No-children travellers perspective of children on cruises???

[connes1]

Thank you for posting that. Traveling with young children can be difficult but when you have rules clearly stated makes it so much easier

 

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[Paulette3028]

As far as having 'rules' -- I wish the cruise line would enforce the rules they have for adults on board a ship....it would make 'time around the pool' so much easier and nicer.

 

Having rules, means enforcing them......and policing rules is always difficult. Staff doesn't want to offend someone enough so that they 'find another cruise line to go on, the next time they want to book a cruise'.

[SherriZ366]

If anyone is still following this thread.....

 

Thank you to everyone for your comments, suggestions and well wishes. It has certainly made me feel much more confident (and excited) about taking the kids on their first cruise.

 

A lot of the things mentioned are already things that we try to manage, but some times our kids have very stubborn heads on their shoulders! It has been god gauging how people are going to react.

 

If anything we actually get more dirty looks for dealing with the kids behaviour, than for ignoring them. There are times that we put our foot down and say no desserts....for people to say that we should let them. At one point my son kicked some litter on the street, even though he had been told not to on several occasions and we had explained that it looked like he had dropped the litter himself. So (after checking it was safe and having baby wipes on standby) we asked him to put it in the bin that was 10 steps away, he went into melt down!!! A lady came over and quizzed us on why he was throwing a tantrum, she then picked up the litter threw it in the bin herself and started mouthing off at me :( We have even had some one call the police on us when I got my son out the car on a industrial estate as he had made it un-safe for me to drive throwing an ALMIGHTY tantrum, hitting his sister, spitting, screaming, throwing things...etc. We came off the main road onto the industrial estate and got him out the car to calm down in a safe place. The police backed us up and said that it was the safest thing for us to do in that circumstance! These things that we do makes a positive change in his behaviour, I don't agree in just letting them get away with things, even if "they are on holiday".

 

I know a lot of you have said that we just need to let the kids be kids, but we have found that they like to have boundaries in place. If they know the rules then they have no excuses when they break them. We quite often take minutes to give them rules before going shopping, to the park, playing a game...etc. Everything we do in life has certain rules or etiquette that we should follow, so by putting it in writing is helping them understand that.

 

We have used some rules that others have posted in the "family" section that we have modified to our circumstances and to include many of your suggestions. My kids will be 7 and 8 and will be supervised AT ALL TIMES by us or for a couple of slots at Adventure Ocean. However we have made these rules so that we can use the same ones for years, till they get to the point when they can go from one place to another on their own (NO ROAMING). There is no point having one set of rules for this cruise and then change them down the line, they will be told when they are allowed to go places on their own.

 

I am sure I have missed something, just let me know :)

 

Children's rules for going on Cruises

 

I, _________________ will follow these rules when I am on the cruise, if I do then I will have treats and when I am older I can go to different places on the ship on my own sometimes.

 

I will not leave the ship without Mummy or Mum

I will not go on the balcony with out Mummy and Mum & I won't climb on ANY railings anywhere

I will not enter any other cabin and will not let any one into our cabin.

I will not argue with my family, no answering back, nice sharing and work as a team

I will only go where I am told when going around the ship on my own, I will use my cabin to chill out

I will hang the “do not disturb” sign on the door while in the cabin alone.

I will not enter any staff areas, even if a staff member asks me to unless I have checked with you

I will not go into any area that are just for grown ups...bars, casino, inside swimming pool...etc

I will eat with my mouth shut, stay at the table until I ask to get down and I will not waste food

I will be well behaved at dinner, at any shows or activities or I will be taken out for “Quiet Time”

I will not push in for anything, I will wait in line and politely wait my turn

I will not throw anything overboard

I will not put anything in the toilet apart from toilet paper

I will tell Mummy or Mum STRAIGHT away if I lose my Sea Pass, I won't be in trouble if I do that

I will only spend as much money as I am allowed to, if I spend too much I will not have any more

I will not lend my cruise card to anyone else

I will be back at the cabin at the right time set by Mummy, Mum or Royal Caribbean

I will not knock on other peoples doors

I will only press the button in the lift for where we are going, no extra buttons!

