No-children travellers perspective of children on cruises???

[help04me]

Hi,

 

I have cruised a few times before but have now booked the kids first cruise with us next October, they will be 7 and 8 at the time. Although I think they can be a pain at times, on the whole they are generally good. When we went to Disneyland in the summer they were amazingly behaved compared to a lot of the children I saw there.

 

The cruise we are booked on is during our school October half term, however our half term is usually a week out from the majority of other schools so not sure if there will be many other kids and if non-family people will have booked banking on this!

 

We are also hoping to do a Trans Atlantic cruise next year or the year after and due to the legislation in England changing about not authorising holidays there will probably not be many kids aboard....so interested in people's opinion, especially as it will be so long at sea.

 

On my previous cruise when I did not had my kids with me I didn't really notice many kids about, I think it must have been during term time but also as a parent, other people's (well behaved) kids slip under my radar.

 

If I spot another child throwing a tantrum and the parent is actually dealing with it, I tend to give the "been there, done that, got the t-short look" as I know how difficult it can be when I am trying to deal with my kids bad behaviour (rather than give in to them and allow them to be spoilt) and then I get rotten looks from bystanders :(

 

Other kids bad behaviour, that is being either ignored by the parents or dealt with (in my eyes) the wrong way, however, drives me mad even as a fellow parent!

 

 

So.....I want the opinion of anyone who travels without children....

• What kids behaviour drives you mad?
  
• What behaviour from the parents drives you mad?
  
• What areas do you not like seeing kids?
  

I want my kids to enjoy this amazing adventure and I hope that they will be very well behaved, but un-fortunately that isn't the case 100% of the time. I guess I am looking for re-assurance that they will be tolerated by other passengers....within reason :D

To put these responses into perspective I first would suggest you gauge the demographics of the group. My guess IS MOST RESPONDANTS are empty nesters over 50 plus year as I am . I f your kids behave well at home I am sure they will on a ship. I dine late to avoid the kids but they too should be able to enjoy the fun and excitement . As long as they are not out playing elevator tag at 1 am in the morning I am sure they will be fine . good luck and happy cruising.

[jc24cruiser]

Thank you to the two of you who mentioned sitting on the edge of aisles for the theatre, had not thought of that. Although we already adopt the "remove quietly and deal with it" tactic in restaurants, I had not thought of the implications of sitting in the middle of a row of seats in the theatre!

 

Elevators

My kids have, luckily, not learnt the trick of pressing all the buttons, they enjoy taking it in turns to press the correct button for the level we are going to. But I expect they will learn it at some point! On our last cruise we generally used the stairs going every where, we justified the fact that we were eating more than usual by balancing it out with the stairs! But it's another thing to put on the "Holiday Rules"

 

Early Mornings

My kids are very different, my son goes to sleep the second his head hits the pillow, whereas my daughter will lay quietly in bed but awake until 10pm/11pm/midnight.....but she will sleep in the morning until 9am/10am if not disturbed, whereas my son will wake up at 5am!!! Problem is when my sin goes to sleep early, my daughter stays awake for hours and then my son wakes his sister up early.....then I have one grizzly girl, but she will crash for a nap in the afternoon :)

 

When we went to Disneyland they were so tired that they were both asleep the second they got into bed and then we were actually having to wake them both up in the morning so that we could get into the Park early. Fingers crossed that they will have so much to do that it will be like that this time round :D

 

And NHDisley lover - my kids are the same, they point out other children's bad behaviour quite loudly! Some times I have to get them to try and be discreet as I don't fancy getting into an argument with the parents!

 

I hope that I am not sounding like I am trying to make my kids out to be angels, cause they are not angels all the time, but so far the things mentioned are not things they do all the time :)

[mikechass]

I have a 12 and an 8 year old.

We did our first cruise on Freedom this summer.

The one thing I wished someone told me was to RELAX and have faith in the way you raised your kids.

I was much like you, asking questions and hoping to not annoy or offend the other passengers.

I came to see VERY early on that most of the issues and problems we had came from the ADULTS on the ship. Adults behaviour in the buffet was awful, the fact that people would shove my children to get at the pop machines etc... it was overwhelming to try to explain to the kids WHY these grown ups were acting so terrible.

