How to AVOID children on cruises?

[MIAMIMEDIA]

I agreed with you up to here. I have a DS(15) and a DD(13), if they want to go get ice cream, play some B-ball, go mini-golfing, go to the arcade, play ping pong etc. I will let them go off and do it. They are old enough and mature enough to know how to behave and I have never had anyone complain to me about their behavior. I have only received compliments about their behavior from teachers, principals, coaches and complete strangers. They have earned my trust to be able to go off on their own and do these activities. They are definately not a burden, but I am not going to curtail their freedom to keep them by my side the whole time. They do not like doing the teen clubs so if I were to do what you suggest and supervise them until they were adults, then we would have to be together 24/7. Not going to happen. While it is a family vacation, we don't need to be together 24/7. I trust my kids enough to give them the freedom to do the activities they enjoy without my looking over their shoulder. They haven't let me down yet.

 

 

Sorry I was unclear. If they are in a kids club they are being supervised. If your children at 15 and 13 are responsible to behave correctly, then they should be able to have freedom on the ship. But as a parent I am sure you have seen many kids in the age range of 12- 17 that should not be given any freedom to be off on their own causing issues. If you raise your children well, at a certain point, they should be able to make decisions on their own and be independant from their parents. You are correct! But usually the kids that do not know how to make the right decisions are the ones off on their own causing mischeif. Then some narrow minded people just bunch all kids together. Generalization is a very bad thing.

 

Let me also mention that there are a few adults out there on cruise ships that need a little supervision as well.;)

[Lizzie1213]

Just because families go on a vacation on a cruise ship does not mean that are spoiling their kids. My children work hard and excel in their responsibilities and deserve a vacation. Since I am able to afford a cruise for our family that is what we choose. AND....Some parents choose not to leave their kids for a week with anyone including their grandparents. WE ARE A FAMILY!!! Or some people do not have anyone to leave the kids with, even if they wanted to. At 16 many teenagers do appreciate traveling. A person's life experiences do not increase in value because of their chronological age.

 

I do agree that children should not be left unsupervised. They should accompanied by an adult until they are an adults. If you children are a burden to you on vacation then you should not have brought them.

 

But... bottom line, Everyone should raise their kids like they wish unless it impacts they way someone else chooses to live their life.

 

I agree. I always take my children on cruise vacations. They have their 9th cruise coming up. They work very hard at their schoolwork, helping with household and gardening chores, and now volunteer work.

 

they are not spoiled. in order to go on cruises they give up other things like Disney World, birthday parties, etcetra. This is a choice we have made as a family.

 

They have also been to Europe several times, and appreciate it!

 

They are not allowed to run around in unsupervised packs. I am very clear on the expectations I hold. They are taught to show upmost consideration for other guests and the crew.

[icanshine]

If taking my children on a cruise means they are spoiled, well then YIPPEEE, they are finally spoiled. Took long enough!! I guess I'm going to have to teach them how to be brats now, because we all know, you can't be a spoiled kid without being a brat. :D

 

Don't defend why you take your kids on the cruise, just do it, it'll be fun!

[Cuizer2]

If taking my children on a cruise means they are spoiled, well then YIPPEEE, they are finally spoiled. Took long enough!! I guess I'm going to have to teach them how to be brats now, because we all know, you can't be a spoiled kid without being a brat. :D

 

Oh good, I like brats. I had one on Saturday. It was $8. Tasted very good, though I thought $8 was a little steep. How much will you be selling your kids for? And what kind of bread will you supply (hot dog bun or French roll)?

[Onessa]

Oh good, I like brats. I had one on Saturday. It was $8. Tasted very good, though I thought $8 was a little steep. How much will you be selling your kids for? And what kind of bread will you supply (hot dog bun or French roll)?

 

Eight bucks for a brat?! Here's hoping it came with lots of kraut and on a really good brat bun.

 

They don't charge that much even at Miller Field (maybe for the little stuffed toy "running saugages" bratwurst guy! -- the one with the liedenhosen -- personally I prefer the Polish Kilbasa's striped shirt, my DD's fav is the Italian).

