Deactivate Teen's SeaPass

[dvcdisney]

Sorry, another newbie question:

 

I noticed on the Teen Compass that it says: "Parents/Guardians who wish to deactivate their Teen SeaPass cards should do so at the Guest Services desk. Otherwise, SeaPass cards will remain active and parent's/guardians are responsible for all charges."

 

When I did online check in, I put "NONE" with regards to charging privileges for both children and I did not permit them to use my account. When I called RCCL to inquire, they told me that children (17 and under) normally do not have charging privileges unless the parents grant it to them. So, why would someone need to go to the GS to deactivate it?

 

Would I still need to deactivate it if I didn't give them any charging privileges. No credit card is attached to their SeaPass. I had to print out separate SeaPass for them showing that I do not give them permission to charge on my account. Am I correct in assuming that the option of "NONE" is essentially deactivating their cards?

 

With my previous cruises with DCL, it was a simple process during check in. It gives the option of granting them charging privileges or not.

 

Thanks for any replies and info. :)

Edited March 2, 2015 by dvcdisney

[TBone2K]

When I called RCCL to inquire, they told me that children (17 and under) normally do not have charging privileges unless the parents grant it to them. So, why would someone need to go to the GS to deactivate it?

 

In case you did permit spending and want to take it away, I suppose.

[cb at sea]

Do as they say...DEACTIVATE onboard, if you can't trust your child! IF you don't, they are on YOUR credit card no matter HOW you fill out the set sail pass!

I would simply tell them how much they are allowed to spend.....you can check your account on the TV daily!

Edited March 2, 2015 by cb at sea

[njm5378]

Do as they say...DEACTIVATE onboard, if you can't trust your child! IF you don't, they are on YOUR credit card no matter HOW you fill out the set sail pass!

I would simply tell them how much they are allowed to spend.....you can check your account on the TV daily!

 

I agree. Err on the side of caution. We always deactivate on board. We also get extra keys made for our kids for our cabin should they need us, in the middle of the night for example. I sleep well and can be hard to wake up.

[tserface]

We used to use cruises as a way of teaching out kids budgeting and we'd give them a limit (self imposed) each day that they could use for soda and virgin drinks, or whatever. That way they didn't have to hunt us down every time they wanted something and they learned a little about the value of budgeting.

 

We could always check the account to see how it was going, but they were trustworthy so long as we told them what the expectations were.

 

It was funny one day my 13 year old came running up and said, "I just tried sex on the beach and it was yummy..." We almost fell over, but then realized it was a virgin version of a drink we'd just never heard about before. We all had a good laugh.

 

Tom

[dvcdisney]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I still don't understand why I would still need to go to GS since I didn't link my children's SeaPass to any credit card or charging privileges through my account. When I filled out the check in, I only chose my husband and I to have access to charging.

[LetsGetWet!]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I still don't understand why I would still need to go to GS since I didn't link my children's SeaPass to any credit card or charging privileges through my account. When I filled out the check in, I only chose my husband and I to have access to charging.

I believe you're correct - you essentially already "deactivated" their cards in advance. I believe most of the recommendations from others are simply in the interest of doublechecking to make sure. *Shouldn't* be necessary, but...

[dvcdisney]

We used to use cruises as a way of teaching out kids budgeting and we'd give them a limit (self imposed) each day that they could use for soda and virgin drinks, or whatever. That way they didn't have to hunt us down every time they wanted something and they learned a little about the value of budgeting.

 

We could always check the account to see how it was going, but they were trustworthy so long as we told them what the expectations were.

 

It was funny one day my 13 year old came running up and said, "I just tried sex on the beach and it was yummy..." We almost fell over, but then realized it was a virgin version of a drink we'd just never heard about before. We all had a good laugh.

 

Tom

 

They don't really buy anything onboard especially since they know they would be paying for it. They do a good job of budgeting their own money at home.

 

If they want something, they would ask. And if we are fine with the purchase, we pay for it. They are both saving for something, so they don't want to waste their money on things they don't need.

 

Perhaps, I can just double check at the check in desk to make sure they cannot use their SeaPass card to charge anything. I'm just a little confused since I'm getting different info when I call them.

[dvcdisney]

I believe you're correct - you essentially already "deactivated" their cards in advance. I believe most of the recommendations from others are simply in the interest of doublechecking to make sure. *Shouldn't* be necessary, but...

 

Thanks, I think I'll just confirm at check in.

 

I guess it could also be written on the Teen Compass to remind parents that if they did add their kids to their account and they don't want them charging, that they should deactivate.

 

I figured they would have no charging since when I printed the SeaPass, there is one for myself and husband, and one for each of my children. Essentially, it says there are no charging and that they are responsible for their own SeaPass. That's what I was told when I called in.

 

But I guess, I just wanted to make sure on her to see if anyone who didn't give them charging privileges still had to deactivate onboard.

[tm3750]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I still don't understand why I would still need to go to GS since I didn't link my children's SeaPass to any credit card or charging privileges through my account. When I filled out the check in, I only chose my husband and I to have access to charging.

