Kids on Insignia

It seems that the number of kids on "R" ships is increasing. Just boarded Insignia in Venice and the ship is awash with kids. Sizes ranging from babies in prams, 2-5 year olds and some older. I even saw the onboard violinist's kid running around at the dining area unsupervised. Thing is there is nothing for them to do onboard so their antics reflect boredom. I know this topic has been discussed in detail and companies can't prevent kids being passengers - but it the kids are unsupervised and spoil my experience I will take my money elsewhere.

How many does "awash " consist of ??

It is summer holidays so yes there will be children on Oceania but usually a lot less than the mass market lines

My deepest sympathies and understanding to you but you must complain to the staff (high level/supervisors) about any problems you encounter with misbehaving children rather than here.

Hopefully they will be able to rectify the situation if needed.

This is summer vacation in Europe when lots of families travel together

Since you just started the trip maybe Oceania has made some provision for them that will kick in as the trip goes along.

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On the Riviera now, 14 day med cruise. Quite a few families on board this sailing.

As mentioned above...it is summer and families do take vacations...so, no surprises.

Haven't seen any infants... but many youngsters and tweens.

No real trouble...they are behaving appropriately. Just passes the sweetest looking little guy, maybe 8 years old, in his jacket and tie, on his way into Toscana, as we were leaving.

I have said before.. I would have no problem taking our granddaughters on an "O" cruise. They would love it and would behave in a proper manner.

I did mention to the Spa manager that I wasn't real happy seeing unsupervised tweens on the Spa terrace... and it seemed to be addressed rather quickly.

To me, there is a critical difference between children on board (fine with me) and unsupervised children running wild (not fine with anyone) on board.

Just because there are no organized children's activities doesn't necessarily mean the children are bored and have nothing to do. DH and I take great joy in any time spent with our beloved granddaughters and can make fun out of almost anything.

I was surprised on our just ended Marina cruise at how many kids of about 5-11 age range were disembarking. I could swear I never saw more than 2 or 3-you would not have known they were there. I think summer is a family cruise time though I was surprised so many kids were taken on the Baltic itinerary. Anyway, they were no problem that I heard about. I still would have preferred something more kid oriented when mine were young. I think it would be hard to get a baby sitter on O since most workers have more than one job a day. We did like dinner without the kids. We saw only one young child in a specialty restaurant-Red Ginger-who was very well behaved. I do agree despite our good experience that toddlers should not be allowed in the specialty restaurants and unruly children and their parents should be chastised.

One final note, if anyone took the economy plus special and spent time in the Stockholm airport, SAS has a special lounge for that group that is very nice and well stocked AND includes the cutest children's corner (stocked with books, crayons and toys) that I have ever seen.

Just got home from the Istanbul to Venice cruise 30 June- 12 July and thought I would add to this topic. There were a lot of children. From babies to teens and every age in between. Without exception the children were all well behaved and their parents kept control of their activities. The only minor exception was a little boy who played up a little in Toscana one night. But he was tired and the family soon retired to put him to bed. It was not a problem and we even asked a group of children if there was enough to keep them occupied as there was nothing (in our opinion) to keep them entertained. How wrong we were. They were so thrilled to be there and said there was plenty to do. It all comes down to the parents and on this cruise - everything was ok with regard to our younger cruisers. The cruise itself was another matter but I may post more about that later!

Good to hear that, Tizwiz. But I think you got lucky.

Good to hear that, Tizwiz. But I think you got lucky.

Ditto !!!

Why do so many people just assume children will be bored/act badly/etc. aboard O cruises?

There have been a few young people on every cruise we've taken with O, aged from about three to mid-teens, and without exception they have acted politely and caused no problems. I can't say that for 100% of the adults on board. The comments some adults made (within earshot of children and their parents), just seeing the children, were unkind and unpleasant. So if the experience was not good, it wasn't the children's fault, rather it was the intolerant adults.

It is sound to assume that there is the potential for disruptive behavior from children. Children act like children.

