Keeping in Contact with Teens

[deansara]

Hello everyone! We will be leaving on our first cruise with Carnival on Aug. 3rd. I have two children ages 12 and 15. My daughter will be turning 15 on the day that we leave, so I don't know if she will stay down in the Circle C group with her brother or move up to O2. My concern is how do we keep up with them while on the ship? If they go to an event, how will they know where to meet up with us or let us know if they are doing another event? Since cell phones don't work we can't use that option. I had thought of my son's walkie-talkies, but there are only two of them and they may be hard to keep up with while they are doing activities. Any suggestions?

[cb at sea]

They will know how to find you, because you'll tell them where you'll be! Making plans for the day allows everyone to know where to look for the others! The kids will NOT want to lug walkie-talkies around with them...so at dinner or breakfast, make your tentative plans for the morning....ex:, Mom will be at the pool till 11am, Dad will be in the casino, lets meet for lunch at noon....then make plans for the afternoon!

 

Since they will know where you'll be, have them come and find you before going someplace other than where you know them to be....it's not hard at all!

 

I wouldn't let either of them just "roam"....they should have specific places to go for specific reasons, and should check in physically with you frequently!

Edited July 17, 2014 by cb at sea

[meatball_nyc]

It's very easy to stay in touch. My first cruise with my son when he was 11. He never really liked the kid club, so we kinda stuck together a lot. He would visit the arcade, swim, play basketball or go on the slides.

He always knew where I was lounging during the day so he could always find me. Dinner was always together so we made plans for the next day, as the previous poster mentioned.

Go and have fun!! You will love it, I promise.

Happy Cruising!

P.S. We actually just got back from Bermuda on Breakaway cruise for my son's 18th birthday. Yes, he still loves to cruise and this one was our very favorite. We plan on doing it again next year!

 

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Edited July 17, 2014 by meatball_nyc

[CruzieSue]

We are some of the awful parents who actually TEXTED :eek: with our then-13 year old son. It was his first cruise, our second. Like the others, we always discussed where everyone would be until whatever time, and we only texted in the event those plans changed. He would let us know if he was leaving the arcade/teen living room area and going to the pool area, to get a snack, etc. We would let him know if we were going back to the room and would not be lounging on deck number X any longer, etc. We would always make plans to meet back at our rooms at a certain time to go to meals together, to go to a show, etc. The cost of texting was minimal in our opinion and probably 95% of the time texting worked. Once or twice we did not get a prompt reply from him and would go looking for him in the areas where we knew he would be.

 

There are many ways to "keep in touch" but give your teens some freedom too. Only your family can decide what will work best for you and there is no wrong way to do it ;)

 

Have a great cruise !!! :)

[ncovert]

Hello everyone! We will be leaving on our first cruise with Carnival on Aug. 3rd. I have two children ages 12 and 15. My daughter will be turning 15 on the day that we leave, so I don't know if she will stay down in the Circle C group with her brother or move up to O2. My concern is how do we keep up with them while on the ship? If they go to an event, how will they know where to meet up with us or let us know if they are doing another event? Since cell phones don't work we can't use that option. I had thought of my son's walkie-talkies, but there are only two of them and they may be hard to keep up with while they are doing activities. Any suggestions?

 

I think the walkie talkie idea can work.

 

The real question is how well do you trust your kiddos?

 

The age that you described will have the kids doing their own thing. I have experience of taking 190 12-14 to a large amusement park and we do the check in system. Designate a time in the day (we did three times in a day) of when you will meet somewhere specific. I like the idea of making sure to meet for meal times, but having a time to meet out side of dinner will also be good. Give the kids a chance to get the other things they may need. As someone else said, they will find you if they really need you. Also at the start of the cruise get them acquainted with the help desk which is a back up for them to go incase they can't get ahold of you.

 

Happy sailing!!!

[Keith1010]

Have a wonderful time on your first cruise.

 

We always had set times and locations to meet up with the kids.

 

Also you can leave message on the cabin phones or even use post it notes.

 

But establishing set times and a meeting place really should work.

 

Keith

[KirkNC]

Hope you enjoy your first cruise!