[gingerpeaches]

Also, there are some pretty awesome ones in July 2011 on RCL, including the Mediterranean, the Holy Land, or Scandinavia/Russia. There are some pretty amazing cruises out there, and I imagine the number of children on those would be pretty low. (Although if I could ever afford such a cruise, my son would be with us on it)

 

I cruised the Med last year on the Independence of the Seas (1-15 August). There were 1500 kids on that ship (including my two). I don't know why people seem to think there will be less kids on the ships in Europe? Cruising is taking off big time over here. It's becoming a really popular way to vacation.

 

By the way, maybe someone should offer the OP a glass of water to wash down his foot? He keeps sticking it in his mouth...

[peppermintpatty]

Simple, you don't like it, don't cruise. I am sure other places would be happy to have you.

[bbcruiser]

I agree that Spring Break probably is not the best time to avoid kids and cruising on a family friendly cruiseline compounds that problem.

 

I was just browsing the boards and someone mentioned that they are sailing to Alaska on HAL and only 14 kids will be on the ship. We have young children and don't consider HAL as child friendly as some of the other ships. My in-laws have sailed NCL, RCI, and HAL and definitely notice that the passengers on HAL tend to be older (and fewer kids).

 

That said, we sailed the NCL Pearl to Alaska last year in July (peak season) and were concerned that there might be too many kids (since our son has sensory issues when lots of loud kids are around). We found out there were about 300 teenagers, 150 elementary school aged kids, and less than 100 2-5 year olds. That's a lot less than 1300! We did see the teenagers roaming the ship, but they were not loud and did not play with the elevators. We didn't notice any problems with the kids in the dining rooms either.

 

Frankly, we cruise to Alaska because we live in Seattle. We've looked into going to Hawaii and it costs us more to do a Hawaii vacation than to book a Penthouse Suite or even a Courtyard Villa Penthouse suite on NCL. We would be spoiling our kids if we took them on land vacations to Hawaii more than if we cruised. I think when you add in the costs of food, housing, and transportation, cruising is often the cheaper option, not the more expensive option.

[Cruisin' Chick]

You know, you are welcome to your opinions, but what makes you think this is an appropriate comment on the FAMILY cruising board? Just about all of us here have "spoiled" children by your definition.

 

I have a lot to say about this, but I don't think it's worth the effort, so I'll skip it.

 

Well, I don't mind the effort, so here goes: We feel our daughter deserves a vacation just as much as us as she works her tushie off in school. I get amazed to see what the kids are learning nowadays at a major earlier time than those of us who grew up in the 60s. She had homework even in kindergarten (the one time we took her out of school for a cruise was then, and I got the week's packet from the teacher for her to do so she wouldn't be too far behind when she came back). Even on breaks, the kids can get a lot of work to do...and that's when the schools tell us they want us to reserve any vacations for. :confused::(

 

Next week are the state tests, and it seems everything comes down to teaching to the test (not the fault of the teachers, or even the schools, but of a previous presidential administration). A lot of pressure on the kids and teachers (and parents), and if there's a reason to give them a treat, so be it (her third grade teacher, who felt the same about the testing as me, would ask the parents to bring in treats and juice each day during that time for an after-test party...I guess you would call that spoiling the kids).

Just because you wouldn't have appreciated a European trip at 16 does not mean that others wouldn't either. Europe is a wonderful place to visit as a family.

 

As far as parents "spoiling" their kids because we take them on cruises, I will not stoop to your level. Cruising on a mass market cruise line is definitely not for you.

 

I haven't been to Europe -- we were usually left behind when my brother was old enough to look after his younger sisters, and before that, we went with our parents to closer places such as San Diego or Palm Springs, that were reachable by car for us.

 

On the other hand, my hubby's parents took their kids on several trips, including to Europe and Israel (including a long stay there which meant taking them out of school). I'm sure they didn't stay in any luxury hotels -- they didn't have the money. I think his mother would have pooh-poohed what you said and she was a teacher too.

