Anyone every had this problem?

[SeaBaby]

Maybe this was mentioned and I missed it, but on Jewel last month the internet stations require you to re-swipe your card after 30 minutes or else the connection is automatically terminated. If this is the practice on other ships, then the 9-yr old could not have wandered away leaving the connection running for more than 30 minutes. Did she lend her card to other children? Could it be an accounting error?

 

Suzanne

[terri23]

I certainly do not think that a 9-year-old would have to have learning disabilities in order to be confused over which items were included and which would incur extra cost. In fact on various cruises I have run into adults who were confused about some of these things.

....

I think you guys are expecting a lot from a 9-year-old child. I've raised three kids, they all graduated high-school in the usual number of years and have gone on to University or College ( I mention this just to indicate that I think they are of average intelligence at least) but I would not have been surprised if any of them at 9 years old were confused about charges on a cruise ship.

.....

I just think that being on a cruise especially for a kid things can be very confusing.

 

If it's all so darn CONFUSING, perhaps a parent should be around to provide some guidance!!

[Grayce]

In my opinion, I feel that this post has benefit in informing other parents about this problem. However, since I don't cruise with children that is not what I found most interesting about this post. What surprises me is that anyone, in this day and age, thinks that it is ok to allow a child to roam unattended on a cruise ship! Most parents are responding with appreciation for notification about the cards. I just hope that they don't feel that the ship is an entirely safe environment for unattended children.

 

I certainly don't intend to allow my 8 year old to sign himself in and out of the kids program. Kids definately shouldn't be roaming the ship unsupervised. I think that goes without saying, that's why I never mentioned it in my post where I thanked the OP for the "heads up". I had no idea that he could charge internet time while in the kids program.

[Iamthesea]

I didn't take the time to read all of the post because most were the same old -her fault/RCCL fault argument. :rolleyes:

 

To the OP, did you know ahead of time that these types of temptations existed and did you warn your daughter that they cost money?

 

I do think this was a VERY good lesson for this child and some punishment is well deserved, but I also find fault with the cruiseline. #1 - They should not have granted charging "privies" on said card. #2 - IMO, the cruiselines take advantage of kids by offering these "games" and internet access.

 

I can see fault with both and not just blaming the parent for not monitoring their child more closely. Who knows what the child thought...whether she knew she was being charged for everything or if she just thought she needed to swipe her card to be able to do/use everything.

 

Could it be an accounting error?

We always check our account balance, daily. In all our cruises, we have only found one small mistake.

 

Now, having said that, do I have a doozy story!

 

I do not check our grocery receipts very well, unless something just stands out. I bought several grocery items for a party we were having with 7 other couples, along with some personal groceries. The bill was around $150. Not out of line with what I normally spend at the store per trip. Not until I was marking off the party items (so that I could turn in a receipt) did I notice a charge for one (1) cantaloupe that I bought for our dinner. It was $23.87! :eek: The clerk mistakenly pressed the numbers 1 and 2, making it 12 cantaloupes instead of one. I received a full refund today. :D

[cruzincurt]

Why would anyone spend time on the internet? You are on a cruise vacation. Isn't the whole idea of taking kiddos on a cruise for spending "quality" time together? Or is this just another electronic babysitter?

 

Kids today can't ride in the car 2 miles to school without having to watch a DVD in the backseat.

[MrsPete]

I have children this age. Do they understand how spending and charging works? Of course they do -- because I have taught them. It's important to me that they understand that just because we have a credit card we cannot charge and charge and charge. I want them to understand that just becaue I HAVE $200 in my purse, we can't go spend $200 at the toy store; some adults never grasp that concept! I don't ever want my children to get into credit card debt as adults, so I think it's my job to teach them responsible behavior now.

 

However, not all kids this age are financially adept. Those whose parents never give them money of their own, who never discuss banking and checking with them, who just hand out money when necessary . . . their kids probably DON"T KNOW that you have to pay for something that you "sign for".

