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

[lolainkent]

Yup, I left my kids on board recently while on the Fantasy. We left DD3 on the ship while in Tortola from about 9am-1pm and she had a blast. Lots of attention since there are less kids, she brought more crafts out that day and she had lunch there (they even got her to eat fruit, which I couldn't seem to manage most of the week!). The next day in St Thomas we had no plan other than to walk into Charlotte-Amalie and come back within a couple hours. DD asked to go back to Club, and was joined by her brothers (8 and 10), who also wanted to stay on board. My boys had signing out privileges but we asked them to stay in Club so long as we were off the ship.

It absolutely comes down to your comfort level, and you know your kids best. But there you go, I've done it and my kids had a blast

 

[dsdeleon]

Planning on doing this with my 8 and 11 yos next month. I will even (gasp!) let them sign in and out while we are jet skiing without them. This is a lot of the reason we like to pay for Disney cruising. That sounds like I like pawning my kids off, haha. It's just that I, personally, have peace of mind through experiences.

 

[mom4fun]

I would do it if it's a Disney sponsored excursion. If it's not, I would have to have a close adult friend or relative onboard while you are off the ship.

 

[cheermom2four]

Only way I would leave my youngest on board while DH, DS15 and I did an excursion on our next cruise was if it was a DCL excursion so if there was an issue they would be responsible getting us back to the ship. I'm honestly still contemplating it though (2nd cruise set for Sept 3rd) and honestly still struggling with it. She will be 5 which means there are excursion options but she will be just turning 5 right on that cruise so not sure she would be ready for one. I've thought about the ones with no age limit like the sting rays etc and she doesnt like stuff like that up close lol

 

[hubbard53]

I struggle with this one too. . .

We finally determined that we would be comfortable if we're just walking around the port area but wouldnt be as comfortable if we're on a lengthy excursion. In the end, it all depends on your own comfort level.

 

[Skiton]

My biggest concern would be, how would they get ahold of me if something was wrong? I could turn on my phone and pay outrageous roaming charges in Tortola, but how do I know what the cell service is like there? And most excursions involve being ferried or shuttled to a different location. How would I get back to the ship if there was an emergency? A few years back I was researching our first Disney cruise on these boards and there was a kids club counselor who posted here answering questions. She told a story about a boy, maybe ten, who's parents left him there for the day while they went off somewhere in port. The poor kid wound up getting a horrible case of diarrhea, soiled his pants, and was so mortified that he locked himself in the bathroom for hours until his parents returned. He didn't have sign-out privileges or a room key, so no one could even go get him a change of clothes. And there's also the part about my kids being on a boat that will be leaving whether I'm on it or not, while I'm in a foreign country. I just think there are too many variables involved here for me to ever be comfortable with it.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

For US, we would not leave the kids on board the vessel and go ashore on our own. Just to many odd ball things could happen on the vessel or ashore.

AKK

 

[Dallas_Lady]

We did it on our Nassau day so that we could walk around with Straw Market without the kids. We bought rum cakes at the Tortuga shop, we stopped and had a drink at Senor Frogs and did a little shopping, probably about 2 hours total. We took the wave phone with us and the club actually called us to tell us DS had fallen and scraped his knee.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

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.

This. There is a huge difference for that reason. I also agree with your final statement, personally. I know I couldn't do it.

That being said, that doesn't mean I am saying the OP should not do it. It basically boils down to what your family is comfortable doing. Plenty of people, after all, have done this in the past with no issues. If you do decide to leave the kids on board while you do an excursion, I would strongly suggest that you stick to only excursions booked through Disney and avoid booking with anyone else. If you book with Disney, they will make sure you get back to the ship; if you book with an outside company and your excursion is delayed, you could miss the boat, and that would be very frightening as a parent with a kid still on the ship.

 

[smiths02]

I wouldn't do it with the 3 year old. Even potty trained 3 year olds have potty accidents and want to call mommy. I would not want to risk it. I would reconsider for a school aged child. I might leave the ship, just not on an excursion where I could not get back in a short amount of time.

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!

Huge difference between a 3 year old and a kindergarten student.
One thing is the potty training issue. 3 year old is more likely to have an issue and, in kindergarten, the teacher/nurse would help with a potty issue if it came up.

I am not more than 30 minutes or so from my children in school or daycare and I have my own personal vehicle to get back to them. If you are on a shore excursion, you could be much farther with no easy way to get back.

I don't think anyone is a bad parent if they do it. I just would not do it.

 

[KingRichard]

Just do it!!

People still send their children to boarding schools, summer camps, school trips and many other over nights!

Are you going to come running a 1000 miles because your child misses you?

They know you are on a excursion and will take very good care of your child and try to settle them down.

We missed out on a cave excursion because ship couldn't tender. We might never be back again to try it. Just do it!

Life's to short to worry about what others think!

