As a mother to two young children, I can attest to the fact that traveling with kids isn’t easy. It comes with unique challenges and parents have to learn to pivot, roll with the punches, change plans on a dime and cope with any number of unexpected situations.
My husband and I took our two little ones on their first cruise last summer and it was an incredible experience for all. But it’s not for everyone. Take, for instance, Matt and Abby Howard, two influencers who recently shared a part of their cruise ship experience and unknowingly, sparked outrage across the Internet.
The Howards, from Arizona, were on a seven-day cruise with their two young children, ages one and two. The social media storm happened after Abby posted this on her Instagram Stories:
“So we ended up taking them for 5 nights and it became apparent that they weren’t enjoying it and therefore we weren’t either. So, THEN we switched our dinner time to AFTER their bedtime and FaceTIMED the monitors while we ate. And that worked out muchhhh better for everyone!”
The responses and outrage that the parents left their two very young children alone in a cruise ship cabin while they went to enjoy dinner came flooding in and the backlash was swift. It didn’t take them long to remove the post from social media.
Matt and Abby then posted a video saying that it was all a misunderstanding.
In the video, Matt says, “We usually would not be making a video like this, but there is information circulating about us that is completely untrue. So we just wanted to set the record straight, clear the air. Because we take our role as parents extremely seriously and we love our children more than anything in the entire world.”
He continues, “Abby posted on her Instagram story that we were at dinner facetiming the baby monitors while our children were asleep in their state rooms. And people started to speculate and believe that we had left our children alone in their state rooms. And that is just completely untrue because we had someone with our children at all times on this boat.”
@matt_and_abby♬ original sound – Matt & Abby
Despite the video explanation, many people feel that Matt and Abby are simply trying to backtrack now:
ComeSock: Why would u need to facetime if they werent alone? That makes no sense 😭
Star-Crossed Glass: Why would you FaceTime the monitors if someone was there? Wouldn’t that one person need the monitors between two rooms for the kids? No hate, genuine question. No assumptions
nicolestrait50: I think you’re great. I’m sorry for the backlash but WHY did you post it as a hack if someone was in the room? You never mentioned that originally.
In an interview with CNN, Matt Thiemann, a cruise specialist travel agent and CEO of Everbliss Vacations, says, “it is generally not safe for a child under eight to be left alone at home, and a cruise ship cabin is no different,” he said. “Parents might think it is a safe, locked space and while there are very strict procedures for accessing a cabin, there are cabin stewards, maintenance personnel and crew who can access the cabin. If it has a balcony there is greater risk of an accident or even becoming locked out on the balcony.”
Stewart Chiron, The Cruise Guy, concurs. “Even utilizing the latest technology, it’s never advisable to leave young kids alone, anywhere,” he says. “It’s the same thing as leaving your kids at home unattended or in a hotel unattended. You shouldn’t do it.”
So, what should this young couple have done instead of leaving their kids in the room alone so they could enjoy a nice dinner? Chiron acknowledges that it’s hard to say what truly happened in this particular situation, “but let’s say they left the kids alone for discussion’s sake. They should have hired a babysitter to watch the kids while they went out for the evening. Ship’s crews that qualify for these services are thoroughly vetted and experienced.”
While most cruise ships have a kids club, where kids can play and be engaged in a safe, supervised environment, if that’s not an option, parents can also hire a babysitter. According to Cruise Critic, “in addition to kids clubs that offer daytime and evening programming to keep kids, tweens and teens occupied, all major cruise lines offer babysitting as well.” Here, Cruise Critic breaks down all the babysitting and childcare option aboard all the major cruise lines.
While Abby surely regrets her social media post that caused this firestorm, Chiron says that “it’s a good conversation to have to highlight the dos and don’ts that seem pretty obvious to a parent but obviously to some, it’s just not.”
He says, “when it comes to kids and travel, you have to have the right mindset. You have to be prepared and understand that it’s not about you anymore. It’s about them and ensuring their safety and wellbeing. And it’s just unfortunate that some people lose sight of that. If the kid is choking on something and you’re not there to deal with it, in some of these life and death situations, you only have seconds.”
KEEP READING
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–One thing I wish I’d bought before going on a cruise
–A reader suggested this little-known cruise essential I never knew existed and she was spot-on
–Johnny Jet’s top 10 cruise tips
–12 things I learned from traveling to Europe this summer
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