Daily spending limits for teens

[Merion_Mom]

Ladies, Ladies,

Ace is my daughter... She was joking about the spending. She knows what limits I set for her on a cruise and adheres to them. I am glad she is my daughter and not yours to be honest. She is a Gifted and Talented child who is starting college this year at the age of 16. She is a wonderful daughter. You would be lucky to have a child like her.

I know the written word sometimes does not come across the way it is intended but I really think sometimes people are too easy to judge without knowing the entire story.

Lighten up

My daughter and I love cruising, we do at least two a year sometimes three.

 

You think? :rolleyes:

[Familygoboston]

My girls were discussing this thread with me... 16 and 14. They don't do video arcade or soda, so I think they wont cost me a lot!! Maybe a virgin frozen drink on pool days, and some Ben and Jerrys if there is one on Jewel.

I agree with Ace, I spend very little on board, so my kids are likely to spend little on board.!

Also, seems like as parents, as soon as we say, " my kids would never..." then oops!:o. It's like jinxing- I just don't say it and so far so good. :D

[mdd3145]

On our next cruise my son will be 21 and able to drink. This could really be an expensive trip and I would love to put a limit on his card. I am going to check if that is possible as soon as we board the ship. Never had a problem with him spending much before but I think that has changed.

[meandmaboy]

Hi,

I searched but couldn't find an answer to this question.

 

If you use a credit card for a teen's onboard expenses, can you tell them at checkin to put a daily spending limit on the seapass card that stops the charges? For example, let them spend up to $25 dollars a day and once they reach that limit they are refused charging until the next day. Then they will get another $25.

 

Has anyone done this?

 

I have searched and can't seem to find an answer.

 

Thanks, Laurie

 

I had the same dilemna last year with my teenage son (16) we went along to guest relations & they stated that although it was going to be charged to my cc I could put a limit on his arcade spending.

I didn't much to my regret as he had a soda card & told me he would'nt be going to the arcade I must have been having a senior moment or two, as a result I didn't put a limit on his spending.

The result was that he did go to the arcade & did get a taste for it, he even had the cheek to insist that he hadn;t spent the amount debited to my card.

Another visit to guest relations & they produced a print out of the machines he used & the times he played them.

I think the lesson learned for me was that I'd put a limit on for him the next time.

 

This was on Adventure Of The Seas in Europe last year.

[emtb12]

As far as the arcade goes, you can put a cash balance on their card.

[bplazo]

On our next cruise my son will be 21 and able to drink. This could really be an expensive trip and I would love to put a limit on his card. I am going to check if that is possible as soon as we board the ship. Never had a problem with him spending much before but I think that has changed.

 

At 21 shouldn't he have control of his own card? He is cosidered an adult at that age.

[Familygoboston]

At 21 shouldn't he have control of his own card? He is cosidered an adult at that age.

 

Could be time to help him get one of those pre loaded debit cards and use that for his seapass? They are common for college age kids anyway. Kids use them for books or emergencies. Gives them a taste of using a card and using discipline;)

This is the perfect time to get one and pre load with whatever generous amount you are willing to share with your adult son, and have him match it with his own funds. Once it's gone...it's gone! I know when we travel, my girls have their own money and they are much more careful about what they spend. Oftentimes dad and I will match or contribute towards something, but having a stake in it makes them so much more careful!

[Merion_Mom]

On our next cruise my son will be 21 and able to drink. This could really be an expensive trip and I would love to put a limit on his card. I am going to check if that is possible as soon as we board the ship. Never had a problem with him spending much before but I think that has changed.

 

When my offspring hit legal drinking age, their SeaPass bills became their responsibility.

[rjmols]

It is really up to you and what works well for your family. My son never felt the need to spend a lot on board. He was happy with going to the WJ or Cafe Promenade. He has never been an arcade kid, he used the free gaming systems in the Living room, the foosball table, ping pong and everything on the sports court.

 

If he needed to buy something within reason, we would have been okay with it, he just never wanted to. He usually spent less than $20 in extras for the whole week.

 

Do what works best for your family. If it is $20 per day per kid, go for it! If it is no extras, that works too. We all need to do what works best for us.:)

 

Thanks for the advice, I didn't realise they had foosball and ping pong, he just loves that, that will keep him busy:D What free gaming systems do they have in the Living Room?

[reallyitsmema]

Thanks for the advice, I didn't realise they had foosball and ping pong, he just loves that, that will keep him busy:D What free gaming systems do they have in the Living Room?

