My In-Laws Are Cruise Outlaws!

[smg669]

I just returned from a cruise on Legend with a large group of 24 people. My brother-in-law got married on board while we were anchored off Grand Cayman. It was my wife, myself, our daughters (5 and 8), my wife's immediate family and the bride's immediate family. I always knew my wife's family was "unique", but they managed to violate almost every cruising taboo that I've ever seen mentioned here...

 

First, the baby in the pool taboo... My wife's sister has a one-year old son. Before we left she had mentioned that she was looking forward to going swimming with him. I told her that the pools on board were non-chlorinated and that infants were not permitted. Don't worry, I said, he can swim in the ocean while we're in port. Sure enough, I'm walking around on deck on our first day at sea and there are my in-laws in the pool with my nephew. He didn't even have a pair of swim diapers on - just his shorts over top of a regular old diapers. I sat out in the sun and kept an eye on the situtation - they were not bothered once by another passenger or by a security guard. And while they were in there, a security guard went over to the very same pool three different times to tell other guests that they couldn't drink in the pool. Wait - it gets better! On our second day at sea I hear that my sister-in law decided that not only should her son be allowed in the pool, but that she should FEED HIM while they're in there as well. Apparently she spilled all sorts of food into the pool, including rice and chick peas.

 

Next... the theater seat saving taboo... My wife and I decided to catch one of the shows at the last minute as our girls wanted to stay longer at camp. We were in one of the middle rows in the balcony. Looking down, I saw my father-in-law and two of his family spread out in the second row, each sitting at one of the tables. They were craning their necks around waiting for someone to show up. They never did. Tthe three of them sat there taking up those 6-plus seats for the entire show.

 

The line cutting taboo... this happened several times throughout the cruise, including the 6:15am non-citizen immigration line. For instance, we exited the terminal in Cozumel and I wne to join the taxi line to wait for a cab to Nachi Cocom. My father-in-law plows ahead to the front of the line, grabs and taxi driver and calls everyone over to the purloined cab.

 

The arriving late for dinner taboo... We all had early seating. My sister-in-law is perpetually late. Dinner was no exception. Her record? 7:45 pm! Not a word of a lie. Oh, and she arrived without ny nephew. Where was he? Alone in the cabin in his crib. But don't worry, she told the cabin steward not to bother if he heard the baby crying as she would be back soon! Our party were invariably the last ones to leave the dining room.

 

My brother-in-law wore jeans in the dining room one night, but that's not technically taboo according to Carnival's rules. Plus, he's a pretty cool dude, so I'll give him a pass. And they were really nice jeans.

 

The only major one I didn't witness was chair hogging, although it wasn't really called for on this cruise for some reason. We were able to get prime unoccupied chaird by the pool at 1:00 on our first day at sea. But you can bet they would hog some chairs if they needed to.

[Beachgirl6479]

smg669, wow! It sounds like you had a very eventful cruise! Glad you survived to tell your tale;)

[Mysticks1]

Wow! your tale makes my last cruise with the in-laws look really good. How about warning us if they plan another family cruise?:D :p JK Glad you seemed to have a good time.

[jimandsteph1070]

my question is this are you going to go one another cruise with them again anytime soon..... lol.... if so let me know i will book a differnet week..

just kidding.

 

steph

[BND]

The one that floors me the most is leaving an infant in a cabin alone. That's pure and simple neglect. It's illegal in every state and probably against Carnival policy. I wonder what the captain would have to say about it. The other issues are bad enough, but leaving an infant alone anywhere is totally irresponsible and if I'd been at that table I would have asked her for her key (possibly under the pretense of watching him) and gone back and brought him back and given him to his mother. What made them think that was okay on any level? How many times did she do this?

[smg669]

The one that floors me the most is leaving an infant in a cabin alone. That's pure and simple neglect. It's illegal in every state and probably against Carnival policy. I wonder what the captain would have to say about it. The other issues are bad enough, but leaving an infant alone anywhere is totally irresponsible and if I'd been at that table I would have asked her for her key (possibly under the pretense of watching him) and gone back and brought him back and given him to his mother. What made them think that was okay on any level? How many times did she do this?

