Cruising with teens on a separate deck?

[Toofarfromthesea]

While I don’t think kids should be this far from the parents, I have booked kids in connecting cabins with an adult in each cabin, with the PCC reassuring me it’s fine to switch onboard. We always go directly to guest services where they give us extra keys, with other people in line doing the same thing.

 

I don’t know why people believe that NCL (or any cruise line) doesn’t allow this. They need an adult booked in each cabin ON PAPER ONLY. Passengers are told to sleep wherever they want.

 

Because connecting cabins are not the same as cabins that are 6 decks apart. Cruise lines understand this even if some people don't.

[maggie cruises]

The number of helicopter parents on this thread is appaling. Bottom line is that only OP knows her kids. While it's true that no one ever says that their kids are misbehaved, I remember when I was 14 I would do very stupid things myself, but I was far from being the inept child most other posters are describing on this thread (in need of constant supervision and parental controls, which are totally useless on a 14 year old btw) and could be trusted with a room to myself for eight hours a night.

 

That being said, as a parent I would also feel uncomfortable having my children, no matter the age, 5 decks away. If you don't want to all be crammed into one room, the most logical solution to this is having one parent in each room; but in this day and age, parents are willing to sacrifice less and less for their children, so I'm not really surprised this really, really simple solution didn't cross OP's mind.

 

 

 

Helicopter parent. Lol. Um no!!!

 

Of course the OP has many options as posted in her original post anyway ...

 

Knowing that ncl does not permit kids this age to be in a cabin this far away from parents...um yes!!!

 

The few and far between posters that think this is a good idea to be 5decks away from the kids are in one word....clueless!!!!

 

NCL DOESNT ALLOW IT!!!!

 

Guest services is wrong if they rekeying the cards

Steward is wrong if he doesn't report it

Parents are very very wrong if the book adul/child and the go child/child once on board

 

We are not talking adjoining or connecting or directly across the hall rooms here folks......and that's why ncl doesn't allow it

 

 

Don't need to be a helicopter parent to know this....just need to know the ships rules. Period!!

 

 

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[maggie cruises]

Because connecting cabins are not the same as cabins that are 6 decks apart. Cruise lines understand this even if some people don't.

 

 

 

Stop it now....you are making too much sense...but that's probably because you know the rules lol

 

 

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[mjkacmom]

Stop it now....you are making too much sense...but that's probably because you know the rules lol

 

 

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But I wonder, since NCL representatives tell passengers to lie about who is sleeping where, I’m curious what they would say in this case. Technically, having parents and kids sleep across from each other is against the rules, but passengers are encouraged to break them. You can’t book kids acros# 5be Hall, next door, or even in connecting cabins.

[maggie cruises]

But I wonder, since NCL representatives tell passengers to lie about who is sleeping where, I’m curious what they would say in this case. Technically, having parents and kids sleep across from each other is against the rules, but passengers are encouraged to break them. You can’t book kids acros# 5be Hall, next door, or even in connecting cabins.

 

 

 

While you can't book them across the hall or next door ...it is ok to switch once on board because if the close proximity and ncl is actually OK with this as you certainly know by now

 

I recall hearing or reading that as long as it was in close enough proximity the switch would be acceptable to ncl. I'll assume ncl isn't ok with a 2 and 5 yo being in a non connecting close proximity room..but a 13 and 14 yo I've always heard it was acceptable as long as it close enough or adjoining. Btw I know the difference between adjoining and connecting rooms.

 

In this example posed on this thread...is different of course ...

 

It's way too far away

 

Ncl is not encouraging this...it's the op that's suggesting/asking about it

 

The op btw has plenty of options if you reread the original post and is considering them

 

This thread isn't about the op situation at all...it realistically a post about being a cognizant parent regarding your kids and knowing when to not do something stupid with them

 

It's not about helicoptering.

It's not about cutting the umbilical cord

It's not about the parents having time away from the kids on the ship

 

It's simply about..

 

Not breaking ncl rules

 

And

 

Knowing when to not be stupid about your kids

 

 

Fwiw I'm encouraged at how many parents are posting here that they would never place the kids so many decks away

 

 

 

 

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Edited February 20, 2018 by maggie cruises

[CruisingSince1982]

I keep going back to the question "What if something went wrong?" How comfortable are you being 5 decks away during an emergency?