[deansara]

Thank you all for your helpful advice!! I am really looking forward to our first cruise and may overanalyze things in all of my preparations! I am an accountant and feel like I have to research everything! I am sure once we get on the ship 90% of the questions or concerns that I had will melt away!! Can't wait!!

[meatball_nyc]

They will melt away, I promise. Everything should fall into place once everyone finds there fave places on the ship outside your cabin!

Have fun!!!

 

 

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[4Mast]

We have a very ''rough'' itinery and just let it happen. The kids have their cabin 'key' and they will find us or us them if necessary (you have to be somewhere on the ship) -never been an issue. Lunch -up to them to turn up -its not as if they will starve if they miss it.

[luddite]

The radios pretty much are an annoying waste of time.

Tell the kids when and where to be for important things.

The ship really isn't all that big. Finding people isn't hard.

The room phone also has voice mail.

[dancinman66]

We have a very ''rough'' itinery and just let it happen. The kids have their cabin 'key' and they will find us or us them if necessary (you have to be somewhere on the ship) -never been an issue. Lunch -up to them to turn up -its not as if they will starve if they miss it.

 

 

Totall agree with you on this

 

Let the kids find their way

 

 

 

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[donaldsc]

I think the walkie talkie idea can work.

 

!!!

 

They will work very well at annoying everyone within hearing range of the beeps, squawks, and the inane conversations between those devices when the work. As a means of communications - not so well. Everyone on board who has to hear those things does not like them.

 

DON

[dancinman66]

Just organise to meet at a set point at set time each day

Best way

Lid notes on beds when you go to sleep

Best way really

You want to relax too

 

 

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[Cruisin' Chick]

Most people have had more problems in trying to use walkie talkies on board than have had success. And many others have found the noise from them have been totally annoying.

 

There are better ways to keep in touch with family members. My daughter was 13 and 15 on our last two cruises, and I have often run into her and her pals even when not actively looking for her. We left notes for each other on the cabin door and on the desk (my hubby would note that he's back from the gym and now on his way to the aft deck to play guitar, I would write that I'll be at the hula class, and my daughter would tell us that she is joining the other teens on the sports deck to play ping pong and will come back in time to change for dinner). You can leave a message (at least on Princess ships, which has been our line of choice for eleven years now) on your cabin phone by utilizing any of the house phones that are scattered about the ship.

 

Just give them some rules (don't go to anyone's cabin, don't swim by yourself, etc.) and they should be okay.

[dancinman66]

Yeah not heard of many that have worked well

 

 

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[deansara]

Thank you all for the advice! I think the notes at the cabin and messages on the phone will work for us, along with set times to meet up each day. I am sure once we get on the cruise it will be easier than I thought!!

[TheBeeSea]

Do not worry-when they want something they will find you --super quick!

[dancinman66]

Do not worry-when they want something they will find you --super quick!

 

 

So not wrong there. They are like ferrets finding a rabbit when they want you :)

 

 

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[Amerryscot]

Hello everyone! We will be leaving on our first cruise with Carnival on Aug. 3rd. I have two children ages 12 and 15. My daughter will be turning 15 on the day that we leave, so I don't know if she will stay down in the Circle C group with her brother or move up to O2. My concern is how do we keep up with them while on the ship? If they go to an event, how will they know where to meet up with us or let us know if they are doing another event? Since cell phones don't work we can't use that option. I had thought of my son's walkie-talkies, but there are only two of them and they may be hard to keep up with while they are doing activities. Any suggestions?

 

We are just back from our cruise on Thomson Dream, with our 12/15/17yo.

 

We gave them the freedom of the ship, and they always knew the two or three places where we might be.

 

They were able to order drinks and charge anything they wanted so if they tracked us down, it was for our company :)

 

They always knew when to show up for meals, and pre-supper refreshments.

[tpadul]

I had been following this thread and wanted to update even though the OP left yesterday for their cruise, it took me a while to find this thread again as I couldn't remember where I saw it.

 

For anyone else going with your Teens.. maybe girls especially.. definitely talk to them about do's and don'ts before the cruise in terms of strangers talking to them and asking if they want to go to their cabin etc..