 

Regardless of what the child did, however, I think RC had SOME responsibility in the situation. If they told the mother that the card was inactive, I can see why she believed that the card was "safe". I appreciate the heads-up on the fact that the staff might be handling this poorly.

 

Finally, a question: What about excursions? In the past, when I've booked an excursion, it's showed up on each person's "account". So, if a child's account really is "turned off", would the parent still be able to book an excursion for him or her?

[demodawn]

Checking the bill everyday is a good idea! our 18yo was with us last year and i was checking it each day.She knew i was checking up on her spending and where she was:D Not that she wasnt happy with that but if iam paying i want to know what she is spending to get repaid and if its not allowed re alcohol! Even at 18 she needed to check in and let us know where her and her best friend were. I agree 9 yo not a chance out on her own!

[sunshine 229]

I have children this age. Do they understand how spending and charging works? Of course they do -- because I have taught them. It's important to me that they understand that just because we have a credit card we cannot charge and charge and charge. I want them to understand that just becaue I HAVE $200 in my purse, we can't go spend $200 at the toy store; some adults never grasp that concept! I don't ever want my children to get into credit card debt as adults, so I think it's my job to teach them responsible behavior now.

 

However, not all kids this age are financially adept. Those whose parents never give them money of their own, who never discuss banking and checking with them, who just hand out money when necessary . . . their kids probably DON"T KNOW that you have to pay for something that you "sign for".

 

Regardless of what the child did, however, I think RC had SOME responsibility in the situation. If they told the mother that the card was inactive, I can see why she believed that the card was "safe". I appreciate the heads-up on the fact that the staff might be handling this poorly.

 

Finally, a question: What about excursions? In the past, when I've booked an excursion, it's showed up on each person's "account". So, if a child's account really is "turned off", would the parent still be able to book an excursion for him or her?

 

If you had read the whole thread you would see that this matter has already been discussed.

 

Your post does help me realize though that a lot of people must respond to threads without actually reading them completely. How else to explain that people keep claiming that the Op's daughter must have had freedom to roam at will all over the ship in order to rack up these charges, despite the fact that it has been mentioned several times that both internet and arcade charges can be run up right in the AO area?

 

I guess it is easier just to fire off a response blaming the OP than it is to actually read all the posts and try to understand the situation so you can have an intelligent opinion:rolleyes:

[Nessa1dc]

I wanted to give her a limit, but was told on the pier that wasn't possible. Since then, I found out on the ship (the night all of this was discovered) that it was possible at the guest relations desk on ship. I hope RCCL is able to back track and find out who checked us in at the pier to evaluate if they are adequately informed with proper policy.

 

And yes I am extremely upset with my daughter. She will be "paying" for this fiasco (in more ways than one) for a looooooong time to come. This was our first cruise with the kids and I hope not our last.

 

I'm sure your daughter is more than aware that she messed up. However, I think you will have to chalk this up to a hard lesson. Good luck, and tell her that I said "Good saving". If you and your DH were real upset, I bet she never wants to see another arcade in her life. :o

[98Charlie]

Your post does help me realize though that a lot of people must respond to threads without actually reading them completely. How else to explain that people keep claiming that the Op's daughter must have had freedom to roam at will all over the ship in order to rack up these charges, despite the fact that it has been mentioned several times that both internet and arcade charges can be run up right in the AO area?

It's one of the reasons that I seldom make a first post to a "hot topic" thread that has more than a page of responses. It's just more than I care to wade through and usually by post #60 they are not just beating the dead horse but the grave where he's buried. :D

 

 

Charlie

[ilionite65]

Sunshine 229, If you remember the op's responses it was posted that this child checked herself into and out of AO. Also posted that she left notes to her parents in the cabin. Charges were also made in the gift shop. This is far too much freedom for a child of this age. I am sickened by the reports of child abuse, kidnapping and murder that we hear about all too often. I hope that what people can gain from this thread is the knowledge that parents still need to be viligent and responsible for their children. It is unfortunate that this family experienced a financial loss, even though at least partially due to their own lack of attention, thankfully they didn't experience a much more expensive loss, that of their child!

