How Do You Manage the kids

[Kukla-Leya]

Hello everyone...

 

Thank you for such an informative forum... I'm sitting and reading for hours already :D

 

I did it !

 

I booked our first cruise !!! Allure of the Seas... almost last minute... (yes, paid a LOT) for the March spring break... but it looks amazing...

 

We are travelling with our 11 & 15 year olds...

 

I really... REALLY... want to give them their independence during the cruise... but at the same time be able to get in touch with them ...

 

They are very responsible and good... but still...

 

How do you manage it ?

 

Also... I understand they are allowed to see the shows.. but If we want to go to the latin club (my daughter user to be a really good ballroom dancer) - will she be allowed at 15 ? with us of course accompanying ? (no one in our family drinks anyway...)

 

Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions... but I feel slightly overwhelmed...

 

Thank you in advance !!!

 

You guys rock !

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

You can read and ask questions on the RCI board at this link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

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And if you are interested in joining your Roll Call -- just scroll down until you find the date of your cruise at this link:

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[kitty9]

If any club has an age limit, they will not be allowed no matter who goes with them. Just be careful about giving them too much freedom. Those cruise ships carry 5500 passengers and many crew, and you will find some unsavory characters, as evidenced by the crew member who recently, two weeks ago, raped and tried to murder a woman in her cabin---he had a master key and let himself in the cabin. Teens are especially vulnerable on cruises, even the responsible ones.

[Guest maddycat]

If any club has an age limit, they will not be allowed no matter who goes with them. Just be careful about giving them too much freedom. Those cruise ships carry 5500 passengers and many crew, and you will find some unsavory characters, as evidenced by the crew member who recently, two weeks ago, raped and tried to murder a woman in her cabin---he had a master key and let himself in the cabin. Teens are especially vulnerable on cruises, even the responsible ones.

 

Before you panic, this happened on a Hal ship. However, it could have been on any ship, any cruise line. The point that the other poster was trying to make is that ships are like small cities. Not everyone onboard is trust worthy.

[janetz]

Hello everyone...

 

Thank you for such an informative forum... I'm sitting and reading for hours already :D

 

I did it !

 

I booked our first cruise !!! Allure of the Seas... almost last minute... (yes, paid a LOT) for the March spring break... but it looks amazing...

 

We are travelling with our 11 & 15 year olds...

 

I really... REALLY... want to give them their independence during the cruise... but at the same time be able to get in touch with them ...

 

They are very responsible and good... but still...

 

How do you manage it ?

 

Also... I understand they are allowed to see the shows.. but If we want to go to the latin club (my daughter user to be a really good ballroom dancer) - will she be allowed at 15 ? with us of course accompanying ? (no one in our family drinks anyway...)

 

Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions... but I feel slightly overwhelmed...

 

Thank you in advance !!!

 

You guys rock !

 

Please remember the ship is like a small town. Think about if you would let your kids wander around a strange town without you. They will have a ball in the kids club's and make new friends. If you are giving them independence maybe it should be within the kids clubs? :) Our daughter at 15 would always find other teens her age to hang with and always had fun.

[OCruisers]

QUOTE=maddycat;41838173]Before you panic, this happened on a Hal ship. However, it could have been on any ship, any cruise line. The point that the other poster was trying to make is that ships are like small cities. Not everyone onboard is trust worthy.

 

[=========================================

=========================================

 

Here's the thread on the recent (2/2014) assault on the HAL ship:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1990136

[cb at sea]

It's up to you, as a parent, to lay down the law to your kids. I wouldn't give them "run of the ship"....I'd allow them to go from point A to point B for a specific reason. When they're done, I'd have them physically come to me, and "check in"....Trust, but verify!

 

Kids do need boundries, even on vacation....and a parent can NEVER abdicate their responsibilities! So, you can let them "do their thing", while still holding onto the reins...too much freedom before they can handle it is a recipe for disaster! Let them take on some reponsibility, but don't give them too much at one time! Ultimately, it's up to you.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Give them some basic rules: 1) don't go to others' cabins, 2) don't let others into your cabin,, 3) watch your beverages (don't put down the glass, and then drink from it if there are people mulling by)

 

I wouldn't let the 11 year old wonder about -- that's too young in my book. Maybe he/she can call the cabin and leave a message if checking out of the kids' room for the time being...with the destination.

