Curfew

[CruiserNic]

We are talking about teens that look and act like 21-24 year olds not 15-16, they did not attract any attention at all. Some posts suggesting a curfew of 11:00 for kids approaching their 18th birthday is riduculous, in 2 weeks time my son is old enough to serve his country and if raised correctly is certainly old enough and mature enough to stay up past 1 O'Clock.

 

While your son my just be old enough and mature enough, others are definetly NOT. RCI does not know your son personally so how do they know that your son can be trusted? (PS I am in no way, shape, or form saying that your son is not these things. I'm sure he is.) So the simple solution is to make it a mandatory curfew for everyone under 18. Better safe than sorry, because they will encounter those 17 year olds that are no where near mature enough to be out on their own late at night. This way, it is taken care of. Problems with disruptive teenagers are stopped before they even start.

[HunnyBunnyTink]

Like BigBrit said, you try craming a group of friends into a single room and tell me how that works out. I can tell you it won't. This is the teens vacation too, this is our time to have fun in a safer environment than our hometowns, stay up late, party, and create new friendships with people from all over the country. Why penalize every teen because of the bad behavior of a few?

[JLC@SD]

Just came back from a week on the Jewell of the Seas. We went with a group of High School Seniors most of them 18 a couple of them will be 18 within a month. RCL has adopted a strict under 18 curfew which if you are travelling with a 17 year old you should know about. At 1 O'Clock all teenagers are carded and the kids not 18 yet are sent back to their cabin (the one exception the group found out was in the Casino where it seems the curfew is not enforced at all). This of cousre encourages the group to either go to a single room which creates noise issues or hang out at the Casino (something the parents do not want). If you have a 17 year old who is travelling with 18 year old friends this is a major annoyance

 

......this got no sympathy.....:rolleyes:

[aqhacruiser]

RCCL makes the rules for kids and I'm glad they are enforcing them:) Our town has a very strict curfew also for 17 and under if not with an adult. :)

[BethCarp]

Some posts suggesting a curfew of 11:00 for kids approaching their 18th birthday is riduculous, in 2 weeks time my son is old enough to serve his country and if raised correctly is certainly old enough and mature enough to stay up past 1 O'Clock.

Well then in two weeks he won't have to abide by the curfew. There has to be a line drawn somewhere and someone is always going to have a problem with it.

[DEBCAT65]

I, for another, am glad about this!

 

On our cruise last month, my kids were 17 and 13, and they knew what was expected of them - stay together, and let us know where you are. They told us where they were going and when they would be back (a phone call was expected when they came back, and no, they didn't go out again - yes, we checked). Only once did they stay out after midnite, at the midnite buffet which we ok'd in advance, and they were back in their room before 1:00 a.m.

 

I think RCI is more lenient than I am, 1:00 a.m. is too late when we're leaving at 8:00 a.m. that morning to go into port (we had NO sea days)! This makes for grumpy teens and more grumpy parents - lol ;) !!! On our next cruise (August), we might be a little less strict on curfew before a sea day, but only because they did as we asked on this past cruise. 1:00 a.m. is late enough!!!

"but it's a dry heat CA", I grew up in Southern CA and never realized what a "dry heat" was until I moved to Tucson, in June.

[bullsfan]

"Why penalize every teen because of the bad behavior of a few?"

 

The many get penalized because of the few in all parts of life. We pay more because of insurance fraud "by a few". We have Homeland Security "because of a few". A "few" is all it takes to change everything for everyone.

 

It is a vacation, yes. But you are on a ship with literally thousands of others who also are on vacation. Everyone needs to follow the rules, be considerate of others and just because you are vacation does that give a license to not follow a respectable curfew? I guess I just don't see what is so fascinating about being up all hours of the night when the same stuff can be talked about at breakfast, lunch, dinner and until 1am?? Sleep is good. Time without friends is good. Time in the cabin with family is good. A nice balance happens when there is a curfew place by ship and also by parents themselves with parents holding the kids accountable. Or is entitlement at issue here?

