Poll..... Should kids be allowed in the Haven at all?

[nipponcruiser]

Kids: If they belong to your family, aren't they the little darlings? :rolleyes:

Kids: If they do NOT belong to your family, the little brats!

[Pikaia]

Why would parents even bring their kids on vacation if they don't actually want to spend time with them? Why not just leave them home with an Au Pair in the first place?

:confused: Bringing an au pair doesn't mean parents don't intend to spend time with their kids while on vacation.

 

Do you spend every minute of every day with each and every one of your travel companions? If so, you are unusual. Often it's the kids who brush off the parents in favor of Splash Academy!

 

Kids enjoy cruises, parents enjoy cruises, and I'd bet that au pairs really enjoy cruises! :D

[DMH15]

I foundly remember one family vacation. I was 10, my sister was 11, my brothers were 8 and 5. Even with two parents, 4 kids were a handful.

 

We left Los Angeles in our camper en route to Texas. Along for the trip was our babysitter, Phyllis. I guess she was like an au pair.

 

We did many things together, like the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns.

 

However, in Las Vegas, Phyllis took us kids to see Snow White and mom and dad met up with some friends who lived there for some adult time.

 

I am sure if we had taken a cruise when I was little my parents would have taken Phyllis along too and it would have been a win-win-win.

 

 

 

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[KateQ22003]

I'm the same. Honestly, the noise makes me so tense it's 99% of the reason I ever end up in these threads (I am "childfree" but not a kid hater.) I was at a zoo today and many of the kids (6-8 year olds, not toddlers) were doing that screech thing, and I was wondering how I ever spent so many years doing the Disney parks when that noise makes me want to pop a Xanax and get a neck massage. Are kids of the snowflake generation just given more free rein to scream like maniacs in public now or did my hearing just get more sensitive? I have no idea. Had some kids scream like that through all our MDR dinner on Disney (again, circa 8 years old, not toddlers), parents looked on adoringly. Never again on DCL.

 

(I do take some responsibility for my own sanity--earbuds with good isolation and a white noise app on my phone. Unfortunately this means my situational awareness is somewhat reduced due to not being able to hear ANYTHING that's going on around me.)

 

You and I are two peas in a pod! I live next door to a house with 5 young kids who are outside playing ALL the time (If I had 5 young kids they would be outside playing too, but I digress :)) I swear, their favorite thing to do is ride their bigwheels and bikes back and forth in front of my house SCREECHING at the top of their lungs. Not to each other, not to anyone in particular, just screeching. It is unbelievably grating and annoying. I can't figure out what they are trying to prove, or what the reason for the noise is, but it is constant and awful. I see that a lot on cruises, too; children running around the pool screeching to no one in particular. Parents, please try to teach your children not to screech!!!

[12thMan]

Kids: If they belong to your family, aren't they the little darlings? :rolleyes:

 

Kids: If they do NOT belong to your family, the little brats!

 

 

Reminds me of an old George Carlin skit:

"Ever notice how everyone else's stuff is sh!+ and your sh!+ is stuff."

 

 

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[mooshka]

I just got off the Breakaway. It was our first time in the Haven after 6 cruises. It was something we went back and forth about since it is somewhat of a splurge. We really enjoyed the Haven and all the special service, but our vacation was almost ruined by a few very loud, hyper screechy children. There were several times, in both the cafe and the dining room, when we had to switch tables or move to the other room. Toys were scattered around the sun deck and in the pool. There was also candy in the pool with the toys. Yes, these kids had parents and grandparents. This was more than one family. There was a baby in the pool dressed and in a diaper. That was the end of the pool for me. Obviously the staff does not supervise the area. The staff was aware of these loud, screechy children as we had to move in the dining area. By the way, the school aged kids were not a problem. They were not around much. There will be a follow up letter to management.

[AdoraBelle]

You and I are two peas in a pod! I live next door to a house with 5 young kids who are outside playing ALL the time (If I had 5 young kids they would be outside playing too, but I digress :)) I swear, their favorite thing to do is ride their bigwheels and bikes back and forth in front of my house SCREECHING at the top of their lungs. Not to each other, not to anyone in particular, just screeching. It is unbelievably grating and annoying. I can't figure out what they are trying to prove, or what the reason for the noise is, but it is constant and awful. I see that a lot on cruises, too; children running around the pool screeching to no one in particular. Parents, please try to teach your children not to screech!!!

 

Yep, I've lived next door to that family. :) The little girl screamed so loud out on the street in front of our house so often that we remarked that we'd have no idea if something bad was actually happening to her--she sounded like she was being eaten by a bear most days. I assume parents develop some sort of specialized deafness. Which is scary in itself. If you don't even hear your own kids screaming anymore, what happens if they're screaming for a *reason*?