 

My daughter was 15 on our last cruise, and she would often stop by the cabin and add her next stop on the running note we kept adding to. She has been going to the shows onboard since she was 23 months of age, and she went to a couple of shows with us after finding out that we were going.

 

I don't know about that club, but you can ask on the Royal C. board. Also, make sure you go to the cruise line's website as there should be a lot of info there.

[hansolosmom]

Cruisin chick gave you some good ideas.

 

Here's what we do

In the morning we have go breakfast together and talk about what we're doing/thinking about for the day. (On a port day this isn't so important, since we'll be on the excursion together).

We are big into post it notes. We always stick them on the mirror in the cabin. If you are changing your plan you come to the cabin & write it down. When the boys were younger, like your 11yo, we would make him have a check in @ lunchtime then again around 3, as they got older we would lessen checkins. We always eat dinner together.

 

The important thing is you trust them & make sure they use good sense. Also make sure they understand you are serious bout the rules. If they miss a checkin there needs to be a consequence.

 

Also think about a soda or drink package. This way they don't have to worry when/if they put down a drink.

[Kukla-Leya]

First off.. Thank you for your time to answer...

 

And PHEW.... Thank you for validating I'm not crazy... I had some of your ideas in my head... but was afraid might be too strict...

 

My 11 year old is NEVER allowed alone... the deal is, if you want to be independent.. you have to go with the older one (the 15 year old)... and you must find common ground to do stuff you either both like or take fair turns at doing stuff each one likes...

 

Ok.. Good...

 

Someone suggested walki Talkie.. I will see about that....

 

Here is another question to you wonderful people ...

 

the Soda/beverage pkg.... $280 for family of 4 for the week.... seems really expensive to me... am I missing anything ?

 

I just read someone's review of the Oasis, which mentioned he/she brought a suitcase full of water & soda cans ... and was allowed in.... is that true ? are they only concerned about alcohol ?

 

I don't know why.. but it really irks me that I paid a bit over $4500 for us 4 plus the tips, which will work out to be another $350 and I have to pay for Soda ?

 

Thoughts ?

Am I crazy ? or unreasonable ?

Or am I just missing something.. ?

[rgmacm]

I posted this on another thread and got absolutely REAMED for my statements. (by one person) I think the moderator deleted the two posts from that person because they're gone now and THEN, there were multiple posts of support.

I"m going to say it again because I feel so VERY strongly about this. I work with young ladies (and little girls) who have been victims of sexual abuse and I'm certain that has tinted my viewpoint...but here's what we did on our first cruise when our kids were 16 and 17...

 

Our 17 yr old daughter was instructed to not go anywhere on that ship alone....she had to either be with her father or I...or her 16 yr old brother....

He was 'younger' but it wasn't about age or maturity (I see so many parents talk about how their kids are mature and therefore old enough to go places alone on the ship.) I want to cry out....IT's NOT about maturity or whether they are a 'good' kid'...it's about whether or not they could defend themselves against a larger and stronger attacker.

We didn't feel our 17 yr old daughter could...but we DID feel that our 16 yr old son could. (He was bigger than his sister...haha)

Because of that, we made the requirements that we did.

Obviously, we had the discussion with them about respecting each other and talked to our daughter about not abusing her brother's kindness. She didn't. They stuck together like glue...went to the Teen activities, met friends and had a good time...but our daughter NEVER went anywhere without her brother... She understood our reasoning and was not insulted by our requirements.

 

I would never presume to tell anyone how to handle their own child...but I tell our story in hopes that parents will see that even 17 is not too old to have a restriction like this.

Many others have said the ship is like a small town. I say the same thing, only a little differently...I say the ship is FULL of cabins with doors that lock...and any one of them could harbor a crime scene.....or crime against a child or teen.

Please Parents...take this into consideration when deciding the instructions/requirements you will have for your children AND TEENS and do whatever you can to lessen the chances that your child will be the next victim!!! :) :)

PLEASE!!! :)

Edited February 27, 2014 by rgmacm

[Kukla-Leya]

Thank you for sharing....

 

I appriciate your thoughts and concern... I' ususally VERY VERY vigillant... but always have guilt for being over protective (time will tell....)

 

I may think of 'changing' my strategy... for a bit tighter control...

 

You are right, it's a small city, full of cabins & locks....

 

THANK YOU ! :)

[janetz]

Thank you for sharing....

