Kids on Cruises

[PTarbay]

I do think there are a few, very vocal, posters that feel children do not belong on a cruise and get irrate if they even see them on vacation and are horrified if anyone removes their children from school to cruise to the point they practically point fingers and call those people bad parents but they are a small group. I can ignore them.

I agree.If you look through the threads the discussion of children tends to bring out the extremists on the subject.I am really impressed with this thread.Every one on this particular one has in the most part been respectful even when disagreeing and it is really good to see a positive thread on the subject of children.

vision,

I think you will have a great holiday cruise.I was worried last year on my first RCI cruise about bringing 4 teenagers after some of the posts.We all had a great time and almost everyone on the ship was very friendly.I don't have small children anymore but I checked out the childrens facilities because I'm tryng to talk my siter and family into going and all the kids I saw on the ship were having a great time.On the ship they even had a small pool with a waterslide for the kids and the teenagers had a club .They had a parade come through one night with all the kids in their homeade costumes.It was so cute.Also on a holiday sailing there will be a lot of other kids for yours to play with.Also the waiters in the diningroom wre paying extra attention to the kids.

Everyone have a great cruise!!!!!

[Nliedel]

I looked, VERY carefully, into which cruise lines my kids might truly enjoy. The Mouse was out because I can only take so much Pixie Dust before I want to gag. I seem to have a three day limit. Guess how long we are going to be in Disneyworld before we embark on the cruise? That's right folks, three days.

 

Carnival did so very much to make their reputation younger and more of a party atmosphere in the 80's and it worked! A little too well. I feel too old for Carnival now and every time I sail I feel sort of out of place. I have fun but I have had more fun on RCI. Princess just did not offer the kind of kids program that makes my kids jump up and down so it left RCI. Which I am pleased with.

[vision]

after reading your comments your probably right about being a small number of people, no my children will not run riot on their own pushing buttons in lifts etc. but yes it will be christmas and new year and yes they will be happy. I will wait to see and hope its not as bad as the impression i have been given. Hope i dont get to sit near any of them. Anyway cannot wait for some sunshine at christmas we are over there for 3 weeks so lots of things either side of cruise, rest assured i will be on the look out all these lovely children, and with my children run the other way.:eek:

[Nliedel]

In all honesty I have had only three bad experiences with people and my children ever and none of them have been while on vacation.

 

1. A woman walked up to my husband in a mall near Chicago and told him that our oldest son, then about 4 weeks old, was not his. My eldest and second eldest were both adopted and are both Hispanic. She was trying to tell my husband I had, obviously cheated on him. My husband said "thank you" to her. His reasoning was that you cannot educate some people.

 

2. My eldest was having a meltdown at Target. We had a cart piled high and were about to leave. A woman followed us into the parking lot and berated us for not removing him from the store. Her take was that we were to get a sitter and never bring him into public again. I agree a meltdown is not a pleasent thing to watch and we were mortified beyond beleif but going home and getting a sitter was not possible.

 

3. My kids were laughing and talking at TGI Fridays one evening. I told them to "cool it or I will cook and eat you". A woman at a nearby table apparently overheard me and assumed I meant it and came over and threatened to call child protective services on me. She told me I was the worse child abuser she had ever known (I am sure she knew many) and that I should be jailed. She went on to call me vile and filfthy names and had me sobbing. She would not let up. It was awful. She looked at my boys and told them she would have them taken away and then they lost it. My husband was dumbfounded. I have always threatened to "cook and eat them". It's a joke but there is a meaning to it. The boys know when they hear that they are too out of control and they better get in control or the Playstation privilages are forfeit. She went on for several minutes until I turned to her husband, picked up my cell phone and threatened to call the police. The restaurant staff apologised and tried to give me a free meal (It was not their fault and we did not accept). Other people came to us and told us she was horrible but no one came to help when she was tearing me a new one.

 

To this day my kids will not go back to TGI Fridays and are afraid to act out in public because that lady will have them taken away from me. It's not good.

 

All those were incidences beyond our control. All of those were isolated. All of those happened around our home and not ona trip. Nasty people are everywhere.

[whale-watcher]

We have learned that cruising with children means that we have to compromise...last week on the Enchantment OTS, our 6yo was exhausted from consecutive long days in port (not to mention swimming, rock climbing and bungee jumping), so wanted to watch movies in the cabin after dinner rather than go to the kid's center. Our 2 teens did want to go to the teen center, so that meant that my wife and I ended up enjoying relaxing evenings on our balcony, rather than the shows and lounges. It was still a great vacation for us, and we know that all too soon our youngest will be a teen himself, and no longer choose to hang out with his parents in the evening. Bringing a tired child to a show is really no pleasure anyways!

