Sick to death off kid haters!!!

[CanadianTwosome]

Really?? That is why they have entire tv shows that bring "professional" nannies to the US to correct all the mistakes???

 

Sadly it is not 1%...more like 10% and when you are dealing with 1,000 children on a cruise (which is not uncommon on a ship like the Glory) that isn't 1 child...it is 100 children.

 

When you have cruised as much as we have, sadly you see way to much. And unfortunately, when that one child is a 3 year old banging the silverware on the dinner plate for 30 minutes straight, while you are trying to have a nice formal dinner...it is one to many.

 

I'm sorry, I think I actually misunderstood your original statement. In looking back, I see what you mean now. I thought you were saying more were doing things 'wrong' than 'right', which is obviously different than 'not enough'. I also agree that one disruptive person is too many - whether adult or child. At least when the poorly parented, misbehaving children are in the minority they're easier to avoid!

[CanadianTwosome]

There were TONS of children on board this cruise. Most were awesome. Unfortunately, we were stuck near some disruptive children.

 

It's not that I hate kids - I hate that they are allowed to disrupt others' vacations. I get that kids are going to cry, but these parents allowed this child to SCREAM continuously. I get that kids are going to run around and have some fun, but after midnight? Not cool.

 

I agree with you; it is very unfortunate that of all the kids on the ship you were the unlucky neighbors of these ones. Did you report the kids knocking on doors, etc., and if so, was anything done?

 

As for the parents 'allowing' a child to scream continuously, those parents were probably doing their best to stop the screaming, but sometimes nothing works. They at least showed other passengers the respect of removing the child from public areas - which I know is no consolation for you as their neighbor. My neice used to scream like a banshee and there was simply no consoling her. Nobody allowed her to scream... as I said, that doesn't make it any less annoying, I'm only saying that screaming isn't necessarily something that parents can prevent or stop. Without knowing why the child was so upset, it's hard to say.

[Chigirlcruzin]

I agree with you; it is very unfortunate that of all the kids on the ship you were the unlucky neighbors of these ones. Did you report the kids knocking on doors, etc., and if so, was anything done?

 

As for the parents 'allowing' a child to scream continuously, those parents were probably doing their best to stop the screaming, but sometimes nothing works. They at least showed other passengers the respect of removing the child from public areas - which I know is no consolation for you as their neighbor. My neice used to scream like a banshee and there was simply no consoling her. Nobody allowed her to scream... as I said, that doesn't make it any less annoying, I'm only saying that screaming isn't necessarily something that parents can prevent or stop. Without knowing why the child was so upset, it's hard to say.

 

Yes, after going out in the hall and explaining that she was pregnant and not feeling well, the kids continued to run up and down the hall, yell, and slam doors (after midnight). She called the purser's desk, and by the time security got there, of course they were back in their rooms. They told her to just call the next time - don't talk to them first, look out the door, etc. It did seem to get better after that - perhaps somebody else in the hall said something.

 

As for the child next to me, I get what you're saying. However, when your niece was young, did her parents bring her on a cruise? I highly doubt this is the first time this child was like this. If you have a child like this (and I'm putting on my flame-resistant suit), you shouldn't bring the child on a cruise (or other vacation) until the child is older and can handle it.

 

As I said, there were a LOT of kids on board. Almost every other child I ran into throughout the week was pleasant, having fun without disrupting others, and a parent was usually nearby. It's just a few that ruin it for the rest and give all kids a bad name.

[larronry]

It was a 7 day on a Carnival ship!! I'm glad to hear other people agree with how I was feeling when I first read the post. We are Canadian and do indeed have both different schedules and different levels of absentee acceptability.

OK if you don't want to be around kids first of all don't take a Carnival cruise and second take a cruise longer the 7 days.

 

Really?? That is why they have entire tv shows that bring "professional" nannies to the US to correct all the mistakes???

 

Sadly it is not 1%...more like 10% and when you are dealing with 1,000 children on a cruise (which is not uncommon on a ship like the Glory) that isn't 1 child...it is 100 children.

 

When you have cruised as much as we have, sadly you see way to much. And unfortunately, when that one child is a 3 year old banging the silverware on the dinner plate for 30 minutes straight, while you are trying to have a nice formal dinner...it is one to many.