 

I appriciate your thoughts and concern... I' ususally VERY VERY vigillant... but always have guilt for being over protective (time will tell....)

 

I may think of 'changing' my strategy... for a bit tighter control...

 

You are right, it's a small city, full of cabins & locks....

 

THANK YOU ! :)

 

Be aware that if your children go to the kid's club, they will be separated by age. With that said I would encourage them to check it out. They will have a good time. :)

Edited February 27, 2014 by janetz

[dsrdsrdsr]

I don't know why.. but it really irks me that I paid a bit over $4500 for us 4 plus the tips, which will work out to be another $350 and I have to pay for Soda ?

 

Thoughts ?

Am I crazy ? or unreasonable ?

Or am I just missing something.. ?

As far as drinks go, very few cruises are sold as all-inclusive. All food, or at least plenty of food, is included - but apart from tea, coffee, and water, few drinks are included. That's just the way it is.

 

I've never heard of a child's drink being spiked, but I know some people consider it a major risk, so maybe it is. But you don't need a drinks package to get round that risk, all you need do is to make it a strict rule that if both children (due to an emergency) are called away from their drinks at the same time, they don't go back to those drinks. Remember that the sweet family who say they'll look after them, may be a gang of slavers.

 

Looking on the bright side, there will always be at least 100 or so people within screaming range. So unless both children are silenced simultaneously, at least one of them will be able to attract attention. Make sure they know the key words "Rape" "stranger", whatever.

Edited February 27, 2014 by dsrdsrdsr

[kitty9]

There are lots of free drinks on the ship like juice, punch, lemonade, milk, iced tea. Soda runs $2 a can, plus 15% gratuity, so if you drink lots of soft drinks the package is worth it. Unless you cruise on a luxury line, every cruise line charges for soft drinks. You can bring a small amount of soda, but it must be in your carry on luggage and it must go through security (as per the info on Carnival's website).

[Kukla-Leya]

I will take in all these wonderful tips !!!!

Will come up with a plan for the kids...

 

I hear ya regading the drinks....

 

Thank you so much !

[Cruisin' Chick]

First off.. Thank you for your time to answer...

 

And PHEW.... Thank you for validating I'm not crazy... I had some of your ideas in my head... but was afraid might be too strict...

 

My 11 year old is NEVER allowed alone... the deal is, if you want to be independent.. you have to go with the older one (the 15 year old)... and you must find common ground to do stuff you either both like or take fair turns at doing stuff each one likes...

 

Ok.. Good...

 

Someone suggested walki Talkie.. I will see about that....

 

Here is another question to you wonderful people ...

 

the Soda/beverage pkg.... $280 for family of 4 for the week.... seems really expensive to me... am I missing anything ?

 

I just read someone's review of the Oasis, which mentioned he/she brought a suitcase full of water & soda cans ... and was allowed in.... is that true ? are they only concerned about alcohol ?

 

I don't know why.. but it really irks me that I paid a bit over $4500 for us 4 plus the tips, which will work out to be another $350 and I have to pay for Soda ?

 

Thoughts ?

Am I crazy ? or unreasonable ?

Or am I just missing something.. ?

 

The part I would have a problem with (just speaking for myself -- and I do have an only child, but I was the middle child myself...a few years older than my sister and four years younger than my brother), is having the two always together. I would imagine the 15-year-old wants to spend his/her vacation with kids the same age, and the same for the younger one. The kids' groups have age-appropriate activities. Why not let the two go to the kids' orientation meeting so they can meet kids their age? You can meet the kids' staff (especially for the program for the 11-year-old) and look over the day-by-day listing of activities (on Princess a packet with this info will be in the cabin when you first get there). She might be saying oh, I want to go to this one.

 

Here in LA, the spring break will be in April (it's always the week before Easter for the LAUSD). But I would imagine in mid-March there'll be many kids on board.

 

My daughter as a teen would find kids her age the first night and they would hang out for the two weeks of the cruise, other than port days when she would go off the ship with us.

 

A few years ago one girl in the 8-12 program with my daughter would have a walkie talkie with her to call her mom as she's leaving, but I've heard w-t's aren't that practical on board (the signal isn't reliable, other passengers get annoyed, etc). So using the in-cabin phone (using the voice mail; if you or your kid can't find a phone, any crew member can point out the newest one) or a dry-erase board on your door/post its/writing pads can work out. You can also establish an occasional meeting time/place -- say noon at a specific lounge.

