Parents & Kids on different decks

[miami]

Aside from the discussion of whether teens can show good judgement or not' date=' I would be concerned about emergency situations. It wasn't that long ago that the Star Princess caught fire in the very early morning. I know that not every cruise has a problem like that, but I would definitely think long and hard about having minor children in a cabin not next to mine.[/quote']

 

You're 100% right... it probably won't happen but it could.

[Fogfog]

Aside from the discussion of whether teens can show good judgement or not' date=' I would be concerned about emergency situations. It wasn't that long ago that the Star Princess caught fire in the very early morning. I know that not every cruise has a problem like that, but I would definitely think long and hard about having minor children in a cabin not next to mine.[/quote']

 

Thats why our bys--ages 11 and 14 have a room across the hall and in the same MUSTER STATION. I coudln't imagine an emergancy (look at the antarctica ship)_ and then wonder where my boys are...

I sleep ok knowing I can pop in across the hall--and they come over for breakfast on the balconey...

and via walkie talkie etc we know whats what...

[Dsnyluvr]

I am in complete agreement that children alone in a cabin can be dangerous - I just disagree that where the cabin is will make a difference. If a parent feels comfortable having their children in a different cabin, then I just don't think proximity will somehow make one better than the other.

 

If my kids are in a room next to mine, I will hear them. If the TV is loud enough for me to hear, the person on the other side can hear it also. It won't take long for me to walk in the door and have them turn it down. In any situation where they are being too loud, I will hear it just like the person on the other side of them.

 

If my kids are screaming in fear for their lives or trying to fight someone off, I will hear that too. Lucky for me, they're all much better at kung fu than I and will probably have the perpetrator unconscious on the floor before I get there. ;)

 

If I tuck my kids in (well, they're a little too old now, but when they were younger), I can hear if they get out of bed and start causing a ruckus.

 

If they're on another deck, you take away my sight and my hearing, and yes, I'm a light enough sleeper that I would wakeup.

 

I'm planning an Alaskan cruise for 2009. DH & I will have a balcony. I'm putting the boys in an interior room right across from us. They will be 17, 18 & 19. Yes, they are old enough to be on their own, but if anything unfortunate were to happen, I want to be right there by their side. Even though they're "adults", they don't have the life experience that I do to base decisions on. How many times did you call your parents for advice while you were younger?

 

My daughter will be 15 & wants to be in a room with her cousin which will be connected to my sister's room. I love my daughter dearly, but she could be a poster-child for blonde. I wouldn't trust her in a room that wasn't connected to an adult.

 

Do walkie-talkies really work on ships?

[CanadianTwosome]

All of the arguments for safety in proximity make complete sense to me. I wouldn't presume to argue that being next door or across the hall means that you aren't closer to your children, it's obviously true.

 

That being said, I guess I just still see separation as separation. I've never heard any of my neighbors on cruises (although I have heard others complain about parties) so whether I could hear any noise alerting me of danger from across the hall, or even next door, I can't comment on. I understand everything that's been said about having your children in closer cabins, and if the ship were to start on fire or start to sink, I agree that I'd rather be as close to mine as possible. For me, it's not as much of an issue since we always share, but what about when she's in the kid's club? What about when I'm singing karaoke and my husband is reading on deck? I love him, too, and wouldn't want to be standing at my muster station and have him missing either.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that yes, proximity does matter - as long as you are in your cabin at all times when your children are in theirs. Otherwise, hopefully if an emergency occurs, it will happen when you are... or at least when you're all together elsewhere on the ship. I can understand how having your child closer during the night would give a parent peace of mind, but as I said, I just still think separate is separate. I fell out of an upper berth when I was 12. It wasn't serious, thank goodness, but do you think my mother would have known about it had I been across the hall?

