Regent’s NCL roots are showing....

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Kids sail for ~10% of adult fare during summer.  We will avoid like the measles...

 

https://www.rssc.com/specials/details?Id=6a0c2242-d9e5-4d94-abb2-f0142a015426

 

[Travelcat2]

In my opinion, this has nothing whatsoever to do with NCL.  Regent was advertising "Kids Sail Free" several years ago.  We would not step foot on a Regent ship on any cruise where children sail free or at a heavy discount.  

 

There have been up to 100 children on Regent (especially in Alaska) during these "sales".   I have learned that many reports of children behaving wonderfully are generally lies.  I have spoken to more than a few passengers that posted how children were not an issue but actually were a pain.  The worst thing that I read (and it was true) is when two boys were using shuffleboard paddles (not sure what they are called) as swords and one boy broke two arms.  

 

I understand that booking "luxury" Alaska cruises can be a challenge but, In my opinion, kids ruin the ships (spilling  and breaking things everywhere, etc.) and the cost to replace what they have done exceeds the tiny amount that they get by the low cost.

 

Don't bother slamming me as there is nothing you can say that will change my mind.  I would not have taken our children on Regent when they were younger and would definitely not invite our grandchildren on a Regent cruise.  Disney is much better suited for younger children and NCL is great for older children.  

 

 

[Silver Sweethearts]

51 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Kids sail for ~10% of adult fare during summer.  We will avoid like the measles...

 

https://www.rssc.com/specials/details?Id=6a0c2242-d9e5-4d94-abb2-f0142a015426

 

 

You had better avoid Crystal too...

 

Terms & Conditions (from the Crystal website):

 

 Kids Sail Free promotion offers complimentary third berths on select 2019 voyages for Junior cruisers age 17 and under when they sail in the same stateroom with two full-fare adults.

[rcandkc]

It is quite a long list of cruises it includes.  This means quite a long list of cruises we will avoid.  I wonder if they realize the customers they are driving away with their attempts to entice more. 

[Got2Cruise]

Hmmm this is interesting. Last summer on our Med cruise I overheard a family who brought kids on the cruise in a heated argument. It seems that the one sister wanted to take a Disney Cruise and was sorry she didn’t because the kids weren’t having a good time. Regent allows kids but they don’t have the excursions or ship activities that appeal to kids. 

[ladymadeline]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

In my opinion, this has nothing whatsoever to do with NCL.  Regent was advertising "Kids Sail Free" several years ago.  We would not step foot on a Regent ship on any cruise where children sail free or at a heavy discount.  

 

There have been up to 100 children on Regent (especially in Alaska) during these "sales".   I have learned that many reports of children behaving wonderfully are generally lies.  I have spoken to more than a few passengers that posted how children were not an issue but actually were a pain.  The worst thing that I read (and it was true) is when two boys were using shuffleboard paddles (not sure what they are called) as swords and one boy broke two arms.  

 

I understand that booking "luxury" Alaska cruises can be a challenge but, In my opinion, kids ruin the ships (spilling  and breaking things everywhere, etc.) and the cost to replace what they have done exceeds the tiny amount that they get by the low cost.

 

Don't bother slamming me as there is nothing you can say that will change my mind.  I would not have taken our children on Regent when they were younger and would definitely not invite our grandchildren on a Regent cruise.  Disney is much better suited for younger children and NCL is great for older children.  

 

 

Totally agree with you. I think my grandchildren would be bored on Regent (ages 8-10-13). That’s why the cruise industry has Disney. 

 

[Travelcat2]

3 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

You had better avoid Crystal too...

 

Terms & Conditions (from the Crystal website):

 

 Kids Sail Free promotion offers complimentary third berths on select 2019 voyages for Junior cruisers age 17 and under when they sail in the same stateroom with two full-fare adults.

 

Going on Crystal in September....after kids are back in school.

[kjbacon]

Viking does not allow kids ever. We enjoyed our cruises with them but we find regent to be better overall.