 

As for soda packages, I can't speak for all cruiselines as we've just been on Princess since 2003, you should be able to get individual soda stickers or cards and not have to get one for each member of the family (the assumption is that you don't share stickers -- so if your daughter wants to be able to get an occasional coke (you can figure out if it's worth it once you find out the price for a can), but your son will stick with lemonade or whatever else is free, you're not stuck with getting four of them. Princess allows passengers to bring on sodas and some other beverages, and I am into Mountain Dew and don't like Coke or Sprite, so we take a bin of Dew, Dr. Pepper (for my girl) and Sobe along with our box o'wine. But other cruise lines may be more strict. The girl could return to the cabin and get some Sierra Mist or Dew from our fridge or buy an individual drink by the pool, so we didn't get her the sticker.

 

You can go on your cruise line's website and find out about the cost of the drink program in the FAQs.

[hansolosmom]

Walkie-talkies really don't work on board, all the metal in the ship interferes with the signal. Also there are only so many channels so someone is always on it and you never know who's talking.

 

I can't remember if at 11 they can do self checkout from kids clubs, you can have them use the phone and call you from the club to get them.

 

The only reason I mentioned sodas is in case they drink them. For us the packages which include water bottles work better since we drink lots of water. I know we've brought cases of water on board, you can slap a luggage tag on a case or stick it in a suitcase. They don't usually bother with them,they're more concerned with the alcohol.

[navybankerteacher]

You're giving your children a great experience - congratulations. A few common sense agreements will give you peace of mind and them enjoyment. They should stick together when not with a ship sponsored activity approved by you. They should check in with you at agreed upon intervals - post-it's on cabin door or on desk work well, as do scheduled rendez vous' - say for lunch, or whenever.

 

Soft drink packages are very costly - there is always free ice tea, lemonade or fruit punch - perhaps agree that they can but one soda per day on their card - you can always check your running tab to insure compliance -- that way they can have the independence without bankrupting you (or rotting their teeth).

 

A good sit down before you go is an idea so both you and your children know the rules of the game - they may very well appreciate being made part of the planning process.

 

Have a great cruise!

[aimathy]

I don't think you can ever really be too strict on a cruise boat. It's a vacation, it's nice to let the kids have freedom, but honestly it really is a floating city. I am not a parent that worries that danger lurks around every corner, but I do realize that it is so, so easy for something to happen on a cruise ship when you let your guard down.

 

Our 17 year old daughter doesn't really love the teen clubs, so she is with us most of the time. If she does go off alone, we know where she's going and when she will be back and we trust HER implicitly. But we always know where the other one will be, so she's never just roaming alone or out late all alone. Thankfully her personality is laid back and she is fine with this, so it's not a battle!

 

Our 13 year old son craves freedom, but still doesn't get it. :) He thankfully loves the pre-teen/teen clubs and is very happy to go there for the activities. He is allowed to leave on his own at that age, but we have him come right to where we will be at a certain time and he has to check in. If he's late, then he has to spend the rest of the day with us. He is never late! Haha. Sea days are the toughest because you have all day to fill (on port days we're barely on the ship). We like to give him some freedom (like playing basketball with a group of friends, but not during teen club time) but we check up on him without him knowing. It gives my husband and I a little mission to go on and cold drink in hand, we make sure he is where he says he will be!

 

Our 5 year old daughter loves the kids clubs and is happy to spend hours there. The only time we let her go out alone is to go to the bar or clubbing. (I'm kidding!!!! :D) She is either at the kids club, or with us.

 

I think part of the problem is that everyone (parents and kids) lets their guard down a little bit on vacation. Add to that the untrue notion of the boat being a closed in, safe-from-the-outside-world place and it can be a problem. Let the kids know that they are never, ever to go with anyone to the rooms (theirs or yours) and to stick with the plan you have.

 

Have fun!! We love cruising!

[akcruz]

Only you know your kids and how much you trust them. Yes, you need to be vigilant on a ship, especially one the size of Allure, but you don't need to have the kids with you 100% of the time, especially the 15 year old. We have been sailing with our kids since they were 9 & 14. My older (girl) was much more responsible and knew well how to handle herself. She got more freedom. My younger (boy) was not quite as mature so we kept a little tighter hold on him. One is now in college and the other out, but have had many wonderful cruises during the years you are talking about.

