Anyone taken a child on a "Non Kid-Friendly" Cruise?

[CI66774]

I've cruised on both Regent and Crystal - before I adopted my DD. Personally, I would NOT take my DD on those lines without kid clubs, etc., until she's a teenager. She's five and likes being around other kids and doing crafts, etc. I know she would be bored and restless if there were no structured activities. Also, it give Mom a chance to have some alone time, too. We've been on Disney (wonderful) and Princess (wonderful) and are going back on the Royal Princess soon. Never had a snide comment - in fact - just the opposite. People were fawning all over her. Came up to me to tell me how beautiful and well-behaved she was. Just my two cents.

[Onessa]

. . . My ONE bad experience on a cruise with an unpleasant person occurred on a Princess Cruise. A number of things had happened the previous year, one of which was the discovery that my eldest son would be blind from a juvenile form of macular degeneration.

Long story short, we were rudely yelled at by an older passenger over seating for the main show. . . .

We've been traveling with our DD (now 18YO) since she was 8MO on a variety of lines. Our only bad experience on board was a RCCI.

 

We were seated at a 10-top with two other families that we did not know prior to the cruise. DD was 8YO, the other kids were 12-14YO age range. The older kids generally ate their entrees early and left (or ate on their own), so DD was usually the only kid at the table. She is a avid reader, so she would bring a book. While the adults lingered after dinner, she would quietly read. So third night into a nine day cruise, a woman at an ajoining table hurumph'ed very loudly and announced "isn't that the height of rudeness, her grandmother would never have allowed anyone to read at the dinner table". DD turned about thirty shades of red and burst into (quiet) tears.

 

One of the other diners at this person's table announced just as loudly that his grandmother considered commenting upon anyone else's manners to be unexceptable and the single most rude thing anyone could possibly do. Rude lady hurumph'ed again and stormed out of the dining room (to applause from the surrounding tables) -- never to return to that table for the remainder of the cruise.

 

DD got lots of sympathy, extra ice cream, and an invitation to a private gallery tour the next day. She was the special favorite of the dining room staff for the remainder of the cruise and was looked upon most kindly by the ajoining table (who "got rid of" a most annoying table-mate) :D.

 

I think you can run into GOFs anywhere, but you'll also run into more "nice" people.

 

You need to know what your child is capable of. DD has always been a great traveler (adaptable, long-attention span, relatively good natured). My DNiece on the other hand is 6weeks older than DD and has always been a handful (anywhere, anytime :)) and thus does not get invited along to too many places.

[Dididi]

When my daughter was three years old, I saw a great offer for an Azamara South America Christmas-time cruise in the newspaper and immediately booked a cabin. Azamara has no facilities for children, but the itinerary was very appealing. I brought plenty of coloring books and toys, and a video player. We went to the "regular" swim pool almost every day. I chose excursions my daughter would enjoy -- no all day marathons -- and a couple of visits to the beaches. She can now say that the first time she ever went to the beach was in Brazil! My daughter loves to dress up so did very well in the dining room -- we did not share a table with others. A couple of times she was tired, so we grabbed something quick from the grill. There were 12-20 children and Santa brought toys to them. Some of the older children looked sooooooooooo bored, but none of them were disruptive.

 

A year later we returned to the Azamara Journey for an India/Maldives/Sri Lanka itinerary. Our last chance to take an exotic trip during the school year before "real" school. My daughter was the only child on the ship. I again planned onshore excursions that would appeal to her -- and to the adults of our group. We spent a night on a houseboat during an overnight stay in Cochi, and my daughter got to play with the children of the owners of the small resort from where we boarded the houseboat. No common language needed when playing with SpongeBob and Dora toys and coloring books. A beach day in the Maldives was out of this world. A couple of times she got tired, but what is great about cruises is that one's cabin is never far away. As in the other cruise, many came to compliment my daughter for being such a great cruiser.

 

Our latest cruise was on the Pacific Princess -- same size as the Azamaras but with a kids' club. My daughter made friends at the kids' club, and I could go to the hot tubs or do something else on board by myself. I was able to go with two friends to the Bazaar in Istanbul at my leisure.

