How much do your kids spend on board?

[sassykitten74]

Zero, there's always "free" food and entertainment available

!

[hrwi]

Possibly a cultural difference between the US and Holland. I've never even heard of parents telling their kids that they aren't allowed to work (at all) because grades are more important.

 

I don't want to sound like "when I was a kid.. " but.. When I was 15 I worked a few weeks in a factory during holidays laying boxes on pallets. I learned a lot that school wouldn't and couldn't teach me. Bosses, times, even that I shouldn't be wandering around during breaks because the way they put bubbles in their chocolate bars was a company secret. A side job at 17 lead to another which was nicer, to yet another which was really good, much easier than sending out a letter.

 

Now I'm an employer myself, and look at resumes. For juniors, any work that shows that they've seen more than school gets them extra points. Trying to set up a webshop, being a youth camp leader, cleaning hotel rooms, whatever. Grades are usually not even listed on resumes and I won't ask for them as from experience I don't think they have any predictive value for how an employee will perform in my company.

 

So, IMHO, a parent shouldn't stop a child who wants to work besides studying from doing so.

 

I agree, I'm super proud of my 14 year old, who shovels and mows lawns for his own money, and it adds up! I'm not sending him out to work, he enjoys the independence it gives him.

[Athankfulheart]

The only discretionary funds my kids have on a ship are those that they earned, saved and brought themselves (we don't give allowances either). I dont provide room service tips, but if they want to enjoy room service they must tip from their own funds. On one sailing, I did allow each one to choose a souvenir which I paid for. The reality is that they are already on a lavish all inclusive vacation, which I want them to appreciate without needing "more". They all bring spending money, but most spend very little, usually on small gifts for friends, a pair of sandals or other sensible things. I dont decide what they spend their money on, but they spend pretty carefully on their own. They also have to keep track of their own receipts and acct. Id guess that we are in the minority, but just wanted to share this side =)

 

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[Warm Breezes]

Good for you! Personally I see no reason to give kids spending money on a cruise. Do kids really need to spend extra to have fun? Not saying I wouldn't buy something for them if they wanted it, but just giving money to blow is not teaching a good lesson, IMHO. If they want to take some of their own money, then that is fine with me - I think they are more careful with their money than mine. Just my opinion.

 

I used a different approach with my kids. I gave them access to my money but taught them the value of that money and how to spend and budget wisely. They both had access to a credit card in their name under my account from the time they were old enough to drive. They both went out and got jobs as soon as they could drive, their choice as I didn't push them due to their sports and school. But they wanted to have their own spending money. They used the credit card wisely and mostly for needs that I would pay for anyway. Anything else they usually told me about before they purchased it and paid me back.

 

I never gave them a credit limit on a ship and they never went on a spending spree with my money. Many times they didn't spend a dime. Again their choice. I taught them to be just as careful with other peoples money as they were with their own. As an accountant, I guess that is just engrained in me. IMHO that is a good lesson worth teaching.;)

[meatloafsfan]

I'm planning to bring my just turned 18 year old godson on our cruise in January. It's a gift trip for him and I don't want it to really cost him anything out of pocket. I'm thinking $200 for the 2 weeks should be enough for him to have a bit of freedom to buy a non-alcoholic drink, play a bit in the arcade, buy a souvenir or two for himself.

 

I've told him he needs to pay for his own passport to prove to me that he wants to go on the trip and if he wants to buy stuff for people back home (his mom, nana, sisters, friends) he needs to bring his own money for that.

 

He has a job but since this trip is a gift I don't feel like it should really cost him much.

[FLSteve11]

Good for you! Personally I see no reason to give kids spending money on a cruise. Do kids really need to spend extra to have fun? Not saying I wouldn't buy something for them if they wanted it, but just giving money to blow is not teaching a good lesson, IMHO. If they want to take some of their own money, then that is fine with me - I think they are more careful with their money than mine. Just my opinion.

