As parents, what irritates you on a cruise (things you see other people's kids doing)

Unlike the main boards where lots of posters are retirees, this thread is intended to target people who currently have children who are not yet adults.

As long as it's not MY child doing something aggravating or irritating, I don't really care what other folks kids are doing....

As long as it's not MY child doing something aggravating or irritating, I don't really care what other folks kids are doing....

 

Until you see them misbehaving in the children's pool on NCL Getaway and injuring other, smaller kids. (Like your own). Kids will be kids - no question there, and I certainly don't own or rent a helicopter, but it's for everyone to enjoy.

cb at sea is much more tolerant than I am. Either that or maybe it is the high number of cruises I have been on, but I have seen a lot of things that other people's kids do that irritate me. I have seen kids running down the hallway at night banging on the walls and cabin doors. None of you have experienced that? Surely you must have not always cruised with little princes and princesses.

I have no problem calling out kids who are running in the hall or on the stairs (they could easily injure someone), pushing buttons on the elevator or being mean to other kids in the pool. Usually a "should we go find your parents" calms things down. It's really been smaller kids though, I don't think I've seen misbehaving teens or pre-teens doing anything worse than sitting on stairs.

We tend to sail outside of school holidays so have yet to run into unruly kids on a cruise.

Regardless, I do believe that most parents are truly doing the best they can.

I tolerate a lot but the things that bother me are kids hurting or mistreating my own kids and kids running in an enclosed area. This bothers me more in stores then on a cruise ship but I don't.want to.get knocked over.

 

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The worst was in the Main Dining Room aboard the Carnival Legend - Western Caribbean.

 

There was a large extended family group that had taken up two tables during traditional dining, near our table. The adults on one table, and the kids running amok throughout the dining room. It got to the point where my kids were upset with the behavior of the kids...

 

It was pretty bad. We would be eating, and a toddler would come over to our table and try to engage us in a game of peek-a-boo... my kids would be eating and they'd get "tagged".

 

The slightly older kids would give the waiters a hard time although I don't remember how... I just remember commiserating with them because everybody in the dining room understood how difficult the kids table was.

 

The infuriating part was that the table of adults seemed oblivious to their behavior.

 

The first few days, the waiters would apologize to everyone... by the third day, the maitre-d had spoken to the family and I remember everybody applauding. After that, we didn't see them as much. I think maybe they started doing the buffet.

 

 

edit:

it was 2009

 

You can see them in the background to the left

 

Edited October 23, 2014 by Mack2

This one isn't really the kids as much as it's the parents, but I take umbrage with the folks who think that it's ok to let their children swim unattended because they're on vacation and bad things don't happen on vacation. The first time I really noticed it was because I was lifeguarding my group of teen Girl Scouts (GS required it) and I also kept an eye on the little girl who couldn't have been older than five or six.

As a parent of a young child I take comfort in a lot of the responses in this thread. My wife and I try to be vigilant of her behaviour at all times but understand that like us she's on vacation and its likely her behaviour will change with the environment. In January we're cruising again but this time we've entered the terrible twos. We expect a tantrum or two while we're away and appreciate that fellow cruisers (such as you all) understand kids will be kids but rest assured as parents we will not tolerate our kid being disrespectful or ignorant of others. Signed: Parents who try their best.

cb at sea is much more tolerant than I am. Either that or maybe it is the high number of cruises I have been on, but I have seen a lot of things that other people's kids do that irritate me. I have seen kids running down the hallway at night banging on the walls and cabin doors. None of you have experienced that? Surely you must have not always cruised with little princes and princesses.

Our experience is quite the opposite. Oh yes, there are those rare occasions where kids will be kids with screams of laughter or running rather than walking. but by and large we very much enjoy watching kids enjoying themselves. Teens are even better because they generally understand and appreciate the opportunity to experience a cruise.

 

Frankly the behaviour issues we're annoyed by are the "adults" who imbibe too much or try to intimidate the cruise staff.

 

We would really miss the conviviality that whole families bring to the on board experience of any cruise.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Host Walt

I think my biggest issue is with kids in hot tubs. I don't mind if kids come and sit quietly in the hot tub with us for short periods, but I dislike it when:

- a hoard of kids takes over the hot tub

- they stay in the hot tub too long (kids really shouldn't stay in very long)

- they play or otherwise act inappropriately

 

When I'm on vacation, with or without my kids, I like to sit in the hot tub and relax. I tend to go to the adult areas when I can, but there have been times when those hot tubs are closed, or it's raining and I want to be inside, or my teen daughter wants to sit with me. I've been appalled at the behavior of some of the kids I've encountered. Some have even sassed back at me when I told them they were acting inappropriately. These kids need to not only learn how to act, but to be respectful of adults!