 

In sum, I have taken my daughter on non kid-friendly cruises because of interesting itineraries, but have been very mindful of respecting other passengers, and also of making the trips fun for my daughter and I. Before our South American cruise, I was not a fan of cruises (a whole day at sea before getting somewhere, that takes forever!) but not having to pack your bags every other day, not dealing with trains or buses to get to the next destination, and having a bed nearby for a nap are priceless. We might return to the Azamaras if an itinerary (and price) is right despite the extra effort because there's no kids' club. But I'll have to plan ahead to avoid the "I'm soooo bored" look.

[worldspan]

No doubt many of the Oceania child haters will discourage for their own selfish interests. That said, took my 5 yr old grandson on Riviera for 11 days in 2013 and he has the best of times!

 

Worldpan

[blueline7]

I am curious - my wife spotted a Crystal cruise that she was interested, but from what I could tell, most of the rooms were only for two people. Do they have rooms that accommodate 3 or 4 people?

 

I didn't see an answer to this question...and I was wondering the same thing. Anyone?

[pkay414]

No doubt many of the Oceania child haters will discourage for their own selfish interests. That said, took my 5 yr old grandson on Riviera for 11 days in 2013 and he has the best of times!

 

Worldpan

 

I think it's a little unfair to call people who wish to travel on adult-only cruises child haters. I don't hate children, but I admit to enjoying a vacation not being surrounded by children -- mainly because I do not have children so I'm not used to being around children (unless it's my nieces and nephews).

 

Wanting to enjoy a child-free vacation is not wrong -- it's just not some people's preference.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I hope I never want to go on a child free vacation. I was on Oceania and it was nice to see two happy well-behaved kids on board. They were smiling, swimming and playing ping pong.

 

Today's child cruisers are tomorrow's adult cruisers. They will then bring their kids and grandchildren. Not all parents want to go on a theme park inspired cruise. Some of us enjoy relaxing and being in sophisticated surroundings. My two sons are polite and cultured because they have been exposed to experiences besides Disney.

 

My youngest son loves Celebrity which is not a "kiddy" cruise (my oldest is 26 and married now). My youngest doesn't need constant stimulation- waterslides, etc. He enjoys the finer things in life just like his Mom.

Edited April 24, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[cadien]

Wanting to enjoy a child-free vacation is not wrong -- it's just not some people's preference.

 

Even parents occasionally enjoy a child-free vacation...

[pkay414]

I hope I never want to go on a child free vacation. I was on Oceania and it was nice to see two happy well-behaved kids on board. They were smiling, swimming and playing ping pong.

 

Today's child cruisers are tomorrow's adult cruisers. They will then bring their kids and grandchildren. Not all parents want to go on a theme park inspired cruise. Some of us enjoy relaxing and being in sophisticated surroundings. My two sons are polite and cultured because they have been exposed to experiences besides Disney.

 

My youngest son loves Celebrity which is not a "kiddy" cruise (my oldest is 26 and married now). My youngest doesn't need constant stimulation- waterslides, etc. He enjoys the finer things in life just like his Mom.

 

 

You are right. My point, though, is that to call those who wish a child-free vacation children haters is unfair.

[Scrapchick]

I have a 12 year old DD who has been cruising since she was a baby, and will turn 13 on a ship this summer. The OP did not say how old her child was. We have never really gone for the Carnival/Royal Caribbean style and have pretty much stuck with Princess, HAL and Celebrity. Our DD is an only child and used to love the kids clubs on board, so much so that we couldn't drag her out to come and eat with us.

 

Now she's older she's much more into doing adult things with us and enjoys the more mature aspects of cruising. She has grown into a wonderfully behaved girl who can make conversation with anyone and behaves very well in social situations. However, she still craves kids her own age to hang out with even though she avoids kids clubs now. For that reason, I'm not sure if we would go on a cruise that wasn't considered "kid friendly" or at least "kid tolerant". Even now my DD hopes there will be someone for her to hang out with on our summer cruise. All kids are different. All families are different. Not everyone appreciates the joys of children or wants them around on vacation. We try to be respectful of others while wanting to enjoy our own vacation. Personally, I'd like to be able to relax on a cruise without worrying my child was unwelcome. We've had very few problems cruising with our DD but every now and then there's a grumpy who thinks kids just don't belong on ships at all ever.