[Cruisin' Chick]

EXCUSE ME??? I'm sorry but I do take your comments to heart. As a parent I enjoy taking my child to different places. Is she spoiled because I have the money to take her to foreign lands on vacation? NO. She isn't spoiled. Spoiled is a state of mind. It's not being grateful for what you have. It's all about attitude. If you are a brat and don't appreciate anything you have than you are spoiled. My DD doesn't get a lot of expensive toys. She doesn't live in a supersized house with all sorts of "stuff." We don't even own a flat screen TV. She gets to see the world. You say you are a teacher. Don't you think that taking a child to a foreign country to explore different cultures is educational? Why wouldn't you want them exposed to that? Think about what you saw in Europe? Think about what you learned? I just took my 9 YEAR OLD on an 11 day cruise to Greece, Egypt and Israel. She loved it. She was already well versed on the Greek gods and had a blast at the Acropolis and all of the ruins we visited. In fact one of her favorite things was the Parthenon. You can not tell me that you wouldn't want your children or your students to have that kind of experience.

 

As for leaving my child w/ Grandma. Every once in a while I do. I usually leave her with Grandma when I go to Las Vegas. (Though my DD usually spends one weekend a year in Vegas with me hanging out at the pool.) I do refuse to leave my child when I leave the country. I need to be able to get back home quickly just in case there is a medical emergency. I'm also not going to go for 7 days without contact from my child.

 

I'm also going to say this. I SUPERVISE MY CHILD. You will not see my child being a hooligan on the ship. She is MY CHILD. I will watch her. I do not expect other adults around the pool to make sure she doesn't drown. My child/my responsibility. It really makes me mad when people assume that everyone lets their children run amok on cruise ships. My child also knows the rules. You don't run down the hallway or make a peep before 10am or after 9p. She is well trained on how to behave on a cruise ship and in a hotel room. There are MANY ADULTS who are not as well behaved as my child. Heaven only knows how many times I've wanted to send an adult to their room on a cruiseship for bad behavior. Or I've wanted to stick my head outside of my cabin door and ask for silence. I'm sorry but I don't want a noisy adult waking my child up during the middle of the night. I'm usually mad that they woke me up! :)

If you don't want kids on a ship then use your personal days and go then. Or book a Crystal cruise or a "luxury" cruise lines. There shouldn't be too many kids on those ships at 5k-25k a person.

 

That being said, I hope you would recognize that the parents who are using the CruiseCritic forum to share ideas and experiences don't necessarily like being lumped in with the folks who parent badly.

 

One of the reasons we frequent this particular forum is to help other parents make informed decisions. Another reason is that we are researching user based reviews of cruise options that we think would be best for our families (and our buck).

 

I don't think the parents who are drinking buddies with their teens are terribly worried about what engaging excursions are available in the Bahamas , or how to pack for formal nights.

I would guess that there aren't too many posters in this forum that are "bad parents".

Please understand that that was the reason why the board was visibly upset with you in the beginning.

 

Very good posts. We don't have any video game equipment at home nor large screen tv's. Many of my daughter's friends' families probably do. We can't change the fact that the other parents are giving their kids these items (whether or not they can afford them), and we stick to our guns. Some kids behave and are grateful for what they have. Some aren't. But to paint all kids and all parents with the same brush...well, if you're surprised to get the reaction that you did, I imagine if you do the same at your school toward your kids or their parents, I would hope they will let you know that your comments are inappropriate. Part of learning isn't just book smarts or memorizing historical dates, but getting an understanding of people.

 

We had been on some cruises before we had our child and had never seen a misbehaving child. We thought it was cute when we saw the kids participating in "passenger scavenger hunts" or sitting at a table in the buffet having an activity between meals. I think that's the key to having a lot of kids onboard a ship without too much impact on the adults: keeping them busy and supervised. And that includes when they're not hanging out with the kids' program, but also when out and about the ship. Are they with their parents? Then they most likely aren't pressing buttons in the elevators. Are they in the their cabins after midnight? Then they aren't running up and down halls, waking up passengers who are in their own cabins.

 

The only cruise we were on that had misbehaving kids was our 15-day cruise. There were 250 kids under 18 onboard, but most of them didn't cause any problems. As we saw it, the brats that caused problems were all from the same extended family (a non-American family too). The parents let them loose to run around on their own. (The parents apparently parked themselves in the casino most of the time) They traveled in a pack, parking themselves on the stairwell, running around in the hallways late at night, throwing objects overboard. My daughter said she never saw any of these kids participating in the kids' program. They were undoubtedly bored. One of the youth security approached one of the fathers to tell him that he needs to supervise his kids; the guy told him, "I'm on vacation." This family was the talk of the ship (and even before one of the parents accidentally dropped a toddler over the gangway into the waters of Ensenada at the last port), and believe me, those of us who had kids who were behaving were ticked off at this family and the way they got away with their behavior (many long-term passengers complained directly to the captain at the most-traveled luncheon). I even told off one of these boys who shoved my daughter in the face in the pool == in Spanish after he claimed not to speak English. During this time, no parent showed up to wonder why I was speaking sternly to his kid. Probably his parents were nowhere near there.

