Island Princess - kids in bars

[Mooch7]

Hi,

We enjoy having the kids come and dance with us in the early evening, and on Celebrity they are allowed in some bars until 10pm and in some all night.

 

They don't always enjoy the kids club and also liked to come to the martini bar where the staff would make them fancy non-alcoholic drinks.

 

We are going on the Island Princess and are wondering what their policy is for kids in bars.

 

Before you slam me, we found most of these bar/lounges were empty, and our kids were not impinging on adults who wanted to relax.

 

Thanks!

Edited February 1, 2014 by Mooch7

[Pam in CA]

I don't remember seeing any bar or lounge after dinner on a Princess ship that wasn't hopping or didn't have some sort of entertainment going on.

[Loonbeam]

It will partly depend on the entertainment. There was no real age limit on our last cruise, but there were also only about 10 kids on board. If they are doing a family friendly event, kids will usually be permitted.

[Luvmyrotti]

I'm really not trying to slam you, but I just do not understand parents wanting to expose children to bar settings, which are adult settings.

 

My husband and I do not have children and we're not interested in having kids sitting next to us at crooners or the wheelhouse.

 

Just because you may be able to do something doesn't mean you should.

[san diego sue]

On a recent cruise in December on the Sapphire, Skywalkers was not usable thanks to parents with kids running around freely. We saw several near misses between them and elderly people . And this was during the Plat. Elite 5-7PM. I can just about guarantee that those parents and most certainly the very young kids were not in that category. This was week before Christmas. Skywalkers was so packed

with non Elites etc and no one was monitoring who came in.

I don't think in the other lounges it would have been a problem with kids present if they are well behaved.

We cruised with our children when they were young but they participated in youth center activities.

However, quite often going out with our young children we used to get them Mock cocktails and they loved it.

[Potstech]

If your children are well behaved there should be no problem IF the activities are appropriate for them. Only you can decide but most of the bars and lounges are not the place for children to run free. Have a great cruise and hope the kids have a good time

[satxdiver]

If your kids (age??) are well behaved, I can see no reason why they should not join you in the different entertainment venues on the Island. It is a good teaching environment for teenagers to see how one behaves in an adult setting. There are some adults that could use this training now!

 

We raised two boys and taught them from an early age about behavior in bars. Luckily here in this state we could take them with us into a bar and even sit at the bar itself. They just could not have alcohol. I think it is important to teach your children early on how to behave in restaurants, bars, movie theaters, etc, so that when they are of age it is not some mysterious new concept.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

My (kid less) thought is that the lounges are there for anyone. They aren't exactly "bars" like back home. I would keep them out of Churchills as it's REALLY smokey in there. And the should not be at the bar on the stools. But sitting on he chairs and hanging out is fine. There was this family in The Wheelhouse and the kids were memorized with the jazz band. What a great thing to expose the kids to.

 

As said before they should be well behaved (as should any of the adults!).

[minniem]

Well behaved is of course the key phrase I love kids, taught for 30 years, love the Disney cruises but I also love to dance and kids running round the dance floor can be dangerous to both child and dancer.

 

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[sunsetbeachgal]

Agree with others that good behavior is the key, and not disrupting the other guests. Events like the Island Deck party would be perfect for kids.

 

I have seen children out on the dance floor "dancing" which basically consists of wildly gyrating and running around crazy on the dance floor, which I consider completely inappropriate. Way too easy to run into someone and injure them. I often wonder what their parents are thinking...:confused:

Edited February 2, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[SiBreeze]

Agree with others that good behavior is the key, and not disrupting the other guests. Events like the Island Deck party would be perfect for kids.

 

I have seen children out on the dance floor "dancing" which basically consists of wildly gyrating and running around crazy on the dance floor, which I consider completely inappropriate. Way too easy to run into someone and injure them. I often wonder what their parents are thinking...:confused:

 

Those parents are thinking how cute and precious their kids are. :rolleyes:

[Luvmyrotti]

Agree with others that good behavior is the key, and not disrupting the other guests. Events like the Island Deck party would be perfect for kids.

 

I have seen children out on the dance floor "dancing" which basically consists of wildly gyrating and running around crazy on the dance floor, which I consider completely inappropriate. Way too easy to run into someone and injure them. I often wonder what their parents are thinking...:confused:

 

Too often those parents aren't even paying attention to what their children are doing.

[Ethel5]

Agree with others that good behavior is the key, and not disrupting the other guests. Events like the Island Deck party would be perfect for kids.