[ducklite]

I just got back from a cruise. There were three children under five or so onboard. There was also a very well behaved 10 +/- year old girl with engaged parents who was quiet and polite. Of the younger kids, two were disruptive more than a few times, and the parents had to be told to take the one year old out of the pool (yuck,) and one was a total brat who was extremely disruptive constantly. The parents ignored him and expected other cruisers or crew to babysit. I believe something was finally said because I didn't see them the last couple of days.

 

This was in a line with no children's amenities at all. None. No kids menu, high chairs, clubs, activities, nothing. Frankly the parents of the younger kids were completely selfish for bringing those kids aboard. They were inconsiderate if their children who were not having a good time, and of the others cruisers who were disturbed over and over by meltdowns, whining, rough ousting, etc.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I hope I never want to go on a child free vacation. I was on Oceania and it was nice to see two happy well-behaved kids on board.

There's a big difference between two well-behaved kids and 500 teenagers. Even 500 well-behaved teenagers tend to be noisy and fill the pools.

[ducklite]

I hope I never want to go on a child free vacation. I was on Oceania and it was nice to see two happy well-behaved kids on board.

 

There's a big difference between two well-behaved kids and 500 teenagers. Even 500 well-behaved teenagers tend to be noisy and fill the pools.

 

 

The problem is that often the children on a cruise with no children's facilities are bored out of their minds--and they make sure that all the passengers are aware of this in a most disruptive way.

 

If the ship has children's facilities and amenities, expect to see them, regardless of how upscale the line is. If the ship makes it clear that there are no facilities or amenities for children, parents shouldn't be dense enough to not realize this is the way of telling them that their children really aren't welcome, and should understand when other passengers aren't particularly happy with the presence of children.

[Kona921]

Big difference as both of those lines offer children's facilities. The OP was talking about the lines that offer no such thing, Seabourne, Windstar, Paul Gauguin, Sea Dream, etc. Personally I would never bring a child onto a ship that so actively discourages them by providing no facilities, no menu, no programming, no cribs, nothing for children. It isn't that difficult to read between the lines that they aren't welcome.

 

I would not agree that lack of facilities etc would mean that they are actively discouraging children. These are higher priced cruises...so typically young families aren't going to spend the money. With only 300 passengers there are many amenities found on larger cruise lines that would not be offered on a small yacht. Why have a kids club staff for so few children? Also, many times parents would bring a nanny to help out. My daughter doesn't need a childrens menu...she eats the same foods as us...etc. they are very accommodating to special dietary needs including a smaller portion.

 

Unless excluded you are able to book with any line you choose, just be prepared to assist in entertaining them.

 

There is no way I would board a ship with thousands of passengers simply because they "welcome" children.

 

Btw--since when do I need an ok from potential passengers to bring my kids?...ridiculous.

[ducklite]

I would not agree that lack of facilities etc would mean that they are actively discouraging children. These are higher priced cruises...so typically young families aren't going to spend the money. With only 300 passengers there are many amenities found on larger cruise lines that would not be offered on a small yacht. Why have a kids club staff for so few children? Also, many times parents would bring a nanny to help out. My daughter doesn't need a childrens menu...she eats the same foods as us...etc. they are very accommodating to special dietary needs including a smaller portion.

 

 

 

Unless excluded you are able to book with any line you choose, just be prepared to assist in entertaining them.

 

 

 

There is no way I would board a ship with thousands of passengers simply because they "welcome" children.

 

 

 

Btw--since when do I need an ok from potential passengers to bring my kids?...ridiculous.

 

 

Many luxury lines that do have smaller ships DO have children's programming during some seasons. When that is available, I don't know why anyone would choose a similar ship without. All I can say is that if I am sailing in a ship that actively discourages people from bringing along children, I won't be rude to you, but I will be quite cool, and do not expect to sit at my table during meals with your children. You are simply not welcome.

 

It is also not my responsibility to entertain your children. You brought them, you entertain them, and I don't want to hear them. I find it quite telling that you feel that others should be responsible for entertaining your kids. Why did you have them if you expected others to care for them?

 

I don't hate kids, however I have a big beef with selfish parents who can't read between the lines and insist on imposing them where they are not welcome.

Edited May 12, 2014 by ducklite

[BeagleOne]

 

Unless excluded you are able to book with any line you choose, just be prepared to assist in entertaining them.

 

 

This line refers to the PARENTS' being prepared to entertain their children, not other passengers' having to do so.

