carla748 Posted March 3, 2006 #1 Share Posted March 3, 2006 My Girlfriend and I are taking my soon to be 13 year old Grandson on the Monarch for his 13th Birthday Present. It's only a 3 night cruise and I was wondering how the Kids program are (12-14 year old group)?? Can I feel safe about letting him go to the Kids Deck 10 on his own or should I walk him there? I plan on having a walkie Talkie between us at all times. Our Cabin is on the 7th Deck so its only 3 decks up. I don't want him to think I am treating him like a Baby if I walk him to it everytime he goes. How much Freedom should I let him have at 13 ? I wish I knew of some other kids his age that would be on the Ship . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted March 3, 2006 #2 Share Posted March 3, 2006 My husband doesn't even like me walking around the ship by myself :rolleyes: I think with kids, although it is probably 100% completly safe to let him walk, you just can't be too careful. My biggest fear is someone grabbing my child into a room. I know it's probably an irrational fear, but I still wouldn't risk it. Just tell him you were "heading in the direction anyway" ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted March 3, 2006 #3 Share Posted March 3, 2006 He's 13--cut the kid some slack! If he's comfortable going alone, let him. He'll be fine. Just make sure he knows the basics--if he's uncomfortable for any reason, he should know to make a huge ruckus!! I think one of the worst things we can do is to make our kids afraid of life and the challenges that come with it. Really Grandma, think back to when you were 13. Yes--there are creeps and cruds out there, but there have always been. Part of life is learning to deal with it! But, you know your grandson best and what he's capable of, so go from there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachdude395 Posted March 3, 2006 #4 Share Posted March 3, 2006 I am going on the next cruise on the monarch after you with 5 kids between 10-15, keep the boat clean :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louanne93 Posted March 3, 2006 #5 Share Posted March 3, 2006 My Girlfriend and I are taking my soon to be 13 year old Grandson on the Monarch for his 13th Birthday Present. It's only a 3 night cruise and I was wondering how the Kids program are (12-14 year old group)?? Can I feel safe about letting him go to the Kids Deck 10 on his own or should I walk him there? I plan on having a walkie Talkie between us at all times. Our Cabin is on the 7th Deck so its only 3 decks up. I don't want him to think I am treating him like a Baby if I walk him to it everytime he goes. How much Freedom should I let him have at 13 ? I wish I knew of some other kids his age that would be on the Ship . We were on the Monarch Feb 13th and we have four kids (7,7,11 and 15). At first I was like you, nervous about the kids going about by themselves. But after the first day, they were gone. It was really a good sence of freedom for them. They are really well behaved and I recieved many compliments about them. We didn't let the twin 7 year olds wander but the other 2 had some freedom (with bounderies). You do have to set ground rules. Good luck and have fun!! They also met so many friends onboard. It doesn't take long... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carla748 Posted March 3, 2006 Author #6 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Louanne93- Did your Kids go to the programs provided for their age group, and did they enjoy it? We have a Cabin on the 7th deck- I see the kids activies for him is on the 11th deck I hope he has a good time! It's spring break for him and I'm sure their will be alot of kids since school is out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louanne93 Posted March 3, 2006 #7 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Louanne93- Did your Kids go to the programs provided for their age group, and did they enjoy it? We have a Cabin on the 7th deck- I see the kids activies for him is on the 11th deck I hope he has a good time! It's spring break for him and I'm sure their will be alot of kids since school is out. All of my kids went to the program. We had to pull them out kicking and screaming. Even my 15 yr old son (who is painfully shy) had a blast. They did scavenger hunts (find the hottest girl/guy, and take a poloroid of them), they had dances, Karayoke, pizza, and trivia games. The younger ones had parades, played gaga ball, won prizes, and came home with gifts. My kids knew more people on the cruise than my husband and I did. When we had dinner the last night, we asked them what they wanted to for vacation next year Disneyland or another cruise. Another cruise won, hands down. Your grandson will have a blast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuizer2 Posted March 3, 2006 #8 Share Posted March 3, 2006 My husband doesn't even like me walking around the ship by myself :rolleyes: Are you over the age of 13? