Solarium Zoo on Enchantment of the Seas 7/7/05

[Cindy]

I plan cruises when they are in school to avoid problems like this.

 

Since I work for a school system, our only option is to cruise during peak vacation times. We rely on the cruise line to enforce the rules so EVERYONE can enjoy their vacation. So far we haven't had a problem, but I wouldn't hesitate to voice my concerns if we did.

[kcsmom2]

I will be cruising with my two DDs in February. They will be 7 and 9 at that time. I am looking forward to spending time with them, and they will be with me most of the time versus using Adventure Ocean as a "babysitting" program. They are well-behaved, and overall good kids.

 

That said, I am also looking forward to my adult time in the Solarium, Casino, etc. These are the times when my DDs will be in Adventure Ocean. Why on earth would I bring them with me, and disturb not only the other guests, but more importantly...ME!?!?! If there are children in those areas, I will not be happy!

 

While I do agree that RCI should enforce their own rules - and I'd be a b_t_h to listen to if they didn't - I put equal blame here on the parents. The only legitimate excuse I can see is that perhaps they can't read (there ARE illiterate people in the world), which is where RCI should step in and inform them (nicely and politely). Once should be enough, however.

 

I love kids, but don't want to be around them 24/7 (not even my own, sometimes...LOL). And when I'm paying this much money for relaxation, I darned well better have my designated spots to relax! So, if you're cruising 2/27/06 on Enchantment and plan to bring your kids to the Solarium, stay clear of the middle-aged, short, fat woman who'll be calling you out...if you ruin my cruise, I'll be sure to return the favor!

[1corona4u]

I will be cruising with my two DDs in February. They will be 7 and 9 at that time. I am looking forward to spending time with them, and they will be with me most of the time versus using Adventure Ocean as a "babysitting" program. They are well-behaved, and overall good kids.

 

That said, I am also looking forward to my adult time in the Solarium, Casino, etc. These are the times when my DDs will be in Adventure Ocean. Why on earth would I bring them with me, and disturb not only the other guests, but more importantly...ME!?!?! If there are children in those areas, I will not be happy!

 

While I do agree that RCI should enforce their own rules - and I'd be a b_t_h to listen to if they didn't - I put equal blame here on the parents. The only legitimate excuse I can see is that perhaps they can't read (there ARE illiterate people in the world), which is where RCI should step in and inform them (nicely and politely). Once should be enough, however.

 

I love kids, but don't want to be around them 24/7 (not even my own, sometimes...LOL). And when I'm paying this much money for relaxation, I darned well better have my designated spots to relax! So, if you're cruising 2/27/06 on Enchantment and plan to bring your kids to the Solarium, stay clear of the middle-aged, short, fat woman who'll be calling you out...if you ruin my cruise, I'll be sure to return the favor!

 

Love your attitude.:D

[mnwildfan2]

Can adults swim in the kid's pool? DH thinks that the fountains look pretty neat. :) I bet if *that* is against the rules, there would be no hesitation removing the offenders.

[lojill]

I'm glad I'M crusing in Feb

[silverhuntress]

I would be at the pursers desk making them miserable if they did not resolve it.

 

That and in the Solarium if a kid got in my jacuzzi, I would tell them "this is an adults only area" and ask them politely to go to the other pool.

 

I'm sure it's partly a problem with ignorance of the fact that it is an adults only area.

 

I'm brining my 9 year old on Enchantment next summer and she will NOT go to the Solarium...she can enjoy many other areas of the ship, including the main pool. Also, I for one would not let her run off without me or a person from the kid's program. I don't know how parents let their young ones run wild.

[jwlane]

I don’t know how you can compare the two bringing your own liquor on board shouldn’t inconvenience other guests unlike unruly kids do.

 

 

Funny home some will always justify breaking a rule to suit their purpose.

[Lightsluvr]

If RCI runs off the people who live by the rules by catering to those who ignore the rules, then soon RCI will develop the reputation of the "anyhting goes" cruise line, and they will attract that kind of clientele. (This is the reputation that Carnival is still trying to live down.)

We cruise RCI exclusively because of the ships, excellent service, good itineraries and generally very good food. We learn and follow all of the rules, including smuggling liquor, dress codes, etc. I guess that makes us naive, but that is just the way we were raised when we were children. (We are 60 and 52 y/o married couple)

Our latest cruise was a 4 day to Bahamas on Sovereign of the Seas. It was overrun with drunken teenagers and out of control children. We saw examples of what is being described on this thread. Older teens were buying beer and mixed drinks for younger teens with no questions asked by RCI employees. Children were in the spas for hours at a time, and yes we did see one infant in diapers in the pool! We just tried to avoid the drunks and ignore the annoyances and make the best of our cruise. Of course we also avoided the pool like a scene from "Caddyshack".

