Heads up for anyone who wants a no children adult cruise

[Karter]

We just returned from our 6th couples cruise and had an outstanding time as usual. Here are links to a couple of posts I did in the past http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1742258 and http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1946520 . Unfortunately when I went to the session where they talked about upcoming couples cruises I found out there were none planned in 2015 and nothing definite in 2016. Evidently RCCL has changed the financial requirements for charter companies that makes it very difficult for anyone to charter one of their ships. The reason I am doing this post is to let anyone know who was on the fence about trying one of these that the November Independence of the Seas may be the last one of these for quite some time. I have no affiliation with the company I just think they have a great product that is misjudged because of the lifestyle tie in. We will definitely be on the Independence and hope by that time the company will be able to work something out with RCCL that they can announce. If not it will be highly disappointing because I look forward to these cruises like I did in the early days of our cruising where you couldn't wait for the cruise to arrive. For me the normal cruises are nice and I enjoy them but they are nothing like these cruises and I don't have the same level of anticipation.

[LBumb]

thanks

[George C]

I would love to do a cruise that didn't allow children. We pick dates that most children are in school

[edjny]

I would love to do a cruise that didn't allow children. We pick dates that most children are in school

 

When we go on longer than a week long cruises during the school year there are very few kids on-board. Of course, if it is a usual school break time such as xmas, easter or spring break, the ship will be loaded with them....

[matj2000]

I would love to do one of the cruises.

But because we have no family near us, we have to bring them along.

So I guess we are out for now...

[ttnc4me]

nm; I had no idea what this was.:eek:

Edited May 11, 2014 by ttnc4me

[xxHadleyxx]

This.

Surely, there is little to no difference of doing an off peak cruise with a handful of small children compared to one with no children at all. Surely also a person can't not stand children so badly that a few would ruin an entire vacation on such a large vessel. :rolleyes:

 

Weellllllll: we got off the Legend yesterday. Predictably, there were not many children on a small ship, sailing Norway, in early May. Our DD17 was one.

 

Our tablemate, after learning our DD is in highschool, stated her views that children 18 and under should not be allowed on cruise ships at dinner days 2-7---while also refusing to speak to or acknowledge my DD for all but the last night (we finally pushed back a little on the next to last night and then made a huge effort to make it impossible to not include DD without it being incredibly obvious--and frankly at that point I was ready to flat out tell her that the only rude person at the table was her, not the 17 year old, so maybe she sensed we were done with her attitude).

 

I prefer cruises with fewer children (which also generally means fewer passengers in general, as most rooms then have only 2 instead of 3 or 4), but am more concerned that passengers of ANY age are polite and respectful of other guests. I think if, like our tablemate, you want NO kids at all, these charter cruises would be the way to go (or a line that does not cater to children or families at all--not one that runs programs for them and markets heavily to them).

Edited May 11, 2014 by NHDisneylover

[nclsuncruiser]

This.

Surely, there is little to no difference of doing an off peak cruise with a handful of small children compared to one with no children at all. Surely also a person can't not stand children so badly that a few would ruin an entire vacation on such a large vessel. :rolleyes:

 

Edit: I just read the review of a different cruise from the OP. I didn't realize that it was a swingers type cruise. Oh my!:shock: NM about kids having an effect. I had no idea there was such a thing & agree that kids should be nowhere near that!

 

A handful of small children is a big difference to no children if you're enjoying yourself and someone else's precious little darlings suddenly arrive after you and destroy the peace!

 

Maybe it's something about parents not keeping their kids out of other people's way in recent years!

 

When I hear that old phrase "children should be seen but not heard" I always think 'No', I'd prefer "not seen or heard".

 

No offence meant, just that there are people out there that don't enjoy kids running around and would love an adult's only cruise (but not necessarily a swingers one...well...hmmm...;) )

Edited May 11, 2014 by nclsuncruiser

[ttnc4me]

No offence meant, just that there are people out there that don't enjoy kids running around and would love an adult's only cruise (but not necessarily a swingers one...well...hmmm...;) )

I posted before I realized that this thread wasn't really about not having children on board.;)

[NorbertsNiece]

I posted before I realized that this thread wasn't really about not having children on board.;)

 

Yeah. Me too. Sometimes we just need things to be written in black & white for the proverbial penny to drop.