 

I see there's yet another story of a Haven experience being ruined just upthread. And it's almost always the BA. I'm a somewhat new cruiser (only got this hobby in 2015) and it was a trend I noticed very early in my browsing, as I do about half of my cruises solo / cheap and the other half as part of a couple in a suite (so I'm interested in the suite experience--but not on NCL and definitely not on BA).

Edited October 11, 2016 by AdoraBelle

[old nutter]

From what I can see there are now three distinct "Havens" on NCL. The megaships have large Havens and virtually all of the issues with disruptive youngsters are in these Havens.

 

We have sailed in both Getaway and Epic and in both cases the Haven was open to the skies with no moveable roof and as a result of weather that was far from ideal, the Haven courtyard was not overly good for all-day camping of the sort that leads to the leaving of youngsters to make trouble.

 

We have never sailed in Breakaway with the closed roof Haven, but from other experience in the Jewel ships, I imagine it can be treated like a huge heated play area. Not for me to comment, but could there be some demographic difference in BA customer base that makes it more vulnerable to these disruptive youngsters and adults?

 

The third "Haven" type is the original group in the Jewel ships. We have just come back from a cruise on the Jade. There was one family in the Haven with three quite young children who appeared in the courtyard on the first day on their own. Within minutes the Haven Butler rounded them up and got them to take him to their parents. They never again appeared without their parents and apart from a minor issue with the youngest one collecting handfuls of M&Ms direct from the jar they were no problem at all and the Haven was most definitely true to the original marketing as a peaceful and exclusive haven.

 

Maybe the upsize of the Haven on the megaships has destroyed the original concept and the time has come to use a different model and description for these larger areas in some regions of the world.

[luckyinpa]

since this is a complain about people in haven thread, i thought id add something here.

 

yesterday we got to BA haven at 835 for priority disembark at 845. the hall was crowded and obviously the lounge was full as well . so we stood next to another cpl at the railing to the lower level. a few minutes later a guy comes in to haven and stands across from us..then a few minutes later what appeared to be 4 generations of an asian family including one in a wheelchair came in, went into the lounge and saw it was full then came back out near where i was standing.

 

the guy that came in AFTER us pulled aside the concierge and said (in a whiny 1st grader voice) and pointed to the large family: "those people over there got here after everyone else and they cut the line and they are getting off before anyone else and its not fair to all the people who were here first'

 

then i couldnt hear what the staff member said but the guy kept going on for a bit. like how crazy is that. he was 'cutting the line' by his OWN definition because he arrived after me and all the other people in haven.

 

total ahole!

 

we were in the 1st group with him and the large family wasnt even ready to walk so we left without them. we get to the elevator and the ahole says ' i have to wait here for my family' and he moves to the side.

 

unbelievable!!! you bitch about people cutting in front of you and you dont even go when you are 1st down in the elevator. i do wonder what people like this are like in real life at their daily jobs. i can picture them fighting for the elevators on the ship because they pressed the button first or something.

[UPNYGuy]

Some of the clientele lately are making us roll our eyes, NOT the children. A woman freely and openly telling my mother and aunt how she is a passion party consultant (without any prompting from them) is one example. My mother got her whole life story. I had to explain what that meant...which was an interesting conversation. A lady next to me on an excursion was also complaining about how Norwegian seems to be loaded with lots of 'riff raff' lately. Hopefully the super deep discounts will stop and put an end to that.

 

I hate to say it, but there is a definite difference in the tact and social awareness of the guests on Norwegian lately, and it is not for the better. Granted, not everybody is like that! I have met many lovely people on Norwegian.

 

We have a booking the end of January on GA in a mini suite. This is the first time in some time I have NOT booked The Haven on a mega ship. I basically booked this one because it is a quick escape, and I can burn 2 of my FCD. Time will tell what I do with my last FCD.

 

 

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[suffield12]

Is this really a question? The majority of suites are 2br family villas, surely the clue to the demographic NCL are trying to attract is right there? NCL ships are family oriantated and therefore families (including kids) should be expected.

 

I would say however that the Jewel class vessels maybe a better option for the kiddie haters. We've just come off the Jade and whilst there were kids residing in the haven (ours included) the limited number of cabins with access to the courtyard meant that finding an adult friendly space within the haven was easy.

[NHL Philly Fan]

since this is a complain about people in haven thread, i thought id add something here.

