Never again

[Big_G]

It never fails on these boards. As soon as someone mentions bad child behavior someone tries to trump them with the bad adult behavior card and the arguments breakout. It's almost scripted.

[kristie64063]

There was a lot of us on this cruise that tried to remind these children about their manners. They didn't understand us. It was really bad, under-age drinking, playing slots in the casino, running everywhere and at all hours of the day and night. Even saw a group of 6-10 year old girls hanging out in the buffet after 1:00am. The wait staff in the buffet and MDR were just as upset as a lot of us were, but..... nothing done. At one point a group of young teen and pre-teens were in the hot tub throwing glasses in the air trying to catch them. Missed some, got out of the hot tub and ran away,

and they were putting bubbles in the hot tub.

 

I know not to cruise in March because of spring breakers, all summer because of school being out, end of November for Thanksgiving, Last two weeks of December and first two weeks of Year Years because of Christmas and Winter breaks, and now have to look on the calender to see when Easter is.

 

It would be a lot easier if parents just took responsibility for their children and their actions. Just saying

 

It's kind of frustrating to see these blanket comments about kids. I'm know I'm just anyone on the internet, and can say anything I like, true or not, but my son is extremely well behaved and wouldn't dream of behaving like some of these stories in this thread. Ever. I'd kill him. I know there are a lot of poorly behaved kids, but there are just as many good behaving kids. I don't have rose colored glasses, and my kid makes mistakes (like we all do) and stupid ones at that sometimes. But there are both kinds of kids in the world. Out of 1,000 children on a cruise, surely all 1,000 weren't running rampant, creating havoc. Maybe 200 max? That'd be uncontrollable if they were all (even 50%) doing that crazy stuff!! The security / police would have to step in. So, that's much less than 50% of the kids, which means the majority of them are pretty good kids...

 

I guess like you initially said OP, best for you to cruise during low kid times if you have zero tolerance and can't brush stuff off ...

 

Also, I've only been on one cruise, so not lots of crazy to compare to. Didn't see any out of control kids that cruise. My son was 11, almost 12 at the time, and spent most of his time with me.

[bobnpaml]

I have worked with or around children all my adult life. As I posted there were very well behaved children on this cruise, others just being kids. They are on vacation too. What I get upset is behavior that would get them detention in school or arrested if on the street. And yes there was that on this cruise. People sometime forget that the population on a cruise ship mimicked that in any large city. Just read some of the newspapers about what happens . The kids I saw in the casino, playing were clearly under age, like 12/13. Same for drinking. Someone would put a beer down and they would come behind them , pick it up, drink it them walk away.

 

 

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[geezersgirl]

Unfortunately it is getting to the point that no matter when you cruise there will be kids. Our January cruise on the Magic had so many unruly kids that I was shocked. I asked several of them if they were in school and not one said they were on break. As long as parents keep taking their kids out of school to cruise year round there will be no "less kids" time of the year. I also vented to Carnival and got absolutely no response. I have found that by flying to a distant port or taking a longer cruise the number of children is greatly reduced. I am done cruising out of Galveston.

[Fitzget]

It's kind of frustrating to see these blanket comments about kids. I'm know I'm just anyone on the internet, and can say anything I like, true or not, but my son is extremely well behaved and wouldn't dream of behaving like some of these stories in this thread. Ever. I'd kill him. I know there are a lot of poorly behaved kids, but there are just as many good behaving kids. I don't have rose colored glasses, and my kid makes mistakes (like we all do) and stupid ones at that sometimes. But there are both kinds of kids in the world. Out of 1,000 children on a cruise, surely all 1,000 weren't running rampant, creating havoc. Maybe 200 max? That'd be uncontrollable if they were all (even 50%) doing that crazy stuff!! The security / police would have to step in. So, that's much less than 50% of the kids, which means the majority of them are pretty good kids...

 

I guess like you initially said OP, best for you to cruise during low kid times if you have zero tolerance and can't brush stuff off ...

 

Also, I've only been on one cruise, so not lots of crazy to compare to. Didn't see any out of control kids that cruise. My son was 11, almost 12 at the time, and spent most of his time with me.

 

 

Please do not take this the wrong way as I'm not singling you out, I just speaking in generalizations, but I have my own opinion/observations on this.

 

Every parent thinks their kids are well behaved, you never hear parents on here saying their kids are not. Your son very well may be well behaved, no doubt in my mind.

