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

[terri23]

Actually around the regular pools there are hot tubs for everyone to use. I don't think that the problem comes from the teenage crowd as much as it does from the small kids that use the hot tubs as their own pools. Most people climb into the hot tubs to sit and relax. Kids want to jump around and splash.

 

not to mention tinkle, spit, snorkel (I have read the threads about kids w/ masks "checking things out" in the hot tub - ew!), eat, etc.

[xpcdoojk]

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?

 

Joe, I take a nice bottle of wine to many restaurants, and they charge a corkage fee. Most restaurants are more than happy to do this, and this included RCI, BTW. Of course, I am not talking about McDonalds.:p Your logic about rule following could use a little work too. For example, driving 1 mile over the speed limit is against the law, but I don't think we would want to compare it to murder. In other words some rules exist purely to increase the profit of the cruiseline, and not to provide safety and a proper environment. Getting drunk on smuggled liquor is exactly the same as getting drunk on the drink of the day. A quiet child free solarium is not the same as child over run solarium with children screaming, splashing, etc. I think that to blame the fact that children are allowed to destroy the atmosphere in an adults only area on the basis of, well someone smuggled booze on the ship is pretty silly and childish. In other words and for the millionth time, the world is not black and white. I think if a cruise was in Alaska, and it was too cool for the open deck pools for kids to swim, that the kids should be allowed in the Solarium pool for some amount of time. It is called common sense, and not absolutism, which is really another word for no freedom of choice.

 

jc

[terri23]

 

Joe, I take a nice bottle of wine to many restaurants, and they charge a corkage fee. Most restaurants are more than happy to do this, and this included RCI, BTW. Of course, I am not talking about McDonalds.:p Your logic about rule following could use a little work too. For example, driving 1 mile over the speed limit is against the law, but I don't think we would want to compare it to murder. In other words some rules exist purely to increase the profit of the cruiseline, and not to provide safety and a proper environment. Getting drunk on smuggled liquor is exactly the same as getting drunk on the drink of the day. A quiet child free solarium is not the same as child over run solarium with children screaming, splashing, etc. I think that to blame the fact that children are allowed to destroy the atmosphere in an adults only area on the basis of, well someone smuggled booze on the ship is pretty silly and childish. In other words and for the millionth time, the world is not black and white. I think if a cruise was in Alaska, and it was too cool for the open deck pools for kids to swim, that the kids should be allowed in the Solarium pool for some amount of time. It is called common sense, and not absolutism, which is really another word for no freedom of choice.

 

jc

 

Agreed!! And I've heard that absolutism ;) and grapefruit juice is a good combination for cool summertime refreshment!

[Cruisemom39]

I was thinking that the ONLY reason kids would be allowed in the solarium on the Enchantment, would be if the weather is bad. Seems I read somewhere if the weather is bad even kids are allowed in there?

 

Yes, there is such a rule. At least there was on the Vision last October out of the west coast. We had a day or two of rain and the kids were allowed to use the solarium pool from, I believe, 12-2 p.m. That's it.

 

People who allow their kids to run amuck really ruin it for those of us who travel with kids. I have four, and I get all sorts of stares/comments/etc. when I travel, until they realize that my children are extremely well behaved (I will tolerate nothing less, specifically when it comes to adversely effecting someone else's vacation, restaurant dining or the like).

[mromanin]

We are fortunate to be able to mostly do our cruising when the "younger set" is in school. On those cruises when there have been lots of kids on board we have learned to be proactive. On one cruise when the kids had hogged the outside pool hot tubs for hours with no parents in sight, splashing the few brave adults who tried to enjoy the hot tub, my husband just went over and told them it was time for them to get out and let others have a turn. Shocked looks from the kids, but it worked. No irate parents either. We also have no problem telling rowdy, running, unaccompanied "little darlings" to "please walk" in the hallways. Sometimes it's a lot easier to just handle things yourself!

[FinelyCruising]

jc -- I'm not sure about your Alaska Solarium theory. The hot tubs are HOT, and many folks in colder climates leave theirs open all winter. Should kids be allowed to sit at the bars at some times on the ships too just because they are having a soda? Me thinks this is really about appropriateness. And, I also am not to sure about this no freedom of choice thing, since it sounds like you are saying one should have the freedom to chose not to follow the rules. That to me sounds like rebellion.

 

So I am on my first drink of the day here since my chores are now done. Are you a little tipsy already? :D

[dlm0501]

I know aboard the ship there is a concierge room and I am not allowed to go ---How would it be if everyone on board just decided to go into it - just because they wanted too?? Then why should these children be allowed in an adult only room-??The funny thing is if the parents of these screaming children were in the concierge room and we showed up they would be the first to complain. My son is 16 and can't play in the casino--well why can't he if he wants?? There is a simple answer because those are the rules.

 

If there was a 17 year old reading a book this thread would not have been started-if there wa a baby sleeping on the chair next to her dad this thread would not have been started- It is once again the few that disturb the many-if everyone just used common sense-life becomes so much simpler and maybe for some -if we just followed the rules it gets even simpler.

