Solarium adults only... Not so much. 😐

[the_dylaness]

1 minute ago, ISHMAEL said:

Just putting in my two cents worth. As a retired teacher (30+ years) I taught lots of kids whose parents took them out of school. I also taught even more kids who were never taken out of school for any reason and many of those kids did less of their assignments than kids who were pulled out for a vacation. I always figured that if, by the end of the year, the student has learned enough to be promoted, that is all that mattered.

 

 

Thanks for sharing your experience and perspectives (and thanks for 3 decades of doing a really hard job!) Of course I liked hearing what you had to say because it supports my personal viewpoint 🙂 ... if my kids are having academic problems (they're not, by a long shot)... A) it's not because we took them out for a week and B) then we'd reconsider whether we should remove them from school for a week. They are getting great grades and doing all their assignments so we'll keep doing what we're doing since it seems to be working!

[docsneeze]

4 hours ago, zitsky said:

I was making fun of you for saying we pay a lot of money therefore we can do ABC.  There is a lot of that in this forum.  Just like you made fun of people who don’t like children.  I like children if they’re not screaming and are served at the right temperature.

 

3 hours ago, RichYak said:

That's a Celebrity thing, not a Cruise Critic thing. On Celebrity, you can, in fact, do ABC when you pay a lot of money. The multi-class structure that Celebrity promotes is reflected in this forum.

Please read the original post.  There is nothing in there mocking people who don't like children.  Nor does our family feel like we are elitists with superior entitlements.  Just saying that as opposed to some lines where kids sail free, parents on Celebrity know we do not get such freebies for our kids.  I also stated that we should have some limited access to the solarium pool in cold weather while respecting the time limits and and the other passengers on board.  Has nothing to do with paying a lot of money and everything to do with compassionate access for a limited time.  Does not matter how much money we pay, we still won't use the Solarium outside of designated access hours.  That is just being respectful to others.

[zitsky]

15 hours ago, docsneeze said:

Agree that all parents should respect the rules and confine solarium use to whenever posted.  As an older parent, we strive to make sure our 5 yo is well behaved around others.  At the same time, we pay a substantial sum for him to accompany us in the Retreat section.  If we are going on a cruise in colder climates, shouldn't he also be able to swim in a pool if only for a short period when the outdoor pool is inaccessible?  We always respect the 4-7 family time limits and teach our son to do the same.  We don't use the hot tubs.  I have seen numerous posts throughout these boards for Celebrity expressing a "discomfort" for children on board.  Not generalizing here at all, just hoping that everyone will treat each other courteously so we can all enjoy a well deserved vacation.

Hey @docsneeze here are your words.  Not mine.  
 

“We pay a substantial sum…”  Who doesn’t?

 

”Shouldn’t he also be able to swim in the (solarium)?”  Sure.  If the rules say so. Not because you paid more for your cruise than everyone else.

 

I agree with you though.  We should ALL be able to enjoy our vacation.

[Wakepatrol]

This kids in  the solarium is like farting in an elevator . You feel better ,now the rest of us have to deal with it.

 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

20 hours ago, vwlmember said:

For all grades there is a vacation section in the rules and it specifically states they will not provide any lessons in advance as it places an unnecessary burden on the staff. All missed work has to be completed within five school days after return from absence or it is recorded as zeros for grading. 

 

Speaking as a teacher, this is 100% as it should be. The request (really demand) for work in advance so their child can go on vacation puts a lot more extra work on teachers who are already drowning in paperwork and other things administration requires. Sometimes just getting basic homework packets which are sent home when everyone is on vacation is challenging enough within school hours.

[docsneeze]

3 hours ago, zitsky said:

Hey @docsneeze here are your words.  Not mine.  
 

“We pay a substantial sum…”  Who doesn’t?

 

”Shouldn’t he also be able to swim in the (solarium)?”  Sure.  If the rules say so. Not because you paid more for your cruise than everyone else.

 

I agree with you though.  We should ALL be able to enjoy our vacation.

You didn't read or didn't care to understand someone else's point of view.  You have twisted my words beyond belief. Nothing reflects my viewpoint.

 

Kids don't sail free on Celebrity so they should be allowed within restrictions to enjoy things like heated pools in cold weather.

 

They go to sleep at 8 pm, so they don't infringe on your entertainment.

 

They obviously eat less so they don't contribute disproportionately to food costs.

 

They don't drink alcohol so no worry to run out of your favorite drink on board.

 

They are secluded to the Kids Clubs for the most part so don't use the gym, health club, bars, wine tastings, cooking classes, enrichment activities, etc. all of which adds to trip costs for all passengers.

 

With few exceptions, parents who take their kids on Celebrity understand the need for a higher standard of behavior amongst adults and to be respectful and obey rules.

 

To be fair, I would suggest asking Celebrity if you could attend their Kids Clubs.  By the way, to wakepatrol, everyone farts in elevators, everyone deals with it, even kids.