 

I have seen children out on the dance floor "dancing" which basically consists of wildly gyrating and running around crazy on the dance floor, which I consider completely inappropriate. Way too easy to run into someone and injure them. I often wonder what their parents are thinking...:confused:

 

The problem is that many parents THINK their children are well behaved when just the opposite is true.

 

I remember on one cruise, the late show for the comedian was hampered by young children in attendance. It was clearly labeled as an adult show. He kept looking at his watch (as if to say kids should be in bed) and apologizing that he couldn't do his customary late show. So the parents ruined the evening for all the others.

[INeedAMaiTai]

We always take our kids into bars and dancing (from 6 months to 6 years). Even on the Island, there has never been a problem. The staff loves kids (makes them think of their homes), and tries to make their experience fun also.

[brentlym]

It's going to be very interesting to see how your kids react to being on the Island. During my 2 weeks on her in late March through the Panama Canal, there were very few children of school age. In fact, I only remember a couple in strollers. I'm 45 and I was on the younger end of the age scale for that cruise.

 

As far as taking kids to Crooners….as long as they can sit still and be respectful of other adults around them, I don't see it as an issue. But, they could definitely be exposed to adult themed conversations. The Piazza is fully active during the 5-9pm dinner hours with people enjoying a pre-dinner martini and all the other activities going on there, so don't expect the bars there to be empty except much later in the evening. In fact, Crooners and the lobby bar on deck 5 are big waiting spots for anytime diners waiting for a table. Seating stays full a lot of the time.

[Appygirl]

When we were on the Island Princess through the Panama Canal there were only about 10 kids on board so can't say as I noticed any of them in the bars. I did notice 2 of them frequently in the adult only pool and complaints by several passengers to the staff went nowhere so it might be the same situation in the bars. If someone complains about the kids being in the bar its unlikely that the staff will do anything about it. It might be kind of boring for the kids in the bars anyway.

[Cruise Raider]

I think most bar areas on cruiseships are in an open area -- seemingly welcoming passengers to gather. There are some that are enclosed in a manner making them look more like there is a distinct entrance. So, the open ones, I don't see why they wouldn't be allowed to sit with their parents as long as it isn't designated as adults only.

The only time this bothers me is when there is notifications given where children under a specific age aren't allowed and parents feel as though the rules belong to others. I have seen this several times in the racier late shows in the theater as well as in the adult pool areas and in hot tubs. The last cruise we were on was filled with children in the adults only pool area Adults only ...not so...these kids overran the entire pool area...they were out of control. The parents seem to encourage this -- argh!! So NOT relaxing.

[SoCalWave]

We have taken our kids into bars on multiple lines, but we have always sat at a table and enjoyed card games or whatever. They like getting virgin "fancy drinks." My shy kids have no interest in dancing, no matter how hard I try. ;-)

 

Then again, we keep a fairly strict bed time, even on vacation, and they were never in bars after about 7pm. I doubt I would feel the same about them being in the bars later in the night.

[caribill]

The only bar/dancing area where children will not be allowed is the night club (Skywalker's, The One5, Club 6 -- name varies by ship) after 10 PM.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I think most bar areas on cruiseships are in an open area -- seemingly welcoming passengers to gather. There are some that are enclosed in a manner making them look more like there is a distinct entrance. So, the open ones, I don't see why they wouldn't be allowed to sit with their parents as long as it isn't designated as adults only.

The only time this bothers me is when there is notifications given where children under a specific age aren't allowed and parents feel as though the rules belong to others. I have seen this several times in the racier late shows in the theater as well as in the adult pool areas and in hot tubs. The last cruise we were on was filled with children in the adults only pool area Adults only ...not so...these kids overran the entire pool area...they were out of control. The parents seem to encourage this -- argh!! So NOT relaxing.

 

I was trying to think of any enclosed bars on the ships we've been on, and came up blank. I don't recall seeing any signs saying kids aren't allowed in places with bars (like the Wheelhouse), especially as they are often used for activities, and the bars there are more to entice people into buying a drink while they're there. Many of the bars on board are in open areas, especially the ones on the Lido by the pools. But since I'm not a drinker, there could be ones that are more enclosed. Places like Skywalkers are usually not off-limits to kids except when the disco is in action.

 

The OP didn't say when they're going on their cruise, but the time of year would have a lot to do with how many kids are on board (during the summer when the Island is doing the Alaskan itinerary, there could be a great a number...while it's doing the longer Panama sailings, maybe less).