Wow. Lots of kids.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

You must all be unicorns. You must. Because it's been YEARS since any kid I've interacted with has used "please" or "thank you" or hasn't generally been shrieking their heads off and running around like someone set them on fire while in public.

 

Please, please, PLEASE keep doing what you're doing. The world desperately needs more amazing parents like you.

 

While there are a few parents that do control their kids, most only believe their kids are little angels and see them as well behaved because they live with the situation every day.

[Cruisercl]

OP, it's too bad that we all can't look for a time of year when there are cruises that only have good parents on board and therefore well behaved children. :D

 

Bad parenting is a year round problem...........:rolleyes:

[Tom Baker]

I was surprised by the roaming groups late at night too.

 

That's very simple to answer, US passengers pay for the childrens facilities after 10pm or 10.30pm and that can be pretty expensive.

 

In Europe kids don't roam around the ships unsupervised to that degree because the ships provide free childcare and slumber parties until midnight and after.

[golfb4cruzing]

You must all be unicorns. You must. Because it's been YEARS since any kid I've interacted with has used "please" or "thank you" or hasn't generally been shrieking their heads off and running around like someone set them on fire while in public.

 

Please, please, PLEASE keep doing what you're doing. The world desperately needs more amazing parents like you.

 

My grandson will hold doors for ladies as well. One time he didn't and I made him apologize for his rudeness. His mother just received an email because he wrote her daughter a great note on the passing of her cat. He is a awesome little man at the age of 10. Proud Grandpa !!

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

While there are a few parents that do control their kids, most only believe their kids are little angels and see them as well behaved because they live with the situation every day.

 

This is true, parents refuse to believe that their kids could do anything to offend others.

 

My kids, on the other hand, were always paired up with another kid from our group. They know how to behave. I've had other passengers approach us in the dining rooms and comment how polite our kids were when they encountered them earlier in the day. Our kids know that, if they cannot behave, there will be consequences. Our youngest is young enough that we can revoke his sign-out preveledges from the kids center. Our oldest knows that, if we hear any reports of misbehaving, her days of cruising would be limited to the remaining days left in the current cruise.

 

It also helped that we had a large group on board, our spies were everywhere. :D

[golfb4cruzing]

try this

 

http://www.holidays-europe.com

 

all US states are included.

[Justprettynpink]

We took a Thanksgiving cruise where roughly half the pax on board were children. It wasn't totally bad. So, when we got a good deal on last week's cruise, dead smack in the middle of spring break season, we didn't think much of it.

 

Oh boy.

 

It's like parents get on cruises and say, "Bye kids!" They were everywhere! Unattended, unsupervised and out of control. There was one little boy who just had that menacing brat look on his face all of the time. He was wearing a hat every time I saw him and his favorite game was, run up and down the stairs and press the elevator button on each floor. One day, on our way up to Lido, we stopped at every single floor. When the doors would open up, we'd see this kid huffing up the next flight of stairs as fast as he could.

 

We were in the art gallery auction. A man behind us had a walkie talkie with him, very rudely communicating with his children (instead of stepping away-- he wasn't bidding). Eventually, the kids came and found him where they proceeded to talk loudly for most of the duration of the auction.

 

There was a group of kids on balloon drop night who managed to get ahold of some of the balloons. They brought them into Princess Theater and proceeded to pop them in attempt to startle a room full of people.

 

I was just astounded at the lack of discipline and supervision I witnessed. Bad things happen to kids and even adults on cruise ships and on the islands. I sat in a hot tub with a big group of teenagers and they told me their parents had let them roam the islands alone. Guess nobody watches the news.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Forums mobile app

 

 

I bet those are the same pack of kids that came into the theater and screamed during the movie to startle folks...

 

As a parent I was shocked that they were allowed to roam free during the cruise...

 

When I was on the cruise in December, the captain came on and told parents they needed to be responsible for their children...I was disappointed there was no announcement on our last cruise...

[shredie]

This is true, parents refuse to believe that their kids could do anything to offend others.

 

My kids, on the other hand, were always paired up with another kid from our group. They know how to behave.

 

Everyone else's kids are brats, but mine are perfect? :rolleyes: Didn't you just confirm your own theory?