 

That being said, sometimes parents may not see the "other side" of their kids. I am 43, but I have younger sisters from my dad's second marriage. They are now 17 and 19. My dad is quite strict and even I was raised very strict. My dad is constantly talking about how well behaved his girls are, the epitome of well behaved young ladies. As their "cool older brother", I can tell you I have seen a very different side. The side of them that comes out when dad is not around, and the side of them that he would NOT tolerate.

 

That being said, there are two morals to this story;

 

1) Not every child is the angel that their parents think they are when the parents aren't around.

2) Don't always judge the parents by the actions of their child. Too many people say that the parents should have control over their child. Sometimes the parents think they do, but the kids are very good and hiding that side of them from the parents.

 

Like I said, my dad thinks his girls are perfect angels, and when he's around, they are. But sometimes, the horns come out and the girls turn into little devils. (not so much now, but when they were in their early teens for sure).

Edited April 23, 2014 by Fitzget

[Tacosha]

It's kind of frustrating to see these blanket comments about kids. I'm know I'm just anyone on the internet, and can say anything I like, true or not, but my son is extremely well behaved and wouldn't dream of behaving like some of these stories in this thread. Ever. I'd kill him. I know there are a lot of poorly behaved kids, but there are just as many good behaving kids. I don't have rose colored glasses, and my kid makes mistakes (like we all do) and stupid ones at that sometimes. But there are both kinds of kids in the world. Out of 1,000 children on a cruise, surely all 1,000 weren't running rampant, creating havoc. Maybe 200 max? That'd be uncontrollable if they were all (even 50%) doing that crazy stuff!! The security / police would have to step in. So, that's much less than 50% of the kids, which means the majority of them are pretty good kids...

 

I guess like you initially said OP, best for you to cruise during low kid times if you have zero tolerance and can't brush stuff off ...

 

Also, I've only been on one cruise, so not lots of crazy to compare to. Didn't see any out of control kids that cruise. My son was 11, almost 12 at the time, and spent most of his time with me.

 

 

While I can understand your frustration, I don't think people are saying that ALL kids are bad. Most kids are well behaved...but you have to admit that some people just turn their kids loose and don't care how disruptive or disrespectful they are. The ones that are running around knocking people over, spitting over the railings into the atrium (as someone mentioned), being left on the ship on their own (under a certain age of course) while their parent(s) is/are off the ship at port...just a few examples. That is the type of behavior that most have a problem with. Kids will be kids...but some behavior is outrageous. Those kids that behave like that should be under the supervision of their parents and not left to roam all day on their own.

 

I'm sure you are the type of parent that makes sure your child behaves and that you do supervise them. All of us are grateful for parents like you. That's the type of parent that I consider myself to be.

 

Again...I too have kids and I would not have ever left them to wander alone on their own when they were younger for their safety alone. My kids are older now of course...17 and 21. I hope to take them on their first cruise next year. My first cruise was only last September. :)

 

 

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[Tacosha]

Please do not take this the wrong way as I'm not singling you out, I just speaking in generalizations, but I have my own opinion/observations on this.

 

Every parent thinks their kids are well behaved, you never hear parents on here saying their kids are not. Your son very well may be well behaved, no doubt in my mind.

 

That being said, sometimes parents may not see the "other side" of their kids. I am 43, but I have younger sisters from my dad's second marriage. They are now 17 and 19. My dad is quite strict and even I was raised very strict. My dad is constantly talking about how well behaved his girls are, the epitome of well behaved young ladies. As their "cool older brother", I can tell you I have seen a very different side. The side of them that comes out when dad is not around, and the side of them that he would NOT tolerate.

 

That being said, there are two morals to this story;

 

1) Not every child is the angel that their parents think they are when the parents aren't around.

2) Don't always judge the parents by the actions of their child. Too many people say that the parents should have control over their child. Sometimes the parents think they do, but the kids are very good and hiding that side of them from the parents.

 

Like I said, my dad thinks his girls are perfect angels, and when he's around, they are. But sometimes, the horns come out and the girls turn into little devils. (not so much now, but when they were in their early teens for sure).

 

 

Very good post! Haha about the "horns coming out"! I was so afraid to behave badly when I was growing up. Bad behavior resulted in a belt or hand across the butt, or a mouth washed out with soap for saying a bad word, etc. My step-mother was an ex-marine and my dad was a marine. I was afraid of them! LOL!

 

 

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[roseaxel]

Angry? Hardly.

 

Obnoxious behavior from children starts with parents, who are usually obnoxious adults, and you're the one who said that you don't have a problem with adult behavior. If you are ok with it, then you condone it. If you don't condone it then you have a problem with it.