 

To answer the question about walkie talkies, I've seen threads that say they're great and threads that say there are problems. The problems range from people saying they don't work at all to some saying that there is too much traffic from other families. I think using good quality equipment will take care of the first problem, and unless there are more families using them than there are available channels, the traffic shouldn't be a problem either. Ask me again after January! :)

[crusinmama06]

 

My daughter will be 15 & wants to be in a room with her cousin which will be connected to my sister's room. I love my daughter dearly, but she could be a poster-child for blonde. I wouldn't trust her in a room that wasn't connected to an adult.

 

Do walkie-talkies really work on ships?

 

HAHAHAHAHA, that was funny.

 

As far as the walkie talkies. I guess the key to using them is getting one with alot of channels. We took ours on a Disney ship back in 2005. We gave a set to our friends so we could communicate with them. They never worked because the channels were so full. Technically, yes they work. But you have to have a clear channel...which may not always be so easy.

[Onessa]

IDo walkie-talkies really work on ships?

 

I know Dsnyluvr is asking about AK, but just an FYI for those of you considering walkie-talkies for cruises outside of thNorth America. Different countries assign frequencies differently -- so a set of walkie-talkies that might be OK for an AK or Caribbean cruise might be illegal on a Baltic Sea itinerary. Check it out before you buy!

[larronry]

 

Do walkie-talkies really work on ships?

I have never had a problem with walkie talkies. I use Motorola. They have about 30 channels with about 30 sub channels on each channel so that is plenty of combinations to find an empty channel. On the smaller ships the 2 mile ones work but not on most of todays megaliners. That said no walkie talkie would be illegal anywhere when you are in the middle of the ocean. I do however try not to use them when in port and either way we limit there use to "where are you" and "OK I'm here" or "I'll meet you." Mine also have a plug in for a headset which I'll use but my husband won't.

[CanadianTwosome]

I have never had a problem with walkie talkies. I use Motorola. They have about 30 channels with about 30 sub channels on each channel so that is plenty of combinations to find an empty channel. On the smaller ships the 2 mile ones work but not on most of todays megaliners. That said no walkie talkie would be illegal anywhere when you are in the middle of the ocean. I do however try not to use them when in port and either way we limit there use to "where are you" and "OK I'm here" or "I'll meet you." Mine also have a plug in for a headset which I'll use but my husband won't.

 

Very good information, thank you! Our set is top of the line - my husband the techie simply wouldn't find anything less acceptable. They're not playthings you know!! ha ha ha Good thing he bought them, mind you - if it had been up to me, I probably would have bought the 'blue' ones... and found out when we went to use them that they only work if you're across the street. ha ha ha I think you're absolutely right about limiting conversation as well... on a cruise ship, if you know where someone is, you're only a few minutes away from a face to face conversation, so you shouldn't need any more than a check in and a location if you want to meet. I guess we'll find out in January... even though my husband is an expert on technology, he's a bit of an 'absent minded professor' so the units sat at our back door on our last cruise... this time they're on MY packing list, so I'm confindent they'll actually make it on board with us!! :p

[larronry]

That's funny. I'm brining the short distance ones for our friends to use hoping that the two will be able to reach each other. I know the channels are the same. I have the short distance ones for local events. I can program it to ring louder then a cell phone so they can be heard. I'm talking about events I'm working so I need to get in touch with someone.

[Onessa]

. . . That said no walkie talkie would be illegal anywhere when you are in the middle of the ocean. . .

 

I found this online and it provided some good information.

 

In different parts of the world, governments have specified different types of walkie-talkie radio that can be bought and used by the general public. These regulations are usually to make sure that important or "official" users of walkie-talkies (like police etc) do not suffer from interference from members of the public using theirs.

 

"PMR446" is a European Union standard for radios approved for use in the UK and the European Union. They have 8 channels, and a maximum range of around 2 miles in open country. No PMR446 radio can have more than 500mW of transmission power, so all makes and models effectively have the same maximum range. PMR446-compliant are European radios.

PMR446 radios are NOT APPROVED for use in the U.S.A.