 

and this is really what it all boils down to. In the event of an emergency, the last thing those kids need is to be that far away from their parents.

[maggie cruises]

While I don’t think kids should be this far from the parents, I have booked kids in connecting cabins with an adult in each cabin, with the PCC reassuring me it’s fine to switch onboard. We always go directly to guest services where they give us extra keys, with other people in line doing the same thing.

 

 

 

I don’t know why people believe that NCL (or any cruise line) doesn’t allow this. They need an adult booked in each cabin ON PAPER ONLY. Passengers are told to sleep wherever they want.

 

 

 

Connecting cabins..I.e. With a door inside the cabins... has always been ok....total non issue as it is technically one cabin when booked for a family of say 5. The door is opened by the occupants...the parents are feet from the kids....connecting cabins are great and when we needed them I booked them. No issue at all about where the adults were booked but I always booked one parent in each anyway.

 

You've cruised enough to know the difference between connecting and adjoining I know that and yes many cruiseline cust service reps have no problem telling you it's ok to book adjoining...meaning side by side with no interior door...or directly across the hall cabins for a family group with kids and yes the book one parent in each and then switch....I was always told it was ok because of the close proximity....however we still always got connecting cabins as I really didn't want the steward to have access to my daughters rooms without me in earshot...sorry but true

 

 

 

This thread is not about connecting cabins though it's about cabins several decks away....big big difference

 

 

Btw...for the newbies reading this thread.....be careful with the info ncl gives you regarding inside cabins on the mega ships like GA BA Escape.....if you book a balcony for yourself and want to book an inside across the hall for the kids...that ain't happening because insides on those ships are not across the hall....they are way way down the hall....around a corner or 2....difficult to reach....and more than likely assigned to a different muster station.

 

Buyer beware. Oh and many ncl reps have no clue about the inside cabin location nor do they know the difference between adjoining versus connecting cabins. It's the truth unfortunately

 

 

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Edited February 20, 2018 by maggie cruises

[mjkacmom]

Connecting cabins..I.e. With a door inside the cabins... has always been ok....total non issue as it is technically one cabin when booked for a family of say 5. The door is opened by the occupants...the parents are feet from the kids....connecting cabins are great and when we needed them I booked them. No issue at all about where the adults were booked but I always booked one parent in each anyway.

 

You've cruised enough to know the difference between connecting and adjoining I know that and yes many cruiseline cust service reps have no problem telling you it's ok to book adjoining...meaning side by side with no interior door...or directly across the hall cabins for a family group with kids and yes the book one parent in each and then switch....I was always told it was ok because of the close proximity....however we still always got connecting cabins as I really didn't want the steward to have access to my daughters rooms without me in earshot...sorry but true

 

 

 

This thread is not about connecting cabins though it's about cabins several decks away....big big difference

 

 

Btw...for the newbies reading this thread.....be careful with the info ncl gives you regarding inside cabins on the mega ships like GA BA Escape.....if you book a balcony for yourself and want to book an inside across the hall for the kids...that ain't happening because insides on those ships are not across the hall....they are way way down the hall....around a corner or 2....difficult to reach....and more than likely assigned to a different muster station.

 

Buyer beware. Oh and many ncl reps have no clue about the inside cabin location nor do they know the difference between adjoining versus connecting cabins. It's the truth unfortunately

 

 

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Just a FYI, ever since they started giving the UBP as a perk, an adult (21 and over) needs to be booked in each cabin, even if connecting. On our last cruise in May, DH had to be booked with dd20 and ds19, while I had to be booked with dd14, ds14, and dd16. I spoke to several people including supervisors, and they said that if there were 2 people in the party over 21, they had to be booked this way.. therefore, in order for both DH and I to have the UBP as a perk, we had to use it for both cabins (with 2 under 21 getting the soda package). There have been several threads on this change.

