Just off Liberty - unruly children a real problem!

[RuxieGirl]

Parents are on vacation 7 excited, kids are on vacation & excited. Adults & children will all do things they would not normally do. Kids also have the immature brain that means they can't forsee consequences like an adult would and as anyone who has taught middle school can tell you, will do things in a group they would never do alone, even h82seaUgo's perfect children.:rolleyes:

The "entitled" people have "entitled" children with back up because if someone "speaks" to their child the parent will "speak" to them in the words of some of our posters and the kids know this.

Staff members in private businesses like cruise ships & resorts are in a hard spot. They can't be seen as cutting into profits etc. The companies need to have policies in place for dealing with the small number of vacion goers who make everyone elses vacation miserable.

 

Exactly. Well put. ;)

[RenoNanaOz]

Hi - we just got off the Liberty yesterday. I'm not doing an indepth review, so feel free to ask questions if you have any and I will be happy to answer if I know. I just wanted to relay a couple of things:

 

1) We scattered our mother's ashes on the first sea day. We were taken down to deck 1 at the aft of the ship. The environmental officer met us in the lobby next to guest services and his assistant along with two other crew members accompanied us down. They checked the wind and showed us where we could release the urn, then stepped away to give us the privacy to do so. Afterward, my father received a letter delivered to his room with the coordinates, though there was no identifying information on the letter with the exception of it being addressed to my brother, instead of my father. :eek: Oh well, they tried...

 

2) Children were a real problem on this cruise. Not the number of children, after all it is summer vacation so we expected many, many kids. No, the problem was that so many of them were left to their own devices to run amok on the ship. More than one plowed into us as they ran around apparently unsupervised, and one almost knocked over my 76 year old, grieving, father. I personally saw crew members (one was a photographer) attempt to stop the kids from running, but they kept right on going, simply ignoring the crew. I'm sure none of your children would ever behave thusly, but I'm here to tell you, someone's children are. :mad: People, please police your kids - or the rest of us will have to start. Ask my kids, you don't want to see me mad!!

We typically cruise off season but have cruised during the summer. We also saw kids running around the ship. I didn't consider that unruly just figured they had more energy than I to burn;)As others have said "That's what kids do." As for policing someone elses kids, be careful I wouldn't take kindly to anyone policing my kids.

[SarahQ]

As much as I'm sure it makes everyone feel better to tell other parents how to parent their children, it might as well be a fart in a windstorm.

 

Unruly children are a part of shipboard life - just like drunk adults, rude seniors, people on scooters who pay no attention to where they are going or how fast etc. etc. etc.

 

Should children be running amok all over the ship? No.

 

Should adults be getting intoxicated to the point of lewd behaviour, loud cursing, vomitting etc.? No.

 

Should anyone think it's okay to be rude to one's fellow passengers? No.

 

Should those in scooters act like it's a Formula One race? No.

 

I could go on...but the point is that all of these things will continue to happen, and no amount of posting on Cruise Critic is going to stop it, because it is human nature and any time you have thousands of people in one place, these issues will *always* arise.

 

We already know that Carnival basically doesn't care, because they care about making money - and that means trying to hook families into cruising so that those unruly children will spend a lifetime cruising (likely with their unruly children) on Carnival. Sadly, if you're 50+, Carnival just doesn't really care about you or your loyalty as they have bigger fish to fry with more $$$ to spend with them over time.

 

Learn to be a bit more tolerant, or find a time to cruise or a cruise line that suits you better. Best to spend one's time trying to solve the problem instead of just complaining about it.

[Luv2SeaU]

speak to my kids, and i'll be speaking to you.

 

+1 exactly!!

[SarahQ]

As for policing someone elses kids, be careful I wouldn't take kindly to anyone policing my kids.

 

Agreed. A child would really have to be endangering themselves or someone else for me to speak to them, and even then it would be in a kind and respectful manner.

 

The issue is that I think many of the posters claiming they would "talk" to the child in question may not do so in quite the same manner. I would be fine with someone respectfully speaking to my children if they were doing something dangerous, but you bet I would have words with them if I felt that the way they spoke to my child in any way crossed the line.

 

Yes, even when children are misbehaving, I do believe that they deserve to be treated with respect. In fact, I have much more tolerance for unruly children than unruly adults who should know better.

[RuxieGirl]

Keep in mind, going back to the OP, we're talking about unsupervised kids. If my kids were misbehaving and I wasn't watching them (which wouldn't happen, BTW) I would certainly hope that someone would kindly correct their behavior. A simple, "Be careful, you might hurt yourself," or "Can you please try not to step on our bag," said in a respectful tone shouldn't bother another parent. Why would it? Can't we all look out for each other's kids?