 

**They can be used legally and with NO LICENCE required in all of the European Union countries and most of the rest of Europe.**

 

PMR446 walkie-talkies can be used in any of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway (from 2005), Poland, Portugal, Romania (channels 3,4,5,6 only), Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom. Other countries, including the Russian Federation, Norway and Latvia should be included fairly soon.

just limiting yourself while "in port" may not be enough protection. Some of the EU countries have been known to be very vigilent in enforcing thes regulations.

[larronry]

I found this online and it provided some good information.

 

In different parts of the world, governments have specified different types of walkie-talkie radio that can be bought and used by the general public. These regulations are usually to make sure that important or "official" users of walkie-talkies (like police etc) do not suffer from interference from members of the public using theirs.

 

"PMR446" is a European Union standard for radios approved for use in the UK and the European Union. They have 8 channels, and a maximum range of around 2 miles in open country. No PMR446 radio can have more than 500mW of transmission power, so all makes and models effectively have the same maximum range. PMR446-compliant are European radios.

PMR446 radios are NOT APPROVED for use in the U.S.A.

 

**They can be used legally and with NO LICENCE required in all of the European Union countries and most of the rest of Europe.**

 

PMR446 walkie-talkies can be used in any of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway (from 2005), Poland, Portugal, Romania (channels 3,4,5,6 only), Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom. Other countries, including the Russian Federation, Norway and Latvia should be included fairly soon.

 

just limiting yourself while "in port" may not be enough protection. Some of the EU countries have been known to be very vigilent in enforcing thes regulations.

 

 

 

That is why I said in the middle of the ocean. No government regulates the middle of the ocean. My gage in the U.S. is that when the Casino is open you now outside of U.S. laws and therefore the use of the long range walkie talkies are now legal. Since I have never cruised in Europe I have not checked out whether you can use the opening of the Casinos the same way.

 

That said I tested my long range radios in the house to see if they would work with my short range radios and gee no cops at the door so I just don't think if you did it once or twice you would be caught and I always make sure I find an empty channel. I listen for a while to make sure it is free. 2 miles is the legal limit in the U.S. without a license.

[coupleofcops]

Ok, so I contacted my TA, she said if I didn't want to pay the extra to get moved closer together that I just needed to ask carnival if they can move us closer when we get on the ship.. Does it not make sense to ask them now ... Or because I am with a TA already they won't talk to me till I am on the ship???

 

Thanks for your help...

 

Kay

[CanadianTwosome]

There's no harm in asking, is there? If you call and ask and they say you'll have to pay a fee, then you can either assess the fee and decide if it's worth it, or wait until you board and ask if you can move. I can't imagine it would be easier to move you once on board and you've been issued key cards and everything, but who knows? I'd give them a call... or two, depending on the answer I got from the first person! :)

[nmcrzer]

Ok, so I contacted my TA, she said if I didn't want to pay the extra to get moved closer together that I just needed to ask carnival if they can move us closer when we get on the ship.. Does it not make sense to ask them now ... Or because I am with a TA already they won't talk to me till I am on the ship???

 

From what I have read on these boards, it is pretty much impossible to change rooms once you are on the ship, especially the Conquest which is usually full anyway. I might be cynical, but it sounds to me like your TA just doesn't want to deal with it now. You're right, though. If you call Carnival before you get on the ship, they won't talk to you since your reservation is through a TA. Depending on the circumstances, the TA should be able to do a little more to accommodate you. My TA has a great relationship with her Carnival rep and has been able to do some seemingly impossible things before.

 

We were on the Conquest last year, but without DD. The ship isn't easy to maneuver, and I often had a "can't get there from here" feeling. A friend of mine had her 15 y.o. DD on board and didn't feel comfortable letting her go by herself from their cabin on a lower deck to the Spa on Deck 11.

 

I hope everything works out to your liking. I know it is frustrating right now, but hang in there. Soon you will be on the ship. Yay!

[CanadianTwosome]

Wow, Carnival won't talk to people if they've booked with travel agents? That's unfortunate. Still, I would then tell my TA I wanted them to call and confirm what they thought. If nobody calls, you'll never know for sure... and it's possible that having minors involved will make a difference.