 

Just because one person wouldn't choose to bring children on a particular ship on a particular cruise doesn't mean other parents' choice to do so is inappropriate. And honestly, unless the cruise line blatantly states that children are not welcome, that choice really isn't anyone else's business but that family's.

Edited May 12, 2014 by BeagleOne

[ducklite]

 

Unless excluded you are able to book with any line you choose, just be prepared to assist in entertaining them.

 

 

This line refers to the PARENTS' being prepared to entertain their children, not other passengers' having to do so.

 

Just because one person wouldn't choose to bring children on a particular ship on a particular cruise doesn't mean other parents' choice to do so is inappropriate. And honestly, unless the cruise line blatantly states that children are not welcome, that choice really isn't anyone else's business but that family's.

 

 

The word "assist" is the problem. It indicates that the parents shouldn't have to take full, 100% responsibility in entertaining their children. Parents should assist in that situation, they need to take sole responsibility. Period.

[pl281]

I know this thread is a few months old, but I want to give my 2 cents

My DS just turned 1 and we were looking for a cruise for next summer (or spring break)

 

We've previously been on NCL, RCCI, Princess, Oceania and Regent before having the LO.

 

We were considering Cunard, but was concerned with international travel with a 23MO

 

We saw no issue with going on a line like Oceania which we have done before, the bigger issue (and varies from line to line) was more so the 3rd person cost and excursions. It seems most lines are now charging the 3rd person fair regardless of age (even Disney)

 

We have switched from "get away cruise" to "sightseeing cruise" so it really changes what we are looking for in a ship many of these cruises are very port intensive with limited sea days.

 

On Oceania specifically, they charge full price for the excursions regardless of age and there is really only so much a 18MO - 2YO can do on most excursions.

 

Other than that. I would say as long as you are respectful of those around you then you should be fine. We live in a county club and are one of the only families with a LO and everyone loves seeing him, it likes having 100 "extra grandparents", but as I said we are respectful of others and if he is being fussy we take him out of the dinning room until he calms down and are pro-active to his needs (diapers etc)

 

One other thing to consider is that some of these ships may not have changing tables, which isn't the end of the world, just something to remind yourself of so you prepare accordingly

[kitkat343]

pl281, we cruised with my son at 24 months on Princess and 36 months on HAL. Overall, it went quite well, but I would strongly recommend that you book private excursions whenever possible. The only excursion that was a disaster was the one we booked through Princess at the Panama canal, because the Panama canal authority wouldn't let anyone off the ship at Gatun Lake unless they had booked an excursion through the ship (otherwise you would stay on the boat for hours, as it passed through the locks in Panama). It was an unmitigated disaster, as my son hated the wildlife cruise we booked (there was nothing to see) and the tour ended two hours before the Coral Princess crossed the Panama canal, and we were stuck in a port with our son who needed to take a nap and we couldn't get back on the boat. On private tours, we were able to modify the activities when he didn't love something, and bring him back to the boat when he was tired. And no one was held up by our slower pace, or disturbed by my son's noise. You should look at the ship excursions, and then search through tripadvisor to see if you can find a private company to take you on identical trips. Have a great time!

[Syrreal]

We got back a few weeks ago from our 12 night arctic circle cruise on Celebrity Constellation with our 7 and 3.5 year olds. They were 2 of a total of 10 kids under 12. It was a blast and they had a great time! We didn't do any of the shore excursions with the kids so I can't comment on those but we were out and about at every port except for 1. The kids really loved the kids club and would get upset when we would go pick them up. They came to dinner in the MDR a couple of times and were also doted on everywhere we went.

[minniem]

Love kids, was a teacher for 30 years. Well behaved kids are not a problem. But sometimes my definition of well behaved and the parents definition are vastly different. For instance sometimes when we are dancing children are running around the dance floor bumping into dancers and the parents attitude is "I paid for this cruise, my kids have the right to use the dance floor". That kind of ruins it for people who love to dance.

One of the reasons I love cruising Disney is that the adult areas are strictly adult and there are no little ones running around the dance floor. The adult pool is again adult. Children are not permitted there and there are a couple of adult only restaurants. If I stick to adult areas I actually interact with fewer kids on a Disney ship than on any other line.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

My understanding is the OP wants to do a cruise that has a more interesting itinerary and one of the benefits of smaller vessels is the ease of getting on and off in ports. If they plan to use it like a hotel- bed and meals... it's fine. As for people on the dance floor on some of the smaller lines like Oceana- I never saw anyone on the dance floor. It was dead.

