Did We Make a MISTAKE??

[Lady_Gamecock]

Greetings to Everyone Here on the Family Board!

 

It's been quite a while since I stopped by this area! I thought we knew everything possible about cruising with a Baby/Toddler, until.......we added a NEW one! :) (Found out I was prego while underway on X's Equinox in the Med last October!) :p

 

Anyway, here is my issue:

 

We're trying Princess for the first time (Baby_G, Baby_Cocky, JCGamecock, and DH's Parents). Ummmmm.....a lot of their PAX don't seem to like the kiddos on-board, let alone babies. (Baby_Cocky will six months old when we cruise in January.) I know we parents catch a lot of grief on other lines, but I have to say, I'm generally concerned. On Royal and X I just flash my Diamond Status Smile and nothing else is said.

 

How have ya'll been treated on Princess with kiddos??

 

Lady_G

[ugen512]

Princess has a very loyal following so even if you were Elite, flashing the card would not carry much weight. With that said, I do not think it is any different than any other premium line (HAL and X). If you actually parent and don't let your kids do whatever they want, there should be no issues. When our daughter was younger(and even now) we got more dirty looks because she was well behaved.

 

If I offended anyone....too bad, facts are facts.

 

Have a good cruise.

[cb at sea]

Ignore everyone who says babies/kids aren't welcomed aboard! The staff and crew love kids...and I don't see why anyone who doesn't actually have to CARE for the kids would give a fig if they're there....

[karatemom2]

Don't let what you read on these boards discourage you from Princess. The reality of what you will find onboard as far as the reception your family will get from crew and fellow passengers bears no relation to some of the anti-kid sentiment that appears at times on the Princess board. Our family has always found a warm and welcoming environment for our children and we have seen how wonderfully even the smallest passengers are treated. We love Princess and it is great for families. Don't let a vocal minority discourage you.

[RoadTripFanatic]

We cruised on Princess when DD was 2 1/2 and 3. I had NO problems at all with the cruise line. All of the staff treated her like she was a princess. :) In fact on any cruiseline I have been on I've NEVER seen a staff member be rude to a child. They always spoil them. :)

[Kerry's Girls]

My experience is the same as the others. I took 13 month old twins on Princess for their first cruise (picture below) and the staff bent over backward to take care of all of us. I actually ended up feeling like I wasn't getting any alone time with my girls at meals because staff and passengers would come by our table constantly to talk, play with them, etc. etc. The girls had "best friends" on staff in every part of the ship and one waiter even made it his mission each night to get the twin who hadn't walked yet to take her first steps on the dance floor. We've been on seven Princess cruises together and have never had a negative experience with crew or passengers.

 

Best,

Mia

[Scrapchick]

Our DD is 9 now and has been on many Princess cruises ever since she was 6 months old. We have never had a bad experience. We have found the crew to be fantastic with families and the vast majority of passengers to be friendly and tolerant too. You can find grumpy people wherever you go, but Princess has no more of them than any other cruise ship or business. I think Princess is a wonderful fit for families and kids and can't recommend them highly enough.

[Mack2]

I took my kids on a cruise aboard the Grand Princess about 3 years ago. The cruise and the service was excellent, but we had one bad experience with a grumpy old person.

 

 

Princess kindly asks that children under the age of 12 not sit in the first 6 or so rows of the show.

My eldest son has a retinal disorder that has him legally blind. Juvenile macular degeneration with a visual acuity of around 20/200 at the time.

 

Long story short, after making sure that he would be able to sit in the front to watch the show with us, a grumpy old person decided that he could not tolerate an 8 year old sitting in the front row.

Basically, upon hearing that we had permission because my son is visually impaired, he told my wife that we should be "teaching the boy to FOLLOW THE RULES, not break them". He also informed us that he had macular degeneration, and we should teach my son to "DEAL with it!"

 

Never before had we encountered such an unpleasant fellow passenger on any other line. I don't really consider Princess Cruises when looking for cruises because I unfairly attribute it to the average age of the Princess cruiser... and I know I shouldn't.