 

Just take a couple of minutes once on board to double check, otherwise you will pay the bill if it comes.

Edited March 2, 2015 by tm3750

[Ourusualbeach]

Also please be aware that despite having the cards deactivated they can still be used at the arcade.

 

 

[dvcdisney]

Also please be aware that despite having the cards deactivated they can still be used at the arcade.

 

 

 

Thanks for posting this. But how can they use it at the arcade, if they have no account attached to their SeaPass? :confused:

 

Sorry...but that just sounds ridiculous!

 

Unless, they mean that you can go to the arcade and add funds to the card for use in the arcade. I can understand that. And I wouldn't have any issues with that as long as they are adding the money onto the SeaPass and charging it on the account.

Edited March 2, 2015 by dvcdisney

[Ourusualbeach]

Thanks for posting this. But how can they use it at the arcade, if they have no account attached to their SeaPass? :confused:

 

Sorry...but that just sounds ridiculous!

 

Unless, they mean that you can go to the arcade and add funds to the card for use in the arcade. I can understand that. And I wouldn't have any issues with that as long as they are adding the money onto the SeaPass and charging it on the account.

 

I know it's crazy but it certainly does not surprise me.

 

Apparently the machines in the arcade that you use to load credits onto your Seapass card so that you can play the games does not recognize that the cards have no account or have been deactivated. All the Seapass cards do have an account, they have just been deactivated. Completing the set sail pass you, as the guardian, still sign that you are responsible for the minor children in your group.

[tserface]

Ah, that makes sense. Glad you got it all figured out.

 

I see that others have advised you that's it's just a precautionary move to go to GS, but if your kids aren't attempting to charge anything anyway then it would be kind of moot. Sounds like you trust them just fine so it's probably overkill to worry about it since they are not activated to an account.

 

Tom

 

They don't really buy anything onboard especially since they know they would be paying for it. They do a good job of budgeting their own money at home.

 

If they want something, they would ask. And if we are fine with the purchase, we pay for it. They are both saving for something, so they don't want to waste their money on things they don't need.

 

Perhaps, I can just double check at the check in desk to make sure they cannot use their SeaPass card to charge anything. I'm just a little confused since I'm getting different info when I call them.

[dvcdisney]

I know it's crazy but it certainly does not surprise me.

 

Apparently the machines in the arcade that you use to load credits onto your Seapass card so that you can play the games does not recognize that the cards have no account or have been deactivated. All the Seapass cards do have an account, they have just been deactivated. Completing the set sail pass you, as the guardian, still sign that you are responsible for the minor children in your group.

 

Okay. I'll let them know that if they want to use the arcade then I can go in and speak to someone there about it. Although, on every vacation we've been to, they've never step foot in the arcades.

 

My son once told me that he can play the games he wants in his laptop so why would he pay for them....he's quite frugal;).

[Ourusualbeach]

Okay. I'll let them know that if they want to use the arcade then I can go in and speak to someone there about it. Although, on every vacation we've been to, they've never step foot in the arcades.

 

My son once told me that he can play the games he wants in his laptop so why would he pay for them....he's quite frugal;).

 

They are certainly not missing much in the way of games in there anyway. We tend to play a few games of air hockey and that's about it.

[jenembeckey]

You shouldn't have to go to GS. You should be able to do so at check-in as you thought.

[Emmysmomma9]

for the kids, their cards are then activated. So I am going to Guest services to prevent a shopping frenzy :)

[JasonV1]

If you buy them a soda or RR package you will need them activated in certain cases, but you can put a limit of $1 a day which effectively prevents them from buying anything onboard given that nothing costs just $1.

 

The "certain cases" I refer to is if they get soda from a bar and a bartender decides to run their card/generate a receipt (which does happen from time to time). If the card is not activated the bartender will tell you there is a problem and you need to go to guest services (even if they have a soda package). This seems to be more of an issue with RR packages since the bartenders will run a receipt for NA frozen drinks every time (a big reason to get those packages), and usually not with soda.

 

I say this because my daughter had this issue, and guest services "fixed" it by activating the card without telling me. I had to go back and put the purchase limit on the card to keep her from using it for purchases. Only one of the people at guest services could even explain the issue and what was needed to fix it; I put a note in my survey that they needed to work it out.

Edited March 3, 2015 by JasonV1

[cdscooby1]

Definitely deactivate if you think they will overspend. A few years ago my 7 year old twins had what I thought was no charging privileges on their card. I to had said NO for them. Well after an afternoon with 2 older friends children watching them they had managed to charge $250.00 to their seapass in the arcade. They had fun but I learned a lesson.

[mil76]

Definitely deactivate if you think they will overspend. A few years ago my 7 year old twins had what I thought was no charging privileges on their card. I to had said NO for them. Well after an afternoon with 2 older friends children watching them they had managed to charge $250.00 to their seapass in the arcade. They had fun but I learned a lesson.

 

I'd be more concerned about the younger kids than the teens for exactly this reason. The teens know the value of money to a certain extent where the younger ones just think you put the card in and viola!-the game starts playing. My boys know they can't charge anything, especially the arcade, without getting clearance from us, and it has never been a problem.

