How do you deal with (someone else's) unruly kids?

Hmmm...What if the kid without the shoes was a victim of his "idiot" friend...and the kid only had brought one pair of shoes for the cruise. I think I wouldn't have touched those shoes or joined in the game with the "idiot" friend....JMHO ;)

Not my monkey, not my zoo. Perhaps he'll choose his friends more wisely next time. We didn't toss them in the trash as we figured they would get turned into lost and found and maybe he'd be smart enough to inquire about them.

out of 11 cruises, only once did we have a group of unruly children (and I'm counting the spring break cruise--those college students didn't really bother us but were a source of amusement) who belonged to an extended family. the parents basically parked themselves in the casino for the two weeks. according to my daughter (8 years on that cruise), she never saw any of them in the kid program, but we would often see some of them sitting in a stairwell, looking bored. but one of the boys did push her in the pool so when he went into the hot tub right after that, my hubby had some choice words for him. I was wishing I had my digital camera on me -- I would have taken photos of these kids and show the front desk. (the two cruises I took after that, I tried to keep my camera with me just in case I see kids behaving)

someone from the youth staff did talk to one of the parents, who replied that "I'm on vacation." He retorted: you're never on vacation from being a parent. Someone on our roll call said that someone got fed up with the kids running up and down the halls and stuck out his leg and tripped one (of course, that can be a legend) and this man got threatened with being kicked off the ship. I'm sure he got lots of free drinks as word about this family got around the ship. One of the moms accidentally dropped her toddler into the ensenada water during that stopped (instead of putting her kid in the stroller before going down the gangway, she was trying to juggle the kid and her stuff at the same time). Yes, the kid got rescued but the eyewitnesses did get the story out, and it made it to that one site that lists ship accidents.

the roll call on the same ship exactly a year before, they were complaining about an extended family that sounded exactly like this one and many complained to Princess. after I got home, I wrote a letter to Princess telling them what we and other people (oh, the stories people on our roll call told about their experience with this family) encountered. got a vanilla response, but I did ask those on the same itinerary's roll call a year later if they saw this family, but they didn't noticed. so maybe they got blackballed.

The cruise after that, it was the elderly set that misbehaved I didn't hear anyone complain about the kids (it was a holiday cruise, too), but many were complaining about people injuring them with their scooters and otherwise being pains. One retired school principal at our table had many stories about how rude her peers were.

My daughter, 13 on that cruise, said that some of these passengers were coming up to them and making inappropriate comments. One woman criticized my daughter about her hair (she wore it veronica lake style). We saw one guy, who was older than us (we were in our 50s then) go up to a tween boy and start berating him. don't know if he knew the kid (grandfather?) or was just being rude, but it didn't look like this kid was doing anything wrong before that so if he didn't know him but had an attitude about being on a cruise ship with kids...then he shouldn't book a holiday cruise.

Personally, I have only seen a bit of running and elevator button pushing. I also have seen a bit of underage drinking in the Jacuzzi.

In general, if I am not directly affected not getting involved is the best policy. Maybe I will say something but that is the limit.

Now that my kids are grown, I have taken cruises where less kids are present. This was not to avoid kids, I just wanted to get a better dealby going off peak season.

Not my monkey, not my zoo. Perhaps he'll choose his friends more wisely next time. We didn't toss them in the trash as we figured they would get turned into lost and found and maybe he'd be smart enough to inquire about them.

By hiding the shoes you became a zoo keeper and somewhat responsible for the monkey. Maybe the kid just got bullied and his shoes were taken from him. Just my $.02

Personally, I have only seen a bit of running and elevator button pushing. I also have seen a bit of underage drinking in the Jacuzzi.

 

In general, if I am not directly affected not getting involved is the best policy. Maybe I will say something but that is the limit.

 

Now that my kids are grown, I have taken cruises where less kids are present. This was not to avoid kids, I just wanted to get a better dealby going off peak season.

