Help with communications with teens

Hi. Were cruising with 2 teens for the first time with them. We don't want to pay for data from either the ship or T-Mobile. What's the best way to get in touch with the kids while on the boat? Are walkie talkies a good idea? Please help, thanks.

Used walkie's before, the kids don't always have them handy. Some Carnival Ships have a social media package, I think around $5.00 a day per phone where you can go on airplane mode, and use Facebook messenger, twitter DM's, etc.

We also keep a dry erase board inside cabin door to leave notes of where we will be.

I felt the best way is to give them a time and place to meet. Talk about what they plan to do, and set a curfew.

We make loose plans each night at dinner.

We use post-it notes left in the cabin to indicate a change in plans. We also know the general vicinity where everyone will be and can easily find each other.

Youngest I've taken was 15. We've never had a problem.

Thanks guys.....we dont want any phone plans at all, they live on their phones....phone free trip!! I like no walkie talkies either.... But worried what if they want us? They're 13 and 14.

You can download the Carnival HUB app to their phones and use the Chat feature (only works between people on the ship so no Facebook, email, any other social media, etc) without buying an internet plan (I think). It's $5/person for the whole cruise. The HUB app itself is free. They will be able to keep in touch with you and each other but they won't be able to go online or on social media.

You can download the Carnival HUB app to their phones and use the Chat feature (only works between people on the ship so no Facebook, email, any other social media, etc) without buying an internet plan (I think). It's $5/person for the whole cruise. The HUB app itself is free. They will be able to keep in touch with you and each other but they won't be able to go online or on social media.

Awesome thank you!

Thanks guys.....we dont want any phone plans at all, they live on their phones....phone free trip!! I like no walkie talkies either.... But worried what if they want us? They're 13 and 14.

I hate to say this, but they probably won't want you. My teen has been cruising since age 6. Our last cruise I think she avoided the areas she would most likely find us. LOL

Make sure they sign up for and go to the Circle C meet and greet the first night. In my signature, I think Magic 2014, I have a Circle C activities schedule. These don't change much over time or ships.

In all seriousness, communication is the key, let them know your plans for the day. Make sure they know the lay out of the ship, where things are. Discuss your plans for the day and where you will most likely be. Set time and place to meet throughout the day.

Post it notes and/or magnetic dry erase board in your cabin is a safe bet. I know it's a pain to return to your cabin, but it's the best way to communicate. Worst case is they can go to guest services to have you paged, and vice versa.

You can download the Carnival HUB app to their phones and use the Chat feature (only works between people on the ship so no Facebook, email, any other social media, etc) without buying an internet plan (I think). It's $5/person for the whole cruise. The HUB app itself is free. They will be able to keep in touch with you and each other but they won't be able to go online or on social media.

Do all the ships have the HUB now? That is great if they do!!

Thanks guys.....we dont want any phone plans at all, they live on their phones....phone free trip!! I like no walkie talkies either.... But worried what if they want us? They're 13 and 14.

Tell them the places you're likely to be and they can find you. The ship isn't so big and it's really quite easy to locate each other. At least we've never had a problem.

One of my three rules is never go to anyone else's cabin or even accompany them down the hallway. So we are all always in a public area.

You TELL them where to be and at what time. Easy peasy.

We use the Hub app. It worked great with out son. We also had a set time of when to be back at the cabin to get ready for dinner. It also has the funtimes and I understand menus have been added.

Used the HUB app in February with our 12 and 14 year olds. It was fantastic!

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Do all the ships have the HUB now? That is great if they do!!

According to the web site the Hub App works on all ships.

Thank you all Hub seems they way to go.

Thank you all Hub seems they way to go.

The Hub app is definitely the way to go. Go ahead and download it now. It will give you a countdown for your cruise and once you get on-board you can see menus & pictures (some ships). Your Fun Times will also be on the Hub App so you don't have to carry around some piece of paper. You also chat with one another via the app ($5 per device for the duration of your cruise). You can also see your account information on it as well. We use it and it's a way to check on our 12 year old if needed.

We used it on our recent cruise on the Sunshine, well worth it and was great.

Awesome thank you!

You're more than welcome, have a great cruise!!!! :D

Do all the ships have the HUB now? That is great if they do!!

Yup, they sure do (as far as I know anyway)!!!! :D

Thank you all Hub seems they way to go.

That's the inexpensive way to address your need. But your teens still needs to be conscious in using them when you communicate.

We haven't sailed, yet, but we have a plan. I got a magnetic backed small white board at Dollar General for 1$, & post its. We plan to write on the board where & when to meet for lunch & dinner.

Any other communication will be via post it's.

