The very first time that you register your child with the clubs, you will be given a pager that you keep for the entire stay. It doesn't matter how many times you check them in and out, you keep the same pager until the last night of the cruise ( I think all pagers have to be returned around 11pm-12mn.) They did mention that you probably will not be able to receive pages if you go off the ship, but they do work on CC (while the kids and CM's are off the ship too). Our daughter was 6 when we went. She stayed in the clubs while in Nassau and we went ashore for about 1 1/2 hours. I did think about her alot, since I wouldn't be able to receive a page if something was wrong. When I got back on the ship, I peeked in on her and she was fine. On CC, she was in the club area ashore while DH and I were on the family beach for about 2-3 hours. After lunch, she had them page us because she wanted to be with us (my guess is that she wanted to go swimming). We got her and spent the rest of the day together. I totally understand your reservations about leaving the ship. maybe you can do it in short spurts, during activities that you're sure your child will be totally engrossed in while you're gone. Good luck.