Freedom Xmas Cruise with 7 and 10 year old...HELP!

[swtroy]

First time cruisers with 7 and 10 year old kids. I see the hours of the kids club, but am concerned about communication while they are there. Do they give you cell phones or a pager of some sort? How do they communicate if there is a problem with your child?

 

Past experiences? Should I be comfortable with the folks who work in the kids club?

 

All info appreciated!

[LBumb]

workers in the kids club are always awesome imo. your kids won't want to leave.

[Kim4]

My then 6 year old and 8 year old had a fantastic time in Adventure Ocean when we were on the Freedom last year. I don't remember about your first question -- but I felt perfectly safe leaving my kids there. One thing that really set my mind at ease is that Adventure Ocean is basically one large room with different areas. Your child won't be alone in a room with a worker...they'll be out in the open with everyone. They do all sorts of fun things in there, and my kids had a wonderful time. But...the thing they still talk about is the ice rink -- make sure you go try that out!! :)

[gerif]

They only have pagers for the 3-5 year old group, not for older children. If you think there might be a problem, you are free to check in every hour or so. If there is a big problem, such as an injury, I'm sure they will page you on the ship.

[dunblane.andersons]

First time cruisers with 7 and 10 year old kids. I see the hours of the kids club, but am concerned about communication while they are there. Do they give you cell phones or a pager of some sort? How do they communicate if there is a problem with your child?

 

Past experiences? Should I be comfortable with the folks who work in the kids club?

 

All info appreciated!

 

We were first timers last summer on Independence with an almost 6 year old and 9 year old. We said that they could try AO and see what they thought.....THEY LOVED IT. The staff were super and really engaging with the kids. You sign your kids in and out (unless they are old enough to self sign which our DS did at age 9) so it is very safe.

 

Quote: in the kids club are always awesome imo. your kids won't want to leave.

 

 

Would totally agree!! We had to beg my DD to not go to AO or comne out early so we could spend some time with her! Both kids can't wait until next summer when we are going on Freedom!!

[cb at sea]

You can give permission for the 10 year old to sign themselves out....if there was a problem, he/she could come and get you.

[swtroy]

Thank you all!

If no pager for the older kids, what is the best way to communicate?

 

Personal cell phones at the ship rates? Does the ship rent phones for the cruise? I suspect walkie talkies will not work well on a metal ship.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

[ecuwolfe]

Walkie Talkies work fine. No interference from ship. Been on 12 cruises and used them everytime when kids were young. You can also check with your cell phone carrier as most have special rates for when you are sailing internationally. I know Verizon does. We set this up on our phones to allow us to text each other while on board and the cost was not bad at all, I think something like 10 cent per text.

[RoofingPrincess]

If no pager for the older kids, what is the best way to communicate?

Back when my son was 10, I did not give him permission to check himself out of the kids club on the ships we were on and wander around the ship on his own. Call me overprotective if you want. He wasn't allowed to leave home once he got off the school bus at that age, why would I let him go out into a less familiar area with a bunch of strangers?

What we do now (he's much older) is set expectations ("we are going to do XYZ together at ABC location at N o'clock") and leave notes for each other in the cabin or on the voicemail on the cabin phone.

IMO it's very annoying when kids & parents are shouting into walkie-talkies trying to talk to each other. Because that's what it seems to devolve into: "HUH? WHAT DID YOU SAY? I DIDN'T HEAR THAT, SAY IT AGAIN!"

[addicted2cruizin]

My kids have always enjoyed the kids club (on all three cruise lines we have sailed on). There are scheduled activities to keep them entertained as well as video games and movies. There are usually several nights where the kids can eat dinner with the kids club at the buffet. (kids club is normally closed from 5-7PM). This is great if you desire an adult dinner.

 

As others have stated, your older child may be able to sign his/herself out of the club. If you are not comfortable with this, when you register your child for the club, mark the box on the form that states they cannot check themselves out.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

Susan

[swtroy]

Thank you all!