Should parents bring their infants onboard?

[spongerob]

Scott - I can remember my mother actually taking us to a friend's place so we could be intentionally exposed to chicken pox. We didn't use antibiotics and live in sterile environments, either. Oddly enough, no one ever seemed to have ear infections and we rarely missed school due to illness...maybe you need to give that immune system some exercise to get it in shape, eh?

[realproperty]

What makes anyone think that cruising is so special that it becomes the exclusive domain of adults. I too get annoyed at crying babies (and it is not my business whether it is or is not a vacation for the parents). Cruises are no different than floating hotels and the day they start discriminating on who can go on a cruise is the day they start discriminating over all kinds of nasty things.

You don't like babies on cruises?? I don't like people who drink too much on cruises, loud mouths in the theatre, people who think they are funny and have the right to be boisterous and obnoxious at trivia night, the sing a long bar, at the pool, during the shows, etc. I don't like people who butt in, or being downwind of smokers, and I hate looking at people with tattoos and face pierces. They gross me out. I hate low rent. But, if I am going on a cruise, I regrettably expect to encounter them, endure them and do my best to ignore them. I don't like loud music that I can hear at night from other rooms and people who talk loudly in the hallways at night as if no one can hear them in the rooms. If I am lucky, their numbers will be few. And those annoyances are due to adults, most of whom should know better. With babies, if I am lucky, they will be OK. It is the parents that may be the bigger problem. But what makes anyone think that cruises are any different than being in any large hotel. There is nothing so private and so special about cruising that babies should be banned unless it is an adults only cruise. As for me, I would love to put a ban on certain adult behavour. You want no babies? Go to an adults only all inclusive or charter your own boat. You want no kids? Don't go away during holidays or just stop being an old curmudgeon. This is life.

[Cruisin' Chick]

"I can remember my mother actually taking us to a friend's place so we could be intentionally exposed to chicken pox. We didn't use antibiotics and live in sterile environments, either. Oddly enough, no one ever seemed to have ear infections and we rarely missed school due to illness...maybe you need to give that immune system some exercise to get it in shape, eh?"

I remember being a small kid in the early 60s and whenever a kid would get measles, etc., moms would bring their kids to play with the sick kid. The idea was to get the disease and get it over with or else develop immunity. There weren't vaccinations for these illnesses. I never got measles (despite a few epidemics) or mumps (I took care of my sick brother and my sister was the one who came down with it). Then suddenly I got German measles at age 16. We still don't know how I caught it. But it saved me from having to get a shot years later before getting pregnant.

[cruzelovr]

[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]

I realize that the above quote is just your humble opinion, but I don't feel that babies necessarily belong at home. Babies need to experience different things such as restaurants, family outings, and vacations too.

I believe someone said, either here or on a similar thread on the same topic, that babies need to learn how to act in different situations other than home. If you never take your children anywhere and don't allow them to experience anything new, how will they know how to behave in these situations. I say get them started young, get them their sea legs and go from there.

That being said, obviously, you need to know your child. If your child is constantly colicy (sp?) then maybe they shouldn't be going on any long trips. It would be too stressful for you and the child. But if you have an happy, easy going baby, why wouldn't you go? I would trust that a parent would know the difference.

We did the Disney World vacation when my baby was 6 months and she was fine. She was so good in fact that this September (she'll be 14 months) we're taking her on the Caribbean Princess. I feel that we are blessed with a happy baby.

If she is fussy during dinner in the dining room, either myself or my wife will leave with our DD. If she is fussy at night we'll walk her out on the open decks. There are lots of places on the ship to go and not bother other guests and we plan to do that. We've been on enough cruises (without kids) to know that there will be food around somewhere if dining room dinner becomes stymied, and if we need to miss a show, we'll miss it. It's not the end of the world.

I would imagine that people who think to bring their babies on cruises, or on other vacations, know their kids well enough (or should) to be able to decide whether or not to bring them along. I don't think that cruising is an "adults only" vacation anymore, but one designed for families. But that is just my opinion...

[NitaBcruising]

[QUOTE=cruzelovr
If she is fussy during dinner in the dining room, either myself or my wife will leave with our DD. If she is fussy at night we'll walk her out on the open decks. There are lots of places on the ship to go and not bother other guests and we plan to do that. We've been on enough cruises (without kids) to know that there will be food around somewhere if dining room dinner becomes stymied, and if we need to miss a show, we'll miss it. It's not the end of the world.

