Poll..... Should kids be allowed in the Haven at all?

[suesings]

idea: when someone sees someone who is unruly/rude, a bell is rung. everyone stops what they are doing and votes thumbs up or down as to that person remaining in the haven. pure democracy

 

(yes i know its open to abuses but this wont happen anyway)

 

and before you go saying that the bell will be continuously rung, i dont think so. just 1 or 2 people voted off the island and no one else will misbehave

 

 

Ha ha ha :D

[suesings]

I'm a single guy and frankly I can do without kids, but usually they're perfectly fine. This is true with most adults as well. Once in a while you get kids or adults or even entire family's that you'd like to see fall overboard. The issue isn't obnoxious kids, or obnoxious kids with lousy parents, or obnoxious adults. The problem is that NCL allows their behavior to go on. These people should be required to leave the ship as soon as is possible. The cruise line has the legal right as per the contract, to throw anyone who does not abide by the rules off the ship at the next port. Leave a few of these idiots on the dock and most passengers with or without kids will cheer. Everyone needs to stop being so damned terrified of offending morons. Morons deserve to be offended, if they don't like it they can always learn to behave themselves.

 

I LOVED this :D:D:D Ha ha ha. I think you are right. They really should just make a few examples of some disrespectful families and that would most likely change things. If word gets around that a loser family with the kids running wild got dumped in San Juan, perhaps people will think twice before they forget they are parents.

[kathybelcher2433]

Since according to some on these boards, NCL loves to collect additional fees, why not hit those they don't follow the rules in the pocketbook where it can really hurt, as opposed to a scold which appears to have no effect.

 

I actually don't really care who is where within the rules as long as those rules are followed.

 

 

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[NYcruzzer]

I am to lazy to read through all the pages of posts. Has anyone suggested a daily adults only (18+) period in the Haven ? Perhaps 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm ?

[ireashmott]

In my vacation experience, both adults and kids can be awful. You can find yourself neighbouring next to the Problem Child or in the pool with an Adam Sandler man-child.

 

The name "Haven" implies it is free from jerks. Of course, they cannot guarantee that. All they can offer is: look, here is an area with less people, therefore less odds of a jerk child or adult.

[SydneyD'Augstralia]

LOL, not sure you want to go there but I would say the middle/working class :rolleyes:

 

Nope. With the popularity of upsells, everyone can bring their poorly behaved families along....

[navybankerteacher]

If children are allowed, what is it a haven FROM?

 

It should be a haven FROM yahoos of any age who do not know how to behave in civilized company.

 

Of course, it will only work if those yahoos, of any age, who impose their misconduct on their neighbors are instantly demoted to sail with the commoners - with their places being taken by those among the "huddled masses" willing to pay for an upgrade. The increased revenues should serve as an incentive for NCL to make the effort: everybody wins: the Haven passengers enjoy the peace they have paid for, the upgraded passengers get to taste the good life, NCL gains some revenue, and the yahoos who get demoted learn a valuable lesson.

[MMMD]

I voted a flat out 'no.'

 

Not only kids ruined my last Haven experience, but their 'we paid our fare too' parents did as well.

 

Most of parents needed adult supervision.

 

I won't sail again with NCL until the Haven experience they sell -is actually guaranteed.

I left our kids at home for a relaxing time & was frustrated & angry instead.

 

I'm fine with land vacations at adults only resorts till then -or other lines.

[maja651]

all well behaved and respectful humans of any age should be allowed.

 

any rude or inconsiderate humans should be removed with a giant robotic arm and put in the main pool area :)

This!

[luckyinpa]

let's see...

 

 

-It's a haven from the entire crowd from Splash Academy (usually Dolphins/Entourage) sprinting through the halls screaming at 2 am.

 

)

 

i never have read about this. sounds terrible

[Starflyr3]

i never have read about this. sounds terrible

 

we mainly cruise over spring break, so I'd say our previous experiences have not exactly been the norm. But boy was I glad to be in the Haven this year!

[tinkr2]

"We are trying to fill a gap that I think the cruise industry has overall missed. There are wonderful luxury ships out there, but if I put my kids on one of those luxury ships, I think they'd be disappointed. They'd say to me, "Dad, can we pick next year's vacation?" So, the idea of the Haven is to appeal to YOUNGER affluent couples AND FAMILIES who enjoy the good things in life. They like butlers and concierges and private pools and private restaurants - private everything. BUT they want to be able to duck in to 27 restaurants, to see a Broadway show, and have the kids have a blast in the kids center. Or just a couple want to meet other, younger people and have some fun.

 

That is the objective here."

 

-Andy Stuart, at the launch of the Breakaway.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci7CYu81Ass

 

so, yeah. Good luck with making the Haven "adults only".