 

I know you're not talking about me, and I would really love to know how many of these tough guys would really trip a kid or yell at them. THAT I would take issue with!

[deborahjo]

We typically cruise off season but have cruised during the summer. We also saw kids running around the ship. I didn't consider that unruly just figured they had more energy than I to burn;)As others have said "That's what kids do." As for policing someone elses kids, be careful I wouldn't take kindly to anyone policing my kids.

 

Then I hope you know where your kids are at all times. These running kids are doing more then just RUNNING. If they run into another a guest and knock them over and the guest gets injured I am sure those running kids are going to stop and aid that passenger. Heck no they won't. They are to busy out there causung chaos for other guests.

 

If you don't want your kids policed by others then do it yourself for heaven sake. Then maybe everyone can enjoy their cruise without the risk of being harmed.

[Zoey]

I wouldn't have the slightest problem with an adult "speaking" to my children if they were running down the hall on a cruiseship, or touching things on the buffet with their fingers....not at all. I'm not really sure why that would be a problem for anyone.

 

Now it's a whole different matter if anyone put a hand on one of my children....:mad:

[deborahjo]

I wouldn't have the slightest problem with an adult "speaking" to my children if they were running down the hall on a cruiseship, or touching things on the buffet with their fingers....not at all. I'm not really sure why that would be a problem for anyone.

 

Now it's a whole different matter if anyone put a hand on one of my children....:mad:

 

Yes that is a different matter. But speaking to them to correct them should not be a problem.

[scperk]

We typically cruise off season but have cruised during the summer. We also saw kids running around the ship. I didn't consider that unruly just figured they had more energy than I to burn;)As others have said "That's what kids do." As for policing someone elses kids, be careful I wouldn't take kindly to anyone policing my kids.

So if I see your kids running at me down the hall, is it OK if I step in front of them in stead of out of their way??.....:)....Dennis

[Lady_831]

I wouldn't have the slightest problem with an adult "speaking" to my children if they were running down the hall on a cruiseship, or touching things on the buffet with their fingers....not at all. I'm not really sure why that would be a problem for anyone.

 

Now it's a whole different matter if anyone put a hand on one of my children....:mad:

 

Agreed. If my children were out of my sight and behaving in an inappropriate manner and an adult asked my child to stop, why would I be upset?

[yj2cute]

Agreed. If my children were out of my sight and behaving in an inappropriate manner and an adult asked my child to stop, why would I be upset?

 

You shouldn't be, because it takes a village to raise a child. You, apparently, are responsible enough to realize that. Thank you.

 

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2

[Andoria]

Agreed. If my children were out of my sight and behaving in an inappropriate manner and an adult asked my child to stop, why would I be upset?

 

 

There are some people out there that truly believe that children should be seen and not heard. Would you really want someone scolding your child for something that is allowed in your home?

[Zoey]

There are some people out there that truly believe that children should be seen and not heard. Would you really want someone scolding your child for something that is allowed in your home?

 

 

There is a huge difference in doing something in the safety and privacy of your own home and doing it in public. If my child runs down the hallways at home, he may hurt himself, me or the dog....if he runs down the hall on a crowded cruiseship he may seriously injure an elderly person or another child.

[carolmacey]

Sorry to hear of your family's loss....

 

as for the kids, this is why we do not cruise when school is out.

 

I have raised my 2 boys (now 24 and 21) and I am not about to spend my vacation babysitting someone else's.

 

Perhaps some of the ship photographers who are not busy at the time could snap some photos of the misbehaving kids and have a wall of shame at the photo gallery!

 

I love the wall of infamy idea as so many parents try to say, "Oh, my children would never do that. Must have been someone else!" Post the photos on the tv as well, or before the evening shows, Ha! Ha!

[ccarpenter1963]

There is a huge difference in doing something in the safety and privacy of your own home and doing it in public. If my child runs down the hallways at home, he may hurt himself, me or the dog....if he runs down the hall on a crowded cruiseship he may seriously injure an elderly person or another child.

 

Exactly.

[Conehead222]

Really??? I hope you're kidding. If not, that's pretty irresponsible parenting. It may be wrong for somebody to 'speak' to your child about something BUT a responsible parent should STILL teach their children to respect adults enough to NOT tell them to go to h#@* if they do say something to them. If somebody spoke to one of my children when they were young about running in a hallway or on a cruiseship and I found out they told that adult to go to h^*%, my child would not have seen the light of day for at least a month.......AFTER making an apology.

 

I was getting worried, thanks for the glimmer of hope!