 

Does anyone need to spend extra to have fun? Or just kids? :)

 

I think it depends what lesson you're trying to teach, and how old the kids are. Agreed, kids shouldn't feel they can just spend at random with no limits on anything they feel like. Money management is a lesson that they should pick up at some time though, finding the value of the money and what they get with it. And what they have to give up to get one thing versus another.

[FLSteve11]

Possibly a cultural difference between the US and Holland. I've never even heard of parents telling their kids that they aren't allowed to work (at all) because grades are more important.

 

I don't want to sound like "when I was a kid.. " but.. When I was 15 I worked a few weeks in a factory during holidays laying boxes on pallets. I learned a lot that school wouldn't and couldn't teach me. Bosses, times, even that I shouldn't be wandering around during breaks because the way they put bubbles in their chocolate bars was a company secret. A side job at 17 lead to another which was nicer, to yet another which was really good, much easier than sending out a letter.

 

Now I'm an employer myself, and look at resumes. For juniors, any work that shows that they've seen more than school gets them extra points. Trying to set up a webshop, being a youth camp leader, cleaning hotel rooms, whatever. Grades are usually not even listed on resumes and I won't ask for them as from experience I don't think they have any predictive value for how an employee will perform in my company.

 

So, IMHO, a parent shouldn't stop a child who wants to work besides studying from doing so.

 

No, it's not cultural difference. It's that persons choice on things. Most parents here have no problem (and many want) their teens to have a job. It gives them spending money, makes them handle money management, gives them independence and responsibility. Many teens have jobs here, things like retail, restaurant servers, etc. Yes, we want them to have good grades and strive for that, but it's not a mutually exclusive thing. I think grades in the US are much bigger in getting high schoolers into top colleges here, so you see it emphasized a lot more for college applications then for resumes. At that point, unless you have an honors degree, it often doesn't show up now.

[FLSteve11]

I used a different approach with my kids. I gave them access to my money but taught them the value of that money and how to spend and budget wisely. They both had access to a credit card in their name under my account from the time they were old enough to drive. They both went out and got jobs as soon as they could drive, their choice as I didn't push them due to their sports and school. But they wanted to have their own spending money. They used the credit card wisely and mostly for needs that I would pay for anyway. Anything else they usually told me about before they purchased it and paid me back.

 

I never gave them a credit limit on a ship and they never went on a spending spree with my money. Many times they didn't spend a dime. Again their choice. I taught them to be just as careful with other peoples money as they were with their own. As an accountant, I guess that is just engrained in me. IMHO that is a good lesson worth teaching.;)

 

That's pretty much the approach we use as well, though she's not old enough to really work much (just turned 13) so that's down the road a bit more. (Though she's starting babysitting classes and the like). We don't have a strict budget, but we tell her what she can get. If she wants to get a frufru drink that's not a problem, she can get a bit of candy in Cherry on Top, if she wants a small souvenier that's ok. Anything more she has to ask us first. We have shot down some of her requests and allowed others, depended on what they were. We nixed the arcade, but she wasn't really into that anyway as she has her phone with her, and we have plenty of games at home. There are more then enough things on board ships for her to do. Never had a problem with it. Granted some kids that won't work with, so I can understand doing it differently if that's the case.

[Aggiebuttercup]

Our kids are 8, 10, and 11.

 

Our philosophy on vacations (any vacations) is that we'll buy each kid a souvenir worth up to $25 and a t-shirt that reflects where we've been. We also provide "parent matching funds" - we match dollar-for-dollar anything they save in the 6 months before the vacation, up to $100 per kid. One child always saves more than the match, one child gets close, one child has a hard time saving much.

 

It's up to them how much of "their" money (savings + match) that they want to allocate for the vacation. Before we leave, we write down how much money each kid wants to spend on the cruise. They hand me the money for safekeeping. On cruises, their cards are connected to my credit card. Every night, we review their purchases and mark them in the notebook so they know how much money they have left. In port, if they want to buy something I hand them their cash, and we mark their purchases in the notebook.