I would imagine that people who think to bring their babies on cruises, or on other vacations, know their kids well enough (or should) to be able to decide whether or not to bring them along. I don't think that cruising is an "adults only" vacation anymore, but one designed for families. But that is just my opinion...[/QUOTE]

I think you will be fine! The point being, some people aren't concientious, like you! Too many people think it's their cruise, and they want dinner in the dining room, hate to miss the shows, etc. You know, the same thoughtless folks as always, only with a crying baby, too! ;) :D

[margeg]

My sister went on Norweg Dawn last summer. They had to empty the pool because some baby pooped in it.

[Catnip]

Yeah, that seems to happen more than you would think. It's the parents with the "I paid for my kids and it's their cruise too!" mentality............they simply don't care about others and are rude and obnoxious jerks! :mad:
There is plenty of opportunity to take the UN-toilet trained kids to the beach while in port.

[Smiles3usa]

Ummm, as a non-parent, I think that parents are more than capable of deciding for themselves what is best for their family. Further, I think it is not anyone's business to attempt to intimidate or interfere with a family's right to make that choice. The question was not about swimmy diapers in the pool; or whether crying babies and misbehaving children should be banned from the cruise. The query was whether parents should bring infants on cruise ship. And the answer is very simple....the paying parents get to decide--and no one else. If others don't like it, tough.

[Baxter]

I would far rather cruise with infants on board than unsupervised, poorly behaved 6-17 year olds.

[kryos]

[quote name='realproperty']As for me, I would love to put a ban on certain adult behavour. You want no babies? Go to an adults only all inclusive or charter your own boat. You want no kids? Don't go away during holidays or just stop being an old curmudgeon. This is life.[/QUOTE]
Couldn't have said it better myself ... and I am not a parent.

Look, I'm not crazy about cruising with a ton of kids (let alone infants) simply because I am not used to a lot of kids and sometimes feel uncomfortable around large numbers of them. However, for the cruiser who would prefer to limit the number of children on a cruise, all that it is necessary to do is to be careful about the time of year that you choose to vacation. While you'll never eliminte infants or children totally, you can certainly minimize them.

Look ... as long as mom and dad are considerate of other passengers where their child is concerned ... i.e., take them out of the theater if they are becoming fussy, or leave the dining room table for a bit if the child starts screaming ... and as long as they don't ask me to take care of the lil darlins', I can certainly be tolerant enough to share my cruise with 'em.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[merela]

As a mother of a 3 YO and a 5YO, I would much prefer taking an infant on a cruise than a child who can talk and walk. Babies under 12M, especially those who can't walk yet is a cinch to care for. In my mind, vacation with children (of any age) is hard work for parents, but cruising makes it a lot easier on the parents. First, you only pack and unpack once and you get to visit many ports of call; second, you don't have to worry about where or what the kids will eat--there is plenty of food choices for picky eaters; third, you can do as much or as little as you want on a cruise.

 

Infants shouldn't be troublesome to other cruisers if the parents are considerate of other passengers.

 

But I do see unruly teenagers or pre-teens running around the ship as being more problematic than what an infant can do to others.

 

In the end, it's the parents who should monitor their children no matter what age the child is.

 

Try not to cruise during school breaks if the presence of children bothers you. However, the presence of infants is not limited to school breaks, but I know parents with babies tend to book inside cabins. So to avoid the probability of having a neighbor with an infant in the next cabin, I would book window or balcony cabins.

[halos]

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

 

First,

I have to say as a parent..I TOTALLY disagree with that statement...as a parent, you learn to block the noise..or else you'd go insane.

Although, whenever a child, any child, calls out, "mom!", I'm always sure to turn my head...it's automatic...to this day, even though mine are 19 and 17.

 

In reading these posts, I don't believe that anyone who voted 'no' to infants on a ship actually meant they want them banned for goodness sake. It is everyone's right to express an opinion here. It's sad when people get jumped on for it.

I voted no...because for me, infants on a ship aren't a good idea. I myself amd very practical and wouldn't take any expensive vacation with an infant. Mine were very fair skinned...which would have kept me out of the sun (difficult on a Caribbean cruise), they were great babies and took very long naps...which would have kept me in the cabin for 2-4 hours of each day, Because I was not the type to let my kids nap in a stroller. (but that's just me...I'm not saying it's wrong) I would have been very uncomfortable having them in the dining room, no matter how good they were because you never know when a baby is going to just freak out...How they behave at home, where they are very comfortable, has NOTHING to do with how they act when out in crowds. I believe you have to expose your children to different situations, absolutely! BUT not at the expense of other cruisers, or diners in any nice restaurant. I had my oldest, at the age of 3, take a screaming fit in a McDonalds during breakfast once because there was a fly buzzing around (she hated bugs)...we had to get up and leave...which was fine, it was just McDonalds...I was happy to leave :D

I also wouldn't have wanted to take an infant off the ship and go anywhere in port...it would have meant dragging a car seat along. Many parents of infants will feel comfortable taking excursions in cabs/buses with their infant in their lap...that was definitely not something I'd have been comfortable with...but again, that's just me.