 

As far as I know she only did it that once. And she was only at the table for 10 or 15 minutes. But that's just as far as I know - and that's one time too many and 10 or 15 minutes too long as far as I'm concerned. She clearly has issues. She's one of those mothers who will just take off and leave her baby with you without saying "Hey, can you please watch the baby?". She just assumes that someone else will look after the dude. My wife is her only sister (and an amazing mother, BTW) - guess who gets stuck with looking after the baby all of the time?

[LHP]

The one that floors me the most is leaving an infant in a cabin alone. That's pure and simple neglect. It's illegal in every state and probably against Carnival policy. I wonder what the captain would have to say about it. The other issues are bad enough, but leaving an infant alone anywhere is totally irresponsible and if I'd been at that table I would have asked her for her key (possibly under the pretense of watching him) and gone back and brought him back and given him to his mother. What made them think that was okay on any level? How many times did she do this?

 

Surely he is kidding about the child in the cabin alone. That is child abuse!

And if it is true and the relatives (him included) did nothing about it...then they need to all be reported to Child Protective Services.

[BND]

As far as I know she only did it that once. And she was only at the table for 10 or 15 minutes. But that's just as far as I know - and that's one time too many and 10 or 15 minutes too long as far as I'm concerned. She clearly has issues. She's one of those mothers who will just take off and leave her baby with you without saying "Hey, can you please watch the baby?". She just assumes that someone else will look after the dude. My wife is her only sister (and an amazing mother, BTW) - guess who gets stuck with looking after the baby all of the time?

 

I really feel for that child. He deserves better than that. Does anyone confront her?

[andychris]

I am in shock that someone can leave their baby in the cabin and go for dinner. I guess they are all nuts for accepting that. I can not picture me leaving my child in the room and joining the rest of the family for dinner, no one ran down to the cabin and had her committed!!!

[caribbean dreams]

If i were you, i would have complained to the security guard about the kids in the pool, eating with no diaper and called someone to tell them the kid was alone in the cabin.

She would have never known who did it and maybe it would teach her a lesson.

 

Sounds like they thought they were on Vacation at the trailer park;)

[Vellamint]

You know I really try not to post on many issues on these boards but didnt they read about that poor little english girl whose parents left her (and her twin siblings) alone in their resort room while they went to dinner....and she is still missing....

 

I just dont get why people have kids sometimes.

[crusinmama06]

She left the baby in the cabin ALONE. OMG! :eek: I would have freaked out on her...but that's just my personality.

[wizard-of-roz]

If you love these boards.....you'll fork over their names.....and, warn us when they're boarding another ship!!!!!!!!

No afront on your gene pool.....but,

DISOWN THESE MORONS!!!!!!!:eek:

[Knights on the Beach]

If you love these boards.....you'll fork over their names.....and, warn us when they're boarding another ship!!!!!!!!

No afront on your gene pool.....but,

DISOWN THESE MORONS!!!!!!!:eek:

Not his gene pool -- he married into it! :p Geez, and I thought we had some doozies in our family -- you WIN!

[jhsieh]

This is the funniest story I've heard in a long time. I can just picture it all!! Sounds a lot like my family. You must have been so embarrassed. I've got one of those sisters and my in-laws make me wish I would have married an orphan. lol:)

[caribbean dreams]

didnt they read about that poor little english girl whose parents left her (and her twin siblings) alone in their resort room while they went to dinner....and she is still missing....

 

I just dont get why people have kids sometimes.

 

Almost happened on our last cruise, this family kept leaving their 2 yr old in the cabin and going to the casino, one night about 1am they came back to the cabin to find the baby has locked the top latch (probably trying to get out) and was out on the balcony, alone in the dark:mad:

The women beat on the door trying to get her to open it, I told her to call Security, they would have the master key but she wouldn't because she thought she would get in trouble, finally a neighbor let her in their cabin and she was able to open the balcony divider to get the baby.