[papaflamingo]

We've only done one Regent cruise, and I will say there is no way I'd take my grandkids.  We took them on Oasis of the Seas in 2017 and they had a wonderful time!  Zip line, Flow riders, Rock climbing,  kids pool, sports pool, beach pool, carousel, ice rink, aqua show, ice show, teen club, etc.  These are the ships that are designed for families and kids of all ages.  

Regent is a wonderful luxury experience, designed to pamper.   It's unfair to kids and unfair to other passengers.  

 

[nancygp]

8 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Going on Crystal in September....after kids are back in school.

 

Hi Jackie..very few kids on crystal during this timeframe and glad you’re giving crystal a try.  as a matter of fact, with the exception of a short, 7 day Alaska cruise a couple of years ago, there have been a minimal amount of kids on our crystal cruises, including a few where there was a kids sail free promo.  

 

I’ll be on the Symphony in mid September.  Which cruise are you on? Perhaps we will met.  

 

Nancy

Edited May 3, 2019 by nancygp

[Wendy The Wanderer]

14 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Kids sail for ~10% of adult fare during summer.  We will avoid like the measles...

 

https://www.rssc.com/specials/details?Id=6a0c2242-d9e5-4d94-abb2-f0142a015426

 

 

This has been going on for as long as I remember, back to the Radisson days.  Nothing new here.

[Hambagahle]

We try as far as possible to only cruise when children are tied to their school desks.   Radisson and now Regent have had these promotions for years but it seems they do not "cater" to the little darlings as well as the mass market lines - with "kids clubs" - do.   Nonetheless I prefer not to be on a ship during school holidays!!

[UUNetBill]

Nope, not new.  But annoying nonetheless.  I agree with others that most kids can be well-behaved on a Regent cruise, but it only takes a couple to really ruin it for many passengers.  Just because you don't see kids blocking stairways, messing up the jigsaw puzzles, spilling things, running down the hallways, playing in Compass Rose, sword fighting with golf clubs, etc. doesn't mean that it doesn't happen - it merely means that you didn't happen to see it.

 

Maybe only 2-3% of kids on a Regent cruise are obnoxious twits (usually following in their parent's footsteps, unfortunately) but as the number of kids overall increases, so does the chance of running into those ill-behaved cretins.

 

Yes, some kids on Regent are delightful and well-behaved.  Probably most kids.  But with my limited vacation time and budget, I'm not willing to take that chance on a kid-heavy itinerary.

 

I still maintain that parents who bring their kids on a Regent cruise hoping that the crew will keep them entertained for a week or three are generally selfish and irresponsible.  Take them on a Disney or other more kid-friendly cruise and let them be kids, for Pete's sake...

[UUNetBill]

And of course, on the other end of the 'NCL Roots are Showing' thing is this search result page that would scare the unknowing away from Regent for the next 300 years...

 

(The entire cruise is waitlisted except for the Regent Suite)     

[Kwaj girl]

UUNetBill and TC2 - where's the "like" button when you need one?  Our last cruise to Alaska was probably back in 2006 on the Mariner.  I'd really love to go again but not with a bunch of crumb snatchers (curtain climbers) for all the reasons the both of you have clearly defined.  Perhaps the repo at the beginning or end of the season might be less problematic.

[Travelcat2]

4 hours ago, nancygp said:

 

Hi Jackie..very few kids on crystal during this timeframe and glad you’re giving crystal a try.  as a matter of fact, with the exception of a short, 7 day Alaska cruise a couple of years ago, there have been a minimal amount of kids on our crystal cruises, including a few where there was a kids sail free promo.  

 

I’ll be on the Symphony in mid September.  Which cruise are you on? Perhaps we will met.  

 

Nancy

 

We'll just miss each other.  We board the day after Labor Day (all schools should be in session by then).

[nancygp]

28 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

We'll just miss each other.  We board the day after Labor Day (all schools should be in session by then).

 

I find 7 day cruises a bit too short but this is a convenient one for you.  At least you’ll have some wonderful crystal sea days so you can sample all that crystal has to offer!!!  We did a similar itinerary in 2017 as a quick getaway to celebrate a milestone anniversary.

 

we’ll wave to you in Vancouver.

