What to do..with your child in Blu ?

[dcarter4]

Hey All,

 

While I've been busy posting my diary (Bahama Wedding Diary) on the Honeymoon area...I thought I better post this to the X crew.

 

We are doing a Destination wedding on the Constellation to the Bahamas. My MIL has decided not to go..which leaves us in a bind. She was supposed to bunk with our 16 year old daughter....now our daughter will be alone.

 

The issue is...our 16 yr old would be hard pressed to find ANY of the great food at Blu..to be to her liking?

 

Paying for a $ 1,500 Aqua Class room for a 16yr old..who will not enjoy ANY of the Spa or Blu amenitites..seems lke such a waste.

 

We want her to dine with us (in Blu) in the Wedding night...but that's all she could stand.

 

Any thoughts? An inside stateroom would be fine with her...but then we couldn't get her into Blu, correct?

 

TIA

 

Dwayne

[caribsun]

Your daughter cannot be in a cabin by herself.

[Orator]

Hey All,

 

While I've been busy posting my diary (Bahama Wedding Diary) on the Honeymoon area...I thought I better post this to the X crew.

 

We are doing a Destination wedding on the Constellation to the Bahamas. My MIL has decided not to go..which leaves us in a bind. She was supposed to bunk with our 16 year old daughter....now our daughter will be alone.

 

The issue is...our 16 yr old would be hard pressed to find ANY of the great food at Blu..to be to her liking?

 

Paying for a $ 1,500 Aqua Class room for a 16yr old..who will not enjoy ANY of the Spa or Blu amenitites..seems lke such a waste.

 

 

We want her to dine with us (in Blu) in the Wedding night...but that's all she could stand.

 

Any thoughts? An inside stateroom would be fine with her...but then we couldn't get her into Blu, correct?

 

TIA

 

Dwayne

 

You have at least 3 obstacles.First, as has been said, your daughter is too young to be in a cabin without an adult. Second, AQ 1 and AQ2 cabins are limited to two people. Third, unless she is in AQ she cannot dine in Blu, even for a one night special occasion. I believe that you should consider a Suite if the cost is not a concern. She could stay with you as a third. You could dine in Blu if space is available and that is usually not a problem. You would really be increasing your dining options and your daughter might find that she likes Blu. Booking her as a third person might actually work out to be less than the cost for an additional cabin, which you couldn't do under current age rules.

Hope this helps and have a wonderful cruise.

Edited November 8, 2013 by Orator

[fleckle]

Hey All,

 

While I've been busy posting my diary (Bahama Wedding Diary) on the Honeymoon area...I thought I better post this to the X crew.

 

We are doing a Destination wedding on the Constellation to the Bahamas. My MIL has decided not to go..which leaves us in a bind. She was supposed to bunk with our 16 year old daughter....now our daughter will be alone.

 

The issue is...our 16 yr old would be hard pressed to find ANY of the great food at Blu..to be to her liking?

 

Paying for a $ 1,500 Aqua Class room for a 16yr old..who will not enjoy ANY of the Spa or Blu amenitites..seems lke such a waste.

 

We want her to dine with us (in Blu) in the Wedding night...but that's all she could stand.

 

Any thoughts? An inside stateroom would be fine with her...but then we couldn't get her into Blu, correct?

Just a thought -- if she will not enjoy dining in Blu, and that one night is the only night she will want to dine with you, how about booking her an inside stateroom and dining together at a specialty restaurant instead for that night?

 

Your daughter cannot be in a cabin by herself.

If necessary, you can just use the very easy work around that is done all the time.

Book one of the adults as a single in the second cabin, book the daughter in with the other adult, and switch cabins once you are on the ship.

Not a problem at all and nobody will care.

 

[Christine Frances]

I always thought you could have your children in an adjoining room or an inside across the hall:confused:

[mauimary]

I would be more concerned about the safety factor of having a 16 year old in a stateroom by themselves.

[dkjretired]

I always thought you could have your children in an adjoining room or an inside across the hall:confused:

 

You can have your children adjacent and they consider across the hall to be adjacent. From the web site: We did that several times with our kids.

 

For voyages originating in North America, no guest younger than the age twenty-one (21) will be assigned to a stateroom unless accompanied in the same stateroom by an adult twenty-one (21) years old or older. A guest's age is established upon the first date of sailing. This age limit will be waived for children sailing with their parents or guardians in connecting staterooms; for underage married couples; and for active duty members of the United States or Canadian military. Certain other restrictions and conditions will apply; such as compliance with the age twenty-one (21) alcohol policy, and proof of marriage for underage couples or proof of active duty military status required.

