Parents please follow the guidelines!!!

[spongerob]

So if it all it really takes is a pool, why go to the inordinate expense of taking children on a vessel that, in your words, is primarily designed for adult entertainment?

 

Anyway, if one decides that simply not liking a rule for whatever reason is worth advocating change, I think us pet owners should be permitted to bring our furry family members with us - with pool time set aside for them.

[where next?]

So if it all it really takes is a pool, why go to the inordinate expense of taking children on a vessel that, in your words, is primarily designed for adult entertainment?

 

Anyway, if one decides that simply not liking a rule for whatever reason is worth advocating change, I think us pet owners should be permitted to bring our furry family members with us - with pool time set aside for them.

 

 

After our last cruise, I picked up my lovable golden retriever at the kennel and after the actual kennel time, play time every day and a good grooming, his bill was in the range of the cost of one of my kids. Geez, maybe taking him on the ship would have been cheaper!!!

 

Somehow, I doubt many people would appreciate him in the pools, even though he is a looker!!!

[sailinglisa]

And to those parents who want their kids to learn to "advocate" for their rights, etc.......what if the cruise line says "NO." Would you then encourage your children to break the rules? Or would you say, we worked the system and the answer is not to our liking, so we must abide by it.

 

And to Lia B - there is a reason the adult pools are adult only - some of us LIKE the quieter atmosphere!!!!! Why can we not have the one pool area on the ship that caters to us. And, in case you think I am an old fuddy duddy, I am 43, single and love kids, but do like time AWAY from them! If you are uncomfortable, there are other pools onboard that you can go to where you won't feel that way.

 

As for cold weather and exceptions, yes, I think they should be made - but only for an hour or two a day....kids do not need to be in the pool all the time, but you know what? Kids are a lot more hardy and resilient than adults and many times absolutely LOVE the outdoor pools in the cooler, inclement weather when no other adults are in them! Parents are sometimes the weenies! I was on the Dawn Princess last July and we had absolutely MISERABLE weather the first 3 days...and guess what? KIDS were in the outdoor pools EVERY afternoon!!! And they survived! There are no covered pools on the Sun or Dawn.....and the kids managed to get their pool time in and have a blast.

[TheParrotHeads]

I can't believe all this anti children sentiment as if no one here was ever a child. Before I had children, I never considered it a nusiance me to be around them. In fact, I never thought about it at all. For goodness sakes, who enjoys the pool more? the children. Everytime I am in an adults only pool, I am afraid to even have an animated conversation with my husband because it's so quiet and there is usually no one is in the water. Everyone is modeling around the pool or sleeping. It's a waste of a good pool. I still like to laugh and play in the pool,but heaven forbid I do that. It would be more appropriate to cling to my husband and makeout with him in the pool then to play in it;). Lighten up folks. You act as if children are little bugs and you forget you were once a kid too. Where did all the fun go?

 

I know there are the rowdy kids and yes, those should be told to calm down and yes, parents should keep their kids in check. But the little ones and quiet ones who just want a dip should be able to because they don't go on the boat for free. So if the boat allows children on it (imagine if they didn't), they should give them pool allowance time also or they should ride for free because they can't use the casinos and most don't enjoy the adult shows, clubs, bars or the art auctions, etc..

 

Last year, I was at an unamed five star hotel and you couldn't even have your cell phone with you at the pool because it might ring and someone might have a nervous breakdown because the noise disturbed them. I think the presence of a child would have caused a stampede.

 

Just my two cents from someone who is still young at heart:p

Lighten up. It's vacation. Better than sitting in an office :(anyday.

 

 

I find it to be such a double standard when it comes to rules, civilities, and other traditions of cruising. As soon as I make a point that the adult areas are to be obeyed, I am immediately criticized by people like yourself--told to lighten up.

 

We will take RCI for example who has only two pools on the Voyager series and the cruise line I am most familiar with. One pool is called the activities pool. You can assume this is where all the events take place (i.e.,belly flops, music and other stuff). The second swim area is the solarium, which is an adults only area made much smaller and more intimate for those that enjoy cuddling. If they shut down/drained my solarium pool for the day or were renovating some of the areas, I would have no other choice than to use the activities pool.

 

Should I stand up and announce to those in the activities pool:

 

"Since the solarium pool is not accessible everyone should now remain peaceful and quiet because I have no where to go to enjoy a relaxing pool atmosphere! Your games are now cancelled and there will no longer be any music because I need it to be calm!"

 

Absolutely not, you would call me crazy and disrespectul, while probably laughing tough luck. Well, the same goes for your tough luck when the weather gets bad. Don't invade the adults only area and assume that we should bend over backwards and welcome all the little ones to come over and scream, yell, splash until they are content.