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscobeans Posted March 3, 2006 #9 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Consent for National/International Travel with Adult I, (print full name)________________________________ am the lawful Guardian (Father/Mother)of ________________________________born on ____DATE_________in______CITY—AND—STATE____. My child, ________________, has my consent to travel with _____________and/or ________________ from ____________, to and from all locations; including but not limited to ____________, from __DATE__________to ___DATE________on ANY and ALL modes of Ground, Sea or Air Transportation. In the event that my child requires medical treatment and I cannot be reached, __________________and/or _______________are authorized to make medical decisions in my stead. Any questions regarding this consent can be directed to me at this address: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Home Phone: (_____)_________________ THIS CONSENT SIGNED ON_________________/2006_DATE __________________________________________________________ SIGNATURE OF PARENT NOTARIZED_________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ NOTARY SEAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted March 3, 2006 #10 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Are you over the age of 13? :) lol....my point exactly. Maybe I'll relax when my girls are older, but something about them wondering the cruise decks alone kinda scares me. In a group, yes. Alone, I don't know. **Edited to say... And then I go and read about 2 girls (10 and 13) being sexually harrassed by their room attendant (see the thread "Room Attendant too Friendly".) Now do you see why I am so protective of my girls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carla748 Posted March 3, 2006 Author #11 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Thanks for The Consent Form!!!! You don't know how helpful that was. My daughter is going Saturday to have it Notarized. I cut and pasted is and filled in the blanks and emailed it to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carla748 Posted March 7, 2006 Author #12 Share Posted March 7, 2006 so- it's safe to say he should be able to go to the Teen club without me walking him there. I don't want to baby him, but I do want him to be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted March 7, 2006 #13 Share Posted March 7, 2006 so- it's safe to say he should be able to go to the Teen club without me walking him there. I don't want to baby him, but I do want him to be safe. What does his parents say? I am assuming you have talked to them about this? Maybe they would be the best people to get advice like this from cause it's all a matter of personal opinion. What I consider unsafe, others here consider perfectly fine. So what does mom and dad say? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewdog Posted March 7, 2006 #14 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Wouldn't this be a more appropriate question for his parents rather than a bunch of strangers on an on-line forum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carla748 Posted March 7, 2006 Author #15 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Lewdog The reason I asked the question is because I have never taken a child on a Cruise. My husband and I have been on over 12 cruises and I see lots of older kids running around the Cruise Ship having a great time. I figured this would be the place to see if there had been any problem with letting a older child have a bit of Freedom on a Cruise Ship and how safe it would be. My daughter has never been on a Cruise Ship, so she would not know how to answer. My grandson rides his bike two miles to and from school everyday. He's a good kid- never causes any trouble. I have always been very protective of my children when they were young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuizer2 Posted March 7, 2006 #16 Share Posted March 7, 2006 LewdogThe reason I asked the question is because I have never taken a child on a Cruise. My husband and I have been on over 12 cruises and I see lots of older kids running around the Cruise Ship having a great time. I figured this would be the place to see if there had been any problem with letting a older child have a bit of Freedom on a Cruise Ship and how safe it would be. My daughter has never been on a Cruise Ship, so she would not know how to answer. My grandson rides his bike two miles to and from school everyday. He's a good kid- never causes any trouble. I have always been very protective of my children when they were young. I think you are missing the point of the prior posters. Once a 13 year old knows where the teen center is, a 13 year old is old enough to go from the cabin to the teen center without supervision. The issue is, how comfortable are the parents with this? Would the 13 year old's parents walk the 13 year old to the teen center? If so, then you should. If the parents are comfortable with allowing their son/daughter to walk around the ship unsupervised, then all you really need to do is make sure the teenager knows where the teen center is. I doubt that the teen center requires a sign in and sign out, so