Teens in Separate Cabin Question

[LuvEeyore]

Cool Breeze,

Sorry the dialogue has gotten out of hand.

If the boys know you are thinking about the cruise, you might ask them what they want. I am traveling with two 18 year olds and when I booked a balcony room and an inside room around the corner, I was told that was okay but no farther away. Both of these grils are independenat and have traveled and they want to be in charge of documents and getting us all checked in minus the car rental, they said no further.

They have also decided that they like having their own room but name magnets and FE should be on our room and that if they meet friends and want to hang out in the room, it will be in our room. The 2 girls that will be 18 at the time we sail made these descisions.

 

[Buckeye218]

A

 

[inhousemouse]

Well if your children are behaving in a responsible manner then no one will have to call and ask for assistance, will they? I have a feeling that if teens in a cabin next to mine are disturbing me then they are also going to be disturbing the cabins around ours.

Sorry for you if you think threatening people will stop them from reporting misbehaving kids/adults. In the past I have had to talk to management/post an unfavorable review about problems and in the end I was the one that was compensated.

As for typing in caps... that is not my way of intimidating anyone just my lack of knowing how to make a cute graphic of a sign hanging on a door. It was a way to make is stand out... sorry if you took it the wrong way. Maybe you can teach me how to make up cool graphics.

 

[Brumbie13]

Deleted because the issue was resolved.

 

[Justacruiser]

Okay,this has gotten out of hand. All I wanted was an answer to my question. Yes, I am a new poster. I just signed up because I am about to book a cruise and I needed some information that I wasn't sure about. I thought this would be the correct forum to ask the question. I received some very valuable information from some of the responses, and I thank you. Of course I care about my children, and I wasn't trying to stir anything up. I had no idea this subject was so controversial that it would make people so angry. I've raised a daughter who is now serving our country in the USAF and she is a very successful disciplined woman. My boys are just as disciplined and respectful, so I think I've done my job as a parent who doesn't need to be judged by rude people who don't know what they're talking about.
Also, as you can see by one of my posts, this discussion gave me the opportunity to rethink my decision in a positive way. So, thank you all who posted your opinions without being rude. I welcome opinions that are contrary to mine, that's how we learn, i just don't appreciate the rudeness. To the rude ones, maybe it's your parenting skills that should be questioned.

Cool Breeze, sorry for all the slams by fellow posters. However the world is full of unruly kids and adults out there who will do whatever it takes to get access to kids. Are you 100% that nothing would happen to you mature teenagers once they go to their room or can we protect them 24 hours a day? No. What I would do is find a pair of rooms that are closer to each other. There are several inside rooms that have a balcony nearer than 5 floors. That's all we are trying to say. Save money, absolutely but to me having the kids close is priceless. If price is the real issue, change your room type or even pick a cheap cruise line (not recommended), but you know what I mean. Talk to the reservations folks and tell them your situation, I sure they can try to assist you.

I am sure that you are a great parent, but there are a lot of kids running around those ships that have great parents too. Move them closer and give them a curfew and check up on them once or twice. Happy sailing!

 

[templed]

I'm sorry- If you a new poster and post one of the most controversial questions there is AND even add you donyt care if your own kids are multiple floors away from you there are 2 typical conclusions.
One you are a troll doing it on purpose or you are not considerate of others by not caring if your kids are close enough for you to monitor them.
Either way- people here responded appropriately.

So by this logic... anyone "new" that comes and asks a question is just "stirring the pot?" ... or is a bad parent?

Sorry... that's BS.

It was an honest question, and deserved an honest answer. Rather than shouting TROLL!... An honest, sincere answer might be the more prudent option.

Yes... some people might consider it a risk, but given the fact that the OP trusts her children enough that they would allow them to have a room separate from their own says a little bit about HER understand of the maturity level of her children.

An honest answer would be... It's entirely possible for your children to have a room separate of your own. As with most cruise lines, you must register one adult in every room. Once on board, it might be possible to change that arrangement... But it throws up a few questions about the risks posed that they would be in separate muster stations, and the real risk of abduction, etc. that can happen ANYWHERE (not just on cruise ships).