 

you night have a few kids but that should not be problematic.

 

Nancy

[ronrick1943]

I really don't mind kids on the ship, it's the parents that don't do their job taking care of them.  However if Regent goes after that market they need a plan/program for kid entertainment.  And you can't expect a child to handle a 2 hour dinner and not have a menu set for them.

Saying that we have no kids on this Alaska cruise, but we started in Tokyo and it's early in the year.

[TrulyBlonde]

20 hours ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Kids sail for ~10% of adult fare during summer.  We will avoid like the measles...

 

https://www.rssc.com/specials/details?Id=6a0c2242-d9e5-4d94-abb2-f0142a015426

 

Raggie, My thoughts exactly. I just returned last week from Disney with my 8 yr old Grandson and two daughters. 3 days out of San Diego and an easy flight from Aspen to OC for me to get him. He loves it and it is his 4th Disney cruise. Three days is all I can handle and I could never fathom taking him at this age on anything else.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

 

Let me repeat--Regent is not "going after" this market, they've been doing this for years.  It has a very small impact on most cruises, with the exception sometimes of July/August in Med and Alaska, and holiday cruises in the Caribbean.  And although I have not personally experienced this, I believe that the number of children tends to be still very small.

Edited May 3, 2019 by Wendy The Wanderer

[Wendy The Wanderer]

1 minute ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

deleted

 

Edited May 3, 2019 by Wendy The Wanderer
mistaken second post

[Travelcat2]

32 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Let me repeat--Regent is not "going after" this market, they've been doing this for years.  It has a very small impact on most cruises, with the exception sometimes of July/August in Med and Alaska, and holiday cruises in the Caribbean.  And although I have not personally experienced this, I believe that the number of children tends to be still very small.

 

Unfortunately, from what I have read on CC, children on Alaska cruises in June, July and the first half of August make a very big impact on a person's ability to enjoy their cruise.

 

 We have sailed in the Baltics (including Norway) twice and, although there were only maybe 20 children, one family was enough to disrupt an evening show (children rolling down the isle and standing on seats in the theater). Crew tried to help but are frightened to approach parents (if they were even there) because they can go ballistic if you say anything about their children.

 

As Bill posted, it does not take a lot of children to ruin a cruise.  On the other hand, we complimented parents on one cruise because the behavior of their two children was exemplary.  However, I could not help but feel sorry for the children that kept their voices low (or did not speak at all) during Regent's long meals in CR.  Agree that it is selfish to take children on a Regent cruise.

 

   

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I was just suprised at the number and variety of cruises with the monste.... uhhh, kiddie discounts.  I expected such on the Alaska runs.

 

We are sensitive because on a Regent cruise once threre were three kids that were holy terrors, popped up everywhere with no supervision.  The crew was pretty much helpless in controlling them.  Their extended family sat around at a table by the pool bar drinking all day and well into the night, while the kids ran rampant (cartwheels in the aisles during shows, tantrums in the pool, etc.).  This was an early spring cruise, not summer.

 

Normally we avoid travel during the summer, so never really noticed the kids promotions.  But we are doing some advanced planning for a “bespoke” world cruise, which will extend into the summer months.  DW doesn’t care for sea days, so we plan to string together several cruises, interspersed with land segments and flights between cruises, etc.  This avoids long ocean crossings.

 

Looks like Viking might be the best bet for any cruise segments in the summer months.  We have no brand loyalties, the 5% discounts aren’t enough incentive to not be flexible in cruise choice.

[Pinksunset]

Kwaj girl, we were on the Mariner from Alaska to Vancouver the end of May, 2018, and there were just a few well-behaved, nearly invisible (fortunately!) children on board.  It was a really a lovely time to see Alaska.  

[Kwaj girl]

32 minutes ago, Pinksunset said:

Kwaj girl, we were on the Mariner from Alaska to Vancouver the end of May, 2018, and there were just a few well-behaved, nearly invisible (fortunately!) children on board.  It was a really a lovely time to see Alaska.  

Perhaps  next year we may consider that option. But as they say, YMMV.