They actually have aired shows like this in other countries as well and I think it was Super Nanny that went to England. But as, I think Canadian Twosome, one disruptive child is too much and as I said earlier if there is one disruptive child and 400 good children you will remember the disruptive child. And while I agree with you about banging silverware I've never seen a misbehaving child on any of the cruises I've been on and I've sailed Carnival, NCL, Princess, & Celebrity.

 

...There was a family with 2 children in the 12-14 age group and another 2 about 3-6. The older children were asked with watching the younger children while the parents went out for the evening. The kids were slamming doors, running up and down the halls yelling, and randomly knocking on doors. This was done well after midnight. My sister is 12 weeks pregnant and still isn't feeling the greatest, so this was very disruptive to her (it was well after midnight on a regular basis).

 

I'm 30, and I was on the Lido deck. EVERY time I was in my room, the child next to me (about 3) was screaming. EVERY time I tried to nap, get ready for dinner, whatever, this child was screaming. It was maddening.

 

There were TONS of children on board this cruise. Most were awesome. Unfortunately, we were stuck near some disruptive children.

 

It's not that I hate kids - I hate that they are allowed to disrupt others' vacations. I get that kids are going to cry, but these parents allowed this child to SCREAM continuously. I get that kids are going to run around and have some fun, but after midnight? Not cool.

Children should not be responsible for watching other children on vacation. I remember growing up feeling bad for my friends who had this responsibility on a regular basis. Little ones just won't respect or listen to older siblings. Nope, never going to happen. It's a shame because it's another example of tons of children but you will remember the few misbehaving children.

 

...However, when your niece was young, did her parents bring her on a cruise? I highly doubt this is the first time this child was like this. If you have a child like this (and I'm putting on my flame-resistant suit), you shouldn't bring the child on a cruise (or other vacation) until the child is older and can handle it.

 

As I said, there were a LOT of kids on board. Almost every other child I ran into throughout the week was pleasant, having fun without disrupting others, and a parent was usually nearby. It's just a few that ruin it for the rest and give all kids a bad name.

It is the parents responsibility to decide if the child can handle it. My son is very difficult. He tantrums all the time and is h*ll on wheels. But when we go away he behaves so much better. I actually will be shocked (now that I've done 2 recent trips with him which was not the case when I first started posting on this board) if if he's totally out of control on the ship. Now he's two and I expect a at least one if not more meltdowns a day, but most of his issues are because he wants more attention and he doesn't want us talking on the phone and he wants to go out (all the time), and he wants to keep walking (for miles) so if I made a bad judgment call I'll admit it after my cruise, but I actually think we'll do pretty good.

 

Dinner is a different story because I'm the only one who wanted to dine early for his sake so unless I can shift his schedule beforehand I'm in trouble there, but I'll either walk out or feed him ahead of time and not go to the dining room at all. He doesn't let me eat much now so I'm in practice for not eating much on the ship anyway. I'm actually not known for gaining weight on cruises before having a child so why should things change now. He's been staying up late more recently because he won't sleep until Daddy comes home from work so he's been preparing himself. Go figure.

 

As for that three year old if that was the first time they took the child away then the parents didn't know. A cruise shouldn't be a first vacation. We discovered in Disney forget the pack n' play he sleeps in a crib but not a pack n' play. But, you also don't know if the child was sick. If a three year old has a cold or ear infection (or double:eek:)they can turn into screaming little headache creaters. This is what my neighbor and I have been going through. Also learned in Disney strange environment, with my son's personality, I cannot walk out of the room for him to fall asleep. He is just too scared. He will take his nap or go to sleep with me in the room when in a hotel (not at home). I would hate to have not learned that until the cruise.

 

And I'm not flaming you because given the same situation I too would have been upset.

[PJBUCHEIT]

While we were on the Carnival Paradise in 06, our 2 year old daughter decided to have one of her melt downs right before we were to leave for Catalina. I was horrified. I had worried about this happening the night before, because I knew we had to wake her(she does not like to be woken up, has to wake up by herself). She just screamed. We never did leave our cabin. But you could hear her all the way down the hall. There was nothing Dh and I could do to make her stop. You can't make a child stop crying on demand. The last thing I would want to do would be to ruin someones vacation with my screaming 2 year old. But in this case I could not make her stop. I had gone out into the hall and this nice women said "don't worry my dear, this has happened to all of us mom's." If you think it's fustrating listening to a screaming child and you think "why are the parents not doing anything about it". Well, maybe we are, but sometimes we can't always make them stop on demand. I think most parents try very hard to watch there children closely, as to not ruin others vacation time. I have to say, on the two other cruise I have been on, I never once saw a child acting up. But I can say that I saw MANY ADULTS acting up. And I saw the same ones over and over thee entire time.

