How much freedom do you give your teen?

[Cruisin' Mane]

Im 15 and my mom has always let me do whatever on all 8 of my past cruises. RCL has a curfiew for people under 18 unless they are in a public area such as the teen lounges or eating. Teens roaming the ship after curfiew are escorted to their room. This has happened quite often to me but the guards are nice and want the best for kids. I believe the curfiew is midnight but im not entirely sure.

[Cruisin' Mane]

I think it's great that parents give their children rules to follow while onboard, but who enforces those rules if the children are not supervised?

 

Unless an unruley child is reported by another passanger (which they shouldn't have to do, it's your kid not theirs) or if the ships cameras actually catch them doing something inapropriate, do you as a parent ever know that they're misbehaving???:confused:

 

Do you think the parents of the kids in the video link below knew what their kids were up to that evening? The boys in the video look like they're what, 15 - 16? I bet they were told to be good and follow the rules before they left the cabin that night too....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvcy2F-m5uE

 

 

I have seen that happen many times. When i was on the explorer i saw a few kids throw about 20 chairs off the side. However, i have to admit that this is a bad thing to do but humerous! (:

[marci22]

Unless an unruley child is reported by another passanger (which they shouldn't have to do, it's your kid not theirs) or if the ships cameras actually catch them doing something inapropriate, do you as a parent ever know that they're misbehaving???:confused:

 

 

I definitely spy on them. Just to make sure.

[jtwisconsin]

However' date=' i have to admit that this is a bad thing to do but humerous! (:[/quote']

 

Get caught being in a group pulling something like that, and you could find your entire family kicked off the ship at the next (possibly foreign) port. I would like to see how funny you would think it was then.

[reallyitsmema]

Get caught being in a group pulling something like that, and you could find your entire family kicked off the ship at the next (possibly foreign) port. I would like to see how funny you would think it was then.

I really doubt anyone was able to throw 20 chairs off of a cruise ship without someone noticing they were missing. One chair might go unnoticed but I would expect further investigation into 20 missing chairs. There are cameras everywhere. All they would need to do is look at the tapes.

[vavasmom]

I always perform checks. Even on Freedom, I saw her at the pool and once in the Windjammer. I also ask questions about plans etc.

[firefly4423]

kids will be kids no matter what. :P

[mistyflannigan]

My daughter has the same rules on board as at home. She has to tell where she is going, when she is returning, who she is with, etc. DD is very outgoing and makes friends easily, so I'm sure she will have a group of friends the very first day of the cruise. I meet each new friend and their parents and insist on knowing their cabin number. I'm not worried about her falling overboard. The most important thing is all of my kids know if they do not behave on a vacation, they will stay at Grandma's house (who does not have internet) next time Dad and I travel.

[mojo22]

Get caught being in a group pulling something like that, and you could find your entire family kicked off the ship at the next (possibly foreign) port. I would like to see how funny you would think it was then.

 

I didn't think it was funny either - especially if you are the parent! Also, that seemed very close to hitting the people on the deck below. Where's the humor there?

[I'm on holiday]

Punk a*ss kids like that nauseate me :mad: and they give well behaved, yet still fun-loving kids a bad rap!

[blueyedcutie]

I am traveling with my DD (14) next week and she will be signing a contract. She's a responsible teen but sometimes common sense isn't always working (even at home).

 

Below is what she will be signing (I copied it from a bunch of different places). Sorry it's long.

 

First of all I want both of us to have fun. This should be a relaxing vacation. You are the most special person in the world to me and I love you very much. I am concerned for your safety. I hope that noting my expectations and rules in place before we depart will avoid any misunderstandings on-board. Note that violation of these rules will result in you being required to stay with me 100% of the time and not participate in any of the teen activities

• You are not to enter any cabin but ours. I don’t care if it is the cabin of a new friend or someone we already know (unless I expressly approve this). People have been known to harm others when they are taken into a cabin.

• No one else is to enter our cabin.

• If you are in our cabin alone – hang the do not disturb sign out on the door. This should prevent any RCCL employee from entering. Please ensure you remove it when you leave the room.

