Age of fellow cruisers has a huge impact on how people enjoy a cruise

[Presto2]

Have to say that we have never yet been on a cruise that was not in school holidays on any cruise line due to our jobs. To be honest we have never had any issues with the behaviour of the children at all ... those we have seen being rude and obnoxious were adults both America and what I'd call posh British.  Just saying.

[Josy1953]

On all of the cruises that we have done children have not been a particular problem but some adults have been pretty bad.  The last P&O cruise we on was to the Mediterranean on Ventura and was met at every port by either police or ambulances which is why we have been avoiding P&O for the last few years.

[zap99]

16 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

On all of the cruises that we have done children have not been a particular problem but some adults have been pretty bad.  The last P&O cruise we on was to the Mediterranean on Ventura and was met at every port by either police or ambulances which is why we have been avoiding P&O for the last few years.

I think kids on cruises are no problem. No problem at all. Us adults are the problem. Perhaps if we all ran around playing pirate games rather than taking photos of the bathroom tiles we would all have a jolly good time.🤣

 

[john watson]

The thing which has the biggest influence on one's cruise is who is in your sailing group.  I have sailed with my parents and brother, or with wife and child, or just with my daughter or with daughter and her fiance or just a male friend or a female friend and alone.  This makes cruises totally different and if you are sensible other passengers have very little impact to be frank. I think a lot of people often sail as a couple of different ages and expect things to be pretty similar to the last cruise by comparison. Things have changed radically over the years with ships and I do not like comparing them either as you cannot get better and better cruises they are just different and you need to focus on the positive. Some cruises I have been on were technically disastrous but I see the funny side of things.

 

Regards John

[jeanlyon]

It's parents who are to blame for kids behaviour whether on a cruise ship or somewhere else.  My experience on Azura with kids banging on cabin doors and running away and playing with the lift buttons is all to do with their upbringing and parental control.

[enjoysailing]

Out of interest, is there any rule as to the age that children can be left to wander around ships on their own, unaccompanied by adults? 

[Josy1953]

7 hours ago, enjoysailing said:

Out of interest, is there any rule as to the age that children can be left to wander around ships on their own, unaccompanied by adults? 

If not there should be.  We have seen children that I would guess to be around 7 or 8 wandering around unaccompanied.  I think that some parents think that because they are on a ship their children are safe, they don't seem to realise that there are dangers to children wherever they are.

[Interestedcruisefan]

11 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

If not there should be.  We have seen children that I would guess to be around 7 or 8 wandering around unaccompanied.  I think that some parents think that because they are on a ship their children are safe, they don't seem to realise that there are dangers to children wherever they are.

Wouldn't bother me

 

But this is why some people are best suited to adult only ships and some arent

 

We went out for lunch on Christmas Day

 

Small restaurant 34 covers

 

3 hour meal and a couple of one year old ish babies dining

 

Alongside 3 or 4 other kids aged about 6 to 9

 

The two babies cried for 5 mins at a time at separate times

 

And the 3 kids went out on their own to play in the back garden of the pub for 10 mins halfway through the meal then came back in

 

Just normal for babies to cry and kids to want to have fun together rather than sit through a meal for 3 hours

 

Some adults wouldn't have liked the kids crying

 

Some might have tutted at  the kids playing in the garden without an adult there.

 

Never considered either until reading this post and remembering some adults don't like kids around them on holiday

 

Simple as that. And fair enough. 

 

Also families don't want to be on cruise ships around people who want to disapprove of kids crying and/or enjoying themselves

 

It's actually best for all concerned for those adults to find adults only ships to enjoy 

 

So they can totally focus on MDR issues and rooting out any standards that have dropped etc

Edited December 27, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Josy1953]

Having children on board doesn't really both us but I do worry about the children having accidents so getting hurt or even being assaulted. 

I know that it isn't my problem but having witnessed a boy being held over the balcony from the deck above the pool by an older boy I do worry about the dangers that they are not aware of.  A member of the entertainment staff managed to grab the younger boy before he was dropped.

The older boy and his family were confined to their cabin until the next port where they were escorted from the ship.

[john watson]

9 hours ago, enjoysailing said:

Out of interest, is there any rule as to the age that children can be left to wander around ships on their own, unaccompanied by adults? 