[CanadianTwosome]

Yes, after going out in the hall and explaining that she was pregnant and not feeling well, the kids continued to run up and down the hall, yell, and slam doors (after midnight). She called the purser's desk, and by the time security got there, of course they were back in their rooms. They told her to just call the next time - don't talk to them first, look out the door, etc. It did seem to get better after that - perhaps somebody else in the hall said something.

 

As for the child next to me, I get what you're saying. However, when your niece was young, did her parents bring her on a cruise? I highly doubt this is the first time this child was like this. If you have a child like this (and I'm putting on my flame-resistant suit), you shouldn't bring the child on a cruise (or other vacation) until the child is older and can handle it.

 

As I said, there were a LOT of kids on board. Almost every other child I ran into throughout the week was pleasant, having fun without disrupting others, and a parent was usually nearby. It's just a few that ruin it for the rest and give all kids a bad name.

 

Yeah, sometimes trying to speak to the people causing the problem is just a waste of time and it's best to go directly to the 'management'. I had a neighbor like that in an apartment once. It was SO aggravating!!

 

My sister and her husband did not take my neice away during her 'screaming stage', but she really did scream a LOT. It's possible that the child next to you was seasick... or had some other malady that was exacerbated by the cruise itself. I completely agree with you that if your child is colicky (or whatever it is that causes the regular screaming), a cruise isn't the place for you... but then what vacation would be? I can't imagine choosing to go on a cruise and basically sentencing myself to a week in a little cabin with my screaming child rather than staying home... Either way, it's really too bad that the child had to suffer and 'share' the misery with you!!

[CanadianTwosome]

I have to say, on the two other cruise I have been on, I never once saw a child acting up. But I can say that I saw MANY ADULTS acting up. And I saw the same ones over and over thee entire time.

 

Man, ain't that the truth!!

 

I was on a cruise once with a big group of girls, all from Canada. There were two couples that we saw in a lot of the venues, including the dance club every evening, and the two men were very... well... they made a lot of loud jokes. Now, the one fellow just barely bordered on offensive; he was actually funny a lot of the time if you could laugh at yourself (there were lots of 'Canadian jokes' and even more 'women jokes'), but he seemed to know where to draw the line. So... loud, boisterous, definitely disruptive, but at least he seemed to have a bit of self control. His friend was, sadly, an idiot. He clearly thought his friend was the funniest thing ever and wanted to be 'just like him'. Unfortunately, as I've said, he was an idiot. He wasn't the least bit funny and had no idea where the line was between funny and offensive. While we probably could have put up with the first guy and even had a few laughs, his buddy really made our evenings a lot less enjoyable. On about the second last night of the cruise, I was walking down the stairs to enter the club and this foursome was ahead of me. The 'leader' stopped at the landing, adjusted his collar, and said 'Well, looks like another 'ugly american' night' and laughed. The wives just shook their heads and sighed. So, in seeing that, he confirmed to me that he really was putting on a show and not only knew that his behaviour was affecting us, but actually intended it. Having the 'follower' friend along just made it worse.

 

I'm another cruiser who has never seen or encountered a child issue on any of the five cruises I've been on. I have, however, seen at least one disruptive adult on every one of them. Come to think of it, there are always disruptive adults when we take land vacations as well!!

 

Okay... venting over now. :p

[kaseykahnefan]

So just to clarify again with you, you are saying if one does not have children then one cannot come to the family boards even if they are planning a cruise with children. especially if they are planning the cruise themselves and taking care of all of the small details... how narrowminded and judgemental of you....and anyone else who believes people without children should not come to this boards. I do not have any kids but have just finished one where i brought two teenagers. I am currently trying to plan one where my whole family comes which includes my one year old nephew. And I will be taking care of the research part and all of the small details. So I guess being said I will come here looking for information if I want to and I would appreciate not being jumped on by certain people and you know who you are.

[kaseykahnefan]

And for your information family cruising does not just consist of cruising with mom, dad, and kids or mom and kids or dad and kids... it consists of cruising as a family with those but also includes aunts, uncles, neices, nephews, cousins, grandparents and so on and so forth. Family is not limited to mom and dad and kid no matter what limited view some people define family as.

