Would you take a 2 yr old plus 2 of 5 yr olds on a Regent Navigator Cruise ?

[SWFLAOK]

We've sailed Regent more than any other cruise line, and there are almost never any small children onboard. We most recently sailed on Navigator for the first time, and there were 2 kids onboard for our 2 week Caribbean cruise. One was about 4, and was with the wife of a high level crew member. She was well behaved. The other was about 7, with her parents. She was also well behaved. Neither appeared to be having a good time, other than spending time with their parents.

Regent does have entertainment for children during the summer, especially on their Alaska cruises. But other than that, not so much.

[GOARMY]

TS:

 

Only experiences over the many-years either with Regent, Seabourn, or Silversea involving really-young (four-years old or less) children involved traveling with families including kids with a parent holding a high-level management position within that cruise company; or a ship's Officer. 

 

On all occasions--there was a Nanny as part of the party. Nanny dealt with issues in dining venues, and such.  

 

That luxury is not available to most.  So, should you decide to cruise with young one(es), consider enlisting the in-laws. 

 

Our last Princess cruise was a late Summer, 2022 seven-day Seattle-Alaska-Seattle segment on that Line's newest ship.  Our daughter and her husband wanted to celebrate our grandson's 2nd birthday. We "volunteered" to go-along, together with our son-in-law's mother.  In fact, we insisted. Home base for all adults is the Seattle area.  So, easy on-off ship with no air travel involved.  

 

That's five adults to monitor/manage a two-year old. Having done five previous Alaska cruises, our sole function was babysitting.  Sometimes, pulling a shift in the late night, or early morning hours.  

 

It took all in-law efforts to enable the parents to have a semblance of an enjoyable cruise--most of the time.  And, Princess did have a venue available for very-young ones for organized daytime activities, as long as one parent was on-site.

 

Our long-time Travel Agent made our booking arrangements.  Put us in a Penthouse-type Suite to enable our little charger to have more space for running around.  Which he did--when not running on-deck. 

 

Agent also opined we should be accorded special recognition for service(es) rendered above and beyond the call of grandparent duty.  

 

Just a cautionary tale.  

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by GOARMY
Context.

[Wife of Grumby]

Oh sweet fancy Moses, NO!  Just no.

[phillipahain]

I totally agree theres no way i would cruise with small children .....i was simply interested in what folk would say 

 

Currently on Navigator there is a family ( not officers or crew ) travelling with 2yr old boy and 2 girls circa 4 /5/6 ......1st day the boy was clambering over all of the chairs in Navigator Coffee/drinks bar while parents looked on.

The girls were later dancing back and forth from Show lounge bar in and out of theatre again parents said nothing.could be something was said as not since witnessed same 

 

Regent just does not seem to me to be the right cruise line for very young children   

 

[boblerm]

It is interesting to me that the very same question (although worded slightly differently) was posed on the Regent Facebook page, and the responses were pretty much the opposite of those that have been posted here; that is, the majority seemed to think that it is fine to travel on Regent with children, and the minority strongly disapproving.

 

At the risk of repeating myself, (in fact, I am repeating myself), all children are not the same. And the anecdotal reports of having cruised with children on board that were running wild and causing chaos, or who appeared to being bored are not especially relevant.  Some children will not do well, or enjoy themselves on a luxury cruise.  Some will be disruptive, and will be annoying to other passengers.  These children should not be brought on a luxury cruise.

Some parents will not take the time an effort to see that their children are not being too loud or are running around the ship.  These parents (or grandparents) should not take their young ones on a luxury cruise.

 

But you cannot generalize about children, any more than you can generalize about adults.  On the Regent or Crystal cruises that I have sailed on in which there were children , the kids were far from the most annoying passengers on the ship. The children and adults seemed to be enjoying themselves just fine. 

 

I would not hesitate to take my family on a Regent cruise, including the grandchildren.  The proviso being, that I was confident in the fact that their temperament was such that they would not be likely to be disruptive, that their personalities were such that they could enjoy themselves in that environment, and that the adults were willing to help ensure that would happen.

 

 

[Pcardad]

49 minutes ago, boblerm said:

It is interesting to me that the very same question (although worded slightly differently) was posed on the Regent Facebook page, and the responses were pretty much the opposite of those that have been posted here; that is, the majority seemed to think that it is fine to travel on Regent with children, and the minority strongly disapproving.

 

At the risk of repeating myself, (in fact, I am repeating myself), all children are not the same. And the anecdotal reports of having cruised with children on board that were running wild and causing chaos, or who appeared to being bored are not especially relevant.  Some children will not do well, or enjoy themselves on a luxury cruise.  Some will be disruptive, and will be annoying to other passengers.  These children should not be brought on a luxury cruise.

Some parents will not take the time an effort to see that their children are not being too loud or are running around the ship.  These parents (or grandparents) should not take their young ones on a luxury cruise.

 

But you cannot generalize about children, any more than you can generalize about adults.  On the Regent or Crystal cruises that I have sailed on in which there were children , the kids were far from the most annoying passengers on the ship. The children and adults seemed to be enjoying themselves just fine. 