I have not taken children on cruises for a while but had a fifteen year period of doing so on various lines, P&O, Princess and Cunard.  My experience is that typically first day of  joining, the Youth Team go through the rules with parents and children.  As far as I recall P&O's rules include.  No children allowed to enter cabins other than the ones their family are booked into, no unaccompanied children in lifts, adults are not allowed to disembark leaving children alone on board (they must be supervised on board by someone eighteen years or older who is a relative or adult friend who knew them prior to embarking). Nobody under eighteen may disembark alone. P&O have a policy of parents need to sign children in and out of the club until they are thirteen. The theatre, first three rows do not permit children to sit there, even with parents. Youngsters cannot leave the club on their own decision.  There is no specific age at which children can walk about the ship alone as far as I know, the same as in UK leaving children alone on your house at home. Princess has a mobile Youth Security team usually a man and woman with a walkie talkie who patrol the ship in response to any incidents reported to reception. P&O do not. The main risk of unaccompanied children about the ship is not that they might have a negative affect on other passengers cruises. It is that as vulnerable people the children are at risk from inappropriate behaviour from adults.  Stranger danger is a problem because the cruise ship is not a totally safe place.

 

Regards John

Edited December 27, 2023 by john watson

[zap99]

11 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

It's parents who are to blame for kids behaviour whether on a cruise ship or somewhere else.  My experience on Azura with kids banging on cabin doors and running away and playing with the lift buttons is all to do with their upbringing and parental control.

We played knock down ginger when we were younger. DW was quite good at it. I was a few years older, but caught her eventually.  It was quite a popular children's game in London as the houses are quite close together. I imagine less so in the country. Could be fun on cruise ships.

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Josy1953 said:

Having children on board doesn't really both us but I do worry about the children having accidents so getting hurt or even being assaulted. 

I know that it isn't my problem but having witnessed a boy being held over the balcony from the deck above the pool by an older boy I do worry about the dangers that they are not aware of.  A member of the entertainment staff managed to grab the younger boy before he was dropped.

The older boy and his family were confined to their cabin until the next port where they were escorted from the ship.

I remember a photo of a popular musician dangling his young Child over a hotel balcony to show the paparazzi. Wonder what happened to him ?🤣

[Presto2]

58 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We played knock down ginger when we were younger. DW was quite good at it. I was a few years older, but caught her eventually.  It was quite a popular children's game in London as the houses are quite close together. I imagine less so in the country. Could be fun on cruise ships.

Is that the same as Postman's Knock? Great in terraced streets. Tie the door handles together then knock on both and run to hide and watch. I was generally a good girl really but on occasion ...

[laslomas]

11 hours ago, enjoysailing said:

Out of interest, is there any rule as to the age that children can be left to wander around ships on their own, unaccompanied by adults? 

 

This is something I have wondered about too. Basically I think once a child is alone on a ship, out of their cabin, it is the same as being out of home, alone, on land. There are parks (lido deck), shops and bars, and do you allow your 10 year old, or 14 year old to roam in those places when not on board ship? Sometimes at 10pm.? 

Someone mentioned stranger danger too.

I am not anti-kids, just interested. 

[Josy1953]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

I remember a photo of a popular musician dangling his young Child over a hotel balcony to show the paparazzi. Wonder what happened to him ?🤣

I thought that it was a Blanket that he held over the hotel balcony 🤔

[john watson]

The two most dangerous places for children are the Balcony of your cabin and the Promenade Deck. In cabins a high bolt can prevent the doors from opening.  If parent is on balcony and comes in to make a drink etc. all children need to come in from the balcony for the duration. Until you can confidently let your children cross a 40 mph road I keep them from being alone on Promenade Deck.  In my opinion you need to monitor what they are doing and the time of day etc. Comparing this to how they are at home in and away from the house alone.

 

Regards John

[Josy1953]

15 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

Is that the same as Postman's Knock? Great in terraced streets. Tie the door handles together then knock on both and run to hide and watch. I was generally a good girl really but on occasion ...

I only played Postman's knock when I was at my friend's house because the estate where I was brought up was mostly semis and a few detached houses but my friend and her mother lived with with her grandad in a terraced house.

[zap99]

6 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

I only played Postman's knock when I was at my friend's house because the estate where I was brought up was mostly semis and a few detached houses but my friend and her mother lived with with her grandad in a terraced house.

We only did that to grumpy, old folk. Not many targets on a cruise ship are there ?....🤣

[yorkshirephil]

2 minutes ago, zap99 said:

We only did that to grumpy, old folk. Not many targets on a cruise ship are there ?....🤣

We did it to those who we knew would chase us, Not many targets on a cruise ship are there ?

[PaulManchester]

5 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Wouldn't bother me

 

But this is why some people are best suited to adult only ships and some arent

 

We went out for lunch on Christmas Day

 

Small restaurant 34 covers

 

3 hour meal and a couple of one year old ish babies dining

 

Alongside 3 or 4 other kids aged about 6 to 9

 

The two babies cried for 5 mins at a time at separate times

 

And the 3 kids went out on their own to play in the back garden of the pub for 10 mins halfway through the meal then came back in

 

Just normal for babies to cry and kids to want to have fun together rather than sit through a meal for 3 hours

 

Some adults wouldn't have liked the kids crying

 

Some might have tutted at  the kids playing in the garden without an adult there.