 

I have no experience with this on ships, but when a flight change resulted in all three of us sitting apart, I called the airline to have at least two of our seats reassigned together and they wanted to charge me a fee. I explained that if they wanted to leave things the way they were, they could be responsible for my 'unaccompanied minor' and miraculously, the three of us were able to be seated together. ha ha ha It's a different situation, I know, but I'm sure it would have been different if we had all been adults... so maybe it will make a difference on the ship as well. You'll never know unless someone calls... if it has to be your TA then it has to... but if I was paying someone to handle my travel arrangements and they refused to even try, I'd change agents.

[larronry]

It doesn't matter what the cruiseline is if you booked through a TA they won't talk to you. They will argue with you when you just want to ask a question. I had a situation where the beds were arranged apart and I wanted to have them together. Couldn't call the cruiseline directly had to call the TA and the TA called the cruiseline. Truthfully for the little things it's just silly but it is the way it is. And no I wasn't booked on Carnival. And it wasn't a line that has a set up like Carnival with the PVP assigned to the cruiser.

[CanadianTwosome]

I booked online with travelocity. I used to be a travel agent a million years ago and I haven't used one myself since everything became available to do myself online. Last year, I had to change the dates of my cruise - same cruise, one month earlier - I called NCL and was told that someone from travelocity had to call and make the change. I called travelocity, they called NCL while I waited on hold, and it was all taken care of. Aside from that, however, every other arrangement I made for that cruise and our upcoming Star cruise in January I have made myself direct with NCL. Over the two cruises, I've probably had at least a half a dozen phone calls with them regarding various subjects.

 

I just spoke to a rep yesterday regarding a special request for our cabin. I realize that's a far cry from changing a cabin, but it's still correspondence that I was able to handle myself directly with the cruiseline. If it were me, I would try. I would call them directly and see if they told me that I had to go through my TA, and if I did, then I would have my TA call them, even if they thought they knew for sure what the answer would be. It's a very small amount of effort that might have a great amount of positive impact. :)

[nmcrzer]

If you book directly with the cruiseline, they will talk directly to you. If you book through an agency (online or TA), they will not talk to you. It is part of the cruiselines' contractual arrangement with agencies.

 

Unfortunately, I had booked my first cruise through an online travel agency (which I won't mention by name here since we aren't supposed to mention them by name on these boards). When I tried to call Carnival, they stated in no uncertain terms that they could not talk with me directly. I knew I was going to have a lot of questions and potential changes before the cruise, so I ended up canceling and rebooking directly through Carnival (it was still within the grace period, so no penalty). That way I could call Carnival whenever I wanted.

 

My next cruise is booked through a TA. But I am so comfortable with her that it doesn't matter to me that I can't call the cruiseline directly. I know my TA is taking great care of me. If I hadn't found her, I would probably have booked directly through the cruiseline.

 

Coupleofcops, I would call your TA again and explain to them that you aren't comfortable with your situation and you need them to help you get a reasonable comfort level. Sometimes, if the fees to switch are minor, the TA might eat the fees. It depends how much it would cut in to their commission. Mention that you would like to take more cruises in the future and that if they help you resolve the situation, you will be more likely to use them in the future. Just a thought... And I agree with the previous poster. Ask the TA to call again even if they think they know what the answer will be. The TA should at least take the time to try again.

[CanadianTwosome]

Ooops, I didn't know I wasn't supposed to name names, thanks for the heads up.

 

I have to say I stand corrected on NCL. I just saw a thread on the NCL board about something that involved a change and they had to go through their agent as well, so I was wrong about being able to talk to them directly if you've booked through an agent. I guess excursions and in cabin requests are just too trivial for them to require the agent's involvement. Sorry!

[coupleofcops]

My TA is telling me because we are in a group rate, and there are no rooms left in the group rate we are stuck...Which is fine DH and I have decided that the boys will take up in one room and the girls in the other...But from here on out I will book thru carnival direct. I will still ask when we get on the ship. But I will not hold my breath.

