Families At Christmas

[kitty9]

Extended family members are considering booking an Oceania cruise during the holidays, and they're wondering if there's a children's program. Does Oceania attract lots of families during Christmas? I know that on our previous Oceania cruises there were no kids on board, but I'm wondering if this changes during the holidays.

[alexandra cruiser]

had maybe 6 kids onboard.But did have Santa onstage xmas eve.Asked kids to come up and they sang xmas carols .It was decorated beautifully,but not sure if specific childrens program was avail.

O not really geared towards children.Many of us prefer it that way, as majority of other lines DO cater to families. When you get a certain age, its just sort of nice to lounge around pool without shouts of MARCO POLO.

Sorry, don t mean to sound like a GRINCH.

[orchestrapal]

had maybe 6 kids onboard.But did have Santa onstage xmas eve.Asked kids to come up and they sang xmas carols .It was decorated beautifully,but not sure if specific childrens program was avail.

O not really geared towards children.Many of us prefer it that way, as majority of other lines DO cater to families. When you get a certain age, its just sort of nice to lounge around pool without shouts of MARCO POLO.

Sorry, don t mean to sound like a GRINCH.

 

You are not a grinch! Agree with you 100%. With exception to a few Alaska cruises which are advertised as familie cruises, Oceania is certainly not set up for children. We hope they keep it that way.

[Mura]

Kitty9,

 

We haven't traveled at holiday times but from what I have read here while often there are a good number of children on board (maybe Caribbean cruises?), aside from the provision for childrens' activities on Regatta in Alaska, there aren't any. Young children will be bored to tears. Some teens could be happy, but definitely not all.

 

Other lines are better for large family outings.

[Cruseforme]

We were on the Regatta twice for The Holiday cruise (including New Years), and once on the Riviera. Maybe 10 or so kids on the Regatta cruises. About 50 on the Riviera two years ago. Yes, they ended up with a quasi children's program. They pulled a couple of workers off of their normal duties, and assigned them to the kids. One of them was pretty funny, stating she didn't have a clue what to do with anyone under the age of 50!!!! Not sure what they ended up doing, but the pool became ours again about day 3, and didn't have them running around the deck. I would not personally take a holiday cruise on O, expecting a children's program.

[bitob]

I am willing to be an honest grinch

 

Oceania has no kids program for a reason

They are not looking to attract kids except for a handful of Alaska sailings

Their bread and butter cruisers prefer not to sail with kids. They want an adult experience

Kids will be bored. Some of us even think it is selfish to take kids on oceania when there are so many kid friendly and kid appropriate options

 

I cannot imagine why anyone would think of Oceania as a viable option for their kids to have a great time on a ship

 

Btw we are on Seabourn now. Not a single kid on board. For good reason

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited December 24, 2016 by bitob

[Travelcat2]

Neither Oceania or Regent have the type of children's programs that exist during the summer. Perhaps Regent expects/hopes that children will be celebrating with their families at this special time of the year.

 

We did one Christmas/New Year's cruise and what Mura indicated was true. Our cruise was mostly 9 - 18 year olds with no place to "hang out" since all lounges, etc. are filled with adults with or without their children. After a few days, the teens got to know each other and became sort of like a gang - running up and down the stairs - quite loud. There were passengers complaining at the Reception Desk (not us - our suite was far away from the noise). As a result of that cruise, we will never sail during the holidays again (note: Thanksgiving is generally okay - as long as the cruise is 14 days or more since children in North America are in school at that time of the year and only get a 4 day we weekend at Thanksgiving).

 

IMO, if you want a truly great time with people of all generations, pick a larger cruise line - one that can make everyone happy - not just the adults.

Edited December 24, 2016 by Travelcat2

[kitty9]

Thanks everyone. I will inform the extended family members to look elsewhere, like I tried to do. I tried to push them towards Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, but they wanted more info on Oceania because we bragged about our previous cruises.

[LHT28]

It may depend on the length of the cruise & itinerary how many children onboard

A 10 day Caribbean cruise you may see more than a 20 day cruise to South America

 

In the past people reported 50+ at Christmas time then I would suspect Oceania would have some sort of program to keep them occupied

Also depends on the ages of the family group & whether the children might be bored if there are no other children

Maybe someone currently onboard will read this thread & comment

[ORV]

Speaking of children on Oceania. Has anyone ever seen small children at the Repeaters Party? It was a first for us after 15 times with Oceania on our last cruise, well 14 parties.