 

Never considered either until reading this post and remembering some adults don't like kids around them on holiday

 

Simple as that. And fair enough. 

 

Also families don't want to be on cruise ships around people who want to disapprove of kids crying and/or enjoying themselves

 

It's actually best for all concerned for those adults to find adults only ships to enjoy 

 

So they can totally focus on MDR issues and rooting out any standards that have dropped etc

And this ladies and gentleman is why this poster is my favourite on here. 
Superb, and very accurate 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[Vampiress88]

I did prefer the atmosphere on Britannia to that of Iona but Iona was ok too. 
We don’t book for the ship or the atmosphere it’s usually to do with the price and itinerary etc. it wouldn’t bother me which ship I was on. 
I do think that iona has had younger people on it in the last year. 
but I do find that there are both adults and children that I think could do with being dragged up better. 
 

in terms of letting my kids go around the cruise ship on their own then we kind of do. They are always both together. Always have a time limit and I always know the route. The problem I have is that there feels like there is much more danger now around us and I am far more protective over what they are allowed to do that me or my husband was growing up. I have to give them some independence at some time so try to start off small. 
so what we do is have a race- kids like to use the stairs to the floor we need and we like to use the lift. Usually see who wins. They will also go to get the menu for the main dining room whilst we are sat in Brodies. They do not deviate (they are not allowed off that floor etc) and if they are not back within a certain time we go find them. 
If I don’t let them do these small things I will never let go. 
 

last cruise we didn’t actually have any issues with parents, other than 8&11 year old in the pool and the parents were sat at the windows with the back to them. My two are just as competent swimmers as they were but I couldn’t leave them in the pool without watching them. 
 

[john watson]

1 hour ago, Vampiress88 said:

 

last cruise we didn’t actually have any issues with parents, other than 8&11 year old in the pool and the parents were sat at the windows with the back to them. My two are just as competent swimmers as they were but I couldn’t leave them in the pool without watching them. 
 

One of the basic rules which the cruise line advise is that parents are responsible for supervising their children while they are in the pool.  It might have a few swimmers in the pool but other cruise lines have experienced tragic outcomes where children were not directly supervised.

 

Regards John.

[enjoysailing]

2 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

 

in terms of letting my kids go around the cruise ship on their own then we kind of do. They are always both together. Always have a time limit and I always know the route. The problem I have is that there feels like there is much more danger now around us and I am far more protective over what they are allowed to do that me or my husband was growing up. I have to give them some independence at some time so try to start off small. 
so what we do is have a race- kids like to use the stairs to the floor we need and we like to use the lift. Usually see who wins. They will also go to get the menu for the main dining room whilst we are sat in Brodies. They do not deviate (they are not allowed off that floor etc) and if they are not back within a certain time we go find them. 
If I don’t let them do these small things I will never let go. 
 

last cruise we didn’t actually have any issues with parents, other than 8&11 year old in the pool and the parents were sat at the windows with the back to them. My two are just as competent swimmers as they were but I couldn’t leave them in the pool without watching them. 
 

 

I understand the need to give a bit of independence, what age are the children that you allow to wander the ship? I am not judging, but interested. When mine were young we hadn't started cruising. But now some of the larger ships are like small villages I am not sure how I feel about it. 

 

As for not keeping eyes on youngsters in the pool, that is something I could never do. I have had years of never being able to relax by pools and even more so at beaches as I need to see them at all times. Not many pages got read in my books. 😕

[Presto2]

58 minutes ago, john watson said:

One of the basic rules which the cruise line advise is that parents are responsible for supervising their children while they are in the pool.  It might have a few swimmers in the pool but other cruise lines have experienced tragic outcomes where children were not directly supervised.

 

Regards John.

Sadly, some parents can't look after their own children when they are in the house with them, so not much hope on a ship .... 

[Vampiress88]

1 hour ago, enjoysailing said:

 

I understand the need to give a bit of independence, what age are the children that you allow to wander the ship? I am not judging, but interested. When mine were young we hadn't started cruising. But now some of the larger ships are like small villages I am not sure how I feel about it. 

 

As for not keeping eyes on youngsters in the pool, that is something I could never do. I have had years of never being able to relax by pools and even more so at beaches as I need to see them at all times. Not many pages got read in my books. 😕

They are 9&8. Furthest they have gone is the length of the ship. So from Brodies to I think it’s called pearl. We did watch them from a distance a few times to make sure they were behaving and being responsible then the last few days let them just do it themselves. (They were good they walked nicely to the dining room, took photos and then walked back- I nearly got caught as I’m bad at being a spy) 
oh and they went and got photos one deck up but I could see them from the emerald bar. 
They do have to be careful on the stairs as they aren’t allowed to run, they usually beat the lift though as it takes so long.