[vision]

god you must be a nutcase attractor. hopefully when we are over there i will not have any of your experiences. anyway it probably proves the point that adults are often more badly behaved than the children they seem to dislike so much. oh for the innocence of childhood give me a kid any day!!!

[Nliedel]

Vision. You know my husband has accused me of that too :)

 

Whale Watcher. Did you try the in cabin baby-sitting? We are thinking of that rather than send them to AO after 10.

[EmJakeBubbie]

Nliedel - I am so sorry that you and your children were victims of rude behavior from strangers. oh boy, do I ever relate!!! there are mean people in this world but there are also truly wonderful people - I'm sure both you and I could write a book on this subject;) tnx f/sharing.

[whale-watcher]

Whale Watcher. Did you try the in cabin baby-sitting? We are thinking of that rather than send them to AO after 10.

We thought about it, but in all honesty, we were pretty worn out ourselves!:)

[ElvisandTracey]

Caviargal-

 

1. Yes, I have been on 2 European lines, and saw far fewer children, and many that I did see were accompanied 24/7 by nannies or "nurses", as many well-to-do European children so often are.

 

2. As far as "adult-only" cruises, you should speak to TA's that specialize in group/theme cruises, they have everything from gay cruises, to bingo cruises, to biker cruises, to, yes, adult cruises-any group that is large enough and has enough interest has its own cruise-there seem to be so many out there who don't want to cruise with kids, get motivated, get organized, contact a theme-cruise company, and get your own adult cruises-that way our children won't bother you, and visa-versa. You have every right to want a trip with no kids, so find one, or make one. Better yet, if there is such a high-demand, go make a few million organizing such crusies-there is a huge demand if these boards are any indicator. If I wanted to cruise without kids, and it was so important to me, I would no doubt find a way to do so. What I would not do is waste my time on these boards flaming kids-we the breeding public of America is not showing any signs of changing our minds about cruising with our kids, so its up to you now to find an alternative that makes you happy.

 

 

To all:

I don't mind that you don't wish to cruise with kids, that's totally your business, and if you have the money to spend on a cruise, you should get what you want. What I don't like is people posting all this bias and hatred towards kids, simply because some kids act out in public-guess what, so do a lot of adults.

 

Before I had kids, I traveled quite a bit, and spent time in places where there are no kids-casinos, clubs...however during the day, if I was in Vegas, I was never annoyed that there were kids in the pool, of course there are kids in the pool-its a pool-kids like pools-so if one splashed me, oh well, I am in the pool, I will probably get wet-so these tyrants complaining about a kid splashing them in the pool-come on-if you have so little tolerance for others, maybe you shouldn't travel at all-no one will bother you if you stay in your own home.

 

My point is this-cruises these days, particularly RCI mega-ships, are full of kid stuff, so they are gonna be full of kids, particularly in June-Sept, Dec-Jan, and Mar-April-that's pretty much all of the time, since so many schools have such different schedules. Knowing this to be the case, and knowing that families with kids choose cruising because it is financially attractive (all-inclusive) as well as full of kid-friendly activity, you should assume that there will be several hundred children on just about any cruise you take on RCI.

 

If this is going to cause you to be bitter, uncomfortable, or rude to others, or if it is going to ruin your trip, maybe cruising RCI 2005 style is simply not for you-cruising has changed.

 

Its not all about mature seniors dressing for dinner and skeet shooting and shuffleboard anymore, its rock walls, wave pools and arcades. The average age of a cruiser 20 years ago was 55+, now its 30-45. Guess what, people 30-45 have-you guessed it-kids.

 

Just as Vegas has changed-20 years ago, there were no kids in Vegas, now they rule the streets, pools, theme parks, ariports, and yes, hotel lobbies and hallways-that bothers some people, but there is nothing to be done-Vegas changed its market to aim at families with kids, so that's who comes to Vegas now-same as cruising-if the cruise industry didn't want kids, then the ships would not be built with so many features specifically for them-

 

SO, don't hate the player, hate the game-

 

or in other words, (for the older, more mature that may not know what that means, I will be happy to explain, because I don't discriminate against anyone of any age)

 

don't hate the children, hate the cruise industry for building all these wonderful ships that my kids love so much, and will continue to sail on each and every year, at least twice a year, as long as my budget can afford it.

[Bookworm77]

I am absolutely, totally amazed at the misunderstanding that is taking place within this topic. While I myself, and others, have been vocal about certain behaviors we find unacceptable, I (after re-reading the entire thread) did not see ONE poster say they felt children should not be on cruise ships. As a matter of fact, when I qualified my original post I stated that cruise ships can be an appropriate place for children.

