Walkie talkies and a couple kid questions...

[ozziebound]

Hi all! 

My wife and I and our two boys (8&10) will be on bliss soon (2/18) with friends who also have boys of similar ages...

 

Do walkie  talkies work well on ncl ships? 

 

Also, my friend found a sternly worded paragraph on the ncl website about leaving kids unsupervised - it seems like it was specifically addressing leaving kids on ship on a port day (when parents go on shore)...

 

But maybe it was more broadly about leaving kids unsupervised? What's common and allowed on ncl ships? I know 10-12 year olds are allowed to check themselves out of splash academy...

 

Also on a couple of places on the website it says that checking kids into spladh academy on a port day (while parents go ashore) is temporarily unavailable (sad!) - is this correct in your recent experience?

 

Thanks! 

Adam 

[razor7_us]

 Parents are not allowed to leave their minor child (ren), under 17 years old, onboard without adult supervision or adult guardianship. 

 

Walkie talkies are prohibited on all NCL ships

[mjkacmom]

18 minutes ago, razor7_us said:

 Parents are not allowed to leave their minor child (ren), under 17 years old, onboard without adult supervision or adult guardianship. 

 

Walkie talkies are prohibited on all NCL ships

Is this anywhere in writing? So 16 year olds aren’t allowed to stay on the ship, but 17 year olds are, even though they’re not legal adults. I know walk-in talkies don’t work well at all on ships, but I didn’t know they were prohibited.

[SoloAlaska]

Walker talkies are absolutely banned. If you try to bring them onboard you would have your luggage held at security and be sent to the “naughty room”. 8 and 10 are way too young to be left alone. Fellow passengers should not have to deal with your unsupervised children. Would you let your young children go to the store, grab dinner at a restaurant, go to the pool and explore a random small town on their own? Consider these are thousands of strangers and not your trusted Neighbour’s onboard. It’s up to you to keep them safe but also controlled so they don’t interfere with others enjoyments of their vacation.

[graphicguy]

Walkie-Talkies don't work on cruise ships unless you're already within shouting distance of each other.  Just way too much metal that interferes with the signal.

 

https://www.ncl.com/no/en/prohibited-items

Edited January 31 by graphicguy

[mking8288]

Up until a few years ago (pre-Covid) NCL used to sell onboard themselves, inexpensive sets of walkie talkies in the gift shop (operating typically in FRS or UHF band frequencies exempt from FCC licensing whereas license is required for GMRS in the U.S.) but the (unspoken) policy was revised last summer, banning them onboard NCL ships ... along with EPIRB, amateur (ham) radios, satellite phones, transformers, lasers & laser pointers. 

https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-line-adds-another-item-to-prohibited-list/106471

 

There was a thread here on the forum but a quick search yielded yada, nothing ... Regardless, radio frequencies used by these transceivers might interfere with other authorized use in other countries and prohibited, and/or the RF interference from Baofeng and alike, operating out of band can cause problems & jammed the airwaves.  

[Discopij]

We are bringing an old disused iPhone for my 10-year old to use (for example, when she's in the kids' club and we're at Syd's or the casino or something and she wants us to pick her up).  Even if the iPhone has no cell plan it still works with Wi-fi ... and iPhones can text each other on the ship for free.

[MinnieSconie16]

2 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

Is this anywhere in writing? So 16 year olds aren’t allowed to stay on the ship, but 17 year olds are, even though they’re not legal adults. I know walk-in talkies don’t work well at all on ships, but I didn’t know they were prohibited.

https://www.ncl.com/faq#!#can-my-childteen-under-17-years-old-stay-onboard-unattended-without-supervision-while-i-go-ashor
 

https://www.ncl.com/prohibited-items

[MinnieSconie16]

3 hours ago, ozziebound said:

Hi all! 

My wife and I and our two boys (8&10) will be on bliss soon (2/18) with friends who also have boys of similar ages...

 

Do walkie  talkies work well on ncl ships? 

 

Also, my friend found a sternly worded paragraph on the ncl website about leaving kids unsupervised - it seems like it was specifically addressing leaving kids on ship on a port day (when parents go on shore)...