 

Thanks everyone,

 

Kay

[CanadianTwosome]

So... she can't sell any more cabins at that rate. I know this will probably come as a shock to many people on this board... but I would still insist on trying. (:eek: ) I know an airplane is entirely different from a cruise ship, but in the experience I described earlier, we were moved into seats together that were designated as requiring an additional fee (and were definitely not part of the dirt cheap seat sale we'd taken advantage of when booking).

 

So... (and like I said, I know the situations are different - I just think there's enough similarity to be worth the effort) although your TA cannot sell any more cabins at the group rate, that doesn't mean that there aren't similar cabins available on the ship. If you look at it like booking a block of rooms at a hotel for a wedding, for instance, and for some reason one of the rooms in your party decides they'd like to stay in a different section of the hotel, if a room is available, you would expect the hotel to allow them to move, right? The new room, if sold to a non-wedding guest, would be at a different price than what your guests are paying, but would still have the same base value, so (my) expectations would be that they would allow the change, especially if requested in advance. So, again, if there is a cabin free in the same category, even if it wasn't originally designated in the group block, I just can't see any reason why the line wouldn't at least consider allowing the move. I still think it's worth a try. :)

[6rugrats]

Just wanted to add another thought to this thread. We just returned from a cruise with two children. We had an outside and an inside cabin booked. The inside cabin was one door down on the opposite side.

 

Each cabin had a different life boat station. The first morning, we woke up to the fire alarm. There was a fire in the engine room. The emergency doors closed, and the two cabins were separated. We had two teens sleeping in the inside cabin and they could not get to us. Luckily, fire was put out quickly, but if it had not been, we would have been on different life boats and not been able to make sure they had made it to their station safely!

 

Keep that in mind while booking cabins.

[miami]

Just wanted to add another thought to this thread. We just returned from a cruise with two children. We had an outside and an inside cabin booked. The inside cabin was one door down on the opposite side.

 

Each cabin had a different life boat station. The first morning, we woke up to the fire alarm. There was a fire in the engine room. The emergency doors closed, and the two cabins were separated. We had two teens sleeping in the inside cabin and they could not get to us. Luckily, fire was put out quickly, but if it had not been, we would have been on different life boats and not been able to make sure they had made it to their station safely!

 

Keep that in mind while booking cabins.

 

That would be pretty scary. I wonder if the TA or cruiseline would be able to tell you if you had the same life boat station when you book.

[CanadianTwosome]

Just wanted to add another thought to this thread. We just returned from a cruise with two children. We had an outside and an inside cabin booked. The inside cabin was one door down on the opposite side.

 

Each cabin had a different life boat station. The first morning, we woke up to the fire alarm. There was a fire in the engine room. The emergency doors closed, and the two cabins were separated. We had two teens sleeping in the inside cabin and they could not get to us. Luckily, fire was put out quickly, but if it had not been, we would have been on different life boats and not been able to make sure they had made it to their station safely!

 

Keep that in mind while booking cabins.

 

YIKES!!! I would have freaked!!! I think that's the one thing people have agreed on all along in this thread - you want the same muster station!! That is so scary - it brought tears to my eyes!! :(

[themishmans]

Just wanted to add another thought to this thread. We just returned from a cruise with two children. We had an outside and an inside cabin booked. The inside cabin was one door down on the opposite side.

 

Each cabin had a different life boat station. The first morning, we woke up to the fire alarm. There was a fire in the engine room. The emergency doors closed, and the two cabins were separated. We had two teens sleeping in the inside cabin and they could not get to us. Luckily, fire was put out quickly, but if it had not been, we would have been on different life boats and not been able to make sure they had made it to their station safely!

 

Keep that in mind while booking cabins.

 

That is really quite terrifying. My children will be in an inside cabin down the hall from us next week. I shudder to think this could happen. It never occurred to me when I booked and of course the travel agent never brought this up either.I wonder if you can see where the fire doors are when they are open so you know in advance if you might have a problem. I may just have to make DH sleep in the other cabin with the girls. ;)