 

yesterday we got to BA haven at 835 for priority disembark at 845. the hall was crowded and obviously the lounge was full as well . so we stood next to another cpl at the railing to the lower level. a few minutes later a guy comes in to haven and stands across from us..then a few minutes later what appeared to be 4 generations of an asian family including one in a wheelchair came in, went into the lounge and saw it was full then came back out near where i was standing.

 

the guy that came in AFTER us pulled aside the concierge and said (in a whiny 1st grader voice) and pointed to the large family: "those people over there got here after everyone else and they cut the line and they are getting off before anyone else and its not fair to all the people who were here first'

 

then i couldnt hear what the staff member said but the guy kept going on for a bit. like how crazy is that. he was 'cutting the line' by his OWN definition because he arrived after me and all the other people in haven.

 

total ahole!

 

we were in the 1st group with him and the large family wasnt even ready to walk so we left without them. we get to the elevator and the ahole says ' i have to wait here for my family' and he moves to the side.

 

unbelievable!!! you bitch about people cutting in front of you and you dont even go when you are 1st down in the elevator. i do wonder what people like this are like in real life at their daily jobs. i can picture them fighting for the elevators on the ship because they pressed the button first or something.

 

 

Actually it is a COMPLAINT... :D

[luckyinpa]

forgot to add while in port someone bitched about the port tax at the haven bar. the cheapest room in haven for this cruise was 2499. can you not spare 1 dollar for a tax?

 

 

then later while sailing after the passing the bridge, someone complained again that since we are 'so far' from the port that we shouldnt have to pay the tax.

[BirdTravels]

since this is a complain about people in haven thread, i thought id add something here.

 

yesterday we got to BA haven at 835 for priority disembark at 845. the hall was crowded and obviously the lounge was full as well . so we stood next to another cpl at the railing to the lower level. a few minutes later a guy comes in to haven and stands across from us..then a few minutes later what appeared to be 4 generations of an asian family including one in a wheelchair came in, went into the lounge and saw it was full then came back out near where i was standing.

 

the guy that came in AFTER us pulled aside the concierge and said (in a whiny 1st grader voice) and pointed to the large family: "those people over there got here after everyone else and they cut the line and they are getting off before anyone else and its not fair to all the people who were here first'

 

then i couldnt hear what the staff member said but the guy kept going on for a bit. like how crazy is that. he was 'cutting the line' by his OWN definition because he arrived after me and all the other people in haven.

 

total ahole!

 

we were in the 1st group with him and the large family wasnt even ready to walk so we left without them. we get to the elevator and the ahole says ' i have to wait here for my family' and he moves to the side.

 

unbelievable!!! you bitch about people cutting in front of you and you dont even go when you are 1st down in the elevator. i do wonder what people like this are like in real life at their daily jobs. i can picture them fighting for the elevators on the ship because they pressed the button first or something.

 

Since your signature asks for suggestion, the suggestion of the day is stop complaining. Not going to get any sympathy if you are going to conplain about which elevator you are in.

[tinkr2]

Some of the clientele lately are making us roll our eyes, NOT the children. A woman freely and openly telling my mother and aunt how she is a passion party consultant (without any prompting from them) is one example. My mother got her whole life story. I had to explain what that meant...which was an interesting conversation. A lady next to me on an excursion was also complaining about how Norwegian seems to be loaded with lots of 'riff raff' lately. Hopefully the super deep discounts will stop and put an end to that.

 

I hate to say it, but there is a definite difference in the tact and social awareness of the guests on Norwegian lately, and it is not for the better. Granted, not everybody is like that! I have met many lovely people on Norwegian.

 

We have a booking the end of January on GA in a mini suite. This is the first time in some time I have NOT booked The Haven on a mega ship. I basically booked this one because it is a quick escape, and I can burn 2 of my FCD. Time will tell what I do with my last FCD.

 

 

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I learned something important from your post. I learned that you're not a very nice person. Nice people don't sit around judging others. And you most certainly are judging that women's career choice, if you had to explain it your mother, it doesn't sound like she went into any detail.. and as far as you know, she's a regional Vice President who makes a quarter million AND paid full price for her cabin. As far as discussing the riff raff, well I never!

And as child of etiquette classes, cotillion, sororities and many other "gentil pastimes, the first thing they teach is manners and graciousness. Sounds like you need a refresher course.

[Sissaaaaaa]

Some of the clientele lately are making us roll our eyes, NOT the children. A woman freely and openly telling my mother and aunt how she is a passion party consultant (without any prompting from them) is one example. My mother got her whole life story. I had to explain what that meant...which was an interesting conversation. A lady next to me on an excursion was also complaining about how Norwegian seems to be loaded with lots of 'riff raff' lately. Hopefully the super deep discounts will stop and put an end to that.

