Is there a way to avoid children over spending on OBC

We are planning to take our 11 yr old grandchild on a cruise , but he love arcade games and I am afraid he will not have the self control not to continuously play video games

It was years ago, but Holland America allowed us to block charges by our children. I assume other cruise lines offer similar services.

Well, besides telling him he can't, or setting a limit, you can block charges by kids.

You can ask the Guest Services how to put a cap on his onboard account.

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On some cruise lines, you can't "block" arcade spending. The best thing is to talk with him..tell him his limits...and you can check usually on the tv...and if he goes over...you cut him off. Sometimes, rules from grandparents mean more than from parents! Kids should listen to the folks in charge of them, or suffer the consequences. I would NEVER have done something my grandparents told me not to....but my parents....I would have pushed those limits....

A kid has to learn, or we get the sort of society we have today.....

I don't think you can block just aracade spending either, but you can get cards for kids that don't have the ability to charge things with them. We had a 5-year-old grandson with us, along with some older kids; we only blocked his because of his age and impulsivity. Otherwise it was a very serious talk with all the kids about what they were allowed to do or not do. The arcade was on the not allowed list.

We had 7 kids with us from 5-11, so we needed boundaries. We even made them read and sign a cruise behaviour contract! For the most part they did very well. We were even complimented by people at a nearby table the last night on their behaviour in the dining room--even though I thought it was a little chaotic at times with all those kids. That simple comment meant a lot.

We are planning to take our 11 yr old grandchild on a cruise , but he love arcade games and I am afraid he will not have the self control not to continuously play video games

I have my son $20 a day cash and told him once he went through that, he was done for the day.

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When you board the ship I would speak with someone at the reception desk. Most cruise lines can restrict spending.

Keith

You should be able to restrict purchase ability on his card and load cash if you choose.

We are planning to take our 11 yr old grandchild on a cruise , but he love arcade games and I am afraid he will not have the self control not to continuously play video games

Beware, on some RC ships they can limit spending on everything except the arcade!:eek:

I think you can get an extra room key that has no charging privileges at all.

You could set a limit, and if it is exceeded, swap the key with the no-charge key.

Note: Be sure to have the proper letter saying you can take him, if his parents are not going on the cruise.

You might also ask in the Family Forum: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

My son was 11 when we went. We gave him a limit everyday. You can check you account and show him you are tracking it. I would tell him that if he goes over, it cuts into the next day's budget. We never had a problem.

On some cruise lines, you can't "block" arcade spending. The best thing is to talk with him..tell him his limits...and you can check usually on the tv...and if he goes over...you cut him off. Sometimes, rules from grandparents mean more than from parents! Kids should listen to the folks in charge of them, or suffer the consequences. I would NEVER have done something my grandparents told me not to....but my parents....I would have pushed those limits....

A kid has to learn, or we get the sort of society we have today.....

How about speaking with the boy b efore you go. Let him know tthe rules and how disappointed you will be if he does not do as you have told himm youexpect from him.... let him know the penalty for not doing as instructed.. :eek:

I don't think you can block just aracade spending either, but you can get cards for kids that don't have the ability to charge things with them. We had a 5-year-old grandson with us, along with some older kids; we only blocked his because of his age and impulsivity. Otherwise it was a very serious talk with all the kids about what they were allowed to do or not do. The arcade was on the not allowed list.

 

We had 7 kids with us from 5-11, so we needed boundaries. We even made them read and sign a cruise behaviour contract! For the most part they did very well. We were even complimented by people at a nearby table the last night on their behaviour in the dining room--even though I thought it was a little chaotic at times with all those kids. That simple comment meant a lot.

I love the cruise contract idea. They will think twice before making a decision.

I don't think you can block just aracade spending either, but you can get cards for kids that don't have the ability to charge things with them. We had a 5-year-old grandson with us, along with some older kids; we only blocked his because of his age and impulsivity. Otherwise it was a very serious talk with all the kids about what they were allowed to do or not do. The arcade was on the not allowed list.

 

We had 7 kids with us from 5-11, so we needed boundaries. We even made them read and sign a cruise behaviour contract! For the most part they did very well. We were even complimented by people at a nearby table the last night on their behaviour in the dining room--even though I thought it was a little chaotic at times with all those kids. That simple comment meant a lot.

Sounds like you've got it under control, and contracts are a great tool. I just don't understand why you need to do anything about the five year old's card since there is absolutely no need for them to carry one at all as they will never be without an adult.

Sounds like you've got it under control, and contracts are a great tool. I just don't understand why you need to do anything about the five year old's card since there is absolutely no need for them to carry one at all as they will never be without an adult.

This was a while ago; the 11 year-olds are now 18! I think he needed the card to get off and on the ship. And it made him feel like the bigger kids to have his own card on a lanyard. Probably would have been easier for us to just keep it.

On some cruise lines, you can't "block" arcade spending. The best thing is to talk with him..tell him his limits...and you can check usually on the tv...and if he goes over...you cut him off. Sometimes, rules from grandparents mean more than from parents! Kids should listen to the folks in charge of them, or suffer the consequences. I would NEVER have done something my grandparents told me not to....but my parents....I would have pushed those limits....

A kid has to learn, or we get the sort of society we have today.....

I don't think the OP was asking for a lecture on how to handle kids, just the spending on the ship with OBC.

The story goes that a couple were cruising with their young teenage daughters and were checking their account part way through the cruise, imagine the horror when they found the girls had spent thousands on jewelry!. Apparently it ended well after negotiations, the goods were returned and the money credited. Finally the girls cards had the posh shops blocked.

We are planning to take our 11 yr old grandchild on a cruise , but he love arcade games and I am afraid he will not have the self control not to continuously play video games

OP, since you have no other posts, we don't know which cruise line you will be on. That is terribly important information to have, as different lines have different policies. On Carnival, for example, you can go to Guest Services and place a limit on the amount that your grandson will be able to spend. Not per day, or just restricting the arcade, but a total limit for the cruise.

If you can't block his sign and sail card perhaps an adult could keep his card with them? Just a thought

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We are planning to take our 11 yr old grandchild on a cruise , but he love arcade games and I am afraid he will not have the self control not to continuously play video games

I don't know what cruise line you are on but some cruise lines only allow authorized persons to do onboard charges. In that case if you don't list him as an authorized person on the account he can't charge anything.

On some cruise lines, you can't "block" arcade spending..

I don't have any children right now, and it will be 5 years before any grandkids cruise with us, but I've heard repeatedly that Royal Caribbean doesn't put limits.

Another point is: how quickly the kids can do major financial damage. Last year my 10 year old (on his 2nd cruise) spent $73 on the card within half an hour in the games arcade one morning. Woke up as he walked into the cabin at 7:30am.

Don't know what made me put the TV on and check all the folios, but I hit the roof, opened the safe and took his money from his holiday fund. I marched him and the money straight up to reception. He had to explain to the lady what he had done and she gave him the No-No look. He then had to tell her he wanted to pay $73 for his account, and also another $7 as penalty onto his papa's account. After he had paid the $80, I had all of the cards frozen. We had drinks and soda packages so no need to have open cards.

When I wanted to spend in the shops, I just had to go back to reception to reactivate the card, spend in the shops and then shut down cards again. Simple process, and had a drink in hand from the bar right next to reception. So no problem to stand in line for a bit :)

You can leave him at home!

I like the contract idea..... spell out the penalites if he violates.