Any cruise lines NOT particularly kid friendly?

[VentureMan_2000]

I would be happy with an adults only pool/jacuzzi area that required a S&S card to get in... or a security officer keeping the kids out. That would not be too hard. These security folks manage to politely remind you no drinking in the pool. They could tell the kids... "OUT!"

[hilltopfamily]

Just a thought here....what about Costa or MSC? Maybe less family-friendly? Aren't they both a little more "European" in flavor? (no 1st hand experience here....just wondering). (Just take a gander at my signature and you can see I'm a "family cruiser" LOL. :-)

[TrentS]

Costa is just EXACTLY like Carnival, they USED to be Italian, but since Carnival bought them and watered down the product (the ships are even identical to Carnval's), the only way you can tell the difference is by looking at the funnel.

MSC is a GREAT line! MSC is like cruising USED to be. It's wonderful! Not very many kids on MSC either, but Costa is full of them (just like Carnival).

[caviargal]

[quote name='hilltopfamily']Just a thought here....what about Costa or MSC? Maybe less family-friendly? Aren't they both a little more "European" in flavor? (no 1st hand experience here....just wondering). (Just take a gander at my signature and you can see I'm a "family cruiser" LOL. :-)[/QUOTE]

Hundreds of kids on my MSC cruise and all running wild. The Captain even announced at his cocktail party that he knew the kids were everywhere and in places they were not supposed to be but that kids were special and everyone needed to just needed to accept it. Then he brought about 30 up on stage with him.

I imagine there were many complaints from adults like me who were sick and tired of the kids sitting at the piano in the piano bar and turning over stools, running screaming through the dining room, etc.

It was the worst aspect of the cruise, period. The Italians seem to be even worse about disciplining their children; I see this is Italy often.

[TrentS]

caviargal - Did you do MSC in Europe or from Port Everglades? I would imagine MSC is like that in the summer, but when I was on Opera from Port Everglades last winter there were very few kids and a couple of the crew members told me they haven't gotten many since they'd been sailing from the US. :confused:

[caviargal]

[quote name='TrentS']caviargal - Did you do MSC in Europe or from Port Everglades? I would imagine MSC is like that in the summer, but when I was on Opera from Port Everglades last winter there were very few kids and a couple of the crew members told me they haven't gotten many since they'd been sailing from the US. :confused:[/QUOTE]

Yes, I was in Europe, and I did expect kids, just not the general sense of having them out of control. It was even worse than RCI and Carnival, IME.

And then the Captain adding fuel to the fire by telling us all, basically, get over it!

I imagine the date would have a lot to do with it, as with most cruise lines.

[TrentS]

Okay, yeah I've been on summer European cruises on other lines. It was bad, the captain you had though YIKES! :eek:

[kitty9]

Mark, let me give you an example. I was on the Grandeur of the Seas and when I was coming back to my cabin after midnight, I got out of the elevator and saw a large group of teens sitting on the stairway sparking Doobies. I called security, told them about the illegal drug use in the hallway, and waited to see if anything happened. My cabin was right off the elevator lobby so I could hear everything. Not one person came to investigate this, and it happened on two more nights. If cruise lines aren't going to investigate underage kids doing illegal drugs, do you really think they're going to give tickets to families?

[usgoobers5]

Why don't all of the adults that prefer to sail with few or no kids. Pool your money, buy a large boat hire a staff and cruise together! Until then it would seem only the wealthy can afford the "kid unfriendly" cruises. Guess everyone will just have to deal with the little darlings. Throwing the bad ones overboard is most likely not an option. Thank goodness, I will be sailing in January with my three children and i'm not sure their strong enough swimmers to make it back to shore. Happy sailing!:)

[Jim B]

A cheaper way would to go on
one of the following cruise lines.

Radisson Seven Seas
Silverseas
Seaborn

None of these are kid friendly and even though they look like they cost more
when you add up what is included they really are not more expensive.

[jomf]

[quote name='Jim B']A cheaper way would to go on
one of the following cruise lines.

Radisson Seven Seas
Silverseas
Seaborn

None of these are kid friendly and even though they look like they cost more
when you add up what is included they really are not more expensive.[/quote]

P & O have two kid free ships and are not badly priced. Service is good and they cruise throughout the world.

[blackbird71]

[IMG]http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/images/silly.gif[/IMG] Well you could book on a gay cruise... probably not a lot of kids on it :D:D

[LHT28]

[quote name='usgoobers5']Why don't all of the adults that prefer to sail with few or no kids. Pool your money, buy a large boat hire a staff and cruise together! !:)[/quote]
Or maybe the adults could take responability for their kids bad behavior.

