Cruise fare for children

[pinotlover]

Even though I wouldn’t recommend Oceania for anyone under 60, I believe the flat statement “ there is nothing for them to do” is quite stretching. Like us, many of them are on shore excursions when at port. Does that count as something to do?

 

What I observed, on the rare sea day, was that the under 18 crowd utilized the often deserted putt putt, shuffle board, pickle ball, and golfing areas far more than the regular passengers. An evening and sea day event was the ping pong table. To get the table, the challenger had the beat the reigning champion. Kids, as well as adults, would be lined up to take him on! Cheering erupted when the 15/16 year old was finally dethroned! 😂 I think it was mostly from exhaustion. 🙄 Then the battles resumed with a new champion with plenty of challengers.

 

Just because many of the Oceania regulars never venture past the loungers in the shade doesn’t mean there aren’t activities for the youth. Every cruise on a sea day,  my DW and I have a putt putt match as a sort of tradition. It’s amazing to me how often the area sets completely empty. Out of sight, out of mind is equal to not existing..

[MEFIowa]

5 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Even though I wouldn’t recommend Oceania for anyone under 60, I believe the flat statement “there is nothing for them to do” is quite stretching. Like us, many of them are on shore excursions when at port. Does that count as something to do?....

Yes, we cruise primarily for ports and excursions. The ship is our traveling hotel.

 

And I'd have no problem recommending O to anyone over 40. Assuming your goal on the ship is to be relaxed and relaxing, rather than constantly entertained. On our first cruise on Riviera 12/2021 I was 58 and my wife was 55. We both had a great time. 

 

The key is to study your CURRENTS each night to see what all is happening when & where. For our first cruise, I remember a fascinating lecture on time and time pieces by the boutique watch manager. He served scotch. As we sat around tables in Red Ginger. And I enjoyed the Veterans' meet & greet in Horizons one afternoon. Even "silly" things like prize drawings in the boutique and spa.

[slw207693]

We are currently on Riviera sailing from Athens to Barcelona with our daughters, their spouses and 5 grandchildren aged 6 - 14.  It is a 12 day port intensive itinerary and only 1 sea day.   We have 3 in one room (1/2 fare, no excursion credit, don’t know about internet as his parents didn’t want that).   They have stayed  very busy earning those Big O points when they can, as they are on excursions in every port.   Every child we’ve encountered has been very well behaved.  
I have heard there are 29 kids on board.  It seems more and  more multi generational families are wanting to try Oceania (almost 900 new guests and about 380 repeaters).  We are in the repeaters group.    We took the family last year on Regatta to Alaska and they had such a fantastic time that the little boys (we hear they are called the triplets on the social media site (generic  face 🧑‍🦲 book📚) and cried when the cruise ended.  The GM was Gabriel Oversea who is on currently the GM on Riviera.   He’s fantastic and very hands on and attentive.  The boys have challenged him to a shuffleboard contest!   

Our grandkids are learning history, geography, social skills and how to interact with others, manners and patience waiting for others,  new culinary tastes (big thanks to Sr. Exec Chef Justin and his team 💝)
 

This has been a FANTASTIC family vacation and Oceania is our home at sea.   

We’ve booked Sirena for next July with all of the family from Hamburg to Copenhagen.   

[Vallesan]

“Our grandkids are learning history, geography, social skills and how to interact with others, manners and patience waiting for others,  new culinary tastes (big thanks to Sr. Exec Chef Justin and his team 💝)”

@slw207693

So much better to learn ‘in the flesh’ than from dusty dry books. Enjoy!

[ORV]

12 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Thank you for having the courage to say how you feel and saying it much better than I have been able to.

Actually what you've been saying and what she said are not the same. 

[jonthomas]

 

 

2 hours ago, Vallesan said:

“Our grandkids are learning history, geography, social skills and how to interact with others, manners and patience waiting for others,  new culinary tastes (big thanks to Sr. Exec Chef Justin and his team 💝)”

@slw207693

So much better to learn ‘in the flesh’ than from dusty dry books. Enjoy!

Yes that is wonderful. Have that learning happen on a cruise line intended for them.

 

From the comments staff have made, they are not too keen having kids on board either.

[Vallesan]

14 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

 

 

Yes that is wonderful. Have that learning happen on a cruise line intended for them.

 

From the comments staff have made, they are not too keen having kids on board either.

Oceania isn’t actually an ‘adult only’ line so whilst the ships may not be designed for children they also don’t ‘ban’ them! 

[PhD-iva]

While on a 19-day Regent South America Antartica cruise, a son of the guest lecturers was onboard. My trivia group “adopted” him and appreciated his input. We were geezer Americans with little knowledge of many topics. I recall he knew which country won last year’s FIFA tournament, and he complemented our (limited) knowledge base. 
Just an example of another shipboard activity that older kids can enjoy - Trivia!

[jonthomas]

23 hours ago, Vallesan said:

Oceania isn’t actually an ‘adult only’ line so whilst the ships may not be designed for children they also don’t ‘ban’ them! 

We are all well aware of that but O makes it very clear that there are NO programs for kids. That should be a clear message for parents to put their children first and chose a more appropriate experience for them, as we do, by going on a line where they have choices of activities planned for them if they so chose or not.

[Vallesan]

26 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

We are all well aware of that but O makes it very clear that there are NO programs for kids. That should be a clear message for parents to put their children first and chose a more appropriate experience for them, as we do, by going on a line where they have choices of activities planned for them if they so chose or not.

Yes but on port intensive cruises some parents want their children to experience ‘life’. 

[Techno123]

Having worked as a teacher, I know children are individuals as much as any other passenger and not all of them want to be put in a 'kid's club'.