 

There are good kids. There are bad kids. Just like everyone else in the world, no group is just one kind of person. Stereotyping.

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

Everyone else's kids are brats, but mine are perfect? :rolleyes: Didn't you just confirm your own theory?

 

There are good kids. There are bad kids. Just like everyone else in the world, no group is just one kind of person. Stereotyping.

 

Normally, I would say yes, but having other people on board go out of their way to let me know how well behaved they were confirmed my feelings about my own kids.

 

Plus, grandma and Grandpa were on board, so they knew better :D

[AZbeachboy]

You must all be unicorns. You must. Because it's been YEARS since any kid I've interacted with has used "please" or "thank you" or hasn't generally been shrieking their heads off and running around like someone set them on fire while in public.

 

Please, please, PLEASE keep doing what you're doing. The world desperately needs more amazing parents like you.

 

My grand kids have great manners, but my youngest still has that screeching voice. It is especially bad around swimming pools. His brother was great on a cruise when he was two. No problems.

 

Maybe cruising should be like alcohol or cigarets, you have to be 21 to do it.

[capriccio]

 

There are good kids. There are bad kids. Just like everyone else in the world, no group is just one kind of person. Stereotyping.

 

Correct - and since it's the 'bad' kids (or kids acting improperly at the time one sees or interacts with them) stand out they get most of the attention but it is dangerous to make generalizations about an entire generation of kids or of parents.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Everyone else's kids are brats, but mine are perfect? :rolleyes: Didn't you just confirm your own theory?

 

There are good kids. There are bad kids. Just like everyone else in the world, no group is just one kind of person. Stereotyping.

 

And the smart brats know how to behave around key authority figures, and raise #%&* the rest of the time.

[Granny DI]

We took three of our grandchildren on the Oasis of the Seas. They were either with us, their parents or in the kids clubs. They were never allowed to roam the ship with their friends. The ship was full of kids just "hanging" with their friends. Many kids were left alone at the pools. I guess their parents thought I would look after their kids. Our grandkids were amazed at the number of brats onboard. This problem occurs on all ships with large number of kids and "absent" parents....even in Europe.

My "favorite" kids were the boys laying on the floors in the elevators after punching every button. I told them to get out of the elevator or I was going to call security. Never threaten to call their parents because these kids are not afraid of their parents.

[Granny DI]

and the smart brats know how to behave around key authority figures, and raise #%&* the rest of the time.

 

agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LI new cruiser]

Sadly the parents don't realize that the bad behavior of their kids is a reflection on them. And I realize that they really don't care. We had gone on the Royal Princess in July 2013 for the Grand Mediterranean. For me it was the trip of a lifetime. There was an enormous amount of rowdy unruly children on board. They were running into the adults only pool area jumping in the pool and then running away. They caused a disturbance in the Piazza around midnight so much so that security had to be called and the parents were getting into an altercation. The next day the captain came on the loudspeaker advising the parents that if they could not control their children they would be put off the ship at the next port. That's how bad that was.

It didn't spoil it for me - as I said it was the trip of a lifetime for me.

[JasonTehGreat]

I bet those are the same pack of kids that came into the theater and screamed during the movie to startle folks...

 

As a parent I was shocked that they were allowed to roam free during the cruise...

 

When I was on the cruise in December, the captain came on and told parents they needed to be responsible for their children...I was disappointed there was no announcement on our last cruise...

Probably, this pack showed up at the Princess Pop Star and were screaming and clapping obnoxiously. They were usually up quite late too, like after 2:00am.

[jeffdal]

Probably, this pack showed up at the Princess Pop Star and were screaming and clapping obnoxiously. They were usually up quite late too, like after 2:00am.

 

Oh yeah, that group and the woman who brought the crying toddler to Princess Pop Star at 10:15pm!

 

The cruise before this last one I knew it was getting bad when the captain came on for a second announcement about taking care of your kids and how serious it is when you report your child missing on board and that all kinds of protocols kick in when you cannot locate your children and proceed to report them missing.

[JasonTehGreat]

Oh yeah, that group and the woman who brought the crying toddler to Princess Pop Star at 10:15pm!