[LHT28]

Speaking of children on Oceania. Has anyone ever seen small children at the Repeaters Party? It was a first for us after 15 times with Oceania on our last cruise, well 14 parties.

Cannot say that I have

They must have been there for the free drinks ;)

[Hawaiidan]

I am willing to be an honest grinch

 

Oceania has no kids program for a reason

They are not looking to attract kids except for a handful of Alaska sailings

Their bread and butter cruisers prefer not to sail with kids. They want an adult experience

Kids will be bored. Some of us even think it is selfish to take kids on oceania when there are so many kid friendly and kid appropriate options

 

I cannot imagine why anyone would think of Oceania as a viable option for their kids to have a great time on a ship

 

Btw we are on Seabourn now. Not a single kid on board. For good reason

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

O would not be a good fit for a family.with children. The line goes out of its way to make that clear that children are discouraged and there will be no activity or program for children what so ever. Since, as bitbob mentioned 99% of the passengers on O are there because they do not want or enjoy cruising with children, no matter how well behaved.

 

Thus there is the very real anger that a family bringing children aboard would endure from their fellow passengers....they wont be very popular to say the least

 

For a family with children I cant think of a better line than Disney which caters to families with open arms and tons of children's and adult activities.The happiest cruise on earth for families.

[azam71209]

We would never take our grandchildren to Disney World so I can't imagine taking them on a Disney cruise, as an OP suggested. We look for more educationally meaningful experiences. Indigenous culture, glaciers, whales, and nature walks were priorities for us. The Alaska children's program was wonderful but, clearly, not for people who just want to drop their kids off someplace and then party on.

 

I do think it's important to "prep" children on what an Oceania experience will be like so that if it is not a good fit, you can make other choices. Well behaved children who understand that an Oceania cruise is not just "all about them" and are willing to try something out of the ordinary can be a good fit for Oceania Alaska cruises.

 

A holiday cruise would require that the adults understand that they, not the ship staff, will be responsible for their children's activities and their behavior. Better not to trust that the staff would respond to out of control children by cobbling together a kids program. That is not fair to anyone onboard.

 

Mary

[ronrick1943]

I agree with the above statement, and this is why we cruise "O" and Regent now. It's the time I want for us, I do indeed love kids but not on a cruise. What people with kids think is cute at the time, isn't that cute to others.

That's why you have Disney cruise's, and others that make it right for kids.

[LHT28]

email from a friend on Riviera now

about 20 kids mostly teens & less than full ship

 

Had rough ride after Miami & a medical emergency where they diverted to Grand Turk to off load the passenger

 

Otherwise all is good

[ronrick1943]

Your right, let kids be kids. They have a lot of time to grow up-just had a little culture from time to time.

[macor]

We were on the Panama Canal Cruise last year at Christmas with Oceania. I believe it was either 14 or 16 days. We only saw 4 children. Two of them that we saw on Christmas Even we had not spotted until that evening which was 7 days into the cruise. The other 2 were young sisters that were beautifully behaved and always with their parents. Just as an FYI, we met a woman who told us that she had taken her grandchildren on Holland American and they liked it better than Disney. She said that there obviously were not as many kids as Disney and they felt they got a lot of attention and had more options. Don't know if they still have a children's program but thought I would mention it.

[Hawaiidan]

I think the overlying question is that the cruise needs to fit the personality, ages and personality of the passengers, whether 6 or 90...

Thus a Carnival cruise might be more enjoyable than a Regent or Crystal

 

Not all cruises are right for all people and a great error some make is that they experience something they love on specific ship or line and they are eager to share their experience with others, forgetting that others may not be like you!

[LHT28]

Not all cruises are right for all people and a great error some make is that they experience something they love on specific ship or line and they are eager to share their experience with others, forgetting that others may not be like you!

 

good advice

[TreasureB]

My husband and I took our grandchildren, aged 9 and 7, on Marina in March for the ten day Papeete to Papeete cruise. It was a great cruise for kids. Lots of swimming, snorkeling and water activities. The crew was wonderful to them. Our grandchildren had a ball. Now when we talk about doing another family cruise, they insist we go on Oceania. They have done Disney cruises, but prefer the quiet of Oceania. So for all the grinches out there, I say bah humbug.i have seen a lot worse adults on board who are loud, drunk and obnoxious. Unless you plan to buy up all the cabins, I will continue to bring my grandchildren on Oceania cruises.