 

I do not hate children... heck, I have 3 of my own that I raised primarily as a single parent. I have a 3 1/2 year old grandson that is the light of my life. I was 6 years old when my first nephew was born... I currently have 37 nieces/nephews and I-can't-count how many great neices/nephews. I don't hate children... heck, I actually enjoy them (was a brownie/girl scout leader, cub scout den mother, sunday school instructor).

 

There are just certain behaviors that I have been witness/victim to that I do not feel are appropriate in public. Do I blame the children? No, I blame the parents. But cut me some slack here... I never said I hate children or don't want to cruise with them. :(

[cruizinbabe]

No you never said you hate the kids you just said that they should only speak around you when you say it is okay, and you said it is never for approriate for a toddler (Ages 1-3) to try to engage in conversation.

 

I know I have been accused of flaming you, but that was not really my intent. I understand exactly what you are saying, and probably agree with you opinion, I think you just used poor word choice when you took your otherwise rational and reasonable argument and stuck words like "never" and on "my own terms" into it.

 

In my three years of parenting I have learned that dealing with kids is never absolute and unfortunately I hardly ever get to do things on "my own terms".

[pamstravels]

We went on our first cruise (without our kids) last week and deliberatly scheduled it AFTER school started. While on the ship the few children that we saw were very well behaved and didn't bother us in the least. What did bother us was the crying babies in the cabin next door! (more than one!!) All night and even when they woke up in the morning. I think this family believed in letting the babies cry themselves to sleep. Fine when they are at home!

 

I made the mistake of booking a cabin next to a family cabin, my fault.

 

The Empress of the Seas was very helpful when we asked to switch cabins. They had one empty cabin on the same floor that was identical to our original cabin and made the transition very smoothly.

[Bookworm77]

I think you just used poor word choice when you took your otherwise rational and reasonable argument and stuck words like "never" and on "my own terms" into it.

 

I actually appreciate your stating this. I will attempt, in the future, to be more careful with my words. As I stated in my original post, I should know when to step away from the keyboard... but as in real life, I tend to be very outspoken, blunt; and, not always able to verbalize correctly.

[Onessa]

I'm with Folgy on the pool issue. Not every ship has an adults only pool. When I was growing up, we rented a house on the beach for a few weeks every summer. I can remember being quite small when my mother encouraged me to be considerate and not splash people in the face when I was playing in the water. On a summer cruise in the Caribbean, it's too hot to simply sit on the edge of the pool.

 

It feels a bit odd to be agreeing with Folgy on a child issue but I too agree that splashing is not appropriate. That is not only my opinion but the opinion of my 9YO DD, and her 10YO, 8YO, 7YO, and 5YO cousins with whom we recently vacationed. On several occassions they were driven from a water venue (be it pool or the Adventure Ocean area) by splashers - generally BOYS - heavy sigh :D, at least twice teenagers, and once some 20-somethings who were having too good of a time ;) .

[missbear]

You were very sweet to say you think I'd be a good mom. I decided not to have children because I appreciate the magnitude of the job, and so I decided I'd rather focus on being a good aunt. Some members of the village are the support, that's me. Best wishes.

 

Bookworm77: You did a nice job of clarifying your views. I think you're right that the wording got you into hot water, but I think most of the comments about people hating kids is from other threads where people have sometimes been very anti-child. The anti-child spin is what made me feel like starting this thread. You seem very reasonable in your opinions, so I don't think those comments are directed at you. Take care!

[atlcple2]

Great original post!! Cudos to you!!! We have 4 children, 2 grown and 2 are 10 and 12. Our youngest children (my step-children) have cruised several times with their Mother in the last few years and are well behaved...that doesn't mean they won't try to get away with something, but they are well mannered and considerate of others. We live in Atlanta and "Yes Ma'am" and "No Sir" are common answers from our children when we ask them something. DH and I are taking them for the first time on the Mariner in February and we are all very excited about it! They love to travel and know what our expectations are of them as far as behavior. Their Mother put them in the children's program at every port (and every other available time whether they wanted to go or not) and they know that we will take them with us everywhere we go...needless to say, they have more fun with us....but their behavior is better with us...they also learn a lot from traveling to other places and seeing how others live. They have a better appreciation for what we are able to provide them. You are completely right, it is up to parents to make sure their children know the rules and comply with them. Teenagers are truly a different animal...I can say that since I have raised 2 already! lol There was a study done on teenagers not long ago that stated that their brains are not fully developed as far as controlling impulses until early adulthood. On occasion, you see them do silly things and wonder what were they thinking!!! However, it should not be the "norm". It is a matter of respect for others. If child is not taught at an early age to have respect for others and for rules, their parents are 100% to blame for it. That is our jobs as parents...to make our children prepared for life in every stage and so that when they reach adulthood, they are independent and make a positive contribution to our society. If we don't teach them that, we have only ourselves to blame and it is not doing our children any favors as they will be the ones to pay the price for it.