[NoelsCat]

So just to clarify again with you, you are saying if one does not have children then one cannot come to the family boards even if they are planning a cruise with children. especially if they are planning the cruise themselves and taking care of all of the small details... how narrowminded and judgemental of you....and anyone else who believes people without children should not come to this boards. I do not have any kids but have just finished one where i brought two teenagers. I am currently trying to plan one where my whole family comes which includes my one year old nephew. And I will be taking care of the research part and all of the small details. So I guess being said I will come here looking for information if I want to and I would appreciate not being jumped on by certain people and you know who you are.

 

I am sorry if you were made to feel this way. Everyone is welcomed here -- whether they are "parents" or not. The focus is about cruising with children, however. One does not have to be a parent to like/love kids or to have special children in their life. My son's godmother is childless but she loves my son. For years I was childless but I still loved children. I still do. I am really sorry if you have felt unwelcome here.

 

We (meaning parents) get defensive because we are constantly lamb basted for wanting our kids around -- or lumped with parents who don't mind/teach their children. Sometimes it seems like those nasty or hurtful comments come from people who are either done raising kids or don't have kids -- and seemingly don't understand or remember how hard it is to raise responsible and socially polite human beings. BUT, it is certainly NOT fair for those of us with kids to assume this -- just like it isn't fair for those without kids to assume that we are all lousy parents with brats. :)

 

Anyhow, I am sorry if you felt unwelcome. This is a great board full of wonderful people. I hope you will stay and contribute.

[larronry]

So just to clarify again with you, you are saying if one does not have children then one cannot come to the family boards even if they are planning a cruise with children. especially if they are planning the cruise themselves and taking care of all of the small details... how narrowminded and judgemental of you....and anyone else who believes people without children should not come to this boards. I do not have any kids but have just finished one where i brought two teenagers. I am currently trying to plan one where my whole family comes which includes my one year old nephew. And I will be taking care of the research part and all of the small details. So I guess being said I will come here looking for information if I want to and I would appreciate not being jumped on by certain people and you know who you are.

 

And for your information family cruising does not just consist of cruising with mom, dad, and kids or mom and kids or dad and kids... it consists of cruising as a family with those but also includes aunts, uncles, neices, nephews, cousins, grandparents and so on and so forth. Family is not limited to mom and dad and kid no matter what limited view some people define family as.

 

 

Slow down and take a breath. You just came back from a cruise and you come here ready to attack. Please read carefully before you jump on certain people. Here are a few quotes of mine that I think you might have missed which very much applies to why you very much belong on this board. I did eliminate a part of the second quote because it didn't apply to this discussion.

 

As Noelscat said parents tend to become defensive because they are "constantly lamb basted for wanting our kids around -- or lumped with parents who don't mind/teach their children." You will need to be prepared to deal with that since you are planning a cruise with a 1 year old which falls into an age group that a lot of people feel do not belong on a cruise. And to make it quite clear I DO NOT feel that way.

 

I guess one could take it that way, but if one were to say google family vacations everything would focus on family vacations with kids. Also, when you click on the link for this forum it's pretty clear by all the thread titles that it's about cruising with kids. I'm not saying that family vacations can't include extended family and I think that's great it just usually doesn't require the same kind of focused research and support that traveling with kids require. Although I believe it traveling with extended family has been discussed on this forum.

 

By the way here are the first two links in the google search- search term-family vacations (after the sponsored links):

alltravelingkidsfamilyvacations.com

travelwithkids.about.com

 

... and yet we are all here to find out about how to cruise better with children whether they are 6 mos or 17; ours, our grandchildren, godchildren, nephews, nieces, children of our friends or travel companions.

 

It's not that people with out children don't belong here, but if you don't have children and aren't planning a cruise that involves children and are just coming here to make a post that our children don't belong on a cruise then you don't belong here.

[kaseykahnefan]

Hey Sharon why don't we just call a truce.....

[kaseykahnefan]

Grrr. I had a beautiful reply all written and it went away.

 

I'm not saying that family vacations can't include extended family and I think that's great it just usually doesn't require the same kind of focused research and support that traveling with kids require. Although I believe it traveling with extended family has been discussed on this forum."

 

This is the kind of quote I am talking about. I did not come here fresh off my cruise to attack. It is statements like this from you which make me feel like I am being attatcked. I have felt very unwelcomed by you in particular.

