Rules for Children

[debnjoe1438]

Ok, this may sound like a crazy question, however here goes. Does anyone here have "rules" for their children before taking a cruise? If so could you give me a "for instance".

 

My children were grown before I was ever brave enough to get on a cruise ship. Now that I have been on one (maybe 3) and love it, DH and I are planning on taking the kids and grandchildren on a cruise. My grandchildren range in age from 1yr to 10years and yes the idea of taking them on a ship scares me a little. (maybe alot :D) Therefore I'm thinking of making a do/don't do list for the grand children.

 

Thanks a bunch, any information is appreciated.

[cb at sea]

There is a list on here somewhere...but really, whatever "rules" of behavior you have at home should suffice on the ship.

 

Also...no going into anyone's cabin, and no one comes into YOUR cabin, unless you are present.

Have them check-in with you "physically" every so often....you should be able to see and touch them!!!

 

Don't know how old your kids are....these rules would apply to my kids if they were over 10 or so....under that, and they would NOT be running around the ship unaccompanied!

 

Only you know your kids, and what level of trust you have with them. If they make bad decisions at home, they will make bad decisions on the ship.

[CaribbeanH2OLover]

Our family went on a cruise a few years ago - all 15 of us. There were 8 adults and 7 children ages 2-15. We had a fabulous time! Each family did their own thing during the day and we would all meet up in the evening for dinner. We did one family excursion together. The great part about it was the older kids loved baby sitting the little ones in the cabin at night and making a little bit of extra spending money. We would take them to the library to get books and they would read and color with the little ones for just a few hours.

 

I think you should go for it! You will have great memories! :)

[crusinmama06]

Post #3 and Post #10 lays them ALL out for you. :D

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1199310

[debnjoe1438]

Post #3 and Post #10 lays them ALL out for you. :D

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1199310

 

Thank You :D

[Nebr.cruiser]

We took 7 grandkids ages 5-11 on a cruise last winter. I made up a 'cruise behavior' contract that they all had to read and sign. I can probably find it if you want.

 

Their behavior was really very good; we did not allow them to go around the ship by themselves except for very limited movement on the Lido and sports deck; such as getting ice cream, going to play BB.

 

There were just too many of them to have the ones old enough to sign themselves out of the club wandering around; what might be ok with a couple of kids was too hard to keep track of with 7!

[Wavesprite]

So I don't know how Gramma's rules or Grampa's rules are going to go over with parents (if they are there), but our rules are:

 

1. No standing on chairs on the balcony.

2. No being on balcony by yourself

3. No one is allowed in our room, you aren't allowed in anyone elses room (this was for our 9 year old that went on scavenger hunts with Camp on their own, he was not allowed to roam and be by himself otherwise).

4. No splash fights in the pool.

5. no diving in the pool.

6. You must have ice cream for 3 meals a day (hehe, that wasn't a rule, but somehow they ended up achieving it!)

[debnjoe1438]

So I don't know how Gramma's rules or Grampa's rules are going to go over with parents (if they are there), but our rules are:

 

1. No standing on chairs on the balcony.

2. No being on balcony by yourself

3. No one is allowed in our room, you aren't allowed in anyone elses room (this was for our 9 year old that went on scavenger hunts with Camp on their own, he was not allowed to roam and be by himself otherwise).

4. No splash fights in the pool.

5. no diving in the pool.

6. You must have ice cream for 3 meals a day (hehe, that wasn't a rule, but somehow they ended up achieving it!)

 

Thank you. #1 was my very first thought

[debnjoe1438]

We took 7 grandkids ages 5-11 on a cruise last winter. I made up a 'cruise behavior' contract that they all had to read and sign. I can probably find it if you want.

 

Their behavior was really very good; we did not allow them to go around the ship by themselves except for very limited movement on the Lido and sports deck; such as getting ice cream, going to play BB.

 

There were just too many of them to have the ones old enough to sign themselves out of the club wandering around; what might be ok with a couple of kids was too hard to keep track of with 7!

 

If you find it, that would be lovely:D Thanks

[ginjer2911]

My kids are fairly young...ages 5 & 3 when we went on our first cruise. We had a balcony room and our number one rule was that they could not be on the balcony by themselves. We put the fear of drowning in them before we left and told them that if they run and slip they could fall of the ship (not true, of course). But they were really well behaved on the open decks and never ran or climbed up on anything. We are going on another cruise next spring and my kids still remember the not being by themselves on the balcony rule.

