Cruising with teens on a separate deck?

[Oakman58]

Things happen on cruise ships just like they do in a city. While I might trust my kid's behavior, it's the other passengers and crew I would worry about. Bad things can happen anywhere.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article194257089.html

[Vyhanek]

With the unlimited beverage packages, NCL has a lot more drunks than I've ever seen before.

But I don't know if that's even the issue. There are way more drunks but I didn't feel any less safe.......just maybe more like I was on a Carnival ship instead of my platinum NCL. I'm sure this Mom isn't going to let it be a free for all with her young teens, clearly she's parenting different than...."We'll see you at the end of the week kids!".

 

We had to split up from our teens only once and I thought it would go a lot better than it did. My kids had been on probably 5 or 6 cruises by then, we couldn't get our cabins together and so they were down the hall probably 5 doors. They were a little freaked out about being away from us. Being not at home, and getting ready did cause issues. I remember them coming to our room often needing help and attention and direction. It was OK because they were a few door down, it wouldn't have been oK several decks away.

 

I don't know about the reading comprehension skills of some of these other posters, when you said there will be no behavior issues, I take that to mean, you can trust there won't be wild, loud kids running up and down the hall or creating a problem. When you say you won't have behavior issues.....what else could a less skilled reader take from that?! It won't be behavior issues, the issue will be that your kids aren't as comfortable as you think they will be and that will make you uncomfortable!

 

Your kids will have more questions than you think. Texting on the ship doesn't work like you expect it to, you aren't just a text away. And my teens knew what to expect. My teens were a bit freaked out by a knock at the door, they never really could find things, being away from home, they were just needier than I anticipated.

 

I would find another cruise.

[SOPHIHEYY]

While I’m currently in my mid twenties, when I was a teenager I sailed with my cousin in a cabin that was decks away from my aunt and uncle/his mom and dad. We were around 13-14 and didn’t have any problems, we had both sailed plenty of times before, and still do. We spent some time in the kids club and with his parents and on our own all over the ship, and there were no problems except one night the ship was so rocky the elevators were closed so my aunt got a bit panicky because we weren’t in the room when she tried calling, but we got in touch within the hour and all was fine. Now a days being able to text each other on the ship you can be in instant communication anywhere, I see no issue with them sleeping on the other side of the ship. But then again, speaking not a parent, but someone who was in your kids shoes 12 years ago or so.

 

 

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[rocklinmom]

It’s of course up to you, but I can’t imagine my teens being on a separate deck. I would rather have all of us together in one cabin than totally separated. It’s a family vacation, closeness is the best part.

 

 

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[Lakesregion]

Originally posted on the First Timer board, but folks there thought you all might have better insights...

 

My family (2 adults, 2 14yo kids) is scheduled to go on our first cruise this summer, taking NCL Bliss to Alaska. We're really excited to take the Bliss (kids really want to go-kart on top of a ship). At the time we booked, I was not able to choose cabins because it was already close to sold out. We've been assigned cabins on deck 5 and deck 11. The idea is to have the kids in one cabin and the adults in the other (although we had to book an adult in each cabin).

 

Having never been on a cruise before, having the kids so far away seems like it might be an issue, but I'm not really sure. My kids are very well behaved in public and pretty well behaved in private so I'm not worried about their ability to act appropriately on their own.

 

Questions

1. Is this a big deal? Or will we be fine to be on different decks?

2. If this is a big deal, any tips to getting cabins moved? I've tried calling and they said to check again at 120 days out which is when some passenger payments are due, and then again at 90 when the remainder of payments are due.

3. If I can't get cabins moved, should I try for a different sailing? I've only paid the deposit so far - should I see if any other sailing is a possibility? The prices have gone up since I initially booked. I assume I'd be on the hook for the difference?

4. One of the cabins that is booked is a larger family cabin. While we wanted the kids in a different cabin, could we just cancel the extra cabin and have the 4 of us in the larger cabin?

 

Of course, we could just stay as booked (1 kid + 1 adult per room) but that's really my last resort.

 

Thanks!

 

QUOTE

 

You may know your two 14 year old children. The real question is how well do you know the other

2-3,000 passengers. Two 14 year olds in a strange city with parents several blocks away is not good parenting in my opinion. Would you let them roam the streets of New York City alone at 14? If not then why on a ship.

[BirdTravels]

You'll be fine. We would have absolutely no problems being separated. Would it be better to be close together, most definitely. Should you keep trying to get closer together, absolutely. Should you cancel your cruise over it, never.

[CruiseGal999]

While I’m currently in my mid twenties, when I was a teenager I sailed with my cousin in a cabin that was decks away from my aunt and uncle/his mom and dad. We were around 13-14 and didn’t have any problems, we had both sailed plenty of times before, and still do. We spent some time in the kids club and with his parents and on our own all over the ship, and there were no problems except one night the ship was so rocky the elevators were closed so my aunt got a bit panicky because we weren’t in the room when she tried calling, but we got in touch within the hour and all was fine. Now a days being able to text each other on the ship you can be in instant communication anywhere, I see no issue with them sleeping on the other side of the ship. But then again, speaking not a parent, but someone who was in your kids shoes 12 years ago or so.