 

Let me explain what I mean. When I plan a trip I am in charge of the planning. I do all of the research, plan what do, where to go, what to see, how much money will be needed and so on and so forth. I put a lot of time and effort into the planning of the trip and lately the trips have been cruises. I take (unfortuntley) it very personally the happiness of all of my members of my trip because I put so much time and effort into the planning of it. I feel personally responsible for if the others have fun. Whether this is right or wrong is not open for debate. This is just how I am. This is how I came to the family board. I will be the one doing all of the research so I feel I should be able to be here. Family cruising as I said is much more than mom, dad, and kids. That is why I took offense. I will be the one to gather all of the info about traveling with kids. In fact if he comes we will be having one of the those little blow up pools which i would not have known about if i had not come here.

 

Now if I get to go on this next cruise with my family and that includes my 13 month old newphew then I will do all of the planning. The only thing they do is to pay carnival... And my family will take care of my nephew. He will be our responsiblilty. He is not prone to fits and such but if he has one then we will take care of him. I love that baby more than anything. He is in my opinion the cutest, sweetest, more adorable best baby in the world... lol... (i am biased i know...) It is not up to anyone to tell us he should not be on the cruise with us. That is not their decision to make. It is ours.

 

I am sorry if people have actually said to you not to bring your child. That is not their decision to make. It is yours. It is not their business. You are not asking them to care for your child. You have very much the right to bring your baby.

 

I do not believe in the old notion children should be seen and not heard. That is ridiculous. Kids are very much welcome in my world. If there are some crabby people who make negative comments about my nephew you can bet auntie will be upset but they are not going to ruin mine and my family's cruise.

 

Another comment you make towards me is I said you should not bring your child on a cruise. That is soo wrong. I would never say such a thing to anyone. Again that is your decision....

 

Sharon: I think we should call a truce. I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. What do you say?

[CanadianTwosome]

Nice, calm, well thought out post, KaseyKahneFan! I'll bet the one you lost was even better - isn't that aggravating!!!

 

I think the biggest problem with forums like this - or any other means of communicating online - is that we miss things like facial expression and vocal inflection. Add that to the lack of control of where our posts end up, and it can sometimes appear that we are saying something to someone directly when in fact we are replying to something entirely different. Using the 'quote' button isn't always what you want... so when you combine all of it, you end up with a situation where it is very easy to have misunderstandings. I know some of my posts, on not only this board but any I've ever posted to, have been misinterpreted. Some of the ongoing 'discussions' I've had have been lengthy and frustrating in trying to have my original point understood.

 

I'm actually not sure you two (KKF and Sharon) need a truce... I think you're actually in agreement on most things discussed on this board... I just think there was a misunderstanding a few pages back and it's affected everything since.

 

As for the reference to why someone would be on the family forum, I think one of the misunderstandings is that Sharon - or anyone else - thought you shouldn't be here, KKF... You explained clearly that you were here planning a family holiday... I just think it was one of those cases where a post popped up in a place that made it look like it was directed at you... In a similar fashion, you made a couple of posts that were easy to take out of context as well...

 

I can't do anything about you taking it personally that the people you plan for have fun - I'm the same way. Our most recent vacation I planned around roller coasters - which my daughter was very excited about when we looked at the online videos and pictures. Then she rode Kraken at Seaworld and was done for the trip. I felt bad for the rest of the week and our upcoming cruise was booked within about three days of our return home. I think we'll stick to cruises for a while!! ha ha ha What I can suggest, though, is to try not to take posts personally. As I've said, it's very easy to misinterpret text, and it's very easy to look at a post and feel like it is directed at you. I've made the mistake (and been corrected) and I've had people think that I was doing so myself (in this thread for one). I've also seen a couple of posts from people that I thought were complete asses... and made a conscious decision to just leave it alone and focus on the discussion topic. If you really think someone is a jerk, nothing you say is going to change it, you're just going to end up in a frustrating situation. I'm planning a holiday, and I'd rather have it stress free from beginning to end - including the pre-cruise forum visits.

 

I find myself agreeing with both of your ideas regarding kids on cruises... so I can't help but think you must be in agreement about most of them. Or, maybe I just have self conflict issues... ha ha ha If you want to call it a truce, then that's a good thing. I think the best step you can take is to just forget everything that's been seen in a negative light and start fresh. I'm glad both of you are here.