Just yesterday while walking near home a small child darted suddenly in front of me and I struggled to keep my balance. Having a number of children aboard increases the risk of such especially if the ship is encountering some sea caused motion. In the Terrace cafe I would be apprehensive of carrying a plate of food near youngsters. Sorry, I can't pretend they are adults.

Why do so many people just assume children will be bored/act badly/etc. aboard O cruises?

 

There have been a few young people on every cruise we've taken with O, aged from about three to mid-teens, and without exception they have acted politely and caused no problems. I can't say that for 100% of the adults on board. The comments some adults made (within earshot of children and their parents), just seeing the children, were unkind and unpleasant. So if the experience was not good, it wasn't the children's fault, rather it was the intolerant adults.

I agree

in 9 cruises on O we have not seen any unruly children

one exception was children from an entertainment group they were running around

Likewise, the few children we've seen on board have always behaved very well -- as some have also said before, often better than some of the adults.

But I've also read stories of a very few nightmare cruises, especially those at holiday time. It's the luck of the draw, perhaps.

Mura

I agree

in 9 cruises on O we have not seen any unruly children

 

one exception was children from an entertainment group they were running around

We too have only had two well behaved teenagers and one crew baby ( only saw twice).

We NEVER travel when schools are out which is the best way to avoid the little darlings.

Why do so many people just assume children will be bored/act badly/etc. aboard O cruises?

 

.

Because as stated again and again they are children and not adults. No matter how you dress em' or try to manage them they will be children and act out and with out reason.

Its called growing up...and that takes a lot longer for some . Take children on vacations that children would enjoy....National parks, Theme parks, Hikes, fishing, exploring, swimming riding,.... not for a week in the penthouse at the four Seasons.... that's for you... not them

Some cruise lines are adults only, Oceania is not. They could make it that way however the enjoy the money paid for the kids. As said kids will be kids. Instead of harassing the family talk to Oceania or go on a adults ship.

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Just off an Oceania cruise where there were many children of all ages. All well behaved and the ambiance was the better for it. It is true children can misbehave but in the end I have yet to experience a problem with it on Oceania, and when one does it's usually easy to fix. Badly behaved adults I have experienced on Oceania and that usually seems more problematic. Children raised well actually enjoy Oceania as did many on our recent cruise, although I do think Oceania works best for children on port intensive cruises and I am not sure it's all that great for toddlers.

Oceania is not a ship line that was designed for children.

Says so up front, and its not rocket science to figure out its not kid friendly.

People seeking a family life style on or in a place specifically designed not to be a family lifestyle are clearly doing their thing despite the logic and rational.

It is the adults who's poor judgment that thrusts children into a totally adult environment with out regards for the child's wants and needs.

So it is only just that the complaints fall on THEIR shoulders ( the adults) and its their decision not the poor kids... They go where the adults take them... I seriously doubt, if questioned away from their adult mentors, any child would rave about Oceania ... quite to the contrary.

To do otherwise is arrogant of the reality of their actions and they must accept the real reactions by others to their decision.

I some how can not quite envision a group of grade school and jr high kids pouring over Oceana cruise catalogs...in excited anticipation....

We just returned from a B2B on Azamara. Upon checking in we noticed there were a lot of children much to my surprise. Once on board we never really saw or heard from them. At our B2B turnaround meeting, the hotel director and captain explained that the first leg of this trip had 700 people of which there were 45 children. The captain stated that they never had that many children on board and they were initially concerned. I applaud the way Azamara handled the situation. Their strategy was to clearly communicate the rules and take action if the rules were not adhered.

Every family with children received a packet in their cabin that stated the rules, ramifications and expectations of proper behavior. Children under 13 years are not allowed in the specialty restaurants. There were no little ones in the pool and no older kids jumping off the edge. There were no unsupervised kids roaming around. The ship had activities planned but since no one showed up probably since this was a very port intensive cruise with late stay in port nights.

I really give credit to Azamara for handling this situation with direct communication.