Everyone has to do what feels right to them...what feels right to me is not bringing an infant. Like I said in a previous post, if you bring yours, this does not upset me. If they cry in the dining room...and you don't take them out, yeah, I'll get annoyed, but I'll thank God that I'm through with that phase of my life and I'll continue to eat my dinner. To be honest, I haven't ever experienced an infant crying in the dining room or at a show on a cruise...and I haven't experienced people drunk enough to cause a problem either. (and WHY does that get tossed in every time the 'baby' issue comes up??? I don't get it) Maybe I'm just lucky...OR...maybe I am still good at tuning it out ;)

[GAYLE S]

I vote --- NO ---- Rent a Beach House , stay in one place makes life easier on "Baby " and entire family ...

[Mbouck1]

Well, I just thought I would put my 2 cents in the ring on this hotly debated thread. I agree with a lot of the reasons for not bringing infants on board a cruise, especially when the parents aren't considerate toward other pax and let the baby scream and carry on especially at dinner. I also think that if a parents want to bring their infant on board there is nothing we can do about it as long as they are within the age criteria of the cruiseline. They are paying for it, "You Are Not".

My wife and I are booked on the Crown Princess next June and have decided to bring our son, daughter, son-in-law, and "OH NO" our future grandchild who will be nine months old at the time of the cruise.

These people work hard all year long on their jobs and would not be able to afford a vacation like this if they were to pay for it and we feel they deserve a good time also. We will let our daughter and her husband enjoy their time alone and watch our grandchild for them which would be a thrill for us to do.

Besides,at least we won't have to listen to the baby complain about the littlest things on board the cruise like we have in the past from our other cruises. Also I know my family is NOT the type of parents as stated in other posts to ignore their child if he or she is crying and ruining someone elses vacation.

For you people who don't want to cruise with infants we will be sailing on June 23rd in case you may want to rebook your cruise. :D

[MaryPoppinz]

....as a parent, you learn to block the noise..or else you'd go insane.

 

So when your children were infants, did they just politely ask to be fed? :)

 

Sadly, mine didn't. He just made a rather unpleasant noise that drew my attention to his needs.

[halos]

So when your children were infants, did they just politely ask to be fed? :)

 

Sadly, mine didn't. He just made a rather unpleasant noise that drew my attention to his needs.

 

Well, as a mother, you get to know the different 'sounds'...I'm sure you're aware when your child is hungry, hurt or just fussing...correct??

Or are you implying that when my kids were hungry, I let them scream, and go unfed???

Mine are adults now, so I assume keeping them alive this long means that I didn't neglect their needs.

[creed205]

Hi Evetyone,

 

I guess my reason for posting is that I have been invited on a cruise with my parents and 2 bothers along with our better halves, and of course my little cuttie, my son. He will be 23 months at the time of sailing and he will be joining us.

 

Even though this thread seems to have touched a sore nerve with either side of the coin I just wanted to thank all of you for your opinions. The 'NAY" sayers are offering me some valid complaints that I will take with me while sailing. I will keep those ideas in mind.

 

I beleive it is my choise to bring my son on the cruise as it is for all parents to do so. I also stongly beleive that when excersising this right it is more important to be responsible of others around you. I would leave the dining room in a second if my son were to act up. As I would leave a show, etc. etc. This is something that just isn't a choice as far as I am concerned, it's a responsibility as a parent and also shows your child that it is inappropriate to act this way in certain locations. It's all a learning experience.

 

Have a great one everybody!

[bplazo]

Every person works hard all year long and deserves a quiet peacefull vacation w/o young children (or obnoxious adults) ruining it. As long as everyone is respectfull of each other I do not see the problem

 

However, I work in a restraunt and I see so much of children misbehaving and the parents ignoring it. Last week a young child (around 4) was messing around and putting ketchup on a spoon and flinging it around and it hit a woman two tables down in the back of the head. Another child (same evening) never sat down in her seat, the parents let her sit or stand on top of the table the whole time. I would not be able to count how many parents let their children run around when they get restless in their seats or let them cry, etc.

 

If you child or husband misbehaves at dinner, be polite and take them out until they calm down.

[TravelArtist]

I agree with the previous message. IF the child can behave appropriately, then by all means, include them. If they cannot, then DON'T! My sister who has 2 children typically took the kid out of the restraunt if the child made too much noise or misbehaved. They learned quickly that they were the loosers and that changed their behavior quickly. Those of us who have spent a LOT of MONEY to vacation DON'T appreciate an INTERRUPTION, such as MISBEHAVING children! DON'T BRING THE KIDS if they cannot be GOOD!