Like, Mom, Casino, 3:30. That way if they need us, they'll kinda know where we are. We expect them to leave us post it's too. I'll have the hub app on my phone as well as my teen. My youngest doesn't have a phone. We'll read the daily & let them decide what their plans are. That way we'll all kinda know what the other is doing.

They don't want me finding them somewhere they aren't supposed to be, or I'll have a permanent side kick the remaining vac. Hopefully they'll follow the rules, we'll all 4 have a great vac. together & apart.

We already have said No! To visiting someone else's cabin or them bringing guest to ours. The exception will be, if we met their parents & the adults mutually consent. I sure don't want to get in a mess of having someone's child not be where they're supposed to be.

I have 17 year old twin boys who have been cruising with us since they were 11. We cruise once sometimes twice a year.

We take the phones as soon as the ship leaves port!

We have a no phones on vacation rule. Mine is used for an alarm clock only.

We use post it notes on the mirror in the room and set a time to meet face to face twice a day. 11am and 5pm on sea days, port days they are with us.

curfews are set based on activities and we eat together every night unless there is something special going on in the camp.

we often end up running into each other several times a day anyway.

Hi. Were cruising with 2 teens for the first time with them. We don't want to pay for data from either the ship or T-Mobile. What's the best way to get in touch with the kids while on the boat? Are walkie talkies a good idea? Please help, thanks.

Just a question. How did you parents communicate with you. Based on the age of your kids, I would say you are between 33 and 40. My parents would tell me what time to be home, and I would show up. When my kids were 13-15, they did not have phones either. We communicated instructions by person to person interaction. On the ships, we had rules, and times expected to meet. Also, the ships really only have so many places they can be. You tell them where you most likely be during the day, and let them find you if they need you. There is also this thing called a watch, they can wear. It is quite helpful for keeping times and appointed meeting times.

At age 13 - 15, they are old enough to follow directions, and rules. If they fail, then just restrict them the next day.

$5 per person to use the hub app for messaging. We found it to be hit & miss as far as whether our friends got the messages in a timely manner. From what I've read, it seems you have to keep the app open to know if you have a message. We have also used walkie talkies, but they are bulky and if you are in a noisy area, you may not hear the signal anyway. They worked great in port, though, when the men did one excursion & the women did a different one. We were able to find each other afterward easily enough.

Just a question. How did you parents communicate with you. Based on the age of your kids, I would say you are between 33 and 40. My parents would tell me what time to be home, and I would show up. When my kids were 13-15, they did not have phones either. We communicated instructions by person to person interaction. On the ships, we had rules, and times expected to meet. Also, the ships really only have so many places they can be. You tell them where you most likely be during the day, and let them find you if they need you. There is also this thing called a watch, they can wear. It is quite helpful for keeping times and appointed meeting times.

 

At age 13 - 15, they are old enough to follow directions, and rules. If they fail, then just restrict them the next day.

As a 57 year old I get your point, but this is not the world we live in anymore. Expectations are different, and neither you nor I can say for sure that our parents wouldn't have done this if they could, because they couldn't. I mean, we watched the evening news on tv instead of gathering around the radio.

We used the hub app on our last cruise, and my son and his girl friend are 24, and live 7 hours from is, so we are not exactly helicopter parents. My favorite use, assistance with trivia, while they layed out by the pool. Try doing that with post it notes.

You can absolutely still just set rules, but if this is available and in your budget, why not use it?

When I was a kid, my parents didn't log on to a website and exchange thoughts on cruising either, they just talked to with their friends and neighbors. We all seem to have accepted this technology, why can't we accept a better way to keep in touch on the ship?

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Thanks Domino I'm the original poster 54 yrs old....well said.

As a 57 year old I get your point, but this is not the world we live in anymore. Expectations are different, and neither you nor I can say for sure that our parents wouldn't have done this if they could, because they couldn't. I mean, we watched the evening news on tv instead of gathering around the radio.

 

We used the hub app on our last cruise, and my son and his girl friend are 24, and live 7 hours from is, so we are not exactly helicopter parents. My favorite use, assistance with trivia, while they layed out by the pool. Try doing that with post it notes.

 

You can absolutely still just set rules, but if this is available and in your budget, why not use it?

 

When I was a kid, my parents didn't log on to a website and exchange thoughts on cruising either, they just talked to with their friends and neighbors. We all seem to have accepted this technology, why can't we accept a better way to keep in touch on the ship?

 

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Although I agree on some points, these "kids" grow up to adults, that have issues with communications in person to person environments. Learning to be disconnected and using actual person to person communicated directions are extremely helpful at times.

I'm pretty sure, my parents wouldn't have given us all phones. But we did all have a watch. LOL, LMAO, BTW etc.