 

As for video games, the teen club has gaming consoles anyway, so that tends to be more of a draw for them than the arcade anyway.

Edited March 3, 2015 by mil76
typo

[compuryan]

Thanks for posting this. But how can they use it at the arcade, if they have no account attached to their SeaPass? :confused:

 

Sorry...but that just sounds ridiculous!

 

Unless, they mean that you can go to the arcade and add funds to the card for use in the arcade. I can understand that. And I wouldn't have any issues with that as long as they are adding the money onto the SeaPass and charging it on the account.

 

There is no such thing as having no account attached to a SeaPass (deactivated, yes, but the credit card of the first person on the reservation is still attached). If anyone told you otherwise, they didn't know what they were talking about. This arcade issue was always a common complaint but unfortunately their antiquated technologies in the arcade don't allow it to be dealt with... and why upgrade something that generates extra daily cash flow out of a loophole?

Edited March 3, 2015 by compuryan
punctuation

[dvcdisney]

for the kids, their cards are then activated. So I am going to Guest services to prevent a shopping frenzy :)

 

If you buy them a soda or RR package you will need them activated in certain cases, but you can put a limit of $1 a day which effectively prevents them from buying anything onboard given that nothing costs just $1.

 

The "certain cases" I refer to is if they get soda from a bar and a bartender decides to run their card/generate a receipt (which does happen from time to time). If the card is not activated the bartender will tell you there is a problem and you need to go to guest services (even if they have a soda package). This seems to be more of an issue with RR packages since the bartenders will run a receipt for NA frozen drinks every time (a big reason to get those packages), and usually not with soda.

 

I say this because my daughter had this issue, and guest services "fixed" it by activating the card without telling me. I had to go back and put the purchase limit on the card to keep her from using it for purchases. Only one of the people at guest services could even explain the issue and what was needed to fix it; I put a note in my survey that they needed to work it out.

 

I was going to get my son the soda package, but he decided not to get it. He doesn't drink soda, but I thought he would like the flavoured water and the non-carbonated choices. But since he cannot get the ones he wants at the dining room or restaurants (only soda choices) and that he would need to bring the cup whenever he wanted a drink, he decided against it. He's doesn't like (or likely too lazy) to carry things around. He said he'll just drink water and milk as he's always done in our other cruises.

 

Also, thanks for the tip about putting a $1 limit, I didn't realize that was an option. If there's an issue about deactivating their cards, I will surely do that instead. :)

Edited March 3, 2015 by dvcdisney

[dvcdisney]

There is no such thing as having no account attached to a SeaPass (deactivated, yes, but the credit card of the first person on the reservation is still attached). If anyone told you otherwise, they didn't know what they were talking about. This arcade issue was always a common complaint but unfortunately their antiquated technologies in the arcade don't allow it to be dealt with... and why upgrade something that generates extra daily cash flow out of a loophole?

 

When I called to inquire because I don't give my children charging privileges anywhere, the representative explained that when I did the online check in and only checked off my husband and myself for the charging and taking responsibility for the charges, my children is not included. She explained that our SeaPass, it says only our names and the section to sign. There is a separate SeaPass for each of my children which has no mention of credit card or signature line. Essentially, she said there would be no credit card attached to their SeaPass since we chose the "NONE" option. It made sense. She even mentioned that minors don't have charging privileges unless the parents specifically adds them to their list. I wanted to make sure so she said that by putting them in their own SeaPass, I have not given them access to my onboard account.

 

This is what was explained to me and I felt it made sense. But I will confirm it at check in and make sure that it's deactivated and that they are not connected to my onboard account. I'm really surprised that even after specifying that you are not allowing your children to charge on the account, there are ways to get around that...what's the point in deactivating if GS can do it without notifying the parents?

Edited March 3, 2015 by dvcdisney

[dvcdisney]

Definitely deactivate if you think they will overspend. A few years ago my 7 year old twins had what I thought was no charging privileges on their card. I to had said NO for them. Well after an afternoon with 2 older friends children watching them they had managed to charge $250.00 to their seapass in the arcade. They had fun but I learned a lesson.

 

I'd be more concerned about the younger kids than the teens for exactly this reason. The teens know the value of money to a certain extent where the younger ones just think you put the card in and viola!-the game starts playing. My boys know they can't charge anything, especially the arcade, without getting clearance from us, and it has never been a problem.

 

As for video games, the teen club has gaming consoles anyway, so that tends to be more of a draw for them than the arcade anyway.

 

I find this whole arcade thing ridiculous. I can't believe there hasn't been some changes implemented for the arcade. For example, requiring a parent's permission to activate an Arcade account. I'm sure they would lose revenue, but is it better for the parents to find a huge charge on the account?

 

I had the discussion with my son already. He said he wouldn't go into an arcade anyways, but I reminded him that perhaps his friends may want to and he is not allowed to use his SeaPass and if he does, he will pay for it.

 

My daughter will not be alone outside of the Adventure Ocean. This will be our first RCCL so I'm not sure if the Adventure Ocean program involves going to the arcade. So I will go over the rules with her as well.