if the teen wants to leave, with or without your knowledge, (s)he can. You need to set up meeting times and places. For example, meet at a specific time and place just before lunch. What time do you want him/her back at the cabin to change for dinner? What time is curfew? Of course these are for on the ship. Off the ship they don't leave your side - PERIOD! You are in a foreign country and this is not negotiable. Let me share with you a little story. On March 4 I was taking a tour of a HAL ship in San Diego. I was on the main deck near the front looking for the theater. Two little girls (about 9, 10 or 11) were lost, looking for their parents. They were on the cell phone with their mother who was on the same floor, mid ship. As a guest, I had on a name tag and I was carrying a folder, so I did not look like a typical passenger. They asked me if I was staff. No, but I asked if I could help. They explained their problem and I pulled out my deck plan. I showed them where they were and where they wanted to go. I then offered to walk them to the main office (where their mother was waiting for them). They accepted my offer and the littlest one started walking in the wrong direction. I told she had to go this way, and I walked them to where their mother. On the way I explained that the ship has three sets of elevators, forward, mid and aft. I told them it was important to know where they are at all times in relation to these three sets of elevators. Now, could something bad have happened to these girls - yes. Did anything bad happen to these little girls - no. Where they safe? You have the facts, you decide. Is a cruise ship safer than a typical city with a population of 3,000 to 5,000 - yes. Does that mean a cruise ship is totally safe - no. Can you eliminate all dangers a teenager might face - no. Just waking up in the mornng is risky. It is true that you don't want to baby a teenager. However, that does not mean that a thirteen year old gets to pretend that (s)he is 26 years old for the week. It is important that the teenager understand that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antmanmom Posted March 7, 2006 #17 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I would like to know how it goes. I have a 13 yr old son I'm taking on a cruise later this year. I went on this same ship, same cruise on Super Bowl weekend and vowed to never take my son on ANY weekend named for a major sporting event or person. Same with Spring Break. Be prepared for rowdiness, nudity, and drunkeness. It would be more worth it to take him out of school for a week than to see and hear and SMELL (put it like this, the 5th and 8th deck were called CHRONIC alley; if you don't know what CHRONIC is, let me know and I'll fill you in) everything that I dealt with on a weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted March 7, 2006 #18 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I guess I may as well chime in on this thread... We are avid cruisers...and, over the years, we usually cruised with our daughters...From when they were 3 and 5 and we took them on Premier's Disney/Big Red Boat up until they were 18 and 20 and we took them on the Summit to Alaska (and we'll probably book another with them in August on the Monarch and they're now 20 and 22)... We've learned a lot over the years...especially about teenagers and cruises... First of all, teenagers don't want to be hanging with their parents constantly...and they don't want their parents dropping them off at the Teen Room like they're 3 year olds...They find it embarassing... They can find the place themselves... Think about it...back home, you might drop them off at the mall...but, you don't walk them to whatever store or fast food shop or movie theater they're going to...Aside from needing a ride there, they're pretty independent... Of course, there are the lessons you've drummed into them since they were small--don't go off with strangers...stick together with your friends...look out for one another...use common sense...don't wander away from where you're supposed to be...let us know about any changes in plans, etc. Well, the same things hold true on the cruise ship... You might also consider a curfew...(of course, don't make it unbearably early--he's on vacation)...Perhaps, at 13, midnight...Why? You probably have early seating dinner...you're done by 8:30...there's a show at 9, Karaoke at 10...he may want to enjoy these with his newfound friends...That gives them all 11-12 to head up to the buffet for some pizza, hang out a little bit...and then be back to the room...After midnight, there's not that much for a 13 year old to do... Tell him to check in with you occasionally, let you know what he's doing and where he'll be...If practical, have him introduce you to his new friends...at least let you know who they are, where they're from and how old they are... Take an interest...and confirm that he's having a good time...ask him what he's been doing...The more involved you are, the less trouble he'll get into... A little more on "getting to the Teen Room"...Remember, the kids are not