[sk8man]

Where is the fairnesses in all of this?!

 

I think as you get older, you'll find that life is not fair. :cool:

[HunnyBunnyTink]

It is a vacation, yes. But you are on a ship with literally thousands of others who also are on vacation. Everyone needs to follow the rules, be considerate of others and just because you are vacation does that give a license to not follow a respectable curfew? I guess I just don't see what is so fascinating about being up all hours of the night when the same stuff can be talked about at breakfast, lunch, dinner and until 1am?? Sleep is good. Time without friends is good. Time in the cabin with family is good. A nice balance happens when there is a curfew place by ship and also by parents themselves with parents holding the kids accountable. Or is entitlement at issue here?

 

We only get to see the friends we make for the number of days that we are on the ship and may never see them again so we want to get everything in. Anyway the teen club is always open until way after 1 but that is for dancing and games, not chatting so we use the time afterwards with friends. Port days and were spent with my family so the night time was for me and my friends. My parents trust me and I have never nor will I ever do anything that would violate that trust so they let me make my own decsions with the knowledge that it will be a responsible choice. As for spending time with family in the cabin, my parents had one cabin, my brother and I another. My parents are usually asleep by 10 or 11pm normally and can occasionally stretch it out till midnight so there is no point in being in their and my objective is to spend as much time away from my brother as possible. It is not a matter of entitlement, its a matter of what makes sense.

 

As for the argument that the ship isnt safer than a city, 5000 people is a lot better odds than my city of 1.7 million.

[cactuscruiser]

It's a shame that RCCL has to make up for the lack of parenting by some. I agree with the curfew and then the idea that the parents be held responsible also if curfew is broken by their teen.

[lawsoncd3]

Hunny Bunny:

Life is unfair. You'll realize this as you grow older. We pay higher insurance for cars because of a few bad drivers, or for driver's who don't have insurance. We pay extra tax dollars for extra security due to a few people... even in school, you can't just go off campus at many high schools now because of a few people leaving campus and causing other problems that may have been caused by them.

 

I have learned in my own life that many, many times, people who are given an inch, will take a yard or more.

 

No, it's not fair that teens get lumped in an all inclusive category. It's not fair that senior citizens get lumped into a category, or any other person. Life's not fair.

 

RCI makes the rules, we follow the rules. What happens if you get caught speeding... you pay the traffic ticket. The rules are set in place for reasons. We may not agree with the rules, but then we don't have to sail with RCI either.

[romy835]

Thanks for the tip mochuck. I already did some browsing and I did notice what you are saying.

 

In my opinion everything has its risks. You can never be 100% safe. The only thing anyone can do is to have common sense (which one tends to have a lot of when living in this island). I just have to be careful and not do anything foolish. If I made it a whole week in New York by myself and nothing bad happened to me, I really doubt that this cruise would be any diffrent. Although a few precautions are always good, of course.

[English Jane]

I think as you get older, you'll find that life is not fair. :cool:

 

Absolutely agree with you. I am a teacher and children often tell me that 'it's not fair' and I counter with, 'who ever told you that it was going to be fair - it isn't'. We have to legislate for possibilities. For example, we wear seatbelts in case we have an accident (I never have and I'm 43) not to make every day driving more comfortable.

 

I agree completely with this policy - as does my 17 year old daughter.

 

Perhaps this shows that I am an old fuddy duddy, but why would you want to be up beyond 1am any way? Surely it would impinge on your enjoyment of the next day's holiday?

 

Jane

x

[madforcruising]

This of cousre encourages the group to either go to a single room which creates noise issues

 

I don't know......when I was 17 I stayed out until 2am all the time. We never did anything bad and never got in any trouble. I could understand if they were bothering people. But if they are just hanging out in a lounge and talking whats the harm. Maybe they should have someplace supervised just to hang out.

 

Obviously they were not just hanging out and talking quietly. Otherwise a quiet talk could have taken place in a cabin, but the OP herself stated it was not an option as it would have created noise issues.