The most entitled people we saw, both on the cruise and in Seaworld/Busch Gardens were the grown ups who gave up their morals and values to cut in front of my kids who were patient and well behaved.

Go away, enjoy your family and have faith that they will be very well behaved. But please remember, they too are on vacation so little allowances should be planned on.

Staying up later then usual, having pizza or dessert at 11 pm just because they can, watching movies you maybe wouldn't allow at home, bringing a book or their ipods to dinner so they can have something to do as a "Reward" for the first hours good behaviour.

Enjoy your trip!

Chass

[PuterMonkey]

Noise, running, and kids in adult areas have already been thoroughly covered.

 

I am bothered by kids with noisy electronic devices during dinner. I've been seated at a table with kids playing their Nintendos during dinner. The bleeps, pings, and whizzes were enough to make me switch tables. I've also been seated at the next table from a couple who let their child watch DVDs during dinner. I loved Beauty and the Beast but I hated having to shout during dinner to be heard over Be Our Guest played at maximum volume.

 

This is such a pet peeve of mine, and I'm a parent!

 

Although, I don't like adults playing with their cell phones all through the meal any better.

[Amy from Delaware]

Whining. :eek:

 

"Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy" while mommy ignores the child. :eek:

 

"Child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child" while child ignores mommy. :eek:

[jc24cruiser]

Whining. :eek:

 

"Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy" while mommy ignores the child. :eek:

 

"Child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child, child" while child ignores mommy. :eek:

 

 

That made me laugh!!!!

 

I am sometimes known for zoning out and not even hearing my kids when I am really busy doing something, but hope I would notice something as excessive as that! But will be more aware of doing it around others....though it is never intentional!

[Akitkat118]

I just want to say I have a 19 month old. He is generally, a very good kid. But sometimes, to the annoyance of my husband and I, he will scream. For no good reason.

We quickly try to tell him to be quiet. We remove him from the area.

But, he thinks it is funny. And besides muzzling the kid, we need to figure out the right "thing" that will distract him at that given time. It may take a few minutes. We aren't pleased by the screaming either - but we aren't doing nothing.

My point is, toddlers suck. It's very hard to control them when you have no idea what is going through their head and you just need to find something to distract. Yelling at them makes them do it more. Others don't you want you to ignore it because they get annoyed.

So bear with the poor parents trying to get their toddler to stop doing the most annoying thing ever without egging them on. It's not easy!

[Amy from Delaware]

I just want to say I have a 19 month old. He is generally, a very good kid. But sometimes, to the annoyance of my husband and I, he will scream. For no good reason.

We quickly try to tell him to be quiet. We remove him from the area.

But, he thinks it is funny. And besides muzzling the kid, we need to figure out the right "thing" that will distract him at that given time. It may take a few minutes. We aren't pleased by the screaming either - but we aren't doing nothing.

My point is, toddlers suck. It's very hard to control them when you have no idea what is going through their head and you just need to find something to distract. Yelling at them makes them do it more. Others don't you want you to ignore it because they get annoyed.

So bear with the poor parents trying to get their toddler to stop doing the most annoying thing ever without egging them on. It's not easy!

 

Oh, I sure know what you mean. In my experience, little kids like to scream in large rooms to hear the echoes. I used to work in a place with a multi-story lobby and there were ALWAYS little kids enjoying the echo in there. The only "cure" was to get them out of the large enclosed space.

[xxHadleyxx]

I just want to say I have a 19 month old. He is generally, a very good kid. But sometimes, to the annoyance of my husband and I, he will scream. For no good reason.

We quickly try to tell him to be quiet. We remove him from the area.

But, he thinks it is funny. And besides muzzling the kid, we need to figure out the right "thing" that will distract him at that given time. It may take a few minutes. We aren't pleased by the screaming either - but we aren't doing nothing.

My point is, toddlers suck. It's very hard to control them when you have no idea what is going through their head and you just need to find something to distract. Yelling at them makes them do it more. Others don't you want you to ignore it because they get annoyed.

So bear with the poor parents trying to get their toddler to stop doing the most annoying thing ever without egging them on. It's not easy!

 

A toddler who screams and whose parents tell him no and/or remove him is never an issue for me.

