You kids will love Regent

[RachelG]

We did the Norway cruise last year, and there were only a couple of kids under the age of 12. Most of the time, they were pretty good, but there are several sea days on this trip. One afternoon, there was a poorly supervised girl of about 8 or 9 terrorizing everyone in the computer room, running from computer to computer and pushing keys and playing with the mouse. She was on board with her grandparents, and I think both she and they would have been happier if she had not been along.

There were a couple of boys, brothers, who seemed to be having a fine time and were well behaved, as their dad made sure.

 

As far as seeing whales or otters, we saw neither. Really no wildlife at all other than reindeer at Nordkapp, sheep and goats (not wild in fields) and a few cattle.

 

A 9 year old would probably like the train ride at Flam, the funicular at Bergen, seeing the reindeer on the trip to Nordkapp, but this really isn't a trip for kids.

[rxlowry]

I think all the "bells and whistles" on some of the other ships aren't really necessary. We have been on ships with water slides (I am guessing this is what makes a pool "non-whimpy") and after you've gone down them a few times the kids go right into the plain, old pool. For the cruiser going to Norway, I doubt swimming will be a major activity anyway.

I think my daughter would have fun with her grandparents in a room with nothing. But, she loves spending time with them and they love being with her. If you enjoy each others company, you will have a good time. If you can't stand being around your grandkids for very long, then maybe a line with a more structured kid program is the right choice. Or maybe, it is never taking the kids with you on vacation. It just depends on the type of grandparent. Maybe the grandparents with the "computer terrorist" had a good time? And maybe the grandchild did too.

I would think most who book Regent with children are smart enough to realize what to expect out of it. I highly doubt they expect rock walls, water slides and character breakfasts.

[blue hen]

Travelcat2 Where have you taken your Grandchilden on vacation,ANYWHERE??? My husband and I are sooooo looking forward to our June cruise on the REGENT with our 7 year old granddaughter,this is here 9th cruise.

[hondorner]

... Being both a parent and grandparent, I just don't get it.

Maybe the wisest words you've ever spoken on the subject. I know I get it -- Two summers ago I spent 7 days on Carnival Triumph (amidst all the smokers, beer swillers and saggy pants) because my 30-something son and daughter and their significant others and my 3 grandkids (8, 6 and 4 at the time) absolutely love Carnival. The kids love Camp Carnival and Smokestack Freddie (their mascot) and their parents love the casino and disco while the grandparents sat the kids in the late evenings.

 

During the day, we never went near the adult pool (it was too crowded, anyway) and spent our time on the kiddie deck with water splash toys, water cannons, and water slide. We went to kids talent night at Camp Carnival rather than the theater, had dinner as a family every night, but the kids had lunch at their camp, and generally had a great time -- we didn't expect the kids and grandkids to join our world; we happily joined theirs for a week.

 

My kids are grown and my grandkids are well-behaved -- but they are children, and I am very pleased that they have a chance to act like children -- they grow up too fast as it is.

[WesW]

Hi Don, your grandchildren are very, very fortunate to have Betsy and you as

grandparents...thanks for sharing you're experience & wisdom.

[Emdee]

I agree and I dont on the above as it really depends on the child/children in question. My daughter was brought up from an early age to travel, visit museums and enjoy good food. As it so happens she never did go on Regent until she was 18 but she would have enjoyed the experience even at 7. As parents we tried to balance out the 'culture' with something a child would enjoy: Going to the top of the Eiffel tower or a trip on the Seine or eating a crepe on the street of Paris or even eating in MacDonalds when she was 5 in Singapore or Bangkok.

 

As an adult she credits her enjoyment of museums, theatre and opera from the fact that she was exposed to this at an early age. She also developed a fairly discerning palate. She enjoyed RCCL ( and still does) for a different type of experience as well. There is so much to see and do on any ship - each activity has its own merit.

 

What I absolutely abhor was someone telling me ( at 55) that I shouldnt be travelling Regent until I am retired. The absolute cheek.......

[blue hen]

Emdee, I think we are on the same page. I am trying to do this same thing with my granddaughter. I think your daughter is lucky to have a parent like you.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I don't have any grandchildren, and probably never will, although I live in hope.

 

I don't believe I would take them on Regent. Here's why:

 

When I was a child, we did lots of family visiting. But since both my parents were from very small families, I had no first cousins, and just 2 second cousins. But lots of great aunts and uncles. So, ..., I spent *lots* of time visiting them, once 6 weeks at a stretch. I was very good, everybody said was a little lady I was. I sat up straight and spoke politely. So I grew up with very good manners, and read a lot of books on those trips. My mum also dressed me like a lady.

