Are the kids THAT bad during meals?

[BroncosFan2010]

On my first cruise, on the Adventure of the Seas, there were kids running around the MDR, even on formal night. I was so afraid that they were going to run into the waitstaff and the large trays of food would go everywhere. Never saw that happen, but now I only book smaller ships...Radiance Class or smaller. The lack of activities and smaller size seem to prevent too many families from booking.

[julieanne]

Funny thread! My parents were actually told one time by another couple (we were in our teens) that they had paid for their children and the could do or go wherever they wanted on board. The staff told them otherwise when the parents insisted the children be allowed into the nightclub after 11 pm.

That being said, our son has sailed with us since age 5. We would never have allowed that behavior and we have seen this many times. Our son is now 22 and we sail in the off season. I don't blame the children, it's the parents who allow this behavior.

[magnumite]

I've only just joined up to this Forum, having been a silent CC reader for the last year, researching our upcoming cruise....It is so heartening to know that there are still so many people out there who still feel that children should be disciplined by their PARENTS. We would never have dreamed of letting ours run riot when they were kids. (just had to share that:))

[BaltimoreChickadee]

I've only just joined up to this Forum, having been a silent CC reader for the last year, researching our upcoming cruise....It is so heartening to know that there are still so many people out there who still feel that children should be disciplined by their PARENTS. We would never have dreamed of letting ours run riot when they were kids. (just had to share that:))

 

Bravo to you! I do not like being around kids on vacation, and I avoid them especially at meal times. When I am seated near a family with kids (any age) I assume that my meal will be disrupted because as many have stated above, many parents think they get a "vacation from parenting" when on vacation. And that leaves the rest of us to deal with their inappropriate behaviors at the dinner table.

 

But I have "eaten crow" and approached a family to let them know when their children are well-behaved on the (very few) times I've witnessed that happening. On one vacation, we were seated next to a table of five, the parents and three kids roughly aged 6, 7 and 11. They sat down the same time as we did, so I knew we were in for the long haul. Well, these kids were a DREAM!!! They were so polite, so well-behaved, talked using "inside voices" and never once caused a disturbance. I honestly can say I have never witnessed a family with kids that particular age who behaved so wonderfully.

 

There was a similar table across the way, same age kids, same family of five, etc. And those kids were a NIGHTMARE. None of them stayed in their seats. They ran around the table bumping into chairs of other diners. They clinked their forks over and over and over on their plates just to make a racket. The poor waiter seemed so frazzled, the nearby diners seemed angry and disgusted, yet the parents sat there in their own world, drinking their wine, oblivious to the disturbance their children were creating. And THAT is what I see 98% of the time while on vacation. So it's nice to hear comments like yours, that state you would never allow such behavior out of your children. I think some parents though indeed think the world revolves around their kids, and that their children don't "need" discipline on vacation.

 

That other family I spoke of, with the kids aged 6, 7 & 11 that were so well-behaved, well we saw them several times on that trip. And at every moment, those kids were so pleasant, so polite, and never once were out of control, never once drew attention to themselves, and really were phenomenal to be around. So you KNOW they were good when someone like me, who admittedly states I don't like kids, went to the parents a 2nd time (after complementing them the 1st time at dinner earlier in the week) and letting them know how wonderful their kids were.

 

One day during the trip, we were all in line for the "boogie board rentals".....the dad & these kids were behind me, and the dad was saying to the kids they were gonna rent one boogie board for them to share. When the dad was telling the kids they'd all share one board, NOT ONE of those kids complained. When most of us know, 99.9% of kids out there would have thrown a hissy fit over having to (god-forbid) SHARE something with their own siblings.

 

I rented my board, then asked to pay for 3 more. The lady handed me the 3 extra wristbands, and I turned to the father and insisted he take all 3 rental bands so each of his kids could have their own board. So the father beamed with pride when I offered him the wrist bands for 3 boards, and I told him I wanted to do it to show the children their wonderful behavior did not go unnoticed. Sure I spent an extra $36 for 3 extra boards, but it was worth it to have witnessed such exceptional behavior from kids that nowadays doesn't happen too often.