[Larlin]

No more replies are necessary. The OP posted and never came back. ;p

I can't say as I blame them. :rolleyes:

[grandmarnnurse]

Personally—-as a mom who raised 5 teenagers—-I would not have them that far from you. If you have the larger family ocean view booked, I’d cancel the smaller one, and keep everyone in same cabin. My daughter had the Family Ocean view that sleeps 5. It had a queen size bed, a couch that opens and sleeps 2, and a Pullman bunk to sleep 1. The bathroom had a tub and shower combo and a double sink and larger vanity. It also had 2 closets. They were just fine for their family of 5.

 

 

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[DarkJedi]

What actually happens when someone becomes a parent is they become extremely rational...caring...concerned...full fledged adults.

 

It has been my experience that becoming a parent makes a person very irrational.

 

 

For instance, a parent will defend their child even if they know their child is wrong. A parent will shield their child from attack. A parent will observe their child do something, and when another adult addresses the issue immediately come to their child's defense knowing the child was doing something wrong. A parent will allow a child to join them in an adult's only area, and attack anyone who says they don't belong because their child is different.

 

None of these are rational actions.

 

I am not claiming that all of them are wrong by any means. But they are not rational actions.

 

 

Delusions are often functional. A mother’s opinions about her children’s beauty, intelligence, goodness, et cetera ad nauseam, keep her from drowning them at birth.

[tjf9]

I'm not a troll, but the strong options this brought out were...intimidating. I kinda figured 6 decks away was a bad idea, but I've never cruised before, so figured I'd ask. Obviously not going that route.

 

I'm going to try to call NCL once a week to see if I can get someone who can actually help me with this. The idea to use one room to sleep in (all 4 of us) and the other for an extra shower/quiet space might not be terrible, although kinda expensive. :) Hopefully someone at NCL can help me resolve this. I don't want to cancel, but I'm really not sure that my adult sized 14 year olds will fit with us, even in a family cabin.

 

Thanks for the input.

[txagfan]

I'm not a troll, but the strong options this brought out were...intimidating. I kinda figured 6 decks away was a bad idea, but I've never cruised before, so figured I'd ask. Obviously not going that route.

 

I'm going to try to call NCL once a week to see if I can get someone who can actually help me with this. The idea to use one room to sleep in (all 4 of us) and the other for an extra shower/quiet space might not be terrible, although kinda expensive. :) Hopefully someone at NCL can help me resolve this. I don't want to cancel, but I'm really not sure that my adult sized 14 year olds will fit with us, even in a family cabin.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

 

 

Really...don’t stress too much. The one concern that kept coming up is knowing where your kids are if there’s a boat emergency. The reality is...there is an equal probability of an emergency during the day too and at 14 you won’t be attached at the hip 24/7.

 

Try not to stress, set clear expectations for checking in, etc. Will be fine.

 

 

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[lcpagejr]

Can't believe that we have 5 pages on this topic and only 2 responses stated it is against policy. Bottom line...YOU CANNOT ...See NCL Policy below for education!!

 

Company policy states that guests under 18 years of age (for guests who are citizens of the United States of America/Canada/China or guests travelling on an itinerary in North America or China the age is 21) must be accompanied in the same, connecting, or side by side stateroom by a guest who is 18 years of age (for guests who are citizens of the United States of America/Canada/China or guests travelling on an itinerary in North America or China the age is 21) or older at the time of embarkation (staterooms opposite of each other are not applicable under this policy). For guests under the age of 18 travelling with an accompanying adult, who is not the minor's parent or legal guardian, a Parent/Guardian Release Form* that authorises the minor's travel and further authorises medical treatment in case of an emergency must be given to a Norwegian Cruise Line representative at the pier during check-in. Failure to present the completed form at embarkation may result in boarding being denied, with no refund provided.

[txagfan]

Nm.

Edited March 8, 2018 by txagfan

[lcpagejr]

Now we have 3? [emoji23]

 

 

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HaHaHaHa.... Thanks for that!!

[patsnation18]

This was my thought too. That would be my biggest concern.

 

Also, on the very small chance that there would be a ships emergency, you would be on different life boats.

[mjkacmom]

I'm not a troll, but the strong options this brought out were...intimidating. I kinda figured 6 decks away was a bad idea, but I've never cruised before, so figured I'd ask. Obviously not going that route.

