Cruising with Tweens

Good afternoon everyone,

I have been on several cruises and this will by my kids 3rd cruise however it will be the first one where 2 of them will be in the Tween category. I have a 12, 11 and 9 year old all boy. The two older ones are very mature for their age, the baby well he is the baby need I say more? Anyway, we are going on our next cruise on June 9th on the Harmony of the Seas ship. My question is for those parents that may be more my style of parenting parents. I am wondering for those of you that have been on the cruise would you allow your 12 and 11 year roam around alone? We will have walki talkies? Any other information regarding this ship would be greatly appreciated.

On our second to last cruise, I let my 10, 10, and 12 year old go places without us, if they wanted to go somewhere else, they had to let us know, or come back to the cabin. At the time, they walked to school, rode their bikes around town, and went to lunch with friends (walking town, open lunch at school).

That makes me feel better :) Did you worry about the railings?? I have always been soooo scared to death that they will fall overboard lol sounds stupid. I KNOW they know better and seriously doubt they would even attempt but it is still a fear. How is RC railings?

Good afternoon everyone,

 

I have been on several cruises and this will by my kids 3rd cruise however it will be the first one where 2 of them will be in the Tween category. I have a 12, 11 and 9 year old all boy. The two older ones are very mature for their age, the baby well he is the baby need I say more? Anyway, we are going on our next cruise on June 9th on the Harmony of the Seas ship. My question is for those parents that may be more my style of parenting parents. I am wondering for those of you that have been on the cruise would you allow your 12 and 11 year roam around alone? We will have walki talkies? Any other information regarding this ship would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to cruise critic.

Your choice - just be aware that a cruise ship is no different than allowing them to walk around a small city. You could be talking over 6,000 passengers. Assuming you give them very specific instructions as to where to go and for how long, perhaps; but your phrase "roam" leads me to think you are meaning nonspecific plans.

Be aware that walkie talkies are not a good idea. They are a nuisance to other passengers and rarely work. Too much metal on ships - other than squawk they are not very useful.

Don't mean to sound negative, but have seen too many kids riding elevators, ringing suite doorbells and generally misbehaving.

You know your kids. If you feel they are mature enough to not bother other passengers and act appropriately then allow them to go specific places, e.g. going to sports court for an hour; pool for an hour; etc., and when to check in; not just roam around.

A tween or teenager in a small city with up to 6,000 strangers doesn't sound good. The kids may be on their best behavior but the adults may not. Just something to think about.

Welcome to cruise critic.

 

Your choice - just be aware that a cruise ship is no different than allowing them to walk around a small city. You could be talking over 6,000 passengers. Assuming you give them very specific instructions as to where to go and for how long, perhaps; but your phrase "roam" leads me to think you are meaning nonspecific plans.

 

Be aware that walkie talkies are not a good idea. They are a nuisance to other passengers and rarely work. Too much metal on ships - other than squawk they are not very useful.

 

Don't mean to sound negative, but have seen too many kids riding elevators, ringing suite doorbells and generally misbehaving.

 

You know your kids. If you feel they are mature enough to not bother other passengers and act appropriately then allow them to go specific places, e.g. going to sports court for an hour; pool for an hour; etc., and when to check in; not just roam around.

Ohh no my kids are taught from birth YOU DO NOT embarrass your last name. We have drilled that into their heads since birth. They are military brats and we very much run a military type home when it comes to respecting others and yourself. They are FAR from perfect but in public they know not to act like a fool. We used walkie-talkies on our last cruise with other family members and it worked AMAZING, maybe depends on brand?

A tween or teenager in a small city with up to 6,000 strangers doesn't sound good. The kids may be on their best behavior but the adults may not. Just something to think about.

Again, we are NOT helicopter parents. They ride their bikes to school, walk to school in a city MUCH MUCH MUCH larger. Can't keep them in a bubble just have to teach them about their surroundings.

Ohh no my kids are taught from birth YOU DO NOT embarrass your last name. We have drilled that into their heads since birth. They are military brats and we very much run a military type home when it comes to respecting others and yourself. They are FAR from perfect but in public they know not to act like a fool. We used walkie-talkies on our last cruise with other family members and it worked AMAZING, maybe depends on brand?