 

BTW, our one cruise during spring break, it was the college kids that were the problematic ones. A three-day Easter weekend cruise, so we knew there would be kids. We also were on a cruise right as spring break was happening, but no problems onboard the ship; it was at one of our post-cruise hotels in the Keys that the college aged kids were noisy at 3am.

 

And the most disruptive cruisers we have ever encountered: about 1800 adults on a World Tourney of Bingo cruise! If we had known that this group was on the same ship as us, we would have changed our sailing date; unfortunately, that was before I had great access to the Internet to do a search.

[gingerpeaches]

The only cruise we were on that had misbehaving kids was our 15-day cruise. There were 250 kids under 18 onboard' date=' but most of them didn't cause any problems. As we saw it, the brats that caused problems were all from the same extended family (a non-American family too). [/quote']

 

Oh, Americans are better parents than non-Americans. Thanks for enlightening us all. :rolleyes:

[Cruz'n-n-Booz'n]

The title of this post made me laugh.....LOL!!

[BESTOFTIMES]

How to avoid children on Cruises....easy solution!!!!!

 

DON'T GO.....IT'S THAT SIMPLE.

[kitty9]

Eight bucks for a brat?! Here's hoping it came with lots of kraut and on a really good brat bun.

 

They don't charge that much even at Miller Field (maybe for the little stuffed toy "running saugages" bratwurst guy! -- the one with the liedenhosen -- personally I prefer the Polish Kilbasa's striped shirt, my DD's fav is the Italian).

 

I always bet on the Chorizo at Miller Park. Love the sombrero. But EIGHT bucks for a brat????? That person was hosed, big time. You need to leave LA and come to the home of the brats---the sausage---not the children LOL.

[Cuizer2]

You need to leave LA and come to the home of the brats---the sausage---not the children LOL.

 

I wasn't in LA at the time. I was at the Renaissance Faire.

[kitty9]

I wasn't in LA at the time. I was at the Renaissance Faire.

 

Now, that cracks me up even more, LOL. I somehow doubt that brats were invented back during the Renaissance period.

[Cuizer2]

Now, that cracks me up even more, LOL. I somehow doubt that brats were invented back during the Renaissance period.

 

Well, here are some pictures (I didn't take any of the food however) ...

 

 

 

 

 

[buckirj1]

The OP has a valid question, and I don't understand why people are so defensive.

 

To the OP: It's a shame your vacation time is restricted to school holidays; that severely limits your options. Everybody has different tolerances for children; I'd look at how you and your wife feel about different types of children and choose accordingly, based on some generalizatons about different cruiselines. Cruise Critic has a bunch of articles on "the best cruises for children, the best cruises for teens, the best cruises for seniors, etc." They're not perfect, but might be useful in narrowing your choices.

 

The articles are sort-of stereotypical, but contain a grain of truth. For example, if you don't mind young children Disney or NCL might be a good choice. Both have excellent programs that may keep kids busy and out of your hair. I've heard Disney in particular does a good job at segregating children in their own spaces, and seriously enforces adult-only areas.

 

On the other hand, if preteens and teens get on your nerves you might want to think twice about Carnival and RCI, two lines that have lots of activities available to them.

 

There are no adults-only cruises except for P&O, and you don't sound like you're in a position to try a British cruiseline. Would a theme cruise based on your hobbies/interests be worth investigating? Those are usually more expensive, but at least there'll be children whose parents' interests are similar to yours.

 

Good luck to you. Cruising can be a great vacation when you choose well. like you said, "lessons learned."

[Onessa]

I wasn't in LA at the time. I was at the Renaissance Faire.

 

Now, that cracks me up even more, LOL. I somehow doubt that brats were invented back during the Renaissance period.

 

I suppose if you "kabobed" mini-wursts it could be Ren-fair fare.

[Cuizer2]

I suppose if you "kabobed" mini-wursts it could be Ren-fair fare.