 

But maybe it was more broadly about leaving kids unsupervised? What's common and allowed on ncl ships? I know 10-12 year olds are allowed to check themselves out of splash academy...

 

Also on a couple of places on the website it says that checking kids into spladh academy on a port day (while parents go ashore) is temporarily unavailable (sad!) - is this correct in your recent experience?

 

Thanks! 

Adam 

Please don’t let your 8 & 10 year olds roam free and unsupervised. It is unfortunately too common that I have experienced packs of kids roaming the ship, misbehaving and impacting the enjoyment of other’s vacations. The staff also does not want to be in the situation where they must address issues with your child’s bad behavior… our last cruise, I ended up intervening on a group of kids that were stealing the basketballs from the arcade game in O’shennans and running around the bar “playing basketball”…not a parent to be found and the staff was trying to pretend it wasn’t happening which I get, they want tips and no hassle for being reported for telling “Timmy” no.  Supervise your kids, don’t let them run free as a cruise isn’t a safe bubble where nothing bad can happen and staff/guests are not your babysitter. That said, I think a 10-12 year old going to the buffet to get a ice cream or snack by themselves and returning to the parents is a reasonable amount of independence without likely causing havoc to others.  Yes, they can sign themselves out at that age AFTER 2 hours of being at Splash Academy but any less time, you have to sign them out so a little bit of independence is great but allowing to run free unsupervised is literally shirking your parenting responsibilities on vacation to others.
 

 I have cruised for years and have a 10 & 13 year old.  Obviously the 13 year old gets more freedom but we have a lot of rules about this that are clearly communicated and agreed upon as he knows breaking them, it’s end of freedom (example: he must inform us where he will be at and what he will be doing and it’s typically time boxed). The 10 (almost 11) year old will be able to sign himself out this trip but only if it’s been prearranged with us and he would be going to the arcade or water slides with his older brother.

[complawyer]

what could you possibly be thinking, wanting  to leave an 8 and 10 year old unsupervised when you go off the ship.

 

Sorry, but are you both INSANE.

 

this is a risk no normal parent should even be thinking about.

 

why not do the kids a favor. they're on the cruise also, so why not take them along for the shore excursions?  Safer all around and i'm sure the kids would enjoy the sights

 

bad idea, really, really bad idea!

[Davechipp74]

In NYC it is very common to see 8+ year old take the subway by themselves transfer lines even, then walk several blocks to school in the morning, then do the same thing in the afternoon by themselves. 

It seems common place that parents on cruises often allow their children of a wide range of ages to roam free all about the ship for a lengthen of time unsupervised. I never look twice at it.

Edited February 1 by Davechipp74

[ozziebound]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

what could you possibly be thinking, wanting  to leave an 8 and 10 year old unsupervised when you go off the ship.

 

Sorry, but are you both INSANE.

 

this is a risk no normal parent should even be thinking about.

 

why not do the kids a favor. they're on the cruise also, so why not take them along for the shore excursions?  Safer all around and i'm sure the kids would enjoy the sights

 

bad idea, really, really bad idea!

I'm new to ncl and was just asking a few questions... Of course I would never leave my kids unsupervised on the ship while I went ashore - but many cruise lines, including ncl, (usually) allow parents to check their kids into the kids' programming for the day before going ashore - parents are contactable, allergies noted, forms signed... We did it on rcl may 2019 when our older one had just turned six and it was totally fine- ncl  notes  it on their FAQ- "Splash Academy is offered on port days for children 3-12 years old. Currently not being offered. " (Doesn't say why it's currently not offered)

 

In another part of the FAQ it goes further and says "Note to parents:

If parents go ashore, it is recommended to use the Splash Academy services for children under 12 year old."

 

And here is another quote from ncl website (my friend who will be travelling with us sent me a screenshot of this): 

Port Play

Want some alone time? Then drop off the little ones at Port Play for free. Only a small fee applies for the supervision of your child(ren) during breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours.

Meal times are based on ship and itinerary.

