Charging Adult prices for 6 years old?

[troncofam5]

I don't understand why when I'm booking my onboard activities for my upcoming Liberty of the Seas cruise I'm being charged adult rates for my 6 year old. This is for both the DreamWorks breakfast and the Cupcake making class.

 

How on earth is a 6 year old an adult at a DreamWorks breakfast?? I have called Royal Caribbean and they have given me two different answers (1) that's just how it is, children are under 5 and (2) i will be refunded at the time of boarding. Really? Lame, Royal Caribbean, lame.

[reallyitsmema]

The breakfast used to be free of charge but many people were booking it and then not showing up. Others who would have liked to attend couldn't book it because all the spots were taken. They now charge so that people will cancel if they aren't going to attend thus opening up spots for others. Blame the ones who sailed before you.

[LEOwife]

Yeah. We have to pay full price for my 8 month old :/

[troncofam5]

oh i should be clear. I'm not complaining about paying full price for my three kids under 7 for the cruise. We will eat that. :) I'm also not complaining about the $ the adults have to pay for the breakfast. I understand that. But don't call it an activity that is FREE for CHILDREN and then charge for everyone over 5. I mean, in what universe is 6 an adult?

[LisaAtlCruiser]

Never mind my post. I see you are talking about an activity and not the cruise itself.

Edited October 21, 2015 by LisaAtlCruiser

[msmayor]

oh i should be clear. I'm not complaining about paying full price for my three kids under 7 for the cruise. We will eat that. :) I'm also not complaining about the $ the adults have to pay for the breakfast. I understand that. But don't call it an activity that is FREE for CHILDREN and then charge for everyone over 5. I mean, in what universe is 6 an adult?

 

The same universe in which Disney considers age 10 an adult.

[troncofam5]

Lol, 10 seems a lot older to me right now.

[Starry Eyes]

Same universe where many airlines charge same for 2 year old as 32 year old and 72 year old?

[setsail]

Don't forget to tip

[Grandma Dazzles]

I don't understand why when I'm booking my onboard activities for my upcoming Liberty of the Seas cruise I'm being charged adult rates for my 6 year old. This is for both the DreamWorks breakfast and the Cupcake making class.

 

 

 

How on earth is a 6 year old an adult at a DreamWorks breakfast?? I have called Royal Caribbean and they have given me two different answers (1) that's just how it is, children are under 5 and (2) i will be refunded at the time of boarding. Really? Lame, Royal Caribbean, lame.

 

 

Not sure what a 6 year old would learn/do at a cup cake making class.

 

Personally did not think Dream Works breakfast was worth going to. Fortunately was no charge at the time we did it, but definitely would not pay for. Very rushed. Handlers just took characters to each table - very rushed photo op - no real interaction. Food was being served simultaneously. It was kind of "organized chaos."

[davekathy]

Same universe where many airlines charge same for 2 year old as 32 year old and 72 year old?

 

As it should be.

[FLCruisin'Mom]

oh i should be clear. I'm not complaining about paying full price for my three kids under 7 for the cruise. We will eat that. :) I'm also not complaining about the $ the adults have to pay for the breakfast. I understand that. But don't call it an activity that is FREE for CHILDREN and then charge for everyone over 5. I mean, in what universe is 6 an adult?

 

I haven't done a character breakfast on a cruise, but in the resort world the 5+ age demographic is a hot commodity to pay for $15 pancakes just to meet Mickey or SpongeBob. The kids get so worked up on this one thing that it seems they disregard everything else. We don't do the character stuff-mine are almost 4 and 5 and they pout, but in the end it works.

[troncofam5]

So, it does matter, apparently. Since my almost 5 year old is getting a free/reduced rate and her 6 year old brother is paying the same as his 40 year old father. So there is a line, I'm just questioning where it's drawn.

[troncofam5]

I get it, the under 5 is the "little siblings get in free" discount. Wish they could be straight up about it, instead of calling it "free for kids" and then charging for kids.

[Langley Cruisers]

Same universe where many airlines charge same for 2 year old as 32 year old and 72 year old?

 

There ya go. ;)

[Cabansail]

When my dementia sets in can I get child rates too? ;)

[littledaisychain]

Ugh! I think that's pretty terrible. But then again, this is cruising...

[Starry Eyes]

I get it, the under 5 is the "little siblings get in free" discount. Wish they could be straight up about it, instead of calling it "free for kids" and then charging for kids.

 

I agree the 'free for kids' phrasing is poor. Still, no matter how they phrase it, if they are going to charge some people, they need to draw a line somewhere. Somebody is going to be unhappy to be just beyond that cut-off. Just like one family may have a large lap baby on an airline while across the plane, a smaller, but slightly older tike is paying the same fare as an adult. Have fun regardless.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Starry Eyes

[createcolorfun]

Not sure what a 6 year old would learn/do at a cup cake making class.