 

Early on I pulled a bunch of stuff together from here on cc and put the following together. Take what you can from it and adjust for your family/situation, but I will suggest two things. First, set the ground rules (what you will and will not accept) before getting on the ship as well as consequences if those rules are not followed, then follow through. My daughter knew the rules and followed them. My son tried to skirt them and had to suffer the consequences. After that first time he straightened out. The first few cruises we went through the contract, but as they got older just reminded them to think about the rules! Second, have the kids go to their respective clubs the first night. This is often the night kids meet up and make their friends for the rest of the week. After that often the groups are already set and it is harder coming in as the new kid. On that first night they are all new.

 

Oh, and to answer a few of your other questions - yes soda packages cost, but for under 18 they really are not that much and it give me a peace of mind that if there is any question about a glass, they can dump it and go get another without having to go to the free drinks or worry about cost. That peace of mind is worth it to me. As for staying in touch, we found walkie talkies to be a pain. The kids didn't know what to do with them if they were at the pool, flowrider, etc. Set check in times, use notes (Inside the cabin, I don't get why people put white boards on the outside of their doors where everyone can see what they and their kids are doing), and leave messages on the cabin phones as well as check in yourself to make sure the kids are where they said they would be.

 

Here you go --

 

First of all we want all of us to have fun. This should be a relaxing, enjoyable vacation. We hope that noting our expectations and rules before we depart will avoid any misunderstandings on-board. Note that violation of these rules will result in you being required to stay with us or in your cabin and therefore you will not be able to participate in any of the teen activities. These rules are not in place to say that we do not trust you, but to ensure we can all enjoy our trip.

• You are not to enter any cabins other than ours. It does not matter if it is the cabin of a new friend or someone we know (unless one of us expressly approves this).

• No one else is to enter our cabins.

 

• If you are in your cabin alone – hang the do not disturb sign on the door. This should prevent any RCCL employee from entering. Please ensure you remove it when you leave the room.

• You are not to drink any beverage unless it is handed to you by a family member or an RCCL staff member. You are not to drink from anything you have let out of your sight. Some people have been known to slip drugs into other people’s drinks. This is a lifelong rule that should be followed in any social situation.

 

• We expect to know where you are on the ship. We will use notes in our cabin to let each other know where we can be found.

• You are not to loiter or play in the stairwells, hallways, or elevators. Activities such as “knock and run” or calling other cabins to hang up will not be tolerated.

 

• We will decide on a curfew each night. The ship’s curfew is 1 AM since you are under 18. We have the right to require you to be in the cabin earlier if we feel the need.

• Your Sea Pass is tied to my credit card. It is to be used only by you. You may not buy other people drinks, snacks, arcade games, or souvenirs. You have a budget of $xx. If you exceed this budget without our approval, you will need to reimburse us.

• If you loose your Seapass you are to immediately notify one of us.

 

• We expect to eat dinner together most nights. There is flexibility if there is an alternate activity you would prefer to attend as long as we have discussed it in advance (at least that morning).

• If there are kids you would prefer to hang out with instead of the teen club, I need to meet them.

• If you order room service, you must tip the delivery person. We will provide a small amount of money for this.

 

• If we arrange a check-in time and you miss it then you are “grounded” for the next 24 hours. This means that you must stay with us or in your cabin.

 

• No visits to the outside areas of the upper deck at night alone.

 

• Put anything of value into the cabin safe. Cell phones are only to be taken out of the safe when we ask you to. Texts and calls are expensive and not in your budget.

• Do not leave the ship without one of us.

Edited February 28, 2014 by akcruz

[aussielozzie18]

Glad I didnt read this thread before cruising with my DS14 & DD16, it would have completely put me off!

 

First thing I am going to say that on returning from our first cruise my DD said "Mum, I felt really safe on board".

 

Cruising with teens, communication is the key.

Look through the newsletter that you get in the cabin each night and work out what everyone wants to do. Drill into the kids that they must tell you where they are going and you must also let them know where you will be. Insist on having dinner together every night. Work out ground rules that are relevant to your family.

 

My teens did not do kids club but they spent most of their time together. This was unusual because at home they do stuff independently. On board they were happy to be together which obviously worked out well. We spent our evenings together so I never had an issue with them wandering around at night by themselves.

 

The only issue I had was my DD using excessive amounts of wifi (she had to use her holiday money to pay the bill) and forgetting to apply sunscreen one day (she won't do that again)

 

Have a great cruise. Your teens will love it.