• If you are in the cabin alone and someone from RCCL enters (i.e. room steward) ask them to leave and come back later (approx. when you will be gone). If they do not leave, you are to leave and go to the customer service desk. You are not to be in our cabin with any other person unless I am also there.

• You are not to drink any beverage unless it is handed to you by me or an RCCL staff member. You are not to drink from anything you have let out of your sight unless entrusted to a known person. For the purposes of this cruise, the only know person is me – it is not someone you have only known for a few days. Some people have been known to slip drugs into other people’s drinks. This is a lifelong rule that should be followed in any social situation.

• I expect to know where you are on the ship. We will use the whiteboard over the door handle.

• You are not to loiter or play in the stairwells, hallways, or elevators.

• Activities such as “knock and run” or calling other cabins to hang up will not be tolerated.

• The ship’s curfew is 1am since you are under 18. For any activity past 11pm, I will meet you and walk you to the cabin. I am not afraid of what you may do but what some drunk person might do. I agree not to show up earlier than our agreed to time.

• I have the right to require you to be in the cabin earlier if I am concerned you are over tired or we have an early morning activity.

• Your Sea Pass is tied to my credit card. It is to be used only by you. You may not buy other people drinks, snacks, arcade games, or souvenirs. You have a budget of $90. This should cover 1 “mocktail” or Ben & Jerry’s per day plus a little more. If you exceed this budget without my approval, you will need to work it off after we get home. I have sole discretion at what constitutes “working it off”.

• If you loose your Seapass you are to immediately notify me.

• I expect us to eat dinner together each night. I am flexible if there is an alternate activity you would prefer to attend as long as we have discussed it in advance (at least that morning). You are expected to eat at our specialty reservations.

• If there are kids you would prefer to hang out with instead of the teen club, I need to meet them.

• If you order room service, you must tip the delivery person. I will provide, upon request, the money for this.

• I will pay for 1 visit to Johnny Rockets and one milkshake in addition to your $90 budget. Any extra visits will come out of that budget unless approved by me.

• If we arrange a check-in time and you miss it then you are “grounded” for the next 24 hours. This means that you must stay with me.

• No visits to the outside areas of the upper deck at night alone.

• Put anything of value into the cabin safe.

[caribbean crazy]

Everyone seems to be assuming that it is always the kids you need to be worrying about. As the mother of two daugthers, I would be much more concerned about who they might run across on the ship. I'm sure this will sound over-protective to most people, but the population on the ship is going to contain all sorts of people. Most people will be o.k. All it takes is one person who is not, and I'm not willing to take that chance. The supervision is needed to protect them from other people as much as from themselves. That doesn't necessarily have to mean round the clock be with your parent - but a teen out to 12:30 or 1 am alone? Why is that necessary?

[akcruz]

I am traveling with my DD (14) next week and she will be signing a contract. She's a responsible teen but sometimes common sense isn't always working (even at home).

 

Below is what she will be signing (I copied it from a bunch of different places). Sorry it's long.

 

 

Very nicely done, especially like the explanations in your items. While we have never had an official 'contract' for our kids, these are the rules we have always used. Also, we do check in on them from time to time to make sure they are where they say they are going to be!

[bplazo]

I definitely spy on them. Just to make sure.

 

I did the same thing. I was always checking on my daughter to make sure she was where she said she would be and not disturing other people. Sometimes I would let her know that I was there and sometimes not.

 

My daughter and her friend did get off at a port with some friend that they had met on board. This was when they were 16. I never thought that she would try it but sometimes they are influenced by other people.

[rummenroman]

We are sailing 14 night Med August 1st IOS. Will have a 15, 14, 13 and 9 year old. Can the youngest sign out (seems risky)? Would you let the older ones go about on their own? What do the clubs do to keep you in touch (pagers?). Are the clubs that great that they will want to stay in? Thanks :)

 

You are in a city of 5000 (crew included). Would you trust that child in a strange city with 5000 people?

 

The sick-os and peverts take vacations just like the rest of us. A cruise is a perverts dream, lots of unsupervised children running around with little or no supervision. Don't let them do anything you would let them do at home. I would personally be more careful on a cruise.

 

I don't want to scare anyone, but the work i do deals with these victims everday. Its sad what happens to these kiddos once something has happened.