A Comment About Kids

[RJB]

That is the truth. Fact is Oceania allows children above the age of one onboard. If that does not fit your plans find another line.

 

 

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If enough of us find another line then Oceania will be out of business pretty soon, which could happen if enough kids find their way on our ships. The vast majority of us do not want kids on our vacation. That is why we cruise on Oceania :):)

[StanandJim]

I don't see what money has to do with this subject. If children annoy you, you need an adult only vacation. Neither kids or adults come with guaranteed "good behavior"!

 

 

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You infer where I did not imply, madame.

 

Children, in and of themselves do not annoy me. In fact, I rather enjoy them.

 

Disruption of my vacation is what I object to, and children, by virtue of their limited self control, are the group most often guilty of inappropriate conduct.

 

The money comes into it because if an unruly child throws a dented soup can at my 1967 Dodge Dart and your 2014 Rolls Royce Phantom, they haven't damaged us equally, and it might perhaps be more understandable if you were more irate.

[Noxequifans]

Well said Stan and Jim!

[NC&KY]

If enough of us find another line then Oceania will be out of business pretty soon, which could happen if enough kids find their way on our ships. The vast majority of us do not want kids on our vacation. That is why we cruise on Oceania :):)

With the proviso that I will soon be taking my first Oceania cruise, I beg to differ. We have recently taken almost exclusively small ship cruises that do not cater to children, i.e., Regent, Silverseas, Azamara, and now Oceania. I did choose them, in part, because I think the number of children on board will be limited. But I would cruise on Disney (with my grandkids!) before I would take an adults-only cruise.:eek: I can only imagine what the atmosphere would be if everyone were not at least somewhat inhibited in their behavior by the possibility that a 10 year old might be right around the corner. Diversity is a very healthy thing for lots of reasons, and a diverse age spectrum on a cruise ship is something I think many if not most of Oceania's passengers find attractive.

[hypercafe]

If enough of us find another line then Oceania will be out of business pretty soon, which could happen if enough kids find their way on our ships. The vast majority of us do not want kids on our vacation. That is why we cruise on Oceania :):)

 

A vast majority ? On my last trip on O I was disappointed because everyone looked like me, 67, or older. I would of loved to see a young couple with their kids. This topic can go nowhere as Oceania allows kids on board. If you can not except it go to another line. I do not think they will go out of business without you. In other words take your discriminate attitude some place other than Oceania.

 

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[RJB]

A vast majority ? On my last trip on O I was disappointed because everyone looked like me, 67, or older. I would of loved to see a young couple with their kids. This topic can go nowhere as Oceania allows kids on board. If you can not except it go to another line. I do not think they will go out of business without you. In other words take your discriminate attitude some place other than Oceania.

 

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No, without me they will still be here. But if you read all the boards that have dealt with this issue in the last few years you will see that the vast majority of us do not agree with you. If I were cruising with my grand kids it would be on Disney or NCL or one of the other lines that cater to kids and have a lot for them to do. Oceania is not the place for them.

[RJB]

You infer where I did not imply, madame.

 

Children, in and of themselves do not annoy me. In fact, I rather enjoy them.

 

Disruption of my vacation is what I object to, and children, by virtue of their limited self control, are the group most often guilty of inappropriate conduct.

 

The money comes into it because if an unruly child throws a dented soup can at my 1967 Dodge Dart and your 2014 Rolls Royce Phantom, they haven't damaged us equally, and it might perhaps be more understandable if you were more irate.

That Dodge Dart if it is the right model might be worth as much as a 2014 Rolls. Have you looked at the auto auctions lately? Who knows?

[StanandJim]

That Dodge Dart if it is the right model might be worth as much as a 2014 Rolls. Have you looked at the auto auctions lately? Who knows?

 

I'm not sending you out to do MY Shopping, any time soon!

[RJB]

I'm not sending you out to do MY Shopping, any time soon!

Just trying to get a little cute. I am not buying either one of these for real. Have a great day. :):):)

[cotto22]

And I thought it was just religion and politics that got people all riled up!

I am a Mother of 3, and a new grandmother of 1 adorable 2 year old. I had brilliant and gifted children who read at super early ages and could occupy themselves very well (brag brag brag but there is a point to all of this). They liked fine dining and all that but they also liked Happy Meals and video games and running around like kids and jumping into the pool and splashing people. We did all that with family vacations to Maine, and as they got older on mass market cruise lines and Disney World, then when they were older to all inclusive resorts in friendly parts of the world and trips to Europe when older still.

We did all that. And now I enjoy cruises with other middle aged or older mature adults where I am not splashed or spit up on or entertained by someone else's cute and brilliant and sometimes well behaved children who enjoy the finer things in life on a nice cruise line like Oceania or Regent or Silversea. If someone brings their precious offspring, so be it. But please don't tell me your typical 5 year old is going to enjoy sitting for two hours at dinner without kicking his chair or playing with his handheld video game and will be commenting on the foie gras or red wine reduction. I did say typical!

I love spending time with my Grandson. He is a character and we are a great pair. But I don't plan on bringing him with me on our next cruise on Insignia. I would love to bring him and his parents on a Disney Cruise in a few years. That would be great.

In summary (finally), not wanting to spend your vacation with other people's children does not mean you don't like or enjoy little ones. It just means that you like vacationing without kids.

[waterbug123]

If enough of us find another line then Oceania will be out of business pretty soon, which could happen if enough kids find their way on our ships.

 

Well, no. If "enough kids" find their way on to O ships, and you and others like you leave, O will simply have a different demographic on board, not empty cabins.

 

If I were cruising with my grand kids it would be on Disney or NCL or one of the other lines that cater to kids and have a lot for them to do. Oceania is not the place for them.