 

For these ages, they really like to see the list of what they bought to determine if they want to buy X or Y the next day. We don't argue with them about anything they want to buy except to point out when we think the price is unreasonable (although our oldest is a world-class haggler).

 

They are learning about the value of saving and matching funds, budgeting, and value. We started them on this plan when each turned 5, and they love it. There was nothing quite so amazing as seeing a 5-year-old at Disney World trying to justify to himself buying that stuffed animal when he'd already bought a stuffie the day before and was running out of money. He gave it a long hug, put it back on the shelf, and walked away without an argument. His sister picked it up, walked to the counter, and bought it with her money "because I saved more than him, and I'm not going to spend all of mine, and this will make him happy." I was so proud of both of them.

 

ETA: On last summer's cruise, one kid spent 20, one spent about $50 on board and about $40 in port, and one spent $120 total.

[Luv2Cruze4]

We made the "mistake" of not putting a restriction or limit on the kids S&S card. My then 8 year old headed to the arcade for a few minutes while we were trying to pack up (i/s cabin was getting a little cramped with suitcases out). Her brother was not paying much attention to what she was doing while they were both in the arcade. About 45 min later she come back with these earrings (picture cheap dangly junk jewelry) that she said he won. Hmmmm..... Fast forward to later that night when we went to get a print out of the cabin charges at guest services; 2 pages of drinks and miscellaneous purchases - 5 PAGES OF ARCADE CHARGES!! That must be some record in 45 min.

Anyway, we are currently talking about what restrictions will go on - the now 11yr old's - S&S card. I do still have the earrings. :)

Jen

[Domino D]

My extended family will be cruising on the Magic over spring break. This will be the first cruise for several in our group including my nephew (15)' date=' niece (12) and grandson (6). It has been awhile since my daughter was in that age range and I honestly can't remember what we set for her spending limit. I was thinking about getting $100 gift cards for the older two as either Christmas or birthday gifts prior to the cruise to pad their onboard account. Does this seem realistic? I know they could purchase bottomless bubbles and something(s) from the gift shop....[/quote']

 

I am sure they will appreciate whatever you do for them. To offer simply a different opinion. I always gave my son a prepaid Visa Gift Card. He spent more in port than on the ship. He could also use it to apply some to his on board account. Enjoy the cruise.

[topofE]

I gave my kid $54 last time. Her age (9)* the number of days on the cruise (6). She spent most of it in the arcade. Granted she doesn't NEED money to have fun on a cruise, but this saves me about 2 headache inducing conversations about souvenirs that she NEEDS to have that I think are junk. She can buy them if she wants to. She has $56. This year she'll get $60.

[frayedend]

When I was 13 I worked cooking burgers all summer at the beach. Then I worked in a mail room after school in high school. I also unloaded tractor-trailers of watermelons at the produce center from 3 AM to 8 AM in summers during high school. I worked full time me entire time in college.

 

My son, 16 has worked as a teacher's assistant at a daycare center for the last year and his brother will likely do the same when he turns 15.

 

I'm still perplexed though how this will affect how much they spend on our cruise next week. :D

[mek]

Does anyone need to spend extra to have fun? Or just kids? :)

 

I think it depends what lesson you're trying to teach, and how old the kids are. Agreed, kids shouldn't feel they can just spend at random with no limits on anything they feel like. Money management is a lesson that they should pick up at some time though, finding the value of the money and what they get with it. And what they have to give up to get one thing versus another.

 

I think teaching kids to budget money is great, but for me that means that you don't give them enough to buy anything they want. I think giving them just enough money to decide one day they might want a shake or candy probably teaches them that, but to give them enough to buy a shake,(just using that as an example), every day does not.

 

My problem with giving kids an excessive amount of money to spend is that they are being conditioned to think things come easy. What happens if when they grow up money isn't as easy to come by as their parents have trained them to think it is? I see it in my extended family - the kids are shocked to find out money doesn't grow on trees.

