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

I'm not talking playing loudly in the pool. I mean inappropriate behavior in inappropriate places (hallways, dining areas, etc.). Do you ignore them? Make a comment to a crew member? Admonish the parents? Scream incoherently at the child?

I have said in a calm voice, "don't do that" if a child is going to push a lot of buttons on an elevator. If I'm in a jacuzzi and a child is trying to swim I'll tell the child "no kicking". I haven't had anything worse than that happen on a cruise.

I'd politely bring it to the attention of the parents, however if the kids are running amok there most likely is no discipline to begin with. Then alert a crew member (security would be the best) let them handle it. Have a great cruise.

If they are running and screaming down the hallways I'd call guest services and make a complaint. In the dining room I'd make a comment to my waiter and if nothing happened I'd ask the maitre d for another table and explain why. In the buffet area I'd just look for somewhere else to sit.

What I wouldn't do is take matters into my own hands. The ship has staff that are trained to handle these situations.

Honestly though in 7 cruises so far I've only had something like this come up once. A couple of kids were running down the hallway banging on all the doors. It happened once and I didn't have to say anything. I have a feeling security talked to their parents.

Forgot to mention. On a few cruise I have seen the crew (security) handle unruly children, mostly telling to stop what ever they where doing. One time they (security) brought the children to the parents and discussed the behavior.The also seen folks kicked off the ship for Bad behavior. Mostly for fighting and stupidity.

I rarely have seen kiddos doing things that warrant complaint. When I've been in the elevator and a little one is playing with the buttons I have said ,"Stop that ,the elevator is not a toy". as there were no other adults around and waiting to tell staff would have been useless!

On the other hand when we see families with very well behaved children in the dining room we often stop to compliment the parents on the wonderful job they are doing!!

Sometimes you don't need to say anything. There were 2 kids probably around the 12-14 age range who had a cabin next to their parents. One day they decided to scream and yell while pounding on their parents door to let them in. After about 3 minutes of this - I flung open my cabin door which was diagonal from them (I was in an inside and they were in an OV) and stared directly at them. The look on their faces was priceless. Never heard a peep out of them again. In fact, they wouldn't even make eye contact with me the rest of the cruise! Score.

If parents are absent, ask the child to stop/slow/quiet down. If a parent is present- get the parents attention. I have had only one absentee parent ignore my requests and blame our party in the hot tub for not allowing her 11 year old snowflake to enter the hot tub. Dear mother was not attending to or accompanying said snowflake into the hot tub as posted rules state. Even pointing to the sign made no difference. Can't fix stupid. Plus snowflake started yelling at us... I could tell she never heard the word 'no' before.

I deal with them the same way as I deal with unruly adults. If they are doing something to me directly I ask them to stop and am prepared to stand my ground. If they are doing something illegal (and I don't mean just a breech of etiquette or a cruise line rule like no smoking on balconies) I'd report them to the authorities. If they're just being obnoxious and/or doing something I find irritating, I'd simply remove myself from their proximity, pronto.

The only thing I would do different if it were a child is that I would never stand by and allow a kid to get hurt in my presence. I'd actively intervene if an accident was imminent, no matter what the circumstances.

I have quietly asked if they were aware that families have been put off cruise ships if family members have made trouble. Generally effective - even though sometimes greeted with a mumbled insult off a one finger salute - they do usually shut up and slow down.

Kids running down the hall at night and button pushers have been the brunt of it.

I have had more trouble with young adults (read drunks) than I have with kids. I had one butthead that insisted on playing his music loudly in his cabin next door. I called security twice and the third time I, uh, talked to him myself. That put the fear of God in him. No more problem.;)

If it directly affects me, like kids running INTO me, then I will speak directly to the kids. Otherwise, they aren't your kids...ignore them!

We ignore them! :D

A couple of years ago, my DH encountered a couple of young ladies (age 10-12), who were "elevator jumping". When he asked what they were doing, they replied that they were jumping up and down to see if the elevator would crash. My DH pointed out to them that, should they succeed, it would be unlikely that they would survive the fall. And, even if they did, the Captain would be putting them and their families off the boat, at the next port. They got very wide-eyed and ran off the elevator -- never saw them again.

Duck Tape.

dup

One cruise we were on had a big "family reunion" going on. The young kids were going around on deck trying to find "Stuff" in everyone else's bags (so, if you were in the pool and not watching...) I stopped the kid who was basically trying to steal and reported it to security. I told security I wasn't paying for a cruise to stand by and let some unruly kids steal from me because I wanted to enjoy myself in the pool or hot tub without worry. They needed to police it (and the parents who were probably sending the kids out to do it!) It stopped.

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.

We were in RCCL. Got in the elevator and a second before the door closed, someone threw a pair of shoes into the elevator. We immediately sensed what was going on, and when the doors opened one deck up, a barefoot teen was standing there looking at the floor like he was looking for something. He seemed quite confused that there were no shoes on the floor where his idiot friend had tossed them. DH had picked them up and was holding them behind his back.

The kid got in, went up one more floor and got off, still lacking a pair of shoes. We went another floor or two to our destination, got off, and dumped them into a fake plant.

Not my monkey, not my zoo.

Unfortunately there's no age limit on unruly behavior :eek:

I have no problem correcting other people's kids if they are misbehaving. I would not hesitate o involve the appropriate ships staff if needed.

BUT...

I will confess...many a time I have been on an elevator with a child who was clearly restraining themself and told them "Go ahead - push all the buttons! Just for vacation its OK" That is generally met with a huge grin!

Lighten up - its just a few extra floor stops and lets the kid have fun.

I've even had people get on and get exasperated over stopping at every floor - I would say "Yes - somebody pushed all the buttons! wink & giggle with the kid!

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.

+1

Stand up and say something. If you are in the right you will be doing everyone a service. Showing silence or moving away is acceptance of that behavior as acceptable.

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.

We were in RCCL. Got in the elevator and a second before the door closed, someone threw a pair of shoes into the elevator. We immediately sensed what was going on, and when the doors opened one deck up, a barefoot teen was standing there looking at the floor like he was looking for something. He seemed quite confused that there were no shoes on the floor where his idiot friend had tossed them. DH had picked them up and was holding them behind his back.

 

The kid got in, went up one more floor and got off, still lacking a pair of shoes. We went another floor or two to our destination, got off, and dumped them into a fake plant.

 

Not my monkey, not my zoo.

Love it!.......Only I wouldn't have "dumped" them in a potted plant, I would have taken them to my cabin and put them in the trash for the steward to dispose of. But, hopefully a member of staff found them in the plant, and disposed of them as well.

We were in RCCL. Got in the elevator and a second before the door closed, someone threw a pair of shoes into the elevator. We immediately sensed what was going on, and when the doors opened one deck up, a barefoot teen was standing there looking at the floor like he was looking for something. He seemed quite confused that there were no shoes on the floor where his idiot friend had tossed them. DH had picked them up and was holding them behind his back.

 

The kid got in, went up one more floor and got off, still lacking a pair of shoes. We went another floor or two to our destination, got off, and dumped them into a fake plant.

 

Not my monkey, not my zoo.

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 ;)