Cruisy McGee

Your table looks great! We also have requested Isaac's by the window and the diagram they sent us does indicate that...hope it's similar to yours!

Also, looking forward to seeing those teen compasses. Sunday feels so close yet so far.....

Thank you for sharing! We are boarding on Sunday for the same itinerary. Can't wait!!

Thank you so much for sharing, Andy. I am sharing this with my kids who are your age. We board Freedom next Sunday for the same itinerary, so we're all interested in your perspective. It will be the teens' first cruise.

Can't wait to read your review. We will be on this same itinerary starting next Sunday.

I found that page with print luggage tags below print set sail passes in online checkin. But no waivers... rats!

Very odd!! I even went into mine as I typed that reply to be sure I was telling you the exact right place. Wonder why the difference between yours and mine. Maybe you are too close to your cruise or something? I'm 2 weeks out.

I managed to book it at $43 back in November (Black Friday), but haven't seen that price since. The lowest I've seen since then is the $45. As someone else said, you can always cancel and rebook if it goes lower.

When you go to Online Check-In, below the part with Guest Information, Onboard Expense Account, and Cruise Ticket Contract is a section labeled Luggage Tags and Below that a section labeled Onboard Activities Waivers. There is a link to click in the Activity Waiver section that will take you to where you "sign" them for everyone in your party.

Following along. I will be on FOS in April with my 17 year old son and 16 year old daughter who are each bringing a friend. I look forward to reading your perspective since you are the same age that they are. Have a great time!

One of my reservations kept saying it was being modified every time I tried to go in from the My Cruises page even after clearing cookies/cache. I called Royal and they told me to try going in from the "Already Booked" link at the top of the main page. This has worked every time for me even when going in from My Cruises doesn't. No idea why, but you might give it a try.

Sign in, then go back to the home page (not My Cruises) and click "Already Booked" and choose Cruise Planner. Click Reserve Now under shore excursions and you'll be able to choose your reservation number from a drop down menu and get in. It's a lot of clicks, but it works.

Edited to correct the steps.

I saved $66 today by canceling and rebooking. It's interesting because the last time they were "25% off onboard prices" they were still more than today. I generally don't look at the percent off because it seems to be meaningless. I book at a price I'm comfortable with and then rebook if I find it for less regardless of the supposed sale percentage.

You will need a notarized document signed by the parents or legal guardians of the minors giving you the right to taken them out of the country, made medical decisions, and sign activity waivers.

I am taking my teens and a friend of each on a cruise in April and the above is what Royal told me I will need. It must be notarized and be specific about dates, ship, etc...

We're on the 8th. I'll try to come back and give you some quick highlights when we return. This is our first Royal cruise, too. We love Celebrity, but the teens are going this time and they want all the activities.

Silent disco?? What’s that about or will I just have to wait and see?

We are on Freedom in April as well, so I am loving this thread.

We were on Celebrity in August and did the Silent Disco, it was a hoot! They give everyone headphones that have 3 channels with different genres of music and you dance to whichever channel you are listening to. The headphones light up different colors based on the channel so you can tell what everyone is listening to and you can change your channel at any time. It sounds silly, and it is, but it's also really fun!

Thank you so much for the quick reply!

I have 3 cabins on Freedom in April. DH and I are in one cabin and two teens in each of the other two cabins. Each cabin has OBC. If I put all the kids on my onboard account, will their charges still come first out of their OBC and only charge to my account after they have used their OBC or would everything get pooled into one account?

This sale definitely made me say WOW! Wow, am I glad I booked when I did at the prices I did! I have 3 cabins on Freedom in April, the current promo would cost me over $1900 across the 3 cabins to gain $550 more in OBC.

(1) no one was allowed in our room nor was she allowed to go into anyone else's room(we relaxed that rule towards the end of the cruise as we got to know the girl and her family). (2) no running around in the "hotel" portion of the ship -down the halls extra, and (3) always get a fresh drink if she leaves hers unattended for any length of times, such as to get in the pool.

Our kids are well traveled and these rules you have mentioned (#1 and 3) are some of our basics no matter where we are. Your #2 is on my list of expectations for this cruise along with regular check-ins and curfews. My kids would be completely annoyed with anyone who pushed all the elevator buttons (or any extras). I can't imagine a teen who thinks that's a good time, but I'm sure they're out there. That kind of behavior would get my kids chained to my side for the duration. By this age, they know how to behave and what is expected.