[nclsuncruiser]

I posted before I realized that this thread wasn't really about not having children on board.;)

 

I gather that! (but my post stands even for ordinary cruises! :D) I didn't realise what this thread was about either. But i'll keep an eye on it now!!

Edited May 11, 2014 by nclsuncruiser

[xxHadleyxx]

If it isn't about not having children is it about wingers cruises? That is the only other thing I can think of (and I assumed it was about what it said it was about)

[Karter]

If it isn't about not having children is it about wingers cruises? That is the only other thing I can think of (and I assumed it was about what it said it was about)

 

The reason I chose the title I did was because most of the Emails I get from the earlier posts almost always have to do with two topics. The first is the clothing optional pool deck and the second is the ability to have an adult atmosphere where they can party and not worry about having kids around. While these cruises started out primarily as a swinger cruise experience (I wasn't on any of them) they have changed over the years to a more party/nudist cruise. On the last cruise I would guess maybe 30% to 40% were swingers if even that many. So to answer the other question - I posted this so I wouldn't have to answer several hundred Emails individually on what future cruises are available. Thanks for understanding.

[LetsGetWet!]

I posted before I realized that this thread wasn't really about not having children on board.;)

 

Yeah. Me too. Sometimes we just need things to be written in black & white for the proverbial penny to drop.

Somewhat of a misconception though, unfortunately. For us, one of the real draws IS that there are no children on board.

 

We just returned from the same cruise Karter mentioned. We went on it largely on what we learned from him after talking quite a bit, first on here and then over dinner when business brought him to town.

 

There ARE pretty pure "swingers cruises" out there, this isn't one of them. This and the upcoming November cruise he mentions are run by CouplesCruise, which works hard to market to a diverse set of customers - which has enabled them the ability to sell full-ship charter on large ships.

 

Are there swingers on board? Yes, there are. My unscientific estimate from talking to a number of different folks and observing is probably around 30%, give or take. Probably a larger percentage are nudists to a greater or lesser extent.

 

But here's the bottom line - nudity is allowed ONLY around the pool deck. Additionally topless is allowed in the nightclub at night. Cruisers are required to be clothed at all times in all other public spaces onboard - restaurants, shops, bars, etc. As for sexual activity, nothing more than french kissing is allowed ANYWHERE in public areas - and they require everyone to sign a code of conduct agreeing to the above and enforce it pretty tightly.

 

We had a wonderful cruise, and are really glad we went. We are NOT and have no desire to even consider swinging. But we loved the all adult, all couples, no kids atmosphere. We also loved the greater variety of (all adult) nightlife aboard. And yes, we did enjoy a little au-natural sunbathing, although a pretty fair percentage stayed in swimsuits. I'm sure there were things going on behind closed doors that I'd never participate in, and didn't want to even see. But the point - it WAS behind closed doors, not in public areas.

 

As I think they say on the Couples Cruise site, if you've been to Mardi Gras and enjoyed it, if you've been to Fantasy Fest in Key West, then you'd probably really enjoy one of these cruises! All to many write them off as "swingers cruises", unfortunately.

[xxHadleyxx]

The reason I chose the title I did was because most of the Emails I get from the earlier posts almost always have to do with two topics. The first is the clothing optional pool deck and the second is the ability to have an adult atmosphere where they can party and not worry about having kids around. While these cruises started out primarily as a swinger cruise experience (I wasn't on any of them) they have changed over the years to a more party/nudist cruise. On the last cruise I would guess maybe 30% to 40% were swingers if even that many. So to answer the other question - I posted this so I wouldn't have to answer several hundred Emails individually on what future cruises are available. Thanks for understanding.

 

I do not have any problem with nudists, or swingers, or what have you--I am not concerned one way or another about nudity and we have no interest whatsoever in swinging but I have read bout the atmosphere on the cruise and thought it sounded fun.

 

The post I made upthread does not apply at all though, given what you were really talking about. With no edit feature, I am stuck with it there anyway. It was confusing--and I am not sure how people were emailing you with questions as I do not see an email posted in your signature and PMs are not possible here. But okay. I do hope you enjoy your cruise, and if sailing with absolutely no children on board is important to you that you find ways to do that so that you, and young passengers and their families on lines and sailings open to them, can all be happy :)

[Langley Cruisers]

I posted before I realized that this thread wasn't really about not having children on board.;)

 

I didn't get as far as posting first, but when I saw OP's screen name I realized immediately that this was a "special" cruise. ;)

[kymbakitty]

Weellllllll: we got off the Legend yesterday. Predictably, there were not many children on a small ship, sailing Norway, in early May. Our DD17 was one.

