Teen 12-14 Age Group Questions

[will work to cruise]

We will be taking our first RCCL cruise on the Mariner in June 2008. Our one and only cruise has been on the Disney Wonder. This will be the first time that our DD13 will be out on her own :eek: on the ship. Are the teens (12-14) supervised at all or do they have "run of the ship?" Just a concerned parent looking for answers.

[will work to cruise]

Anyone?

[scooter90]

We will be on the Mariner this July and I can let you know after we return. Our DD is 13 so she will be in the same age group - I believe they have some organized activities, etc., but she will have the ability to come and go to them as she pleases....it will be up to us, her parents, to make sure we know where she is at all times tho.

[mcfaddensfarm]

Yes, there are organized activities but unlike the younger kids, they can just come & go as they wish. There is no signing in or out. Like Scooter90 says, it is really up to the parents. What we did with our son was to pre-arrange a time to check in and if for some reason he couldn't because he was involved in an activity with the group, he left a voice mail for us on the cabin phone.

[drifting_away]

We were on the AOS with a 13 year old boy and it was a little nerve racking for me. They can come and go as they please and they don't always have enough participation to do the activities that they have scheduled.

 

Our first day at sea went as follows:

10am Psych Game

11 3 on 3 basketball

11:30 Learn Hip Hop

1 Spoon Game

2 Hottie Hunt (Taking Pics around boat)

3 Movie

Climbing competition

5 Adventure theatre creating a story

8pm Casual Dining in Windjammer

9 Teen Quest

10-11:15 Hip Hop Party

 

My son ate with us and whenever we went to check on him the majority of the teens were just standing in the hall where the AO is or playing video games in the arcade. If enough of the kids don't show in 15 min. they cancel events. Luckily he made a great friend who he spent the majority of his time with.

[SLH]

We will be taking our first RCCL cruise on the Mariner in June 2008. Our one and only cruise has been on the Disney Wonder. This will be the first time that our DD13 will be out on her own :eek: on the ship. Are the teens (12-14) supervised at all or do they have "run of the ship?" Just a concerned parent looking for answers.

We just got off the Mariner last month and my 13yr.old dd loved the AO program. They definitely had scheduled activities especially in the evening until midnight. She begged me to do early seating for dinner because a lot of the their activities begin around 8p.m. which turned out fine. I let her go upto the AO after dinner by herself but I picked her up when going back to the cabin. I didn't want her walking around the ship late at night. Also, they don't have scheduled activities when in port like the younger groups have.

[Disneycrazymom]

We are preparing for cruise #3 in 2 weeks. My DS is 14 and on the last 2 cruises he was 12 and 13. He was allowed to come and go at the kids club but everytime he went to a new location on the ship he is required to stop by the cabin and sign in the sign in sheet. We also sign in. That way we can always know where each other can be found. It really works very well. He knows that he is to NEVER enter another cabin or invite anyone into his. Never take a drink from anyone except the bar tenders and he needs to be showered and ready for dinner on time. We set a nightly curfew depending on the nights activities and what we have planned the next am. He loves to cruise and is very responsible so this works for us.

[jules815]

We just got off the Mariner last month and my 13yr.old dd loved the AO program. They definitely had scheduled activities especially in the evening until midnight. She begged me to do early seating for dinner because a lot of the their activities begin around 8p.m. which turned out fine. I let her go upto the AO after dinner by herself but I picked her up when going back to the cabin. I didn't want her walking around the ship late at night. Also, they don't have scheduled activities when in port like the younger groups have.

 

We were on Mariner last week and our youngest daughter is 13. Because we were traveling with a large group (4 families with 9 teens between us) we did late seating. I really enjoyed late seating, but it was a little bit of a problem for our daughter because all of the evening activities began at 8pm, and we didn't have dinner until 8:30. Our older daughter (17) brought a friend, so it never was a problem for her; they always found something to do outside of AO. (They loved Karaoke in the Lotus Lounge.) Next cruise, we're going to let our youngest bring a friend, or switch back to early seating until she's a little older.

[andydandy325]

I'm 13 and I really enjoyed the AO activites...

I had to text my parents when went somewhere different on the ship.

 

It worked great

[sj25]

I'm 13 and I really enjoyed the AO activites...

I had to text my parents when went somewhere different on the ship.

 

It worked great

did you text on your cell phone?

if so did it cost you more?

I am going to have our 13 yr old daughter with us this fall and was curious how it will go.

Did you have early or late seating?

[puglvr]

did you text on your cell phone?

if so did it cost you more?

I am going to have our 13 yr old daughter with us this fall and was curious how it will go.

Did you have early or late seating?