I will keep in touch when I am told to and in the way I am told to

I will only have drinks handed to me by a staff member or my family & only those always in my sight.

I will only eat with Mummy and Mum or with Adventure Ocean

I will get dressed in the morning and get changed for dinner as quickly as possible

I will use hand sanitizer often and wash hands before eating all food at all times

I will not touch food in the Windjammer Cafe or other areas, I will only get my own food if Im allowed

I will not visit open decks in the evening or at night without Mummy and Mum

I will go to sleep when I am told so that I am not grumpy the next day

I will be quiet in the morning if I wake up early, I won't wake anyone else up on purpose

 

I will be well mannered at all times

• Treat all staff with respect.

• Not break anything on purpose, if I break something by accident I will tell some one.

• Say please, thank you, no thank you, etc

• Please hold doors open for adults

• Stand back allowing people to go in and out of the lifts.

• Only quiet voices are to be used in the hall ways in case people are asleep, DAY OR NIGHT

• Be good when swimming, no splashing, no running, no rough play

 

By signing this I agree to follow all the rules.

 

I understand that if I do not follow these rules it will result in me losing treats and I will have to spend the rest of the cruise with Mummy, Mum or the Adventure Ocean.

 

Mummy _______________________________ Date_________

 

 

Mummy _______________________________ Date_________

 

 

Child _______________________________ Date_________

Can't believe that folks try to interfere with your excellent parenting. And agree that kids like boundaries (they are testing to see how far they can get and feel more secure when they have the boundary.). Loved your rules/contract. I really think the majority of the kid problems on RCI and other cruises are caused by parents not parenting.

[xxHadleyxx]

It looks like you have covered pretty much all the basis.

 

You know your kids best, so you are probably right to have such a long and extensive contract, but I will throw this out there anyway ;)

 

They are pretty young and that is a LOT of information--it could be easily overwhelming and easy to forget an item or two when listed like that (IMO).

 

As my kids were growing up, on cruises we jut reviewed the "specific to cruise" rules, knowing that they already knew and practiced other stuff all the time, so that the "new" things did not get lost in the shuffle of a ton of rules.

 

We often went places with elevators, so we did not need to repeat the rules of no pushing in or ecxess button pushing--that was how it always was.

 

We eat out a lot (and follow mostly the same rules at home) so basics of staying at the table, etc were a given already.

 

Saying please, thank you, etc is the norm anwayway.

 

Etc.

 

So we only talked about things like:

 

never go in someone else's cabin or invite them into ours.

 

never go into a non public area of the ship, even if a crew member says to, unless the emergency alarm has sounded and they are taking you to your muster station.

 

think of the entire ship, including outdoor deck spaces, as an INSIDE venue and beahave appropriately (inside voices, no running, etc)

 

etc--ie, things they did not already know that were cruise specific. By focusing only on the new rules, the kids were not overwhelmed, and we never really had an issue (other than DS14 tends to shriek when he is excited and the audience is told to be loud. OMG i HATE that. We try to remember to anticipate and remind him before any show/party/event--he'll stop midway and be embarrassed her forgot--he knows better but gets excited. Sigh.)

 

We have even had some one call the police on us when I got my son out the car on a industrial estate as he had made it un-safe for me to drive throwing an ALMIGHTY tantrum, hitting his sister, spitting, screaming, throwing things...etc. We came off the main road onto the industrial estate and got him out the car to calm down in a safe place. The police backed us up and said that it was the safest thing for us to do in that circumstance! These things that we do makes a positive change in his behaviour, I don't agree in just letting them get away with things, even if "they are on holiday".

 

I agree that you do not take a vacation from parenting when on vacation with your kids, and I applaud you for being a parent and not a buddy.

 

I just thought, since you seem to resent that call to slice a bit, that I would mention I probably would have called police too. NOT because I think there is anything at all wrong with what you did--but because, as an outsider, seeing a child throwing such a huge tantrum in an area that normally would not have children and families, like and industrial park, the scene would look like there was a very real possibility that this was an abduction of some sort and not just a child having a melt down--I would want to er on the side of caution and let police determine if the child was indeed safely with parents or if somethign fishy were going on.

