Kids i HAVEN

[skeeter195]

I look at it this way. People go on a cruises to enjoy themselves. Some adults party til dawn, others go to the casino, and others want to relax in quiet. There are different places for all of these adults to go. They are going to these places because this is what makes them happy. In some instances the adults will be very loud(laughing or yelling when dancing or hitting a jackpot in the casino) having a good time.

 

Most all kids will be making noise if they are happy and having a good time. If a kid is not laughing and playing at times then they are probably not happy. I myself would much rather see a happy and vibrant kid than a quiet and reserved kid. Don't get me wrong though, one of my sons favorite things to do when growing up was to read. Put him around water though(the haven) and he just wants to be a kid and have fun. If that means splashing and jumping into the water without getting others wet then more power to him. Excessive yelling though is uncalled for. As said before, the Haven is not a quiet or kids free zone.

 

Some people will never be happy around kids, I think they think that all kids are bad. One time on the Jewel my son and his friend(both 10 years old) were yelled at by 2 women in their sixties. My son held a door open for them and they yelled at them and said "kids are not supposed to alone, where are your parents?" My wife and I were 20 feet behind them. I loved my sons comment after they left. He said I hope I see her again so I can open another door for her. We just smiled.

[psac]

Ironically I think the best cruise line for adult only areas is Disney. They have tons of them, and seemed to do a good job of enforcing it. We saw one young teenager in the adult areas, and though staff didn't kick him out, he was quietly reading a book. He probably wanted to get away from the loud kids, too! :D

[tel2]

On my last cruise in the Haven, the peace and tranquility of the Haven was disturbed not by ill-behaved children, but rather by a group of three 40ish couples who were in the Haven pool area and hot tubs almost every day, all day. They were seemingly always intoxicated, loud and boorish, screaming back and forth to each other, spouses arguing loudly with each other and using the "f" word in every other sentence, talking loudly about the previous night's sexual escapades, snapping their fingers at passing butlers or the assigned butler for service. It was appalling (and no, we are not old and crotchety - this was wayyy beyond the pale and in extremely bad taste...)

 

I know another family complained - they had two teens with them and the first time they heard the "f" word being bandied about loudly in casual conversation the father got up and took his two teens with him, and then the concierge came to speak with the 3 couples. But it didnt change throughout the week, and I never saw the other family in the Haven again. But my husband and I often found that it was our afternoon entertainment. We continued to pop in in the afternoons and have a drink to hear the update on their very interesting goings on. It was truly entertaining. I felt like we were watching a live taping of Housewives.....

 

I have taken more than 20 cruises. I can almost always find a quiet place to relax (although I always get the spa pass, and have also gotten vibe passes on Breakaway). There are only a few times I can remember unruly children really annoying people. Nothing annoys me more than having a child get on an elevator and press every single button, and the parents that think it is cute. Not even a little embarrassed. (I can assure you my kids would have gotten a lengthy time out for that...)

 

But what took the cake on our last cruise was watching 4 children, about 8-12 years old, sitting with their parents and grandparents at the next table in Teppanyaki start to throw pieces of food at each other after the chef had done the thing where they have the men catch something in their mouth. Food was flying everywhere as the kids aimed for each others mouths, and grandmom got up to take a video because they "were sooo cute" and then mom and dad joined in the food throwing. Are you kidding me? The chef was apoplectic, as were the servers. I really dont think they knew what to do. And then, the best part, as we were leaving, the father and grandfather were complaining that the portions were too small and they were still hungry -- as I glanced around at shrimp and pieces of chicken lying all over the table and floor.

 

Children learn good manners from their parents. If the parents are ignorant and boorish, so will be the kids. Most of us would be mortified if our children or grandchildren acted like that in public, and we surely would not find it cute. But there are always a few ......not much you can do about it but be thankful that you are confident that your kids/grandkids would never ever ever act like that in private, let alone in public.

 

Terry

[chickensmomma]

We plan on taking three kids ages 6-10 (one with autism)on Getaway ina 2BR Haven Villa. We have stayed on Jewel and Pearl in non-Haven BR suites with nice perks but no access to the Haven area. We liked the space and butler, Cagney's perks but did not want to subject the Haven to my children. The problem on the new ships is there is no category that allows for that type room- there is only Haven Family Villas.

 

We booked the GA Villa because we need the space and perks of a suite- especially travelling with an autistic child. We will use the restaurant and the pool because we paid a premium; however, I expect my children to be well behaved. They can yell and scream on the slides and in the kids club.

 

I wish they had non- Haven family suites on the three new ships.

[Sparkygirl]

We plan on taking three kids ages 6-10 (one with autism)on Getaway ina 2BR Haven Villa. We have stayed on Jewel and Pearl in non-Haven BR suites with nice perks but no access to the Haven area. We liked the space and butler, Cagney's perks but did not want to subject the Haven to my children. The problem on the new ships is there is no category that allows for that type room- there is only Haven Family Villas.

 

We booked the GA Villa because we need the space and perks of a suite- especially travelling with an autistic child. We will use the restaurant and the pool because we paid a premium; however, I expect my children to be well behaved. They can yell and scream on the slides and in the kids club.

 

I wish they had non- Haven family suites on the three new ships.

 

I completely agree! The non-haven family suites are also my favorite cabin type and really is best for our family.