Is there a way to set a limit for your kid's spending?

[KAWS]

Everyone, I understand, gets a Sail & Sign card. This could prove to be VERY dangerous with a teen I would think. The arcade is coming to mind as I type this.

 

Is there a way to put a limit on how much he can spend per day or per cruise? I don't want to be a major kill joy but I also know he doesn't have the means to repay any huge debt he runs up and I don't want to have to be responsible for that either. I'd like to give him a spending limit and then what he spends it on is his choice.

 

Thanks.

 

Kim

[Nliedel]

Yes. Go to Guest Relations (Purser) the first day and they will cap the card. I have heard that they have had some spending slip thorugh even then, so do check your account once in a while. You didn't say who you were sailing. So this is general advice.

[serene56]

The kids can also overspend even if you have a cap on it-- since they are minors you are still responsible for the bill. The sign and sail is for the week and cant be per day.

I know-- I did this for our kids--- and wont do it again.

Not much for a kid to spend onboard... except the arcade--which you can go get tokens for them in the begining of the week if you want them to go in there...

When its gone its gone. You'd be surprised on how much the kids DONT use the arcade.

 

PS-- Please tell them how much it costs per minute to use the phone.

Read some where about a teen who had a g/f back home and called her every night after dinner..

[cruisinbuddy]

Educate him and set ground rules. Probably the first time he's had a "credit card" so to speak. I took 3 teenagers on a cruise and they were responsible for their own spending $. I sat them down and talked about the $ thing. When they bought something on board they came to me with the $, most of the time I said don't worry, but i did take it a couple times.

Set the rules.

[KAWS]

I certainly intend to have the $$ discussion with my son, along with a few other "boat rules". He already knows the penalty for getting in after curfew and he doesn't want that to happen!

 

Can I get the purser's desk to disable his card for spending and then just give him a $ amount of tokens? I'm going to buy him a fountain card so he can swallow down all the pop he wants, so other than souveniers which he doesn't need to buy on the ship (we'll save that for ports) he won't need any cash as far as I can see. Things that cost money like pastries for example he can do without and just get desserts a plenty at meal times.

 

Even if I tell him that his card is for ID purposes only, he would buy that one, but you can be sure he'll be enlightened by the new friends that he's bound to meet. I'd rather be a little proactive, rather than have to anty up afterwards. And yes, I'll check daily to be sure that costs are not escalating beyond belief, but if I could disable that thing.....well that would be the best best all the way around. Does anyone know if this is possible?

 

Thanks everyone.

Kim

[serene56]

I do not give my kids charging privileges any more. They got tokens the second cruise and didnt use them all so i dont do that either.

 

They each carry on a 12 pack of soda. By the end of the cruise we had more then half that left over too---

 

Your kids will need the card to get on and off the ship-- so dont just put it away. He will also need it to get into the cabin.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

...if I could disable that thing.....well that would be the best best all the way around. Does anyone know if this is possible?

 

Kim:

 

Yes, you can. Just go to the purser's desk when you board and have them set up his card so he can't charge on it.

 

Cheers!

Jayne

[serene56]

Kim:Yes, you can. Just go to the purser's desk when you board and have them set up his card so he can't charge on it.Cheers!

Jayne

 

you can do this at check in on the sign and sail check in form-- just dont put an X next to their names and it wont ever be activated.

[seamama1]

I have taken darling grandson on a cruise each year since he was 8. This year he is 15. We were on the Miracle in January and will be on the Fascination in August. This is how I do it.

 

I set up an account for him by paying in cash after embarkation. On the Miracle, I made it 100.00. He ran out on the last day so took his own money and put another 40.00 on it. No problem with overspending here. When it's gone, it's gone!

 

His Mom/Dad/Uncle have also provided shipboard credit for him directly with Carnival for birthday presents and such. It is always on a cash basis.:p

[momofmeg]

Everyone, I understand, gets a Sail & Sign card. This could prove to be VERY dangerous with a teen I would think. The arcade is coming to mind as I type this.

 

Is there a way to put a limit on how much he can spend per day or per cruise? I don't want to be a major kill joy but I also know he doesn't have the means to repay any huge debt he runs up and I don't want to have to be responsible for that either. I'd like to give him a spending limit and then what he spends it on is his choice.

 

Thanks.

 

Kim

 

I would definely have a cap put on what they could spend-unless your kid has proved himself trustworthy.

 

Last year on the Mariner of the Seas, we over heard this man the moring we were debarking-yelling at his wife that their kids had spent $800 on the arcade and colas. I thought him a real jerk. why was he yelling at the mother-he should have had those kids' behinds!

 

To me he-being their father-had as much responsibility as his wife and he could have capped the kids spending.

 

Now I have only one daugther who is grown now. We never capped her card but then again-she knew us well enough to know she would be in hot water BIG TIME if she spent a huge amount.

 

We have allowed her to do things like get her hair done and a couple of times a massage-but we knew what this would cost and we okeyed it before she did those things.

[KAWS]

Well this is GREAT news. My darling son has proven that he can't be trusted at all with money, so I'm definitely disabling that thing.

 

If there's something he wants, he can come to us to ask. (Might mean we might actually see him a bit more, eh? :rolleyes: ) Then if the purchase is ok with us (or he can reimburse us for whatever frivollity he wants) then we can put it on our card. I'll also give him a set amount of tokens and if/when he runs out, he can ask for more.

 

Thank you all so much for the good information. You can't imagine what a load off this is.

 

Kim:D