[KansasEMT]

Sounds like you've got your bases 100% covered and you and children will be delightful sailing compainions!

 

--------

The one thing that upsets me about people travelling with kids is when the parents decide to drag the kids along on an "adult" vacation. Kids need to be kids - give them a place to run (other than the halls) , to yell (outside or in a kid-friendly zone), to act their age (within reasonable boundaries). Parents who impose idealistic "adult" behavior out of their prepubescent offspring are merely setting the stage for a major meltdown. If the kids are tired, let them rest. If they're hungry, feed them. If they need attention (and they do), interact with them - play with them. Let them explore their own interests, allow them some time on the vacation agenda. Allow the kids some "vacation" too. Sitting still like statues and eating unpalatable food (for a kid) for seven days is torture for small children, and they will rebel. If parents aren't going to truly include the kids needs and wants into their vacations, then maybe the kids could stay at home with friends or grandparents?

----------

 

Don't get me wrong - it sounds like the parents here really do mind their kids and involve them. I just know a few who expect perfect adult behavior and take no consideration for the kids whatsoever. They're young for such a short time - enjoy those wee ones!

[jc24cruiser]

It looks like you have covered pretty much all the basis.

 

You know your kids best, so you are probably right to have such a long and extensive contract, but I will throw this out there anyway ;)

 

They are pretty young and that is a LOT of information--it could be easily overwhelming and easy to forget an item or two when listed like that (IMO).

 

As my kids were growing up, on cruises we jut reviewed the "specific to cruise" rules, knowing that they already knew and practiced other stuff all the time, so that the "new" things did not get lost in the shuffle of a ton of rules.

 

We often went places with elevators, so we did not need to repeat the rules of no pushing in or ecxess button pushing--that was how it always was.

 

We eat out a lot (and follow mostly the same rules at home) so basics of staying at the table, etc were a given already.

 

Saying please, thank you, etc is the norm anwayway.

 

Etc.

 

So we only talked about things like:

 

never go in someone else's cabin or invite them into ours.

 

never go into a non public area of the ship, even if a crew member says to, unless the emergency alarm has sounded and they are taking you to your muster station.

 

think of the entire ship, including outdoor deck spaces, as an INSIDE venue and beahave appropriately (inside voices, no running, etc)

 

etc--ie, things they did not already know that were cruise specific. By focusing only on the new rules, the kids were not overwhelmed, and we never really had an issue (other than DS14 tends to shriek when he is excited and the audience is told to be loud. OMG i HATE that. We try to remember to anticipate and remind him before any show/party/event--he'll stop midway and be embarrassed her forgot--he knows better but gets excited. Sigh.)

 

 

 

I agree that you do not take a vacation from parenting when on vacation with your kids, and I applaud you for being a parent and not a buddy.

 

I just thought, since you seem to resent that call to slice a bit, that I would mention I probably would have called police too. NOT because I think there is anything at all wrong with what you did--but because, as an outsider, seeing a child throwing such a huge tantrum in an area that normally would not have children and families, like and industrial park, the scene would look like there was a very real possibility that this was an abduction of some sort and not just a child having a melt down--I would want to er on the side of caution and let police determine if the child was indeed safely with parents or if somethign fishy were going on.

 

Thank you for your reply :)

 

I see what you mean about the amount of information. I would still like to include the basics so that if they forget the basics and do something wrong I can show them the rules and say "look, you broke this rule". My son, more than my daughter, likes to have the last word and would try to argue that he had absolutely no idea that he wasn't supposed to punch his sister in the face :rolleyes: But I do agree with what you have said, so I think one way around it is to highlight or colour code the cruise specific bits and focus on those. We will probably need to go through it all in small chunks too. But we will then be taking it on the cruise with us so that they can always read through it when they want and I have it to hand when there are issues. It does look like a lot considering that atm they are 6 and 7 (they will be 7 and 8 when we cruise) but this is going to be in place for several years rather than changing it so it will hopefully seem less overwhelming. We do also have close to year to go through it all so hopefully time will be on our side.....knowing my daughter she will actually memorise it all and would be able to recite it word perfect by the time we leave.