 

 

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Your comments are completely out of line telling the OP the kids will be fine. The OP and the kids have NEVER cruised before. So your experience, while it turned out ok for you, also may have been because you and your cousin had "sailed many times before".

[volk904]

Just a thought but you have said one cabin in a larger family cabin and the other is not.

 

It is possible that the different types of cabins made it difficult to book them c,one together. You might check and see if you traded the larger family cabin for a second smaller cabin if you could get them closer together.

 

That said I would suggest you find out the final payment date and check the availability to move then. Usually there is cancellations and travel agency release some cabins.

 

There is also a great web site that shows open cabins but Be able to list it here.

 

Maybe you could post your sailing date and type of cabin.

 

 

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[SOPHIHEYY]

Your comments are completely out of line telling the OP the kids will be fine. The OP and the kids have NEVER cruised before. So your experience, while it turned out ok for you, also may have been because you and your cousin had "sailed many times before".

 

 

 

Out of line? Excuse you. Just offering a different perspective to OP. Absolutely no need to become rude regarding something that does not concern yourself.

 

People like you are a fabulous reminder why I hate this website, thanks!

 

 

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[MissJessicaB]

Your comments are completely out of line telling the OP the kids will be fine. The OP and the kids have NEVER cruised before. So your experience, while it turned out ok for you, also may have been because you and your cousin had "sailed many times before".

This seems a little melodramatic for something that was a pretty simple difference of opinion lol.

 

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[natefish95]

Your comments are completely out of line telling the OP the kids will be fine. The OP and the kids have NEVER cruised before. So your experience, while it turned out ok for you, also may have been because you and your cousin had "sailed many times before".

Woah there, no need to get all angry and raise your BP. Even on my first cruises as a teen, I had no issues. Being their first cruise is all the more reason for OP and their kids to have a discussion beforehand and set meeting places, check-in times, etc.

[CruiseGal999]

Out of line? Excuse you. Just offering a different perspective to OP. Absolutely no need to become rude regarding something that does not concern yourself.

 

People like you are a fabulous reminder why I hate this website, thanks!

 

 

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The inexperienced OP and family do NOT need bad advice that could potentially put them in danger. When I was 14, I was an honor roll student and really responsible. I had to take care of the house, do all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. AND I STILL did some REALLY stupid things. Just not a good idea for 2 14 yr. olds to be 5+ decks away from parents.

[lisakoivu]

On our first cruise with our kids (not our first cruise, but their first cruise), who were 16 and 12, the TA (who we no longer use) "thought" she put us in side by side cabins. They were numerically sequential but it turned out the cabins were around the corner from each other. Think of it this way - we shared the headboard of the bed wall, but you had to walk outside the cabin, through the area of the stairwell elevators and into the next hallway to get in the door. This was the Jewel, I think....back in about 2008.

 

My kids were super responsible, honour students, blah blah. There was nothing wrong with their behaviour, and there were no "drunks" but they were pretty freaked out the whole week. The experiences were all new. They didn't know how to navigate anything, so they needed all kinds of advice - can we eat, where should we eat, how should we get there etc. It was okay, because we were just around the corner but it would not have worked six decks apart and I would never do that again with kids that age.

 

That being said, I don't think you should cancel your cruise because I think things will come up at 120 and 90 days. I suspect you'll end up moving both cabins, but it should work out.

 

The other alt is to go into the one cabin and splash out on vibe or spa passes for you and your hubby where you can get some adult time while the kids are in kids club? More exciting excursions? Savings should be there....

[megansdad1]

Here is my POV. Regardless if they will be fine, obviously there is something in the back of your mind causing you to pause on doing this. I wouldn't want that lingering fear on my mind while trying to enjoy my vacation. I would check at the 120 day mark. If you can't find rooms near it other, I would book a different week.

 

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[Oakman58]

This happened to my sister and her husband who were in a suite on our recent Panama Canal cruise. One evening while they were sitting on their deck the doorbell rang followed by pounding on the door and then some cursing. When they opened the door there was a woman who was quite drunk who thought she was pounding on her own cabin door trying to wake her husband. Her cabin was one deck below. She was quite embarrassed and apologized profusely but can you imagine two 14 year olds experiencing this? I’d bet they would be terrified.

If you clicked on the link in my previous post you saw the story of the 12 year old that was sexually assaulted. Here’s a link to a story about a 15 year old boy that was raped on a cruise ship. http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2017/09/articles/crime/passenger-charged-with-raping-boy-on-ncl-cruise-ship/ Both of these incidents occurred last year aboard an NCL ship. While these assaults are rare, they do happen.

The simple solution to the original posters question is to have one adult in each cabin as required by NCL. Parents should be responsible enough to keep their children as safe as possible. Bad things can happen anywhere.

