Should parents bring their infants onboard?

[LARGIN]

[quote name='spongerob']One doesn't have to experience something directly to know it will be unpleasant. Having been through the situation in question, I can positively say that my experience validated my presumptive opinion.[/QUOTE]

[b]Agree..[/b]

[NitaBcruising]

I have experienced a crying baby at the table next to us, on a cruise. It was bad for the baby, us, and the family! It went on for several nights. And, it was at early seating! The family tried everything, rocking it in the stroller, and eventually taking turns walking with the baby. Notice I said eventually! :eek:

I guess I've been fortunate in never having one in the cabin next to ours. Rambunctious, obnoxious, very noisy teens, yes, unfortunately! :rolleyes:
And I don't personally think a cuiseship it really the best place for an infant. JMO! :)

[bdjam]

[quote name='spongerob']One doesn't have to experience something directly to know it will be unpleasant. [/QUOTE]
[font='Comic Sans MS']Sort of like MUTS :D [/font]

[AmyBeth68]

LOL bdjam! Thanks for the levity here ;). I have to say that I'm very impressed at how you were able to get a jab in at MUTS on a totally unrelated thread. Kudos! LOL, you gave me a much needed chuckle. :D!!!!

[LARGIN]

[b][color=black]bdjam is becoming the "MUTS Master" on the CC..[/color][/b] :D :D

[smudge's mom]

Alright - I'll ask - what's MUTS? :confused:

[bjboothman]

Movies Under The Stars --- only on the larger ships on the top deck like a drive-in movie, if you will (or that is my understanding).

[AmyBeth68]

MUTS = Movies Under The Stars :)

Another topic that has been debated at length on this board.

[cruisingfreak]

All I can say is no for babies, & no for MUTS!! LOL!!!


Minette

[smudge's mom]

Since I don't want to do a search or read a long string about MUTS - can anyone "endulge" me and give me the "short" version of what is wrong with having MUTS?

[drewlane]

Having just finished our cruise on the Grand, I still believe strongly that a cruise ship is no place for an infant.

While we did not experience any major problems with infants, I can share the experience we had with one infant and their parents on the shuttle bus that takes you to the parking lot:

It was very busy and somewhat chaotic loading up the shuttle and these folks brought with them a very LARGE baby stroller. Now this thing just wouldn't fit on the shuttle and the driver ended up jamming the thing through the front door and inconveniencing several passengers. I can't imagine how they navigated this stroller through the ship - must have blocked all those narrow hallways and taken up most of the elevator.

Anyway, I had the "privilege" of sitting next to these folks on the shuttle. The baby had a very bad cough (sounded like bronchitis), and the mother was constantly complaining about everything. I can't imagine that they had that great of a time...

However, I will say that the "kids" on board were very well behaved in general, and I was pleasantly suprised that most of the parents were being responsible for their kids actions. One parent even told his son to behave while we were on the elevator because he didn't want to have to "smack" him in public. The kid shut up immediately. :cool:

I noticed that some of the kids were getting a little antsy on the last day of the cruise, but that is understandable. Considering that this was a spring break cruise with almost 600 passengers under 18 onboard, I think that most were very well behaved and I appreciate the parents and their children being considerate of other passengers.

Drew

[enymarsh]

As I read through this long thread I was bouncing back and forth between pro and con. When my kids were infants we mostly took vacations to visit family, not because we thought it would be wrong to be in hotels and cruise ships, but because that's all we could afford and we had lots of family begging us to go. Once the younger one was a toddler, though, we went to Disney World and I can still remember the trepidation with which we would address bedtime at the hotel... hoping and praying that he'd make it through the night without keeping us up screaming.

Now that I am addicted to cruising, would I have wanted to take him on a cruise? Probably not. The idea of being trapped on a ship with a child that I knew wasn't a good traveler would be beyond consideration. But that's my personal experience with that child. My daughter ate in 5 star restaurants with us when she was as young as 6 months and continued through her toddler years... she'd have been fine on a ship!

As I now travel to relax with my husband and we usually go without children, I honestly can't say that I've ever been disturbed by any babies onboard... I'm actually not sure that I've even seen any. We've probably been lucky, but we've never been bothered by any individuals under the age of 18 while we were onboard.

I guess for me, the answer to whether or not one should bring an infant onboard lies in your knowledge of your own child. If you have a challenging child (as my son was (is?)) you probably know it. Now - is it really reasonable to expect those issues to go away just because you're on a cruise ship? I still remember all of those times I walked the parking lot with him because he couldn't last in a restaurant while the rest of the family finished up inside. Why would he have been different in a restaurant on a ship? If you know this about your child, why would YOU want to be trapped onboard with them (the issues)? Why wouldn't you just choose another way to get away, or just delay your vacations (as we did) to a time when those problems have been resolved?