 

Children who are screaming/screeching while running around playing while their parents ignore it, or talk about how cute it is (yes, I have heard this many times) or keep doing the things that is getting the screeching reaction--THOSE are the issue. ;)

 

OPs kids are plenty old enough to understand when told not scream, screech or yell. kids that age shouting at the pool, screaming across the deck at parents (in a non emergency) etc are an issue that sadly comes up from time to time. There was ONE family with two kids on our Splendour cruise a month ago whose kids screamed a lot (and pushed all the elevator buttons and could not reach items on the buffet without their arms ragging across other items, etc) and the parents just screamed back answers to the questions, laughed at shrieks of joy, etc (the kids were probably 7 and 10). I think they were the only behaviour issues on the ship and EVERYone knew them and rolled their eyes and left quickly whenever they arrived somewhere after about day 2.

[spookwife]

To put these responses into perspective I first would suggest you gauge the demographics of the group. My guess IS MOST RESPONDANTS are empty nesters over 50 plus year as I am .

 

 

I am the exception that proves the guess.

 

under 50, CFBC.

[Thoie]

My point is, toddlers suck.

That's why I specified "over the age of 3". As irritating as it may be, babies and toddlers aren't trying to be deliberately annoying. As far as we know. If we discover that it's all a ploy, we may have to rethink things ;)

 

 

I am the exception that proves the guess.

 

under 50, CFBC.

 

I don't know what CFBC means, so I won't claim that one, but also well under 50 here.

[Doug S]

Your kids are a great age for cruising. We started our 3 boys just a bit younger and they still join us on occasion, though they are now all out on their own.

 

In reality, you are realling talking about social interaction in general. If your kids are undisciplined and a pain to be around on land, they'll also be a pain to be around on the ship. On the other hand, if they're well behaved and have been taught how to act in public situations, all will be great and we old geezers will enjoy their company. In either case, people will notice and react accordingly.

 

I've met some great kids on board that were a pleasure to be around. Also had to endure some real juvenile boneheads (but that crowd tends to impact you without making any effort to directly interact with you). Like others have said, the worst people I've come across cannot use youthful indiscretion as an excuse, but thats a whole other string of topics.

 

It sounds like you have a handle on the situation and have positive expectations of your kids. The fact that you even bothered to ask at least implies that you are taking an active role, which not all cruising parents do. Make the cruise rules clear up front, observe social boundaries, and don't abdicate your parental role while on board and all will be fine.

[xxHadleyxx]

I am the exception that proves the guess.

 

under 50, CFBC.

 

I'll be an exception with you.

I am 40 and have two teens (14 and 16).

 

I also taught preschool for years, then junior high, and was a young adult librarian and I am still a girl scout leader. I love kids and am generally fairly aware of what is fair and not fair to expect of them (I like to think so, anyway).

Edited November 6, 2013 by NHDisneylover

[xxHadleyxx]

I don't know what CFBC means, so I won't claim that one, but also well under 50 here.

 

I think it means Child Free By Choice

[cb140]

Our son is nearly 18 so doesn't really come into the kid category, but we've been cruising since he was eight.

 

My #1 pet hate (in fact if this could be eliminated, I could put up with everything else) is kids being where they are not supposed to be. Most of all,the Solarium and the hot tubs. I find (hate to generalize) that there are some nationalities that are more guilty of letting their kids do this than others. So how badly it becomes a problem kind of varies by the demographic of your cruise. I'm afraid (I sound a real kid grump now!) that I don't like it even if the kids aren't misbehaving. It simply spoils the atmosphere and puts me a bit on edge. I don't feel quite as strongly about kids in bars, providing they are quiet. I'm not really a bar person, so I suppose that's why I don't really care as long as they're not screaming or running around.

 

Other than that I'm pretty tolerant and would positively enjoy having well behaving kids on my table.

 

Just come off 2 weeks on Allure and can't think of a single time where kids bothered me or misbehaved. A few obnoxious adults here and there, though.

[Paul65]

I've traveled both with and without children, and when I was without children (mostly before I had any of my own), I was never particularly bothered by children on the ship. Here are a few things that I have seen from kids that can be a bit annoying:

 

- Very young children serving themselves at the buffet. If they are little ones, they should be getting help to be sure they are not holding up the line nor ignoring proper hygiene practices (that the adults at least should know better).