I agree with the member who suggested we report offenses to an RCI employee, and if nothing is done, then to customer relations and the purser. If still nothing is done by the staff (including security), immediately ask for a comment card and fill it out in the presence of the employee and when the cruise is over, send it in to RCI corporate. Mailing a stack of complaint cards at the end of each cruise may begin to convince RCI to either enforce the rules or change them!

I plan to cruise RCI many times in the future (four cruises booked through the end of 2006.) We really have felt comfortable on RCI, but if we suffer another cruise like my Sovereign experience in May, we will be cancelling and booking on other lines.

[xke_uk]

posted in error

[terri23]

Funny how parents with unruly kids try to divert attention away from their bad behavior (including letting their kids in the Solarium) to alcohol smuggling :rolleyes:

[stargate fan]

Does anyone think to tell the kids to get out of the pool/jacuzzi themselves???

 

If the employees won't handle it...do it yourselves. If parents get all pissy, point to the sign and tell them to take it up with the purser.

Why always blame the cruise staff? Sometimes, we just have to handle problems oursleves.

[cuppy]

My husband & I have no children and we find it quite disturbing too that when you go to an adults only section you have parents who bring their children with them anyway. It's not that I don't like children - we choose adult only areas because we can't have children and its hard to be around families sometimes and seeing how happy they are and what we are missing out on (still adjusting - will get easier I know).

 

Anyway that being said - when we were on the EOS & VOS they enforced the adults only area. Maybe because we weren't traveling during school vacation time. The one area that I found RCCL & NCL & Carnival did not enforce was where the main pools are and the hot tubs near by that say no children or no playing & splashing in the hot tubs. I think these areas just have too many people near by to control the situations.

 

Unfortunately on my cruise in May on NCL there was a big sign saying no children with diapers allowed in the pool. Well people ignored it and needless to say the diaper didn't hold and the pool had to be closed & drained then cleaned. We lost out on the pool for the remainder of that day and 1/2 of the sea day following this because one parent chose not to follow the rules. Major inconvienience to everyone else considering it was an older ship with only 2 small pools onboard.

 

As for the liquor we have never tried to sneak any on - I'm always afraid of getting caught. Plus I tend to buy the drinks of the day and have them make it for me nice and fresh & cold.

[nrdsb4]

Funny how parents with unruly kids try to divert attention away from their bad behavior (including letting their kids in the Solarium) to alcohol smuggling :rolleyes:

 

Or to how drunk adults are worse.

 

This thread wasn't about the "big picture" of rules flaunting. It's about unruly kids in the solarium.

 

I love kids. I have two of my own. I usually travel with my kids. I don't smuggle alcohol or break any other cruise line rules. I do, however, like to enjoy the occasional moment in an adults-only environment. And I should be able to do so. If I were to voice my objections to children are in the solarium, I would find the statement "well, lots of people smuggle alcohol onboard" to be irrelevant and completely unhelpful.

 

Disney does have it down. The adults-only areas are plentiful and are strictly enforced. And guess what, RCI? This strict enforcement of the adults area has not alientated customers. People continue to bring their kids to Disney cruises in droves!

[2forthesea]

Is it only me? The primary thing that comes to my mind is the SAFETY of these children!!! I would go nuts seeing all these unattended children in the pool or the hot tubs, because they are kids and unattended kids can DROWN!! I'd be hammering on the staff for that reason more than the inconvenience.

 

Where the heck are the parents?

 

I agree that politely asking for a comment card and noting the staff member's name is a great way to get some action, especially at the pursur's desk. Also, a phone call isn't going to get action; face-to-face "can I have a comment card, please, Mr./Miss So-and-so (reading their name tag) helps a LOT.

[jcanino]

This thread wasn't about the "big picture" of rules flaunting. It's about unruly kids in the solarium.

 

If you look back at the end of the first post, it was about RCCL enforcing their rules. Whether the rule is about the adult only area or bringing liquor on board, rules are rules.

[1corona4u]

Does anyone think to tell the kids to get out of the pool/jacuzzi themselves???

 

If the employees won't handle it...do it yourselves. If parents get all pissy, point to the sign and tell them to take it up with the purser.

 

Why always blame the cruise staff? Sometimes, we just have to handle problems oursleves.