 

Just because I am tolerant of it, doesn't mean I condone it. I can't control what people do. My point was that kids can and should be controlled by the parents, but I guess you missed that part. You still seem rather hostile to me.

[RPhCruiser]

It never fails on these boards. As soon as someone mentions bad child behavior someone tries to trump them with the bad adult behavior card and the arguments breakout. It's almost scripted.

I think that the product of anonymity upon these type of boards can sometimes bring about exaggeration.

If all this went down verbatim, it would be one helluva lousy cruise, to which I'd probably never sail again.

Kids pushing the elderly? Yes obnoxious!

Kids running around being, well kids? Not obnoxious.

Adults drunk and fighting over chairs? Obnoxious!

Adults having a good time and joking around? Not obnoxious.

 

Is it me, or do we stress about too much that we can't control? Chair hogs, smokers, dress code, passenger behavior...etc.

I've always been the glass is half full kind of person. Focus on the positives, forget about the negatives.

As always, your mileage may vary, but you are on a cruise with (usually) great weather. Enjoy!!!

[Fitzget]

Very good post! Haha about the "horns coming out"! I was so afraid to behave badly when I was growing up. Bad behavior resulted in a belt or hand across the butt, or a mouth washed out with soap for saying a bad word, etc. My step-mother was an ex-marine and my dad was a marine. I was afraid of them! LOL!

 

 

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I was terrified of acting up when I was a kid too. Back then, it was more socially accepting to "get the belt out". Nowadays, people are afraid to spank their child. So I think kids tend to get away with more now

[kristie64063]

Please do not take this the wrong way as I'm not singling you out, I just speaking in generalizations, but I have my own opinion/observations on this.

 

Every parent thinks their kids are well behaved, you never hear parents on here saying their kids are not. Your son very well may be well behaved, no doubt in my mind.

 

That being said, sometimes parents may not see the "other side" of their kids. I am 43, but I have younger sisters from my dad's second marriage. They are now 17 and 19. My dad is quite strict and even I was raised very strict. My dad is constantly talking about how well behaved his girls are, the epitome of well behaved young ladies. As their "cool older brother", I can tell you I have seen a very different side. The side of them that comes out when dad is not around, and the side of them that he would NOT tolerate.

 

That being said, there are two morals to this story;

 

1) Not every child is the angel that their parents think they are when the parents aren't around.

2) Don't always judge the parents by the actions of their child. Too many people say that the parents should have control over their child. Sometimes the parents think they do, but the kids are very good and hiding that side of them from the parents.

 

Like I said, my dad thinks his girls are perfect angels, and when he's around, they are. But sometimes, the horns come out and the girls turn into little devils. (not so much now, but when they were in their early teens for sure).

 

Oh, so true ... LOL! Oh well, I can dream, huh?? :D

[kristie64063]

While I can understand your frustration, I don't think people are saying that ALL kids are bad. Most kids are well behaved...but you have to admit that some people just turn their kids loose and don't care how disruptive or disrespectful they are. The ones that are running around knocking people over, spitting over the railings into the atrium (as someone mentioned), being left on the ship on their own (under a certain age of course) while their parent(s) is/are off the ship at port...just a few examples. That is the type of behavior that most have a problem with. Kids will be kids...but some behavior is outrageous. Those kids that behave like that should be under the supervision of their parents and not left to roam all day on their own.

 

I'm sure you are the type of parent that makes sure your child behaves and that you do supervise them. All of us are grateful for parents like you. That's the type of parent that I consider myself to be.

 

Again...I too have kids and I would not have ever left them to wander alone on their own when they were younger for their safety alone. My kids are older now of course...17 and 21. I hope to take them on their first cruise next year. My first cruise was only last September. :)

 

 

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This BLOWS me away!! Maybe I'm over paranoid, but I would be a nervous wreck the whole time if my child was out and about on their own. Now, he's 15 now, and I plan on our cruise in July to let him out on his own a little, but he IS driving me around these days, and I don't worry about him quite so much ... :o

[Fitzget]

Oh, so true ... LOL! Oh well, I can dream, huh?? :D

 

We can always dream. I like to think I was always the perfect little angel too. :)

[Tacosha]

This BLOWS me away!! Maybe I'm over paranoid, but I would be a nervous wreck the whole time if my child was out and about on their own. Now, he's 15 now, and I plan on our cruise in July to let him out on his own a little, but he IS driving me around these days, and I don't worry about him quite so much ... :o

 

 

I'm probably over paranoid too, hence NOT letting mine wander just anywhere when they were younger! At 15, I'm sure your son will be fine exploring a little on his own. Only reason mine haven't been on a cruise yet, is because as I mentioned...my first cruise EVER was last Fall. My son is now an adult and I'm probably going to have to drag him onto a cruise ship to get him on...haha! I think my daughter will be totally fine. So far my son is not crazy about the thought of cruising.

