Kids in their own room

[MrsPete]

Not looking for Judgy McJudgersons here. :D

 

I'm just wondering how old your kids were when you let them have their own room across the hall. And also, were there any issues you encountered.

We currently have connecting balcony rooms booked on Harmony, but it would save us quite a bit of money to have our oldest 2 in a room across the hall. They will be 10 and (barely) 12.

As long as they're children, they're staying in my room or an adjoining room. So my answer is 18.

 

Why? No one ever thinks anything bad will happen, but sometimes they do. What kind of things? Who knows? No one can predict emergencies. An illness, a persistent middle-of-the-night knock on the door or call to muster stations, a stranger trying to get into the room.

 

I trust my kids (who are now adults), but when they were kids, I also trusted them to be exactly what they were: Kids. Being a kid means not always making the right call about allowing in a friend (or a friend's older brother), a staff member, a person who claims to be a staff member. I remember messing up (at home) when I was a kid. I specifically remember being a teen and my boyfriend showing up without calling -- and I knew I should've reminded him of my mom's rules and asked him to come back another time, but I chose to let him stay and make my mom mad instead of him. Wrong choice, but a typical teen choice. On board, too many temptations exist. It's just too easy for kids to think, "Yeah, I know mom said I couldn't have friends in /go down to the Promenade for a soda /call for room service /whatever." But she's being overprotective, and what could happen? It's just too easy for something to happen (especially at night) when kids are out of your immediate vicinity. And if you're talking about teens, imagine the conversations that'll ensue once new friends learn that the kids have a parent-free room -- "Oh, let us come over late! We'll be so quiet. No one'll ever know." I was the kid who'd have given in -- and so are my kids.

 

Also, I trusted my kids when they were kids, but I never trusted strangers where they were concerned. Staff members would realize pretty quickly that the kids were staying alone. When we've had two adjoining rooms for our family, it's been pretty evident: My and my husband's room is neat, while our girls' room (sometimes shared with cousins) has been littered floor-to-ceiling with teenaged girl clothing. IF just one staff member chose to do something nefarious, it'd be easy enough for them to get in, and we'd never hear a thing across the hall.

 

If money's that tight, I'd move the whole family to the inside rooms. The potential danger isn't worth the bit of savings.

[John&LaLa]

Hey Renee, looks like Judgy McJudgersons showed up anyway.;)

[Ourusualbeach]

Our kids were 8 and 10 when they had their own rooms. They have had them beside us and across the hall but we've never had connecting rooms. Only you can decide as you are the one that knows your kids.

 

John, you are so right about who's showing up for the party.

[thefamilytravelagent]

Hey Renee, looks like Judgy McJudgersons showed up anyway.;)

 

LOL I figured it was only a matter of time. ;)

 

I do appreciate all of the feedback from the vast majority of you that weren't judgy. :D

 

I'm still going to think it over. My husband thinks it's a no-brainer. Save the $800 and let them sleep across the hall. Like someone else commented, they're much further away at home. And it'd only be for sleeping and getting ready. We aren't going to be out drinking or anything while they're sleeping because we'll have our youngest in our room anyway. If we do do it, I'd definitely bring a baby monitor so that we could hear what's going on over there while we're on our balcony or in our room. That was a great idea.

[Spoolx]

On our last cruise our do not disturb signs kept coming up missing or getting flipped. We ended up talking to our steward and she told us that it's super common for kids to act a fool when they have their own room. Honestly you can hear them running up and down the hallway.

I guess it all depends on the maturity of the kids.

[xxHadleyxx]

Ours kids had a separate cabin from ages 8 and 10. They are 17 and 19 now and have a good 15 or so cruises in rooms apart from mom and dad under their belts. We never had an issue.

 

A lot depends on your kids and how comfortable they are with being on their own and also on how well whey behave.

Edited April 24, 2016 by NHDisneylover

[Melozone]

We used to do big over night trips with youth groups from church. We put masking tape on the door and the door frame. We would know if they opened the door because the tape would be off. They couldn't come out in the morning until we released them. :D

[John&LaLa]

Back in the day the cruise lines used to make you book the cabing one adult one child and then switch onboard. We started out with cabins across the hall, but eventually they started drifting further away. We didn't do it entirely to save money, I just didn't want to share a cabin. Boys stink. I used to be one

[DonnaK]

If you decide to put them in their own room don't forget to check muster stations. Might be a different muster station. Also not sure if RC will allow, you may have to put one adult in each room and switch keys/request additional on board.

 

Royal Caribbean allows you to book your own kids in a cabin right next door, or directly across the hall, from your own cabin. It is NOT necessary to book one adult in each cabin. You may need to book the cabins over the phone rather than on their website.

[John&LaLa]

Royal Caribbean allows you to book your own kids in a cabin right next door, or directly across the hall, from your own cabin. It is NOT necessary to book one adult in each cabin. You may need to book the cabins over the phone rather than on their website.

 

Back in the day was 15 years ago, and yes, that was policy. I did preface my statement.

[DonnaK]

Back in the day was 15 years ago, and yes, that was policy. I did preface my statement.

It wasn't you that I quoted. :) Edited April 24, 2016 by DonnaK

[ladybird1292]

I've booked inter connecting cabins. We are taking 2 x 17.5 yr old girls. They can have their space (and us too) yet know we can access their room at anytime. I was going to book the room across the hall but decided against it.