 

I agree. If the staff is not willing to get involved, then I have no qualms about saying anything to them. As I see it, these people who abuse the rules do so because they can without repercussion. If they knew that they would be confronted by other passengers, maybe they'd think twice about it. Sometimes, you just have to be proactive.:) ;)

 

BUT, the bottom line is, if it's a rule, the line should enforce it. Period, no exceptions. Unlike the dresscode, this is not a suggestion, it's a rule.

[1corona4u]

Is it only me? The primary thing that comes to my mind is the SAFETY of these children!!! I would go nuts seeing all these unattended children in the pool or the hot tubs, because they are kids and unattended kids can DROWN!! I'd be hammering on the staff for that reason more than the inconvenience.

 

Where the heck are the parents?

 

I agree that politely asking for a comment card and noting the staff member's name is a great way to get some action, especially at the pursur's desk. Also, a phone call isn't going to get action; face-to-face "can I have a comment card, please, Mr./Miss So-and-so (reading their name tag) helps a LOT.

 

No, not just you. I was thinking about safety too. These parents that let their kids go off on their own, are probably the same parents that would sue if they got hurt. In my opinion.

[nrdsb4]

If you look back at the end of the first post, it was about RCCL enforcing their rules. Whether the rule is about the adult only area or bringing liquor on board, rules are rules.

 

Three paragraphs about kids in the solarium, title is about kids in the solarium. The OP doesn't seem too concerned about people smuggling alcohol in. I stand by my statement that this particular thread is about unruly children in the solarium.

 

But I do agree that rules are rules. Too bad others don't.

[Cruising89143]

I don’t know how you can compare the two bringing your own liquor on board shouldn’t inconvenience other guests unlike unruly kids do.[/QUOTE]

 

The big picture is that it isn't about inconvenience but about following rules. Either all rules should be adhered to or none at all.

 

BTW, it can be an inconvenience if enough people decide to bring on their own liquor that the cruise line sees a financial hit and starts charging more for their drinks to make up for the loss. It then is a financial hit to me and those that don't and won't bring their own liquor on board. How may "liquor smugglers" bring their own alcohol into restaurants with liquor licenses?

 

I don't bring my own liquor on board so as far as I'm concerned RCI needs to adhere to the rules. If not why even have the Solarium as an "adults only" area?

[Cruising89143]

Does anyone think to tell the kids to get out of the pool/jacuzzi themselves???

 

If the employees won't handle it...do it yourselves. If parents get all pissy, point to the sign and tell them to take it up with the purser.

 

Why always blame the cruise staff? Sometimes, we just have to handle problems oursleves.

 

That is not our job as passengers. If the parents of these kids will not follow the posted rules then the cruise line should have the crew in place to handle it. Telling us to take care of it ourself is only going to cause problems when those parents jump on you for telling their kids what to do.

[jcanino]

Three paragraphs about kids in the solarium, title is about kids in the solarium. The OP doesn't seem too concerned about people smuggling alcohol in. I stand by my statement that this particular thread is about unruly children in the solarium.

 

But I do agree that rules are rules. Too bad others don't.

 

It was about unruly kids and how RCCL doesn't enforce their rules.

[Cruising89143]

Well I can only hope that RCI is reading this board and see that they have a problem on board. I know that they want to tread lightly to keep from ticking off passengers but they set the rules not us.

 

On the Sovereign last weekend, there were kids in the hot tubs which according to the signs they were allowed but there was not a parent in site. I don't think that it's about some people not being able to read........it's about people that are ignorant and don't give a damn. Those should not be allowed to breed!:eek:

[Cruising89143]

It was about unruly kids and how RCCL doesn't enforce their rules.

 

Joe, sorry but now you're starting to sound like a TA defending their business.

[nrdsb4]

Well I can only hope that RCI is reading this board and see that they have a problem on board. I know that they want to tread lightly to keep from ticking off passengers but they set the rules not us.

 

 

I agree. I love children and have no problem with seeing lots of them on cruises. But the one thing that would cause a line to lose my business would be something like this. There are just too many other choices out there. If they feel it is impractical to enforce an adults-only area, then they should just eliminate it completely so that the expectation of a quiet adult area would not exist. I wouldn't want to cruise with a line that had a military type atmosphere as it relates to rules enforcement, but there could definitely be a happy medium. Doesn't sound like RCI has found that, at least on the OP's cruise.

[goodml]

This is my one issue with RCI. Last year on the Jewel it would have been nice to enjoy the beautiful solarium without screaming kids :mad: The attendants nor the purser's desk really made an attempt to correct it either. What is the big deal about enforcing posted rules?

 

That's a shame. We were on the Jewel the second week of December and the Solarium was fabulous - quiet, peaceful. I never once saw a kid in the hottub or pool. The only time I even noticed any was as they walked thru (which is allowed.)