 

I certainly don't want to be walking around with my judges wig and gavel on the whole time and we are going to take into account that they will be excited/tired/missing home..etc. But they seem to like having something in black and white just as much as we like to :D

 

In regards to the police call, I guess if something looked weird to me then I would want to be safe too. There have been several occasions where I have watched a situation for longer than necessary to make sure that the child was safe....by seeing what the called the person, what was being said by the adult and by the child and the child's demeanour in general (would like to add that I have training in child care and safety)....but would have called if I had any doubt at all. It always upsets me to think that Jamie Bulger was walked out of a shopping centre and walked several miles without any one thinking anything of it :( However the complaint was actually about how we handled the situation, rather than a safety concern :(

[jc24cruiser]

Just a quickie....

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, maybe there is already something like this but I have just not received it yet due to the time scale of my booking. But if they don't.......I am surprised that Royal Caribbean don't have a little "Code of Conduct" agreement that they get the kids (and the parents) to sign. Something simple that just covers cruise specific things like the elevators, buffet, Sea Passes, going into other cabins and the adult only areas.....a long with a lovely little bit about general manners and being considerate of others.

 

It is quite clear from this thread that there is a lot of children's (and parent's) behaviour that does stop other passengers from enjoying their cruise. So why not having something small and friendly to say what is expected.

 

This means that if there is bad behaviour then the cruise line will be in a better position to deal with it. Non-child cruisers will feel a little more reassured that there are certain things in place so they know where they stand too.

 

We have one of these for the School my kids go to and it works well, it says what the school will do, what is expected of the kids and what is exected of the parents. We have all signed it so it s a shared agreement :D

[crusinmama06]

Yes, during Summer, holidays, spring break - Royal Caribbean will put a letter on the bed. It doesn't go into specifics - but it does talk about a code of conduct.

[villauk]

jc24cruiser,

 

They'll be no shortage of children on your 4 night Independence cruise out of Southampton in October, it's smack bang in the middle of half-term week for most of the UK. You'll also notice how quickly the 4 berth cabins will sell out before the other cabins ;).

 

There is a statement when you book quoting that the child/ren cruising with you are under your supervision and you as the parent/guardian will be held accountable for their actions (it lists unacceptable occurrences). Some families in the past, according to these boards, have been removed from cruises and deposited at the next port of call if their children (mainly teenagers) have severely broken Royal's rules. I believe this applies to adults too, should they overstep the mark etc. However, someone will always try to push and manipulate any rules, take for instance: saving seats in the theatre, not sharing drink packages, not allowing chair hogging, under 16s in the solarium - doesn't matter what is in place, someone will always think they are an exception to the rule ;).

 

Btw, my children know that they can be removed from a ship if their behaviour is not appropriate/acceptable - I think this is the biggest deterrent: no more cruising EVER - not something they would wish to contemplate :D.

 

Actually, on a previous cruise, I have had a fellow passenger come over to our table in the buffet to congratulate us on my DS's manners. Apparently, she was a more mature lady struggling to make an ice-cream and my DS showed her how the machine operated. She made the effort to come over as she said so many folks were quick enough to condemn the young, however not so quick in complimenting them........kudos to such a nice person :).

[cruzincurt]

Just a quickie....

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, maybe there is already something like this but I have just not received it yet due to the time scale of my booking. But if they don't.......I am surprised that Royal Caribbean don't have a little "Code of Conduct" agreement that they get the kids (and the parents) to sign. Something simple that just covers cruise specific things like the elevators, buffet, Sea Passes, going into other cabins and the adult only areas.....a long with a lovely little bit about general manners and being considerate of others.

 

It is quite clear from this thread that there is a lot of children's (and parent's) behaviour that does stop other passengers from enjoying their cruise. So why not having something small and friendly to say what is expected.

 

This means that if there is bad behaviour then the cruise line will be in a better position to deal with it. Non-child cruisers will feel a little more reassured that there are certain things in place so they know where they stand too.

