Had issue with kids/teen spending on ship

Oasis of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

DanielNguyen

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 7

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 10, 2015

Ship: Oasis of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10303

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

Before we got on the ship, i went on Royal Caribbean web site and went through the pre-boarding procedures. I set it up so that only my wife and I can charge to credit card while on board. My 2 kids cannot charge anything. But that wasn't enough until my 13yr old son racked up 40$ in the arcade room first day on the ship. My son has no concept of money. We gave him the room card so he can roam around the ship and come back to the room anytime he wants.

Went and talked to the customer service on the ship . They said my son's account is linked to my account and they refunded the remaining $10 on my son account. Out of $30 so that's fine. They unlinked my son account and put a note "do not reactivate" in the system.

Few days later, saw another $40 arcade on my account. Went to talk to customer service again and they could not explain why my son account is active again. At first, they refunded some money but I told them that wasn't our fault so they refunded all $40. I asked them we still have 1.5 day left so how do I prevent this from happening again. They made me fill out the form and set my son spending limit to $0. They said "we have no control over the arcade up stair" which I don't believe. They are taking advantage of kids.

I think by default, kids should not be able to charge anything on the ship. If parents want their kids to spend while on board, they must fill out a form and set the spending limit.

So if you are cruising with kids and don't want your kids to spend while on board, you need to unlink the kid accounts and/or set the spending limit. The check-in agent at the gate should be able to do this.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Book all shows before boarding. Otherwise, you have to wait in line outside and they may let you in 10min before the show.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)

5 out of 5

Falmouth, Jamaica

5 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

6 Comments

Anna54 9 years ago

Yes I think a 13 yrs old kid is old enough to learn the consequences of poor money management.

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ahowell54 9 years ago

Our kids have cruised since they were 8 and 11. I kept their money in the room safe. I would check room charges every day. If they charged anything, the money came out of the safe and was taken down to guest services to pay off their charges. We never had a problem

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mukache 9 years ago

the ship was ask to unlink the accounts and not to reactive it but it was reactivated so if the ship didn't reactivate the account wouldn't been the charge

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JennaFullmer 9 years ago

We do a family crusie every year with my 13 year old brother. He was taught his purchases go to my mom's account, and he knows the acarde costs money, if he wants to play the money will come out of his own money. I think a discussion about money management is in order. Was there a discussion the first time not to use the card in the acarde? I'm sure he is old enough to know the games cost money since he had to swipe his card to play just like he would have to put a coin in the slot in any other arcade. I think the best would have been to make him pay for his charges, he should have been accountable for his spending. I think he would have learned more than making the ship refund you for his actions. He is old enough to know better. Be cautious of his money management skills you may have more trouble when he is able to get a credit card, or starts to use yours.

Thumbs Up 2

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raquel1221 9 years ago

Next time try talking to your son and setting a daily limit for him. When I took my kids, I made them bring me reciepts at the end of the day. If they went over the limit, it came off their remaining balance for the cruise. My kids were 11 and 12 and it seemed to work for us and made them responsible for "their" money.

Thumbs Up 3

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ftlgary1 9 years ago

I don't think it Royal Caribbeans responsibility to baby sit people's kids..

Thumbs Up 10

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