On board accounts and kids............

[musicgirl63]

I don't think you'll be able to buy the Teen Passport Program (that includes 20 smoothies) once you are aboard. You'll need to purchase it under Bon Voyage section on NCL web site.

 

I asked this on another thread and was told that you could purchase these on the ship.

[musicgirl63]

Card charges-This will be our 6th cruise with a pre-teen/teen. We have never taken his charging privileges away. Not because we have a cash tree in our backyard, but he knows he has the chance to show us that he can be responsible. We told him his limits and if he went over it, he had to pay for it. So I suggest you use this as a learning experience, one that builds trust.

 

Since he (17) has been responsible on the cruises (and other times), he has a credit card in his name (our account). He only uses it if he asks us. He knows that he'll loose it if he buys anything not pre-approved! Its great when we need gas in the car!!

 

Kids/teen clubs-We cruise in June and his birthday is in Sept which means he is about 3 months shy of the next birthday. When he was 12+++, he had a great time in the clubs. Having fun in the clubs is more about making friends and hanging out whether it is IN the clubs or out.

 

Trust me when I say you don't want a 12+++ hanging out with 13-17 year olds. Some activities/conversations are not appropriate for the younger kids even if they may be more mature than most kids their age.

[musicgirl63]

I'm guessing the reason you can't get smoothies on the regular soda pass is because it is unlimited. Perhaps they need a kids pass that enables them to get 20 sodas or smoothies.

 

I see 2 down falls with this idea.

 

1) I believe the pass is in the form of a booklet. If they lose the booklet, it is not replaceable. I see many tears.........

 

2) Younger kids have a tendency to get a soda and drink only 1/2 or misplace it. I would imagine that 20 drinks could go much quicker for a younger child.

 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are plenty of teens who would do the exact same things!

[lfdianne]

We were on the Spirit in January. We bought the Teen Passport for our 14 yo. He used it to get many smoothies for his 12 yo brother and 8 yo sister. We ended up buying a second Passport, just for the smoothies, which run $6-8 each (depending on the souvenir cup). Our kids love smoothies, Jamba Juice is their favorite treat. They do come in a tear out booklet, and my son said the only "teen" activity tied to the card was the "smoothie party" where the teens who showed up were given a free smoothie, and yet another chance to hang out together.

 

Our 12 yo had a great time, even though he was with the 10-12 yos. He went to the kids crew every chance he had. Of course, we were on the cruise the week of New Years and there were 400 kids on board.

 

We also bought the soda wristbands for the younger two, and it really wasn't worth it for them, so we had them keep ordering sodas for dh and myself.

[marcopaulo]

My son loves smoothies, especially the strawberry banana. I just wanted you to know, they are not made with juice. They use diet sprite, and pour some fruit flavoring in. They are really good, I just don't want anyone to think they are a healthy alternative, definitely not.

[CanadianTwosome]

My son loves smoothies, especially the strawberry banana. I just wanted you to know, they are not made with juice. They use diet sprite, and pour some fruit flavoring in. They are really good, I just don't want anyone to think they are a healthy alternative, definitely not.

 

I was going by the menu:

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2524921950100731960nvUSjA

 

I just assumed that the smoothies the teens/kids ordered were virgin versions of the alcoholic ones. I had some of my daughter's on our last cruise, and if they were made with just fruit flavouring rather than fruit, they sure fooled me!!

 

Edit: I still wouldn't call them a 'healthy alternative' so much as a 'healthIER alternative'. :)

[rrobynec]

We brought our PS2 with and plugged it into our TV, and that worked out well.

 

Thanks for the info Sue! My 16 DS would rather play XBox than go to shows and it's good to know it won't be a problem for him to hook it up to the room TV.

I know if horrifies some people that he's on a cruise and would rather play XBox than many of the activities, but it's his vacation too, so he should be able to spend some of it as he chooses. XBOX AND room service--he'll be in heaven!!!!;)

Plus, DD and I can use it to watch DVDs, rather than pay per view!

[CanadianTwosome]

Thanks for the info Sue! My 16 DS would rather play XBox than go to shows and it's good to know it won't be a problem for him to hook it up to the room TV.

I know if horrifies some people that he's on a cruise and would rather play XBox than many of the activities, but it's his vacation too, so he should be able to spend some of it as he chooses. XBOX AND room service--he'll be in heaven!!!!;)

Plus, DD and I can use it to watch DVDs, rather than pay per view!

 

You hit the nail on the head with that one. It IS their vacation, too!! I've seen thread after thread after thread about XBox and PSP and whatever other personal entertainment devices you can think of, and I think a lot of people tend to forget that. We take our daughter away from the cold and snow of winter and she gets sunshine, fresh air, and exposure to different places and cultures... I see nothing wrong with her watching movies on our laptop if she wants to. (we don't have any of the other things) It's not as if your son is going to spend his entire vacation in the cabin playing games!!

 

On our last cruise this past January, I walked into the atrium to find a horde of people watching a football game on the huge screen. I can't imagine a bigger waste of precious 'fresh air and sunshine' time, but that's just because I don't watch sports. It was their vacation, too, and that's how they chose to spend that afternoon. At least an XBox contributes to hand eye coordination development!! :p