 

See my earlier post. Not all kids need a dumbed down vacation full of cartoon characters and ice cream cones to have a good time. The kids I saw on our recent O cruise appeared to be enjoying themselves just fine without the Disney-fied experience.

[oceanbill457]

I am astounded that someone on this post says Oceania is "our" ship.

[RJB]

Well, no. If "enough kids" find their way on to O ships, and you and others like you leave, O will simply have a different demographic on board, not empty cabins.

 

 

 

See my earlier post. Not all kids need a dumbed down vacation full of cartoon characters and ice cream cones to have a good time. The kids I saw on our recent O cruise appeared to be enjoying themselves just fine without the Disney-fied experience.

Seems to me that Oceania has spent 10 years building a brand with a specific demographic and if that changes than they will sail with a lot of empty cabins. I do not think there are enough families with kids that will pay the kind of prices Oceania charges to fill most of their empty cabins when most of their current/ customers walk away and find other ships.

[RJB]

I am astounded that someone on this post says Oceania is "our" ship.

Same way we say our country, our state, our city, our town, our block. Just a figure of speech. Please don't be astounded. :):)

[waterbug123]

Seems to me that Oceania has spent 10 years building a brand with a specific demographic and if that changes than they will sail with a lot of empty cabins. I do not think there are enough families with kids that will pay the kind of prices Oceania charges to fill most of their empty cabins when most of their current/ customers walk away and find other ships.

 

My post was in response to one in which the premise was that lots of kids start sailing on O first, and then other pax leave. I suspect that if all of the cruises on all of the O ships get to the point that it actually drives away a significant number of prior pax, then their demographic will already have shifted and the likelihood of having "a lot" of empty cabins will be slim. Frankly I don't see that happening, as the cost alone will likely prevent it from becoming the new in-lieu-of-Disney destination.

 

Once again, if you are hell bent on never having any kids on your cruise ever, find a ship that actually prohibits children, rather than O which clearly allows them. You can surmise all you want about "what O really wants" but if they really didn't want kids aboard they could simply prohibit them. But alas, they don't. They simply want parents/grandparents to understand before boarding that there is no kids club, kids menus etc. so that they will (hopefully) not travel on O with kids who require such things in order to have a fun vacation. :)

[hypercafe]

Crystal has a program for children, in fact there is a new post on their board about how good it is, they charge more than Oceania and their ships are still sailing. HL Europa 2 has a kids program which sounds very nice and it seems they get a wide mix of ages and charge a lot more than Oceania. I do not see how the price of the trip effects children on board. People with money also have children. Oceania's business plan might not be to become a Disney cruise line but I do not think it is to become a floating senior center as it sometimes is now. That is also a turn off to some.

 

 

 

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[LHT28]

Seems to me that Oceania has spent 10 years building a brand with a specific demographic and if that changes than they will sail with a lot of empty cabins.

 

Not sure I understand

We took our 1st O cruise in 2004 they allowed children back then same as today

Nothing has changed other than more people are finding Oceania

 

Maybe up to 5 yrs ago you had to book when sailing first came out or hope of getting a cabin closer to sailing now you can wait longer to book if you choose

They have more cabins to sell now & new people are finding Oceania suits them better than some other lines

 

Until they change their policy on children do not expect to have an "ADULT ONLY cruise

 

Lyn

Edited July 25, 2014 by LHT28

[Noxequifans]

I always loved statistics and will add the thought that the probability of misbehaving children is far greater than adults. Given no children's programs the probability increases.

[RJB]

I always loved statistics and will add the thought that the probability of misbehaving children is far greater than adults. Given no children's programs the probability increases.

For sure !!!

[wripro]

What has changed since 2004 is that O. like other expensive lines, is offering more shorter itineraries than it used to. This attracts younger demographics that is still working and cannot take the time for longer cruises. And they bring their kids along.

[durante]

We were on the recent Insignia 10 night cruise from Venice to Rome. There were quite a few children, and luckily, our experience was they were all well behaved, and also beautifully dressed for dinner in the MDR. We had dinner a couple of times in the Terrace, and again, well behaved, it was great to see families enjoying each other's company on vacation.

Not so great was the table of adults using their iPads while having breakfast in the MDR, literally iPad in one hand, fork in the other. Unhygienic? I was expecting kids might do this, but only saw adults.

 

Also a couple of beautiful babies were onboard, and on the one time one baby made a very small noise in the MDR, her father whisked her out of the room straight away.

[orchestrapal]

We were on the recent Insignia 10 night cruise from Venice to Rome. There were quite a few children, and luckily, our experience was they were all well behaved, and also beautifully dressed for dinner in the MDR. We had dinner a couple of times in the Terrace, and again, well behaved, it was great to see families enjoying each other's company on vacation.

Not so great was the table of adults using their iPads while having breakfast in the MDR, literally iPad in one hand, fork in the other. Unhygienic? I was expecting kids might do this, but only saw adults.

 

Also a couple of beautiful babies were onboard, and on the one time one baby made a very small noise in the MDR, her father whisked her out of the room straight away.

 

You were just lucky. Summer travel is a chance I would not take.

Edited July 25, 2014 by orchestrapal

[pinotlover]

I have to agree with orchestrapal. There are a few cruises one either must take in the summer or is best taken in the summer, such as the Baltic Cruises or the cruise up the Norway coast (Northern Lights?) However, we have found it much more convenient to cruise and travel during the normal school months. One both escapes the extreme heat (why would anyone do a cruise to Athens in July?), the crowds, and perhaps the children.

[durante]

Yes, we were lucky with the children on our cruise. It is a credit to the parents who are responsible for their behaviour.