 

On board, they have special phones you can rent for the week. Apparently they go fast & you need to get them as soon as you get on board (your initial boarding). I've read where they have worked great to help families keep in touch with each other on board the ship. They do not work when you are ashore.

[will work to cruise]

On board, they have special phones you can rent for the week. Apparently they go fast & you need to get them as soon as you get on board (your initial boarding). I've read where they have worked great to help families keep in touch with each other on board the ship. They do not work when you are ashore.

 

Does anyone know where to get these phones and what the price is?

[gatorslovetocruise]

We rented these phones last week on the LOS. As soon as we boarded, I went to guest services and picked up 3. The cost for a week was 25.00 for each phone and each came with it's own charger. We gave each teen one and we kept 1 for us. It was nice because the boys felt like they had some freedom but we could always check on them.

[akcruz]

did you text on your cell phone?

if so did it cost you more?

I am going to have our 13 yr old daughter with us this fall and was curious how it will go.

Did you have early or late seating?

 

With a 13 year old I would suggest early seating, both my 12 & 16 year olds made plans each night to meet up with friends around 8 in the teen area and then spent the rest of the evening with them. Many of the teen activities start by 9 which you would miss with late seating (at 8:30). If you are traveling with others that have kids her age, this may not be an issue, but we were on our own, so meeting other kids and having those activities was important to mine.

[sj25]

We rented these phones last week on the LOS. As soon as we boarded, I went to guest services and picked up 3. The cost for a week was 25.00 for each phone and each came with it's own charger. We gave each teen one and we kept 1 for us. It was nice because the boys felt like they had some freedom but we could always check on them.

So this phone does it allow you to talk with eachother and text?

All included for the $25 a week per phone?

Is it like a cell phone or is it like a walkie talkie?

Thanks.

[gatorslovetocruise]

They work like a cell phone ( but only on the ship) but there was no text messaging. Each phone has a unique 4 digit number. You can call any other special phone, any stateroom or any ship extention like the excursion desk, guest relations, etc. by dialing the 4 digit number. It was nice because the boys figured out how to program stateroom numbers and the other phones numbers in so they did not have to memorize all the extensions! Leave it to teenagers! The phones are about the size of a cell phone so they fit into a pocket with no problem. They must be a well kept secret because 2 different crew members asked me about the phones. They did not know that that the ship rented them out. We have used walkie talkies in the past and found that they were not worth the trouble- too many dead spots and lots of people trying to find open channels. THe cost of 75.00 for 3 phones was well worth the price to give the teens their freedom, and still let mom have her safety net in place!!

[cruise.freak]

My daughter was 12 at the time and loved the kids program. Granted she did meet friends and they did hang out on thier own alot but when a fun activity came up which there was alot they had a great time.

[cruisinmom1]

Thanks, great advice!

[CHAMPDDS]

Realistically, How much of the program do they miss out on if we do the late seating for dinner ?

 

David:D

[rhascall]

Does anyone know how old they need to be to check themselves in and out of kids club? On Disney it was 9 with parent's permission.

[cb at sea]

If you decide to do late seating, let your young'un eat in the Windjammer and you parents can have adult time. Late seating starts at 8:30 pm and won't end until after 10pm. The child will miss everything. Yes, some folks rush dinner, which puts the waiter in somewhat of a bind, especially if other's are at your table. Early seating is best when kids are involved.

[tony7518]

Do they have these phones on Mariner of the seas?:confused:

[Cruisin Kay D]

We have NEVER cruised with children before, but in Dec we are taking 4 grandkids -- 2 boys ages 9 & 14; 2 girls ages 13 & 15.

What about these programs & phones on Radiance of Seas?

Will they allow the 15 yr old (who looks to be younger than the 13 yr old) to participate in group activities with 13 & 14 yr olds?

Will they allow the 9 yr old to join the older 3?

[SLH]

Realistically, How much of the program do they miss out on if we do the late seating for dinner ?

 

David:D

They have to be in the 12-14 yr.old group to sign themselves in and out as far as I know.

 

They will miss most of the evening activities eating late seating. My dd used to rush through her dinner and really not enjoy it so she could get to the AO.Early seating was much better for her. I have to say sitting near a window for dinner and watching the oceanview while eating really added to dinner. Obviously, eating at 8:30 it's dark so you can't appreciate this.

[TO_HockeyMum]

We rented these phones last week on the LOS. As soon as we boarded, I went to guest services and picked up 3. The cost for a week was 25.00 for each phone and each came with it's own charger. We gave each teen one and we kept 1 for us. It was nice because the boys felt like they had some freedom but we could always check on them.

 

Was this Legend of the Seas or Liberty? We're on the Legend in a couple of weeks, with our 15, 13 and 10 year-old, so this is of interest to us! Thanks.