 

I got engaged on my first cruise...so I'm thinking I would like to get married on a cruise ship next year. That is probably how I'm going to have to "guilt" my son into going! :)

 

 

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[MsMot]

My first ever cruise was in August right before schools were to reconvene. Boy was that mistake! I don't know how many kids were on the ship, but they pretty much took over. They were diving in the hot tubs, running up and down the halls at night and there was not getting in or near the pool, the only adults that were in the pool was in there with their own kids. I love children, but I can not take unruly kids. I do not get parents who let their kids run around the ship with no supervision:rolleyes:

 

We only sail off season now.

Edited April 23, 2014 by MsMot

[nydney1]

As I have said before we often cruise with our kids (8&7) and most of the time they are good kids. Like all kids they have their moments.

 

My experience as a parent says it's more about the parent than the child. Some bad parents have the great kids and vice versa.

 

My thought is as a parent if you see something wrong address it. Regardless if it is your child or not. I am not talking about kids being kids, but spitting over the railing is wrong, pushing the elderly is wrong. Address it with a parent that is there, with the crew or to the child directly. As a parent you should know how to do this respectfully.

 

I have seen the bad behavior and yes it occurs, it's usually the samekids acting up.

 

I think that Carnival doesn't do enough to discourage bad behavior (adult or child). One thing that Carnival does to encourage this type of behavior is to allow kids to check themselves out of Camp Carnival at a young age. I think it is 9. They have to have a parent's approval when they enroll, but I can see parents think if Carnival says the age is 9, then it is ok for them to roam the ship.

[ccruisequeen]

I'm probably over paranoid too, hence NOT letting mine wander just anywhere when they were younger! At 15, I'm sure your son will be fine exploring a little on his own. Only reason mine haven't been on a cruise yet, is because as I mentioned...my first cruise EVER was last Fall. My son is now an adult and I'm probably going to have to drag him onto a cruise ship to get him on...haha! I think my daughter will be totally fine. So far my son is not crazy about the thought of cruising.

 

I got engaged on my first cruise...so I'm thinking I would like to get married on a cruise ship next year. That is probably how I'm going to have to "guilt" my son into going! :)

 

 

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Hadn't you better discuss this with your fiancé first ;) ?

 

 

[Tacosha]

Hadn't you better discuss this with your fiancé first ;) ?

 

 

 

 

Well of course we have both discussed it! :) He is the one that proposed to me on a cruise ship...so he likes the idea of marrying on a cruise ship. He would also like to have his 2 adult children cruise with us too, as well as my 2. The only thing in question is exactly when or if it will all be within our budget. We are not in a rush, as it will be a second marriage for both of us...after both being in 20 plus year marriages. :)

 

 

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[mousey]

I was terrified of acting up when I was a kid too. Back then, it was more socially accepting to "get the belt out". Nowadays, people are afraid to spank their child. So I think kids tend to get away with more now

 

This reminds me of a time when my DS was about 6 and we were visiting a friend in NY. The DS was, regretably, acting up while I was in the shower. When I came out my DH and friend were laughing their heads off because the friend had whipped off his belt to pretend he was going to spank the DS with it. Instead of getting scared, the DS asked the DH, "Dad what's he doing?" LOL! The DS had never had a spanking in his life and didn't know that a belt could be used to punish someone. We always used our words to punish our son and never resorted to brute force...ever. The friend was amazed that the DS was more affected by our saying we were disappointed in his behavior and so he wouldn't be able to go to the zoo the next day. The next day the friend was amazed that we struck to what we had said and didn't take the DS to the zoo. That's how we rolled!:D The DS is just finishing his freshman year at the U of Arizona where he's on a full-ride, academic scholarship. Proud to say! :D

 

There are always problems with people, in general, behaving badly when you have large groups of them in a confined space. Whether they are kids or adults, some people just lose their perspective when on vacation. We just go with the flow and don't let it ruin our vacation. Kids pushing all the buttons on an elevator isn't something that overly concerns us. Kids pushing elderly people...I'd be finding the kid's parents and telling them about it.:eek:

 

I think it's great the OP still wants to cruise...just at another time of year!