[Doggielover68]

Exactly, what better way to keep your kids dependent on you. Besides as long as you have a basement im sure he'll always have a place to live.

 

 

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I have to chime in. Nothing taught me how to be responsible more than having to support myself through college. Balancing a part time job and classes was really not that big of a deal. The people who weren't working spent their free time going to parties anyway. That being said, those budgeting habits continued into my adult life. I feel like if I were to be handed a bunch of money to spend on whatever I wanted as a teenager, I wouldn't have learned anything.

 

 

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[Warm Breezes]

I think teaching kids to budget money is great, but for me that means that you don't give them enough to buy anything they want. I think giving them just enough money to decide one day they might want a shake or candy probably teaches them that, but to give them enough to buy a shake,(just using that as an example), every day does not.

 

 

 

My problem with giving kids an excessive amount of money to spend is that they are being conditioned to think things come easy. What happens if when they grow up money isn't as easy to come by as their parents have trained them to think it is? I see it in my extended family - the kids are shocked to find out money doesn't grow on trees.

 

 

 

IMHO what you describe teaches them to live pay check to pay check. By giving my children access to my funds I taught them to be good stewards not only of their funds, which they did earn and save, but of my funds as well. If they abused my trust in them there may have been a change of how things were done...but they never did. They learned to only spend on things they really wanted or needed and to look for the best deal on the things they bought. They learned to be disciplined in their choices and learned to save.

 

This worked with my kids. My son graduated from college debt free with $10k in the bank last year. He is know living on his own 16 hours away and putting money away in his savings weekly. He has already made up the funds he pulled out to furnish his apartment and is putting away more on top of it. DD will also graduate debt free even with having to pay for her 5th year required for her degree and living in an apartment for her last 3 years. She has already budgeted out what she has to pay vs what she has saved and what she will be earning the next 3 years to make sure before she moved out. This is what we taught them to do by teaching them to be mindful of the choices they made with all the money they had access to.

 

 

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[globe9]

I never had a budget on a cruise. My siblings and I would usually buy one or two specialty drinks a day each (usually at the nightly show after dinner) and any dessert we wanted was free back then, as were sodas. My parents bought us souvenirs that we wanted like tshirts, jewelry, watches, electronics, etc. We didn't really have a budget. We'd ask and they either said yes or no. My sister and I would get precious gemstones, watches, etc while my brothers were happy with tshirts from each port.

 

It's a family vacation and my parents expected to spend money on us. They took care of all expenses. They didn't expect their 10yr old to tip for room service with their own money. My parents provided that as part of the vacation.

 

We didn't get jobs until we graduated college as it wasn't necessary. College (room, board + allowance) was paid for by my parents b/c they could afford it. We're all successful college educated professionals now with wonderful memories of all the family vacations.

 

I get trying to teach children the value of a dollar but implementing a banking system for their allowance seems excessive. :o

[amydresh]

We had $120 for each kid ($100 from us and $20 from family friends), three kids aged 16, 13, and turned 11 on the cruise. The younger 2 (boys) spent $20 in the arcade and some money in the candy store. That was it on the ship and they bought a couple souvenirs in the ports, they actually came home with $80 and $70 and we put it back in their savings accounts. I tried to get them spend money, that was the reason we gave them money to begin with, but they didn't see anything they really wanted to spend their money on. My 16 year old daughter did spend all $120 between the ports and the ship, the majority was spent at ports though. I was glad that my daughter was able to splurge during this vacation. She has been working since 15.5 to pay for a missions trip with our church to LA, a school choir trip to Hawaii, and a missions trip with church to Mexico. She also used her own money for spending money on these trips because we couldn't afford to give her any money. She definitely knows the value of money and how to save.