 

I do agree that if they are not past final payment, it would probably be about the same cost to get a suite, then they could make arrangements for their special night in Blu or get a veranda cabin and use the money saved to eat in a Specialty restaurant.

[Algebralovr]

If the room is next door or across the hall from your room, having her in a single may not be an issue.

 

I second the idea at checking into a suite! If you can stand to have her in your room, that is.

 

Failing that, have you already paid for the MIL? If so, does your daughter have a friend who could go with her to keep her company? I do love the idea of having the inside room and then doing a speciality for one night to celebrate.

[WpgCruise]

The O.P. is on their honeymoon.

 

I really doubt the option of a suite with a 16 year old daughter is the best solution;)

Might kind of put a damper on things.

 

The suggestion of booking the 16 year old with an adult and the other adult as a single is a good option, however there then arises the question of security for a 16 year old alone in a cabin.

 

It's never easy is it?

Edited November 8, 2013 by WpgCruise

[akowilm]

I would switch to 2 connecting cabins so that she is close enough to be safe and still afford you some privacy. Dine in the specialty restaurants instead. I think both the Tuscan Grille and Ocean Liners are special and would be nice for celebrating this new family!

 

7208 is a very nice concierge cabin that has ONE inside cabin across from it, 7210. You could try to book those, and on the M-class ships, 7208 has a bigger cabin and balcony, so you could even have breakfast delivered for all 3 of you out on your balcony! Good Luck!!

[gek]

I have a couple of teenage daughters who can be very fussy at times but they have no real trouble finding something to eat in Blu. Once you get past the unfamiliar names and ingredients listed on the menu you find that the taste really isn't that exotic - just delicious. The everyday options of steak, chicken or salmon are good fallbacks if there is nothing else on the menu.

 

You would also find that the chefs and waiters can be very accommodating for young ladies.

[SPacificbound]

Does your daughter have a friend whose parents would give permission to go?

 

Am I the only one who thinks sticking the kid in an inside cabin doesn't seem quite fair, or right? She isn't the one who caused the problem. I have grandchildren that age and I can't imagine doing that.

Edited November 8, 2013 by SPacificbound

[jasm8449]

My suggestion is an combo of others. A separate non-aqua spa cabin for your daughter. Absolutely have her invite a friend- she'll have a wonderful time and so will you knowing she's got a 'buddy' with her. Dine at a Specialty Restaurant on the special night.

[badtwin]

So to those suggesting the happy couple join daughter in a specialty restaurant on the special night - what about all the other times the parents are in Blu? The DD and her friend, if any, are on their own in the MDR?

 

Did I miss something?

 

Choices to me seem to be everyone in rooms that qualify for Blu or the happy couple is going to need to eat where the DD can join them.

 

I agree with prior comment that staff is accommodating to young ladies At least our MDR waiter was, who cobbled together several "cheese plates" as an entrée for our DD (queen of the fussy eaters) who just couldn't find anything that pleased her on the menu.

[fleckle]

At 16 most kids want to hang around with their peers, not with their parents, especially not with parents who are on a honeymoon.

 

You can consider yourselves lucky if they are not embarrassed to be seen in your company at that age. ;)

 

Most girls at 16 would know not to let any strangers in the cabin and to keep the door locked.

In fact, we know some who took accelerated high school programs and went off to start college at 16 or 17.

 

Some teenagers have more maturity and life experiences and some are more trustworthy than others at the same age, so I don't think it is wise to give a blanket yes or no answer to letting a 16 year old have her own cabin when talking about a girl we don't know.

 

But every 16 year old girl we know would rather have her own room and bathroom and TV than share a room with the parents. :D

 

 

 

Am I the only one who thinks sticking the kid in an inside cabin doesn't seem quite fair, or right? She isn't the one who caused the problem. I have grandchildren that age and I can't imagine doing that.

You are a real softie and I hope your children and grandchildren appreciate you. :)

 

No, I would have no hesitation about putting a kid in an inside cabin and don't see anything unfair or wrong about it at all.

 

Plenty of adults who are paying their own way book inside cabins, and are delighted just to be able to go on a cruise.

 

We worked long and hard to be able to afford balconies and suites. We do not belong to the Gates or Rockefeller or Kennedy or Romney families, or even the Kardashians.

 

IMHO, the kids can have balcony staterooms and suites when they work to pay for them themselves.

It gives them something they can look forward to having in the future and will be all the sweeter when they know they earned it themselves.