They have either PS3 or Wii. Not sure of the games as they change. There are computers in the Living Room too with reduced rate internet access but still expensive and adds us quickly so my son stayed away from those too.

 

They run foosball and ping pong tournaments during the week so have him keep an eye out for those on the teen compass. There were also volleyball, dodge ball and basketball tournaments on the sports court. Some are just for teens and then there are some for adults. My son usually was able to play in both the teen tourneys and the adult tourneys since they allowed the older teens in the adult tourneys but that may ary by ship.

[mdd3145]

Yes, I am thinking at the end of the week he will be giving me the money for whatever he spent. We have not had any problems with money on our past cruises but I know how quick the bar bill can get out of hand.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We travel (car trips) with grandchildren quite often and have found it much better to give each child a certain amount per day/trip to spend, let them spend it how they like with the knowledge that when it's gone it's gone.

 

For instance, on a long one day drive to Montana to see their cousins, they each get $5 to spend for snacks, etc. along the way. We pay for regular meals, or, rather, have sandwiches and such along.

 

Suddenly, they become quite the little misers and responsible spenders when it's not Grandma or Grandpa shelling out the cash at each quick stop or tourist stop! Often they have money left over. (This does take some counseling at times, like convincing someone not to spend the whole $5 on a cheap souvineer or a bag of beef jerky, for example; young kids have little concept of money.)

 

We did take them on a cruise in January, but they had no charging privileges on the ship. They were younger however, oldest 11. IMO there was so much free to do or eat they didn't need anything else, and we were paying for the trip after all.

 

About the only thing they would have liked to do was play in the arcade, but with seven kids that would have added up very quickly!

 

They did have spending money for the ports from their parents; some of them didn't even spend it all.

[Happy ks]

When my kids were younger and cruised with us, we did things a little differently. Instead of giving them a daily allowance onboard, they earned in advance what they wanted for spending money.

 

I checked the balances daily and like Nebr.cruiser above, found their spending habits were curbed since they knew they were responsible and had a limit. My son actually survived a whole week without video games and still had fun.

 

A couple months before the cruise, I'd give them a list of extra chores, other than what was already expected of them, with a $ amount for each. Not only did we get a lot more done at home, the chores were done with a lot better attitude than normal.

 

Kind of old fashioned, huh :)??

 

The real answer to the OP's question is that no, the ship will not police your childs spending for you. I suppose if you took them off the credit card and used a cash account for them, that would work.

[rjmols]

They have either PS3 or Wii. Not sure of the games as they change. There are computers in the Living Room too with reduced rate internet access but still expensive and adds us quickly so my son stayed away from those too.

 

They run foosball and ping pong tournaments during the week so have him keep an eye out for those on the teen compass. There were also volleyball, dodge ball and basketball tournaments on the sports court. Some are just for teens and then there are some for adults. My son usually was able to play in both the teen tourneys and the adult tourneys since they allowed the older teens in the adult tourneys but that may ary by ship.

 

Seems like they'll be more than enough for them to do without having to spend money in the arcade and probably have much more fun in group sporting activities:) Didn't realise there was a teen only compass - how great is that - will have to try and find one on cc. Thanks:)

[reallyitsmema]

Seems like they'll be more than enough for them to do without having to spend money in the arcade and probably have much more fun in group sporting activities:) Didn't realise there was a teen only compass - how great is that - will have to try and find one on cc. Thanks:)

Yes, there is a compass for each of the kids groups. Here is a link to a bunch of them that cruisinmama06 has collected over the years. It will give you an idea of the activities that are offered.

 

http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb196/cruisinmama06/

 

Your cabin steward should leave one every night on your bed for each of the kids, if they don't just ask. You can also get them at guest relations.

[mp466]

My boys are 13 & 15. On our last cruise, I gave them a $20 avg. per day limit. They could choose how to spend it during the 7 days as long as the total didn't go over $140. The 13 year old spent the $140 without going over. The 15 year old, only spent $80 for the week and asked for the balance.

[traveling1969]

I think that Ace is an ace and her post was well reasoned. Yes, parents must be the ultimate arbiters but respectful input is certainly appropriate. I saw nothing flip or disrespectful in any of her posts and her comment about mom's slot play was spot on. I'd be willing to bet that ace has a job and her own money to spend. Her comments were in response to the OP and some of you folks need to lighten up.

[spongecakenibbler]

I think that Ace is an ace and her post was well reasoned. Yes, parents must be the ultimate arbiters but respectful input is certainly appropriate. I saw nothing flip or disrespectful in any of her posts and her comment about mom's slot play was spot on. I'd be willing to bet that ace has a job and her own money to spend. Her comments were in response to the OP and some of you folks need to lighten up.