Given that HONEST answer... I would assume that the OP trusts that her children would not cause a ruckus....

 

[Tehanna]

I don't want to add controversy to what already seems to be a controversial thread, but I thought I'd share my thoughts with you.

I also raised a very well-behaved child, and when he was the age of your boys, I certainly would have trusted him on his own in a room with a friend. I am certain you know your children better than random posters who have never met any of you.

However...

Some time ago there was a thread about some difficulty a teen girl had with a "stalker" of sorts on DCL. This man seemed to show up everywhere she was, and it got ugly and security was involved. I just tried to find the thread, and it may have been deleted (it got heated, because I believe the man may have had a developmental disability of some kind). At any rate, the situation made for a tough cruise. This person followed her to her family's cabin, and made for a very uncomfortable experience. I can't imagine how much more difficult this might have been had she been staying in a cabin away from her family several decks away.

As much as I love to believe that DCL is a very safe place... it can't be as safe as we as parents want it to be. Certainly it's safer and more appropriate for young people than lots of vacation options, but I can't imagine that DCL does a background check on every single passenger, and even if they did, it wouldn't necessarily prevent every situation that could happen with your children in a situation where a legal adult might be needed. I would encourage you to consider this in your decision.

Just my $.02

All of that having been said, I hope that whatever you decide, you have an amazing cruise experience and that your family makes some magical memories.

 

[Buckeye218]

I guess I was put off by these two statements: "Anyone dumb enough to put their teens in a cabin far from their stateroom and near mine..." and "...if you don't care about your young teens enough to keep an eye on them and you put them next to me then they better be silent during night time hours or they will wish they were in your stateroom with you!"

It flat out stated that every parent who allows their young teens in their own cabin is dumb. And then followed that up with a threat that if they weren't silent during night time hours, they would be sorry.

I have no doubt that some teenagers are loud, rude and inconsiderate; however many are not. I can guarantee that mine are well-behaved. Your statement was all-encompassing, not only of teenagers, but their parents as well.

Also, typing in all caps for several sentences in a row is generally construed on message boards as shouting.

 

[Buckeye218]

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[Brumbie13]

Thanks Buck.

I'm glad you didn't come back with your fists in the air. I really hate confrontation, even online.
I didn't post to upset you, only to show that sometimes things we say as potentially empty threats can be seen by others as veiled threats.


Personally, I'm of the opinion that, as long as they don't prevent me from sleeping, I don't mind teens without parents in their staterooms. I think it is probably a great way for both parents and teens to enjoy their vacation more. It gives parents alone time and it gives teens the privacy they and responsibility they want at that age. Of course, this is dependent on how mature and responsible the teens are... which, as has been stated many times already, the parents can likely gauge better than anyone else.

However, if the noise was consistent and overbearing, I would feel that the right thing to do would be to alert guest services.

I would hope that, if parents decide to do this, that they will, at least be willing to have a backup plan on how to deal with their teens, or be willing to split up and each take a room and a kid if the kids' behaviour doesn't improve.

Probably the best way to compromise would be to book rooms that are close together for the parents and the children. The only real issue I see with the OP's question is her willingness to book her kids a GTY room, which will make for very slim odds that the kids will be in a nearby stateroom. Giving responsible teens their own room nearby is one thing, but putting them in the cheap-room-lottery is another, especially given how spread out the cheaper GTY rooms are... They can be on practically any deck.

 

[mattj009]

Count me among the dumb. We're putting it to the test tomorrow aboard the Dream. Wife and I on 6... 18YO (college student) and 13YO sons on 7, one flight up, (but right nearby) tomorrow. Do I trust them? Yep. Will this arrangement make everyone's trip more comfortable? Yep. Will this be a problem? Wouldn't make this arrangement if I thought there would be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Buckeye218]

Thanks Buck.