[terri23]

I know aboard the ship there is a concierge room and I am not allowed to go ---How would it be if everyone on board just decided to go into it - just because they wanted too?? Then why should these children be allowed in an adult only room-??The funny thing is if the parents of these screaming children were in the concierge room and we showed up they would be the first to complain. My son is 16 and can't play in the casino--well why can't he if he wants?? There is a simple answer because those are the rules.

 

If there was a 17 year old reading a book this thread would not have been started-if there wa a baby sleeping on the chair next to her dad this thread would not have been started- It is once again the few that disturb the many-if everyone just used common sense-life becomes so much simpler and maybe for some -if we just followed the rules it gets even simpler.

 

Since the dawn of man, we have always had a minority unconcerned with the greater good. The least harmful in today's society might be the chair hogs and other cruise scofflaws. The far more harmful were most recently in London. Now, let us put things in perspective, put the unruly in their place and get on with cocktail hour :D.

[sueinphilly]

I guess I should be really glad that I would never even remotely consider getting into a hot tub on the ship.

 

The very thought of going into water that strangers and their body parts have been in, makes my skin crawl.

 

Germs love hot water. blech.

[FinelyCruising]

kind of like sharing your bath tub with strangers, huh....:eek:

[terri23]

kind of like sharing your bath tub with strangers, huh....:eek:

 

I can confirm, at least, there's a lot more chlorine in RCI's hot tubs than in your bathtub! DH's new swim trunks were bleached in about ten minutes. Cheap laundry for those willing to brave the other things the unwashed masses leave behind.

[Iamthesea]

How about the mom that won't use a baby monitor for her kids in another room, because she's on vacation.

I never thought about bringing monitors to check back and forth to our children. Do they really work?

[VernRDH]

Young girls especially should not be in hot tubs to do the increased chance of getting a urinary tract infection. This can happen to "big girls" too. I do not let my DD (age 5) anywhere near a hot tub. No one wants a sick child on vacation. As another poster said, hot tubs are breeding grounds for who knows what.

 

That said, we are taking DD on her first cruise in 34 days (but whos counting). She will not be allowed in any areas that are not meant for kids, as we follow THE RULES. What better way to set a good example for your children than by saying,"Sorry Johnny but this is a place just for grownups. We will have to play somewhere else as those are the rules". Children understand rules and need them. They also need parents to ENFORCE them. There should be no difference between home and the ship.

 

I don't remember any truly unruly kids or kids in the Solarium on either of our past cruises. We did not take DD on those, as we felt she was not ready to handle it. She has already been told that this is no different than home, and that she needs to be on her best behavior. I can tell you that I do not plan on letting her have the "run of the ship" until she is at LEAST 30:D . May be harsh, but I have no problem with the short leash. She will thank me later.

 

JMHO...........

[stargate fan]

And when that does not work, a person has two options...

1. Handle it on his/her own.
   
2. Piss and moan about it when he/she gets home.
   

I personally prefer #1 and am not afraid of nor intimidated by these parents. Heck, I teach middle and high school kids. I have no problems being a teacher on board. :D

And FYI, I have two teenage sons who are read the riot act about following posted rules.

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.

[joeyancho]

This post just illustrates one of the many reasons I never cruise when school is out. Parents no longer parent. Parenting now means being your kids' best friend. Disipline is a foreign concept. You can see it everyday in the public school system, at the grocery store and at the mall. Flame away.........

[stargate fan]

I have to ask...do you have children?

In the time it takes a parent to sneeze, a child could run on stairs and slip.

This is childhood.

When my younger son was little, he did not know the meaning of "walk", he ran everywhere. We constantly reminded him to be careful. We were with him always. He fell, scraped himself up, learned his lesson for a while, and went back to being a happy, excited, polite, running child. He is now a wonderful 14 year old who still runs everywhere.

Heck, I slipped on the stairs and on the deck on our last cruise and I can assure you that I was not running.

Thank goodness the girl is fine.

 

 

On Thursday night after 11pm we witnessed a child about age 8-10 running up one of the Solaruim jacuzzi stairs to test the water. On the way down she tripped and fell and was crying afterwards. She could have easily broken her ankle.

[stargate fan]

You are so right. It's amazing how many parents blame the teachers at my school for their children failing classes, throwing food in the cafeteria, swearing, etc.

My husband and I are not our sons' friends. We are their parents. They are 14 and 17. We are VERY strict with them. We have extrememly high expectations of them. We demand proper behavior of them and we taught them what that behavior is.

The boys also know that we love them unconditionally. They even say "I love you" to each other at bedtime and when they get off the phone with each other.

My favorite story is from a mom this past June. We were at an awards ceremony and she came running up to me. She said she had just met our younger son earlier in the week at school. They both came to a doorway at the same time. My son looked at her and said, "after you." She was amazed. When I recounted this to my son, he said he didn't remember. I explained that he didn't realize what he was doing because that is very common behavior for both him and his older brother. And they hang around with kids who are pretty much raised the same way.

So, be optimistic...there are parents who teach their kids properly and there are kids who will amaze you with their behavior.