Edited August 10, 2017 by amydresh

[mek]

IMHO what you describe teaches them to live pay check to pay check. By giving my children access to my funds I taught them to be good stewards not only of their funds, which they did earn and save, but of my funds as well. If they abused my trust in them there may have been a change of how things were done...but they never did. They learned to only spend on things they really wanted or needed and to look for the best deal on the things they bought. They learned to be disciplined in their choices and learned to save.

 

This worked with my kids. My son graduated from college debt free with $10k in the bank last year. He is know living on his own 16 hours away and putting money away in his savings weekly. He has already made up the funds he pulled out to furnish his apartment and is putting away more on top of it. DD will also graduate debt free even with having to pay for her 5th year required for her degree and living in an apartment for her last 3 years. She has already budgeted out what she has to pay vs what she has saved and what she will be earning the next 3 years to make sure before she moved out. This is what we taught them to do by teaching them to be mindful of the choices they made with all the money they had access to.

 

 

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No, I'm not teaching to live from paycheck to paycheck, but if that's how you see it, that's fine with me.

 

Glad your kids are fiscally responsible, so many aren't.

[mek]

I never had a budget on a cruise. My siblings and I would usually buy one or two specialty drinks a day each (usually at the nightly show after dinner) and any dessert we wanted was free back then, as were sodas. My parents bought us souvenirs that we wanted like tshirts, jewelry, watches, electronics, etc. We didn't really have a budget. We'd ask and they either said yes or no. My sister and I would get precious gemstones, watches, etc while my brothers were happy with tshirts from each port.

 

It's a family vacation and my parents expected to spend money on us. They took care of all expenses. They didn't expect their 10yr old to tip for room service with their own money. My parents provided that as part of the vacation.

 

We didn't get jobs until we graduated college as it wasn't necessary. College (room, board + allowance) was paid for by my parents b/c they could afford it. We're all successful college educated professionals now with wonderful memories of all the family vacations.

 

I get trying to teach children the value of a dollar but implementing a banking system for their allowance seems excessive. :o

 

Wouldn't you still have wonderful memories of your family vacations if your parents had only taken you on cruises without all of the extras?

[FLSteve11]

I think teaching kids to budget money is great, but for me that means that you don't give them enough to buy anything they want. I think giving them just enough money to decide one day they might want a shake or candy probably teaches them that, but to give them enough to buy a shake,(just using that as an example), every day does not.

 

My problem with giving kids an excessive amount of money to spend is that they are being conditioned to think things come easy. What happens if when they grow up money isn't as easy to come by as their parents have trained them to think it is? I see it in my extended family - the kids are shocked to find out money doesn't grow on trees.

 

I think allowing them to get a few things they enjoy on a cruise lets them enjoy the cruise in the way they want it is fine. She would surely love to also pick up a bunch of souvenirs, raid the candy store until she's sick, and hit the arcade if she could spend anything she wants. We limit it to being able to getting a few drinks, a bit of treats in the store and one or two smaller souvenirs. We don't pick up things in every port, so she can get a t-shirt at one port, she'll have to decide which one that will be. I guess it just depends on what you think is too easy, which we might find differently. For me a drink or two a day is part of the cruising experience of vacation for someone, so I am fine with that. Raiding the souvenir store for a bunch of things isn't (though for some that might be). So long as their is an appreciable limit it's working the same way.

[Drazil65]

My problem with giving kids an excessive amount of money to spend is that they are being conditioned to think things come easy. What happens if when they grow up money isn't as easy to come by as their parents have trained them to think it is? I see it in my extended family - the kids are shocked to find out money doesn't grow on trees.

 

This seems to be the way this current generation have been raised in many instances we see. We only have one child, cruise often as well as other vacations, long weekends away etc throughout the year, we have the money and could give our son (14.5) pretty much whatever (within reason of course) he asks for, WE DO NOT ON PURPOSE.