I had a few choice words for her for leaving the baby alone and for the rest of the cruise, everytime she saw me, she would give me dirty looks, I don't care, people like that just don't learn, the next night she left the kid alone again but this time it was ok becasue she was with her 4 year old cousin:eek: She spoke very little english but i hope she understood what i said to her.

[Vellamint]

I may be intimidated by chair hogs and not do anything about it, I may get aggravated by line cutters and not do anything about it but I would call security in a heartbeat if I ever, EVER saw someone leave a baby alone in a room like that.....

[MilliesMom]

Sorry, but your brother-in-law is NOT a cool dude IF he knew his baby was back in the cabin by himself!!!!!! I can't believe parents would do such a thing -- talk about child endangerment!!!!!! :mad:

[smg669]

Sorry, but your brother-in-law is NOT a cool dude IF he knew his baby was back in the cabin by himself!!!!!! I can't believe parents would do such a thing -- talk about child endangerment!!!!!! :mad:

 

It was his nephew, not his son. My sister-in-law is pretty much a single mother. It's not like she was going to sit down for a full meal - she got a coffee and a piece of cake and went back to the room to check on him in the middle of eating it. Not that I condone what she did or would do it with my own child. But, if any of us thought the child was in real danger we would have intervened.

[tomko2]

All I can think is that your intuition was right from the start and how you managed to enjoy your cruise with that appalling behaviour is beyond me.

Your SIL endangered your nephew by leaving him alone and risked making other people sick by disregarding the no diapered children in pools regulation not to mention the food episode.

Is our society so polite you did not want to confront her?:confused:

[smg669]

All I can think is that your intuition was right from the start and how you managed to enjoy your cruise with that appalling behaviour is beyond me.

Your SIL endangered your nephew by leaving him alone and risked making other people sick by disregarding the no diapered children in pools regulation not to mention the food episode.

Is our society so polite you did not want to confront her?:confused:

 

I've have long since realized the futility in trying to confront members of my family-by-marriage about their behavior. They tend to be somewhat selfish and stubborn. I married my wife and I thank God that she (somehow) did not turn out like some of the other members of her family. But, they are still her family and I don't plan on spending the rest of my life beating my head against a brick wall over things like this. I've got my own family to worry about teaching right from wrong. If I truly thought the child was in danger, I would have done something.

[FloridaLaura]

I may be a little overly cautious but when my daughter was little I would not even leave my child in her crib, while I showered in our own home...I would put the playpen in the master bedroom half in and half out of the bathroom, take my shower with literally every 30 seconds, peeking out from behind the shower curtain to make sure she was ok.....maybe I was a little to cautious, but I can't believe your sister i law would even go in the dining room for a second...consider how long it takes to go down the hallway, walk down or upstairs to dining room ( or wait for an elevator) walk thru the dining room, get coffee and cake and then go all the way back to the cabin.:eek: Unbelievable

[iamgolden]

Sorry, I don't care if it was my own sibling that did something like leaving a child alone in a room, I would have demanded the room key and caused a fight if necessary. How would you feel if the child had been harmed?

[rellersi]

If I truly thought the child was in danger, I would have done something.

 

A child left alone in a cabin on a cruise ship is in danger, if for no other reason than what happens if there is a ship emergency that requires reporting to muster stations. The parent depending on the emergency may not be able to go back to the cabin, and no one else would know the child was there. If the parent did manage to get a crew member to go to the cabin, they are now putting another person in possible danger also

[BND]

I've have long since realized the futility in trying to confront members of my family-by-marriage about their behavior. They tend to be somewhat selfish and stubborn. I married my wife and I thank God that she (somehow) did not turn out like some of the other members of her family. But, they are still her family and I don't plan on spending the rest of my life beating my head against a brick wall over things like this. I've got my own family to worry about teaching right from wrong. If I truly thought the child was in danger, I would have done something.

 

KNOCK KNOCK! Hello, the child was in danger by virtue of being left alone. No excuse of any kind justifies it. Not coffee and dessert, nothing! Don't try to make excuses for them. None of them should have any part in raising this child if they thought it was OK!