 

By hiding the shoes you became a zoo keeper and somewhat responsible for the monkey. Maybe the kid just got bullied and his shoes were taken from him. Just my $.02

I agree wholeheartedly. The OP and husband may have played a part in the torment of the kid by doing so.

Who knows why his shoes were taken?

A more adult approach would have been to ask the kid why he had lost his shoes, and return them after he explained. That would give Ducklite and her husband the opportunity to establish why, before assuming he was just being dumb and choosing poor friends.

"We didn't toss them in the trash as we figured they would get turned into lost and found and maybe he'd be smart enough to inquire about them." show a level of reasoning, but at the same time, a complete overreaction of something so silly, harmless (if it were a game, or escalating a situation at worse) and with the intention to withhold something from someone for no real reason apart from their own satisfaction of feeling superior and old.

ex techie

We had a couple kids trying "ding dong ditch" on Disney with our cabin doorbell. DH stood looking out the peephole until they came back, then just as they were about to ring the bell, he flung the door open and make a hellacious devil type sound. I think the one kid peed himself as they ran down the hall, never to be seen again. Our bell remained blissfully silent afterwards.

ROFL that reminds me what I did when I was so sick but had to get food for the house, I was pushing my cart and the entire time in the store I heard kids yelling, running and being brats.

One boy who was about 9 came running around the corner and smashed into my cart, without hesitation I let out this very loud GROWL that just about everyone in the store heard me.

I think the kid wet himself, the rest of the time I heard nothing staff or customers. The mother came around the corner and was so embarrassed, the kid pointed at me and whispered that I was the one. The mother looked at me like thank you, will you come home with me look.

I smiled and went home feeling just a tad better.

The problem is the lack of comment from "innocent bystanders". When rowdy kids see that they can get away with anti-social behavior, they do it more. Every time you show by your silence that their behavior is acceptable, you are essentially endorsing it. Speak up - in obvious cases get ship's staff involved.

Wow -- in all the threads I've read on this subject over the years, this is the first time the victims (bystanders) have been blamed for unruly kids' behavior! :eek: And here's me thinking it's the kids' parents' fault... :cool:

I have a very simple way to deal with unruly children. Cruise on Silversea and you can watch them on the other ships that may be in port. Because they won't be on my ship.

Seabourn and Regent also work as well.

It depends on the situation. On a recent cruise, I spoke directly to the misbehaving kids. The situations were:

1) A group of loud kids came and stood smack in front of where DH and I were sitting during scenic cruising. I said, "excuse me, it's rude to stand in front of people who were here first, would you please find another spot?" Their grandmother came along close enough to hear what I'd said and reinforced it.

2) Another group of loud kids was carrying on in the hallway, which was open to where there was a classical concert being played. I was quite close to the hallway, so I shushes them and gave the "the look" and they moved right along.

I generally have no tolerance for disruptive kids and have no problem calling them out directly. I've never once had a parent complain.

Personally, I have only seen a bit of running and elevator button pushing. I also have seen a bit of underage drinking in the Jacuzzi.

 

In general, if I am not directly affected not getting involved is the best policy. Maybe I will say something but that is the limit.

 

Now that my kids are grown, I have taken cruises where less kids are present. This was not to avoid kids, I just wanted to get a better dealby going off peak season.

 

 

 

 

By hiding the shoes you became a zoo keeper and somewhat responsible for the monkey. Maybe the kid just got bullied and his shoes were taken from him. Just my $.02

Pushing the envelope a bit with the excuses, aren't you?

If he couldn't handle himself, maybe his parents shouldn't have checked out to whatever bar or casino they were in. The minute a personless pair of shoes was thrown at us and by default, abandoned, they became our trash to do with as we saw fit.

Get the unruly child's attention and without intimidating the little rascal ask him or her if they know what keel hauling is.