 

[dkjretired]

So to those suggesting the happy couple join daughter in a specialty restaurant on the special night - what about all the other times the parents are in Blu? The DD and her friend, if any, are on their own in the MDR?

 

Did I miss something?

 

Choices to me seem to be everyone in rooms that qualify for Blu or the happy couple is going to need to eat where the DD can join them.

 

I agree with prior comment that staff is accommodating to young ladies At least our MDR waiter was, who cobbled together several "cheese plates" as an entrée for our DD (queen of the fussy eaters) who just couldn't find anything that pleased her on the menu.

 

The specialty request was a suggestion in place of Blu since they were also suggesting cabins that were not eligible to eat in Blu.

Edited November 8, 2013 by dkjretired

[badtwin]

The specialty request was a suggestion in place of Blu since they were also suggesting cabins that were not eligible to eat in Blu.

 

 

I got that. It is just that the implication was that the parents were going to be eating in Blu the rest of the trip leaving the daughter where?

 

When we cruised with DD, she always joined us for dinner, and when old enough, went to the teen club afterward. (Wanted to clarify that I do not recall if Celebrity has teen clubs - they were available on some of the other lines we tried before we discovered the delights of Celebrity. By then DD was 21)

Edited November 8, 2013 by badtwin

[dkjretired]

I got that. It is just that the implication was that the parents were going to be eating in Blu the rest of the trip leaving the daughter where?

 

When we cruised with DD, she always joined us for dinner, and when old enough, went to the teen club afterward. (Wanted to clarify that I do not recall if Celebrity has teen clubs - they were available on some of the other lines we tried before we discovered the delights of Celebrity. By then DD was 21)

 

We did the same thing with our kids, they always ate with us, have some great pictures with the son in a Tux and daughter in a dress but that is in the past. Problem with teens that age is they tend to stay away from the organized activities and find other kids on board who are their age. Some are shy or for whatever reason just don't do that, others are outgoing and join in the group.

[Hapytocruise]

"If necessary, you can just use the very easy work around that is done all the time.

Book one of the adults as a single in the second cabin, book the daughter in with the other adult, and switch cabins once you are on the ship.

Not a problem at all and nobody will care."

 

 

 

I certainly would not want my 16 year old in a cabin by themselves. I don't care how responsible or mature...bad judgement and bad people are a real possibility and recipe for serious trouble.

[ghstudio]

I have a bit of trouble that your daughter won't find anything in blu to her liking....which implies that she will find more in the MDR. If anything, blu is far more accommodating to special requests than the MDR.

 

What makes you think she won't like the food in Blu?

[dkjretired]

"If necessary, you can just use the very easy work around that is done all the time.

Book one of the adults as a single in the second cabin, book the daughter in with the other adult, and switch cabins once you are on the ship.

Not a problem at all and nobody will care."

 

 

 

I certainly would not want my 16 year old in a cabin by themselves. I don't care how responsible or mature...bad judgement and bad people are a real possibility and recipe for serious trouble.

 

Why change names, the child can be in a cabin alone as long as it is adjacent. That has been Celebrities policy for years.

[hcat]

lots of good ideas already posted...

If your dtr won't enjoy BLU why take here there on the wedding night..better choice would be Muranos or another specialty restaurant she would enjoy.( BTW--BLU is really awesome--even the most picky eater can find something they love...)

 

Sounds like AQ is not going to work out unless Op books two rooms & then has dtr alone in one of them.. and isn't there an extra charge if only one in a cabin?

 

why not find another person who can share the other AQ cabin or do the suite idea--sounds like a good way to go.?

[phoenix_dream]

I am confused. The original post implies the daughter would not be eating with her parents except for the wedding night. Huh?? OP, please clarify. Were you suggesting she would be eating alone the other nights, or were you suggesting you would all forgo Blu except for the wedding night and eat elsewhere on the other nights?

 

As to food, I agree that teenager or not, Blu would be enjoyable food. Also, they have a great breakfast menu.

[fleckle]

Why change names, the child can be in a cabin alone as long as it is adjacent.

You have the answer right there within your own question. :)

 

There is no assurance that the second cabin would be adjacent, or even across the hall or close, so cross-booking the names may or may not be necessary.

 

[dkjretired]

You have the answer right there within your own question. :)

 

There is no assurance that the second cabin would be adjacent, or even across the hall or close, so cross-booking the names may or may not be necessary.

 

 

You book it adjacent or don't do it, that is what any responsible parent would do.