A plea from one of your younger cruisers

[Roxburgh]

No retardant required here. I agree totally. You can only hope that the fact the kids have nothing to do will get around.

 

And yes the problem is usually that parents don't quite get that the pool is not really a play area, lots of people like to laze around, soak up the sun and read.

 

And that is the difference between teens and young children. Teens are more than happy to laze around and especially if similarly aged members of the opposite sex (or an Ipad, PS2, etc.) are in the vicinity. Just try getting a teen out of bed in the morning :eek:

[frantic36]

 

Ports not great as Nigella says,Richards Bay possibly the worst berth that I have been to on a ship.

 

Food good but some service a bit slow if you want to get to the show in the evening.

 

Handre the cruise director has been absolutely first class.

 

 

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Thanks for this information John,

 

I am glad I have organised some private tours on our cruise in January.

 

In Richards Bay we will be doing an overnight stay at Thanda Tented Game Reserve. Our first experience of "glamping......glamorous camping". Will be an interesting contrast to Seabourn. They only have a few hours a night of generator power used as the rest is solar and paraffin lights. But we think we are up for it :confused::). We are hoping doing Game Drives in the late afternoon and early morning will be worth it.

 

Heading off to Cape Town today and looking forward to catching up.

 

Julie

[Winner]

I think Seabourn might do everyone a favour by declaring a minimum age for sailing on their ships.

 

I don't have a problem with children on board. But others on Seabourn do which is obvious reading several posts regarding this subject on this board. If my children were little I would not dream bringing them on board and being exposed to the "anti children" behaviour on board. Also I believe a 14 year old should hang out with their age group, not adults at all times.

 

Whether they are "mature" or not is not really the issue. We all think our children and grandchildren are the "best, most intelligent, gifted etc". It does not mean others have to think that way.

 

Sorry this 14 year old had to encounter some negative experiences but really anyone could see this coming especially since the OP is a member on cruise critic.

 

If she had written this post, then I assume she has the mental capacity to deal with these issues. If not, then she is not as mature as she or her parents believe. Therefore it was and is the wrong decision to take this child on this particular cruise line but maybe it is time to take her on a more child friendly ship.

 

Please, Cashew, do not judge Emily by her age, she is quite mature for a 14-year old. You would not include your young children on Seabourn cruises due to the "anti-children behavior" yet here you are being anti-children. You do not have the right to dictate your child-rearing to others.

 

Emily is a very bright young lady; if I were aboard I would love her to join my trivia team! She has shown great tolerance to others; I suggest you do so also.. (And I don't doubt for a minute that she wrote the original post herself.)

[Emperor Norton]

Please, Cashew, do not judge Emily by her age, she is quite mature for a 14-year old. You would not include your young children on Seabourn cruises due to the "anti-children behavior" yet here you are being anti-children. You do not have the right to dictate your child-rearing to others.

 

Emily is a very bright young lady; if I were aboard I would love her to join my trivia team! She has shown great tolerance to others; I suggest you do so also.. (And I don't doubt for a minute that she wrote the original post herself.)

 

For the sake of clarity, have you met this individual in person? I grow weary of reading X of Y* (*but I havent actually had a personal first hand experience with...)

 

As long as children are well behaved I dont have an issue with them*.

 

* the one issue is if they take up bar seats which at least on Oceania was a HUGE problem, especially for the crew that was losing money

[tv24]

This is Mrs Waldo's daughter posting from her account because cruise critic is yet to approve me.

 

 

 

To present the argument against children from another perspective:

 

 

So X is homosexual. His friends would like to go out and they invite him to come with them to a straight bar. Now X knows that sometimes people in those sorts of bars can be homophobic and make really horrible comments, especially when drunk. He goes anyway because he doesn’t want to miss out on a night with his friends. When a group of people start making nasty comments and harassing X whose fault is it? Is it X’s fault because he went to the bar knowing that is was a possibility? Is it his friends’ fault for putting him in that situation?

 

Of course not, it is the intolerant individuals who have ruined his night by making hurtful comments before actually getting to know him.

 

Conversely this could be a straight person in a gay bar, an African American prior to the civil rights movement etc. All these people have as much a choice over their offending feature as Emily has over her age.

 

Now, as much as I wish Mrs Waldo wouldn’t bring me into this as much she has, I feel I need to mention; My first experience of luxury small ship cruising was when I was eleven. At the time I was really into history and wanted to be an archaeologist when I grew up. I thoroughly enjoyed attending the lectures on Viking history, having dinnertime conversations with adults, trivia and all that cruising has to offer (minus the alcohol of course). Often people would make comments, usually rude ones, about the presence of children on board when I was in earshot. Seriously? If you are going to whinge, grizzle and complain keep it within your own group and only ruin your holiday. My brother and I were far less boisterous and outgoing then than we are now, but we still had a wonderful time. We now return as adults knowing what to expect and having been trained in appropriate conduct aboard cruise ships, whether or not we choose to use this training is up to us (or how much alcohol we have consumed ;) )

 

How can you expect well mannered, polite and intelligent individuals to step aboard a Seabourn cruise ship if their only idea of cruising is Disney? How can you expect adults to want to go cruising if they view it as an overcrowded experience where everywhere you go has an extra five thousand people just from your cruise ship? Whilst this appeals to some it does not appeal to everyone and age should be no boundary as to what you can enjoy.