[barbyma]

Nliedel: :eek:!! You poor thing! I'm always telling my kids to knock it off or I'll put them in the oven. I guess I should be more careful where I say that!

 

 

Caviargal: Okay, nicely worded post for a thread that has a bunch of child-bashers, but I think this thread has stayed relatively sane. I don't think anyone has crossed that line. At least not yet....

 

About your Vegas comment: the family-targeted marketing strategy of the 90's failed miserably. If you notice from the "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" campaign, Vegas has completely reverted back to an adult-oriented venue.

 

Folgy: you probably know how much I hate to agree with you :p, but I don't let my kids splash in the pool. It's RUDE, even for a kid.

 

Barb

[Soxfan05]

Great conversation. It seems we can all get along and co-exist in harmony with and without kids.

 

Here's another perspective on why adults may opt to ignore even the most precocious child: I love kids but parents who NEED other adults to acknowledge and compliment their children are the ones who drive me nuts! If you don't engage them, you're an ogre! What does it matter if Jane and John Doe stop to tell their angel he or she is adorable or stops by for a quick game of peek a boo? I've made the mistake of doing that and suddenly, you're the child's entertainment for the flight, train trip, evening (or in a small setting), for the entire vacation anytime the family runs into you! :eek: Mom and dad take one small overture to mean you're smitten with their precious. If parents would take the polite banter and insidious little games of strangers for what it is- a quick diversion, I think people might be friendlier.

[SecretMe1465]

This will probably start a war but . . . . .

 

My only child is now grown. I have done my service to repopulate the planet and do not generally spend much time around children (by design). With that said, well behaved children (any age) are invisible to me on a vacation (cruise). I have not problem with them. It is the bad-mannered, ill-behaved youngsters that get my goat. Therefore . . . .

 

Before you book your family cruise, do an inventory of your offspring.

 

If your child is out of control at home, unruly, disrespectful, suffering from ADHD (or the like), spoiled rotten, or just plain ugly-behaving, do not subject your fellow passengers to that mess.

 

If you are too worn out or busy from your career and/or social life to train your child in appropriate behavior in public, do not subject your fellow passenger to that mess.

 

If you are just now spending quality time with your child and he/she is so eager for your attention that he/she demonstrates no social skills, do not subject your fellow passenger to that mess.

 

If you are breastfeeding, good for you. However, no one but your husband and your child wants to see your naked boob!!! Again, do not subject your fellow passenger to that mess.

 

If you infant (under 2) (why is he on the ship anyway) needs a diaper change but you do not want to miss any of the show, do not subject your fellow passenger to that mess.

 

I have no problem smiling at or speaking to a happy toddler. I find pre-teens and teenagers to be so funny in their blissful ignorance that a conversation with them is a delight. Therefore, it is not the essence of youth that bothers me when on vacation. It is the large number of parents who cannot be bother with training/guiding their child but expect the masses to accept God-awful behavior or be deemed a "child-hater". It is social blackmail at its worst.

 

O.K. I don't see the joy in bringing an infant onto a cruiseship. That seems just selfish to me.:mad:

 

O.K. Y'all Throw the daggers.

[barbyma]

This will probably start a war but . . . . .

 

O.K. I don't see the joy in bringing an infant onto a cruiseship. That seems just selfish to me.:mad:

 

O.K. Y'all Throw the daggers.

 

No daggers. I'd just like to say that sometimes an infant can be a really easy companion to have. There were a couple of babies on our Alaska cruise last month that didn't seem to cause a bit of trouble. One particular child slept in a front pack on Daddy in the evenings (very cute, completely snockered, just hanging there) and spent the days looking around.

 

My own kids weren't much work unless they were sick. Gas is the cause of most fussiness, and it's pretty easily taken care of.

 

Barb

[SecretMe1465]

No daggers. I'd just like to say that sometimes an infant can be a really easy companion to have. There were a couple of babies on our Alaska cruise last month that didn't seem to cause a bit of trouble. One particular child slept in a front pack on Daddy in the evenings (very cute, completely snockered, just hanging there) and spent the days looking around.

 

My own kids weren't much work unless they were sick. Gas is the cause of most fussiness, and it's pretty easily taken care of.