 

SOL. If I have to find a new quiet spot and enjoy my book or cozy-up-time with Lauren, then maybe you will have to actually entertain your child for a full day. You chose to bring them onboard, you bear the responsibility when something of this nature happens. I shouldn't be the one to suffer or pack up because you decided a cruise for an adolescent child would be a good idea. This is not about being young at heart, I am 23. This is about being respectful of your fellow cruisers and following the rules set by the cruise line. Not meant to be taken hastily, but I don't like to told to lighten up when I am asking you to uphold a courtesy and I would be expected to do the same (and do). :)

[ahracer]

As for cold weather and exceptions, yes, I think they should be made - but only for an hour or two a day....kids do not need to be in the pool all the time, but you know what? Kids are a lot more hardy and resilient than adults and many times absolutely LOVE the outdoor pools in the cooler, inclement weather when no other adults are in them! Parents are sometimes the weenies! I was on the Dawn Princess last July and we had absolutely MISERABLE weather the first 3 days...and guess what? KIDS were in the outdoor pools EVERY afternoon!!! And they survived! There are no covered pools on the Sun or Dawn.....and the kids managed to get their pool time in and have a blast.

 

I tend to agree about the outdoor pools. Since they are heated they are still very nice in cold/rainy weather and we usually have the pool to ourselves.

 

Scott

[cruise fairy]

:) Lia B, you sound like a pretty nice person!:)

[cruise fairy]

And to those parents who want their kids to learn to "advocate" for their rights, etc.......what if the cruise line says "NO." Would you then encourage your children to break the rules? Of course not, what would THAT teach our children! Or would you say, we worked the system and the answer is not to our liking, so we must abide by it. That would be the right thing to do.

 

And to Lia B - there is a reason the adult pools are adult only - some of us LIKE the quieter atmosphere!!!!! Oh, but the 'Adults Only' pools do not say "quiet pools". I have been in the Adults only pool when loud, drunk, obnoxious people have been in there as well. One woman, approx 35 years of age even began splashing her male parnter - folks lounging by the pool got wet. It was not a quieter atmosphere, and there was nothing Princess could do about it, they weren't techincally children. Why can we not have the one pool area on the ship that caters to us. And, in case you think I am an old fuddy duddy, I am 43, single and love kids, but do like time AWAY from them! If you are uncomfortable, there are other pools onboard that you can go to where you won't feel that way.

 

As for cold weather and exceptions, yes, I think they should be made - but only for an hour or two a day....kids do not need to be in the pool all the time, but you know what? Kids are a lot more hardy and resilient than adults and many times absolutely LOVE the outdoor pools in the cooler, inclement weather when no other adults are in them! Parents are sometimes the weenies! I was on the Dawn Princess last July and we had absolutely MISERABLE weather the first 3 days...and guess what? KIDS were in the outdoor pools EVERY afternoon!!! that is their parent's problem. And they survived! a five year old doesn't need to be in inclement weather, they survive, but they can become pretty sick! BTW, I'm a health care provider, and this would be a fool-hardy action on the parent's part.There are no covered pools on the Sun or Dawn.....and the kids managed to get their pool time in and have a blast.

 

If you want a constant quiet, adult only experience, you probably shouldn't cruise with a line that caters to the 'family experience'.

I am a 44 y/o with grown children (22 & 24) and like my peace and quiet as well. If I want to have total peace and quiet with no chance of children "invading" my space, I'll cruise another line.

[where next?]

sailinglisa,

 

I was talking about advocating for my kids if the weather was miserable and the only pool available was the adult, covered pool. I agree that a couple of hours a day would be fair. Believe me, I'm not for taking over such an area. That wouldn't be fair. I just don't think my kids should not be able to swim at all, that's my point.

 

I've never even been in the adult only pool, except when I book spa treatments, since I believe in watching my kids when they are swimming and actually enjoy swimming with them!

 

If I get the chance to enjoy the quiet pool someday.......I wouldn't want kids in it all day either....but I would share for a couple of hours if necessary.

 

Happy sailing to all.....that's all we want.....and good weather so this whole issue is mute!!!

 

Now, off to work to pay for my next cruise!!

[MaryPoppinz]

Imagine you look at the pretty cruise brochures and you see people drinking Ginger Ale and playing Texas Hold'Em. You book a cruise and you're looking forward to both.

 

Your order a Ginger Ale at the sailaway party and you are told by your server that he's been instructed to offer only milk and orange juice during this cruise ("Which would you prefer, sir?") You wander down to the Casino, only to discover that all of the dealers are occupied running Candyland Tournament. ("Which color token do you prefer, sir?")