[kaseykahnefan]

Thank you Canadian. I know some of my post have not been the friendliest but as I say I feel attatcked and unwelcomed and responded in kind. Like you said it is hard to tell. I appreciate everything you said.

 

I am willing to start anew. So we will see how it goes. I have put the thought out there.

 

And yes the post I lost was even better. :D

[larronry]

Kaseykahnfan I just want to point out that the quote I pulled was to address someone that had come to the board to specifically looking for information on cruising with extended family and was not cruising with any children and had made a suggestion to us that the forum should be changed to "Cruising with Children" from "Family Cruising."

 

You may have not liked exactly the way it was worded but it wasn't quite worded for your issue it just happened to show a point that you were making.

 

I am willing to call a truce but you keep saying you felt attacked and yet not acknowledging that others have felt attacked including myself. Have I attacked you? yes in self defense. I absolutely admit it.

 

I have before but that post got deleted along with several of yours. Posts don't get deleted unless they are attacking.

 

I have tried to think before I hit the submit button on all of my post recently and I hope you do the same. Just review your post and think how a parent might see it. Or, better yet, think how you might see it if you were reading it written by someone else about your nephew.

 

I do wish you luck in planning your family cruise. I'm a bit jealous as I would love to go on a cruise with my extended family. And btw your angel of a 13 month old nephew will go through the terrible twos. Hopefully not as bad as my son is (with 4 molars coming in at the same time) but it will happen. It's the rare child that skips this phase. He'll still be your angel. He'll just be driving mom and dad crazy.

 

I am more then willing to help you especially after I've come back from cruise if I have new things I've learned.

[kaseykahnefan]

Okay well i think we can just agree to disagree on the attatcking part b/c you feel you responded in self defense and I feel I responded in self defense and nothing either one of us say is going to changed that. So I say we were both wrong and its time to move on. I agree posts got deleted but posts you made toward me also were deleted so it shows we were both in the wrong.

As far as my angel nephew goes you are right he will go through terrible twos, i never thought he wouldn't but he will still be my angel nephew.... I love him so much. All kids have their moments (goodness knows I did lol) and he will have his but that is okay.... he will still be loved. * tee hee and I can give him back to his momma... ahhh the beauty of being an auntie...... spoil em rotten and give em back.....

I think as Canadian said we have similar thoughts, everything just went wrong. I apologize for my part in that...

Again hope we can start fresh.....

 

:)

[xann77]

Wow! This is really a touchy subject! I feel for both sides of the equation. Someone suggested that people who don't want to be around little children on their cruise should find another cruise. Well, that is the problem!!! There are NO CRUISES for adults only. Why don't they have a Sandals type cruise??? It's very frustrating that the only way to have a more adult experience is to pay a TON of money for a luxury cruise, and even still there are people who bring little children on board. Why? There are SO MANY options for family cruising that I simply don't understand why folks have to insist on going on bringing children on a luxury cruise. There are very FEW options for non-family cruising and so that's why folks get so worked up about this.

 

Fiance and I are in our early 30s and definitely plan on having kids, but we're planning a honeymoon and we simply prefer not to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on a cruise in the Med when there are 100s of children. We've been on family friendly ships before and personally, the children don't bother me per se, I understand they cry and whatnot. What bothers me is parents who have very little regard for other passengers and let their kids go and do whatever they like. My personal pet peeve is that on many cruises there are designated children's pools, but parents don't want to hang out there and so there are tons of kids in the adult pools and jacuzzis. In all honestly, when I see 10 little boys running around the pool in a pack, all I can think of is the amount of pee pee that I KNOW (from being a little kid myself) must be in the pools and it kind of grosses me out. Also, hubby to be and I have just given up on getting a spot in the jacuzzi because there are dozens of kids crammed in there splashing and stuff. Everyone has a personal preference and it's just frustrating when yours simply cannot be satisfied.

 

All said however, I'm booking an $11,000 cruise on Silversea in the Med this June and if there are ton of kids on it, yes, I will definitely be pretty annoyed.

[donaldsc]

You can't deny that you have encountered some kids on cruises who you would like to throw overboard - along with their parents.

 

DON

[Onessa]

Wow! This is really a touchy subject! I feel for both sides of the equation. Someone suggested that people who don't want to be around little children on their cruise should find another cruise. Well, that is the problem!!! There are NO CRUISES for adults only. Why don't they have a Sandals type cruise??? It's very frustrating that the only way to have a more adult experience is to pay a TON of money for a luxury cruise, and even still there are people who bring little children on board. Why? There are SO MANY options for family cruising that I simply don't understand why folks have to insist on going on bringing children on a luxury cruise. There are very FEW options for non-family cruising and so that's why folks get so worked up about this.