 

I would not hesitate to take my family on a Regent cruise, including the grandchildren.  The proviso being, that I was confident in the fact that their temperament was such that they would not be likely to be disruptive, that their personalities were such that they could enjoy themselves in that environment, and that the adults were willing to help ensure that would happen.

 

 

 

I agree 100%! Lets not discriminate against any age group - let's just uphold Regent's standards for behavior onboard.

[John Cruise]

Why not wait until the children are older and everyone 

will enjoy their cruise and remember it fondly?

Just sayin.

Disneyland is for families, Regent is for adults.

[Pcardad]

2 hours ago, John Cruise said:

Why not wait until the children are older and everyone 

will enjoy their cruise and remember it fondly?

Just sayin.

Disneyland is for families, Regent is for adults.

Not according to Regent. They encourage TA's to market to families. A 2 year old isn't going to remember any trip - this is more about the parents and grandparents wanting to be with their families.

Regent is for whomever Regent allows on board.

[Ethereal Cruiser]

2 hours ago, Pcardad said:

A 2 year old isn't going to remember any trip

 

Yes, but they get to see the photographs years later. I'd be chuffed to find an image of me from when I was two ... and it's guaranteed to not be a selfie.

[jjs217]

No matter how well behaved a child is at home - if the child has not reached the age of reason, approximately 7 years old, they have absolutely no understanding of how their behavior affects the community around them.  Put that well behaved child in a strange environment and even the parents won't know how they will react, until it is too late.  Why would you risk your child deciding a cruise would be a great time to start throwing tantrums.  What a wonderful way to get attention from a lot of people.

[Pcardad]

6 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

No matter how well behaved a child is at home - if the child has not reached the age of reason, approximately 7 years old, they have absolutely no understanding of how their behavior affects the community around them.  Put that well behaved child in a strange environment and even the parents won't know how they will react, until it is too late.  Why would you risk your child deciding a cruise would be a great time to start throwing tantrums.  What a wonderful way to get attention from a lot of people.

In over 450 nights, I've never seen a child throw a tantrum on Regent. Has it happened, I am sure it has. I have seen adults do things that would horrify you and their parents on not onboard to correct their behavior. Regent welcomes children and families...and that's just the way it is. It has been my experience that if someone is going to negatively impact your experience, it will probably be an adult.

[jjs217]

19 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

In over 450 nights, I've never seen a child throw a tantrum on Regent. Has it happened, I am sure it has. I have seen adults do things that would horrify you and their parents on not onboard to correct their behavior. Regent welcomes children and families...and that's just the way it is. It has been my experience that if someone is going to negatively impact your experience, it will probably be an adult.

I agree with everything you said.  Of your 450 nights on Regent, how many has there been a 2 year old on board?  I would venture to guess - not many.  Yes, Regent welcomes children and families, but the original poster wanted opinions on bringing a 2 and 5 year on board.  The overwhelming response has been "NO."  As for adults behaving poorly, I have seen a lot.  Either their ability to reason is in decline, or they weren't taught properly.  It still doesn't change the fact that a toddler is only interested in the self.

[Pcardad]

2 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

I agree with everything you said.  Of your 450 nights on Regent, how many has there been a 2 year old on board?  I would venture to guess - not many.  Yes, Regent welcomes children and families, but the original poster wanted opinions on bringing a 2 and 5 year on board.  The overwhelming response has been "NO."  As for adults behaving poorly, I have seen a lot.  Either their ability to reason is in decline, or they weren't taught properly.  It still doesn't change the fact that a toddler is only interested in the self.

Agreed but I have seen many kids on board. And some of those are the children of staff who are on vacation with their parents.

The OP was asking opinions about actual passengers on board ship with the OP...it wasn't a hypothetical.

[jjs217]

Got it.

[phillipahain]

Like many others have never seen a toddler or even 4 or 5yr olds onboard any of our Regent Cruises and as we are Platinum ! 

 

Hence it came as hell of a shock to see the 2 yr old clambering over everyone of the chairs in the Navigator Bar /coffee bar while Father looked on ...nor have we ever seen 4 or 5 yr old girls dancing up and down the slope from Seven Seas Lounge bar and into Theatre again with Mother etc simply looking on ....it may well be someone had words as not seen silly behaviour since ..although 2yr old screeches very often 

 

Not sure what Regent is gaining by encouraging such young children nor do we understand the attraction of taking them as it seems most adults simply enjoy the Adult atmosphere of Regent 

 

 

[A Tucson Guy]

47 minutes ago, phillipahain said:

Like many others have never seen a toddler or even 4 or 5yr olds onboard any of our Regent Cruises and as we are Platinum ! 

