Solarium Zoo on Enchantment of the Seas 7/7/05

We are currently on the Enchantment of the Seas. We will give a review when we return. Needless to say, there are MANY kinks that need to be worked out. One major issue that we wanted to write about while on board is the Solarium Zoo. We were looking forward to using the jacuzzi's in the Solarium which are for adults only. Unfortunately, the Solarium is overrun with wild, out of control children and infants! On our first night we attempted to use the jacuzzi's at 11pm only to find them in use by preadolescents. Not only were they in the jacuzzi's and pool until midnight (closing) but we personally witnessed then spitting and throwing food in the pool. All this going on with no employees in sight.

We made a second attempt to use the Solarium on Friday afternoon. The situation was worse than Thursday night. Both jacuzzi's and swimming pool were overrun with gangs of children ages four and over, if not younger. We complained to the pool attendents who told us to address our complaint to the purser's desk. We proceeded to call the purser's desk and stated the out of control situation taking place!! NOTHING WAS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally I decided to enter one of the jacuzzi's after some of the children left. Within minutes I was sitting with six small children kicking, splashing, yelling and screaming until after fifteen minutes I was forced to leave due to misbehavior.

We heard many other adults walking by and complaining to each other about being unable to use the ADULT ONLY SOLARIUM FACILITY. As bad as the situation was in the jacuzzi's it was worse in the Solarium pool which was rendered unusable by these wild, unruly children. It is obvious that the children's enjoyment is more important to RCCL then their adult paying customers. We paid our hard earned money for our cruise to enjoy the adult only Solarium facility, but unfortunately that does not exist on Enchantment of the Seas. RCCL refuses to enforce the rules, as a result we will never book another cruise in the summer.

Where were the parents?

OMGoodness....don't know what I would do if that happens when I'm on the Enchantment. Probably the same as you....complain and hope they do something about the kids in the adults only Solarium.

Until the problem was fixed I would make the life's of the people at the guest relations desk very difficult. I would make it in their best interest to fix the problem. It's RCCL's rules, they need to fallow them.

What did you expect? Everybody wants their little precious ones to do whatever they want on vacation. You see that on these boards. How about the mom that won't use a baby monitor for her kids in another room, because she's on vacation.

If you heavily market to families and forget about the rest of the population, you have to cater to your audience. I truly believe that RCCL is only marketing to families and wish the rest of us would just go away.

Very soon, there will be no more adults only areas. After all how can you keep over half of the customers out of the solarium? How?

That's one of the reasons we booked Enchantment in mid-January. Hopefully we won't be overrun with the little darlings! I have no problem throwing them overboard.

The solarium situation is sad indeed. Even worse that RCI will not enfore their own rules. It's obvious that parents do not read or care but unfortunately that is the new attitude we see today.On the Sovereign last weekend the front pool was supposed to be adults only but parent ignored the signs and had their sweet little precious darlings in the pool with them. Bottom line, point to the parents as the blame but RCI should be doing their job to keep them out of the Solarium as they have a huge pool area to play.

As far as there being kinks, I expected that since the ship is just coming out of a major dry dock. That is why I would never book a sailing on a ship just coming out plus the fact that RCI has a bad track record with their dry docking ships.

I do not have kids (yet...) so I plan cruises when they are in school to avoid problems like this.

I see two problems with this...first is why are the parents letting their kids in an ADULT ONLY area? Second is why isn't RCCL staff saying or doing anything? I vote for throwing the kids and the kids parents overboard to keep peace in the solarium! ;)

Hopefully RCCL gets things like this worked out before January when I go on it.

It's RCCL's rules, they need to follow them.

I agree that kids and teens in the Solarium area can be a problem. In regards to RCCL following their own rules, I wonder how many people want rules followed when it come to bringing their own liquor on board? Should a cruise line staff member see someone on deck with a can of beer that they do not sell, should it be confiscated? Should all carry on coolers full of beer be left at the pier?