 

The cruise before this last one I knew it was getting bad when the captain came on for a second announcement about taking care of your kids and how serious it is when you report your child missing on board and that all kinds of protocols kick in when you cannot locate your children and proceed to report them missing.

If you report your kids missing they'll call the US Coast Guard, any local maritime authorities and the FBI. They have to rule out a man overboard and a kidnapping. It's not taken lightly at all.

[elliair]

Everyone else's kids are brats, but mine are perfect? :rolleyes: Didn't you just confirm your own theory?

 

There are good kids. There are bad kids. Just like everyone else in the world, no group is just one kind of person. Stereotyping.

 

While that's true, letting kids roam the ship freely gives them license to act out. When something bad happens, the parents are the first to be down at customer service and ready to hire a lawyer. Parents forget that a cruise ship is a floating city, cities have sex offenders. That's enough for me to put a leash on my kids. Mine are grown and neither have children so we don't have that to worry about. But seeing other children running around unsupervised makes my antenna go up. But, they aren't my kids, I go home and have no worries.

[elliair]

And the smart brats know how to behave around key authority figures, and raise #%&* the rest of the time.

 

See something I say something, I don't care whose brats they are.

[shredie]

Parents forget that a cruise ship is a floating city, cities have sex offenders. That's enough for me to put a leash on my kids.

 

I do think about that when I see teens wandering around without adults. From being one to having a couple of my own a few years back, I can attest that teen aged girls can be completely and utterly clueless when left to their own devices. Perverts also take cruises and don't think they don't notice those girls in their too-skimpy swim suits.

Edited April 10, 2015 by shredie

[SoCal Cruiser78]

I do think about that when I see teens wandering around without adults. From being one to having a couple of my own a few years back, I can attest that teen aged girls can be completely and utterly clueless when left to their own devices. Perverts also take cruises and don't think they don't notice those girls in their too-skimpy swim suits.

 

I agree. But, once again, where are the parents in this? A swimsuit that may be okay for a backyard pool may not be appropriate on a cruise ship.

[whitshel]

We did the Navigator of the Seas the same week you did did the Emerald and we had a lot of kids too. The biggest difference on this cruise we noticed was the amount of Latinos. They had no impact on the cruise what so ever but my best guess is it was about 75% Latinos. We had a lot of conversations with many of them and they told us that the week before Easter and the week after Easter are very big holiday weeks in Mexico and it was also spring break for Monterey Mexico, the 4th largest city in Mexico and is only an 8 hour drive to Galveston and every one we talked too was from Monterey. So a lot of Latino families and kids but I have to say they were all very well behaved.

 

Again, no impact on the cruise, I have just never seen such a one sided ethnic sway on a cruise ship.

[BeachinBeauty]

I just think it's sad that the concensus is that people should book to avoid school break times. Instead of, people should discipline their kids a bit better. I guess it's the world we live in, though.

 

No kid is perfect and their behavior is 100%, entirely the result of their parenting. I've got a ton of kids in my family. I can assure anyone that they would never in a million years behave the way some of these kids were. Of course, they're children, so technically they WOULD behave that way if we adults allowed it. So, I guess I should rephrase... There is no way in heck any of them would be allowed to roam the ship unattended, providing every opportunity for injury or disruption.

 

I will say, the family next to us in MDR was a total delight every night. Their children were exceptionally behaved. They dressed up, sat at the table, spoke at appropriate table volume, ate cleanly and the parents actually interacted in conversation with them. It was nice and refreshing.

 

I have no problem letting over 13 year olds have more freedom onboard. However, the kids I hung out with in the hot tub one night informed me that they'd been allowed to leave the ship in port alone and that was scary. They were all mannerly and behaved. I just was appalled that they were fending for themselves off the ship when so many horrible stories are out there (especially pertaining to young women).

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Forums mobile app

[kendon]

We were on an extended cruise where 1/3 of the kids were terrors....2 out of 6! That's right, there were only 6 kids on board but 2 of them terrorized the ship. We ran into the families of these kids and they were no better.

 

And then we have been on cruises with hundreds of them and you didn't know they were on board.

 

You just never know...