Temporarily Not Available

 

As for when we are all on the ship, I was just asking what the rules are - and the culture of NCL- given the possible clash between the harsh warnings that can be found on ncl.com (and here in this thread) and the rule that allows 10-12 year olds to check themselves out. That rule seems to give some freedom to 10-12 year olds that is less than teens but more than younger kids. 

 

Again - I was just curious and looking for some advice. Last time we cruised with kids was almost five years ago so our kids were much younger and last time I was on ncl was 1995 and my cousins and I were the kids and teens! (I was 16.)

 

Please don't call me insane. We've never met. It didn't feel very nice and I usually think I'm quite a loving and caring and sane parent.

 

Adam 

[ggTexasGal]

@ozziebound Unfortunately, many items on NCL's site are out-of-date (and/or poorly worded), especially, within their helpful (or NOT) information.

Also, it seems that NCL (post- covid) is no longer providing the same level of supervision for Splash Academy as they did Pre-Covid.

I hope your family has a safe and wonderful cruise.

[Fogfog]

Times have changed.

"back in the day", the kids in Kids club when they could check themselves out and go to arcade, we'd get a walkie-talkie alert from them where they were headed.

And they'd come  to us with a piece of pizza in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other. 

 

Honestly-- most of the kids were far better behaved than many adults both in manners and behavior. 🤣

[Laszlo]

4 hours ago, ozziebound said:

I'm new to ncl and was just asking a few questions... Of course I would never leave my kids unsupervised on the ship while I went ashore - but many cruise lines, including ncl, (usually) allow parents to check their kids into the kids' programming for the day before going ashore - parents are contactable, allergies noted, forms signed... We did it on rcl may 2019 when our older one had just turned six and it was totally fine- ncl  notes  it on their FAQ- "Splash Academy is offered on port days for children 3-12 years old. Currently not being offered. " (Doesn't say why it's currently not offered)

 

In another part of the FAQ it goes further and says "Note to parents:

If parents go ashore, it is recommended to use the Splash Academy services for children under 12 year old."

 

And here is another quote from ncl website (my friend who will be travelling with us sent me a screenshot of this): 

Port Play

Want some alone time? Then drop off the little ones at Port Play for free. Only a small fee applies for the supervision of your child(ren) during breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours.

Meal times are based on ship and itinerary.

Temporarily Not Available

 

As for when we are all on the ship, I was just asking what the rules are - and the culture of NCL- given the possible clash between the harsh warnings that can be found on ncl.com (and here in this thread) and the rule that allows 10-12 year olds to check themselves out. That rule seems to give some freedom to 10-12 year olds that is less than teens but more than younger kids. 

 

Again - I was just curious and looking for some advice. Last time we cruised with kids was almost five years ago so our kids were much younger and last time I was on ncl was 1995 and my cousins and I were the kids and teens! (I was 16.)

 

Please don't call me insane. We've never met. It didn't feel very nice and I usually think I'm quite a loving and caring and sane parent.

 

Adam 

As long as your kids are well behaved, have a little bit of street smarts their will be no issue. I realize times have changed, I'm 60 and when I was 10-12 especially during the summer my friends and I would leave the house at 8am and wouldn't be back until dinner, we would travels miles.

 

The problem comes in I've have seen it first hand when you have groups of pre teens and teens who are bored and roaming the ships. Playing games in the stairwells, making a mess in the buffet and just being disrespectful to other passengers and the crew. On the other hand I've seen plenty of drunk, angry disrespectful adults who I would have loved to toss overboard

Edited February 1 by Laszlo

[Daruma]

1 hour ago, Laszlo said:

6 hours ago, ozziebound said:

... Please don't call me insane. We've never met. It didn't feel very nice and I usually think I'm quite a loving and caring and sane parent.

 

Adam 

 

 

I was just gonna call you insane for having kids in the first place, lol.

 

<says the proud poppa gleefully looking forward to attending his son's graduation from college this May> 😂

[mjkacmom]

13 hours ago, MinnieSconie16 said:

https://www.ncl.com/faq#!#can-my-childteen-under-17-years-old-stay-onboard-unattended-without-supervision-while-i-go-ashor
 

https://www.ncl.com/prohibited-items

I’m confused with it stating under 17 and not under 18, 17 is also a minor.