 

And ya know when I knew for sure I did the right thing? About 30 minutes later I saw those same 3 kids with their boogie boards, SHARING them with a group of 3 other kids. They'd each ride the wave, come back into shore, and hand it off to another kid. The unselfishness and exemplary behavior of those children is so rare these days, and I only hope to encounter more families like that in the future. :D:D:D

[BroncosFan2010]

Bravo to you! I do not like being around kids on vacation, and I avoid them especially at meal times. When I am seated near a family with kids (any age) I assume that my meal will be disrupted because as many have stated above, many parents think they get a "vacation from parenting" when on vacation. And that leaves the rest of us to deal with their inappropriate behaviors at the dinner table.

 

But I have "eaten crow" and approached a family to let them know when their children are well-behaved on the (very few) times I've witnessed that happening. On one vacation, we were seated next to a table of five, the parents and three kids roughly aged 6, 7 and 11. They sat down the same time as we did, so I knew we were in for the long haul. Well, these kids were a DREAM!!! They were so polite, so well-behaved, talked using "inside voices" and never once caused a disturbance. I honestly can say I have never witnessed a family with kids that particular age who behaved so wonderfully.

 

There was a similar table across the way, same age kids, same family of five, etc. And those kids were a NIGHTMARE. None of them stayed in their seats. They ran around the table bumping into chairs of other diners. They clinked their forks over and over and over on their plates just to make a racket. The poor waiter seemed so frazzled, the nearby diners seemed angry and disgusted, yet the parents sat there in their own world, drinking their wine, oblivious to the disturbance their children were creating. And THAT is what I see 98% of the time while on vacation. So it's nice to hear comments like yours, that state you would never allow such behavior out of your children. I think some parents though indeed think the world revolves around their kids, and that their children don't "need" discipline on vacation.

 

That other family I spoke of, with the kids aged 6, 7 & 11 that were so well-behaved, well we saw them several times on that trip. And at every moment, those kids were so pleasant, so polite, and never once were out of control, never once drew attention to themselves, and really were phenomenal to be around. So you KNOW they were good when someone like me, who admittedly states I don't like kids, went to the parents a 2nd time (after complementing them the 1st time at dinner earlier in the week) and letting them know how wonderful their kids were.

 

One day during the trip, we were all in line for the "boogie board rentals".....the dad & these kids were behind me, and the dad was saying to the kids they were gonna rent one boogie board for them to share. When the dad was telling the kids they'd all share one board, NOT ONE of those kids complained. When most of us know, 99.9% of kids out there would have thrown a hissy fit over having to (god-forbid) SHARE something with their own siblings.

 

I rented my board, then asked to pay for 3 more. The lady handed me the 3 extra wristbands, and I turned to the father and insisted he take all 3 rental bands so each of his kids could have their own board. So the father beamed with pride when I offered him the wrist bands for 3 boards, and I told him I wanted to do it to show the children their wonderful behavior did not go unnoticed. Sure I spent an extra $36 for 3 extra boards, but it was worth it to have witnessed such exceptional behavior from kids that nowadays doesn't happen too often.

 

And ya know when I knew for sure I did the right thing? About 30 minutes later I saw those same 3 kids with their boogie boards, SHARING them with a group of 3 other kids. They'd each ride the wave, come back into shore, and hand it off to another kid. The unselfishness and exemplary behavior of those children is so rare these days, and I only hope to encounter more families like that in the future. :D:D:D

 

 

What a great story and a great family! If I encountered more families like this, I might not be so hesitant to cruise on the huge ships. Unfortunately, I have only ever seen bad behavior by children. The worst is when these kids, or INFANTS are on excursions and you are stuck in a van with a screaming child. Don't the parents realize that they are ruining the excursion for everyone! We have actually canceled an excursion, with no refund, because a child was screaming for the first 10 minutes while we waited for the tour to start. The mother did not even look at her screaming kid! I could not stand it, and we decided to ditch.