I'm glad you didn't come back with your fists in the air. I really hate confrontation, even online.
I didn't post to upset you, only to show that sometimes things we say as potentially empty threats can be seen by others as veiled threats.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

No problem, you didn't upset me. While confrontation is sometimes inevitable, what I hate is attempts at internet bullying and intimidation, which is how I took that post. I'm not sure how anyone could take it otherwise.

My response was only meant to serve notice that that tactic would not work, at least on me.

Nevertheless, I deleted my response as it was not consistent with forum rules (although it's already been copied/quoted a couple of times).

 

[inhousemouse]

Count me among the dumb. We're putting it to the test tomorrow aboard the Dream. Wife and I on 6... 18YO (college student) and 13YO sons on 7, one flight up, (but right nearby) tomorrow. Do I trust them? Yep. Will this arrangement make everyone's trip more comfortable? Yep. Will this be a problem? Wouldn't make this arrangement if I thought there would be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm sure we can all agree there is a big difference between an 18 and 13 yr old and a 14 and 13 yr old.

I grew up in a very large old Manor and as the oldest in my family my sister and I were left alone when I was about 14 and she was 12. I will never forget hearing a noise and being scared to death. Fast forward 4 years and we were down in WDW and I had no problem going and finding my way around the property on my own.

Mind you my parents knew where I was at night because we all stayed in the same room. But none the less during the day it was much easier being that bit older.

 

[inhousemouse]

Nevertheless, I deleted my response as it was not consistent with forum rules (although it's already been copied/quoted a couple of times).

I deleted the quote from my response.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

On my last cruise, there was a bunch of teens running up and down the hallway at all hours (2:00 am) , making lots of noise and being generally a pain in the rump. My DH stopped them in the hall one day and told them to knock it off or we would make the next call to GS. They did not, so a call was made. Well guess what, these children were in someone else's room. That kids parents were down the hall about 15 cabins away. They were much better behaved after GS got involved.
I think a parent even moved into the room, but not positive.
Some kids behave better with parents around. You really can't sat your boys will behave unless they have been in the situation and showed how well behaved they can be.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

Maybe they have in a hotel environment for example?
The OP know's her kid's best, and none of us can judge them without knowing them.

Ex Techie

 

[Brumbie13]

Nevertheless, I deleted my response as it was not consistent with forum rules (although it's already been copied/quoted a couple of times).

I deleted the quote from my response.

I delete the quote and my response as well.
If you will delete my response from this post, it'll be like all that didn't happen.

 

[kcashner]

On my last cruise, there was a bunch of teens running up and down the hallway at all hours (2:00 am) , making lots of noise and being generally a pain in the rump. My DH stopped them in the hall one day and told them to knock it off or we would make the next call to GS. They did not, so a call was made. Well guess what, these children were in someone else's room. That kids parents were down the hall about 15 cabins away. They were much better behaved after GS got involved.
I think a parent even moved into the room, but not positive.
.

And this was exactly the correct response. DCL has "quite hours" posted in the Navigators. They take them seriously, especially if kids or drunks are involved. A call to GS will result in a security officer on the scene and appropriate action taken.

 

[Buckeye218]

it'll be like all that didn't happen.

done

Like what didn't happen???

 

[llkoolj40]

Does Disney have any rules about how far away the teens stateroom can be from the parent's room?
I know that for booking purposes,one parent must be assigned to each room, but I understand we can get extra room keys and switch up the sleeping arrangements once on board.
My teens will be 13 and 14 years old. I personally don't mind if they are 5 floors down on the other end of the ship, but does Disney? I have searched high and low on their website for any type of policy regarding this, but I've found nothing.
Can anyone advise? Thank you.

There is a lot of conversation around a parent's decision with their children, but the question was about Disney's rules on how far the teens room could be from the parent's room. The rule is clear... From the Disney Cruise Line site. All Disney staterooms are designed with the family in mind, providing substantially more space for relaxation than you'd find on most other cruise ships. Depending upon the stateroom, anywhere from 2 to 7 Guests can occupy a stateroom, which must include at least one adult.
It seems to me that any switching of rooms would be at your risk and against Disney"s guidelines.