 

Barb

 

The gas is not always easily taken care of and true me, no one wants to hear your baby screaming at the top of its lungs, no matter what the reason. However, if a child is mellow by nature, all is well and fine. But, if the child/baby is fussy, it is unfair and selfish to subject the entire ship to that noise.

 

Anyway, I was once told by a TA to always select "late seating" for dinner to avoid the people with young children. I always do that, most of my cruises are during school time and I general avoid the short people stampede.:eek:

[rose102798]

This will probably start a war but . . . . .

 

My only child is now grown. I have done my service to repopulate the planet and do not generally spend much time around children (by design). With that said, well behaved children (any age) are invisible to me on a vacation (cruise). I have not problem with them. It is the bad-mannered, ill-behaved youngsters that get my goat. Therefore . . . .

 

Before you book your family cruise, do an inventory of your offspring.

 

If your child is out of control at home, unruly, disrespectful, suffering from ADHD (or the like), spoiled rotten, or just plain ugly-behaving, do not subject your fellow passengers to that mess.

 

If you are too worn out or busy from your career and/or social life to train your child in appropriate behavior in public, do not subject your fellow passenger to that mess.

 

If you are just now spending quality time with your child and he/she is so eager for your attention that he/she demonstrates no social skills, do not subject your fellow passenger to that mess.

 

If you are breastfeeding, good for you. However, no one but your husband and your child wants to see your naked boob!!! Again, do not subject your fellow passenger to that mess.

 

If you infant (under 2) (why is he on the ship anyway) needs a diaper change but you do not want to miss any of the show, do not subject your fellow passenger to that mess.

 

I have no problem smiling at or speaking to a happy toddler. I find pre-teens and teenagers to be so funny in their blissful ignorance that a conversation with them is a delight. Therefore, it is not the essence of youth that bothers me when on vacation. It is the large number of parents who cannot be bother with training/guiding their child but expect the masses to accept God-awful behavior or be deemed a "child-hater". It is social blackmail at its worst.

 

O.K. I don't see the joy in bringing an infant onto a cruiseship. That seems just selfish to me.:mad:

 

O.K. Y'all Throw the daggers.

 

Poor little thing -- you are just starved for attention, aren't you?

 

Well this post would be awful nice --- if I hadn't just read your post on this topic elsewhere on this site.

 

In a nutshell you stated that you cannot stand children -- so much that you tell your "friends" (?) with children to keep the creatures away from you.

 

And any chance you get on a cruise -- when you see a child looking at you --you give them a dirty look.

 

If it's "war" and "daggers" you are looking for, you should have continued in the vein of your other post

 

. . .it would have gotten you alot more attention here.

[barbyma]

The gas is not always easily taken care of and true me, no one wants to hear your baby screaming at the top of its lungs, no matter what the reason. However, if a child is mellow by nature, all is well and fine. But, if the child/baby is fussy, it is unfair and selfish to subject the entire ship to that noise.

 

Anyway, I was once told by a TA to always select "late seating" for dinner to avoid the people with young children. I always do that, most of my cruises are during school time and I general avoid the short people stampede.:eek:

 

Gas is pretty easily taken care of if you know what you are doing:p and nobody said it was fair or selfless to subject other pax to a screaming child.

 

I'm glad for you that you are successful at avoiding children. It's an art I hope I never want to learn.

 

Barb

[SecretMe1465]

Poor little thing -- you are just starved for attention, aren't you?

 

If it's "war" and "daggers" you are looking for, you should have continued in the vein of your other post

 

. . .it would have gotten you alot more attention here.

 

What is your problem???????? There are two threads on similar subjects. Is it o.k. with you if I participate in both of them. Only if it is o.k. with you though.

 

I do not like badly behaved children. There I said it. I do not want to be around your brat. Oops, I said it again. Yes, most of my friends know that I am not interested in doing the young people set right now. They respect it. I do not ever have to beg out of a function because I do not like a person child and yes, there are child that I do not like -- and I don't like them a lot.

 

Now, let us talk about you. What is your problem. I am stating my opinion, nothing more, why do you feel a need to attack me personally. Let us stay on the subject of the threads -- nothing you say will change me -- your immature insults are of no consequence.

 

P.S. I do not give the "ugly-behaving" children dirty looks, I give their parents dirty looks. Are you a parent to an "ugly-behaving" child. Are you one of those simpletons who watch their child throw a temper tantrum and throw food around the buffet and look around with an ignorant smile on your face because you are clueless as to how to control your own child??? If so, then yes, get insulted by my posts in these two threads because I AM TALKING ABOUT YOU!!!!:p