 

As we Yanks say, "You go, girl!"

[Mr Luxury]

I enjoyed a dinner last evening with Emily and her parents.

 

We had a good meal and excellent conversation.

 

Nothing to report of bad behaviour especially from the adults.

 

 

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[MrsWaldo]

Glad to hear Emily is keeping Henry in control just like a good daughter should ;)

[Tothesunset]

After reading through this thread I've come to the conclusion that we need more teenagers aboard and fewer patronising adults.

 

Strange, isn't it, how quick some are to judge all members of an arbitrary group (young people in this instance) according to some ingrained prejudice.

 

More Emilys, fewer curmudgeons please.

[wripro]

More Emilys, fewer unruly, elevator button pushing, pool screaming, corridor running, parent disobeying, dining room crying kids!

[Emperor Norton]

More Emilys, fewer unruly, elevator button pushing, pool screaming, corridor running, parent disobeying, dining room crying kids!

 

You left out music blaring, ice bucket fighting and leaving 'surprises' in the pool/hot tubs.:eek:

[Able Seaman H]

I enjoyed a dinner last evening with Emily and her parents.

 

We had a good meal and excellent conversation.

 

Nothing to report of bad behaviour especially from the adults.

 

 

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I know what happens on the ship should really stay on the ship but all I will say is mobility scooter racing. I'm currently in talks with Bernie Ecclestone (the F1 big cheese) to try and sort out the money !!!

 

When Emily told me of the inciudent I penned a few words which Emily edited and corrected. I posted them up on her behalf.

 

The responses have been interesting. Em's is well aware that some S.B cruisers have an aversion to youngsters and we joke about it regularly. By the same token Emily said the other day it was like having 150 grand parents travelling with her. I suspect some think of themselves as surrogate GP's as they miss their own grand or great grand kids.

 

The age demographic on this cruise is quite a bit younger than last year. A number of old friends both guests and crew which was lovely and made settling into the spirit of things much easier.

 

Ports of call have been a bit variable, Richards Bay and Maputo are nit places we will return to. The fact we were berthed in the middle of a scrap yard for the former didn't help. The latter was struggling to support its self let alone visitors.

 

Food has been excellent, service top notch and as Mr L. says the entertainment team have looked after us well. The usual controversy at trivia but it wouldn't be trivia without it :)

 

I wish everyone a happy new year and promise to put together something about the cruise on our return. There is another video under construction...

 

 

Henry :)

[lincslady]

It sounds as though the younger generation are perhaps just as intolerant of the really old ones! Guess we should all be between about 35 and 60 to be suitable for cruising.

 

I have to admit that I did think that Emily's literary style was very like your own, Henry - glad to hear that she at least edited what you had written.

 

You have certainly got a gem of a CD on board in Handre - and one who is intelligent and educated enough to run a good game of trivia.

[Emperor Norton]

I know what happens on the ship should really stay on the ship but all I will say is mobility scooter racing. I'm currently in talks with Bernie Ecclestone (the F1 big cheese) to try and sort out the money !!!

 

...

Henry :)

 

Ahh those things can be their own topic. Toss in inappropriate speed, poor handling, poor driving skills and alcohol (wonder if the crew would tell an owner of one to walk it off as they were too drunk to ride), what a wonderful combination. Then there's the storage safety issue. If left in the halls (not sure if thats even allowable post Concordia) they are a significant risk to passengers should the ship roll too far.:eek:

 

How about some dress code participation? Are the speedsters at least wearing helmets, googles, gloves and knee-pads?

Edited December 31, 2014 by Emperor Norton

[Tothesunset]

Thread drift alert.

 

On a previous cruise we had a woman who was probably in her mid-50s and, needless to say, composed almost entirely of fat who was clearly the President of the ''Get out of my way, can't you see I'm a disabled person with an overblown sense of entitlement'' club.

 

Interestingly, on one occasion it was necessary for her to get off the electric people mower and make her own way to the buffet. Well, she shot in there like a cross between Usain Bolt and Sylvie Guillem. Seems that her need to overeat trumped her need to use as little physical effort as possible.

 

What's sad is that it makes me suspicious of anyone in these things even though, I'm sure, the majority have a genuine need. And before anyone splutters into their medication at my apparent lack of empathy with the person described above can I just say in my defence that the opinion I've voiced was shared by every other person on the ship.

Edited December 31, 2014 by Tothesunset

[lincslady]

Of course there are a few obnoxious wheelchair users (think I have also come across the woman mentioned) just as there are obnoxious children (and their parents), but I was just amused to see that Henry sounds just as biased against a particular group as those who object to the children on board - a bit like Fletcher on Legend who was unnecessarily nasty about old people who were, by the sound of it, slightly losing their marbles.

 

Obviously I am penning this from the viewpoint of someone who is, as they say round here, 'knocking on'.