 

I completely agree. I think the post may have been misinterpreted by some who are quick to assume that teenagers are inherently flippant. She seems articulate and thoughtful to me. I appreciated her input. Not only that, she handled the replies with tact and humility. I probably wouldn't have been so apologetic. :D

 

As for daily spending allowances, I disagree. There is hardly a better way to teach a child about finances than to require them to pay for their own charges and do their own daily budgeting. Let them earn their money beforehand and then use their own cash for the Seapass account. At the end of the cruise, you go to Guest Relations to settle up your cash account. You either get back what you didn't use or you shell out the extra bucks that were charged.

 

I think a 21-year old should be in charge of their own Seapass account. If you'd like to pay for a few things for them, then by all means, give them some cash before or after. They should have a credit card, or at least a debit card, in their name by that point in time. If they're of age to drink, they're of age to pay for and monitor their drinks.

 

Lastly, I think you'd be surprised by how quickly onboard purchases can add up for teens and children. Johnny Rockets, a couple of souvenirs (t-shirt, photo album), some pictures from the photo gallery, some ice cream here and there, and a couple of arcade games. I think $20-25 a day is more than enoguh. I'm 23 and I only plan to spend that much a day on my upcoming cruise, drinks included!

[yummymummy99]

You can add actual cash to kids sea pass cards in the arcade or at guest reception. My 2 are younger but they don't have charging rights! Sounds mean but I really don't think they need them! They have the soda package and if they want Ben and Jerry's or cupcake it's not a problem but at least we know!

 

We met a family whom were not happy as their daughter had spent $50 without realising! Easy done I think when you only 11 or so!

 

My 2 have their 'holiday' money but it's spent mainly on tourist stuff on shore - or this yr it was the Florida mall pre cruise!

 

I think $20 is a lot when they can eat for nothing and have a soda package!

[yummymummy99]

I hope that by the time my kids are 18 (let alone 21!!!!) that they have plenty of their own spending money from part time jobs and they will definately be in charge of their own sea pass cards!:p

[Tiggertastic]

My son gets a soda card

 

He also has an agreement of a certain amount for the arcade to cover the entire cruise and when it is spent its gone.

 

He never wants anything else, I offer to buy things and he turns it down.

 

Lucky me!

[thshhh]

My son, now 15, is spending less $$ the older he gets. In the past we put a $50 limit on a 7day cruise. Now we just have an agreement if he wants anything that costs more than a few dollars , he asks before he buys. Our last cruise, he was 14, he might have spent $10-15. We always purchase the soda card for him. He is happy to just hang out with other teens.

[lrn2cruise]

My little guy, 11 yrs is crushing soda cans to earn arcade money for the cruise. We will match his amount and his Grandparents will too. The reason that we are having him "earn" some money is so that he can have some control over the whole money issue on how much he can spend.

We are actually going to be selling some of his old toys on Ebay too and he will get cash from that also. We will still monitor him with the cash that he keeps some responsibilities.

 

Not sure about how much at the arcade until we get there and see how many cool games there are. My DH is a big kid and will be right there with my DS!

[Familygoboston]

My little guy, 11 yrs is crushing soda cans to earn arcade money for the cruise. We will match his amount and his Grandparents will too. The reason that we are having him "earn" some money is so that he can have some control over the whole money issue on how much he can spend.

We are actually going to be selling some of his old toys on Ebay too and he will get cash from that also. We will still monitor him with the cash that he keeps some responsibilities.

 

Not sure about how much at the arcade until we get there and see how many cool games there are. My DH is a big kid and will be right there with my DS!

Is Dad crushing cans too HEE HEE:D? I agree with this strategy, my girls always do chores or jobs to earn their trip spending $$ and then their grandmother and we do some matching. This always results in them being in charge of their own spending, and being very judicious about what they buy/do!

We travel a lot internationaly and another thing we talked about, was the idea that souveniers should be something made locally, and/or something that is very representative of the place they are visiting. Over the years they have often pass on something that they could get anywhere.

[fairymum]

I hope that by the time my kids are 18 (let alone 21!!!!) that they have plenty of their own spending money from part time jobs and they will definately be in charge of their own sea pass cards!:p

 

My sons are 17 and 19 and both have part time jobs, I've bought them a soda card but as for daily spending that's there problem not mine I paid for the holiday already if they want to waste money in arcades there not wasting mine :D