[sparky-elpaso]

Bravo to you! I do not like being around kids on vacation, and I avoid them especially at meal times. When I am seated near a family with kids (any age) I assume that my meal will be disrupted because as many have stated above, many parents think they get a "vacation from parenting" when on vacation. And that leaves the rest of us to deal with their inappropriate behaviors at the dinner table.

 

But I have "eaten crow" and approached a family to let them know when their children are well-behaved on the (very few) times I've witnessed that happening. On one vacation, we were seated next to a table of five, the parents and three kids roughly aged 6, 7 and 11. They sat down the same time as we did, so I knew we were in for the long haul. Well, these kids were a DREAM!!! They were so polite, so well-behaved, talked using "inside voices" and never once caused a disturbance. I honestly can say I have never witnessed a family with kids that particular age who behaved so wonderfully.

 

There was a similar table across the way, same age kids, same family of five, etc. And those kids were a NIGHTMARE. None of them stayed in their seats. They ran around the table bumping into chairs of other diners. They clinked their forks over and over and over on their plates just to make a racket. The poor waiter seemed so frazzled, the nearby diners seemed angry and disgusted, yet the parents sat there in their own world, drinking their wine, oblivious to the disturbance their children were creating. And THAT is what I see 98% of the time while on vacation. So it's nice to hear comments like yours, that state you would never allow such behavior out of your children. I think some parents though indeed think the world revolves around their kids, and that their children don't "need" discipline on vacation.

 

That other family I spoke of, with the kids aged 6, 7 & 11 that were so well-behaved, well we saw them several times on that trip. And at every moment, those kids were so pleasant, so polite, and never once were out of control, never once drew attention to themselves, and really were phenomenal to be around. So you KNOW they were good when someone like me, who admittedly states I don't like kids, went to the parents a 2nd time (after complementing them the 1st time at dinner earlier in the week) and letting them know how wonderful their kids were.

 

One day during the trip, we were all in line for the "boogie board rentals".....the dad & these kids were behind me, and the dad was saying to the kids they were gonna rent one boogie board for them to share. When the dad was telling the kids they'd all share one board, NOT ONE of those kids complained. When most of us know, 99.9% of kids out there would have thrown a hissy fit over having to (god-forbid) SHARE something with their own siblings.

 

I rented my board, then asked to pay for 3 more. The lady handed me the 3 extra wristbands, and I turned to the father and insisted he take all 3 rental bands so each of his kids could have their own board. So the father beamed with pride when I offered him the wrist bands for 3 boards, and I told him I wanted to do it to show the children their wonderful behavior did not go unnoticed. Sure I spent an extra $36 for 3 extra boards, but it was worth it to have witnessed such exceptional behavior from kids that nowadays doesn't happen too often.

 

And ya know when I knew for sure I did the right thing? About 30 minutes later I saw those same 3 kids with their boogie boards, SHARING them with a group of 3 other kids. They'd each ride the wave, come back into shore, and hand it off to another kid. The unselfishness and exemplary behavior of those children is so rare these days, and I only hope to encounter more families like that in the future. :D:D:D

 

And I'll bet that those kids didn't have to be told to share - they did it because that's the way they were raised.

[BaltimoreChickadee]

What a great story and a great family! If I encountered more families like this, I might not be so hesitant to cruise on the huge ships. Unfortunately, I have only ever seen bad behavior by children. The worst is when these kids, or INFANTS are on excursions and you are stuck in a van with a screaming child. Don't the parents realize that they are ruining the excursion for everyone! We have actually canceled an excursion, with no refund, because a child was screaming for the first 10 minutes while we waited for the tour to start. The mother did not even look at her screaming kid! I could not stand it, and we decided to ditch.

 

 

I just re-opened this thread and didn't realize my story was soooo long! sorry about that!:D

 

And I agree that I wish we'd ALL experience more families like the one I had the pleasure of meeting! It's a shame, really it is, that it's so rare to find well-behaved kids. I used to be wary of saying I "dislike being around kids" on vacations, but now I just flat out say it because in most of my experiences with kids on vacations, they are a nightmare and the parents do not discipline them.