 

But for the most part, I hated it. I would much rather have been outside playing with a bunch of kids and getting dirty. In fact, during the 6 weeks I spent with my great aunt Edna, I used to escape to the town pool and get my newly-permed hair all wet, just to make her mad. At least my great uncle had a farm where I could run around, swim in the pond, and get cowflaps thrown at me by my cousin.

[wripro]

Imo, parents (and grandparents) who take children on Regent or any other luxury line are only trying to please themselves more than their children. They want the luxury experience and will make their kids endure an inappropriate environment for their own selfish sake. If they truly had their childrens' enjoyment at heart they'd be on Disney or Royal Caribbean or Carnival.

[mariners]

I think it's important to note that most parents and grandparents make choices for their children/grandchildren based upon multiple factors. I am sure that each of you has been making the right choice for your children or grandchildren. I, too, am making the right choice for my grandchildren. I have been lucky enough to have them as an integral part of my life and have watched them while their parents' worked from the time each child was six months old. My DH and I have always taken them on holidays. We have holidays where the main focus is on waterparks, zoos, driving go-carts, etc. We have holidays where the main focus is on learning about other parts of the world and experiencing different cultures and lifestyles. We have holidays where some of the time we expect them to behave like "ladies". We want them to experience as much of the world as they can and to adapt to many different different environments. Regent was a perfect fit for us when we went on a multi-generational cruise. We had no problem providing child friendly experiences to our grandchildren. It was a wonderful experience for all of us and the memories will last forever - thanks to digital photography and memory books.

[Emdee]

Just the point I made Mariners!

 

I didnt neglect to take my daughter to Disney or cruise on RCCL. But even when we were on RCCL she was able to enjoy the grandeur of Peter the Great's Palace. I think we insult our children/grandchildren's intelligence by imagining that all they want is to play in a waterpark or experience Carnival or RCCL.

 

I came from a large family but vividly remember reading the guide books at the age of 10 when elder sisters were preparing for a european tour.

[blue hen]

MARINERS; Great post...Balance in life is so important,we all know what our children and grandchildren like and want to experience.

[elmwood]

Mariners and Emdee, you nailed what I wanted to say but had decided to hold back on until I was feeling less aggravated by what I saw as a rather sweeping generalisation.

 

My son, now fifteen, is a kid who likes fine dining and fast food. He loves sport, but he also loves to read and learn about new places. He's well travelled and can adapt to any situation. One thing, he doesn't like is big crowds nor does he like organised programmes for children or teenagers. The last kid-centric holiday we took him on to Club Med in Cancun, he lasted an hour in the teen programme before declaring it lame. Did that mean he spent the rest of the holiday with us having to do what we wanted? Not at all, he found a group of friends and they had a great time.

 

Were we selfish taking him on our recent Regent cruise? I don't think so. We had little choice as the expedition he was meant to be going on at the same time was postponed until the summer of next year. We are immigrants to Canada and have very little immediate family here who could help out and friends with whom he might have stayed were out of the country as it was March break. He had a great time on the Navigator finding plenty to do, independently of us at times, and said the trip was one of his top ten of all time trips. As a family we had a wonderful time and will treasure the time we spent together.

[smilingcruiser]

Elmwood - I feel exactly as yo9u do. We took all of our children and grandchildren on the Christmas cruise on the Navigator a few years. Our oldest granddaughter, then 14, had been on a large mass market ship the previous summer and much preferred the Navigator. In fact, she liked it so much, that she is starting college and wants to be a cruise director.

 

The person who said we are selfish obviously has no children or grandchildren, nor does he (or she) know how to have a wonderful family vacation. The time spent together created memories that the children will have forever./

[Travelcat2]

While I do not necessarily agree that people who book their young children on Regent are selfish (unless they are taking them on a cruise when no children whatsoever are on board -- such as the cruise we are on). It does puzzle me. There is a tendency for parents to compare luxury cruises with mass market cruises. There are, of course, premium cruises as well. Has anyone asked their children (of any age) -- just for the heck of it -- what cruise line they would prefer?

 

Some children do "fit" on a Regent ship. However, when given a choice (which I firmly believe they should on a family vacation), would they really pick a luxury cruise line?

[smilingcruiser]

Mine would and did!

[rxlowry]

The thing I am afraid of is she will pick this from now on!

What kind of "inappropriate" things will she have to "endure?" Is there an orgy that goes with the caviar? Are there "special brownies" served at tea time?

The posters above sound like parents I am trying to be like. We took our daughter to lunch in the castle at Disney on her birthday, just got back from Great Wolf earlier this week and have a trip planned after this cruise for a week in Gaitlenburg (theme parks, waterslides and mini golf) She is looking forward to both vacations. Alaska will be more of a learning trip but she loves animals and is quite a foodie!