I wish you all could meet my boys. They would restore your faith in our youth.

This post just illustrates one of the many reasons I never cruise when school is out. Parents no longer parent. Parenting now means being your kids' best friend. Disipline is a foreign concept. You can see it everyday in the public school system, at the grocery store and at the mall. Flame away.........

[welove2cruisedou]

Hi all,

We think there should be an adults only ultra inclusive cruise ship. With all the cruiseships that they are making these days, they should have at least one adult only ship. And a bonus would be ultra inclusive-meaning everything would be included, such as all drinks, all shore excursions and all restaurants. That would be our ideal cruise. We don't have any kids, and whoever else that doesn't want to deal with these wild unruly rugrats we should all write to all cruise lines telling them what we want. Last cruise we went on outta Puerto Rico, was a nightmare. Those darn kids I wanted to punch them out. Not only were they in the adult only areas, but everywhere on the ship. And to top it all off those darn kids tried to act like they didn't understand English. Anyways, we know how you feel, it is quite annoying...

[Cruising89143]

Hi all,

We think there should be an adults only ultra inclusive cruise ship. With all the cruiseships that they are making these days, they should have at least one adult only ship. And a bonus would be ultra inclusive-meaning everything would be included, such as all drinks, all shore excursions and all restaurants. That would be our ideal cruise. We don't have any kids, and whoever else that doesn't want to deal with these wild unruly rugrats we should all write to all cruise lines telling them what we want. Last cruise we went on outta Puerto Rico, was a nightmare. Those darn kids I wanted to punch them out. Not only were they in the adult only areas, but everywhere on the ship. And to top it all off those darn kids tried to act like they didn't understand English. Anyways, we know how you feel, it is quite annoying...

 

While your idea of an all inclusive adults only ship sounds good it will not happen in the "mass market". A few years ago Celebrity tried to schedule approx. four adults only cruises. They had to discount and offer extra incentives to book the ships. I have not seen this offered since.

[MM27]

This post just illustrates one of the many reasons I never cruise when school is out. Parents no longer parent. Parenting now means being your kids' best friend. Disipline is a foreign concept. You can see it everyday in the public school system, at the grocery store and at the mall. Flame away.........

 

I agree with you 100%. I'm a teacher so the only time I can vacation is when there are large numbers of kids also on vacation. You make the most of it and enjoy your vacation and be thankful that they're not your kids :D It's really true about many (I'm not saying all) parents not parenting. I teach 4th grade and while I've had some of the most polite kids ever in my class, they are rare. Many parents simply refuse to believe that "their kids" would do anything wrong.

[jcanino]

 

Joe, I take a nice bottle of wine to many restaurants, and they charge a corkage fee. Most restaurants are more than happy to do this, and this included RCI, BTW.

 

Well here in CT as it was in NJ when I lived there, if the restaurant has a license to sell liquor, you cannot bring in your own. If the restaurant does not have a license to sell, you may bring in a bottle of wine and they will open it, chill it and provide glasses for a fee.

 

Go back to the first message I posted in this thread and quoted the Royal Caribbean policy.

 

Also, every cop I know allows 9 miles over the speed limit before giving you a ticket but we do have a few streets in my town that 1 mile over the posted limit gets you a ticket, no ifs ands or buts.

[sueinphilly]

they call that Radisson or Crystal or Seaborn. while those ships might not expressly prohibit children, there are apt to only be a handful and they will likely be well behaved. But expect to shell out major $$, you're not going to get a $700 balcony special on one of those ships

 

Hi all,

We think there should be an adults only ultra inclusive cruise ship. With all the cruiseships that they are making these days, they should have at least one adult only ship. And a bonus would be ultra inclusive-meaning everything would be included, such as all drinks, all shore excursions and all restaurants. That would be our ideal cruise. We don't have any kids, and whoever else that doesn't want to deal with these wild unruly rugrats we should all write to all cruise lines telling them what we want. Last cruise we went on outta Puerto Rico, was a nightmare. Those darn kids I wanted to punch them out. Not only were they in the adult only areas, but everywhere on the ship. And to top it all off those darn kids tried to act like they didn't understand English. Anyways, we know how you feel, it is quite annoying...

[justaknucklehead]

i believe that the people who want to cruise without a ton of kids should be able to do so, in the off season. If you see a few kids, no problem. My problem is with all the parents who take their lovelies out of school for the sake of a vacation because they don't want to cruise with a ton of kids either. The numbers will catch up and all cruises will be filled with kids.

[ilionite65]

sueinphilly, Why would kids on those ships "likely be well behaved"?

[Cruising89143]

i believe that the people who want to cruise without a ton of kids should be able to do so, in the off season. If you see a few kids, no problem. My problem is with all the parents who take their lovelies out of school for the sake of a vacation because they don't want to cruise with a ton of kids either. The numbers will catch up and all cruises will be filled with kids.

 

One thing to keep in mind with that comment. A lot of areas now have year round school seasons so that means some kids are indeed out of school when the majority are in. As more areas move to this then we will see more kids on board duing what we would normally think of as off season.