John from Memphis asks this question about going ashore
How do you keep your on-board expenses under control? We just found out that my two teen-age sons will be able to join us and cost control is now an issue. Can you pack a lunch from the buffet to take off the ship with you? What other suggestions do you have?
Also, my older teen is prone to bend the rules. I’ve got the grey hair to prove it. How well does the cruise line make sure that under-age people are not able to get liquor?”
We have a budget for each cruise from the day we book it. It changes, things are added and taken away, but when we step foot on board we have a good idea of how much each of us can spend and there are no surprises at the end of the cruise.
I’d start right there with your teens. Decide what they can and cant spend money on and define a reasonable budget. It really should not be hard to do because their purchases are limited at that age. We talk about and decide on an allowed amount before the cruise on each possible item. It doesn’t take that long and it’s been our experience that when we talk about each item we can agree on them rather than assuming anything. Possible trouble areas they can spend money on include but area not limited to:
- Spa Treatments – yes, even for boys
- Room service items that carry an extra charge
- Non alcoholic beverages (soft drinks and mocktails)
- Gift shop items (could be scary how much they could charge)
It’s unlikely that they will book their own shore excursions, be allowed into the casino or allowed to buy liquor. Their shipboard charge card will not allow them to charge booze or casino chips even if they managed to get past the age requirements.
And this is a topic that is quite worthy of your consideration.
First, the cruise line will not sell liquor to your underage sons. Feel confident that will not happen.
But if they want to drink, they will find a way…and that’s on ANY cruise, certainly not exclusive to any one line. On a Carnival cruise I was on a young adult, probably 22, was selling buckets of beer to teens for $40 that he would turn around and buy quarters for the slot machine with.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way….and that does not even take into consideration what they could do ashore where regulations and rules are often lax.
My very best advice, having sailed with a 15 and 17 year old personally,(and this is learning from my mistakes) would be to have a heart to heart talk with them about it all. I mean a real talk. Like you were sending them off into the world on their own. Because they will indeed be entering a different world where the rules are different and could foster a situation where your fears become reality.
I don’t think you could watch them all the time even if you wanted to…and you shouldn’t even feel like you should. It is your vacation too.
You ask how well the cruise line does in making sure they don’t get alcohol. I think they do just what they’re supposed to do, they don’t sell it to them. I know you’re not looking for this but it bears mentioning the cruise line is not our babysitter nor should our teens need one.
If you want to hear some horror stories about what can happen on a cruise ship or just about any port one calls at I got a bunch of them but I do not intend to scare you. (you’ve already taken care of that)
I really really think the only way to deal with the potential dangers of this is to motivate them to make safe and appropriate decisions for themselves, not for you.
In a way you might be asking them to make some mature decisions that they might not be ready for…but they can be.
My 15 year old (at the time) did. It really is a matter of choice, their choice.
As far as taking food from the ship ashore goes; I know people who do it and have done it myself. The cruise lines certainly don’t want you to if for no other reason than that your BLT with mayo can get really nasty really fast on a hot Caribbean beach waiting for lunchtime. If you do, be sure to follow safe food handling procedures. Bring along ziploc bags and plastic wrap with perhaps a very small disposable cooler to keep sandwiches cold and iced. Better yet? Skip McDonalds at home a few times before your cruise, save that money and check some local fare when you go ashore. There’s nothing quite like a Cheeseburger in Paradise at Jimmy Buffet’s place in Jamaica!