[rgmacm]

Post it notes or dry erase boards for kids to leave messages for parents are fine, but not on the outside of the cabin door. That's advertising that there's a child NOT with parents...and where they are or will be.

Put them INSIDE the cabin...on the mirror...on the desk...on the closet door.... Determine this beforehand, but don't have your kids put them where anyone walking down the hallway can see them.

Also, post it notes or dry erase board messages put outside the cabin can be taken off...fall off...erased, etc.... Its just not a wise place to put them.

Edited March 8, 2014 by rgmacm

[mousey]

To the OP,

 

Please don't be put off by some of the scary things you're reading here. My DS is now 18. We've cruised with just about every Spring Break since he was 9. he never liked the kids clubs and didn't participate in them. He would go to the game arcade and meet kids and then would spend the whole cruise hanging out with them. I'd see them in the game arcade, playing ping pong, by the pool, getting ice cream, sitting having pizza, etc. In the beginning we used walkie talkies to keep in touch. By the time he was 12 we stopped with the walkie talkies and just set up a few times during the day after breakfast (which we always had together as a family) to meet and check in with him. We too used post-it notes. When he turned 16 he started checking in at the teen club and would meet friends there. They rarely hang out in the clubs and again we would see them all over the ship having fun. We did give him the commonsense rules of not going into anyone's cabin or bringing anyone into ours without permission. Yes, he broke curfew once and paid the consequences for it and never did it again. Never, ever, in all the years that we have cruised with the DS was there ever a situation that the DS wasn't capable of handling. We gave him his freedom and he learned from it. I personally wouldn't hesitate to led my child have his freedom on the ship. On the other hand I would never allow him to be off the ship without us. Not even with other families (not that he ever asked). Even now at 18, I've asked him to not go off without us whenever we go on our next cruise and he has agreed. He's knows I would not have a good time worrying about him getting to the ship on time. Not because I don't trust him but because too many things could go wrong that would cause him to miss the ship. Traffic, etc.

But every parent needs to do what they feel is comfortable for their own family. Maybe I would feel different about this if I had a girl. I don't really know. I just know that what we did worked perfectly for our family.

Edited March 9, 2014 by mousey

[rgmacm]

I certainly don't want to create 'fear'...and don't want to offend anyone or start a cyber-argument.

There are just a few things I want to add to the conversation for parents to consider. (I don't even for one moment think I have the right to tell another parent how to handle their children...just pose these things for thought...)

1. There is 'typically' a difference between an 18 year old male and and a 15 year old female....if for no other reason that 'strength' and 'brute'. In some 'attack' situations, the stronger person wins... So the question for parents is...can your child defend him/her-self PHYSICALLY? That's a question that is answered individually...not even the same answer for siblings... Now, it should be noted that I've known some girls who could physically defend themselves and some boys who probably couldn't... Just think about your child's physical stature.

2. A previous poster stated that they've never had any issues with safety with their child. That is great! Honestly! No one EVER wants to hear that a child has been hurt, harmed, attacked, sexually assaulted. But here's the facts. While most children grow up without ever being abused or assaulted or molested, that does NOT mean that ALL children grow up without being abused, assaulted or molested. It DOES happen. It happens to a small'er' percentage, but it DOES happen. I encourage parents to just make decisions based on ALL the information...not partial information. Perhaps just a few restrictions or requirements could reduce a child's/teen's risk for being the next victim.

Chances are, your children will be 'ok'....but....can you be ABSOLUTELY certain of that?

We all take precautions at home...we tell our kids where they can and cannot go based on our knowledge of the area and crime potential there...why not do the same thing on a ship. These cruise ships are 'little cities'...we wouldn't typically allow our 15 yr old to wander anywhere in a city... The same should probably be the case on ships.

Please Note: Cruise lines dont' run background checks on the passengers.

True, most passengers are decent people just like you or I. They're families, parents, grandparents, young professionals, retirees...other teens and kids. They wouldn't harm a child or teen. However, there are 3000+ passengers on most ships. Can you be absolutely certain that there isn't at least one child predator among those 3000+ passengers??? Remember, it's a small city... and while small cities everywhere have many (mostly) good people...they also have some bad people in them too.

I've just seen too much to take this subject lightly....

Don't be afraid...but DO be wise....

Happy Cruising!!! :)

Edited March 9, 2014 by rgmacm