 

What a shame your excursion was ruined because of a screaming child. Trust me, been there, done that. Um, really, a child under the age of 6 should NOT be allowed on ANY excursion, unless it is labeled a "family excursion". Van rides that are too long, hikes that are too hot, quiet moments in nature that are ruined by outbursts.....really? Do parents REALLY need to being their 3-year old along in a jam-packed mini-van only to have to lug the kid through a rainforest? It's completely unfair for the rest of the group. More kid-friendly excursion options should be available so that adults can go on an excursion and not feel like the entire experience was ruined by kids too young to appreciate and respect what's going on around them.

[BaltimoreChickadee]

And I'll bet that those kids didn't have to be told to share - they did it because that's the way they were raised.

 

 

BINGO!!!! It was truly the most heart-warming moment I witnessed on my trip, and it made me glad that this self-proclaimed "child hater" rewarded kids that truly deserved it and appreciated it.

 

At one point during their boogie board sharing time, the 3 kids, (as I stated) were sharing with 3 other random kids. A small boy was watching nearby, (a native to the island who was sitting with his mother who was braiding hair on the beach) and this little boy stood and watched and watched those kids play. One of the small boys who belonged to that lovely family saw that native boy watching, and walked over to him, said something (I am guessing something along the lines of "come play with us") and that little native boy ripped off his shirt & sandals, ran with the other boy to the edge of the water, jumped on the boogie board and joined in the group of fun & boogie boarding. It truly truly brought tears to my eyes. If ALL parents could teach their kids to be so polite, be respectful while on vacation, and share with others so unselfishly, it would make for a better experience for EVERYONE all around! But alas, most kids aren't raised that way anymore. Their parents are selfish, self-serving, and oblivious to anyone's own needs except their own, and that's how their children behave as well. That's why witnessing this incredible family is still a favorite vacation memory of mine that involves kids. The other 99% of my experiences with kids have been awful and have made me wanna slap the parents for raising such ungrateful little brats. ;)

[donaldsc]

Part of the technique is to pick cruise destinations, lengths, times, and ship that will have fewer kids. If you go on the el-cheapo cruise over Christmas or spring break, there will obviously be a lot of kids. If you go on a 2 week cruise in February, there will not be very many kids. In every group of kids, 95% will be basically well behaved but the other 5% will ruin your cruise.

 

We have done a bunch of cruises and have not had any kid problems.

 

DON

[Cuizer2]

Part of the technique is to pick cruise destinations, lengths, times, and ship that will have fewer kids. If you go on the el-cheapo cruise over Christmas or spring break, there will obviously be a lot of kids. If you go on a 2 week cruise in February, there will not be very many kids. In every group of kids, 95% will be basically well behaved but the other 5% will ruin your cruise.

 

We have done a bunch of cruises and have not had any kid problems.

 

DON

 

Then why do you claim 5% will ruin your cruise?

[BaltimoreChickadee]

Part of the technique is to pick cruise destinations, lengths, times, and ship that will have fewer kids. If you go on the el-cheapo cruise over Christmas or spring break, there will obviously be a lot of kids. If you go on a 2 week cruise in February, there will not be very many kids. In every group of kids, 95% will be basically well behaved but the other 5% will ruin your cruise.

 

We have done a bunch of cruises and have not had any kid problems.

 

DON

 

 

I am going on the Epic the last week in September. I chose that ship because I am hoping it's less kids than Disney, and I chose the end of September because I am hoping most kids will be in school. :D

[Travelcat2]

Part of the technique is to pick cruise destinations, lengths, times, and ship that will have fewer kids. If you go on the el-cheapo cruise over Christmas or spring break, there will obviously be a lot of kids. If you go on a 2 week cruise in February, there will not be very many kids. In every group of kids, 95% will be basically well behaved but the other 5% will ruin your cruise.

 

We have done a bunch of cruises and have not had any kid problems.

 

DON

 

I'm confused as well. Cruises during Christmas and spring break are typically much more expensive -- not "el-cheapo" at all. However, they do draw large families (Christmas) and children. February is President's Week -- another week to watch out for. We find the least amount of children in October, early November and December, mid-January and early May.

