Controlling Kids' Spending Aboard?

[LinVirginia]

Is there any way to control kids' spending on video games, milkshakes, etc., if anything and everything can be charged to their Sea Pass? I am a bit worried about so much freedom? Thanks for any tips.

[Clarea]

Is there any way to control kids' spending on video games, milkshakes, etc., if anything and everything can be charged to their Sea Pass? I am a bit worried about so much freedom? Thanks for any tips.

You can put limits on their SeaPass accounts. However, I believe those limits do not apply in the arcade.

[Ourusualbeach]

Bob is correct that you cannot disable the Seapass cards from being used in the arcade.

 

Edited June 22, 2015 by Ourusualbeach

[palofmine]

Is there any way to control kids' spending on video games, milkshakes, etc., if anything and everything can be charged to their Sea Pass? I am a bit worried about so much freedom? Thanks for any tips.

 

We give the kids cash money every day for arcade, they can get a soda from us if they want it, and they are not allowed to buy anything else unless we are with them.

[Ourusualbeach]

We give the kids cash money every day for arcade, they can get a soda from us if they want it, and they are not allowed to buy anything else unless we are with them.

 

All the machines that I have seen in the arcade only take your Seapass and not cash:confused:

[orville99]

All the machines that I have seen in the arcade only take your Seapass and not cash:confused:

 

 

I believe there's a machine at the entrance where you can deposit cash to load on your seapass card.

[setsail]

How do you control the spending at home?

 

School the kids

Edited June 23, 2015 by setsail

[GUT2407]

How do you control the spending at home?

 

School the kids

 

 

Yep.

[GottaKnowWhen]

Is there any way to control kids' spending on video games, milkshakes, etc., if anything and everything can be charged to their Sea Pass? I am a bit worried about so much freedom? Thanks for any tips.

 

 

Tell your kids what their daily "allowance" is. Check your account in the evenings. If they go over their allowance, they are grounded for the rest of the cruise. Great opportunity for a teaching moment about proper use of credit cards.

[cb at sea]

Exactly! If your child is old enough to be going around the ship on their own, they should abide by the rules you set, including how much they may spend daily. If they can't do that, then they should be by your side.

If they aren't old enough to be on their own, then no worries...anything you want them to have, you'll purchase!

[bluemarlin1]

When you go to fill out your set sail you can determine who can charge to their Seapass card or not. Simple as that.

[jtdl]

Other lines allow you to set a daily limit on kid's cards. This is our first Royal cruise. Does Royal not have this option? Another option other lines have is to set the kid's accounts up as cash accounts and once that is gone they can't spend anymore.

[Clarea]

Other lines allow you to set a daily limit on kid's cards. This is our first Royal cruise. Does Royal not have this option? Another option other lines have is to set the kid's accounts up as cash accounts and once that is gone they can't spend anymore.

See post #2.

[orville99]

When you go to fill out your set sail you can determine who can charge to their Seapass card or not. Simple as that.

 

Unfortunately, as posted earlier in this thread this doesn't work in the vide0 arcade. seapass cards can be loaded using the machine at the entrance to the arcade regardless of how you have your onboard account set up, and as we found out when we took our 12YO GS on FOS, the set amounts are in multiples of $20 or $50. He didn't know what he was doing, we didn't know that he could do that, and we only figured it out when we checked our account in the morning.

[joellehenry]

I'm more worried about my husband and his spending than I am with my kids!!!! I don't think grounding him is gonna work!

[joellehenry]

I read somewhere on CC that for an hour on the first night, arcade is free. Anyone else heard of this, or was it a dream....

[orville99]

I read somewhere on CC that for an hour on the first night, arcade is free. Anyone else heard of this, or was it a dream....

 

There are scheduled free sessions in the arcade as part of the Adventure Ocean program. They will be listed in the kid's compass. Not sure which age groups have them - or when they're scheduled, but our 12 YO GS (12-14 group) had a few scattered throughout the week.

[Sitzmark]

We will just not use the arcade. Nothing special there, we have arcades at home.

[Queen of Oakville]

My kids are still young (7 and 9), so I don't think they have ever even been in the arcade.

 

I'm curious about how spending can be enabled if you disable spending privileges on the card. I'm sure it's a huge revenue source for Royal, but how do they justify that.

 

Has anyone seen Guest Services at Deck 5 for more information? Seems to me if you say, "i'm not authorizing any spending for these cards" it should hold valid.

[MaiseyM]

Can you put a certain amout of money on each child's card or is it automatically connected to the parent's credit card?

 

I know my kids will want to bring their own money for spending. Ideally, I would like to have them put it on their card and use their card as their own little debit. But if it has to be connected to my credit card, I don't trust that they will watch the balanced that carefully and then have an 'oops' moment that will cause them to spend my money w/out permission.

[GottaKnowWhen]

Can you put a certain amout of money on each child's card or is it automatically connected to the parent's credit card?

 

I know my kids ... I don't trust that they will watch the balanced that carefully and then have an 'oops' moment that will cause them to spend my money w/out permission.

 

Sit down every afternoon or evening or morning and together review how much they started with, how much they have spent. See how they are doing against the Budget you helped them put together. Provide some parental guidance on careful handling of cash and credit...

[Clarea]

Can you put a certain amout of money on each child's card or is it automatically connected to the parent's credit card?

 

I know my kids will want to bring their own money for spending. Ideally, I would like to have them put it on their card and use their card as their own little debit. But if it has to be connected to my credit card, I don't trust that they will watch the balanced that carefully and then have an 'oops' moment that will cause them to spend my money w/out permission.

Children's cards are not automatically connected to the parent's cards unless you set it up that way. You can put cash on children's cards, but you also need to tell Guest Services what the limits are because they may let the cards charge more than the cash balance unless you tell them otherwise.

[serene56]

Can you put a certain amout of money on each child's card or is it automatically connected to the parent's credit card?

 

I know my kids will want to bring their own money for spending. Ideally, I would like to have them put it on their card and use their card as their own little debit. But if it has to be connected to my credit card, I don't trust that they will watch the balanced that carefully and then have an 'oops' moment that will cause them to spend my money w/out permission.

 

 

kids are still minors and you are still responsible for their "credit"

 

sometimes the XX amount they have on the card is NOT instant. They go get a soda-- then go into the store to buy chips then go get a burger-- all three of those charges could have gone in on top of each other-- and put them over the limit.

 

I turned my kids cards off. Not much on a ship they could buy. With me-- we are on vacation and if you can get it at home you cant get it on vacation--- (chips, pretzels, candy=== video games etc.

[wildcat46]

I have heard some horror stories about rather large expenses charged by kids on cruises. We have been lucky. We just tell our kids that they can charge one smoothie per day and $10 in the arcade per day. Beyond that, they have to come and ask permission. Have never had an issue with them charging beyond what I have allowed and we have never discussed what happens if they do go over the allowed amount as that is not an option. We have an understanding with our kids, which we remind them of constantly. We will keep providing nice vacations, clothes... as long as they follow our rules and act respectfully. When they no longer want to follow those rules, life will change dramatically for them. We have been very lucky with our kids. Establish expectations and I think most kids will try hard to live up to them. Good luck.

[Queen of Oakville]

Children's cards are not automatically connected to the parent's cards unless you set it up that way. You can put cash on children's cards, but you also need to tell Guest Services what the limits are because they may let the cards charge more than the cash balance unless you tell them otherwise.

 

Bob, with the posts above about the arcade being EXEMPT - if I set it up that my kids do not have charging privileges at all - can they still go incur charges at the arcade?