 

I dont like rowdy kids in the Haven, either (and yes, I police/supervise mine), but they are NOT targeting older adults who no longer have children. They are SPECIFICALLY targeting families. So no, it's not going to change.

 

Starfly you are exactly correct. The haven is marketed for affluent families who still want the big ship experience. We cruise with our grandchild and loved the haven. We also like a little luxury but we're not thrilled with the luxury lines, not enough to do for us. We like rock walls and flow riders and ropes courses!, but we enjoy a nice meal and a butler too. People who want no children in haven are choosing the wrong line. Children will play in a pool , that's what a pool is for kids, a play area. Should children be crazy and run, well of course not, but they're not to going to swim quietly, they will play , as they should.

For those wanting a big ship experience but no kids, book a suite on RCCL and head on up to the solarium.

[suesings]

or in the pool with an Adam Sandler man-child.

 

that made me laugh out loud :D:D:D:D:D

[Jenjer]

let's see...

 

-Its a haven from: Me having a nervous breakdown trying to keep my kids safe in the main kids pool (which is way deep for non-teenagers, and too full of big kids acting like idiots and jumping in ON TOP OF small children) - especially on Jewel class ships.

 

-It's a haven from fighting for chairs near the pool

 

-It's a haven from the extremely loud, irritating, headache-inducing music of the main pool deck

 

-It's a haven from having to fight the crowd at the buffet while simultaenously trying to keep your kids in your line of sight at all times (the courtyard butler or Haven restaurant (depending on ship) will bring you what you like up in the Haven.

 

-It's a haven from the entire crowd from Splash Academy (usually Dolphins/Entourage) sprinting through the halls screaming at 2 am.

 

-it's a haven from having to stand in line for 2 hours at guest services/tender ticket pickup/disembarkation when you need something

 

-for us, it's a haven from having to share a 270 sq ft space with our 2 kids who are too young for a separate room, and go to bed early and are the lightest sleepers on the planet (I LOVE the courtyard villas - we can stay up, have lights on, watch TV, spend quality time with each other after they're asleep, etc)

 

Starflyr3 NAILED it!!!!!!

 

YES. Children should be allowed in the Haven but that wasn't a option in your poll was it.

 

There are plenty of adult only spaces (spice H2O, Spa) and non child friendly spaces on a ship (Deck 19 of Escapes Haven comes to mind)

 

If you want to cruise in a non child bubble maybe you need to stay off mega ships with every child's and families dream activities. There are lots of mostly kid free cruise. Stay away from anything with water slides, water parks or surf machines.

 

If you want children to be robots maybe you should stay home and watch them on TV. They are kids and they are going to act like kids. Some kids are well behaved and some are not it does not matter if they are in the Haven or not.

 

If you are not booking the Haven because the horror of seeing a child playing in a pool is just too much. Then Yeah!!!! Stay away. The Haven is not for you.

[skeeter195]

Some people just have the wrong idea of what the Haven is.

 

It is:

A place to escape the crowds

A place to spend quality family time alone OR with the family

A place to eat in nicer venues

A place for you to feel safer with your children(the main pool areas are scary at times)

 

It is not:

A tranquil place(to many want it to be a library setting)

Kids free, period! A mis-behaving child needs to be dealt with in the Haven OR not.

A place for snobs. Sorry

[graphicguy]

Kind of with everyone else. It's not the kids who have the corner on selfish and/or poor behavior, some adults are as bad, or maybe worse.

 

Just a recent example of the Haven experience I had last month. One lady in a suite shot like a dart to the concierge as soon as we were escorted to the Haven. That was OK. She ran in front of everyone else to corner the concierge, but I was on vacation and not willing to make a big deal out of that.

 

EXCEPT......she wanted the concierge to make reservations for every show, every restaurant, every excursion, not just for her and her husband, who were staying in the Haven. No, she wanted the concierge to make reservations for the 13 other family members WHO WERE NOT staying in the Haven, too. After waiting over 30 minutes (I was directly behind this lady) and watching the poor concierge valiantly try to get this lady away from her desk by complying, I finally gave up, as did everyone else behind me.

 

As the week progressed, this same lady was such a narcisist, she came flying out of her suite, to the concierge, twice more that same day, interupting my planning, because changing her reservations were so much more important than mine.

 

Same lady walking past the line to get into the Haven restaurant, because it was so important she be seated before the 4 or 5 people who were already waiting in line.

 

Or, the same lady who would hail the Haven bartender to get her a drink before taking care of those of us who were waiting before her.

 

So, behaved children, or this lady? I'll take the children.