Letting your child run around the ship as they do in your home is not acceptable....have some rules before you cruise with kids.

[usgoobers5]

[quote name='LHT28']Or maybe the adults could take responability for their kids bad behavior.

Letting your child run around the ship as they do in your home is not acceptable....have some rules before you cruise with kids.[/quote]

You sound as if you are assuming ALL the children on cruises are running amuck. Believe it or not, there are responsible parents out here. It seems that my response struck a nerve with you. If that is the case then I feel obligated to say "i'm sorry". Not sorry for my comment though, I am sorry that you could take a witty response and be defensive. How many cruises have you been on? Did you have bad experiences with children on all of them? Do you have children in your life? I am one cruiser that loves the fact that cruising is a great vacation option for EVERYONE. Not just certain ages, colors or sexual orientation.
;)

[usgoobers5]

quote=blackbird71][IMG]http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/images/silly.gif[/IMG] Well you could book on a gay cruise... probably not a lot of kids on it :D:D[/quote]

Classic response! I laughed so hard I nearly fell off my seat.:D

[caviargal]

[quote name='usgoobers5']You sound as if you are assuming ALL the children on cruises are running amuck. Believe it or not, there are responsible parents out here. It seems that my response struck a nerve with you. If that is the case then I feel obligated to say "i'm sorry". Not sorry for my comment though, I am sorry that you could take a witty response and be defensive. How many cruises have you been on? Did you have bad experiences with children on all of them? Do you have children in your life? I am one cruiser that loves the fact that cruising is a great vacation option for EVERYONE. Not just certain ages, colors or sexual orientation.
;)[/QUOTE]

I did not read that into LHT2's response at all. He specifically stated that "parents" could be responsible for their kids "bad behavior".

I have been on many cruises and have a few pretty well ruined by the bad behavior of kids and teens. While I would prefer an adults only cruise, I cannot afford to sail only the lines that cater to adults. And I really do not feel that I should be penalized for the fact that I do not enjoy the obnooxious behavior of some kids and teens aboard.

I book cruises with adult only areas but parents still bring their kids to those areas and security pretty much blows it off. While cruising is an option for everyone, the rights of every cruiser should be respected IMO. I think it is my right to expect parents to supervise their kids and, in lieu of that, I expect that the ship to do so when their negative behavior impacts my enjoyment of my cruise. This is not reality, however.

No, I do not have kids and that is my choice. I do have a niece and nephew I spent a good deal of time with and also take with my on trips, including cruises, on occasion. They are not allowed to run amok and disrupt the vacations of other passengers.

I have seen far too often the parents of these kids either (1) being no where in sight when they are out in the public areas or on deck drinking, smoking, swearing, or (2) standing right there while their children are allowed to cut into lines, lay in the elevators, push all the elevator buttons, or race through the dining room. It is my right to expect that this behavior is not tolerated.

Til the time that cruise lines realize that there is indeed a market for adults who wish to sail with other adults or with limited numbers of kids aboard, or until they realize that some parents simply regard the entire ship as one big babysitting service for their kids, I will do my best to avoid the times and ships where kids are likely to be cruising.

[LHT28]

[quote name='usgoobers5']You sound as if you are assuming ALL the children on cruises are running amuck. Believe it or not, there are responsible parents out here. It seems that my response struck a nerve with you. If that is the case then I feel obligated to say "i'm sorry". Not sorry for my comment though, I am sorry that you could take a witty response and be defensive. How many cruises have you been on? Did you have bad experiences with children on all of them? Do you have children in your life? I am one cruiser that loves the fact that cruising is a great vacation option for EVERYONE. Not just certain ages, colors or sexual orientation.
;)[/quote]

I understood your witty response and just commented that if parents raised thier children to respect others then we wouldn't have to buy our own cruise ship ! ;)
I don't see a problem with holidays for all but in life there are Parents and there are Parents.
Some control their children and some as "caviargal" pointed out just are oblivious of the childrens actions.

I also do not have children by choice if that has anything to do with others behaving badly.

We have been on several cruise and 2 vacations a year for over 35 yrs so I have seen both good kids and bad kids on vacation.
Most of the time the children are good.

I will never understand why parents think it is OK to let children run anywhere on the ship without an adult...it is not as secure enviroment as people think ... just because you are contained on a floating hotel does not mean there are not bad adults onboard that could abuse your children

[TrentS]

[quote name='blackbird71'][IMG]http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/images/silly.gif[/IMG] Well you could book on a gay cruise... probably not a lot of kids on it :D:D[/QUOTE]
Not one of Rosie O'Donnell's gay family cruises though ;) ... [url]http://www.rfamilyvacations.com/[/url]

[usgoobers5]

[quote name='LHT28']I understood your witty response and just commented that if parents raised thier children to respect others then we wouldn't have to buy our own cruise ship ! ;)
I don't see a problem with holidays for all but in life there are Parents and there are Parents.
Some control their children and some as "caviargal" pointed out just are oblivious of the childrens actions.

