Sgrgirl20 Posted October 16, 2007 #1 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Okay .. going on a cruise in January with 2 nieces and 2 nephews .. age ranging from almost 3 to 9. My sister plans on keeping their sign and sail cards with her - do they have to keep them with them while at camp carnival? Also - my last cruise I remember seeing most of the kids with armbands .. what are they for - do they have their identification on them? Any news/advice about this would be much appreciated :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fogfog Posted October 16, 2007 #2 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Okay .. going on a cruise in January with 2 nieces and 2 nephews .. age ranging from almost 3 to 9. My sister plans on keeping their sign and sail cards with her - do they have to keep them with them while at camp carnival? Also - my last cruise I remember seeing most of the kids with armbands .. what are they for - do they have their identification on them? Any news/advice about this would be much appreciated :) Hi Ok armbands will differ... MUSTER STATION BAND But I know that children under a certain age get an armband during the muster station drill. This is so they are recognized as potentially needing extra help. The band identifies their muster station. Its important they keep it on...and if it comes off--Go to the pursers office etc and ask about getting a new one right away. CAMP BAND As for camp bands--programs probably differ from cruise line to cruise line. On Disney for example..the kids get a bar code/Id and so does the parent (we had two--one for each child) so that ONLY the parent with the armband that matched the childs id could take the child from camp. At the time our boys were 3 and 5... As for Camp Carnival--when we were on Miracle last year--the boys were 10 and 13...(The 10 yr old did get a Carnival Muster station band) but there were no camp bands..And the boys could check themselves in and out of camp--and meet us on deck or join in the activities as they chose. This was something we allowed them to do and we signed a form accordingly so the camp counselors knew. As for Sign/Sail cards..We kept our boys cards when we cruised Disney--because although they had no charging privledges--they we also keys...and the boys were so young, 3 and 5. With Carnival--the boys (ages 10 and 13) kept their cards with them so they could buy sodas etc...and come and go into th ecabin themselves One son had a soda card priveldges .... One didn't--because he doesn't drink soda... They both were told what their daily limit of video arcade credit was...I think we limited them to $5 a day...a piece Just our experience. Hopefully others with additionally knowledge will chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted October 16, 2007 #3 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Before you even board the ship, there will be camp counselors right there to have your kids sign up for the camp and get their armbands. It's a rule they must wear the bands. They list what lifeboat the kids are on, so in case of emergency, they can bring your kids right to you at the lifeboats. They don't need the sign and sail cards for the camp, but if they have the ability to sign in and out of the camp, they might need the SS to open their cabin door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted October 17, 2007 #4 Share Posted October 17, 2007 The previous posters are right about the muster station bands (my 3 year old HATES wearing those..lol) I don't give my kids their S&S cards. For 9 and under, they won't be wandering the ship on their own anyway...so if they need to charge anything or unlock the door...the parents will be with them. :) And I wear a lanyard that keeps my S&S card with my childrens' cards so when we disembark the ship at ports, I always have them with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel4daughters Posted October 17, 2007 #5 Share Posted October 17, 2007 CruisinMama--re: lanyard Do the S&S cards have holes to thread them onto the lanyard or do you clip them on or have a pocket thingy for them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giggles2007 Posted October 17, 2007 #6 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I have a question and I hope someone can answer it. This cruise will be my 3 children's (Time of cruise ages will be: DS 14, DS 13 and DD 11) first cruise ever. Looking at their ages do you think its okay that they carry their own S&S cards? Also, are the soda cards a separate card from the S&S card? And do you think its safe to let them check themselves out of camp carnival? I know I probably sound silly but this is their first cruise and I just want to know these things. I have seen kids hanging out on my previous cruises and they all seemed to be doing okay. My kids are very respectful and I would probably find them up on the Lido deck most of the time. So my biggest worry should be upset tummies!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted October 17, 2007 #7 Share Posted October 17, 2007 CruisinMama--re: lanyard Do the S&S cards have holes to thread them onto the lanyard or do you clip them on or have a pocket thingy for them? I buy new lanyards in the ship's gift shop. Every cruiseline has their own lanyard. The cards slide in them, no need to punch holes. Some of them have zipper enclosures. This is from Carnival, RCCL and Disney... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted October 17, 2007 #8 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I have a question and I hope someone can answer it. This cruise will be my 3 children's (Time of cruise ages will be: DS 14, DS 13 and DD 11) first cruise ever. Looking at their ages do you think its okay that they carry their own S&S cards? Also, are the soda cards a separate card from the S&S card? And do you think its safe to let them check themselves out of camp carnival? I know I probably sound silly but this is their first cruise and I just want to know these things. I have seen kids hanging out on my previous cruises and they all seemed to be doing okay. My kids are very respectful and I would probably find them up on the Lido deck most of the time. So my biggest worry should be upset tummies!! The soda card is separate from the S&S card on Carnival. As far as checking themselves out...the 13 and 14 will be in a "come and go as you please" program at Camp Carnival. Your 11 year old *can* get signing priviledges...would I do it for an 11 year old...probably not. There have been MANY debates on this very topic. It is all up to what you are comfortable with. I tend to be very over protective. If the kids are walking in groups, not alone...then I would allow them to leave the camp. But only if I knew where they were going. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giggles2007 Posted October 17, 2007 #9 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Thanks Michele for the answers. I plan on getting a lanyard for the kids (I already have one made of leather) so that they can keep their cards handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fogfog Posted October 22, 2007 #10 Share Posted October 22, 2007 The soda card is separate from the S&S card on Carnival. As far as checking themselves out...the 13 and 14 will be in a "come and go as you please" program at Camp Carnival. Your 11 year old *can* get signing priviledges...would I do it for an 11 year old...probably not. There have been MANY debates on this very topic. It is all up to what you are comfortable with. I tend to be very over protective. If the kids are walking in groups, not alone...then I would allow them to leave the camp. But only if I knew where they were going. ;) Michelle is right here. Since there are beverages available all day long--without the soda..Its up to you on soda consumption. Our older son 14 doesn't drink alot of soda because he feels its bad for his athletic performance and our rule is for every soft drink--he needs to consume 2x the amount in plain water. Both boys are BIG water drinkers anyway--we all are But our ds 11 (age 10 on Carnival Miracle --did have a fountain card--he used about 1-2x a day--my guys drink Sprite or gingerale--not coke products) We did let ds10 come and go--but with guidelines--Generally he was at the slide where we could see him from the aft pool deck...or he'd be in the arcade with a boy his age I was nervous--and we did walkie-talkie him and had he and his brother check in with us regularly. Once DH followed ds around the ship to see what he was doing and where he was going... Answer: pizza, ice cream, walked around looking for his brother, pool slide etc..very responsible...and DH and DS went for a nice walk together and hung out... And several times a day one of us would go looking for the kids to see what they were up to because those sea days they had so much fun.... Enjoy your cruise:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted October 22, 2007 #11 Share Posted October 22, 2007 . Since there are beverages available all day long--without the soda..Its up to you on soda consumption. Our older son 14 doesn't drink alot of soda because he feels its bad for his athletic performance and our rule is for every soft drink--he needs to consume 2x the amount in plain water. :D Yes that is another point. There is iced tea, fruit punch, choc milk and white milk (at least) available for FREE all day long. Some other times you can get apple and orange juice for free (usually at the Lido in the mornings). So unless your kids are big soda drinkers, you won't need to buy the cards either. My kids (and me too) are perfectly happy with juice and milk. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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