 

Fiance and I are in our early 30s and definitely plan on having kids, but we're planning a honeymoon and we simply prefer not to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on a cruise in the Med when there are 100s of children. We've been on family friendly ships before and personally, the children don't bother me per se, I understand they cry and whatnot. What bothers me is parents who have very little regard for other passengers and let their kids go and do whatever they like. My personal pet peeve is that on many cruises there are designated children's pools, but parents don't want to hang out there and so there are tons of kids in the adult pools and jacuzzis. In all honestly, when I see 10 little boys running around the pool in a pack, all I can think of is the amount of pee pee that I KNOW (from being a little kid myself) must be in the pools and it kind of grosses me out. Also, hubby to be and I have just given up on getting a spot in the jacuzzi because there are dozens of kids crammed in there splashing and stuff. Everyone has a personal preference and it's just frustrating when yours simply cannot be satisfied.

 

All said however, I'm booking an $11,000 cruise on Silversea in the Med this June and if there are ton of kids on it, yes, I will definitely be pretty annoyed.

 

There aren't too many places or things that you can do where you won't encounter at least some kids. Similarly if someone had a problem with "old" people, or people with blue eyes, or whatever -- it would be even more difficult to find places where that class of people are not allowed. You just can't always get your own way.

 

You can't deny that you have encountered some kids on cruises who you would like to throw overboard - along with their parents. . .

 

. . . I won't deny that there are adults (most completely unaccompanied by children) whose behavior is obnoxious enough that I would not have minded if they had missed the sailing!

[CanadianTwosome]

Wow! This is really a touchy subject! I feel for both sides of the equation. Someone suggested that people who don't want to be around little children on their cruise should find another cruise. Well, that is the problem!!! There are NO CRUISES for adults only. Why don't they have a Sandals type cruise??? It's very frustrating that the only way to have a more adult experience is to pay a TON of money for a luxury cruise, and even still there are people who bring little children on board. Why? There are SO MANY options for family cruising that I simply don't understand why folks have to insist on going on bringing children on a luxury cruise. There are very FEW options for non-family cruising and so that's why folks get so worked up about this.

 

Fiance and I are in our early 30s and definitely plan on having kids, but we're planning a honeymoon and we simply prefer not to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on a cruise in the Med when there are 100s of children. We've been on family friendly ships before and personally, the children don't bother me per se, I understand they cry and whatnot. What bothers me is parents who have very little regard for other passengers and let their kids go and do whatever they like. My personal pet peeve is that on many cruises there are designated children's pools, but parents don't want to hang out there and so there are tons of kids in the adult pools and jacuzzis. In all honestly, when I see 10 little boys running around the pool in a pack, all I can think of is the amount of pee pee that I KNOW (from being a little kid myself) must be in the pools and it kind of grosses me out. Also, hubby to be and I have just given up on getting a spot in the jacuzzi because there are dozens of kids crammed in there splashing and stuff. Everyone has a personal preference and it's just frustrating when yours simply cannot be satisfied.

 

All said however, I'm booking an $11,000 cruise on Silversea in the Med this June and if there are ton of kids on it, yes, I will definitely be pretty annoyed.

 

Yup, you're right. There are NO child free cruises. Why do people insist on bringing their children on a luxury cruise? Well... how about because they want to? ha ha ha Seriously, why shouldn't they? As we've established, they're not 'adults only'.

 

If you want an adults only honeymoon, go to Sandals, or some other adults only resort. Or, charter a sailboat if you want to be on the water. Barring those suggestions, though, while you may not find children on other holidays, unless there is an 'adults only' policy, you have to expect to see some. Of course, we all hope that any kids we encounter will be well behaved!!

 

The pool and hot tub issue is definitely a real one. I am an excellent swimmer and I could save a life if I had to... but it's not my responsibility when I'm on vacation to do so. I have no problem telling a child to exit an adults only area, not only for the comfort of others, but for their own safety. I am always distressed to see parents who don't take the dangers of water seriously. An unattended child can drown or otherwise injure themselves or others so easily. I would much rather have a disruptive child in the hot tub than a disruptive adult, though... the child I can ask to leave. I have done so in the past (not just hot tubs, but other situations as well) and I will do so in the future. I have no problem calmly discussing the rules with parents who don't think their kids need to follow them. I am also happy to explain to a parent that 'supervision' does not mean ignoring your child from a deck chair 20 feet away. Just being in the vicinity of your child will not prevent them from drowning.

