Thread: Why do you think some people are so negative about kids cruising

Some people, especailly on the HAL threads on the DS are very negative about kids cruising.

Sometimes I think they are well meaning when they point out that HAL doen't have as nice facilities for kids as Carnival or RCI, but sometimes I think they they are trying to discourage you from bringing your kids onboard.

Others somehow have the impression that if they don't have a "program" the kids will be bored.

One time I was trying to find out if any of the cabins on Royal Clipper accomodated 4. (I don't think any do) I was talking about our our family loves to play board games and hang out together, and one poster was just absolutely adimate that there is no place for children on a Royal Clipper Ship.

I went 5 cruises before I was 15, and none had a kids program. Guess what, those are my best child-hood memories.

And finally my all time favorite story was on a thread about people giving families a hard time about their kids.

The story goes like this:

A multi generation family was getting on the elevator, all dressed up for dinner, and all well behaved. As they got on the elevator a man in the back of the elevator said: "Gee, I went on this cruise to get away from kids". The Grandfather of the kids didn't miss a beat and said "Well I went on this cruise to get away from A**Holes, I guess we both loose!"

My biggest concern when traveling with minors or young people in general is manners, Courtesy, Consideration, If a child has been properly trained at home or is being properly raised then I have no problems sailing or vacation with young people.
It’s the loud vulgar obnoxious person both young and old that I object to traveling with.

I guess some folks just need to complain. I don't like cruising with un-ruley kids as much as the next person. On the same note I don't like cruising with obnoxious adutls either. Some folks just don't like kids I guess. I don't like up-ity old farts my self...lol

Maybe it's because cruisers have had so many experiences of parents who cannot/will not control their children. I have tried to go into the pool/jacuzzi and many, many times only to turn and walk away because it's filled with 30 children splashing and screaming. I go on cruises for relaxation, not to be splashed in the face, have my ears screamed into and to be banged into over and over in a public place. I realize that we ALL pay for our cruises and that children need to be children, but those with small ones need to be respectful others. Just because they are kids doesn't mean they have full run of the ship! Be respectful of your fellow passengers!

I'll speak out here as I don't travel with children...

I want to clarify...I don't have children, but I'm also not a child-hater (as some childfree by choice people are!)...

That being said, I wouldn't mind children on the ships if the parents would tend to their children....unfortunately many (as you notice, I didn't say most or all!!!!) parents want a vacation for themselves in addition to the family and let loose of their parenting responsibilities, but they don't feel secure in leaving the child with the kid programs that are offered. As a result, children are left running around as parents are socializing and drinking....I feel bad for the kids, as they are left to entertain themselves....conversely, I didn't bring children on the ship and don't feel my vacation needs to be impacted by unsupervised children....

I'm not negative about kids cruising...I'm negative about parents who don't properly supervise their children, resulting in my vacation being impacted....

Sorry for my rant....

Yeah, what Jodi said.

My first two cruises were as a single person without any kids (not any that I know of). I didn't think twice about the children as they were busy doing their thing under supervision. I remember when we were in the casual dining room while the kids had their group meal and again, we weren't grumbling about wild kids. Simply because the kids were behaving themselves.

Since then, we had one cruise during the height of college spring break...with the students enjoying themselves a bit too much around the pool. Still not a problem.

About four years later, our cruise in March wasn't impacted by spring break but when we returned to Miami, the college spring break was going strong. Very crowded, especially around South Beach. Key West was worst. And very noisy, even in the weird hours of the night. We will be careful next time.

The only, only time we had problems with little kids was on our last cruise and it was from one extended family. These kids did not take part in the kids' program, were not supervised by their parents (they had that attitude that they were "on vacation" and didn't need to watch their kids and even told the youth security staff who had approached them). Unfortunately, Princess didn't want to do anything about them (they caused problems on the exact same cruise the year before that led to a lawsuit) despite many passengers talking to the passenger service staff and even the captain.

Many of us who had kids on that cruise were as ticked off as the non-parents aboard. It was unfair to the 1,920 passengers who weren't part of this group. And to the crew members that were also harassed by them, as I heard.

My girl has been on six cruises and she knows she will be signed into the kids program when she's not with us and she doesn't get to sign herself out until she's much older. She knows she's not to punch the elevator buttons (except for the floor she's going to) nor throw things overboard (not trash and certainly not a ping pong table or giant chess pieces). But she's being raised to behave (much of the time) and say "please" and "thank you" and be respectful to even kids younger than herself.

As I said, the only really misbehaving kids we've met on the cruises we've gone on, just belong to this one "gang" that didn't have anything constructive to do. I have to blame the parents in this case.

Suzanne, some people go on cruises to get away from their own kids, so they don't want to have to deal with other people's kids. And some people are just negative about kids because they have only experienced bad ones.

But if you have well behaved kids, and you enjoy spending time with them, then you need to ignore those folks. People used to tell my folks they were crazy for taking us everywhere (they would have one weekend a year on their own, but all other vacations were family vacations), but my folks really enjoyed seeing different places through our eyes.

Starting when I was about 9, they would tell me where we would go on vacation, and I would start doing research. I would pull out the New York Times travel section, and send away for info. I would write to Chambers and Depts of Commerce. I'd go to the library. I'd tell my folks where I wanted to go. They would tell me where we were going to go.

We were so blessed on the Hawaii cruise. There were 53 kids on board signed up for the kids program, and they were all wonderful well behaved kids. One little boy, Paul, even had the reputation of being the most polite person onboard the ship.

Many adults on the ship who wanted to get away from children hardly even noticed the kids on board. A few were suprised to lean there were that many kids onboad.

Then "Grand Parents" and "Great Grand Parents" who missed thier own were so sweet and doting on my kids. One really nice man even played chess with my son and even took time to give him a chess lesson one afternoon. Another really nice guy played ping-pong with my son and husband all afternoon. A lovely lady in he 70's danced the YMCA with DD at the Captains Club party and she even took time out to come to the children's talent show performances.

The kids were with us or in the program period!!! And we would not have put up with unruley behavior.

I also and a dress code stickler even with the kids. Getting my son a Tux was the best thing I could have done for him. When we got dressed up for the Captains Club party and he was all spiffy in his tux, he knew how to act the part. He even ballroom danced whith me (boxstep). DD even thought she was Queen of the Infinity when she was all dolled up in her gowns. They knew that they were dressed special and should act special.

Of course they are not always perfect angles, but we stressed so much to them how it was everyone's vacation and that needed to be polite and curteous to everyone on the ship to help make their vaction more enjoyable.

I know if I was on a ship with a bunch of obnoxious bores at any age it could have a negative impact on my cruise. I can understand wanting to be in a relaxing atmosphere and if anyone no matter what age is disturbing the peace then it is not very relaxing.

I would only be negative if they prevented me from doing or enjoying something.

Other than that, let them have fun! We did when we were kids!