Cannot speak from personal use of walkie talkies, however, if you do a thread search you will find loads of information, usually negative. Numerous brands are often mentioned - you might get more information if you post in a separate thread. Also comments regarding laws for use, etc., regarding frequencies, etc. They are illegal on many Caribbean islands. Just trying to save you taking and being disappointed. Don't forget Harmony is a very big ship to cover.

Our daughter is not nearly old enough to go off on her own. But in the least with your children's ages (and for years to come) I would have the rule that they are NOT allowed in any rooms and even down passenger hallways. They can go from point A to point B alone and come back and check in before heading off somewhere else. But they cannot join other kids in their rooms, or roam the hallways (where they not only disturb others but could be persuaded into rooms to 'help' someone etc).

Start the first few days with small bits of freedom (running to the pop machine, going ahead of you to a certain place where you meet up and check on them etc and reward them with extended distances should they earn it. But just as quickly revoke the privileges when called for. Having a firm upbringing is a great start, they know what is expected of them. BUT you have little control over the peer group on a short trip and peer pressure can blur those lines.

I would allow my kids to come and go to SPECIFIC places for SPECIFIC reasons. Never did I allow them to "roam"...they had to have a reason to be elsewhere! When that activity was done, they would need to find me (I'd tell them where I'd be) before they could get permission to go to the next place. Repeat as needed.

Roaming is trouble waiting to happen. "Checking in" via walkie talkie or text tells you NOTHING about their condition. (And really...what kid wants to lug a walkie talkie around???) Have them PHYSICALLY check in with you.

Our daughter is not nearly old enough to go off on her own. But in the least with your children's ages (and for years to come) I would have the rule that they are NOT allowed in any rooms and even down passenger hallways. They can go from point A to point B alone and come back and check in before heading off somewhere else. But they cannot join other kids in their rooms, or roam the hallways (where they not only disturb others but could be persuaded into rooms to 'help' someone etc).

 

Start the first few days with small bits of freedom (running to the pop machine, going ahead of you to a certain place where you meet up and check on them etc and reward them with extended distances should they earn it. But just as quickly revoke the privileges when called for. Having a firm upbringing is a great start, they know what is expected of them. BUT you have little control over the peer group on a short trip and peer pressure can blur those lines.

Another rule we have is to always get a fresh drink anytime you sat it down to swim, play a game etc. Unless it has been changed in the last couple of years, at 12 your oldest would be considered a teen and can come and go from the teen area as the please. I was concerned about that when our daughter was only 12 when we were on the Allure but she followed the rules and we had no issues.

I've allowed my 11 year old freedom to move about the ship alone. He's a responsible kid that always does what's asked and he went to and from named locations. Our next cruise we'll have voom for the entire family allowing us to check in on our family group chat.

Basically, you know your kids and their responsibility level and work from that.

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I allow my oldest, 10 on our last cruise, to go to specific places on her own. She could go to Ocean Adventure, the arcade, and Windjammer. If she wanted to go anywhere else, we went together. She would always know exactly where I was so she could come find me if she needed to. She would also use the ship phones to call our cabin sometimes. (I can't remember if they had those on RCI or if it was our Princess cruise?) It also helped that my husband had a back injury and rarely left the cabin, so there was always an adult in a known location.

Our 8 year old is not nearly as responsible. He has been allowed to go to the arcade a couple times with big sister, but that is it. They had very strict instructions for behavior and how long they could stay.

The last time we cruised my daughter was 14. When we go this year my son will be 12. They are (were) allowed to do things without us but we had a very specific set of rules:

1. You are not to enter anyone's room.

2. You are not to allow anyone in our room.

3. If you are alone in the room, put the "do not disturb" card in the door, and remember to take it out when you leave.

4. You will leave us notes (I took post its) telling us where you will be.

5. You will always have breakfast and dinner with us.

6. You will not buy drinks for anyone.

7. You will not accept drinks from anyone.

8. You will not give anyone your SeaPass card.

9. You will return to the room by ship's curfew (I think it was midnight?)

10. You are not to leave the ship for any reason unless you are with us.

Breaking any of the rules resulted in her having to stick with us. We never had any problems. My kids are both sensible people who have a degree of freedom at home, but what people are saying is true: A ship is the size of a small town and you never know what can happen.