 

One really atrocious experience out of many, many cruises. My eldest has been on 9 cruises with us, and that had to have been the rudest person we ever met on a cruise.

[beachchick]

I'm not sure exactly how a "Diamond status smile" differs from a regular smile, so why not just smile and take the high road as you always do. Considering how many passengers are Diamond these days, I doubt anyone is going to be impressed by it. Seriously, it's great that you're Diamond, but what does status really have to do with how others respond to you? I don't understand how that "special" smile all of a sudden means that "nothing else is said." Nothing else is said by whom? Other passengers? Are they that impressed or something that you're Diamond? I guess what I'm saying is that it wouldn't matter to me whether a parent was Diamond or a lowly new cruiser. Just let any rude comments or nasty looks roll off, regardless of what status you have or don't have. I bet you'll find that most passengers enjoy having children onboard, just like on other lines, as long as the parents are mindful of their children's behavior, just like on other lines.

 

Have a wonderful time.

 

beachchick

[sailinglisa]

I'm not sure exactly how a "Diamond status smile" differs from a regular smile, so why not just smile and take the high road as you always do. Considering how many passengers are Diamond these days, I doubt anyone is going to be impressed by it. Seriously, it's great that you're Diamond, but what does status really have to do with how others respond to you? I don't understand how that "special" smile all of a sudden means that "nothing else is said." Nothing else is said by whom? Other passengers? Are they that impressed or something that you're Diamond? I guess what I'm saying is that it wouldn't matter to me whether a parent was Diamond or a lowly new cruiser. Just let any rude comments or nasty looks roll off, regardless of what status you have or don't have. I bet you'll find that most passengers enjoy having children onboard, just like on other lines, as long as the parents are mindful of their children's behavior, just like on other lines.

 

Have a wonderful time.

 

beachchick

 

What She Said!!!! Be respectful of others and they will respect you. Period. Status has NOTHING to do with it!

[Lady_Gamecock]

Obviously my "joke" wasn't viewed as one. My DH and I have been taking our daughter on cruises since she was only 8 months old and she's been with us on our cruises ever since.

 

All I was trying to was to get a feeling on how we were going to be treated on Princess - My DH and I try to be VERY considerate of other's feelings, thus the reason I posed my initial question.

 

Anyway, thanks to everyone to posted.

[Cruisin' Chick]

As on other cruiselines, many of the crew members have families back home. Some haven't seen their kids for six months. So they tend to dote on the little ones.

 

We've been on Princess cruises with my daugther at age 5,7 and 8 (and she's been on Carnival cruises since she's been 23 months of age). Just takes planning on your part (make sure you bring anything you may need for the baby -- formula, baby food, utensils, bottles, diapers, medicines, etc. -- I wouldn't trust the ship's store to have what you need and even if Carnival provides food -- it may not be your child's brand).

[beachchick]

Obviously my "joke" wasn't viewed as one. My DH and I have been taking our daughter on cruises since she was only 8 months old and she's been with us on our cruises ever since.

 

All I was trying to was to get a feeling on how we were going to be treated on Princess - My DH and I try to be VERY considerate of other's feelings, thus the reason I posed my initial question.

 

Anyway, thanks to everyone to posted.

 

Sorry we didn't get the "funny." It's hard to tell sometimes when someone is being serious or amusing online--We can't see your smiling face or hear your laugh.:D And "smilies," while fun, can only convey so much.

 

beachchick

[dstewart1075]

My husband and I took Princess out of NYC to Bermuda and the Caribbean when my daughter turned one in 2009. The staff were great with her and I didn't receive any dirty looks from other passengers. She was generally very good but ofcourse no baby is perfect. There will always be people that are not happy to see kids around them. That's their problem and just ignore it.

 

What I loved about Princess is that they supplied baby food and juice which definately helped us in packing less. I don't think any other line does this except for maybe the Disney cruises. Also, they had a service where we could have luggage picked up a week prior to our sailing and it was sent directly to the ship. This worked perfectly for our packing of diapers, wipes, bottles, clothes and everything. It wasn't cheap but it wasn't terribly pricey either. It was definately worth it for her stuff as we knew we'd have our hands full that day. We took our own stuff aboard with us.