always going to the team room...They're heading up to the buffet...or for ice cream...or to a show...or karaoke...or to the pool deck...or rock climbing...They will be all over the ship and you can't walk him EVERYWHERE... Trust him... Anyone who thinks someone can escort a 13 year old all over the ship for the duration of a cruise has never cruised with a 13 year old...Or they've had the world's most miserable 13 year old... Just my two cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted March 7, 2006 #19 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I would like to know how it goes. I have a 13 yr old son I'm taking on a cruise later this year. I went on this same ship, same cruise on Super Bowl weekend and vowed to never take my son on ANY weekend named for a major sporting event or person. Same with Spring Break. Be prepared for rowdiness, nudity, and drunkeness. It would be more worth it to take him out of school for a week than to see and hear and SMELL (put it like this, the 5th and 8th deck were called CHRONIC alley; if you don't know what CHRONIC is, let me know and I'll fill you in) everything that I dealt with on a weekend. I thought this one deserved a response as well... I have cruised on a few 3-night weekend cruises (most on Royal Caribbean--on the old Viking Serenade and on the Monarch) and have NEVER encountered anything anywhere close to what Antmanmom describes... Yes, I prefer longer cruises for a variety of reasons (I go on the weekend ones for a quick getaway). Included in those reasons are that there is less of a "party atmosphere"...but, by "party atmosphere" what I am typically referring to is the drinkers, the somewhat rowdy and obnoxious folks...but those that I have encountered are typically merely the type that drink a bit and get loud and make a fool of themselves at karaoke...I have rarely seen any lewd or crude behavior as I've seen described in Antmanmom's posts here and in other threads... And MOST of the passengers on these weekend cruises are still just ordinary folks there to spend a nice weekend...not drunk, not loud, not rowdy...certainly not lewd or obscene... Now, it could be that Antmanmom just, by the luck of the draw, ran into the exception (and I'm pretty sure it's the exception because not only hav I done a few of these, my parents have done several as have my sister and her husband and none of them have ever come home speaking of anything like this)...I am certain there are some lewd, rude and obnoxious folks who go well beyond the norm and every now and then one might find them on a cruise (of course, I'd always heard all of them cruised Carnival :) )... But, seriously, such reports should NOT scare you away from cruising on the Monarch...or from bringing your kids... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted March 8, 2006 #20 Share Posted March 8, 2006 "if you don't know what CHRONIC is, let me know and I'll fill you in)"I don't know. Fill me in....Is it to do with booze or sex? "Chronic" is Marijuana... I , for one, was a college student back in the 70s, so I surely know the smell... But, I can't recall ever being on a ship where "the 5th and 8th deck " would be reeking of it...Come on--the 5th deck is the Casino, shops and the main floor of the showroom...the 8th deck is higher priced outside cabins and the Lounge...Are we to believe that everyone in the Deck 8 cabins was smoking weed? They don't even allow smoking tobacco in the showroom...Not to mention you run a big risk going in and out of Mexico with the stuff as sometimes, the cruise lines have those drug sniffing dogs as you get on and off... No, I don't doubt there are some folks out there who smoke weed...and some who might take it with them on a cruise...But, I certainly have trouble believing an entire cruise was permeated by it... Maybe the ship was booked by the folks from NORML as a "group cruise"??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MargaritaPlease Posted March 8, 2006 #21 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Can I feel safe about letting him go to the Kids Deck 10 on his own or should I walk him there? I think this depends on the kid and the cruise. We're recently back from a week long cruise on Serenade with my two sons, 9 and 11. After feeling things out for the first day, they pretty much had run of the ship. They were allowed, for example to leave the dinner table, check themselves into the kids camp, check back out at an appointed time, and meet us at the cabin. They had a very good feel for the ship, knew where the were as often as my wife and I did, and knew the basic rules about not going into anyone else cabin or inviting anyone into theirs, etc. This was their third cruise and they're responsible kids - and the crowd on this spring vacation week cruise was mostly families. Your experience could very with different kids, different ship, different crowd. I say... Set low expectations and feel it out for the fist day - and then add privileges as appropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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