leaving without me while my kids were onboard.

 

[SteelersLover]

depends on the kids. my DS10 would stay in the kids club for hours. when in Nassau last I left him in Oceaneers to go to the Atlantis casino.. had a good time and didnt feel guilty either

 

[jliehr]

We did not do it, what happens if you can't make it back to the ship for some reason?

 

[Partyof4LA]

Our DD was 3 when we went. She did fine in the club the first night for just under 2 hours. Every other time we brought her, she would ask a CM to call mommy to pick her up less than 30mins after being dropped off. Her older brother (7) was in the club as well, but he had his own little friends to play with. He tried to calm her down and convince her to stay, but didn't stay glued to her the whole time.
On Castaway Cay, we booked the stingray excursion which included snorkeling. DD wasn't old enough so we put her in scuttles cove (kids club on the island). I warned the CM of her tendency to want us to pick her up quickly and that we would be snorkeling therefore not able to have our wave phones. When I picked her up, her face was soaked in tears, her eyes and nose were red and puffy. They told me she cried almost the entire time and I felt really bad.
So I guess to answer your question, I wouldn't do it again even on castaway cay where I'm relatively close to the club unless my kids were much older

 

[NHDisneyFan]

We did not do it, what happens if you can't make it back to the ship for some reason?

I'm sure there is protocol for a CM to tend to the children, they won't be left alone for the duration of the trip. Not everyone can live with that much anxiety. If OP pays for a DCL excursion their return to the ship before it sets sail will be insured.

 

[Thrifty Canadian]

I haven't yet been but I say if you want to try it and there is no rule against it, then go for it. It's no different than going out for an evening to a place an hour away and leaving the kids with a babysitter. Some people will always tell you you shouldn't ever be so far away from your kids, but the reality is they'll be just fine, and you will be, too.

 

[JMHDisney]

For me, it depends on port and how long I will be gone. My son is 7 now. At 3, I would not have done it other than maybe for an hour at Castaway but he didn't have older siblings to rely on. Now, I might leave him while I go and explore Key West for example because I know he doesn't love that port and would have more fun on the boat - and the boat is right there 5 mins from town. Would I leave him all day while I take transport to a city hours from the port (i.e. Many of the Italian ports)? Probably not.

 

[TrySomethingNew]

Given the age of the youngest, I would not choose a very long excursion, but you know your kids best! We left our kids while doing a longer excursion but they were older, so quite different. No, you are not a bad parent for considering an excursion without kids!! Have fun on your trip!

 

[mevelandry]

I know I'm not a parent but I fail to see how that could be any worst than leaving your kid at kindergarten to go to work every day. Sometimes peoples work is not even close from it... I don't see anybody blaiming them for being bad parents.

+ there is a doctor on the cruiseship in case of emergency!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I know I'm not a parent but I fail to see how that could be any worst than leaving your kid at kindergarten to go to work every day. Sometimes peoples work is not even close from it... I don't see anybody blaiming them for being bad parents.

+ there is a doctor on the cruiseship in case of emergency!

for the bolded.

 

[wombat_5606]

It's no different than going out for an evening to a place an hour away and leaving the kids with a babysitter.

Actually, I think there is a difference. If I'm an hour away, I might have family and friends my children are familiar with that can go and be with my children.

If I'm in Puerto Rico, Nassau, Barcelona, Norway etc. and something keeps me from returning to the ship, be it a delay or never, there may be no one to be with my children but a CM and some Disney officials for quite a long time.

I'm not calling anyone a bad parent.

My opinion is that there is nothing I want to do on a shore excursion bad enough to leave my children vulnerable while on a cruise ship in a foreign port. This is not the last cruise I'm going to take and I'm fairly certain those excursions will still be around when my children are old enough to go with me.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

We have left the kids while shopping in Nassau for a couple hours, there were no problems and I would do it again. I think if Disney allows parents to do this they have a plan in place for emergencies and the fact they are still allowing it after all these years means it must be working. As long as your children are comfortable with it I would say have a good time!

 

[bumbershoot]

I personally wouldn't do it.

And I grew up with a mom who worked an hour away from us and there were no cellphones, and I was a latchkey kid in charge of me and my brother by 9 years old.

But she didn't go to work in a different country. And my home wasn't mobile and under control of a captain who might need to move my home if my mom was extremely delayed. All I had to do was wait long enough and she would be home, and I had neighbors who knew me around.

I personally couldn't do it.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I personally wouldn't do it.

And I grew up with a mom who worked an hour away from us and there were no cellphones, and I was a latchkey kid in charge of me and my brother by 9 years old.

But she didn't go to work in a different country. And my home wasn't mobile and under control of a captain who might need to move my home if my mom was extremely delayed. All I had to do was wait long enough and she would be home, and I had neighbors who knew me around.

I personally couldn't do it.

And that's perfectly fine. Everyone has their own comfort zone in such circumstances. OP was just asking whether others have. And there are others who have.

There's really no wrong answer here.

 

[angelyn]

Have you thought about doing an excursion at Castaway? We haven't cruised yet, but in planning our excursions we considered booking something at Cozumel or Grand Cayman that our toddler couldn't do. Instead we decided to do toddler-friendly excursions at those ports (Playa Mia and Nautilus tour) and plan for some alone time on our Castaway day. Our plan is to play at the beach together in the morning and take him to the nursery after lunch so we can be free. I'd be comfortable doing most of the Castaway excursions since the nursery can contact you easily via wave phone. We might do something similar at Grand Cayman, but just to walk around a short time near the ship. Cars can get flat tires, etc. We've traveled internationally with a baby/toddler, so we're not overly paranoid, but we've also seen how easy it is to get waylaid for hours due to transportation difficulties.
My son usually does really well in nursery situations, but with so much change and stimulation I'd be nervous to leave him for hours without an easy way to check in. He wouldn't be permanently damaged from crying for a few hours, but we would like for him to have a good time on this ridiculously expensive vacation!

 

[bcwife76]

For us I think it would depend on cruise itinerary, excursion type, etc and blah blah blah but no way would I call anyone a 'bad parent' because they chose to leave their kids in the clubs and went off the ship without them. You and only you know YOUR comfort level and the comfort level of your kids.

On our first cruise we never went on excursions as we only had one port stop and had been there many times. For our second cruise we intend to take our kids with us on excursions only because I think we are picking/leaning toward picking more family-friendly excursions. When we do Alaska in a couple of years this might not be the case and we might absolutely end up leaving them in the club.