 

We have one of these for the School my kids go to and it works well, it says what the school will do, what is expected of the kids and what is exected of the parents. We have all signed it so it s a shared agreement :D

Why do we have to print a list to advise people of what is proper and improper? How sad.

[Luvstocruise2]

While we have a kid, we will be travelling just a couple and I am fine with kids being around me. I expect the parents to be responsible for their kid's behavior too. On the other hand, I am not allergic to kids as some cruisers might be, where they are just looking for someone's kid to ruin their holiday.

 

Apart from the lessons you wants kids to learn in public, I still read the "riot act" to my son to be on good behavior.

 

I had heard of horror stories on Carnival, and I hope RCI doesn't have the issues I had heard about misbehaviors. Of course, Youtube has some interesting vids of bad behavior-adult and child alike!

 

FWIW

[connes1]

I still say the drunks are far more annoying than the kids. At least kids have an excuse...their kids. The drunks have no excuse.

 

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[ducklite]

There is a reason we will be cruising while school is in session and on lines with minimum ages moving forward. As parents and aunt/uncles many times over we enjoy children, we just don't necessarily want to cruise with them at this point in our lives.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[cruzincurt]

I still say the drunks are far more annoying than the kids. At least kids have an excuse...their kids. The drunks have no excuse.

 

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The topic of this thread is children. Perhaps you should start one about the drunk adults.

[kitty9]

I'm a former special education teacher and a veteran of many cruises. I fully expect to see/hear laughing children having fun at places like the pool and other child-centric places. They're kids, and kids can get excited.

 

My problem is what I term the "Not my kid" parent. Used to be, back in my early days of teaching, if there was a troubled child, you could expect the parents cooperation. You don't see that much anymore. All you hear is, not my kid or my kid would never do anything like that.

 

I get a kick out of parents who get offended and point out that kids will be kids and adults are worse. Well, not in my experience with happenings on ships. It was kids who put human feces in the main swimming pool. It was kids who took a scooter from a disabled person and threw it into a pool. It was kids who went into the casino late at night and tipped over slot machines. It was kids running on stairs who knocked down an elderly man, who broke a hip. It's kids who steal room service menus, or put phony menus on doors or knock on doors in the middle of the night. It was kids who got into a food fight in the buffet, throwing everything you can think of at each other. It was kids who threw a stink bomb in the disco. It was kids who used the most vile language at the casino staff when they were asked to leave. It's kids who take over elevators and use them as their party rooms, leaving them filthy.

 

See a pattern here? UNSUPERVISED kids!!!! Heck, if an adult gets out of control, security handles it. But have you ever seen security trying to handle unsupervised or unruly kids? The parents go ballistic and play the "Not My Child" card. Yes, kids will be kids, in certain situations. But parents should never abrogate their position as parents and they need to stuff the not my kid attitude in the nearest trash heap.

Edited November 12, 2013 by kitty9

[connes1]

I'm a former special education teacher and a veteran of many cruises. I fully expect to see/hear laughing children having fun at places like the pool and other child-centric places. They're kids, and kids can get excited.

 

My problem is what I term the "Not my kid" parent. Used to be, back in my early days of teaching, if there was a troubled child, you could expect the parents cooperation. You don't see that much anymore. All you hear is, not my kid or my kid would never do anything like that.

 

I get a kick out of parents who get offended and point out that kids will be kids and adults are worse. Well, not in my experience with happenings on ships. It was kids who put human feces in the main swimming pool. It was kids who took a scooter from a disabled person and threw it into a pool. It was kids who went into the casino late at night and tipped over slot machines. It was kids running on stairs who knocked down an elderly man, who broke a hip. It's kids who steal room service menus, or put phony menus on doors or knock on doors in the middle of the night. It was kids who got into a food fight in the buffet, throwing everything you can think of at each other. It was kids who threw a stink bomb in the disco. It was kids who used the most vile language at the casino staff when they were asked to leave.