 

[WVURunner]

While I don't have any kids, I travel with my sisters and their kids a lot. Both sister's have done this many times.

My older sister did it during our Med cruise when her kids were 3 and 7. The 3 yo hated our first tour and had no interest in going on any more and my sister had no interest in paying $100+ for a miserable kid on a tour. The 3 yo wanted Disney, not History, ruins and buildings. We told the club each morning our Disney Tour and estimated time back, they made a note of it and that was it. Each time we returned from the tour (8+ hrs), we returned to a happy, well-fed kid. The kids are now 9&13.

My younger sister left her 4 month old in the nursery for 8 hrs while we were on Castaway with her 3yo, having some fun big girl time. My sister knew the baby would be miserable in the heat (a winter North Baby), sand and sun. She thought it was in the best interest of everyone. She checked on the baby at lunch, who was doing great. At the end of the day, when we picked the baby up, we learned she was the only child in the nursery and had three people looking after just her all day. We got a packet of art & crafts she did including finger painting and foot painting (at 4 months old, so cute) and photos of Peter Pan and Mary Poppins rocking her and playing with her in the nursery. It was such a great experience, my sister decided to leave both kids behind and join us on a non-Disney canyoning excursion in Portugal, which was a big deal as my sister is a stay at home mom and had never left the kids. The club told my sister that her 3 yo never asked once for her.

I'm sure some people would judge my sisters but they did what they felt was best for their family and situation and it could not have worked out better!

 

[smiths02]

Just do it!!

People still send their children to boarding schools, summer camps, school trips and many other over nights!

Are you going to come running a 1000 miles because your child misses you?

They know you are on a excursion and will take very good care of your child and try to settle them down.

We missed out on a cave excursion because ship couldn't tender. We might never be back again to try it. Just do it!

Life's to short to worry about what others think!

I agree not to worry about what others think.

But OP was talking about a 3 year old. My 3 year olds don't go to boarding school or school trips or over nights.

 

[Adreyer]

My kids couldn't get enough of the kids club. I originally planned on staying on the ship at Nassau, but the kids didn't want to hang with us anyway, so we went ahead with my in-laws to see the island and left them in the club. No regrets here.

 

[maria's_mommy]

Hope DS likes the kids club, we plan on leaving him and doing an excursion. You can't live life worrying about the what if's is my opinion. I'm sure someone will take care of him if we miss the boat ))

 

[Stasia5]

Yes, we've left the kids on the ship. We usually all go together for an excursion then come back, drop the kids off and hubby and I go back into port to shop/walk around for maybe an hour. My kids would rather be on the ship and then I can shop without them complaining how bored they are.

The only time we left them on the ship for a long period of time was when we were at Mykonos, Greece and hubby and I took the ferry over to Delos. This is an island that has a lot of history, but absolutely no shade. It was hot and the sun brutal and while my hubby and I had a great time, my kids would have hated every minute of it. As others have said, it comes down to your comfort level.

 

[sabrecmc]

I would have no problem doing it, but I would suggest if you are going to be gone long, go on a Disney excursion. We were on a Rome excursion when the ship contacted the guide to get in touch with a couple who had a child onboard and there was some issue. No idea what, but Disney was able to find them. They must have gone back to the ship some other way b/c they weren't on our bus ride back. So, unless you are just sort of getting off to stroll around port for a short bit of time, I'd suggest using Disney for your port adventure (also the ship not leaving you thing).

 

[starousse]

Personally, I would not do so.

 

[belac]

FWIW, I would't do it either, because my comfort level isn't there and my DS (8) is an adventurer and a trooper and would feel left out if we went and did an excursion without him.

 

[PraisingHim]

lovymy3, you are taking your kids on a Disney Cruise! You are the coolest parent! My children are similar in age (DD7, DD4, and DS 3) and we will be boarding the Fantasy next month, Lord willing!!!
My DH and I do not get any alone time and we are planning on leaving the children on board while we walk around the islands. Did I mention that we do not get any alone time? Well, we do not leave our children with anyone really (we live far from family) and on top of that they are homeschooled. They are with us ALL day. This is our second cruise and on our first cruise, I would never even entertain the idea of leaving my daughters (DD 3 and 7 months at the time) on board while we tour the islands. We continue to sail with Disney because of the level of security and comfort we feel with the kids club. I respect and appreciate the love and attention given to the children. I know my children are safe, content, and enjoying special time with the surprise visits from characters. On our last cruise, I stopped by to check on my daughter in the nursery and I saw Princess Belle holding and comforting a toddler who was upset. It was just the cutest thing. After our April cruise, I seriously don't know when I will get to walk hand in hand with my DH again, enjoy a tropical drink, and just stare at each other. We plan on staying close to t he ship (no excursions or beach visits). We are just excited for some much needed mommy and daddy time while our children enjoy their time at the kids club for a couple of hours. We do plan on taking them to Castaway Cay. Do what works best for your family and have an amazing time!