 

Don't worry, I will not participate further in this thread.  I wish you all safe and enjoyable travels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[zitsky]

There are some of us who choose not to travel with children.  Yes, I do expect good behavior from all passengers.  

[Moochi]

4 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

The request (really demand) for work in advance so their child can go on vacation puts a lot more extra work on teachers who are already drowning in paperwork and other things administration requires. 

Don't hate me for saying this because I'm just an ignorant adult who's not a parent. Why do children need to take vacation when it's not during their vacation time? Don't they get winter break, summer break, spring break, and national holidays? Kids in my state go to school only 180 days a year. So there are 185 days to choose from to travel. 

[omeinv]

When this thread started with the complaint that - for whatever reason - Celebrity has decided to have a few hours a day that those under 16 would be allowed in the solarium; there was a modicum of reason for it here.  Then it devolved into a general concern about children being on ships; and then into a discussion of whether children should be on a ship when school is in session. 

 

I'm hard pressed to think of anything that is less my business than how parents choose to vacation with their children.  I know schools have many varying schedules, varying requirements for attendance, and I know many children are home schooled, and some have private education that's on a completely on demand basis.  Regardless of any of these factors, other people's children's presence on a cruise I booked is definitely not my business.  If they somehow behave in a way that negatively affects me, my recourse is limited to addressing that specific behavior.  However, Celebrity can choose exactly what rules to have, and further exactly what rules to enforce.  If I dislike that, my issue is with Celebrity, not with children or their parents.  Seeing a child on a ship on a specific date, and coming to the conclusion that their parents are substandard because - in my assessment - that is a school day would be the height of arrogance on my part. 

 

Perhaps on the Solstice class ships, that have the lawn feature; Celebrity could introduce a scheduled activity: "Get off my lawn!  Those of us of a certain age could go there, and practice trying to enforce our will on strangers.  🙂

 

Harris

Denver, CO

Edited March 21, 2023 by omeinv

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

5 hours ago, Moochi said:

Don't hate me for saying this because I'm just an ignorant adult who's not a parent. Why do children need to take vacation when it's not during their vacation time? Don't they get winter break, summer break, spring break, and national holidays? Kids in my state go to school only 180 days a year. So there are 185 days to choose from to travel. 

 

I NEVER said they should take vacations during non-vacation times. Quite the contrary, so I'm not sure why you quoted me. I'm a teacher and stuck with those times as well, so I totally get that they are more expensive - which is usually the reason people give to try and justify pulling kids out of school. But I don't agree with pulling them out.

 

Our vacations when I was growing up were ALWAYS during our school breaks. We were not rich by any means, but we would have at least one nice vacation a year during our breaks. There was only one time when we missed any days for vacation and that was the one time we planned a Spring Break trip but because of snow days the school board cut our break short. They realized, however, that a lot of people had probably booked non-refundable vacations and so with presentation of those receipts (which had to be dated before the announcement), we were excused from the days that were in session. I think it was 3 days that we missed. Even with that, my parents didn't dare go to our teachers and ask for work in advance.

Edited March 21, 2023 by WrittenOnYourHeart

[zitsky]

7 hours ago, omeinv said:

When this thread started with the complaint that - for whatever reason - Celebrity has decided to have a few hours a day that those under 16 would be allowed in the solarium; there was a modicum of reason for it here.  Then it devolved into a general concern about children being on ships; and then into a discussion of whether children should be on a ship when school is in session. 

 

I'm hard pressed to think of anything that is less my business than how parents choose to vacation with their children.  I know schools have many varying schedules, varying requirements for attendance, and I know many children are home schooled, and some have private education that's on a completely on demand basis.  Regardless of any of these factors, other people's children's presence on a cruise I booked is definitely not my business.  If they somehow behave in a way that negatively affects me, my recourse is limited to addressing that specific behavior.  However, Celebrity can choose exactly what rules to have, and further exactly what rules to enforce.  If I dislike that, my issue is with Celebrity, not with children or their parents.  Seeing a child on a ship on a specific date, and coming to the conclusion that their parents are substandard because - in my assessment - that is a school day would be the height of arrogance on my part. 

 

Perhaps on the Solstice class ships, that have the lawn feature; Celebrity could introduce a scheduled activity: "Get off my lawn!  Those of us of a certain age could go there, and practice trying to enforce our will on strangers.  🙂

 

Harris

Denver, CO

Nice try, Harris.  I don’t care if they cruise when kids are in school.  But it most certainly becomes my business if those kids are running around screaming.   Or are sitting in the hot tub with a diaper.  Alone.  Asking them to play by the same rules is not the same as ruining THEIR vacation.  Sure let Celebrity make the rules AND enforce them.  Why should ill behaved kids be allowed to ruin MY vacation?