[Daruma]

2 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I’m confused with it stating under 17 and not under 18, 17 is also a minor.

 

Maybe not in all countries? I don't know. 🤷‍♂️

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, Fogfog said:

Times have changed.

"back in the day", the kids in Kids club when they could check themselves out and go to arcade, we'd get a walkie-talkie alert from them where they were headed.

And they'd come  to us with a piece of pizza in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other. 

 

Honestly-- most of the kids were far better behaved than many adults both in manners and behavior. 🤣

10 - 12 year olds can still check themselves out.

[mjkacmom]

1 minute ago, Daruma said:

 

Maybe not in all countries? I don't know. 🤷‍♂️

Well the drinking age for cruises out of the US is 21 in spite of it being lower in most other countries. There are hotels that allow 18 year olds to check in themselves but cruise lines don’t. I’m just very surprised with 17 year olds being allowed since the age rules on cruise ships seem stricter than in land.

[wolft927]

15 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

Is this anywhere in writing? So 16 year olds aren’t allowed to stay on the ship, but 17 year olds are, even though they’re not legal adults. I know walk-in talkies don’t work well at all on ships, but I didn’t know they were prohibited.

We were on the Joy Last April, our 16 year old daughter and her 17 year old friend was traveling with us. We went ashore in Harvest Cay before them and when they tried to get off the ship they were not allowed to get off without my wife or myself. Not sure about leaving them on board in port but i dont think that would be a problem .

[PATRLR]

@ozziebound - You asked about the culture on NCL:  My observation is there are many kids in that pre-teen age that enjoy the ship unsupervised.  Many of them are even well behaved.

[Fogfog]

21 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

We were on the Joy Last April, our 16 year old daughter and her 17 year old friend was traveling with us. We went ashore in Harvest Cay before them and when they tried to get off the ship they were not allowed to get off without my wife or myself. Not sure about leaving them on board in port but i dont think that would be a problem .

 Interesting

While sailing Carnival several years back, our tween got onto a tender and went ashore - having quite the adventure. I think it was Belize.

We had said that we as a family were NOT going ashore- having been outside the port gates once before. At that previous visit we had hoped to get iguana for lunch (yes its a thing in season) and to see a very small church that had been planted there.

A nice man approached us and told us were were in a dangerous area and to go back to the port...which we did. 

 

We did not know about said tween's adventure until years later.🤯 Seriously still shocked. 

 

I think the cruise lines have been under a lot of pressure for pax safety as every year pax go missing 

 

[PartyPlannerLady]

19 hours ago, ozziebound said:

Hi all! 

My wife and I and our two boys (8&10) will be on bliss soon (2/18) with friends who also have boys of similar ages...

 

Do walkie  talkies work well on ncl ships? 

 

Also, my friend found a sternly worded paragraph on the ncl website about leaving kids unsupervised - it seems like it was specifically addressing leaving kids on ship on a port day (when parents go on shore)...

 

But maybe it was more broadly about leaving kids unsupervised? What's common and allowed on ncl ships? I know 10-12 year olds are allowed to check themselves out of splash academy...

 

Also on a couple of places on the website it says that checking kids into spladh academy on a port day (while parents go ashore) is temporarily unavailable (sad!) - is this correct in your recent experience?

 

Thanks! 

Adam 

Do NOT bring walkie talkies.  They are not allowed and they are a huge FU to evetone else on the ship.  Noone wants to listen to you repeatedly saying louder and louder "can you jear me now"?  The answer is to p[roperly supervise your kids at all times.  If you do not want to be with your kids on a cruise leave them at home.  Don' be that guy!

[ziggyuk]

Walkie talkies are banned for a reason.

 

I had a child next to me at the meet and mingle recently. They were using a walkie talkie and annoying a member of staff at the other end, they must have been on the same channel as the staff use. 
The staff member kept saying "Who is this?". The child's mother said "opps, we better change channel.".

Edited February 1 by ziggyuk