I also do not have children by choice if that has anything to do with others behaving badly.


We have been on several cruise and 2 vacations a year for over 35 yrs so I have seen both good kids and bad kids on vacation.
Most of the time the children are good.



I agree with you, there are bad apples in all areas. I wouldn't let my youngest child(10) run around unsupervised. Though I wouldn't hesitate to let my older children (13,17) have a great deal of free reign. I am sure there are those children that abuse the freedom given. I imagine you have not had all negative experiences aboard cruises or you wouldn't be a return cruiser. Keep in mind a parents idea of a child misbehaving and yours may be totally different. Maybe when they are on board they are actually being good, could you imagine what little beasts they must be at home?:rolleyes:

[VentureMan_2000]

I love kids... have put a lot of energy into them as a Parent, Scout Leader, Little League Coach, Swim Meet Director... they deserve the time volunteers like me have put into them.

However, parents tend to do with their kids in these circumstances (sports and such) that they do on cruise ships... they dump their children, thinking they paid their money... they don't have to parent during the time I have them, or when the cruise ship have them.

They are forgetting one thing... I'm a volunteer... the money they pay goes towards insurance and materials. And the cruise ship is not a big baby sitting service.

It's a whole attitude that 20% of the parents seem to have. And those 20% sure can ruin the reputation of the other 80% of parents doing a good job.

That being said, I will do my best to select cruises with as few kids on them as I can. I really don't want a week of crap from other's kids.

[bububr]

When it is posted "Under 16 not allowed in hot tub" and the place is full of toddlers, is it appropriate to tell them to get the hell out? as well as notifying the staff, and asking the parents to start OBEYING shipboard rules.

If someones child is unruly and you report it and noting happens, are you allowed to smack the crap out of the brat? or throw them overboard?

I have seen the staff confront adults who were acting badly, but never have I seen them confront children or their parents.

Yes, there actually are children that do act accordingly and polite, however I have seen TOO MANY who don't. I think the solution would be to "accidently" trip them while they are running up and down the stairs or on the corridors. A little time and expense in the med center may make their parents think a little. On one cruise a couple brought their infant, and not only did the constantly block the corridors, which could be a hazard in case of an emergency whith their double stroller full of crap, but the little monster CRIED, and CRIED, and CRIED...which not only made their cruise unbearable, but kept me awake most of the cruise, I have decided that if this happens again I will loudly and frequently pound on the walls ans the child cries...Hey, Its my vacation also.

I'm sure there will be many not agree with my post, but I have found that those who actually post in these threads and travel with their children are NOT the problem, they are the exception.

As a child my family planned vacations that included us only if we were not in school. We WERE NEVER pulled out for a vacation. I think not only is letting kids skip school a detriment to their education, but it truly shows poor parenting skills and just how selfish many parents are to take a vacation at a cost to their childrens education.

Dave:eek:

[usgoobers5]

As a child my family planned vacations that included us only if we were not in school. We WERE NEVER pulled out for a vacation. I think not only is letting kids skip school a detriment to their education, but it truly shows poor parenting skills and just how selfish many parents are to take a vacation at a cost to their childrens education.

Dave:eek:[/quote]

I posted a similar concern when someone inquired about sailing with a 7 month old. I asked could you imagine being this cabins neighbor?
On the school issue, it use to be that you could request homework for traveling children. Now the schools do not get paid for any absence be it excused or not. So they have made it much more difficult for children to stay on task if missing school. We have three honor roll students. We have vacationed every year while school is in session. My husband works in law enforcement and is unable to vacation during holidays. Most teachers have been more then considerate and have given assignments so my children don't fall behind. We always make sure that the children do daily school work. It is better then being in school, they get a little more instruction then thirty in a class. Of course one of our children is a senior in high school, we can't help him! Though he can definitely help us in most areas (except fashion, but thats a whole other subject). Even our 13 year old's math is too difficult for us to really help with (advanced algebra). I hope there are a thousand kids on our next cruise so our children make alot of new friends.
If we were cruising just the two of us I would not feel the same way. I would want a more intimate experience, and somehow screaming kids don't fit the scenario.:rolleyes:

[VentureMan_2000]

[quote name='bububr']If someones child is unruly and you report it and noting happens, are you allowed to smack the crap out of the brat? or throw them overboard?
[/quote]


Thanks for saying it... I know others have thought this... :D