[halos]

If only it were that easy..parents with kids that are let loose, or allowed to scream in the dining room usually don't see them as being bad...they always say, "Oh, let them be a kid!!"

Parents with the kind of kids you are talking about can read this and never see themselves as the problem. They consider us intollerant.

[creed205]

Every person works hard all year long and deserves a quiet peacefull vacation w/o young children (or obnoxious adults) ruining it. As long as everyone is respectfull of each other I do not see the problem

 

However, I work in a restraunt and I see so much of children misbehaving and the parents ignoring it. Last week a young child (around 4) was messing around and putting ketchup on a spoon and flinging it around and it hit a woman two tables down in the back of the head. Another child (same evening) never sat down in her seat, the parents let her sit or stand on top of the table the whole time. I would not be able to count how many parents let their children run around when they get restless in their seats or let them cry, etc.

 

If you child or husband misbehaves at dinner, be polite and take them out until they calm down.

 

In all honesty, I think your complaint really lies with the lack of responsibility displayed by the parents of the child in this case and not with the child's actions themselves. Most children (there are always some children who you though were 40, and for that matter some 40 year olds you thought were children) do act to someone's disliking at one time or another. It is the parent's responsibility to control the situation.

 

I would never want to take anything away from anyone's vacation. I remember my honeymoon on the Grand. It was the most relaxing week of my life. I won't allow that to be ruined for you!

[Deb in Cali]

As a mother of two. I would like to put my two cent worth in.

 

 

I worked at a hospital for 10 years. This hospital did not have a children's ward, it was a med/ surg facility that specialized in ortho surgeries. After I worked there for several years, we had a brother and sister that were about 6 and 8 year olds that were admitted for a surgery. I then commited that I would love to have my children at this facility if they were ever needing surgery.

 

I was not prepared for the response that I recieved from the nurses. Let me put it this way, if we were on a ship I would have been tossed overboard for that comment. I was told in no uncertain terms that child belong in a children's hospital, not an adult med/ surg hospital. They were very specific as to their reasoning. The hospital was not set up with the proper equipment, supplies and medications that children require.

 

While I do believe that the cruise lines have some supplies that they need to handle children, I don't believe that they are set up to handle infant. I have heard of several instances where an ER doctors (on land) not familiar enough with pediatic doses overdosed a child on a medication. The exception to this would be Disney of course.

 

I would not under any circumstances bring a very young child onboard a ship for this reasoning alone. Not to mention the probablity of having them contract a disease from a foreign country.

 

We did fly to Tahiti when my youngest DS was 18 mos. old. But, we stayed with relatives and I had a pediatrian available to me through the relatives. On our flight back with Quantas, there were two little girls on the plane that had red dots all over their skin. When I asked the mother, she informed me that her daughters were allergic to the material on the seats. Oh was I stupid. Within 24 hours my youngest, then my oldest came down with the red dots disease. My 10 mos was running fevers of 104. My pediatrian was not sure what we were dealing with, so we had to keep a close watch on both boys.

The girls were from Australia. So we were quarintined until the boys recovered from the "Australian measles".

[ShamrockFL]

Our family (8 adults and 5 children ages 1-6) is booked on a cruise to celebrate an anniversary. The children will not be taken to eat in the main dining room. They wouldn't like that kind of food anyhow - much prefer pizza and hot dogs. We are booked for the late dinner seating and by then the kids will be in ther cabins, hopefully asleep, with one of the ship's sitters watching them. I certainly would not appreciate having to listen to screaming kids in this caliber of restaruant. They may come on some suitable shore excursions, but again hopefully will all (except the 1 year old) be happy in the kids program on board.

[bplazo]

As I mentioned in another post, I am a server in a restraunt. A couple of months ago I waited on a party of 14 and was suprised to see that it was a mom and dad with twelve children (ranging from about 1 to 16). These parents were wonderfull, the children were so well behaved and had great table manners. Then on the other hand, at another table there was a mom and dad with three children. HOLY TERRORS, these children ran through the restaurant yelling and screaming, turned a high chair over and crawling over it, also looked like they had a food fight. The parents never said a word to them.

 

 

I have to admire the mother of 12.

[coiran]

in·fant [ínfənt]

noun (plural in·fants)

1. baby: a very young child that can neither walk nor talk

 

Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2005. © 1993-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

This is the Encarta defiinition of an infant - and - I suppose there is no problem for parents to bring them aboard a cruise ship - however they should not be allowed to be dipped into the hot tubs - it is not sanitary for the other pax in the case the infant discharges - nor is it healthy for an infant to be immersed into 104F water.

 

If the parents take care of the infant as an ionfant should be taken care of - Fine.

 

Ron