 

I cannot imagine a cruise where 95% of children would be basically behaved. This morning at brunch, the lovely restaurant was overlooking a bay and also a railroad track. We can hear that train from 5 miles away on certain nights. However, many people who live right next to it claim they are not aware of it and it does not bother them at all. This reminded me so much of comments I read about children on CruiseCritic. IMO, children will act like children -- they will scream with delight, dive bomb into the swimming pool. . . . . the young ones will get fussy and cry, etc. This is why I travel in the months I mentioned above.

 

Again, just my opinion!

[GORDONCHICK]

I have been reading a lot of threads where people are telling horror stories about unsupervised kids, rowdy kids at meals, tables of kids with no parents, etc. Is it THAT bad? How can kids be allowed to sit at a table without a single adult?

 

Are there certain areas of the dining room that is sectioned off for families? Will our party of 4 adults be forced to sit next to rowdy tables of children or can we asked to be seated away from them?

 

We are all in our late 30's and really do not want to spend our evening meals dealing with unsupervised children. And why on earth would any parent allow their children to be so disruptive to others without intervening and disciplining them? :(

 

You didn't give your cruiseline info or dates. There are some cruiselines where there are usually more children than others (though no way to know which ones will misbehave or be rowdy), and there are certain times of the year or itineraries that will draw more families than others.

[rogerwaters]

You didn't give your cruiseline info or dates. There are some cruiselines where there are usually more children than others (though no way to know which ones will misbehave or be rowdy), and there are certain times of the year or itineraries that will draw more families than others.

 

 

Sorry, have been quite busy running errands today! We originally booked the Norwegian Epic for 9-11-2010 but just changed it to 9-25-2010 sailing (still on Epic) thinking later in September would be less kids, plus there was a scheduling conflict so we had to change it anyway. We wanted our first cruise to be a "grand experience" so we figured a new ship would be the way to go!

[GORDONCHICK]

Sorry, have been quite busy running errands today! We originally booked the Norwegian Epic for 9-11-2010 but just changed it to 9-25-2010 sailing (still on Epic) thinking later in September would be less kids, plus there was a scheduling conflict so we had to change it anyway. We wanted our first cruise to be a "grand experience" so we figured a new ship would be the way to go!

 

I've only been on one NCL cruise with another in less than a month. My experience is that there were few children in the dining rooms. I cannot speak to the specialty restaurants since we only ate in the MDRs. The nice thing about NCL is that when you go to dine in a MDR, you will be seated just with your party. The same goes for reservations in specialty venues except the Japanese steakhouse.

 

I don't know what your idea of grand is so it's hard to say if you have reasonable expectations or not. Are you booked in a suite? The NCL suite perks would definitely help. If you are in a garden villa or courtyard villa, I've heard those are very special. If not in a suite or higher, NCL is a nice cruise line with lots of options for dining. The Epic looks to be a lovely ship. But do not expect 5-star dining. Most mass-marketed lines to a good job with serving 2000-5000 passengers and food is more than abundant. And food is very subjective anyway.

[notentirelynormal]

You're going to find smart mouthed kids everywhere. And you're going to find nice kids anywhere. I've never met a smart mouthed kid on a cruise. Wish I could say the same of some adults.

 

I travel with my family, and that includes kids. My kids were 7 when they started cruising. Back before kids centers and events. My kids grew up with some crew members who have fond memories of them. I get compliments to this day about my adults children. My grandchildren are raised the same. Manners. Its all about manners. You can sit next to a table of 1 child who's obnoxious (look to the parents) and a table with 3 kids who are perfect (look to the parents). What a lot of adults aren't getting - its the parents not the kids who are at fault. Bad words, bad actions are dealt with immediately. Please, thank you and excuse me. Words that the kids should know. The rudest most obnoxious people I have encountered on cruises are older individuals. I actually reported this one guy to the cruise director cos I was getting tired of his smart as* remarks. I've had one couple be nastier then sh*t because my DD created the ultimate sin. She was 20 YO and on a Med cruise. The nasty looks she got every single night from that couple would bring anyone to their knees. Even the crew members made fun of this woman she was so nasty. What did my DD do? Nothing. Are the kids that bad. Maybe. So are some adults. Ever sat next to a drunk adult? Ya! Ok! Will I say something to the rude kid. Yup, you bet. Can't hold me back. If you meet my kids and grandkids, you'll find manners. It gets old hearing about all tlhe people complaining about kids on cruises. There are WAY more obnoxious adults.