 

If the children bring with them parents, grandparents or other family members who engage with them, supervise them appropriately and encourage their social skills (as it appears @slw207693 does) then I don't think anyone should be complaining. It is the children who bring parents who ignore them and allow them to run riot who are the issue and it is up to the senior crew to address this with the parents concerned.

 

Perhaps when families book there should be something in the blurb that tells them there are no kids clubs and therefore the supervision of their children is entirely their responsibility, they therefore cannot complain when asked to do so 😜

[jonthomas]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

Yes but on port intensive cruises some parents want their children to experience 

And they can't experience life on ships that provide both programs and ports?

Only Oceania provides port intensive itins?

 

[osandomir]

22 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

And they can't experience life on ships that provide both programs and ports?

Only Oceania provides port intensive itins?

 

And their parents get to choose which cruise line to sail as much as you do. They aren’t there to please YOU at the first place.

[Kay S]

36 minutes ago, Techno123 said:

Having worked as a teacher, I know children are individuals as much as any other passenger and not all of them want to be put in a 'kid's club'.

 

If the children bring with them parents, grandparents or other family members who engage with them, supervise them appropriately and encourage their social skills (as it appears @slw207693 does)card then I don't think anyone should be complaining. It is the children who bring parents who ignore them and allow them to run riot who are the issue and it is up to the senior crew to address this with the parents concerned.

 

 

I agree with everything here.  I have actual experience taking children on cruises (disclaimer:  not Oceania) and I take offense at the notion that all children on cruises are uncontrolled, unsupervised brats running amok.  We have take our grandchildren to many wonderful (and educational) destinations, starting with little ones in diapers to the currently teenaged adult versions.  I never, not once, got a complaint about their behavior because we make it clear to cruise meant behaving, and they love to cruise.  (My eldest gchild is one cruise short of Elite on Princess. 🙂)

 

Some of them liked kids club, and some did not.  We never "parked" them there.  They spent most of their time with us onboard, playing board games, ping pong, etc.  One of them absolutely loves shuffleboard and we have to drag him in if it starts raining.  We have had so many wonderful experiences with them, and I hope they will all be world travellers.

 

I suspect that most children on cruises are more like mine.  The ones who act up and cause trouble get the attention, but those are the minority.  Please don't lump my civilized grandchildren is with the brats you have "heard about."  If children are so disruptive and bothersome, choose adult-only cruises from  now on.

[Fam_Cruise]

I was 10 when I went on my first cruise, and I enjoyed it immensely even though there were no kids programs or ports for that matter. And the cruise was only 4 nights from New York to Bremerhaven. The only aspect I did not like was having to dress for dinner every night, but as a 10 year old I had not choice. My second cruise was 3 years later on the same ship and also for 4 nights returning to New York, and I still didn't like dressing for dinner. My mother told my 13 year old self that I could not go see Midnight Cowboy in the ship's theater; so of course I did but it was way over my head at the time.

 

That was back in 1966 and 1969. It wasn't until 25 years later when I went on my next cruise, and I still didn't care for formal nights. Back in 2004 I was fed up with all the bickering on various CC cruise line forums with regard to Formal nights, so I did a search in the various cruise forums searching for the word "formal" and all my searches but one returned 500 results. Oceania forum, in it's infancy returned 3 results, all of which basically said there are no formal nights. I haven't looked back.

 

I have seen a few families on Oceania from time to time, usually on European itineraries and most of the families I have seen are European.  My impression is that the upbringing of their kids is quite different and more like it was back when I was a kid with focus on family, learning, manners, etc.  I have not seen a badly behaved kid on Oceania yet, but I have seen a few, but very few, badly behaved adults. If and when I do see a badly behaved kid on Oceania, I feel it will be more of a reflection of bad parenting than anything else. JMHO

[jonthomas]

Well there you go folks, all these people will be bringing their darlings on a cruise line with no programs for them.

So then there  is the trend?

Oh joy!!!

 

No, I don't believe it. Most people  just arent that cruel to bring kids onto ships that clearly are not for them.

 

It's probably just a seasonal thing as many of you have  said. Not a trend at all. Just an aberration.

One can hope.

 

 

 

Edited August 1 by jonthomas

[Kay S]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

Well there you go folks, all these people will be bringing their darlings on a cruise line with no programs for them.

 

 

 

 

You talkin to me? 🤣

[pinotlover]

Well, this topic has once again been beaten to death! 🙄

 

 

[fizzy]

2 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Well there you go folks, all these people will be bringing their darlings on a cruise line with no programs for them.

So then there  is the trend?

Oh joy!!!

 

No, I don't believe it. Most people  just arent that cruel to bring kids onto ships that clearly are not for them.

 

It's probably just a seasonal thing as many of you have  said. Not a trend at all. Just an aberration.

One can hope.

  

 

 

What type of programs do you run in your house to keep the darlings quiet? Are your darlings 4 year olds? 14?  Are they supervised by adults?

[Kay S]

13 minutes ago, fizzy said:

What type of programs do you run in your house to keep the darlings quiet? Are your darlings 4 year olds? 14?  Are they supervised by adults?

I might be wrong but I don’t think that poster has any darlings (and maybe never was one.) 😀

[osandomir]

26 minutes ago, fizzy said:

What type of programs do you run in your house to keep the darlings quiet? Are your darlings 4 year olds? 14?  Are they supervised by adults?

 

11 minutes ago, Kay S said:

I might be wrong but I don’t think that poster has any darlings (and maybe never was one.) 😀

I also feel for grandchildren of that person who can’t stand the other kids around him that much.

Edited August 2 by osandomir