Well, I've been thinking a lot about this while reading this thread and thus the lengthy response, trying to put my thoughts into words. Thanks for listening.

[bld24]

Someone had posted regarding the Norovirus and infants,and was advised that the same thing would happen to them as would happen to anyone else. While that is true to an extent, remember that the symptoms and resulting dehydration are much more severe to an infant with a non developed immune system. Just like e-coli, this situation is much more critical in those with weak immune systems. If I were taking an infant, I'd be sure not cruise during the virus season (Oct-April). Speaking only for myself, I don't think that I'd be as comfortable with the medical facilities on a cruise ship to deal with this.

Other than that personal issue, I have never had any problems with infants on cruise ships. But I've seen a few people giving the "death stare" and rolling the eyes at parents walking a child in a stroller on the ship. But then again, I've seen some parents of the kids in strollers giving the same look when they walk by the smokers. :)

[Trovador]

I'm going to vote for a big YES.

I have a 1 year old baby, so I have more tolerance now for other people's kids than I did one year ago. I'm cruising to Alaska on May and will NOT take my kid, but I wouldn't be stressed out if I saw other babies on the ship or in nearby cabins. It's quite hard to take care of a baby, so I won't make it more stressful for the parents by giving them "the look". :)

[hcs81m]

[color=black][font=Verdana]I voted yes, but only to the extent that the child does not substantially interfere with other cruisers. [/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana][/font][/color]
[color=black][font=Verdana]If a child is crying uncontrollably in a theater or dinning room, they should be removed immediately[/font][/color]

[LARGIN]

[quote name='Trovador']I'm going to vote for a big YES.

I have a 1 year old baby, so I have more tolerance now for other people's kids than I did one year ago. I'm cruising to Alaska on May and will NOT take my kid, but I wouldn't be stressed out if I saw other babies on the ship or in nearby cabins. It's quite hard to take care of a baby, so I won't make it more stressful for the parents by giving them "the look". :)[/QUOTE]

[b]That is the problem.. New parents have tolerance for their kids screaming and yelling.. They block out the noise.. We cannot..[/b]

[Trovador]

[quote name='LARGIN'][b]That is the problem.. New parents have tolerance for their kids screaming and yelling.. They block out the noise.. We cannot..[/b][/QUOTE]

Agreed, but I meant I have more tolerance for other people's kids as well. I'm not bringing mine to the cruise, but I can understand why someone would.

[MaryPoppinz]

[quote name='LARGIN'][b]That is the problem.. New parents have tolerance for their kids screaming and yelling.. They block out the noise..[/b][/QUOTE]

In truth, it's the opposite. There is a biological imperative for new parents [i]not[/i] to "block out the noise." Otherwise, babies would tend to starve to death.

[CariBlue]

[quote name='MaryPoppinz']In truth, it's the opposite. There is a biological imperative for new parents [i]not[/i] to "block out the noise." Otherwise, babies would tend to starve to death.[/QUOTE]

Then there must be TONS of starving infants and toddlers out there. I think that parents are quite adept at disabling their "biological imperatives."

[LARGIN]

[b][color=black]CariBlue is funny. I like and agree with her..[/color][/b] :D :D

[deerby27]

[quote name='elmtree']Noooooooo, I would not bring an infant on a cruise..Nor would I give them drugs to inable them to fly...nor would I want to carry them around all week, or worry about milk and diapers, and where to change them, and where to put them to sleep.....Good God....Your mothers' would be appaled! Babies belong at home, in their own bed, on their schedule, with people who care about them enough to sacrifice their enjoyments till the children are older. But, that is just my opinon...LOL[/QUOTE]

AMEN!!!!!

[Catnip]

I just returned 2 days ago from a 7-day eastern Caribbean cruise. There were several very small babies on board, and I mean [i]very[/i] small. I would be so afraid that an infant so young would pick up any kind of germs, or infections that are common on cruises.

NO!

[Gator83]

[quote name='drewlane']I saw the recent thread about this and figured this would make a great poll. :D

I'll start the voting off with a big NO. :p

<puts on flame-retardant suit>

Drew[/QUOTE]

I vote no because I wouldn't take an infant on ANY trip.

[CariBlue]

[quote name='LARGIN'][b][color=black]CariBlue is funny. I like and agree with her..[/color][/b] :D :D[/QUOTE]

Right back at'cha!:rolleyes:

[ahracer]

[quote name='Catnip I would be so afraid that an infant so young would pick up any kind of germs, or infections that are common on cruises.

NO![/QUOTE']


Just an interesting note to your above comment. Before deciding whether or not to take my 5 week old child with me on a business trip to Puerto Rico we consulted her doctor because we were concerned about what sickness she might be exposed to. He looked at us like we were nuts. He gave us a lecture about babies immune systems and told us to go.

Scott