[ginadis2002]

Well, I just reread the entire thread and I'm the only person who brought up activation/deactivation of a Seapass card in order to take a shore excursion. And it was on Celebrity. I'm assuming (and questioning if) it's the same on RCI. I think it's a very valid point that should be made by RCI personnel to parents when booking ship sponsored excursions. It activates their childrens' accounts. I didn't know this and was at the purser's desk and accounting area at least 5 times during an 8 day cruise trying to find out why my son's pass was active. It took DAYS before someone was able to explain to me why the pass was activated despite my request that it be deactivated. They tried to deactivate it, said it was deactivated, but it was not. I carried his pass during that cruise as a result. I was more concerned about it getting lost and used than his charging activities.

 

It's an imperfect sytem and quite frankly, Celebrity's personnel were not capable of explaining why a deactivated card was activated. I finally found a computer geek who understood the system. It was my first experience with computerized Seapasses (my last cruise was in the 80s).

 

This information should be made readily available to parents at check in. It was not on Celebrity. I don't know if it is on RCI. It's important.

[BevMoney]

The way I see this is that the OP came on the board to warn other parents that they should not depend on their children's cards to be unactivated just because RCI has agreed not to activate them. She warned other parents that they should check the accounts regularly in order to avoid having a problem with a large balance due to charges made on the childs card.

 

IMHO she did not rant on about it being RCI's fault she stated calmly that she was working with RCI to see what they could do.

 

Her thanks for taking the time to warn other cruisers and try to save them from a problem was to have her parenting skills questioned and to be on the receiving end of posts like this one:

 

 

Some of you are just too much. Hopefully on one of your cruises you "will get what you deserve", whatever fate decides that is.

 

Right on Sunshine. Doesn't pay to try and give out helpful info on this board sometimes.

 

I don't think the OP said that her child was roaming around the ship alone. She was probably with other kids her age or a little older for short periods of time. Although the kid was at fault and the parents have to pay, I think it is still RCL's responsibility if they said the card was not activated for charges.

 

I do agree that 9 is probably not a good age to be able to check-in and out and RCL should probably consider raising that age limit to maybe 12 just to avoid any liability.

[VACruzin]

Well, I just reread the entire thread and I'm the only person who brought up activation/deactivation of a Seapass card in order to take a shore excursion. And it was on Celebrity. I'm assuming (and questioning if) it's the same on RCI. I think it's a very valid point that should be made by RCI personnel to parents when booking ship sponsored excursions. It activates their childrens' accounts. I didn't know this and was at the purser's desk and accounting area at least 5 times during an 8 day cruise trying to find out why my son's pass was active. It took DAYS before someone was able to explain to me why the pass was activated despite my request that it be deactivated. They tried to deactivate it, said it was deactivated, but it was not. I carried his pass during that cruise as a result. I was more concerned about it getting lost and used than his charging activities.

 

It's an imperfect sytem and quite frankly, Celebrity's personnel were not capable of explaining why a deactivated card was activated. I finally found a computer geek who understood the system. It was my first experience with computerized Seapasses (my last cruise was in the 80s).

 

This information should be made readily available to parents at check in. It was not on Celebrity. I don't know if it is on RCI. It's important.

 

Post #131 by MrsPete

[ginadis2002]

My original post on the issue was #120. Mrs. Pete was chided about commenting/asking much the same thing I was talking about. I didn't see any other references to that particular question/issue on the thread. My second post merely clarified it.

[VACruzin]

Oops - not enough coffee - Sorry I missed #120

[CruisetotheMax]

Right on Sunshine. Doesn't pay to try and give out helpful info on this board sometimes.

 

I don't think the OP said that her child was roaming around the ship alone. She was probably with other kids her age or a little older for short periods of time. Although the kid was at fault and the parents have to pay, I think it is still RCL's responsibility if they said the card was not activated for charges.

 

I do agree that 9 is probably not a good age to be able to check-in and out and RCL should probably consider raising that age limit to maybe 12 just to avoid any liability.