Thank you. That all makes good sense to me. I just wasn't sure how it all worked. And, yes, I remember all too well how teenage group formations work. I'm kinda sad to hear the teens don't use the club. My 15 year old was looking forward to it since she was one month too young for the teen club when she was at Atlantis three years ago (the age limit there was 13 to get into the teen club) and everyone else could go. So she was looking forward to a club for teens on this trip. Oh well, I'm sure she won't miss it.

Since this will be our first time cruising with our kids we have never paid attention to any kids/teens programming before. We will have 4 teens ages 15-17 with us in April on Freedom. I assumed they could come and go at will from the teen club/activities. In looking at a previous Compass, I see on Day 1 there is an hour-long Teen Open House & Registration for ages 12-17. Do we need to go with them and register them if they intend to participate in any teen activities or at 15, 16 and 17 can they register themselves? If they don't go to that first hour, will they still be able to participate in teen activities listed in the Compass? I see a lot of activities listed for 15-17 year olds (time on the rock wall and FlowRider in particular) which will likely appeal to them since they would have some time with just their peers. I just want to be sure we/they do what is necessary to be able to participate when they want. Thanks in advance!

I currently have 2 cabins booked with only two minors in each. As long as the rooms are adjacent to mine, the kids can be the primary and secondary guests on those cabins. Since you'll be IN the room, there should be no issue with having the kids be guests 1 & 2.

Thank you all for the info. Good to know about the shakes at Johnny Rockets.

I knew the wine question was subjective. I do like the 40% discount on bottles.

The RCI website/beverage package flyer are pretty vague about the specifics. I'm sure you all can help, though.

The only line I have ever sailed with a drink package is Celebrity. On X if I ordered a drink that was over the package limit in cost, I simply paid the difference in cost plus 18% of the difference. Is this the same on RCI?

X has multiple alcoholic packages and I see RCI only has one. Will the package cover most drinks with good brands (ie Grey Goose, Woodford Reserve)? Are there decent wines included by the glass?

I was able to get Evian water with my package on X. Since RCI has a separate Evian package, I'm assuming that the bottle water with the Deluxe package is not Evian. Am I correct? This isn't a deal breaker by any means, just curious.

The teens will have the Refreshment Package because they love juices, smoothies and non-alcoholic pina coladas. It sounds as though this package will cover the vast majority, if not all, non-alcoholic beverages. Can anyone think of any notable exceptions? Are shakes/floats at Johnny Rockets included?

The ship is Freedom of the Seas if that matters at all in the responses.

Thank you in advance.

Thank you! I appreciate all info as it is our first time taking them on a cruise, though they travel with us on land quite a bit. My husband is a night owl. When the hours get late they will need to either be with him or in bed. We have made that clear as well as the usual nobody is ever alone, keep an eye on your food/beverages, required check-ins, etc... which are rules both at home and abroad. They will never be without us in a port. I'm just not comfortable with that. We will do active things (kayaking/snorkeling, etc...) and then go back to the ship. Anytime we travel with kids not our own, I write out the rules and share them with the kids and parents ahead of time. I just like everyone to understand the expectations.

They can pretty much go wherever they want - just can't drink alcohol. A few clubs/bars may have adults only late at night - but not that many. Daily compass will list if there are any restrictions. Ship also has a curfew - usually around 1:00 pm for unaccompanied minors.

 

As your kids' friends are minors, make sure you have all the necessary documentation/medical information needed to sail.

Thank you. We have POAs for both to be signed by their parents and notarized giving us permission to take them out of the country and to authorize medical treatment if necessary. The rep I spoke with was very clear on that point, but I would never take a kid on a trip like this without a POA anyway.

They can go pretty much anywhere.. the "adult solarium" is for 16 and up, tho. Even the nightclub allows 'underaged" until a certain time...maybe 10 or 11??? Not sure about that...but they can go into any bar/lounge....just can't drink!

Thank you for the info. Karaoke is probably the only one that will interest them, but it's good to know that if they feel like hanging with us old people they can. :)