[tomko2]

We have never had our dinner disrupted by unruly children. When we first started cruising people said to take the late dining time to avoid "all the families". Well, we take the early seating and never left the dining room unhappy because of children.

 

On one cruise, we gave up eating in the dining room after 3 nights because of tablemates that came late every night (and the waiter held off service until they arrived). One of them was in very poor health and it was not a pleasant dining experience.

 

In hindsight we realized we should have spoken to the Head Waiter and ask for another table. We ended up going to the WJ and the speciality restaurants.

[crusn2gethr]

You're going to find smart mouthed kids everywhere. And you're going to find nice kids anywhere. I've never met a smart mouthed kid on a cruise. Wish I could say the same of some adults.

 

I travel with my family, and that includes kids. My kids were 7 when they started cruising. Back before kids centers and events. My kids grew up with some crew members who have fond memories of them. I get compliments to this day about my adults children. My grandchildren are raised the same. Manners. Its all about manners. You can sit next to a table of 1 child who's obnoxious (look to the parents) and a table with 3 kids who are perfect (look to the parents). What a lot of adults aren't getting - its the parents not the kids who are at fault. Bad words, bad actions are dealt with immediately. Please, thank you and excuse me. Words that the kids should know. The rudest most obnoxious people I have encountered on cruises are older individuals. I actually reported this one guy to the cruise director cos I was getting tired of his smart as* remarks. I've had one couple be nastier then sh*t because my DD created the ultimate sin. She was 20 YO and on a Med cruise. The nasty looks she got every single night from that couple would bring anyone to their knees. Even the crew members made fun of this woman she was so nasty. What did my DD do? Nothing. Are the kids that bad. Maybe. So are some adults. Ever sat next to a drunk adult? Ya! Ok! Will I say something to the rude kid. Yup, you bet. Can't hold me back. If you meet my kids and grandkids, you'll find manners. It gets old hearing about all tlhe people complaining about kids on cruises. There are WAY more obnoxious adults.

 

I agree completely! Can't say it any better than this.

 

Although, I will say we have GREAT kids 9, 14, 16! They know how to behave because WE as their PARENTS have TAUGHT them!

[BaltimoreChickadee]

I agree completely! Can't say it any better than this.

 

Although, I will say we have GREAT kids 9, 14, 16! They know how to behave because WE as their PARENTS have TAUGHT them!

 

 

It is so refreshing to hear parents who actually TAUGHT their kids to behave, be polite, have manners, etc. Funny, (well not too funny) this weekend we were at dinner (just a basic neighborhood Mexican restaurant) and there was a table in the middle of the restaurant with a family of four (two adults, and two kids ages around 8 years old). Well they were a terror! Throwing tortilla chips across the table at eat other, running in & out of their seat, and the mom & dad sat there drinking their margaritas. So at one point, (I don't know what was said prior to this because we were too far away) but the one 8-year old boy said (loudly) "Shut up mom, shut your face! Don't tell me what to do!". I mean, you could hear a pin drop! The whole place just gasped! And what did the mom do? She ordered another drink and went right back into the conversation with her husband, and the kids went right back to terrorizing the place. Now, I am 38-years old, and if right now, today, in this moment, I spoke to my mom like that, she would have me by the ear dragging me out of that place so she could spank my behind in the parking lot! Hahahaaa!:D

 

There was another table of a family sitting nearby, and those little kids (younger than these 8-year olds) were soooooo well behaved, I must have saw 3 sets of people walk up to them (me included) and thanked them for being so polite despite the ruckus caused by the other family. I always feel the most sad for other families who have small children who witness other children behaving so badly. Since I don't have kids, I am not sure if situations like that are a "teachable moment", where the parents can say "See how disruptive those kids were" or if the good kids think, "Hmm, that's not fair. Why do THEY get to play with their food?". I always hope those good eggs don't get swayed by the bad ones......