 

 

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[redrob1234]

Taking my 2 boys, 12 & 15 on a 12 night Med cruise this July. Our previous family cruise was 6 years ago for 7 nights and we did quad share. That was fine but they are now both really tall and 4 in one room would be too uncomfortable for 12 nights.

 

I considered getting one balcony and one inside across the hall but I was a bit uncomfortable about it. My boys are likely to act out their favorite WWE moves in their room and disturb their neighbors!

 

There was one set of balcony connecting rooms left on our sailing so we snapped them up. The difference was substantial but when I broke it down over 12 nights then split it by 2 it wasn't too bad. I just sucked it up more for my own peace of mind.

 

FWIW, even though our rooms are connecting we still had to book a parent in each room. Hopefully that will be easy enough to change once we get on board.

 

Does anyone know if I will be able to arrange for all 4 of our sea pass cards to open both cabins?

 

 

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[thefamilytravelagent]

 

FWIW, even though our rooms are connecting we still had to book a parent in each room. Hopefully that will be easy enough to change once we get on board.

 

Does anyone know if I will be able to arrange for all 4 of our sea pass cards to open both cabins?

 

 

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That is very strange because we are currently booked with my husband and I in one room and all 3 of our kids in a connecting room. He said because it's a connecting room you don't need an adult in one room.

[cincicruisers]

The kids camp allows teenagers to sign themselves out of the club and on their own around the ship. It is a much bigger deal to have kids wandering around the ship.

 

For the OPs question if you are in your room for the night I would say ok depending on how mature they are.

[graciekelli]

13 year old daughter and 11 year old twin sons not only shared their own room, but way down the hall form us in an interior cabin, we were in a JS. We set rules and they followed them just like at home. No problem.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Royal Caribbean allows you to book your own kids in a cabin right next door, or directly across the hall, from your own cabin. It is NOT necessary to book one adult in each cabin. You may need to book the cabins over the phone rather than on their website.

 

Aware of this with older kids. However, OP was talking about 10-year-olds. Depending upon who you talk to on the phone and the proximity of the cabins, representative may suggest putting an adult in each room.

[Ourusualbeach]

Aware of this with older kids. However, OP was talking about 10-year-olds. Depending upon who you talk to on the phone and the proximity of the cabins, representative may suggest putting an adult in each room.

 

There is no age restriction on putting the kids in their own rooms. I'm not saying that a rep hasn't suggested it but they never have to us. With 2 exceptions we have booked the kids in their own room since the kids were 8 and 10. The cabins need to be directly beside each other or directly across the hall.

[DonnaK]

Aware of this with older kids. However, OP was talking about 10-year-olds. Depending upon who you talk to on the phone and the proximity of the cabins, representative may suggest putting an adult in each room.

It is not required no matter how young the children are, regardless of whether or not the misinformed representative suggests it.

[AZCactusCruiser]

We used to do big over night trips with youth groups from church. We put masking tape on the door and the door frame. We would know if they opened the door because the tape would be off. They couldn't come out in the morning until we released them. :D

 

 

Brilliant! :D

[Mom.to.2]

my kids are 9 & 13 and I still insist on a connecting room (interior door.) The 13 year old babysits other children and is very responsible. However, when it's siblings together, I'm not so trusting. They fight.

 

And even though their bedrooms at home are much further from me than they would be across the hall on a cruise ship, there aren't strangers walking up and down my hallway at home, and employees with a key to their room.

[Grandma Dazzles]

It is not required no matter how young the children are, regardless of whether or not the misinformed representative suggests it.

 

I never thought the representative was being misinformed. In fact, he was being helpful. As I pointed out earlier, the representative was concerned about muster stations. We were booking family of 6, including three kids, ages 9-12, and looking for three staterooms. He recommended an adult being booked based on stateroom locations and muster stations. This was on the Oasis. We ended up with connecting Boardwalk balconies plus an ocean view across the hall. We were in different muster stations.

[John&LaLa]

It wasn't you that I quoted. :)

 

Oops, sorry. I was multi tasking

[QE2_Fan]

We used to do big over night trips with youth groups from church. We put masking tape on the door and the door frame. We would know if they opened the door because the tape would be off. They couldn't come out in the morning until we released them. :D

 

 

 

LOL! Or the licked hair over the lock ha ah! Must say a lot of good ideas coming out of this thread for when we do let the kids have their own room ! [emoji13]

 

For those that do so, are you able to get an interior directly opposite ie a couple of doors down, or could their room be some distance away? Is that a deciding factor or not so much? Some ships only have limited inside staterooms directly adjacent balcony staterooms.

Edited April 25, 2016 by QE2_Fan

[Ourusualbeach]

LOL! Or the licked hair over the lock ha ah! Must say a lot of good ideas coming out of this thread for when we do let the kids have their own room ! [emoji13]

 

For those that do so, are you able to get an interior directly opposite ie a couple of doors down, or could their room be some distance away? Is that a deciding factor or not so much? Some ships only have limited inside staterooms directly adjacent balcony staterooms.

 

We have only been able to get a room for the kids that is directly across. One cabin to the left or right and we were told no.