 

Good point.

[Cuizer2]

The OP has a valid question, and I don't understand why people are so defensive.

 

Defensive? I thought some of the posts were offensive, but not too many were defensive.

[scubababy]

I'm kind of laughing at this post. :rolleyes:

My husband and I traveled extensively before we had our daughter (after 19 years of marriage - she was our long awaited miracle!). We love cruising, and before we had Annie we always planned our cruises around school schedules. Never spring break, never fall break, never during the summer. Just common sense.

 

Sorry your cruise was spoiled by not having the "brains" to never ever book a cruise during spring break unless you are going to party with the masses.

 

With that said, we do take our daughter on vacations with us. She is 7 years old and will be taking her 3rd "exotic" cruise with us in less than 3 weeks. She's been on a Hawaii cruise, and a Med Cruise. We are taking a 15 day cruise with her in a few weeks. We're not spoiling her. It's what we've always done in our life and she just "rolls with flow" with our traveling. She loves it, and she really does appreciate it even at this young age.

 

I would suggest better planning for timing of your cruise on the standard 7 days cruises. Otherwise, start looking at cruises to Europe that are a little longer than 7 days. You will find far less children to annoy you on these type of cruises.

 

Patti

[gingerpeaches]

Sorry your cruise was spoiled by not having the "brains" to never ever book a cruise during spring break unless you are going to party with the masses.

 

 

The OP clearly stated that he is a teacher and therefore can only take vacations during school breaks. Maybe your big "brain" missed that part of his post. :rolleyes:

 

The thing is my wife and I are TEACHERS... Guess what. The only time we EVER get to take a vacation is the SAME time when kids are off. Every time.

 

 

 

I love kids, don't get me wrong. I work with 1,900 teenagers. I just don't want to live with them on vacation.

[Cuizer2]

The OP clearly stated that he is a teacher and therefore can only take vacations during school breaks. Maybe your big "brain" missed that part of his post. :rolleyes:

 

Never let the facts get in the way of a favored theory.

[alise007]

Oh dear I have ruined my children at 2 and 4. My spoiled brats who love to eat brats BTW-will never have any appreciation when they get older because I take them with me on vacation. My 4 yr old actually asks me to prepare "Germany food" for dinner!

 

I am lucky we can afford to take "nice" vacations. I plan plan plan like crazy working my points and miles and scrounging for the best rates. I would save time taking a cruise and probably save $ if I didn't have the Hilton points just on the dining costs alone.

 

I guess I should start looking at the roadside motels instead of the FREE 5 star Hiltons my children spend the night in while we vacation in Montreal, Quebec City at 1 yrd old, Prague (15 months old) and Ottawa last summer. My then 3 yr old learned to say "Parliament" and almost a year later still points out maple leaves on trees to us. They are clearly spoiled and ungrateful. Oh and I occasionally I let my child push all the buttons on the elevator in the 4 story Hampton Inn and my husband lets them ride on the luggage cart. But for the most part they are heavily supervised and expected to behave. Maybe cruise lines shouldn't allow soo many kids and so few chaperones. OR perhaps because these kids weren't spoiled they never got to take a vacation so they never learned or were not told how to behave in public. They get their first real taste of excitement and freedom and go WILD!

 

I didn't enjoy "fancy" vacations when I was growing up--lived near the Charleston beaches so that saved a dime or two but we spent a week at Garden City/Myrtle Beach almost every year or spring break in the NC/TN mountains. I think we had 1 Disney and 1 Washington DC trip. Other than DC--I didn't learn anything except for how to play air hockey really well and flirt heavily with boys. We weren't poor my Dad was just tight. I had a great tan but didn't do anything that I couldn't do any other weekend or summer day. I find that boring and a waste of time off.

 

I am taking them to San Diego this year--free hotel for the week using points but will pay at least $1000 in airfare plus rental car, meal and entertainment. A cruise would be much more affordable. We are splurging on an Alaskan Cruise next May/June. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they see the glaciers and wild animals.

 

I enjoy a much nicer vacation than most of the people I know. I don't spend much more $ in the long run than the people I know that rent a beach house for the week. I want to instill a passion for travel and learning in my kids from a young age. That is not spoiling! And it isn't a vacation for ME if I have to cook and clean all week long to save a dime.