Edited April 23, 2014 by mousey

[Fitzget]

This reminds me of a time when my DS was about 6 and we were visiting a friend in NY. The DS was, regretably, acting up while I was in the shower. When I came out my DH and friend were laughing their heads off because the friend had whipped off his belt to pretend he was going to spank the DS with it. Instead of getting scared, the DS asked the DH, "Dad what's he doing?" LOL! The DS had never had a spanking in his life and didn't know that a belt could be used to punish someone. We always used our words to punish our son and never resorted to brute force...ever. The friend was amazed that the DS was more affected by our saying we were disappointed in his behavior and so he wouldn't be able to go to the zoo the next day. The next day the friend was amazed that we struck to what we had said and didn't take the DS to the zoo. That's how we rolled!:D The DS is just finishing his freshman year at the U of Arizona where he's on a full-ride, academic scholarship. Proud to say! :D

 

There are always problems with people, in general, behaving badly when you have large groups of them in a confined space. Whether they are kids or adults, some people just lose their perspective when on vacation. We just go with the flow and don't let it ruin our vacation. Kids pushing all the buttons on an elevator isn't something that overly concerns us. Kids pushing elderly people...I'd be finding the kid's parents and telling them about it.:eek:

 

I think it's great the OP still wants to cruise...just at another time of year!

 

It would have been nice if my father was the same way, using words instead of belts and spankings. I always said that if I ever had kids, I would never use spanking or belts or anything. But since I decided not to have kids, it's a non-issue for me now. But I completely respect you and your parenting technique! Kudos!

[Big_G]

I think that the product of anonymity upon these type of boards can sometimes bring about exaggeration.

If all this went down verbatim, it would be one helluva lousy cruise, to which I'd probably never sail again.

Kids pushing the elderly? Yes obnoxious!

Kids running around being, well kids? Not obnoxious.

Adults drunk and fighting over chairs? Obnoxious!

Adults having a good time and joking around? Not obnoxious.

 

Is it me, or do we stress about too much that we can't control? Chair hogs, smokers, dress code, passenger behavior...etc.

I've always been the glass is half full kind of person. Focus on the positives, forget about the negatives.

As always, your mileage may vary, but you are on a cruise with (usually) great weather. Enjoy!!!

 

I so agree. :D

[Andoria]

This BLOWS me away!! Maybe I'm over paranoid, but I would be a nervous wreck the whole time if my child was out and about on their own. Now, he's 15 now, and I plan on our cruise in July to let him out on his own a little, but he IS driving me around these days, and I don't worry about him quite so much ... :o

 

 

What are you paranoid about? I have a 15 year old son too and I noticed I no longer worry about what someone could do to him. The only things left to worry about are stupid choices. I'd just cross my fingers and hope like hell that he isn't off getting drunk or having sex. Since that doesn't seem likely (at this point in time), I'm not going to worry about it.

[Pack My Bags]

Don't forget: the last week before Labor Day is a huge cruise/kids week before school starts. And Presidents week is also a huge doozy. We also pass on those.

 

A good option is to cruise for more than a week. Usually parents & children aren't able to travel for more than a week at a time. The longer the cruise, the less kids!

Edited April 24, 2014 by Pack My Bags

[PhotoPete]

There was a lot of us on this cruise that tried to remind these children about their manners. They didn't understand us. It was really bad, under-age drinking, playing slots in the casino, running everywhere and at all hours of the day and night. Even saw a group of 6-10 year old girls hanging out in the buffet after 1:00am. The wait staff in the buffet and MDR were just as upset as a lot of us were, but..... nothing done. At one point a group of young teen and pre-teens were in the hot tub throwing glasses in the air trying to catch them. Missed some, got out of the hot tub and ran away,

and they were putting bubbles in the hot tub.

 

I know not to cruise in March because of spring breakers, all summer because of school being out, end of November for Thanksgiving, Last two weeks of December and first two weeks of Year Years because of Christmas and Winter breaks, and now have to look on the calender to see when Easter is.

 

It would be a lot easier if parents just took responsibility for their children and their actions. Just saying

 

This is the exact same thing I did 40-45 years ago. Good to see nothing has really changed that much. If you can't stand rude kids vacation when they are in school like I do.

[geezersgirl]

Out of Galveston the problem isn't always the kids.

 

 

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Unfortunately, this is oh so true.