 

Hope this helps.

[mygirlchandler]

When our daughter was younger(and even now) we got more dirty looks because she was well behaved.

quote]

 

Hi there, can you please elaborate on this? This is just crazy to me! Why would you get dirty looks because your child was well behaved?

 

Personally, I parent my children no matter where we are. I don't have any tolorance for kids running amok and acting like jerks. There is no sense in it and I really dislike rude children. Other people can parent as they wish but mine are going to behave or they get to go to bed and think about it while missing out on fun.

 

We haven't booked yet, but it is seriously starting to concern me that my kids would be a bother to any childless passenger. When I vacation without my kids I miss them SO MUCH and I do enjoy seeing other people with their family.

[harryfat1]

We started taking our kids on the cruise when my older one was 15 months old on Princess and younger one at 2 on Carnival. For most part, the other fellow passengers and staff love seeing little kids on board.

 

There will be some people out there that will give you the “evil eye” for bringing kids on the cruise. There’s not much you can do about how people feel about things. As long as the kids are well behaved and not disturbing other guests, I am not going to be concerned about what others feel in their bias against kids on the ship.

 

If you follow these boards regularly, you will see periodic posting by people who are anti kids and as one can imagine, it gets pretty heated on both sides of the argument. And more often than not, the moderator of cc comes in and zaps the entire thread if the debate gets too intense. I applaud them for doing so as these are just highly inflammatory comment and both sides are so entrenched on their views, nothing is ever resolved as these are just people’s opinions.

[Punchie]

We sailed last fall when DD was 3.5. The staff bent over backwards for her, and the only issue we had w/a fellow pax was deserved as DD wasn't listening to me and an older woman stepped in and said something to her. Having someone other than mommy chastise her made her knock off the behavior fairly quickly. DD was a bit grumpy on the cruise overall (though I chalk that up to deployment-separation-anxiety), and I was a bit pregnant, so my follow through wasn't as thorough.

 

We'll be sailing again in Jan w/DD and our infant.

[pastPE1601]

My wife and I are in the OLDER passenger group. The only time we see a problem with kids or youngsters is when the parents expect the crew to take care of the kids instead of being parents themselves. Unruly kids are a reflection on the parents.

We enjoy talking to the kids and even playing with them poolside. It sort of reminds us of our own grandkids.

[mroberts123]

My son and daughter are 10 and 7 now and they've been cruising since they were two years old. I have never received dirty looks for bringing my children onboard though I have seen other parents get the evil eye when their kids misbehave and the parents don't do anything about it. It is common sense that people that have spent money and are looking forward to a cruise do not expect to have to sit next to a crying or fussy baby at dinner or kids running around the dining room. As long as you take the baby out of the dining room and/or shows if they get rambunctious, you'll be fine. My kids love cruising and they eat every meal in the MDR including afternoon tea (we're not buffet people and enjoy full service dining). When they were little my husband and I would sit between them so they didn't have the opportunity to poke or tickle one another and we gave them a gift to keep them each occupied every night (dollar store was great for this when they were younger). They looked forward to getting the gift each night and knew they had to behave well for the privilege. They also enjoy the shows and even dance together in the lounges. We never put up with misbehavior in public. This has caused us once or twice to go back to our cabin where our kid sat in the dark with us thinking about their behavior....no fun so they quickly learned that behaving was in their best interest. We just got off a HAL cruise and at least ten elderly people complimented us on the kids. Most people enjoy seeing young children go all out and dress in fancy dresses and tuxedoes or suits for the formal dinners, dance and enjoy the shows. We also never put our kids in the kids program....they're always with us....there's just too much to do on a cruise. It's a wonderful opportunity for quality family time without the usual stresses of a family vacation because all you have to do is show up....not a lot of planning involved. Don't worry, go with the flow, and if the baby is in a poor mood at dinner, hit the buffet instead and skip the show (or take turns). You might have to compromise in order to not disturb others' good time but it will be worth the great experience you will have. As long as you exhibit good parenting and consideration for others, no one will mind your kids! And Princess and HAL are great with kids despite what I've seen written.