 

I have to agree here. We're going with our kids in a couple of months and I came here to get some questions answered. I was shocked by the number of knuckleheads who do nothing but post anti-parent missives.

 

Heeelllloooo!!!!! Do you not see the big ad at the top of your screen from RCCL with the big "BRING YOUR FAMILY" pitch?

 

Thank you to the OP for bringing to our attention that a seapass can be activated for a child against the parents wishes. RCCL should refund the entire amount. I would absolutely not pay for unauthorized charges on my credit card and would refuse to pay. My attitude would be "I said no, collect off a 9yr old, see if that would hold up in court."

[terri23]

I have to agree here. We're going with our kids in a couple of months and I came here to get some questions answered. I was shocked by the number of knuckleheads who do nothing but post anti-parent missives.

 

Heeelllloooo!!!!! Do you not see the big ad at the top of your screen from RCCL with the big "BRING YOUR FAMILY" pitch?

 

I didn't see "anti-parent missives"'; I saw pro-parentING pleas! Nor did I see anti-child / anti family posts - quite the opposite. MOST people here appear to appreciate the fact that both RCI and the OP share responsibility in this matter. You aren't going to change that by namecalling and accusatory posts. Who has the dead horse emoticons???

[ilionite65]

terri23, very well said, ty.

[justaknucklehead]

CruisetotheMax was probably planning and hoping that his kids could just run the ship without him having to get off of his lounge chair by the pool.

[madforcruising]

CruisetotheMax was probably planning and hoping that his kids could just run the ship without him having to get off of his lounge chair by the pool.

 

 

:D :D :D

[FCOWHER]

Did anyone ever try telling their kids not to use the card for any unauthorized charges? Why is it RCI's fault that the op cant control her kids spending. Regardless of whether she told the ship to activate the card or not her kid spent the $$$. Pay up or ship out. Joe V.

 

 

 

Serenade of the Seas 1/7/2006

Zuiderdam 4/23/05

Princess 3 times

QE2 1 time

RCI 2 times Song of America and Monarch of the Seas

Carnival 1 time

Royal Majesty 1 time

[Merion_Mom]

Who has the dead horse emoticons???

You rang?

[CruisetotheMax]

CruisetotheMax was probably planning and hoping that his kids could just run the ship without him having to get off of his lounge chair by the pool.

 

Why do you make that judgement call? I've looked through your previous posts and most of them offer no helpful information only a negative missive regarding children on the ship.

 

I see you are going just two of you and maybe your a little disappointed to find out kids are going aborad:

 

Forum: Royal Caribbean International July 11th, 2005, 06:28 PM Replies: 229

Solarium Zoo on Enchantment of the Seas 7/7/05

Views: 6,623

Posted By justaknucklehead

I think the genius that decided to market to...

 

I think the genius that decided to market to families made a big mistake. What do you think?

 

 

 

I also see a nasty remark about "Parent of the Year". Frankly, I think a parent that dumps their kids somewhere while they vacation isn't up for a nomination.

 

Another post has you jumping all over a mom asking about alternative dining. Your post was rude and obnoxious and unhelpful. You made the leap that she didn't want kids on board, why was that?

 

I wonder why Mr. Jackco, if you aren't bringing your kids you were even looking at posts asking regarding children on the ships.

 

Regarding your post about screaming kids. I've only been bothered in fine restaurants by obnoxious, drinking, loud males. Sound familiar?

 

Why are you even on a cruise that is actively marketing to kids? Can you not see the ad up top with the two kids pictured? I don't see that on other cruiselines.

 

Again, as a minor has no legal authority to run up charges themselves a guardian is responsible. I'd check with the credit card company and ask them if they are liable for charges that they did not authorize.

[justaknucklehead]

I hope everybody's kids make hundreds of dollars of unauthorized charges. I hope the kids read these threads and realize that they do have charging power. Then maybe people will watch their kids instead of giving them free reign on the ship. Ya think that will work?