 

I'm getting the impression that most of the posters here would quitely conclude that their expectations of having a variety of beverages and casino games on a cruise must have been unreasonable. But, I suspect that most of your tablemates will not consider it an ugly escalation or an act of civil defiance to have a polite word with the Cruise Director and the Food and Beverage Manager to point out what they may not have even realized (that Candyland doesn't require a blackjack dealer and that there are dozens of bottles of Ginger Ale behind the bar.)

 

Someone posted to this thread that they'd contacted Princess about the problem with pools in Alaska. I'd be interested in hearing what they have to say. Sometimes, when you are looking at your company from the top down, it is difficult to see what the experience looks like from the bottom up. I hope somewhere, someone at Princess is poking her temple and saying "Goodness, why didn't we realize we'd created this problem?? It's so easily solved by making a portion of the day "Family Swim" in the covered pool. I'm glad someone gave us a chance to fix it, instead of quietly slipping away."

[kryos]

And to those parents who want their kids to learn to "advocate" for their rights, etc.......what if the cruise line says "NO." Would you then encourage your children to break the rules? Or would you say, we worked the system and the answer is not to our liking, so we must abide by it.

Of course you wouldn't encourage your kids to break the rules ... nor even permit them to. But what you would probably do if you felt a rule was unfair or unreasonable is respect it during the current cruise ... but make absolutely sure that the current cruise was the last one you'd be taking with that cruise line. At least that's what I would do.

 

Money talks ... and even walks in some cases.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Your order a Ginger Ale at the sailaway party and you are told by your server that he's been instructed to offer only milk and orange juice during this cruise ("Which would you prefer, sir?") You wander down to the Casino, only to discover that all of the dealers are occupied running Candyland Tournament. ("Which color token do you prefer, sir?")

LOL ... I hate to say it ... but, I LOVE Candyland ... and orange juice! :)

 

All kidding aside, though ... I agree 100% with your post.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[donna5]

If you want a constant quiet, adult only experience, you probably shouldn't cruise with a line that caters to the 'family experience'.

 

In all the brochures and commercials I see for Princess they don't show any children. Their new tag line is "Escape Completely". Unfortunately you cannot escape completely from people that do not want to follow rules. If we keep complaining to Princess(on the ship and off) maybe they will start enforcing the rules. One of the reasons we started with Princess is because they limited children and didn't allow anyone under 6 years. Some changes are not good.

[MaryPoppinz]

I LOVE Candyland ... and orange juice! :)

 

I could easily survive a cruise that didn't serve adult beverages, where the casino never opened, and where ALL the pools are closed ALL the time. I don't drink alcohol (love OJ!), I don't enjoy casino games (love Candyland!), and I never use public pools (love the ocean!)

 

But, even though such a cruise would meet my needs, it's reasonable for adults to expect to be served alcohol and play cards in the casino, and it's reasonable to expect access for children to a covered pool in Alaska.

 

I don't see this so much as an issue over "keeping" vs. "bending" vs. "breaking" the rules as it is an issue over whether one's expectation of having access to a covered pool in cold weather is reasonable. If the rule is that my kid can't get in, he's not getting in. But, it's not out of line for someone to choose to suggest to the appropriate personnel an easy and obvious resolution. Bust out the ginger ale, move Candyland to the game room, and give families a few hours of pool time. It's not rocket science.

[MaryPoppinz]

In all the brochures and commercials I see for Princess they don't show any children. .

 

http://www.princess.com/onboard/answer/kids.html

[serene sea]

 

While I am not a parent, I can well understand a child's desire to swim while on a cruise ... and if I was telling my kid no when he could readily see other kids in the pool, I would have wanted to know why those kids were in there. I'd have spoken to someone about it. Perhaps the parents of those kids had received permission for their children to be there ... and the OP could have obtained the same permission if she had only asked.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

I applaud you for your understanding in certain situations as this. You are the only poster who is not a parent but yet understands. Most of the opposing posters are either single or married with no children, so how in the world can they know how they will act as parents in any situation. Basically, as one other poster stated, it is all about being anti-kids.

[LARGIN]

Plenty of things to do and places to go for kids on a cruiseship in Alaska... the adults only pool is not one of them. Why is so hard for people to follow the rules? Here is a pic from the Coral Princess taken last week.

 

[Dreamer333]

I don't think anyone is debating the fact that there are adult only pools...

 

I think that the responses on this thread were in regards to a very specific situation (According to the OP, it wasn't feasable to children to use the pools designed for them, therefore many of us feel that it would be understandable for Princess to "bend" the rules.)

[luv2cruise99]

Plenty of things to do and places to go for kids on a cruiseship in Alaska... the adults only pool is not one of them. Why is so hard for people to follow the rules? Here is a pic from the Coral Princess taken last week.