 

Since my kids are young they are either with us or at Camp Carnival. I still don't think that I would let them roam the ship even when they are old enough to check themselves out. Too many problems that can come of unsupervised kids.

[Nebr.cruiser]

If you find it, that would be lovely:D Thanks

 

I just tried to attach the file, but when I opened it it had an error message--file not found. I'll see if I can figure it out for you, but the contract probably has some of the same ideas others have listed here. You might have to personalize it according to the ages/personalities of your kids.

[nothriver]

Here are a couple "cruise contract" or "rules" lists I found a couple years ago when I took my teen on his first cruise, hope this helps! I'm not sure if I edited these for my own child, if so, please disregard, but all credit for compiling the lists goes to whomover I "lifted" these from back in '08 or '09!:

 

-Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

-Try to stay in public areas-Don’t be on cabin only decks unless it is our deck.

-Don’t loiter on deserted exterior decks after hours, pool deck, etc.

-Safety in numbers, try to be with someone when wandering the ship

-Never accept any kind of drink from someone even if you think you know them. Best to carry mug with lid so nobody can slip something into your soda.

-NO drinking alcohol of any kind, you need to be aware and alert at all times!!!

-Do not go in someone’s cabin unless we know about it

-Do not invite others into your cabin unless we know about it

-Lock up valuables in the safe (i-pods, cell phones etc)

-Follow rules on spending limits on sail&sign card

-If someone threatens you, immediately let us know or notify nearest ship crew.

-Follow curfew we set for each night – likely based on days activity/schedule

-Leave a note of where you are going if we don’t know where you are.

-If anyone including a crew member says come with me, don't go. Find a way to contact me before going. (crew member could be a bad person).

 

There were more such as don't climb railings, don't spit over rail or throw objects off the boat etc but these were the main ones for safety.

 

 

 

#1 Meet us for breakfast (we agree on a time the night before)

#2 Stay together OR else you have to let us know exactly WHO you are with. (I don't expect them to be tied at the hip at home so I don't expect it on the ship either) Absolutely no going in anyone's room and no one in your room.

#3 Absolutely NO loud, wild behaviour - respect everyone and remember everyone on the ship is on vacation and we ALL want to have a good time. If you want to be wild and crazy, be appropriately so in the teen centre!!!

#4 Meet us for supper, dressed properly

#5 Come with us to all excursions in port (we bring them back to the ship if they don't want to 'shop or browse around town' afterward)

#6 Be in your room by 2 - we do check to be sure!

[nothriver]

We did take a small dry erase board to post our whereabouts and estimeated return time for parents AND kids so we could find each other if needed.

[nana of 3]

Bump :)

[capriciousc]

We basically have the same rules on ship that we utilize in any public place (our daughter is 7 and is therefore not allowed out of eyesight range, unless she's in the supervised kids' program):

 

* If you can't see me, I can't see you. Stay within eyesight.

* DO NOT go to the bathroom alone (public restroom) - find a trusted adult to take you (family member, not an employee).

* No running in any area where running is not specifically allowed (which would basically mean anywhere on ship, as she's not going to hit the jogging track).

* Do not share personal information with anyone (exception would be kids' program staff). You may only give your first name, not last name, where you live, where you attend school, etc.

* Do not go anywhere with anyone for any reason unless you have previously been given permission by a parent/grandparent/family member.

* If someone makes you uncomfortable, find a family member immediately.

* If someone tries to make you go somewhere with them, yell out "This is not my mom!" or "This is not my dad!" as loud as you can.

 

That last one might seem a bit paranoid, but we had a neighbor whose child was abducted, so now I'm extra vigilant.

 

We also enforce the "no going out on the balcony alone" rule.

[elmom]

I try to keep rules down to about 4 or 5, no matter the age. Older kids get rules + subsections. The little one's get just basics. We didnt get a balcony because we have a monkey. BUt I think the only one that will be different then at home will be no climbing on anything...ever. Ok, they can climb on the beds in our rooms. We will see.

[seah2o]

I use the same rules for my son (11 yr old). He just began signing in and out of camp. We use walkie talkies for communications. If he signs out of camp, he will let them know where he is headed. He must stay off the railings and stay alert in the hallways. If he goes into the room, look around before entering and lock the door. Especially, if alone.