 

We are talking about teens that look and act like 21-24 year olds not 15-16, they did not attract any attention at all. Some posts suggesting a curfew of 11:00 for kids approaching their 18th birthday is riduculous, in 2 weeks time my son is old enough to serve his country and if raised correctly is certainly old enough and mature enough to stay up past 1 O'Clock.

 

It´s not ridiculous. Somewhere they have to draw the line and the line is 18. Not a day before 18 or two weeks before 18. It´s 18 period.

 

What do you think would be appropriate?

 

18 but then if it´s just two weeks until a kid gets 18 it should be OK?

what about when it´s three weeks?

Well that´s OK but 4 weeks is too much?

But then we had 18 minus three weeks and the next one comes to complain, but in two weeks im just 3 weeks shy of 18. I should be allowed too.........

We can keep this going back until birth.

 

I for one am glad RCCL stepped up and enforced the curfew and I hope they keep it going.

 

 

Just forgot to say one thing, I never had any problems with kids or tens on any of my cruises and I don´t really care about, however rules are rules and I´m all for enforcing them and I think if the 17 ones have not learned to accept those rules and follow them, even if they are not the ones that made it necessary to put the rules in place, then it´s questionable in my eyes if they are really that trust worthy.

 

I´ve never been involved in a car accident due to speeding or injured somebody because of driving too fast.

Should I be able to ignore the speed limit because I´m such a good driver and this rule can´t be in effect because of me???

 

It´s just not fair.

[MrPete]

if you are travelling with a 17 year old you should know about. At 1 O'Clock all teenagers are carded and the kids not 18 yet are sent back to their cabin

 

Good to hear this. How can we get it raised a couple more years?

[Cruising89143]

I started an interesting thread, to reiterate the only place place my son's ID was not checked was in the casino. He is 6'6" with sideburnds and a beard and is heading off to play D1 football in the fall so he looks (and thankfully) acts much older than what he actually is which is maybe why he was not carded there. One person said why don't they go to a room to talk but when you have 8 17/18 year olds gathered together in one room it creates alot of noise in a very confined space and the next cabin complained. My son's girlfriend of the past two years was also on this cruise (with her family) and I certainly did not want to encourage them to spend any extra time in a cabin. I know times change but as a teenager I went on multiple cruises in the Med and on vacation I never had a curfew and never got into any trouble. The goal is to raise responsible adults who are able to make sensible decisions.

 

The bottom line here is that the ship belongs to RCI and they make the rules. It's your choice if you don't like the rules to take your business eleswhere but I can tell that most of the folks on this board agree with the cruise line.

[MrPete]

Maybe they should have someplace supervised just to hang out.

 

Yes. Their cabin.

[yj2cute]

Before everyone opens up all barrels of flaming power, hear me out.......

 

Why is it RCCL's responsibility to enforce the Curfew on board their ships and not the parents? Why aren't the parents tracking down their kids?

 

I as a parent of very young children right now, DS(5) and DD(3), am having a difficult time understanding why this is RCCL's responsibility and can't help but wonder where the parents are that are supposed to be parenting. Now my views may change as my children get older; however, I don't believe so based on how I was raised. I was raised that if I was given a curfew; either by the government or by my parents, that I was to be home by that curfew. If I wasn't, then I paid the price the next day. This is how I am going to raise my children.

 

Yes, both the parents and the teens are on vacation and they want to be able to enjoy it and may be a little more lenient; however, that does not absolve the parents of their responsibilities to be parents. In my mind, one of those responsibilities of being a parent on a cruise ship is following the rules as they are put down in regards to curfews. If it says that children under 18 are to be in their cabins by 1:00 AM, the parents should be making sure that they are in their cabin at that time. If that means that one of them has to leave the nightclub or Quest or the casino to go track them down, then that is what they should be doing.

 

I also think it is great that RCCL is actually making sure that there are not any teens running around after 1:00 AM. But let's make sure that if RCCL has to do this that the parents have some responsibility or are tracked down at the same time to answer for it.

