teens and tweens independence on Oasis

[iambrink]

Please no flames and I know everyone is different, but we recently returned from our 6th DCL cruise and had an awesome time. Although i have another DCL cruise booked for November, I am considering booking an Oasis cruise next April. We will be travelling with a 12 and 16 yr old and i am looking for feedback on the following: if you allowed your tween/teen to stick together on DCL and go places around the ship without a parent, did you also allow this on RCL? I know this is subjective, etc, etc and it is like letting them roam a town of 6000 people, but i am just curious. Also is there an RCL app that allows for texting like on DCL? thanks!

 

[Weedy]

No app We've always cruised Disney. My kids have both aged out of the clubs. We went on the Oasis this year. It felt safe. Lots of kids running in groups. Saw lots more "PDA's" than I did on Disney (not that it doesn't happen on Disney. Lol

 

[Vijoge]

I'd be cautious. If you live in a town with 6000 people there's a good chance that you know most of them. You also are aware of how safe your town is, where your kids are likely to be hanging out, etc. On a cruise ship, the 6000 people are total strangers. 6000 strangers who are all on vacation and may or may not be using 100% of their good sense. So set limits. Teen club and activities, pool deck, theater, etc. No bars, obviously, and no wandering up and down the halls on stateroom decks. I'd make them steer clear of any out of the way hot tubs, that kind of thing.

 

[msjprincess]

I've never cruised on DCL. I do give my kids some independence on RCCL. They know to only be in public areas. No going to anyone's room or letting anyone come to their room. They love the independence and meeting new friends. They would meet friends for breakfast in the Windjammer on sea days.

They were 12, 13 and 16 on or last cruise.

 

[cleophus12]

I will throw this horror story into the mix. We were on the May 7 sailing of Oasis. At 3:40 am one morning the captain came onto the intercom in the staterooms to announce that a 14 year old girl was missing. He gave her name and asked her to report in. Apparently she did because he came back on rather quickly and said she had been found. I can only imagine how frantic her parents must have been during that time. I think the teens have a 1am curfew, so she must have been missing for a couple of hours before he made the announcement. Just be sure you and your teens have some very firm ground rules about reporting in to you while onboard. My 2 cents (and probably not worth that).

 

[iambrink]

I will throw this horror story into the mix. We were on the May 7 sailing of Oasis. At 3:40 am one morning the captain came onto the intercom in the staterooms to announce that a 14 year old girl was missing. He gave her name and asked her to report in. Apparently she did because he came back on rather quickly and said she had been found. I can only imagine how frantic her parents must have been during that time. I think the teens have a 1am curfew, so she must have been missing for a couple of hours before he made the announcement. Just be sure you and your teens have some very firm ground rules about reporting in to you while onboard. My 2 cents (and probably not worth that).

It does make me worry, no doubt about it! yes that would be scary

 

[ashley0139]

I will throw this horror story into the mix. We were on the May 7 sailing of Oasis. At 3:40 am one morning the captain came onto the intercom in the staterooms to announce that a 14 year old girl was missing. He gave her name and asked her to report in. Apparently she did because he came back on rather quickly and said she had been found. I can only imagine how frantic her parents must have been during that time. I think the teens have a 1am curfew, so she must have been missing for a couple of hours before he made the announcement. Just be sure you and your teens have some very firm ground rules about reporting in to you while onboard. My 2 cents (and probably not worth that).

That doesn't sound like a horror story, that sounds like a kid who ignored her curfew and came back as soon as she heard that. She was fine, why is it a horror story?

OP, I was a kid/teenager cruising in the late 90s and early 2000s on RCCL and had tons of freedom. RCL is no worse than DCL, no matter what "magic" we think exists there on this board. I remember being about 11 and going to lunch by myself one day after leaving the kids club and my parents telling me how proud they were of how independent and responsible I was. Yes, they should be careful, but a 16 year old??? Presumably they're driving or will be soon. Loosen the strings a little.

 

[kevdad]

That doesn't sound like a horror story, that sounds like a kid who ignored her curfew and came back as soon as she heard that. She was fine, why is it a horror story? .

She was found but we don't necessarily know if she was fine.

 

[cleophus12]

I can only imagine the horror her parents must have been experiencing during the time she was missing. Also I am curious about how much begging and pleading her parents had to do to convince the ship's captain to come into staterooms over the intercom at 3:40 am. Just a lot of things going on there that would be a horror to me as a parent if my child was missing on a ship that size.

 

[cruiser21]

That doesn't sound like a horror story, that sounds like a kid who ignored her curfew and came back as soon as she heard that. She was fine, why is it a horror story?

OP, I was a kid/teenager cruising in the late 90s and early 2000s on RCCL and had tons of freedom. RCL is no worse than DCL, no matter what "magic" we think exists there on this board. I remember being about 11 and going to lunch by myself one day after leaving the kids club and my parents telling me how proud they were of how independent and responsible I was. Yes, they should be careful, but a 16 year old??? Presumably they're driving or will be soon. Loosen the strings a little.

Agreed. I let my tweens/teens stay out until 1am. Has one of my kids broke curfew? Yes. Did I call securtiy? Yes. Was he punished? Yes. Where was he? In Studio Sea hanging out with some other kids. Isn't this all part of growing up? Yes!!!!!! Sometimes I wonder if anyone on this board was ever a teenager. What teenager doesn't test the boundries. A kid breaking curfew. Wow that never happens in real life. We all want to keep our kids safe, but you can't put them in a bubble, and even if you do it's no gaurantee something bad's not going to happen.

 

[kaseyC]

There is an app that allows texting and calling. It's called the Royal IQ. Right now it's only available on the Anthem, Ovation and Harmony. There is a fee for texting and calling, I believe it's 7.95. On our recent spring break cruise on the Harmony we didn't use it for that since our suite perks included complimentary unlimited Vroom internet so me and the girls just texted through iMessage. I traveled during a busy, sold out Spring Break cruise on the Harmony with my 13yr DD, 16 yr DD and her 16yr best friend. The girls had complete freedom with set boundaries and a curfew. They hung out with friends they met at the teen club as well as just hanging out together. They had a blast. My girls have been cruising since they were toddlers and as they have grown up we have gradually granted more freedom.

Honestly, I don't get why people assume Disney is so much safer than other cruise lines. You are still on a ship with a bunch of strangers, just because they seem to be mostly families doesn't make them any less dangerous.