 

See a pattern here? UNSUPERVISED kids!!!! Heck, if an adult gets out of control, security handles it. But have you ever seen security trying to handle unsupervised or unruly kids? The parents go ballistic and play the "Not My Child" card. Yes, kids will be kids, in certain situations. But parents should never abrogate their position as parents and they need to stuff the not my kid attitude in the nearest trash heap.

 

I think the behavior your talking about are older children with severe behavior problems (throwing feces in pools and knocking down slot machines). I was more thinking of antics of young children (under the age of 8).I totally agree with you severe behavioral issues as stated should be addressed. Many of the parents of these children are probably the adults who are drunk.

 

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[Lerin]

 

I guess I am looking for re-assurance that they will be tolerated by other passengers....within reason :D

 

Your children have paid a fee to sail just as everyone else.

I always find it sad when parents feel their kids are somehow in the way or not allowed to enjoy themselves.

 

Rowdy kids can be a problem on a cruise(or anywhere), but the same could be said for rowdy adults(or drunks, smokers, etc...the list of people who bother others is endless).

 

Enjoy your family vacation and don't worry about other people's tolerance level for what may be their own issue.

[wassup4565]

Forgive me if I missed this previously in this thread. My point is that parents must be fair to their children, and not put the kiddies in impossible situations. You need to be realistic about what your kids can endure before they go into meltdown because they are too tired, too hot, too bored, too confined, too hungry, or too overstimulated to cope.

 

You should not put your child into a situation where he/she is so tired, overwrought or over-challenged to enjoy it. Your own wishes, as a parent, must come after your child`s - that`s what being a parent means. If a two-hour formal dining room experience is going to drive your antsy-pantsy kid crazy, sorry, you must forego your preferred dining arrangement and eat in the Windjammer or order room service. If your kid is too tired and cranky to enjoy a show in the theater, then sorry, you must forego your own preference and read the kid a story, tuck him/her into bed, and read a book or watch a movie for your evening's entertainment. You are the grown-up now.

 

You must be fair to your kids. Don`t put them into situations where they can only fail and annoy other people. Yes, you can enjoy your cruise, but you can`t behave like you are 20 and unencumbered. You are a parent. You can't have everything you want, your way, all the time, anymore.

 

Anytime I see a red-faced hopelessly crying exhausted child, or a crazy little demon running amok, or a serial screamer shrieking frantically, I ask myself where is the parent? Did you think you purchased a vacation from being a parent?

 

There is no vacation from being a parent.

[SherriZ366]

Forgive me if I missed this previously in this thread. My point is that parents must be fair to their children, and not put the kiddies in impossible situations. You need to be realistic about what your kids can endure before they go into meltdown because they are too tired, too hot, too bored, too confined, too hungry, or too overstimulated to cope.

 

You should not put your child into a situation where he/she is so tired, overwrought or over-challenged to enjoy it. Your own wishes, as a parent, must come after your child`s - that`s what being a parent means. If a two-hour formal dining room experience is going to drive your antsy-pantsy kid crazy, sorry, you must forego your preferred dining arrangement and eat in the Windjammer or order room service. If your kid is too tired and cranky to enjoy a show in the theater, then sorry, you must forego your own preference and read the kid a story, tuck him/her into bed, and read a book or watch a movie for your evening's entertainment. You are the grown-up now.

 

You must be fair to your kids. Don`t put them into situations where they can only fail and annoy other people. Yes, you can enjoy your cruise, but you can`t behave like you are 20 and unencumbered. You are a parent. You can't have everything you want, your way, all the time, anymore.

 

Anytime I see a red-faced hopelessly crying exhausted child, or a crazy little demon running amok, or a serial screamer shrieking frantically, I ask myself where is the parent? Did you think you purchased a vacation from being a parent?

 

There is no vacation from being a parent.

Well said.

[taglovestocruise]

Congregating on stairwells, using the elevators as a personal theme park ride. On our last TA, Rome to Galveston, there were 6 kids under the age of 16.

[Slugsta]

Our son is now grown up and left home. We just had the one, I am not a natural 'earth mother'.