 

I will give him more freedom if he makes a friend and they travel about together. He can not swim very well so he stays away from the pool and can play at the water works without me.

 

He has done very well with the rules and can't wait for our cruises in Feb and March.

[lman2b]

I absolutely agree with the no going alone or standing on chairs on the balcony rule.

 

We did not allow more than one child at a time up on the top bunk bed in case the boat rocked. They always seem to try to wrestle and get rowdy and I didn't need to be worried about them doing it up that high.

 

I don't have time to read all responses so forgive me if I am repetitive.

 

We had a rule of "NO ELEVATORS." We took the stairs the entire trip. Not only was it much faster it seemed, but very good exercise. Yes, we did get hassled by the kids b/c they wanted to take the elevator, but it was a rule and they had to do it. Only one time did I allow the elevator when they were in their little dress-up shoes for pictures (and me in heels) and my husband took them once to ride on the glass door elevator to check it all out.

 

I've been trying to teach my kids to take the stairs whenever they can. I wasn't taught that and have to remind myself constantly, but I would rather they grow up with that as their first choice.

 

It was a great rule for our family and we were very glad we enforced it! You will be amazed at how great the exercise is for all of you when you take that many stairs! And the kids often loved racing us up the stairs and it became a game.

 

Also, my kids had to behave and be ready for pictures. It was a bummer to wait in line, but it was important for us beforehand to have family pictures and we purchased the package where we took as many as we could. I wouldn't want to do this every cruise as it really is quite a hassle to try to be dressed up and ready at all of the picture times that work for you, but going into our cruise it was a priority. So they were not allowed to whine and complain about it ... well not too much :)

[raptorkk13]

We have cruised many times, and the only complaint we really see from time to time is about unsupervised kids being rowdy, in adult only areas, etc. Even had to have a supervisor get a bunch of teenagers out of a spa treatment room. Refused to leave when attendant ask, so had to get a male supervisor. These are exceptions, but as one person stated, everyone else is on vacation too, and your right to have a good time ends when it interferes with someone elses right to have a good time. The ship is NOT a giant babysitter for kids old enough to not have to be within their parents sight at all times. Crying infants at the dinner hour is another thing I beleive parents should try to avoid as much as possible or leave the room til they quiet down. So my advise, just make sure they have fun, but be respectful of others.

[djmess]

I think the rules that everyone has stated cover everything I can think of.

 

I have an 8 y/o son who has cruised many many times. He is always under our supervision or kids clubs. The one exception and the freedom I give him is; he likes to use the stairs while we might be in the elevator. In other words, he races us, Up or down a couple flights of stairs. He enjoys that little freedom and I don't mind giving that little bit.

 

When he is old enough for sign out, I will get the walkie talkies. I think they are a nice cruise accessory for the appropriate age (whatever that may be for you and your family) and keeping in contact

[Naomi John]

Suggestion for the 9+ children.

 

One thing I have always enforced on cruises with my child it the Buddy System. Never be less than two or alone.

 

This does come with a condition: We have to meet your "buddy", and their parents. This usually is not hard to do.

 

Once, almost every child my child wished to be with, their family were all around the slide area, (go figure). It was as if we were all in the same neighborhood, "Did the kids check in with you?", "yeah, they all went for ice cream and I told them to come right back".

[Athankfulheart]

We took our children ( 8 of them ranging from preborn - 13) on a Hawaian cruise and had many of the same rules that have been mentioned. Our children had been fairly well traveled by then but we realized that they hadnt eaten very often in higher end establishments. Since we knew that we would be dining in specialty restaurants, we knew that we needed to bring them up to speed on table manners. I would recommend " Table Manners for Everyday Use" very fun video - sometimes goofy but my children still remember them to this day.

[MYRN1]

So I don't know how Gramma's rules or Grampa's rules are going to go over with parents (if they are there), but our rules are:

 

1. No standing on chairs on the balcony.

2. No being on balcony by yourself

3. No one is allowed in our room, you aren't allowed in anyone elses room (this was for our 9 year old that went on scavenger hunts with Camp on their own, he was not allowed to roam and be by himself otherwise).

4. No splash fights in the pool.

5. no diving in the pool.

6. You must have ice cream for 3 meals a day (hehe, that wasn't a rule, but somehow they ended up achieving it!)

 

I think these are extremely reasonable, not sure which you thought would rile up parents ?! I was expecting some very nit-picky list with your warning.