[mjkacmom]

You may know your two 14 year old children. The real question is how well do you know the other

2-3,000 passengers. Two 14 year olds in a strange city with parents several blocks away is not good parenting in my opinion. Would you let them roam the streets to of New York City alone at 14? If not then why on a ship.

Ironically, I replied that I wouldn’t have my teens decks away, but I have allowed my 14 and 16 year olds to walk the streets of Manhattan with their friends, all of my kids have taken public transportation to and from the city (bud and train) without adult supervision.

[LrgPizza]

If they were older teens who were experienced cruisers, I’d have no problem with it. But 14 year olds on their first cruise? No. There are reasons why NCL has rules against it.

 

 

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[Barb Nahoumi]

On our first cruise with our kids (not our first cruise, but their first cruise), who were 16 and 12, the TA (who we no longer use) "thought" she put us in side by side cabins. They were numerically sequential but it turned out the cabins were around the corner from each other. Think of it this way - we shared the headboard of the bed wall, but you had to walk outside the cabin, through the area of the stairwell elevators and into the next hallway to get in the door. This was the Jewel, I think....back in about 2008.

 

My kids were super responsible, honour students, blah blah. There was nothing wrong with their behaviour, and there were no "drunks" but they were pretty freaked out the whole week. The experiences were all new. They didn't know how to navigate anything, so they needed all kinds of advice - can we eat, where should we eat, how should we get there etc. It was okay, because we were just around the corner but it would not have worked six decks apart and I would never do that again with kids that age.

 

That being said, I don't think you should cancel your cruise because I think things will come up at 120 and 90 days. I suspect you'll end up moving both cabins, but it should work out.

 

The other alt is to go into the one cabin and splash out on vibe or spa passes for you and your hubby where you can get some adult time while the kids are in kids club? More exciting excursions? Savings should be there....

 

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[maggie cruises]

As long as they’re well behaved and won’t cause damage to the room or make a ton of noise, I don’t see a problem with going down to their room at bed time and saying goodnight and telling them not to leave the room. Obviously allow them access to the TV (maybe put on child protection if you don’t fully trust them) and to room service, but I don’t see what could really go so wrong that they couldn’t handle themselves or call you or guest relations if they needed something. Additionally, I think as a vacation you and your adult partner deserve some time alone without the kids.

 

 

Are they 2 girls, boy and girl, or 2 boys? May make a difference in the trouble they can get into, haha.

 

 

Disclaimer: I don’t have kids of my own (yet).

 

 

 

Then you really can't voice an opinion on this if you don't have kids yet. You still don't realize the enormous love parents have for their kids

 

I walked in front of a moving vehicle once to save my child. Fortunately I wasn't hurt.

 

In this particular case if ncl cannot fix this issue then the parents need to either cancel or split up and sleep one parent in each room

 

 

Parents do stuff like this as the good ones are not selfish

 

 

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[Barb Nahoumi]

I hope that you are able to move to a family cabin, with enough room to sleep 4 comfortably. If that is not possible than keep it as booked with one child and one parent in each room. That way each child will have much needed adult supervision at night.

 

Please let us know how things work out.

[maggie cruises]

NCL don’t mind if your kids are next door or across the corridor but if the steward wants to report it he can. Try to get them nearer, even if you’ve to volunteer to drop down to 5.

 

 

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I'm thinking the steward certainly will report it. He could be in trouble if he doesn't

 

 

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[ColinIllinois]

Then you really can't voice an opinion on this if you don't have kids yet. You still don't realize the enormous love parents have for their kids

 

I walked in front of a moving vehicle once to save my child. Fortunately I wasn't hurt.

 

In this particular case if ncl cannot fix this issue then the parents need to either cancel or split up and sleep one parent in each room

 

 

Parents do stuff like this as the good ones are not selfish

 

 

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Just because someone doesn't have kids doesn't mean they can't post their opinion on this forum. Anyone is welcome to voice their opinion.

[maggie cruises]

Just because someone doesn't have kids doesn't mean they can't post their opinion on this forum. Anyone is welcome to voice their opinion.

 

Well it helps if the person posting their opinion has some experience with the situation they are posting their opinion on....especially with kids issues

 

My point was that since that poster admitted they had no kids...their opinion on this topic is actually not only useless but not based on any experience whatsoever. Fwiw their opinion could actually be harmful in this case. If you go back and read that post...which is post #10 you will or should see how off it actually is

 

 

 

 

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Edited February 19, 2018 by maggie cruises

[Talex831]

Just because someone doesn't have kids doesn't mean they can't post their opinion on this forum. Anyone is welcome to voice their opinion.

 

 

Non-parents can post their opinions on parenting issues all day long. However, they are wasting their time. You cannot ever know or understand until you are a parent. It changes you in ways you’d never ever imagine.

 

 

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[maggie cruises]

Non-parents can post their opinions on parenting issues all day long. However, they are wasting their time. You cannot ever know or understand until you are a parent. It changes you in ways you’d never ever imagine.

 

 

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And to have kids is absolutely the best thing that can ever happen

 

 

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