Keeping in touch

[Batana]

Hello,

 

We are cruising with our kids for the first time this December with Princess. One is 14 and one is 20, my concern is how to keep in touch with them during the cruise without cell phones. Is there another type of device that is equatable to the convenience of a cell phone that is cost effective for cruising?

 

Thank-you!:)

[Kamloops50]

Just arrange contact times and places with them during the day . Most kid's activities seem to break for lunch and dinner .

Example Horizon court at 11:30 for lunch:)

[timetravler]

Another idea is walkie talkies. They work great on board the ship. Just don't say anything private on them. Also my grandkids were taught to leave notes in the cabin as to where they were going.

[cnd crsr]

I have seen walkie talkies being used to keep in touch with fellow cruisers.

[Batana]

Thank-you for the ideas, I'm not sure what they are going to do. I have not mentioned to them yet that they are going to be shut down from the world they are use to having access to at their finger tips.........I have scene walkie talkies also, I was hoping for an app on the cell phone possibly for cruises that made them work like a walkie talkie, but probablly dreaming...........but with all the tech out there you never know.

 

Thank-you!

[beg3yrs]

We too use walkie talkies on board ship but we treat their use much like cell-phones. Use good manners and respect those around you. Keep the volume down, don't yell into the device and understand they don't always work in every part of the ship as the metal construction can block the signals.

 

Another warning: If they have their own cell-phones, they will work on the ship but ... the charge is around $2.59 per minute (for each phone).

[Batana]

Yes, I heard the cell phones will work yet, for a high price.........ugh......I can see where this is going.....planning on telling them the bad news soon and they will need to hand them over to DM.....

[beg3yrs]

Yes, I heard the cell phones will work yet, for a high price.........ugh......I can see where this is going.....planning on telling them the bad news soon and they will need to hand them over to DM.....

 

LOL! I had initially suggested you keep their phones and then decided it was none of my business so I deleted the suggestion. After all, you're the parent, not me (and one of your kids is 20)!

[janacin]

You cal also leave voice mails on the room telephone.

[Batana]

Correct on the 20, 20 pays the bills for the cell, just trying to guide them in the right direction and give them all the options available.

 

Thank-you again......

[caribill]

1. The 20 year old is an adult on the ship for everything but alcoholic beverages and gambling. Treat him/her as an adult. No need to be in constant contact. No need for a complicated set of rules. Agree on meeting times and places. If in the same cabin, just leave notes for each other if necessary. If in a diffrerent cabin, leave a voice mail.

 

2. The 14 year old is in an age for the kids club but may or may not want to participate in its activities. He/she should go there on embarkation evening to sign up and to meet with others who are his/her age. Chances are he.she was spend much of the time onboard with the new friends he/she meets that evening. Let him/her know the rules you want to be followed (for example, do not go into anybody else's cabin or allow any of the new friends into his/her cabin). Same info for meeting times and places and leaving messages as for the 20 year old.

 

3. Do not bring the walkie talkies. They will annoy everyone else in the area you are using them in and should not even be turned on in places such as the Princess theater during a lecture or a show.

[iluvcruzin]

We used walkie talkies onboard when my kid were young. At the ages yours are, not sure if it's necessary. Especially with the 20 year old.

 

As someone suggested, just establish times to meet - i.e for meals. Also use the answering machine in the cabin for messages.

[gliles]

Bring post it notes, that's what we did so we could leave one "We're at the pool" or whatever.

 

We also brought walkie talkies but all we ever heard on them was some other kid begging his Dad to get a soda! We could never find a clear channel and they were also annoying so we quit using them.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We use walkie talkies on all our cruises with no issues. We got them at Home Depot for around $50, and we've had them for years.

[TracieABD]

We used meeting times and places. Worked great for us! :)

[sueandkent]

We use walkie talkies on all our cruises with no issues. We got them at Home Depot for around $50, and we've had them for years.

That's our plan for our next cruise. Couldn't think of a better way to do it. No kids though so they won't be abused. Sorry to those of you who don't like them.

[PescadoAmarillo]

That's our plan for our next cruise. Couldn't think of a better way to do it. No kids though so they won't be abused. Sorry to those of you who don't like them.

Everyone has something that grates on them. That's life. Maturity is dealing with it. It's a cruise ship, not a private yacht.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Our girl was 13 on our last cruise. We used a pad of paper on the deck system of telling where everyone was. She didn't seem a lot of time in the Remix area, but if I was looking (meaning, checking) for her, I would go there first. She was usually with a few new friends someplace on the ship, and could usually find her at some point. Sometimes she would come up to us in the Horizon or by the pool. We didn't insist she eat with us except on port days (she was with us in port), but we usually ended up eating breakfast together anyway.