 

BTW, I disagree that most parents are doing the best they can. Some are just downright lazy and don't care what their kids are doing.

Our experience is quite the opposite. Oh yes, there are those rare occasions where kids will be kids with screams of laughter or running rather than walking. but by and large we very much enjoy watching kids enjoying themselves. Teens are even better because they generally understand and appreciate the opportunity to experience a cruise.

 

Frankly the behaviour issues we're annoyed by are the "adults" who imbibe too much or try to intimidate the cruise staff.

 

We would really miss the conviviality that whole families bring to the on board experience of any cruise.

 

I am with you! We travel off school holiday, so there are not usually many kids but most of them make me nostalgic for the days my kids were young.

 

Drunk loud adults? Incredibly annoying.

 

I did shut the elevator door on two tween girls who were trying to drag a third by her feet onto that elevator . All three were screaming at the top of their lungs. That was the worst kid encounter I have had.

Kids misbehaving at dinner, whether is mine or somebody else's kids!!

If kids can't use inside voice and stay still, they need to be taken out, mine including!:cool:

Have seen once a group of people on cruise in dining room where the adults though it was a great idea to have the adults in one table and 4 kids (aged 3-7) on the other table:eek:

BAD idea!!! The parents seemed happy but the waiters and other diners didn't.

As Grandma to 2 darling little kids, 19 mo and 3. Am taking them all including mom & dad of course on the Gem 11/9 cruise. We will be in our first suite - a 2 bedroom.

 

Can't guarantee the kids will be perfect but my daughter and her husband never allow them to interfere with other's dinners if they are not in the best of spirits. One of us will remove them.

 

However, they are active little kids and have a lot of energy. Hope there are some people on the ship who enjoy cute little kids and the funny things they say and do.

 

Will probably eat a lot in the buffet but we want everyone to enjoy the cruise, including the kids. They love to wave at everyone or say hi. Hope there are kid lovers out there who want to say hi back and make their little faces light up.

As a parent of a young child I take comfort in a lot of the responses in this thread. My wife and I try to be vigilant of her behaviour at all times but understand that like us she's on vacation and its likely her behaviour will change with the environment. In January we're cruising again but this time we've entered the terrible twos. We expect a tantrum or two while we're away and appreciate that fellow cruisers (such as you all) understand kids will be kids but rest assured as parents we will not tolerate our kid being disrespectful or ignorant of others. Signed: Parents who try their best.

 

Your daughter is very lucky. I'm not a parent, but we regularly cruise with our niece (she's been going since her second birthday) and we practice good table manners as often as possible to prepare her for cruises. We typically don't sit with others in order to avoid any potential problems, but we think she might be ready for it at the ripe age of six. Cruising with kids can be a lot of work, but it is also a lot of fun. Enjoy your cruise!

As Grandma to 2 darling little kids, 19 mo and 3. Am taking them all including mom & dad of course on the Gem 11/9 cruise. We will be in our first suite - a 2 bedroom.

 

Can't guarantee the kids will be perfect but my daughter and her husband never allow them to interfere with other's dinners if they are not in the best of spirits. One of us will remove them.

 

However, they are active little kids and have a lot of energy. Hope there are some people on the ship who enjoy cute little kids and the funny things they say and do.

 

Will probably eat a lot in the buffet but we want everyone to enjoy the cruise, including the kids. They love to wave at everyone or say hi. Hope there are kid lovers out there who want to say hi back and make their little faces light up.

 

Take advantage of the suite breakfast and lunch perk on NCL. Don't brave the buffet unless you absolutely have to! The staff in Cagney's (or Moderno) will go over the top for the little ones

 

Try and get the 3-yr old into the Splash Academy.

 

Those two bedroom suites are fantastic - we've actually utilized them 6 times now with our son.

We've cruised a lot with our four boys and the one thing that really drove us crazy was seeing young kids unattended at very late hours. Not that it happened often, but we've seen very little kids sitting outside the casino very late at night while mom and dad were gambling. So totally inappropriate. Another time, on a European cruise, we'd find teens sitting in the stairwell late at night, smoking weed. Not kidding on that one. We'd call security and the kids would scamper, but the unmistakable smell of weed was in the stairwell.

What annoys me is people who makes their kids behave, it makes everyone else look bad, :cool:

What annoys me is people who makes their kids behave, it makes everyone else look bad, :cool:

 

Huh??:confused:

Huh??:confused:

 

 

I was being funny [or at least trying to] in that it sometimes seems that those who actually make their children behave are nowadays in the minority unfortunately.

I was being funny [or at least trying to] in that it sometimes seems that those who actually make their children behave are nowadays in the minority unfortunately.

 

For the most part, I think that the people who come to the family board here at Cruise Critic are the responsible parents.