 

One thing that I find very difficult to tolerate is noise. The higher the pitch, the worse I find it. I don't have music or the TV volume up high and I wear ear-plugs if I go to the cinema. Exposure to noise doesn't 'de sensitize' me, it just gives me a stonking headache.

 

We try not to cruise on dates, ships, itineraries that would be expected to have a lot (or any) children. However, we did travel on Azura at Christmas last year. We have taken only 6 cruises, only one of these on an adult only ship. Even I cannot pretend that children have caused many problems on the cruises I have taken - probably fewer than I would expect on a similar land-based trip.

 

However, apart from things already mentioned, the one thing that drives me absolutely mad is having my seat kicked by the person behind me - usually a child swinging his/her legs. The constant knocking is not only aggravating, it also causes me actual physical pain. It is not a harmless childhood foible!

[20pluscruises]

Our son is now grown up and left home. We just had the one, I am not a natural 'earth mother'.

 

One thing that I find very difficult to tolerate is noise. The higher the pitch, the worse I find it. I don't have music or the TV volume up high and I wear ear-plugs if I go to the cinema. Exposure to noise doesn't 'de sensitize' me, it just gives me a stonking headache.

 

We try not to cruise on dates, ships, itineraries that would be expected to have a lot (or any) children. However, we did travel on Azura at Christmas last year. We have taken only 6 cruises, only one of these on an adult only ship. Even I cannot pretend that children have caused many problems on the cruises I have taken - probably fewer than I would expect on a similar land-based trip.

 

However, apart from things already mentioned, the one thing that drives me absolutely mad is having my seat kicked by the person behind me - usually a child swinging his/her legs. The constant knocking is not only aggravating, it also causes me actual physical pain. It is not a harmless childhood foible!

 

That child was also on my flight from france to New York.........grrrr!!!!!!!!

[Karysa]

The worst behavior that I saw was a child about 4 years old refusing to be eat at the table with a dark skinned server. It was 1/2 way through the cruise so plenty of time for the parents to do some teaching on the subject prior to that incident. The parents told the waiter the issue and the family was moved to a different table. My kids were a little older and appalled at the whole situation. They felt so bad for the waiter because he looked really sad.

[Paulette3028]

The worst behavior that I saw was a child about 4 years old refusing to be eat at the table with a dark skinned server. It was 1/2 way through the cruise so plenty of time for the parents to do some teaching on the subject prior to that incident. The parents told the waiter the issue and the family was moved to a different table. My kids were a little older and appalled at the whole situation. They felt so bad for the waiter because he looked really sad.

 

RCI did what they felt would best minimize problems/stress at the table....but how sad, that the incident had to happen in the first place. Your children understood more about human dynamics than the other family will ever learn.

 

In my next thought, I wonder if the parents were using the child as their own excuse to have their table changed. It has been my experience, that small children are rather 'open minded' and that it is the adults who they are around and who influence them that 'are shackled with ignorance' and an inability to handle situations well.

[Karysa]

RCI did what they felt would best minimize problems/stress at the table....but how sad, that the incident had to happen in the first place. Your children understood more about human dynamics than the other family will ever learn.

 

In my next thought, I wonder if the parents were using the child as their own excuse to have their table changed. It has been my experience, that small children are rather 'open minded' and that it is the adults who they are around and who influence them that 'are shackled with ignorance' and an inability to handle situations well.

 

DD's got a first hand show of the little girl, her body language ( including crossed arms and a head with a no-no shake ). I think that the parents influence could be seen in the child, for sure. The fact that they missed a wonderful teaching moment spoke volumes to us.

 

Cute story that I have told on here before. Our DD's first cruise was the Carnival Destiny out of San Juan, PR. In line for the ship, while watching our little blondes in the pool and when finding our photos in the gallery it was very clear to myself and DH that we were very much the in the visible minority on this cruise. On day 5, while having dinner on the top floor with a view down to the main floor of the MDR, our oldest DD who was almost 12 said "did anyone else notice that most of the people on the ship have dark skin"? I said ya, honey we did. The conversation then ended with her two 9 and a half year old sisters not saying a thing. Wasn't a big deal, just an observation of something that she had never experienced before.