 

One of the reasons I wouldn't sail Oceana again is because there was nothing to do except read on board and zero nightlife. I was with my family and had a great time in the ports and spending time with them but for the money, I prefer larger ships with more activities.

Edited July 21, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Onessa]

I hope I never want to go on a child free vacation. I was on Oceania and it was nice to see two happy well-behaved kids on board.

There's a big difference between two well-behaved kids and 500 teenagers. Even 500 well-behaved teenagers tend to be noisy and fill the pools.

Recently back from a land trip to a US located 4-dimond resort. There were 175 teens (from 14YO-18YO) staying there for a leadership conference. Not any noisier than most of the other guests. Pool and other common areas not any more crowded on the days when they were there vs the days they were not. They were "replaced" by a group of about 30 Korean War Navy vets and spouses. I'd prefer the 175 teens to the 60 older folks - bars were crowded, the vets were loud, and there were two of them who seemed to feel that they should be able to smoke anywhere on the grounds rather than the designated spots (including blocking doors, and directly below our balconey). Not all of these "older" guests were load and/or obnoxious, but it just goes to show that painting all of any group as "good" or "bad" is simply not accurate.

 

. . . .All I can say is that if I am sailing in a ship that actively discourages people from bringing along children, I won't be rude to you, but I will be quite cool, and do not expect to sit at my table during meals with your children. You are simply not welcome. . . .I don't hate kids, however I have a big beef with selfish parents who can't read between the lines and insist on imposing them where they are not welcome.

wow. Now that my kid is grown up, I'm tempted to rent a kid to bring with me so that I might recognize you by your "coolness" so that I can avoid you. With an attitude like yours, I sure you believe that their other groups who should be reading "between the lines" and know that you don't think that they belong there either.

[jac1976]

I think as long as one is prepared to cruise on a line that does not cater to children, then it is perfectly fine.

 

A week before my son's second birthday we did a transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2. We went with my in-laws, and we specifically chose a Cunard ship for sentimental purposes on my mother-in-law's part. I think there were 2 other children on board as we were sailing during April when schools were in session. We all had a fantastic time. Our son had fun as well- we spent most of our time exploring the ship. He "played" shuffleboard and basketball. (Since the age of the average cruiser on the ship was quite elderly, we didn't see one person enjoying the athletic courts during our voyage.) The people who worked on the ship doted on my son. Many of the workers have family that they leave for months at a time in order to work on the ship. My little boy brought smiles to a lot of people's faces that trip. Every night at dinner they would bring him his meal first, and then when he would start to fuss, we'd drop him off at the nursery until we were finished.

 

Next month we are departing on our second Cunard cruise, this time on the Queen Victoria. We are also sailing in the Queens Grill, which is their first class level. My children are now 6 and 9. I'm sure some people will not be thrilled to see my children in the dining room, but as long as my kids are acting respectfully and appropriately, they have every right to be there.

 

Why don't we choose a more child-centered line? Several reasons- First, my son gets overwhelmed by large groups of kids. We tried a Disney cruise a few years ago- we had to leave a few of the special events because there was too much commotion for my son. He prefers quieter environments. Second, we want a more formal experience while sailing. We don't mind wearing semi-formal attire to dinner every night (that's not a formal night that is, my son is really excited about wearing a tuxedo on those nights.) I want my children to learn how to behave in more formal situations. Third, we don't put our kids in the kids club unless we have a reason to do so, so the kids clubs aren't our priority when choosing which ship we will cruise on. We spend a lot of time with our children- even on vacation, so we don't need a kids club that can entertain our children 24/7. Fourth, this time we are traveling with my father (65 years old) and my father in law (82 years old). They will have a much better time on a non kid friendly cruise.

[jean s]

We always traveled as a family and cherish the memories of bringing our son on cruises whether they were kid friendly or not. We expected him to behave appropriately and for the most part he lived up to that expectation. If he became a little over active we would just take him for a walk or eat in the buffet that night. Now that our son is grown up with his own chldren I can't wait to take the grandchildren on some cruises. I think traveling with children provides the youngsters with a unique learning experience.