[San_Antonio_Ex]

and i will teach my children to tell you where to go when you try to "speak" to my children about anything

 

And the next generation of criminals, thugs and hoodlums is born...

 

Wow!!!

[sweetcurves]

One of the best things I've ever heard is that you don't have to teach children how to do wrong, you have to teach them to do right.

 

I don't think anyone is saying that kids can't be kids and be loud, and noisy, and expel all their energy (please, PLEASE do it during the daylight hours!), but there is a difference between being a kid and being a brat. My younger brother who is now 16, was raised as an only child (I do not live near my father and step mother). He was hyper as all get out (still is!), but he knew when it was appropriate and when it was not. And if ANY adult spoke to him about his behavior, he would respond with "yes ma'am" or "yes sir". I chalk that up to my step mother being southern and a teacher, but also consistent and determined.

 

I can not comment to anyone's specific situation as they are all different. I just think that well-mannered children are the exception rather than the rule. Kids don't just pick up manners and responsible behavior, it's something that is taught and learned (in my opinion).

[San_Antonio_Ex]

I must be the luckiest cruiser out there. In the 15 cruises I have taken on Carnival, I can't recall a single incident of unruly behaviour everyone talks about and I have taken two cruises at March break and two in the summer with my own four kids.

 

I don't have 15 cruises, but I have 8. I'm the op and I have done spring break cruises in the past. This is the first time I have seen the number of children misbehaving. I don't hate children. I don't mind children. Mine went with me everywhere and were taught very, very young how to behave in social situations. I would say again that there is a place for everything, but after reading one of the responses, I'm afraid that is no longer true - there is no place for a child telling an adult to "go" anywhere.

[San_Antonio_Ex]

because there are more parents that don't let their kids run amuck.

 

and i will not allow my kids to be lumped in with "all kids are terrors" mind set.

 

and no one can differentiate the two on board by sight.

 

and take a look at the posts above directed at me. i'm the "good parent" (in my mind) with the "good kids" (in my mind) , and i'm being told to publish my sail dates so "they" can avoid me.

 

You're being told to publish your sail dates because you 1) said that you let your children run on cruiseships; 2) let your children run in circles on an elevator; and 3) will "talk" to any person who dares "talk" to your child - implying that your "talk" will not be a pleasant one. No one is lumping your children into the "all kids are terrors" group except you with your own description of them. Sorry, but you brought this on yourself.

[Luv2SeaU]

why is it that "you" people dislike children so much that you want them to grow up so fast. if kids want to run and have fun let them. oh and you better not discipline my kids, that is not your place.

[sdschwrt]

We're going through the line at a free standing station serving sushi. Many behind us and no one in front. Two teens who had been running through the lido parked themselves in front of me and started to fill a plate. I looked at them and said something like " when I see you with your parents I am sure they would like to know that you do not understand the purpose of a line". One immediately walked away with his empty plate while the other stood ther trying to take food. After a short time he left too. Whenever they saw me during their runs one immediately stopped running while the other continued to run regardless of danger to others.

 

I am sure all of us can decide which of the posters to this thread are the parent of each child.

[San_Antonio_Ex]

of course, if your bored and sitting watching anyones behaviour, you can profile them.

 

the op was stating more than one barreling into her parent. she did fail to mention if any of them said "sorry". i wonder if they need to be spoken to.

 

i have also had adults knock into me. i have also had elevator doors open, and the person blocking me to get off just stands there, or attempts to board the cab.

 

i wonder if people are bold enought to "speak" to them.

 

I must have overlooked it. No - they did not apologize. They didn't even stop. Your lack of proper punctuation and capitilization makes it hard for me to follow what you are attempting to convey, but if I understood you then, yes, people "speak" to others standing who block their way or knock into them - "excuse me" / "excuse me???" usually suffices with adults.

 

You seem to be a very, very contrary person!

[San_Antonio_Ex]

Agreed. A child would really have to be endangering themselves or someone else for me to speak to them, and even then it would be in a kind and respectful manner.

 

The issue is that I think many of the posters claiming they would "talk" to the child in question may not do so in quite the same manner. I would be fine with someone respectfully speaking to my children if they were doing something dangerous, but you bet I would have words with them if I felt that the way they spoke to my child in any way crossed the line.

 

Yes, even when children are misbehaving, I do believe that they deserve to be treated with respect. In fact, I have much more tolerance for unruly children than unruly adults who should know better.

 

By saying that others will police the children of those whose parents fail to do so, it does not advocate hurting them or cursing at them or yelling, etc. I'm sorry if you took me to mean that. But I do have a finely tuned "mom" voice and I've yet to meet a child who didn't think it was pretty darned intimidating - even when I'm respectful to them (as I usually am). :D