Would I only let my child eat McDonald's, watch cartoons or read comic books?

[blue hen]

Our granddaughter who is 7yrs. old is so looking forward to our June cruise to Alaska on Regent,she has been on 7 mass market cruises. After this cruise I will give her CHOICE of cruise lines,Look out Regent you may be seeing a lot of us !!!

[Travelcat2]

Go ahead and flame me. . . . . but, why is it that the parents are so angry all the time? Some people have simply raised their children, are with them all the day and need a vacation or ??? It is not a sin to want an adult experience. As I have said at least 100 times on this board. . . . . summers and school vacations are the right time to try Regent. They will have fun. It is a shame that school teachers get the same time off as their students and therefore have no place to go for peace and relaxation.

 

I can only speak for myself. ... my children/grandchildren would not prefer Regent. I am not angry about anything. . . .. I post to get opinions from others and end up being flamed. There have been many discussions of children on the Navigator since I have been on board. No one gets upset with anyone. We simply state our opinions. BTW, there will be 60 children on the June 9th Alaska cruise -- significantly less than the 100-200 per week last year on the Mariner.

 

Perhaps some parents will "get it" when they finally have a romantic vacation with their husbands -- their children are with the grandparents. . . . everything is perfect. . . . and a load of children show up wherever you are. On the other hand, I would not wish that on anyone.

[smilingcruiser]

I feel that adults who desire an all adult vacation should be smart enough to cruise when schools are in session. For teachers, it is too bad that their vacations are at the same time as their students, but don't forget, they get the longest vacations of any profession, which is not too shabby. They can always go to Sandals, or one of the adults only resorts.

 

When not traveling with my children or grandchildren, I would not consider cruising during a school vacation. It is as simple as that.

[RachelG]

It all depends on the kid. If they have been raised to interact in adult situations and know how to behave (and know there are consequences if they don't), all should be well. And my kids always had a great time on Regent. But they knew that they were in big trouble if they did anything bad or even overly rambunctious.

 

On the other hand, if the kid is poorly supervised and not been taught how to behave properly and politely around adults, things can go bad in a minute.

 

The computer room terrorist I referred to was totally unsupervised--I think her grandparents either couldn't be bothered or were clueless about her activity. They just didn't pay much attention to her. The fault of the grandparents, not the child, but it made everyone else around her aggravated and annoyed.

[ededmd]

Perhaps some parents will "get it" when they finally have a romantic vacation with their husbands -- their children are with the grandparents. . . . everything is perfect. . . . and a load of children show up wherever you are.

 

They can always go to Sandals, or one of the adults only resorts.

 

I understand Tc2 where you are coming from. It is always disappointing when you have certain expectations from a vacation and those expectations are not met.

 

However, one must recognize that unless Regent designates their non summer/holiday vacations "adult only" - like Sandals - there are no guarantees of that experience.

 

I have a similar issue at my gym (with adults) regarding reasonable expectations. I understand that during periods of peak use I cannot expect to have open treadmills around me. That however is my preference. So I go during off-peak times. Mark me irritated then when there are 12 empty treadmills in the row and someone comes up and gets on the one *right beside me* during an off peak time. Yes, it is annoying when expectations are not met. I realize however that the issue is mine and not the other person's.

[mariners]

I think this is a good thread as it shows the spectrum of feelings that passengers have about taking children onboard Regent. Those of us who have experienced Regent with our children/grandchildren know what happened specifically on our cruises. Those who have booked but have not yet experienced cruising on Regent with their children/grandchildren will be aware that not everyone is prepared to love having the child or children onboard. Those who are considering Regent will have multiple opinions to weigh to help them make a choice.

If I win one of our big lotteries, I hope that my family will choose to become like the World Wide Weldons who extensively travel with their children including taking "discovering the world" cruises on Regent. :D

[Travelcat2]

I agree that this is a good thread and gives information to those considering a cruise on Regent -- with or without their children. It lets them hear different views on the subject.

 

The only reason I'm posting again is the "Sandals" comments. I highly respect school teachers. . . . . and would never even think that it's okay to suggest that they forgo a luxury cruise and go to Sandals because some of them are adults-only. Sandals is quite nice in it's all-inclusive resort category, but, comparing it to a luxury cruise is like comparing apples to xxxxxx (I bleeped that myself).

 

Just hope that parents realize that Regent is specifically set up for children certain times of the year. Next week there will be 60 children on the ship. Right now there are none. It works well this way.

[wripro]

60 kids on the Navigator???? How can that possibly NOT affect the experience? Of course, I'm sure these children are all sophisticated world travelers whose parents have taken them to three star Michelin restaurants since they were weaned and who have never cried, run or caused a stir when they didn't get what they wanted when they wanted it. Stepford children perhaps.