[mscdivina2016]

Kind of with everyone else. It's not the kids who have the corner on selfish and/or poor behavior, some adults are as bad, or maybe worse.

 

Just a recent example of the Haven experience I had last month. One lady in a suite shot like a dart to the concierge as soon as we were escorted to the Haven. That was OK. She ran in front of everyone else to corner the concierge, but I was on vacation and not willing to make a big deal out of that.

 

.

 

That's where we differ. I would have spoken up the first time she tried to make reservations for everyone else. I would have expected the concierge to not make her other reservations at this time.....and I would have started crap right there and then. I can assure you that cutting the line to eat would have had a huge scene as well as the getting a drink ahead.

I have no issue about calling someone out and I expect the crew to rectify the situation.

I can remove that DSC in a matter of minutes. And it adds up as I don't take short cruise's often. My next big one on NCL, the DSC is $1080.00 :eek:

 

I know many will say because of the actions of 1 crew member, why do the other crew need to be affected.

I can than ask, why does this same crew allow the actions of 1 passenger to affect the other passengers?

 

Common decency that is all

 

Their reluctance to step in has allowed this.

[graphicguy]

mscdivina....I get what you're saying. I was a little irritated myself for letting this lady walk all over me, and some of the rest of the Haven guests.

 

That said, I'll do everything in my power not to raise my blood pressure level while on vacation.

 

In the end, the lady is the one who looked/acted like a horse's derrier. I wasn't going to let her behavior ruin my vacation in any way.

[Two Wheels Only]

mscdivina....I get what you're saying. I was a little irritated myself for letting this lady walk all over me, and some of the rest of the Haven guests.

If it bothered you enough to post it on CC, it obviously bothered you. You should have spoken up then.

 

That said, I'll do everything in my power not to raise my blood pressure level while on vacation.

But the woman was unjustly interfering with your vacation.

Some things are frustrating and can't be avoided. For example, if 5 people were in front of you and you had to wait 30 minutes, that would just be something to live with. If 1 woman jumps in-front of you and takes 30 minutes for unjust requests, that wouldn't be right and you speaking up would not be wrong.

 

In the end, the lady is the one who looked/acted like a horse's derrier. I wasn't going to let her behavior ruin my vacation in any way.

I'm glad that it didn't ruin your vacation but if you had spoken, your vacation would have been even better. You would have been server/helped sooner and you wouldn't have the feeling of "I should have said something...." after the cruise.

Edited August 22, 2016 by Two Wheels Only

[graphicguy]

Two Wheels....suprisingly, I'm usually pretty vocal when it comes to people who do what this lady did. I must have been very "Zen" that week (July 4th week). I had been stressed out from work and some personal stuff. So, all I wanted to do was to chill during the cruise, which I did....in a major way.

 

So, I let that stuff slide.

 

If there was any justice, by the 2nd day of the cruise, it became clear that the Haven bar tenders and the servers in the Haven were being purposely inattentive to her.

 

The bartender (wish I could recall her name, she was wonderful and I tipped her well) would engage in conversation with me, and others when this lady appeared with her....."Miss?....Miss?.....oh Miss?...Miss?" and would tell her she would get to her after she was finished with our order, which she took her time while repeatedly asking me if I needed something else, just to stall this lady.

 

No matter....it was a great cruise.

[Chuck2810]

You left out a key answer, that being a simple YES with no qualification.

 

exactly! If someone is not behaving - deal with it! Minor, Major, Crotchety old bittie, whatever!

[Son of a son of a ...]

The worst are the kids in the Haven who smoke on the balconies.

[jewelmick]

If NCL would enforce their own rules, there would be no unruly kids. Kids without adult supervision would be escorted back to staterooms.

 

 

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[Monstica]

I agree kids should behave, but maybe it's time to stop cruising on ships with slides, kiddy arcades and kid pools. There is always Paul Gaugin, Viking, Regent, etc. Mass market ships are geared toward families. Once my kids are grown I don't think I will be cruising on Mass Market Ships. They are heavily advertised for families.

[david_sobe]

It almost seems some of you guys are asking kids to not be kids. Kids are going to splash and sometimes even scream in a swimming pool. That does NOT mean they are misbehaving. The entire Haven concept caters to families with children. These kids are on vacation and should be allowed to splash and play as much as they want. How is this any different than the main pool deck? If you don't want to hear signs of any children then do not book a Haven room overlooking the pool.

I have always said the Haven area needs to be bigger and have a kids area including their own hot tub, etc. The pool is not much of a pool and is a plunge pool. This is perfect for the kiddies to swim around in with their pool toys. They are just as much a valued guest as yourself. If you don't want to see or hear kids then you must go to the adults only areas i.e. Spice H20.