 

My 17yr old daughter just returned on Saturday Aug 2nd, from the Carnival Glory with her best friends family. My daughter is pretty street smart and wise and she did get all the do's and dont's before the trip, she was with her best friend 99.99% of the time on the ship and with the family too, However, the one time she was walking back to their cabin by herself one evening, and it was early right around dinner time, she forgot something in the cabin and went back to get it. She was propositioned by a guest on the ship to go back to his room with him and this was even AFTER my daughter very bluntly told him she was only 17yrs old, an older man in his 50's/60's perhaps, she said that he wasn't as old as her Grandpa but definitely older than me, I'm 46.

 

She was on the elevator and this man walked on with her and started chatting with her, Hi, where are you from?? She said Chicago and he said he was too and named a neighbhorhood in Chicago, she was polite and said "that's cool" he then said she was beautiful and what did she do back home. She said this time a little less friendly, "I'm a High school student, I'm only 17 years old" He then said Oh, that's nice... then the elevator opened up and as they were stepping out he gently touched her arm and said "Why don't you come back to my room with me for a while and we can talk."... My daughter was shocked at how non-chalantly he said this, as if the fact that she just told him she was 17yrs old meant nothing at all to him... My daughter then sternly told him NO and to leave her alone and quickly walked away from him and back to the dining room.

 

Now, in hindsight she realizes that she should have immediately found a crew staff member and reported this to them as quickly as possible. But she felt safe enough because she was going back to the dining room and saw that he wasn't following her, but kids don't always think everything through completely, and of course she was very very surprised he propositioned her like that after knowing hold old she was. She did the right thing by getting away from him as quickly as possible, but I wish she would have thought to immediately find a staff person, and get security after him. A grown adult man, creepy that still tried to get a teenager to go to his room with him after she clearly told him how old she was is something that should be reported immediately to the staff on board. Of course it would have been her word against his, but he would have been in the sights of the security at that point and I can bet that would have curbed any further possible attempt to lure another girl, maybe one without as much street smarts as my daugther into his room.

 

This was my daughter's first cruise and she had a great time, but she also recognized immediately the creepy factor about this idiot and used her street smarts even though she was trying to relax and have fun with her friends.

 

BTW the teen clubs on the ship are amazing!!!! She had so much fun with all the other teens she met and she was already begging me to send her back on another cruise before she turned 18 so she could hang out in the teen club again.

[donaldsc]

Pencil and paper worked 100 years ago. It still does.

 

DON

[t_car]

Hello everyone! We will be leaving on our first cruise with Carnival on Aug. 3rd. I have two children ages 12 and 15. My daughter will be turning 15 on the day that we leave, so I don't know if she will stay down in the Circle C group with her brother or move up to O2. My concern is how do we keep up with them while on the ship? If they go to an event, how will they know where to meet up with us or let us know if they are doing another event? Since cell phones don't work we can't use that option. I had thought of my son's walkie-talkies, but there are only two of them and they may be hard to keep up with while they are doing activities. Any suggestions?

 

Please leave the walkie talkies at home. Very annoying and don't work most of the time with all the metal barriers on board.

 

Best tool is a white board and sticky notes, and have them leave you notes in your cabin.

We always used Post it notes on the dressing mirror in the cabin.

[sarafinadh]

We did a family cruise with 4 teens, 12/13/16/17.

 

They were obligated to eat dinner with the family but other than that on seadays they had the run of the ship. They found us when they wanted to. They found each other too. Notes were left when needed (not often) and they had a great time. All four of them knew what the standards of behavior are. The girls, 16 and 17 would never give any thought to acting poorly. The boys, 12 and 13 are very good boys, but (naturally) somewhat more lacking in judgment and discretion. We told them that if they did anything to draw unwanted attention to themselves we would keelhaul them, so have fun but do not make us have to come collect you from the brig.

 

They were angels ; -)

[jammen]

Hello everyone! We will be leaving on our first cruise with Carnival on Aug. 3rd. I have two children ages 12 and 15. My daughter will be turning 15 on the day that we leave, so I don't know if she will stay down in the Circle C group with her brother or move up to O2. My concern is how do we keep up with them while on the ship? If they go to an event, how will they know where to meet up with us or let us know if they are doing another event? Since cell phones don't work we can't use that option. I had thought of my son's walkie-talkies, but there are only two of them and they may be hard to keep up with while they are doing activities. Any suggestions?

 

have them check in with you at the time you decide. The youth security is good.