 

Our tablemate, after learning our DD is in highschool, stated her views that children 18 and under should not be allowed on cruise ships at dinner days 2-7---while also refusing to speak to or acknowledge my DD for all but the last night (we finally pushed back a little on the next to last night and then made a huge effort to make it impossible to not include DD without it being incredibly obvious--and frankly at that point I was ready to flat out tell her that the only rude person at the table was her, not the 17 year old, so maybe she sensed we were done with her attitude).

 

I prefer cruises with fewer children (which also generally means fewer passengers in general, as most rooms then have only 2 instead of 3 or 4), but am more concerned that passengers of ANY age are polite and respectful of other guests. I think if, like our tablemate, you want NO kids at all, these charter cruises would be the way to go (or a line that does not cater to children or families at all--not one that runs programs for them and markets heavily to them).

 

I know this is off topic, but why in the world would you continue to dine with that couple night after night. You could have short changed everyone....including your 17 year old. You could consider it "giving in" to that couple, but I don't. I would put it under the category of life is too short and vacations are too precious to spend any time with someone that I'm not thrilled to be with. The energy spent trying to include your 17 year old into the mix on the last night made my heart heavy. Why subject any body to that? There would have been plenty of other passengers that would have enjoyed your entire family's company.

 

So sorry you had to endure these attitudes, but you should have moved immediately. If you were trying to make a point, I sure hope it was worth it.

 

:(

[LetsGetWet!]

I do not have any problem with nudists, or swingers, or what have you--I am not concerned one way or another about nudity and we have no interest whatsoever in swinging but I have read bout the atmosphere on the cruise and thought it sounded fun.

 

The post I made upthread does not apply at all though, given what you were really talking about. With no edit feature, I am stuck with it there anyway. It was confusing--and I am not sure how people were emailing you with questions as I do not see an email posted in your signature and PMs are not possible here. But okay. I do hope you enjoy your cruise, and if sailing with absolutely no children on board is important to you that you find ways to do that so that you, and young passengers and their families on lines and sailings open to them, can all be happy :)

 

I know this is off topic, but why in the world would you continue to dine with that couple night after night. You could have short changed everyone....including your 17 year old. You could consider it "giving in" to that couple, but I don't. I would put it under the category of life is too short and vacations are too precious to spend any time with someone that I'm not thrilled to be with. The energy spent trying to include your 17 year old into the mix on the last night made my heart heavy. Why subject any body to that? There would have been plenty of other passengers that would have enjoyed your entire family's company.

 

So sorry you had to endure these attitudes, but you should have moved immediately. If you were trying to make a point, I sure hope it was worth it.

 

:(

Agree 110%. We definitely LIKE the no-children atmosphere, but in the first place 17 is borderline adult (especially one 17 year old with parents at the dinner table - not like it was a rowdy group of teens!) and in the second place they didn't choose an adults-only cruise, so they certainly shouldn't expect one, let alone try to rudely demand one at the dinner table!

[goodycruising]

I know this is off topic, but why in the world would you continue to dine with that couple night after night. You could have short changed everyone....including your 17 year old. You could consider it "giving in" to that couple, but I don't. I would put it under the category of life is too short and vacations are too precious to spend any time with someone that I'm not thrilled to be with. The energy spent trying to include your 17 year old into the mix on the last night made my heart heavy. Why subject any body to that? There would have been plenty of other passengers that would have enjoyed your entire family's company.

 

So sorry you had to endure these attitudes, but you should have moved immediately. If you were trying to make a point, I sure hope it was worth it.

 

:(

 

I totally agree. That was my thought, get moved to another table. Not worth the angst.

[Karter]

I do not have any problem with nudists, or swingers, or what have you--I am not concerned one way or another about nudity and we have no interest whatsoever in swinging but I have read bout the atmosphere on the cruise and thought it sounded fun.