 

- Using stairways as a place to hang out. This is usually more of a teen/tween issue, but there are better places to sit and talk than the middle of a stairwell.

 

- Running around in the dining room. I don't mind kids in the dining room in general, but if they can't be expected to remain seated at the table, they don't belong.

 

- Ringing the doorbells on the suites. Not amusing at all, especially the seventh or eighth time it happened. This was a problem the one time that we splurged on a suite.

 

But, as I said, I've never found kids to be a big issue on a cruise. You see those things from time to time, but not constantly.

[Amy from Delaware]

 

Running

My kids are not allowed to run in my house or other people's houses. I am just hoping that they can understand that this is the case on such a big ship. As it is something that most of you have mentioned I will make sure that we are extra firm about it. The time that I expect that they will be eager to run is racing to our stateroom, which is in an aft location so right past everyone else :-S This will have to be one of our holiday rules!

 

 

It may seem obvious to you and me as adults, but kids may not understand that there are people on the other side of each of those doors. I taught mine to assume that behind every door, someone is sleeping. It helped them understand why they needed to be quiet.

 

Which reminds me, slamming cabin doors is really annoying.

[wwcruisers]

My biggest pet peeve as far children on a cruise ships goes are those that like to get in the elevator and push ALL the buttons to EVERY floor just before I get on.

 

As a paraplegic and one who relies solely on elevators to get places on the ship, it can be rather annoying having to stop at every floor.

 

It seems I have ran into this on EVERY cruise Ive been on too :o

 

Other than that, Im not bothered by the kids on board. Usually they are kept so busy you dont even know they are there.

 

You are right -- there is absolutely no excuse for that. We also recently ran into an appalling case of "elevator jumping", involving a couple of unsupervised young ladies, who were old enough to know better. My DH just looked at them and asked how they and their parents would be getting home from the next port, if they succeeded in breaking the elevator. :rolleyes:

[Bizzie07]

Enjoy your holiday with your kids and go with your own standards as you will never please everyone no matter what you do.

[m*u*g*]

Found more issues with kids in groups than those with parents in tow. Those either handle their child properly or they don't. Not my issue.

 

The cruises that are quince heavy, can be the rudest, most annoying of all. Sorry, but true.

[mjldvlks]

We are known in our neighborhood [and have been for a few years] as "the older couple whose kids are grown." We have never cruised with kids [unless you include the one 3 day on Monarch with our son, but that was after he graduated from college].

 

With the disclosure made, I have never really had any trouble with kids on cruises. I agree I would be miffed if I was [or almost] run over or knocked down or had kids making prolonged noise in inappropriate places, and it has always ticked me off when parents seem oblivious to what their kids are doing. But I really haven't experienced much, if any, of that on a cruise. Most of the kids we have met on cruises [usually through our roll call groups] have been great kids and fun to be around. I like seeing kids -- it shows me that a future generation of cruisers is developing, meaning the industry is healthy. I also like being around and talking to kids. Some of the most intelligent conversations I have had lately have been with 5-7 year olds.

[OCruisers]

We cruised with ours when they were school aged. Now that we are cruising without children, we never mind having children on board and being around them. Just not a problem for us in any way. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~~

[DebJ14]

Our issue is not with the children, but with the parents who allow them to run loose unsupervised. I am bothered by the kids who run past old people nearly tripping them, those who jump in front of the wheelchairs to get in the elevators (also hate when adults do this), running up and down the halls at night, knocking on doors and running away, and those who push every elevator button. I also dislike being in an alternative dining venue, where I have paid extra, only to find poorly behaved children at a nearby table. We sometimes travel with our 7 and 9 year old grandsons, and they are never out of our sight unless they are at Adventure Ocean or Camp Carnival. We don't take them to the alternative dining venues, but make sure they are in an organized program or hire a babysitter. They are good kids, but the dinner service is just too long for them in the alternative dining venues. We have been on cruises with lots of kids, but never had any issues because the majority of them were enrolled in the children's programs instead of being left on their own.

Edited November 6, 2013 by DebJ14

[Ladysilver]

Has to be seeing kids in the hot tubs. :mad:

[help04me]

I am the exception that proves the guess.

 

under 50, CFBC.

the exception is noted thanks for the correction as the 3 posts after yours I still think the term MOST is applicable and maybe replace empty nester with currently with out younger children