This is the rule:"Can I bring my own liquor onboard?

We apologize for any inconvenience but due to our regulatory and licensing requirements guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind onboard for consumption or any other use."

There are a lot of people on these boards that don't think this rule should be followed.

Make sure you get name of employees to who you have registered complaints. Make sure they get "Extra Bad" reviews on the comments card at the end of the week. You may even want to send the names/infractions directly to RCI. Remember, the only way the workers get promoted is from good reviews. After enough bad reviews with no promotions, they will start enforcing the rules.

I don't know about the overboard thing, it's tempting though.;) :D

I think I would try to give them a a chance to leave after I explain to them it's an adult area. In my own way of course.;) If they didn't, I'd just ask for their cabin number, so I could call their parents. That should get them out. if they refused, then I'd go to the staff.

We went to get in a jacuzzi and there were two kids about 6 years old in it. I said to them in a nice tone of voice, "we don't mind you being in here, just don't splash us". Must have scared them as they got right out. I don't know where their parents were but they may had been told to get out if an adult gets in. Don't know what I would do if I encountered lots of kids in the solarium. I say I would tell them to get out, but don't know if it's worth dealing with the parents who break the rules. It really is up to RC to have a "solarium monitor" just for these instances.

jcanino - good point.

I thought from comments here the Solarium really would be enforced. Sad that RCI isn't doing this. Honestly, on Disney, there would never be a child within any distance of the adult areas before they were removed by staff. People think of Disney as a kid's cruise, but believe me, they take their adult area responsibility VERY seriously. The kids don't get into secluded areas, even if the parents think they are precious darlings.

I agree that kids and teens in the Solarium area can be a problem. In regards to RCCL following their own rules, I wonder how many people want rules followed when it come to bringing their own liquor on board? Should a cruise line staff member see someone on deck with a can of beer that they do not sell, should it be confiscated? Should all carry on coolers full of beer be left at the pier?

 

This is the rule:"Can I bring my own liquor onboard?

We apologize for any inconvenience but due to our regulatory and licensing requirements guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind onboard for consumption or any other use."

 

There are a lot of people on these boards that don't think this rule should be followed.

I don’t know how you can compare the two bringing your own liquor on board shouldn’t inconvenience other guests unlike unruly kids do.

Don’t get me wrong I love kids but I couldn’t eat a whole one. :)

Make sure you get name of employees to who you have registered complaints. Make sure they get "Extra Bad" reviews on the comments card at the end of the week. You may even want to send the names/infractions directly to RCI. Remember, the only way the workers get promoted is from good reviews. After enough bad reviews with no promotions, they will start enforcing the rules.

You can bet I am a name noter, either for good or bad things. I'll ask for a comment card right then and there to fill out if they told me they wouldn't enforce their own rule. An yes, I love kids and will have a cabin full of my own next month.

This is my one issue with RCI. Last year on the Jewel it would have been nice to enjoy the beautiful solarium without screaming kids :mad: The attendants nor the purser's desk really made an attempt to correct it either. What is the big deal about enforcing posted rules?

I don’t know how you can compare the two bringing your own liquor on board shouldn’t inconvenience other guests unlike unruly kids do.[/QUOTE]

 

The big picture is that it isn't about inconvenience but about following rules. Either all rules should be adhered to or none at all.

 

BTW, it can be an inconvenience if enough people decide to bring on their own liquor that the cruise line sees a financial hit and starts charging more for their drinks to make up for the loss. It then is a financial hit to me and those that don't and won't bring their own liquor on board. How may "liquor smugglers" bring their own alcohol into restaurants with liquor licenses?

I thought from comments here the Solarium really would be enforced. Sad that RCI isn't doing this. Honestly, on Disney, there would never be a child within any distance of the adult areas before they were removed by staff. People think of Disney as a kid's cruise, but believe me, they take their adult area responsibility VERY seriously. The kids don't get into secluded areas, even if the parents think they are precious darlings.