 

Hence it came as hell of a shock to see the 2 yr old clambering over everyone of the chairs in the Navigator Bar /coffee bar while Father looked on ...nor have we ever seen 4 or 5 yr old girls dancing up and down the slope from Seven Seas Lounge bar and into Theatre again with Mother etc simply looking on ....it may well be someone had words as not seen silly behaviour since ..although 2yr old screeches very often 

 

Not sure what Regent is gaining by encouraging such young children nor do we understand the attraction of taking them as it seems most adults simply enjoy the Adult atmosphere of Regent 

 

 

This is part of the reason that we do SS over Regent. Regent "invites" children with special pricing. SS never seems to do this. If we do a Regent cruise, we try and do it when the kids are in school but that is not a guarantee.

[Pcardad]

4 hours ago, phillipahain said:

Like many others have never seen a toddler or even 4 or 5yr olds onboard any of our Regent Cruises and as we are Platinum ! 

 

Hence it came as hell of a shock to see the 2 yr old clambering over everyone of the chairs in the Navigator Bar /coffee bar while Father looked on ...nor have we ever seen 4 or 5 yr old girls dancing up and down the slope from Seven Seas Lounge bar and into Theatre again with Mother etc simply looking on ....it may well be someone had words as not seen silly behaviour since ..although 2yr old screeches very often 

 

Not sure what Regent is gaining by encouraging such young children nor do we understand the attraction of taking them as it seems most adults simply enjoy the Adult atmosphere of Regent 

 

 

I think everyone agrees that people who cannot behave should not be onboard.....no matter what their age.

[papaflamingo]

A quick comment.  Many people, me included, have seen children of crew members on board that are all very well behaved.  I don't think you can consider them when discussing children on board.  Crew members who bring families are risking their jobs.  If their kids run rampant about the ship and are annoying passengers there's a pretty good chance they'll be fired.  Passengers don't have to worry about their jobs if their kids are unruly. 

[lincslady]

Common sense says that children under about 7 cannot be expected to behave perfectly on a ship essentially for grown-ups, it is unfair to expect them to.  Around that age they might find enough of interest to occupy them, but IMO it is unkind to little ones to expect quiet behaviour all day - and also unfair to other passengers.  Take them on a Disney ship, and sacrifice your pleasure for a few years.

[Jim Avery]

On 7/16/2023 at 12:01 PM, Pcardad said:

Not according to Regent. They encourage TA's to market to families. A 2 year old isn't going to remember any trip - this is more about the parents and grandparents wanting to be with their families.

Regent is for whomever Regent allows on board.

Right you are.  And this is why we still haven't managed to book Regent.  Lots of time on Viking and most other lines in earlier years and we don't like everything about Viking but we do love the no kids policy.  We have met quite a few people on Viking, especially on world cruises, that are enjoying Viking but say they like Regent better.  So we get all the Regent emails and specials and really want to try but just can't get past the specials offered for kids sail free on Regent.  Nothing is perfect but just have had too many cruises on SeaDream spoiled by kids.  That's how we ended up on Viking.  

[Pcardad]

10 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Right you are.  And this is why we still haven't managed to book Regent.  Lots of time on Viking and most other lines in earlier years and we don't like everything about Viking but we do love the no kids policy.  We have met quite a few people on Viking, especially on world cruises, that are enjoying Viking but say they like Regent better.  So we get all the Regent emails and specials and really want to try but just can't get past the specials offered for kids sail free on Regent.  Nothing is perfect but just have had too many cruises on SeaDream spoiled by kids.  That's how we ended up on Viking.  

I have 450+ nights as a full fare paying customer and I have never had a trip ruined by a child...just my experience. There simply aren't many kids on board unless you  go to Alaska or maybe Europe in the summer.

[Jim Avery]

Good to hear that.  You are either luckier than me or smarter with bookings than me.  The good thing about Viking, and I have about the same days on them, is I have seen none and know that I won't see any.  Works for us for now but not saying Regent is a no, just not ready yet.  Always hear good things from other passengers.🍸

[labonnevie]

We have 10 cruises on Regent and have never been bothered by kids, can’t say the same for older passengers!

[Steve Q]

Honestly, there is no way that I would bring young children on the Navigator. I’m not sure what they would do all day. We were on the same sailing with GeorgiaPeach this past May for 15 nights. Navigator has very limited indoor space and the outdoor pool area is unusable in inclement weather.

I will say that our entire family of ten (including grandchildren ages 7,8,10,11) just returned from a family cruise on a Royal Caribbean mega ship. Yes, the ship was huge and always busy. That said, our grandkids had a fantastic time. There was so much to do for them. In addition, there was a Kid’s Club that provided care for the kids free of charge in two hour intervals. While my wife and I would never sail RC on our own, it was a great family experience. Lastly, we were surprised by the dining room service. I know this may sound crazy, but our servers on RC surpassed those on our Navigator cruise where dinner was routinely long and often disjointed experience.

[Rothko1]

I'm in the No camp as well.  In fact, I kind of think it is selfish of the parents or grandparents to book a trip on Regent for younger kids when there are cruise lines that are dedicated to providing a much better overall experience for a family vacation.

 

The one time we took a three-generational cruise, we did on Disney, and got the Roy Disney Suite so the family could be together.  The children all had a blast, and the adults had a good trip as well, enjoying the adults only areas and restaurants onboard.