 

my 6 & 7 yr old grandsons made a hamburger and fries cupcake. They had a blast... and theirs turned out better than the adults!

[xxHadleyxx]

I agree that advertising it as "kids free" when what the really mean is preschoolers are free is silly.

 

I can understand why it is full price fora 6 year old. It is a cruise, and the food served at the breakfast is not all that special--what you are paying for is the experience of meeting the characters while you meet--and realistically the 6-10 year olds are the ones this experience is designed for, the ones who are getting the most out of it and the likely the ones who are taking up the most of the characters' time.

 

This logic is totally flawed anyway since additional adults are in separate cabins, not sharing a cabin with two other adults.

 

Why can't anyone ask a question involving children on this forum without taking heat? So weird. And yes, I'm talking about activities, not trip pricing, but activities marketed as free/low cost to children, but then defining children as under 5.

 

OK, I realize this is a tangent into cruise fare pricing--but I think your logic is what is flawed here. There ARE 3rd and 4th passenger rates: so if the children are, in fact, sharing a cabin, they DO get a lower fare (as do adults who cram in 3 or 4 to a cabin).

Then again, those of us who like space and privacy and book two cabins for a family of four (putting an adult and child in each when booking) pay full price for the only two people in the cabin, even if one is a child (not that mine are little anymore, but they were when we started cruising).

 

Honestly, with the children's programming, my kids used the facilities and staff of the ship just as much as we adults did--so it made sense to charge them the same rate.

[Starry Eyes]

This logic is totally flawed anyway since additional adults are in separate cabins, not sharing a cabin with two other adults.

 

Why can't anyone ask a question involving children on this forum without taking heat? So weird. And yes, I'm talking about activities, not trip pricing, but activities marketed as free/low cost to children, but then defining children as under 5.

Hopefully you know from my other posts that I know you are posting about on board activities. And I agree that it is suboptimal if they say "kids free". So, I am here only addressing your first sentence above about adults sharing cabins....multiple adults can and do share cabins. Just as a cabin for four may hold two adults and two kids, that same cabin could be booked by four young adults or four widows traveling together on a budget...or some other combo of four humans.

[Paulette3028]

I don't understand why when I'm booking my onboard activities for my upcoming Liberty of the Seas cruise I'm being charged adult rates for my 6 year old. This is for both the DreamWorks breakfast and the Cupcake making class.

 

How on earth is a 6 year old an adult at a DreamWorks breakfast?? I have called Royal Caribbean and they have given me two different answers (1) that's just how it is, children are under 5 and (2) i will be refunded at the time of boarding. Really? Lame, Royal Caribbean, lame.

 

The issue here is that you disagree with the age that Royal uses to determine what a child is for 'free' consideration.

 

The cruise line made their determination of what they feel it should be and you have the right to disagree with them. If it was 8 years old, someone with a 9 year old would be unhappy....are you suggesting that anyone under the age of 18 should be free for this onboard activity.

 

With the cupcake class, everyone is using supplies and taking up a seat in the class no matter what age they are, so even if the child was 4 perhaps it be realistic for there to be a charge (although perhaps less)....but there is not.

[John&LaLa]

This logic is totally flawed anyway since additional adults are in separate cabins, not sharing a cabin with two other adults.

.

 

Actually it's not, plenty of folks travel with 3 or More adults in a cabin. I wouldn't, but it's not unheard of. And the lifeboat comment is accurate as well. A body is a body.

[BillOh]

Not sure what a 6 year old would learn/do at a cup cake making class.

 

This is a decent point for the OP to consider. I've been present when my wife did this class on Allure and Freedom. The last time on Freedom, there was a 8 year old girl next to her and she didn't enjoy the class, she fussed and fidgeted the whole time. Her father was next to her and did a great job helping her and keeping her engaged, but it was a lot of work for both of them. I doubt he would do it again with her for a couple of years. I know kids vary, but 6 might be too young for this activity.

 

As for the dreamworks breakfast, he is one body and they limit to a a specific number. He may not eat as much as an adult, but he requires the same amount of attention from the characters.

[papaflamingo]

Same universe where many airlines charge same for 2 year old as 32 year old and 72 year old?

 

 

Not really. The airline sells seats. Under 2 can fly as a "lap child." No seat. Sits in your lap the entire flight. I am an airline pilot. I will tell you that trying to hold an 18 month old child in your lap during an emergency landing, or during turbulence is potentially fatal. However the FAA deems it ok.

Anyway, at 2 the child must be in a seat as he/she is considered by the FAA as "too heavy" to safely hold and secure. So, a seat is sold at whatever price a seat is sold at. If you have a guitar that you want to have a seat for (many musicians do this), you buy a ticket at the same fare for the guitar. As seat is a seat. So, not the sam "universe" in any way.