FlowRider lesson supervision for <12

[spires]

For the FlowRider lesson, the website says:

 

• Children under 12 years old must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

 

Does this mean the parent must be a paying participant in the lesson, or just that the parent needs to be present to supervise? My kid is far more keen on the FlowRider experience than I am.

[loudbmw]

Adult needs to be present.

[A&L_Ont]

You must be there watching. You do not need to be an active participant. Your child must be a set height to ride the boogie board and a taller height for stand up. 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, spires said:

My kid is far more keen on the FlowRider experience than I am.

Let the kid try it before investing in a lesson.

[RockHoundTX]

After 20 or so cruises, my kids are flow rider "experts". Pretty much no more tricks that they are allowed to learn due to ever stringent rules :-{ Before investing a lot of $$, here are some tips:

 

1) Do the flow-rider on the day you board. If it is somewhere cold, bring a wet-suit. It is usually open 2 or 3 hours and typically only has 3 or 4 folks doing it. You can sometimes get more riding in on the first day than the rest of the cruise combined. Early morning on the 2nd day of the cruise can also be good. By the last day of the cruise, expect the FlowRider to be packed (may only get 1 or 2 rides in an hour).  

2) Weight is almost as important as age. If you are less than about 70 pounds, the water really throws you around if you are not used to it. Really light kids tend to have a really hard time learning but are usually OK once they do. 

3) Most kids "get it" after about their 3rd try. First 2 tries are more about just not wiping out. By the 3rd they can usually do 1 simple "trick" (get on knees, etc.). From there, the rest of the cruise is about improving on their trick.

4) Expect to get hurt. Rashes and scrapes are pretty normal. My son broke his collar bone on an Alaska trip doing stand-up surfing (got to spend the day in Juneu at the emergency room). Figure that 1-2 folks a day go to ship medical room due to Flowrider accidents (and thus why they allow only about 20% of the tricks they allowed 10+ years ago). I think this is one of the primary reasons that a parent has to be physically present any time a child under 13 is on the FlowRider.  

5) Kids teach other kids. On every cruise I have been on there are kids that are more than happy to help the younger and/or less experienced riders. Typically a kid will try it for the first time and fail miserably. Most of the time, the better riders will step up, offer words of encouragement and some advice, and the next run will go a litte better. Once the kids reach a certain proficiency, usually a "pro" adult or teen (who likely has their own, private board) will give advanced advice. On about half my trips, other cruisers are actually better on the FlowRider than the actual RCL staff (had a pro that actually rode for Team FlowRider on my last cruise).  

 

Have fun and be safe.