 

I'm going to try to call NCL once a week to see if I can get someone who can actually help me with this. The idea to use one room to sleep in (all 4 of us) and the other for an extra shower/quiet space might not be terrible, although kinda expensive. :) Hopefully someone at NCL can help me resolve this. I don't want to cancel, but I'm really not sure that my adult sized 14 year olds will fit with us, even in a family cabin.

 

Thanks for the input.

Keep in mind that only some cabins sleep four (with a Pullman). They don’t usually book them for 2 or 3 passengers.

[the2006Junket]

I'm not a troll, but the strong options this brought out were...intimidating. I kinda figured 6 decks away was a bad idea, but I've never cruised before, so figured I'd ask. Obviously not going that route.

 

I'm going to try to call NCL once a week to see if I can get someone who can actually help me with this. The idea to use one room to sleep in (all 4 of us) and the other for an extra shower/quiet space might not be terrible, although kinda expensive. :) Hopefully someone at NCL can help me resolve this. I don't want to cancel, but I'm really not sure that my adult sized 14 year olds will fit with us, even in a family cabin.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Hi there, welcome to Cruise Critic Boards and to the wonderful world of family cruising : ) I hope you are not turned off from this site after all these passionate responses! You will find this community to be opinionated, but generally, very friendly and extremely helpful!

 

I thought I would share my personal experience on this issue. We reserved 2 cabins for our family of 5 for a Mediterranean 12 night sailing on Celebrity. I used a travel agent who "thought" she was booking us in a balcony with an inside cabin across the hall. Turns out it was on our same deck and was technically across the hall, but the door was down the hall, take a left, go past the elevators and down another hallway...a fairly long walk. The 2 sons that we choose to have sleep there were 16 and 12 yrs. old (the "baby" who was 6, slept with us).

 

Never mind the cruise ship policy and safety concerns (though I do not discount these. Celebrity's stewards didn't care that it was 2 youths in the cabin and I befriended their Steward, who kept an eye on them and was a saint keeping their cabin neat and clean), it was a just a HASSLE to be even that far away from them. Waking them up early to leave for an excursion, checking on them getting ready for dinner, saying good night etc etc...my husband and I wore out the carpet between our cabin and theirs. AND, every time there was a strange noise or bump in the night, I was SURE the ship hit something and I would lie awake til everything seemed fine.

 

So, I think you're right to call NCL and find another alternative. We have shared a cabin as a family of 4 and it can be tight, but I'd take that over having the kids in a cabin far away. Our survival strategy was to send Dad and my older sons to the Fitness Center to shower there : ). Have you looked at suites in the Haven? If that is financially an option, there are beautiful larger rooms and 2 bedroom suites that would be perfect for you.

 

Hope you are able to find a cabin or sailing that meets your family's needs. Alaska is a fantastic family cruise! We did it on RCL and had a 2-bedroom suite that was perfect for our family of 5. It is a "port intensive" cruise in which you are off the ship almost everyday for long port days, so I would say that the ship and all the bells and whistles is a bit less important to me than, say, a Caribbean cruise where you spend alot of on the decks/pools etc. It's cool and sometimes rainy weather up there, so I don't think we went swimming even once outside (our ship had a covered indoor pool that was wonderful!) and we probably played mini-golf outside once. So, you may even want to consider a different ship if they can't make the Bliss work for the week you want to travel.

 

Best of luck planning an amazing vacation!

 

Lynne

[patsnation18]

Instead of cramming into once cabin, why not have you booked in one cabin and DH in the other? While not ideal, it would work and result in no lost money. Good luck

 

I'm not a troll, but the strong options this brought out were...intimidating. I kinda figured 6 decks away was a bad idea, but I've never cruised before, so figured I'd ask. Obviously not going that route.

 

I'm going to try to call NCL once a week to see if I can get someone who can actually help me with this. The idea to use one room to sleep in (all 4 of us) and the other for an extra shower/quiet space might not be terrible, although kinda expensive. :) Hopefully someone at NCL can help me resolve this. I don't want to cancel, but I'm really not sure that my adult sized 14 year olds will fit with us, even in a family cabin.

 

Thanks for the input.