[Travelcat2]

Just a comment. . . I'm sure all of us have stories about adults acting inappropriately. . . however, this thread is about children and how they act on a cruise ship. Talking about how poorly a few adults act really has little to do with how children act (except the children of the adults who are acting badly).

[Cuizer2]

Just a comment. . . I'm sure all of us have stories about adults acting inappropriately. . . however, this thread is about children and how they act on a cruise ship. Talking about how poorly a few adults act really has little to do with how children act (except the children of the adults who are acting badly).

 

So, what is your point?

[notentirelynormal]

Just a comment. . . I'm sure all of us have stories about adults acting inappropriately. . . however, this thread is about children and how they act on a cruise ship. Talking about how poorly a few adults act really has little to do with how children act (except the children of the adults who are acting badly).

 

Just a comment back ....

 

Would you prefer I start a thread "Are the adults THAT bad during meals?". Let's face it - this was a thread to complain about kids - again. I'll bet you if we went story for story you will find more stories that complain about bad behavior at dinner about adults then kids. It could be for many reasons - bad table manners, drunk, dress, can't carry a conversation, politics - anything. Did I mention drunk? The point is, just because you are sitting next to a kid at meal time does not mean you will have disruptive behavior. Just like just because you are sitting next to an adult at dinner does not mean you will have a great experience. Like I said before, you get good and you get bad like anywhere in life. It gets tiring having kids singled out for bad behavior when its not just them. Age has nothing to do with rudeness or bad manners. Its all subjective. I'd much rather sit next to a cranky 4 YO then an over the top drunk adult. If comparing bad behavior between adults and kids bothers you then maybe its you that has the issue. As far as "a few adults" isn't this the same as what has been discussed about the kids. Seriously how many times are we going to use the same family over and over again to talk about kid's bad behavior. Apparently the parents of those same kids were just as guilty of rude and obnoxious behavior so why don't you complain about sitting next to them instead.

[BaltimoreChickadee]

So, what is your point?

 

 

I think his point was let's keep talking about the little brats instead of the adults! Haha, kidding! :D:D:D

[Cuizer2]

I think his point was let's keep talking about the little brats instead of the adults! Haha, kidding! :D:D:D

 

Where do you think little brats come from? The big brats - aka the adults. The two are related (in more ways than one).

[sealady1]

Just a comment back ....

 

Would you prefer I start a thread "Are the adults THAT bad during meals?". Let's face it - this was a thread to complain about kids - again. I'll bet you if we went story for story you will find more stories that complain about bad behavior at dinner about adults then kids. It could be for many reasons - bad table manners, drunk, dress, can't carry a conversation, politics - anything. Did I mention drunk? The point is, just because you are sitting next to a kid at meal time does not mean you will have disruptive behavior. Just like just because you are sitting next to an adult at dinner does not mean you will have a great experience. Like I said before, you get good and you get bad like anywhere in life. It gets tiring having kids singled out for bad behavior when its not just them. Age has nothing to do with rudeness or bad manners. Its all subjective. I'd much rather sit next to a cranky 4 YO then an over the top drunk adult. If comparing bad behavior between adults and kids bothers you then maybe its you that has the issue. As far as "a few adults" isn't this the same as what has been discussed about the kids. Seriously how many times are we going to use the same family over and over again to talk about kid's bad behavior. Apparently the parents of those same kids were just as guilty of rude and obnoxious behavior so why don't you complain about sitting next to them instead.

Are there really THAT many badly behaving drunks showing up to dinner on cruise ships. Or is this a little bit of an exaggeration? If not, then what does the cruise line do about this bad behavior on the part of these drunk adults? I know in restaurants and even in bars a person who appears drunk can no longer be served and in most cases, will be asked to leave. Unfortunately, this does not work for badly behaving children.:(