I am beginning to have my doubts on the kid friendliness

[shonuf]

For background, I am the mother of a wonderful son, who is almost 33. When he was about 18 months old, we went out to dinner at a nice hotel for my birthday. I was very surprised and a little nervous when they didn't have a high chair, only a booster and lots of crystal, china and silver on the table. He was a perfect little gentleman but I was a nervous wreck. At about 4 (or so) he thought everyone got to play cards with the stewardess in the upstairs lounge on the 747 back from Hawaii. Later on, I was room mother, den mother, etc. So I am a dues paid, card carrying mother.

 

Fast forward to today. If DH and I go to a restaurant, we are invariably seated next to the only table that has babies/toddlers/children. We must look like kindly grandparents. (WRONG!) We politely ask the hostess for another table. We avoid whenever possible places that cater to children, kids eat free, etc. Haven't been to a pizza place in I don't know when. And I wouldn't go on a Disney Cruise if you gave it to me. We are glad to let the kids have their fun. What I do wish is that the children who are at more adult oriented restaurants would be taught to sit with their bottoms on the chairs (and not their feet) and the other skills that will serve them well later in life.

 

We do try to avoid cruises with large numbers of children by doing as other posters have said and avoiding certain dates, etc. However, we really fouled up a few years ago when at the last minute we booked the ROTS out of Galveston. We chose the first week of school thinking we would be safe. WRONG! Our school district starts earlier than most and we forgot that most important fact. There were 600 children onboard and it was awful. Just picking a date when you think schools are in session is no guarantee either as so many (at least in our area) are home-schooling and others don't mind pulling the kids out of school. One school district in CA has such a problem with kids being pulled out for vacations, they are going to start billing the parents $36.13 for each day missed.

 

Our last few HAL cruises have been on Vista class ships which seem to be attracting more families. DH doesn't like the Vista class so I think we'll be going to S or R class for our next voyage. Maybe they could focus the kids programs on the Vista Class and larger and keep the smaller ships the more traditional (sedate, older, whatever) HAL. That way the younger crowd could get to know HAL and continue to enjoy it as their interests change.

 

Just my 2 cents worth,

[canuckcruiser01]

Familymom, your experience is the exact opposite of what I have experienced while cruising on HAL with my daughter. We take a HAL cruise every year and the staff has each time treated my daughter (now 7) incredibly. On each cruise we have taken there have been many staff members who made a point of learning her name and waving hello to her each time she was seen by them on the ship. Some have even played peek-a-boo with her when she was younger. In the Lido some of the waitstaff made her animals out of the napkins and always offered to carry her tray to our table.

 

While my daughter absolutely loves the Kids Club it is the treatment she has received from staff members that keeps us coming back to HAL. My daughter has always been made to feel special by all HAL ship employees.

[dreamcatcher]

Hi Jade13, we did report the Kids Club employees that night.

 

No, it wasn't that they were trying to "control" the kids. And they hadn't been crying (or screaming) when we arrived to pick them up ... they were sitting on a couch right at the entrance waiting, looking terrified. They were being really tough and when we got there, that is when they started to cry.

 

It was Outer Space night and part of the Theme joke had something to do with "If you don't take a ride on the (pretend) spaceship, then you have to wash your hands in toilet water." They insisted it was just a joke, but again, not all kids understand "jokes" and grownup humor.

 

My girls are girlie girls and don't yet know sarcasm all the time. So, although your stepchild may have understood that it was a joke, not all kids will. It's just a matter of taking into consideration the age of the child.

 

I'm sure it was a one-time incident and I don't at all fault RCL or make judgments about the entire line. For my kids' ages, it just wasn't the best choice for us overall.

[cnmiranda]

It's only $134 more to take our 10 year old niece )r add a 3rd in a cabin?) on our Alaskan cruise with us, we checked... the adult fare is over 1k. When we want to travel with family we wouldn't choose HAL because honestly we prefer adult oriented cruise lines (when it's just me and hubby) but it seems HAL is trying to go that way now, at least somewhat. RCCL was very good when we took our 5 nieces and nephews on our anniversary cruise to the Caribbean.

[cruznon]

I had no idea that HaL rates for children were so cheap! No wonder more and more families are choosing HAL. (It's obvious that HAL wants young families on their ships.) Those rates are incredible.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I had no idea that HaL rates for children were so cheap! No wonder more and more families are choosing HAL. (It's obvious that HAL wants young families on their ships.) Those rates are incredible.

 

Yes, they are cheap!:) Although it's over now, HAL had a very quiet 4-day sale earlier this month where children on certain designated cruises sailed as the 3rd or 4th passenger for free......So keep your eyes peeled, or find a good TA; HAL definitely wants the family business.....

 

Karin

[hammybee]

Yes, they are cheap!:) Although it's over now, HAL had a very quiet 4-day sale earlier this month where children on certain designated cruises sailed as the 3rd or 4th passenger for free......So keep your eyes peeled, or find a good TA; HAL definitely wants the family business.....

 

Karin

 

Oh really :) :). :)

[Nghthawke]

We've had so many of these children threads recently I just thought I'd mention that on the cruise I was on it was a couple of boorish loud mouth grown-ups who managed to wreck my very first and only (and ultra short) visit to the crow's nest early one morning on the Volendam as we entered Glacier Bay.

 

If you don't like cruising/vacationing with children/teenagers then don't book during Spring break (Feb-Mar), summer vacation, graduation time (late May-June) or Christmastime.