 

 

There is nothing wrong with teaching a kid(s) to budget no matter what the financial situation of their home environment is. He has a checking acct (student) and a savings acct, has stock and saves 50% of anything given to him for birthdays and Christmas etc., his rules not ours. He is saving for a car in a couple years and knows that we will match the amount he saves for the car and at 14 already has a 3 thousand in his car account towards it. Nothing wrong with him saving for a few years for his first car and we appreciate the effort and the tenacity he is showing in his saving habits.

 

 

Part of the issues that the current generation is facing, is this idea of instant gratification and not working/saving for what you want. DH and I see it in our extended families a lot and these are the kids that in their 20's and 30's (college educated and good jobs) are still asking mom and dad for money or help with a downpayment on a house etc. If mom and dad were no longer there where would they go???? Hard lesson to learn at that age when you have been given everything along the way....IDK

[Bosrox]

Although School should always be a main focus, learning how to work, and manage money is also part of being an adult. Many kids today, are clueless of being able to manage a schedule. But on the other hand, prohibiting an adult/child from working is also part of control of his/her life.

 

 

 

Of course he would burn through the money, it's not his. Better to let them use their money, which always seems to be a better learning tool, because they hate spending it.

 

Exactly this.

[Strophic]

Part of the issues that the current generation is facing, is this idea of instant gratification and not working/saving for what you want. DH and I see it in our extended families a lot and these are the kids that in their 20's and 30's (college educated and good jobs) are still asking mom and dad for money or help with a downpayment on a house etc. If mom and dad were no longer there where would they go???? Hard lesson to learn at that age when you have been given everything along the way....IDK

 

 

Swing and a miss. If anything, the current generation has had to work a lot harder to get the things that age 50+ people took for granted. You can't pay for college with a summer job like you used to. Everything is more expensive, and good jobs are increasingly demanding of more skills and experience. There are unpaid internships that require 2 years experience from applicants. I saw a job listing that required 7+ years of experience with a programming language that has only existed for 5 years. The days of walking into a business in a nice suit with your resume and getting a job are gone. The days of moving out as soon as you turn 18 are gone, because it's just not possible under most circumstances to afford it.

 

 

If there's one thing I can't stand it's older people calling millennials spoiled/entitled who have absolutely no idea what it's like to get a job and an education for a young person these days.

[Bosrox]

My problem with giving kids an excessive amount of money to spend is that they are being conditioned to think things come easy. What happens if when they grow up money isn't as easy to come by as their parents have trained them to think it is? I see it in my extended family - the kids are shocked to find out money doesn't grow on trees.

 

This seems to be the way this current generation have been raised in many instances we see. We only have one child, cruise often as well as other vacations, long weekends away etc throughout the year, we have the money and could give our son (14.5) pretty much whatever (within reason of course) he asks for, WE DO NOT ON PURPOSE.

 

 

There is nothing wrong with teaching a kid(s) to budget no matter what the financial situation of their home environment is. He has a checking acct (student) and a savings acct, has stock and saves 50% of anything given to him for birthdays and Christmas etc., his rules not ours. He is saving for a car in a couple years and knows that we will match the amount he saves for the car and at 14 already has a 3 thousand in his car account towards it. Nothing wrong with him saving for a few years for his first car and we appreciate the effort and the tenacity he is showing in his saving habits.

 

 

Part of the issues that the current generation is facing, is this idea of instant gratification and not working/saving for what you want. DH and I see it in our extended families a lot and these are the kids that in their 20's and 30's (college educated and good jobs) are still asking mom and dad for money or help with a downpayment on a house etc. If mom and dad were no longer there where would they go???? Hard lesson to learn at that age when you have been given everything along the way....IDK

 

 

Yes yes yes! My kid (now 18) has worked since the day he was legally able to (14). As for every other vacation, this cruise will be the same. We pay for the actual holiday, he's responsible for his own spending money. He's bought himself BBubbles and plans to buy himself a wifi package. Aside from that, not sure what else he will spend his money on. His money, his choice. But we've taught him financial responsibility since he was a young child, I doubt he spends any frivolously.