 

People are finding it hard to follow because on this particular cruise the adults only pool was the only usable pool due to poor weather.

 

I have read numerous angry threads on these boards from people complaining about certain activities and lounges being closed to the general public to accomodate large affinity groups (Amway salesmen, gay/lesbian groups, insurance salemen, etc). This is no different. One group of people being given preferential treatment at the expense of another.

 

I fully understand that children are not always equal to adults, but when I pay good money for my children to accompany me on a cruise that has been advertised as a "family vacation" then I expect them to be able to enjoy all age-appropriate activities. Afterall, kids can't enjoy an afternoon at the casino or belly up to the bar, so other than the children's programs, swimming is about the only other daytime activity for them to enjoy. To take that away from them greatly diminishes the value of my vacation dollar.

 

If there are other pools available, then yes, kids should be made to stay out of the adults only pool, but if it is the only pool that is usuable then that rule should be waived out of fairness.

 

Rules sometimes change do to unusual circumstances, so if I were in the situation of the OP, I would assume that this rule had changed and allow my children to swim until a person of authority told me otherwise.

[bdjam]

I applaud you for your understanding in certain situations as this. You are the only poster who is not a parent but yet understands. Most of the opposing posters are either single or married with no children, so how in the world can they know how they will act as parents in any situation. Basically, as one other poster stated, it is all about being anti-kids.

Wasn’t this thread started by a parent?

While I’m not necessarily anti-kids, I do believe that rules are in place for a reason and even if Princess is marketing to families, they realize they have an adult market as well and need to cater to that too. I bet you don’t see kids in the adult pools on the Disney ships – and they certainly aren’t anti-kids.

[dosi]

 

Afterall, kids can't enjoy an afternoon at the casino or belly up to the bar, so other than the children's programs, swimming is about the only other daytime activity for them to enjoy. To take that away from them greatly diminishes the value of my vacation dollar.

 

If I were in the situation of the OP, I would allow my children to swim until a person of authority told me otherwise.

 

 

Well your kids miss out on a lot if all they can find to do is go to the kids program and go swimming. We played shuffleboard, basketball and a sort of chess that my five year old made the rules to (guess who won that?) We also went jogging and explored every inch of the ship. Our trip was by no means ruined due to the lack of a swimming pool and I feel I more than got my money's worth on the trip.

 

I am sorry that my thread has turned into a debate about Princess being fair to children vs adults. That was never my intent. I never thought it was unfair that Timmy couldn't use the pool, I just thought it was wrong for so many other parents to disregard the rules. As you can see by Larrys photo, the signs that state adults only are not small. And there are at least six or eight of them posted by every entrance to the pool. It was very clear to me and to any other English reading person that children were not allowed in the pool. I understand the point some of you make for advocating for your child, but when do you make the point to those same kids about just following the rules?

[dosi]

Basically, as one other poster stated, it is all about being anti-kids.

 

Gosh I don't know what to say. I am the OP, I am not anti kids. I have a child. I love my child. The sign clearly said Adults Only. Can I possibly be labeled as "Pro Rules" rather than "Anti Kids"? It really does sound a lot nicer.

[ahracer]

As someone with kids let me state my position. I agree that given bad weather conditions it would be nice if they allowed kids in the indoor pool even if it was only for a few hours. The other thing I do not understand is the Coral is the only Princess ship where the indoor pool is adults only. Even it's sister ship the Island allows kids in the indoor pool. So I think it is fair to ask Princess why is the Coral different and why can't they at least allow for a kids swim time.

 

However, I would not allow my kids in the pool regardless of how I felt if it is clearly marked adults only. Besides being considerate to fellow passengers I do not think it sets a good example for the kids.

 

Scott

[cruise fairy]

Largin,

I find it rather comical that you just happen to decide to take a picture of a sign beside a pool:D .

[dosi]

However, I would not allow my kids in the pool regardless of how I felt if it is clearly marked adults only. Besides being considerate to fellow passengers I do not think it sets a good example for the kids.

 

Scott

 

Thanks Scott, it is nice to know that someone out there is like minded. :)

[where next?]

I understand the point some of you make for advocating for your child, but when do you make the point to those same kids about just following the rules?

 

When the rules are fair I will follow them and insist that my children do the same. If something is not fair, I will challenge it and teach my children to do so, but in a respectful way.

 

Oh well, it is a shame this thread turned into what it did. This thread isn't about learning about cruising and sharing experiences, it's about not wanting to share with the segment of the population(in bad weather only!) that will someday be helping to support another segment of the population...us! Too bad.......good thing these kids don't have a choice about "sharing" when they get their future paychecks with all those lovely payroll taxes being deducted!!! That's another thread........