 

I hope you enjoy your honeymoon, and that any children aboard are good ones. The good ones you won't even notice!!

 

You can't deny that you have encountered some kids on cruises who you would like to throw overboard - along with their parents.

 

Actually, yes I can. I've only been on five previous cruises - and two of those were as a child - but I have never seen (nor was I) a child that I felt this way about at any time that I've been around. (I can't comment on every child on every cruise I've been on other than what I witnessed myself). What I can't deny, however, is that I have also seen, and been annoyed by, many adults who have been inconsiderate, disruptive, rude, drunk and obnoxious, sober and obnoxious... on pretty much every trip I've ever been on, land and sea. Disruptive adults are a MUCH bigger problem than disruptive kids... it's just harder to find a particular group to focus on. Unlike 'kids in general', adults who are jerks come in all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds, etc. I go on every holiday expecting the children I meet to be well behaved, because that's what the majority of my experience has shown me... and I expect to meet/see/experience at least one adult who will have a negative impact on my ability to enjoy at least one experience - for the same reason.

[mspostallady]

People need to understand that children need to unwind and have fun on vacation too. It wouldn't be much fun for them if they had to act all prim and proper every minute either. That said there is a big difference between having fun and being unsafe or "bad" behavior. Let them have fun and a little more freedom than at home. Kids lives are a lot more stressful now days than they use to be and they have a lot more pressure at school.

If your going to complain about any one's behavior how about the drunks?

[SelectSys]

I have watched this thread for a while. It has quite a life! I wonder if it would have the same life if it was titled, "Sick to death of irresponsible people?" This for me is the key concern regardless of age.

 

As was posted in another recent thread, it takes a lot of energy to keep a small child well behaved: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=655260. Adults are another story. Some just don't show common sense or courtesy. Where I live in San Diego, an individual has been in a coma for months due to an altercation on a Mexico cruise due excess alcohol and poor judgement: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070929-9999-1m29boney.html

 

For those who want a near completely child free environment should pick the small lines that do not have formal kids programs - Sea Dream, Silver Sea, Windstar, ...

 

I also found the discussion of family interesting. We have many types of families these days, traditional and non-traditional, and should be welcoming of all that enjoy cruising and discussing cruising in a civil manner.

[tnebell]

I have to admit...at one time I was one of those kid-haters. Before having my son I really did not want to go on vacation and see children, so I just made sure to stay where families would not have a tendency of vacationing at.

Now since having my son of course that has all changed. However I must admit.

First thing I would never EVER go on vacation and leave my son with someone else! I can't stand those who suggest that! :mad:

I barely see my son during the week due to work so I would not voluntarily give up time with my son on my vacation!

Second, my son is almost 2 (birthday is this month!!) however he knows "inside voices"; please, thank you, sharing, etc. He knows not to touch if I say so. Yes he has moments that he has meltdowns but he is only 2. If we are in public then I just leave with him. It's that simple. My son knows who is boss in our family and he knows it's not him.

My son will not be having a DVD player with us at the table during meals. We do not allow TV at home during meals so why would I do that on vacation?

I think the problem is exactly what some others here stated. Too many parents don't lay down the law with their kids and so those kids are little hellions.

We've done a cruise previously with our l'il guy (he was 13 mos then) and we had an awesome time! He did very well and was a favorite of the crew (he's a big flirt). I think this time will be even better.

I'd say for all those parents with well behaved children that we all need to just ignore all those kid haters. Plain and simple.:)

[larronry]

Well it does sound like you are one of the lucky ones. I would say just wait until the terrible twos but usually they start before they turn two so yours might not have it as rough as mine is.

 

Mine was easy at 13 months but somewhere around 18 months things changes. But also mine is a late talker and I think that is part of the issue of some of his meltdowns. He so badly wants to talk and communicate and he just can't.

 

I don't allow TV during dinner at home, but will on the ship because at home we don't have 1 1/2 to 2 hour meals and although I don't expect him to sit there the whole time I want to be able to eat as much of my meal as possible because I'm the one that will be leaving my meal at the table. I'll do anything I can to be able to sit there for as long as possible.