[Travelcat2]

TreasureB: I can understand why children would enjoy a Tahiti cruise but, IMO, not all cruises offer as much "fun" time.

 

When someone compares unruly adults to having children on board I truly do not understand it. If an adult becomes unruly, they can be dealt with by the crew onboard - some are sent to their cabin to sleep it off if they have imbibed too much - if they are rude to other guests or the crew, they can be put ashore at the next port stop. If a child is running around and disturbing others, their parents/grandparents go ballistic if their children are reprimanded in any way.

 

My concern about your post is twofold: 1) You make it clear that you do not care about fellow passengers; and 2) I would worry about any child that can "insist" that they sail on a particular cruise line. This is setting them up for some huge disappointments in their lives.

[azam71209]

From the Oceania FAQ section-

 

Can I bring children under the age of 18?

Infants must be one year of age as of the first day of the cruise. Guests traveling with a young infant that does not meet the infant policy will be denied boarding. No refunds or other compensation shall be due from Oceania Cruises to anyone as a result of the denial of boarding to an underage infant or any accompanying guests. Any guest under the age of 18 must be accompanied by and occupy the same stateroom as an adult 18 years or older. Oceania Cruises does not provide for the care, entertainment or supervision of children.

________________________

 

If the cruise line you choose to travel on accepts children, then it seems likely that there may be children on your cruise.

[Travelcat2]

azam71209: I understand your reasoning but this does not hold true with luxury and luxury-lite cruise lines. A few years ago Carnival had some "adult only" cruises and suffered as a result of that offering. So, IMO, cruise lines are hesitant to follow in Carnival's footsteps (although I feel that Oceania would be fully booked on any "adults only" cruises that are offered - particularly during the summer when teachers and others that work with children need a break).

 

While you can certainly book a cruise on Oceania with children, if the cruise is during the school year (in the U.S.) passengers could make your cruise less than happy. More importantly, there is absolutely nothing for children to do. In my experience (over a year cruising on luxury and luxury-lite cruise lines), parents/grandparents that book Oceania are looking for something they will enjoy rather than what their children will enjoy.

 

If I remember correctly, children under a certain age (I believe 16) should not even go in an elevator alone. And, children in the swimming pool will usually cause all adults to evacuate the pool.

 

On all of our cruises (30+ to date), there are usually no children - sometimes 1 or 2 (usually not from North America). Keep in mind that many adults have "been there - done that" in terms of doing things for their children. It is finally adult time. Given that the majority of cruise lines have children's programs and activities, it does not seem unreasonable to me for adults not to have to deal with children dive-bombing in the pool, running down hallways, etc. on Oceania.

 

Exception: During school breaks, there are many families on board and with the exception of Christmas and New Year's, summer itineraries have special programs for children. So, if you are dead set on taking children on Oceania, please do so during these times. Thank you!

Edited January 9, 2017 by Travelcat2

[sitraveler]

Just off Marina's holiday cruise. Santa had presents for the dozen under 10's. Extended families took pictures in the atrium area, where Santa held court. Ship was almost full. Decor was fantastic, but disappeared by 1/5. Happily , age was younger than most of our other O cruises recently.

[MarkieMarkNYC]

My husband and I took our grandchildren, aged 9 and 7, on Marina in March for the ten day Papeete to Papeete cruise. It was a great cruise for kids. Lots of swimming, snorkeling and water activities. The crew was wonderful to them. Our grandchildren had a ball. Now when we talk about doing another family cruise, they insist we go on Oceania. They have done Disney cruises, but prefer the quiet of Oceania. So for all the grinches out there, I say bah humbug.i have seen a lot worse adults on board who are loud, drunk and obnoxious. Unless you plan to buy up all the cabins, I will continue to bring my grandchildren on Oceania cruises.

 

Glad your kids liked it!

We enjoy being around like-minded people who can appreciate the Oceania experience, whether they are 9 or 90!

You will always find people who have a negative visceral reaction to kids. As you have undoubtedly discovered - they are the ones with the problem.

Here's wishing you many more wonderful family experiences!!