[evilroy]

Greetings to Everyone Here on the Family Board!

 

It's been quite a while since I stopped by this area! I thought we knew everything possible about cruising with a Baby/Toddler, until.......we added a NEW one! :) (Found out I was prego while underway on X's Equinox in the Med last October!) :p

 

Anyway, here is my issue:

 

We're trying Princess for the first time (Baby_G, Baby_Cocky, JCGamecock, and DH's Parents). Ummmmm.....a lot of their PAX don't seem to like the kiddos on-board, let alone babies. (Baby_Cocky will six months old when we cruise in January.) I know we parents catch a lot of grief on other lines, but I have to say, I'm generally concerned. On Royal and X I just flash my Diamond Status Smile and nothing else is said.

 

How have ya'll been treated on Princess with kiddos??

 

Lady_G

 

Please leave them home. They won't remember and you will have a better time and so will we.

[mr&mrscruiselover]

Hope you and your family have a wonderful cruise. My DH and I do not have any children (by choice) but we both enjoy seeing families with "well behaved" children enjoying themselves on vacation. On the flip side, we don't do well around "unruly brats" that parents ignore.

 

Sherri and Clay

[AlanRRT]

First off, my baby will be 32 in a few weeks. The cruises I've been on haven't had a lot of kids, mainly because being empty nesters, my wife and I have the luxury of not being locked in to taking vacations in the summer. The children I have seen on cruises, however, have never been a problem. In fact, I love seeing the organized activities for the kids, they have the kids dressed up so cute, and they're having so much fun, it's fun to see. God help me if I ever get so old and grumpy that I get upset just seeing someone under the age of 12. If you want to take your kids on a cruise, go for it, don't let the grouches of the world run your life for you.

[lhmdlm65]

This summer we took our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren - aged 7 & 4 - on the Sapphire to Alaska from Seattle. They were treated royally and our waiter and the maitre de in the MDR catered to their every whim. The children were wide-eyed over all the attention they received. So, I add my voice to those saying definitely don't worry that your family won't be well received on Princess.

[finzzup]

Hey Miss Lady,

 

No first hand experience with kids on a cruise; our kids are older. We did do a Mediterranean this past September on NCL that had a lot of kids. Back home we always did cruises in the winter.

 

I must say this was the most well behaved group of kids - across all ages ranges - I have ever seen.

 

We spoke with some of the parents and got from them that NCL and Princess are the 2 most kids friendly lines. FWIW.

 

Good luck & Enjoy

[SanJoseCruiser]

We've taken our nieces on Princess cruises to Alaska. 3 different nieces so far on 3 separate cruises (one niece per cruise, any more would be too much for me). NEVER a problem from other passengers or crew except the jerk smoker who was smoking on the wrong side of the ship (Princess does have signs saying which side of the ship smoking is allowed on). But that person had a problem with me, not my niece.

 

Ages of the nieces at the time of the cruise were 10, 10, and 7. We were able to take the 7 year old to a Captain's Circle special small function (on that particular voyage, we were among the top 40 cruisers in terms of nights at sea). She had a ball. The Captain and the head of security both had a very nice conversation with her. The Captain had the photog take a picture of her and him, with the Captain kneeling down to be at my nieces level. When we got the picture (free, still during the function), she ran over and showed the captain. This is the strongest memory she has of the cruise 3 years later.

 

We do sometimes go to the formal dining room with our nieces, especially on the formal evenings. We do anytime seating, and request our own table except on the first night when things are usually too crowded for having our own table.

 

We've gotten some nice compliments on how nice they have looked, and how well behaved they have been.

 

We have never given any of them the ability to check theselves out of the kids club, even though some other 10 year olds had that ability. We just didn't think their parent's would have done it, so we didn't. It wasn't an issue.

 

We are now beginning to plan to take our 7 year old nephew on yet another Alaska cruise this coming summer.

 

Enjoy your cruise!