 

I empathize with those teenagers who have expressed their views in this thread on being mature and having their parents trust them. I was there myself. The plain fact is that RCCL has stated that curfew for those under 18 is 1:00 AM. You are at the mercy of a private company who has the right to disembark you at the next port and send you home at your own expense for not following that little thing called a cruise contract that you signed when you boarded.

 

The simple fact is that if you are a mature and responsible teen, then you understand that rules are put in place for a reason and that as a mature individual it is in your best interest to follow those rules. The 1:00 AM curfew is a rule of the cruise line that should be followed. Being responsible sometimes means doing something that you don't want to do just because it is a rule and you are bound by that rule.

 

All I am asking is that parents be parents. Enforce the rules that are put in place whether you agree with them or not.

 

As a teen, if your parents ensure their trust in you then do the responsible thing and follow the rules that have been put in place and be in your cabin by 1:00 AM.

 

Ok..... Flame away......

 

No flaming whatsoever. Your point is excellent and very well put. Part of being mature is accepting that things won't always be as you'd like them to be but you have to go along anyway. These rules are in place for a VERY good reason. If it hadn't been proven previously by OTHER teens, then they wouldn't have the rule in the first place. It may be unfortunate that some teens who are trustworthy have to adjust, but that's life. Oh, and BTW, I, too, agree that 1AM is plenty late enough for anyone under 17.

[mjohnson]

I am not so sure about curfews being enforced. I just got off the Grandeur with a 17 year old. As long as they are with a counselor they could stay out past one. But that only happened a couple of times. The counselors were great with the kids. The rest of the time, the kids just hung out. Call me a bad parent, but he was out with his friends later than 1:00 every night. He wasn't drinking, just hanging out. :)

[Cruising89143]

I am not so sure about curfews being enforced. I just got off the Grandeur with a 17 year old. As long as they are with a counselor they could stay out past one. But that only happened a couple of times. The counselors were great with the kids. The rest of the time, the kids just hung out. Call me a bad parent, but he was out with his friends later than 1:00 every night. He wasn't drinking, just hanging out. :)

 

 

The cruise line has a policy and it's up to the parents to help enforce this. By you allowing your son to stay out late is not helping. I really get tired of folks that believe that rules apply to every one else but them. Also these parents would be the first one to place blame on the cruise line if something happened to their child at that time of the night. We wonder why kids grow up the way that they do.

[isujim]

Yes. Their cabin.

 

Post of the week:D :D

[madforcruising]

The cruise line has a policy and it's up to the parents to help enforce this. By you allowing your son to stay out late is not helping. I really get tired of folks that believe that rules apply to every one else but them. The "me" first generation and to hell with every one else!!!!:rolleyes: Also these parents would be the first one to place blame on the cruise line if something happened to their child at that time of the night. We wonder why kids grow up the way that they do.

 

 

Because they are just sooo repsonsible already at their young age and trustable and reliable that it´s no problem for the ever so good parents to encourage the ever so good kinds to break the rules:rolleyes:

[boingy300]

I teach my 13 year old boys that "Life isn't fair, and anyone telling you different is selling something". We now grin and figure out "What are they selling" when external forces tell them "It's not fair". We discuss WHY the cruiseline let's you stay up late "Cha-ching" . And normally they go to bed at 9pm, so 11pm is exhausting! I'm sure as they age, the issues will change - but we won't! Haven't yet.

Karen

[madforcruising]

I´m curious here and hope to get an answer from the OP and others that say it should be OK for the teens to hang out later than the curfew.

 

What country do you live and has your country a law with a curfew for minors?

 

Do you encourage your kids to break this law?

 

And finally do you blame the police and complain when catching someone breaking the curfew who is a couple of weeks shy of his birthday before the curfew does no longer apply to him?

[It'sRC4ME]

When I was on my Mariner cruise in Dec the curfew was not enforced.

 

I think this is why the curfew is so frustrating to people. If enforcement of it were a given like such things as showing up for muster drill, there wouldn't be the "surprise" factor for those who travel during the holidays. I too would be disappointed if my friend came back from a cruise and said one thing, and when I got on the ship things were significantly different.