 

Why else are people here asking questions to help them make decisions about cruising that will benefit their families?

 

I can guarantee this... you know the parents who are drinking heavily at the pool while their kids are using the hot tub as a splash area?

 

Those parent's haven't gone to Cruise Critic to ask for advice.

It takes alot to get on my nerves when it comes to other people's children. My child being punched in the face by a pool bully was one of those times. In the end after talking to the child's step mother, I could understand why the kid was the way she was. Hint: It had very little to do with the child herself :(

 

It seems, according to the posts you read at CC, that some have ruined it for everyone when it comes to the topic of children on cruises. I guess that part annoys me some. It bugs me that someone would judge my child simply by the fact that they are a child, before they have even seen evidence of their behavior. In the end though, I don't really care what people think. I am the only one who has to sleep at night thinking about my children's behavior.

 

We had a group of 21 on our last cruise. We had a grown up table and a kids table. The kids table was well mannered every night. They had fun and laughed, but they did not disturb anyone around them. The waitstaff seemed to really enjoy them and played/danced with them as well. They accomplished this mostly on their own, but at times with reminders from the adults. Being a parent is work. You can't just sit at your table and all the kids to be on "auto-pilot" and expect things to go smoothly.

 

Edited to add: I have no problem calling out misbehaved kids. I don't police them all, but will speak up if it is dangerous or destructive and sometimes just because its annoying (ie- hallway racket at night)

Edited October 28, 2014 by Athankfulheart
Adding

Personally, I do not like people who cannot use their "inside voices" when appropriate. It does not matter if I am on a cruise, in a shopping mall, in a resturant, or even when I am at a ball game (and the people behind me are talking too loudly all the way through the game -- face it NO ONE wants to hear about your gall stones - or whatever!). So that is not a "kids on cruises" issue. And I find adults are more likely to be the culprets anyway!

 

BTW, I disagree that most parents are doing the best they can. Some are just downright lazy and don't care what their kids are doing.

Yup, but those are the same parents who don't care on or off the ship. They are the ones who I will have sitting in the back of my car keeping warm waiting for their parents who are "running late" yet again. I am among those coaches/chaperones/scout leaders who will not leave a kid out waiting for a parent who is running late, or who forgot, or whatever lame excuse they have.

 

My DD graduated high school last May and is off at college, but I still felt compelled to go to the final football game this fall. I was touched when one of the senior football players asked if my DH and I would be his escort since "none" of his parents (he has two sets Mom and StepDad, Dad and StepMom) could make it. So I guess all those times I drove him home, or "casually" waited around to make certain he got picked up, or loaned him a couple of bucks so he could buy dinner at the fast food place we had stopped -- paid off -- I got a rose and a certificate "suitable for framing" :D

 

We had a group of 21 on our last cruise. We had a grown up table and a kids table. The kids table was well mannered every night. They had fun and laughed, but they did not disturb anyone around them. The waitstaff seemed to really enjoy them and played/danced with them as well. They accomplished this mostly on their own, but at times with reminders from the adults. Being a parent is work. You can't just sit at your table and all the kids to be on "auto-pilot" and expect things to go smoothly.

I am the coach/scout leader/chaperone. And I've chaperoned teams of 5 girls all across the region, and groups of 200+ band kids all across the country. And on my last two band trips, I chaperoned the chaperones ("lead" chaperone). Set expectations, communicate those expectations, follow through -- we haven't lost a kid yet (and I've not even seriously had to consider sending even one home). I have had a number of unhappy kids "stuck" with me for the day (as punishment). I have had to have talks with other chaperones to underscore the "expectations" -- and there have been a few times when another chap or I have kind of "doubled up" with a newbie or hopeless chap to keep things better under control.

 

Most kids like reasonable limits and feel more comfortable when they have rules. DD always appreciated being able to say "oh my parents said I couldn't or had to . . . " so she did not have to say "no" herself.

 

My DD graduated high school last May and is off at college, but I still felt compelled to go to the final football game this fall. I was touched when one of the senior football players asked if my DH and I would be his escort since "none" of his parents (he has two sets Mom and StepDad, Dad and StepMom) could make it. So I guess all those times I drove him home, or "casually" waited around to make certain he got picked up, or loaned him a couple of bucks so he could buy dinner at the fast food place we had stopped -- paid off -- I got a rose and a certificate "suitable for framing" :D

 

 

That is so sweet! What a great impression you made on that young man, and how thoughtful of him to have you step in to escort him.

 

 

 

They love to wave at everyone or say hi. Hope there are kid lovers out there who want to say hi back and make their little faces light up.

 

Well, I would wave at them if I saw them! But I will have to content myself with waving from my computer. They sound delightful.