It depends on the situation. On a recent cruise, I spoke directly to the misbehaving kids. The situations were:

 

1) A group of loud kids came and stood smack in front of where DH and I were sitting during scenic cruising. I said, "excuse me, it's rude to stand in front of people who were here first, would you please find another spot?" Their grandmother came along close enough to hear what I'd said and reinforced it.

 

2) Another group of loud kids was carrying on in the hallway, which was open to where there was a classical concert being played. I was quite close to the hallway, so I shushes them and gave the "the look" and they moved right along.

 

I generally have no tolerance for disruptive kids and have no problem calling them out directly. I've never once had a parent complain.

Last year we were listening to a classical duo preform in an intimate lounge. There were two couples from the eastern part of the world talking in their native language loudly, I mean loud. The two young women (performers) were clearly upset, missing notes etc. Thought one was about to cry. I got up from my seat, and quietly told them they were disturbing the two other couples listening as well as the performers. They just got up and walked away continuing to yell at each other. My wife got on my case for making a scene said we should have just got up and left. Not my way.

I once whispered to a revolting little brat that if he didn't shut up immediately I would paddle his backside so hard he wouldn't be able to sit down for a week No intention of ever doing so, but the threat worked!

Wow -- in all the threads I've read on this subject over the years, this is the first time the victims (bystanders) have been blamed for unruly kids' behavior! :eek: And here's me thinking it's the kids' parents' fault... :cool:

Did you ever hear about Edmund Burke's remark: "All that is needed for evil to prevail is for enough good men to do nothing."?

Yes - he was obviously talking about more serious problems than rude children - and of course the parents are immediately responsible - but every time you fail to protest behavior you pretend to deplore, you are making yourself an accomplice.

I do not have children and have no desire to parent someone else's.

We have been fortunate to not have any serious issues with a child on a ship, but if we did I would alert the nearest crew member. No interest in getting into it with some kid's parent and risking an altercation. I certainly am not going to threaten to spank someone's child either. Not my place to do so and a highly ineffectual method of disciplining anyway.

Me darling wife and I have sailed on twenty-six cruises with six different cruise lines. I can honestly say that we have never run across unruly children while on any of our cruises. Now for some adults who were acting like the south bound end of a north bound horse.....

Interesting comments. I know some of us are from that era "children should be seen, and not heard" and know children should be acting a certain way in public, I also know some parents check their children at the pier and don't want to see them until they get home, sans parenting non existent on ship.

But, I know I commented on the shoe issue, but an even more visible solution would have been to keep the shoes, carry them around with me, and hopefully the parents would see them and approach me and ask me "whats going on".

When my children were growing up, luckily we were in a family neighborhood where kids were often playing in a neighbors house or backyard, but, if your child got out of hand, here comes the neighbor with your child by the ear, knocking on your door, giving you the lowdown on what your child has done at their house, turning the child over to you to discipline.

If the child on ship was to a point of endangering the safety of others, ie, running into you, damaging property etc, maybe getting security involved at that point would be relevant, getting the name and cabin number so the child could be returned to his/her parents with a stern message from the crew.

It just seems in todays society, manners have gone missing. As I get older I ask myself, how are parents "parenting" today. Back in the day, if I was, wasn't or didn't do it, all I got was that LOOK from my father and whatever it was, was immediately stopped, didn't do it, or did it depending on the situation, no words exchanged.

As a matter of fact, yesterday, I was out shopping, I was in the cross aisle of the store between the long front to back aisle, and here comes this girl, maybe 7ish, come barreling around the corner, if I hadn't jumped aside, she would have knocked me down. She could have very easily hit me and I would have been knocked into the shelves. I am in my late 60's and could have been injured.

I wonder how a parent would feel, if their child did injure someone?

Soooooooooo, then does anyone want to hear the story upon entering the cruise terminal in front of us there was a group of people apparently headed by this very big man, who upon entering the terminal announced to the world, he was elite and was going to have a good time whether anyone else liked it or not, do what he wanted, whenever he wanted......