 

The post I made upthread does not apply at all though, given what you were really talking about. With no edit feature, I am stuck with it there anyway. It was confusing--and I am not sure how people were emailing you with questions as I do not see an email posted in your signature and PMs are not possible here. But okay. I do hope you enjoy your cruise, and if sailing with absolutely no children on board is important to you that you find ways to do that so that you, and young passengers and their families on lines and sailings open to them, can all be happy :)

 

The Email was in one of the posts I linked to that I wrote after one of the previous cruises. I will include it again in case anyone has any questions that I might be able to help with. It is karter_ken@yahoo.com

[xxHadleyxx]

I know this is off topic, but why in the world would you continue to dine with that couple night after night. You could have short changed everyone....including your 17 year old. You could consider it "giving in" to that couple, but I don't. I would put it under the category of life is too short and vacations are too precious to spend any time with someone that I'm not thrilled to be with. The energy spent trying to include your 17 year old into the mix on the last night made my heart heavy. Why subject any body to that? There would have been plenty of other passengers that would have enjoyed your entire family's company.

 

So sorry you had to endure these attitudes, but you should have moved immediately. If you were trying to make a point, I sure hope it was worth it.

 

:(

 

I don't blame you for asking this; we debated what to do most of the trip ourselves.

 

Had this woman acted like that the first night, we would have absolutely moved. The second night, DD was on the far side of the table from the woman, so we all just assumed she was not hearing DD, and she just made one comment about children near the end of the meal--we thought it was odd and rude and out of place, but also thought it was a one off kind of thing.

 

By the third night, when it was becoming more apparent that this was intentional and not stopping, we were well settled in with waitstaff we really liked (our waiter was bringing an Indian entree and dessert every night because he learned DH and DD liked that cuisine a lot and the chef was making them for the large group of Indians sailing, the bar server kept a bottle of DH's favourite there and refilled often, etc) and we liked the other table mate and felt badly about abandoning her to them be alone with these people.

 

We really wavered all week about what would be the lesser of two evils given the situation and I am still not sure if we made the right decision or not, but it felt complicated to us (and, true about the 17 year old being an "almost adult" We realized later that the first night DD being in highschool never came up and it is quite possible the reaction did not happen then because they simply assumed she was over 18--until told otherwise).

 

The Email was in one of the posts I linked to that I wrote after one of the previous cruises. I will include it again in case anyone has any questions that I might be able to help with. It is karter_ken@yahoo.com

 

Well, it sure is nice of you to be willing to answer questions! I do not understand why you would go with the misleading title so that you might have gotten questions totally unrelated to the type of cruise you are talking about, but you seem to have some reason (and apparently some reputation an these board for talking up these cruises).

Edited May 14, 2014 by NHDisneylover

[cjm06]

This type of cruise would defiantly be something my husband and I would be interested in we don't do the nudist or swinger thing and so whenever we have cruised we have spent our time avoiding kids even though this can not always happen in our first cruise some how we kept getting put with the only family on board and the teenage son really needed some discipline for that matter the mother could do with being told what reality is about. That was ten years ago and my husband and I always joke well it can't be as bad as "that family" and Nomea :D

[LetsGetWet!]

Well, it sure is nice of you to be willing to answer questions! I do not understand why you would go with the misleading title so that you might have gotten questions totally unrelated to the type of cruise you are talking about, but you seem to have some reason (and apparently some reputation an these board for talking up these cruises).

FWIW, I don't think its a misleading title at all. Again, after having just returned from our first one of these cruises, I'd say "no children all adult" is a pretty fair description, if limited to only 4 words to describe it. Again, there are some who want to instantly brand the CouplesCruise charters as "swingers cruises" but I think that's more of a misleading title than Karter's, since swingers are a minority on these cruises, and any such activity aboard is in private, not public areas.

[xxHadleyxx]

FWIW, I don't think its a misleading title at all. Again, after having just returned from our first one of these cruises, I'd say "no children all adult" is a pretty fair description, if limited to only 4 words to describe it. Again, there are some who want to instantly brand the CouplesCruise charters as "swingers cruises" but I think that's more of a misleading title than Karter's, since swingers are a minority on these cruises, and any such activity aboard is in private, not public areas.

 

Maybe so. I guess it just seemed to open up a discussion about kids on cruises which was not really the intent (I don't think based on what is now understood).

 

Can you tell me what does the company that charters this cruise market it as? I honestly do not know, having only read about it now and again on cruise critic.

[xxHadleyxx]

Never-mind, I found a cached copy of the ads from previously by googling the date. It was chartered by "Dream Pleasure Tours! and billed as "Clothing optional, lifestyle, and swinger friendly total ship takeover cruise" To me, that sounds like ore than basically, "no kids" even if that is why many book it.