[Mr Luxury]

The scooter thing that Henry has mentioned is a private joke between myself and him and is something that happened on the ship,it is not to be taken for a dig at anyone that uses a wheelchair.

 

You do not need to read any more into it.

 

 

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Edited December 31, 2014 by Mr Luxury

[Emperor Norton]

The scooter thing that Henry has mentioned is a private joke between myself and him and is something that happened on the ship,it is not to be taken for a dig at anyone that uses a wheelchair.

 

You do not need to read any more into it.

 

 

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Things happen when in or private jokes are made public to a group outside those initially 'in' on them.

[lincslady]

Things happen when in or private jokes are made public to a group outside those initially 'in' on them.

 

Maybe we should all have a notice come up on the screen saying 'are you sure you want to post this?' before hitting the button?:)

[Pop-I]

65 replies? Are you all kidding? The worldly (self-acclaimed anyway) OP hasn't a clue (sensitivity) about prejudice and discrimination. She's a privileged child travelling a luxury cruise line and she's offended by an ignorant comment by an old f__t? Get over it. In a few years, she'll no longer be a kid. Protected classes who truly suffer prejudice and discrimination don't age out of their race, religion, gender, sexual preference, disability, or (senior) age.

Edited January 3, 2015 by Pop-I

[Emperor Norton]

65 replies? Are you all kidding? The worldly (self-acclaimed anyway) OP hasn't a clue (sensitivity) about prejudice and discrimination. She's a privileged child travelling a luxury cruise line and she's offended by an ignorant comment by an old f__t? Get over it. In a few years, she'll no longer be a kid. Protected classes who truly suffer prejudice and discrimination don't age out of their race, religion, gender, sexual preference, disability, or (senior) age.

 

There was that wee bit where the OP admitted that he wrote the thing and then his daughter 'edited' it.

[Able Seaman H]

65 replies? Are you all kidding? The worldly (self-acclaimed anyway) OP hasn't a clue (sensitivity) about prejudice and discrimination. She's a privileged child travelling a luxury cruise line and she's offended by an ignorant comment by an old f__t? Get over it. In a few years, she'll no longer be a kid. Protected classes who truly suffer prejudice and discrimination don't age out of their race, religion, gender, sexual preference, disability, or (senior) age.

 

An interesting post.

 

As well as luxury cruises Em's has experienced the lower end of the world travel spectrum. So you are suggesting that it's ok to do what you want to children on the basis they will grow up and eventually be adults.

 

I presume you are bright enough to see where I'm going with this?

 

She was too polite to respond at the time but clearly what happened was not right, especially in the rarified atmosphere of a Seabourn cruise where inclusion and manners are utmost in everyone's mind.

 

I am more than capable of dealing with whatever the world throws at me and I do mean whatever. Other groups, children included are not so decent human beings keep an eye out for them.

 

Henry :)

[4yanx]

An interesting post.

 

.... the rarified atmosphere of a Seabourn cruise where inclusion and manners are utmost in everyone's mind.

 

Henry :)

 

Bwahahaha

 

I gotta mostly go with Pop-I on this one. I don't condone or tolerate "isms" of any kind, but an old folk or two being selfish or bitter enough to make such a silly crack is hardy agism and, I'm doubting it was the sentiment of more than a few (assuming she is an otherwise well-behaved child). Hopefully the "slight" taken will toughen her hide a little. Maybe the possible reasons for the overblown sense of entitlement the old bag displayed could be considered, such that your daughter's lesson learned can have further application than, "some people are mean".

[MrsWaldo]

Bwahahaha

but an old folk or two being selfish or bitter enough to make such a silly crack is hardy agism and, I'm doubting it was the sentiment of more than a few

 

 

Oh but it is only a person or 2…. if you read back over the entire thread I have mentioned that it is not just a small or one off.

 

You only had to be on the coach that was doing a transfer for boarding in one of our ports….. as Miss W boarded one person moaned "kids" and the entire bus seemed to let out a collective groan Now this person was probably not much older than myself. It was like being the new kid in the class that is really unpopular and they know they have little chance of making friends.

 

Henry, just as an aside with the dining thing. I am assuming your wife wasn't with you? Since Mr W passed away I have noticed that we are less likely to be sat with a group and that there is an element of "snobbery" because clearly I am too young to be a widow and must therefore be out spending my allowance or chasing someone else's husband… but that is a whole different thread and not just confined to SB…

 

 

(FWIW This was way less prevalent on the Antarctica cruise than any other thing I have done)

[Tothesunset]

If a person is rejected by others solely on account of their age, rather than because of their character, that is a display of pure prejudice. On another thread on the Silversea forum their is some snobbery being shown towards tattoos and piercings which, again, is pure prejudice.

 

It's also interesting to note, in general, that a far greater proportion of older people not only have these prejudicial attitudes but they also feel entitled to state them and even expect their prejudices to be pandered to. At least that seems to be the case reading through this thread!

[markham]

Tothesunset,

 

Hear hear!

 

Well said. Simple as that and simple is best.

 

Happy sailing!