And it should be enforced. They have the run of the entire ship, what's the big deal about enforcing the rules in that one area? If a parent objected to their kids being asked to leave an adult area, then they are just inconsiderate and selfish.

None of us go barging into the galley, or crew quarters, or pilot house, because it's on the ship........I guess some people just think they are entitled to go anywhere they want.

I don’t know how you can compare the two bringing your own liquor on board shouldn’t inconvenience other guests unlike unruly kids do.[/QUOTE]

 

The big picture is that it isn't about inconvenience but about following rules. Either all rules should be adhered to or none at all.

 

BTW, it can be an inconvenience if enough people decide to bring on their own liquor that the cruise line sees a financial hit and starts charging more for their drinks to make up for the loss. It then is a financial hit to me and those that don't and won't bring their own liquor on board. How may "liquor smugglers" bring their own alcohol into restaurants with liquor licenses?

 

I agree.:)

I agree that kids and teens in the Solarium area can be a problem. In regards to RCCL following their own rules, I wonder how many people want rules followed when it come to bringing their own liquor on board? Should a cruise line staff member see someone on deck with a can of beer that they do not sell, should it be confiscated? Should all carry on coolers full of beer be left at the pier?

 

This is the rule:"Can I bring my own liquor onboard?

We apologize for any inconvenience but due to our regulatory and licensing requirements guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages of any kind onboard for consumption or any other use."

 

There are a lot of people on these boards that don't think this rule should be followed.

Very good point!

I still would like them to enforce their rules. And I have no problem if they enforce the liquor rule too.

Having said this I never smugled on any alcohol so far and I have no kids.

I also never had any problems with kids onboard. Yes there have been a few on my crusies but not that much and non of them ran wild. Maybe it´s because I cruise in "kids off seasons".

Kids of course are kids and can only be bnlamed for their behaviour up to a certain level. It´s mostly a matter of their parents teaching them how to behave and of course to take controll and responsibility over their kids.

That's too bad about the Solarium. I would think with the new expanded kids area of the pool, they would have more fun in all the new kids fountains than in an adult area, especially in the summer when it's great to swim outside.

We are sailing out of Quebec in October, which should have fewer little ones, but the weather for outdoor swimming will be limited to the last couple days when we reach warmer weather, so I guess I should expect an overrun Solarium as well. I've been on the Legend twice and although there have been children in the Solarium, they didn't "overrun" the area. But that could be because we only cruise in the Spring and Fall when fewer children are in attendance.

On my recent cruise on Legend of the Seas, children had been running around the Viking Lounge after 10pm when it is supposed to be over 18s only. The bar girl said that she had spoken to the parents who abused her and asked for her name which she willing gave.

Next night there were signs at all entrances pointing out the fact that it was over 18s after 10pm and I saw an officer in the area speaking to parents and asking them to remove their children.

I thought it was good work on behalf of RCI. That is how it should work.

Callow

Joe (and others) - I am all in favor of rules being enforced. The problem with many, maybe most, cruise lines is their desire to enforce the rules in a manner that does the least harm to the business.

It really appears to me that they would prefer to lose a small amount of guests that obey the rules (be it solarium use, chair hogging, smuggeling, whatever) in order to keep a larger number of those who ignore the rules.

Personally, if they have rules, enforce them regardless (as Carnival's Paradise apparently did with smokers).

kewlguy - Keep us posted. EOS is just coming out of dry dock, right? Some of the problem may be with the "shakedown" period. Hope your cruise is great :)

Charlie

I agree that rules are to be followed. I love my alcohol, but I would not bring it aboard the ship. I would not wear shorts to the Diningroom. I would not let childern into adult only area. I could be wrong(it would not be the first time!) Is there a sign as you go into the Solarium with rules and regs. and one of them is that childern are allowed in the Solarium only when accompanied by adult?

Happy Sailings!:)