 

I hate to say it, but there is a definite difference in the tact and social awareness of the guests on Norwegian lately, and it is not for the better. Granted, not everybody is like that! I have met many lovely people on Norwegian.

 

We have a booking the end of January on GA in a mini suite. This is the first time in some time I have NOT booked The Haven on a mega ship. I basically booked this one because it is a quick escape, and I can burn 2 of my FCD. Time will tell what I do with my last FCD.

 

 

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This is exactly why we would book a suite without the Haven - to stay away from people like you. Disgusting.

[Two Wheels Only]

Nice people don't sit around judging others.

But....

Sounds like you need a refresher course.

...isn't that ^^ also judging someone? :confused:

[UPNYGuy]

I learned something important from your post. I learned that you're not a very nice person. Nice people don't sit around judging others. And you most certainly are judging that women's career choice, if you had to explain it your mother, it doesn't sound like she went into any detail.. and as far as you know, she's a regional Vice President who makes a quarter million AND paid full price for her cabin. As far as discussing the riff raff, well I never!

 

And as child of etiquette classes, cotillion, sororities and many other "gentil pastimes, the first thing they teach is manners and graciousness. Sounds like you need a refresher course.

 

 

And that is fine that you feel this way. We are all allowed to express our opinions. FYI, I was not judging the career choice that this lady had. I was disgusted that she felt the need to give my mom her life story leading UP to that. And you are right, she didn't go into much detail, but the fact that I had to explain it was enough for me.

 

I expressed concern to my TA about some behaviors. I witnessed from pax (as well as that), and she felt that for the time being DW and I should be looking at other cruise lines. I agreed with her and am looking into Celebrity (curiosity more than anything), Oceania, Viking Oceans, and others. That's it. We will always enjoy NCL, but we likely won't book them as frequently until the prices go back up.

 

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Edited October 26, 2016 by UPNYGuy

[Two Wheels Only]

We will always enjoy NCL, but we likely won't book them as frequently until the prices go back up.

 

What someone pays doesn't dictate their behavior.

 

You might get obnoxious people (adults or kids) that paid full price for the DOS. You might get a family that saved for 2 years to get into the Haven who are wonderful people.

[MareQ]

What someone pays doesn't dictate their behavior.

 

You might get obnoxious people (adults or kids) that paid full price for the DOS. You might get a family that saved for 2 years to get into the Haven who are wonderful people.

 

Yup! We paid full fare for our upcoming trip for my family of 6. I am however not a judgmental, holier than thou, uptight, repressed person that takes issue with anybody that works in the "passion" industry. Well I might be if they were a porn star but certainly not somebody that sells toys. @@

 

I'll be wearing my Crocs and Kohl's clothing in the Haven too. I do so hope nobody mistakes me for one of those low paying riff raff folks because I am not wearing Chanel and Louboutin shoes. Should I make up special shirts stating we paid full fare so we're not confused with those other folks????

[lgdesign]

I'll be wearing my Crocs and Kohl's clothing in the Haven too. I do so hope nobody mistakes me for one of those low paying riff raff folks because I am not wearing Chanel and Louboutin shoes. Should I make up special shirts stating we paid full fare so we're not confused with those other folks????

 

You hit the nail on the head!

[Tasm3n]

Yup! We paid full fare for our upcoming trip for my family of 6. I am however not a judgmental, holier than thou, uptight, repressed person that takes issue with anybody that works in the "passion" industry. Well I might be if they were a porn star but certainly not somebody that sells toys. @@

 

I'll be wearing my Crocs and Kohl's clothing in the Haven too. I do so hope nobody mistakes me for one of those low paying riff raff folks because I am not wearing Chanel and Louboutin shoes. Should I make up special shirts stating we paid full fare so we're not confused with those other folks????

 

Every time one of these discussions come up, I end up thinking of this particular scene...

 

 

I'll be right there with you in comfort wear in my old navy bought for a $1 on sale flip flops.

[Two Wheels Only]

I'll be right there with you in comfort wear in my old navy bought for a $1 on sale flip flops.

 

Mine were 2/$1 at Walmart. :p

(nobody in the Haven cared/judged/shamed at all)

[lgdesign]

Does wearing inexpensive clothing while paying "full price" in the Haven make us shabby chic? Or just shabby? :eek: :)

[NH Cruisers]

As long as kids are well behaved and not horsing around, I could care less if they are allowed in the Haven. Cripes! Moms and Dads deserve to pamper themselves and their children.