[TeeRick]

12 hours ago, Wakepatrol said:

This kids in  the solarium is like farting in an elevator . You feel better ,now the rest of us have to deal with it.

 

hmmm.... sounds like you have experience with this.

[smtcan]

In 30+ Celebrity cruises I have been fortunate not to encounter any unruly children.  This may be because we take longer cruises and do not travel in school holidays.  I am a retired teacher and for many years had to vacation then, so now we are happy to cruise at non peak times.

I am not concerned about designated times for children to use the solarium in inclement weather as long as those times are clearly defined and posted so adults can move to another location if they so wish.  I am however concerned about parents who are teaching their children that rules can be broken if it suits them.

[Moochi]

2 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

I NEVER said they should take vacations during non-vacation times. 

 

My apologies for not making it clear. I was not questioning you about why you would taking kids out during school time. I was making a comment on what you said, pulling kids out of school adds more work to teachers who are already busy. Kids already have more than half a year of off school time, why do the parents choose to take them out for vacation during school time, and inconvenient school staff?

[cgolf1]

8 hours ago, Moochi said:

Don't hate me for saying this because I'm just an ignorant adult who's not a parent. Why do children need to take vacation when it's not during their vacation time? Don't they get winter break, summer break, spring break, and national holidays? Kids in my state go to school only 180 days a year. So there are 185 days to choose from to travel. 

 

Money and time of year. If you live where winter sucks it is nice to get a small break from it in a warm place, we still do this today. Holiday break cruises, very expensive along with the spring break cruises. Generally the Jan/Feb time is a good time to cruise cost wise and for sanity during the cold weather stretch. 

 

Though I got blasted for saying this earlier we worked with our daughters teachers and made sure she was up to date for each class even if that meant carrying a heavy history book in our luggage and never had any issues or complaints from the teachers. They did appreciate that she was caught up when she got back and many times was ahead of the class.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

5 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

had any issues or complaints from the teachers

 

Much like how crew members are hesitant to confront guests with bad behavior, teachers are not going to tell the parent that they have issues because they know the parent will run to admin to complain about the teacher.

[cgolf1]

Just now, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Much like how crew members are hesitant to confront guests with bad behavior, teachers are not going to tell the parent that they have issues because they know the parent will run to admin to complain about the teacher.

 

That may be true, but some genuinely said they saw it as a learning opportunity for her. The teachers that knew us, knew that we wouldn't complain. My wife now works in a district office and deals with the calls, so I fully understand what you are saying. We didn't get a lot of assignments per say but direction on what to work ahead on. I don't want to get nailed for the virtue thing again, but my daughter did well in school, so we figured she could handle the work load as well. If she had issues with school we would not have taken her out and cruised without her.

 

Not sure if it matters, but we do live in a smaller school district as well. We gave up some educational opportunities for her to get a less chaotic environment. She got her engineering degree so it likely worked out, but she may have been more prepared for college if we had moved to an area with a larger school district.

[odyssyus]

9 hours ago, omeinv said:

When this thread started with the complaint that - for whatever reason - Celebrity has decided to have a few hours a day that those under 16 would be allowed in the solarium; there was a modicum of reason for it here.  Then it devolved into a general concern about children being on ships; and then into a discussion of whether children should be on a ship when school is in session. 

 

I'm hard pressed to think of anything that is less my business than how parents choose to vacation with their children.  I know schools have many varying schedules, varying requirements for attendance, and I know many children are home schooled, and some have private education that's on a completely on demand basis.  Regardless of any of these factors, other people's children's presence on a cruise I booked is definitely not my business.  If they somehow behave in a way that negatively affects me, my recourse is limited to addressing that specific behavior.  However, Celebrity can choose exactly what rules to have, and further exactly what rules to enforce.  If I dislike that, my issue is with Celebrity, not with children or their parents.  Seeing a child on a ship on a specific date, and coming to the conclusion that their parents are substandard because - in my assessment - that is a school day would be the height of arrogance on my part. 

 

Perhaps on the Solstice class ships, that have the lawn feature; Celebrity could introduce a scheduled activity: "Get off my lawn!  Those of us of a certain age could go there, and practice trying to enforce our will on strangers.  🙂

 

Harris

Denver, CO

Brilliant.  

[docsneeze]

10 hours ago, omeinv said:

When this thread started with the complaint that - for whatever reason - Celebrity has decided to have a few hours a day that those under 16 would be allowed in the solarium; there was a modicum of reason for it here.  Then it devolved into a general concern about children being on ships; and then into a discussion of whether children should be on a ship when school is in session. 

 

I'm hard pressed to think of anything that is less my business than how parents choose to vacation with their children.  I know schools have many varying schedules, varying requirements for attendance, and I know many children are home schooled, and some have private education that's on a completely on demand basis.  Regardless of any of these factors, other people's children's presence on a cruise I booked is definitely not my business.  If they somehow behave in a way that negatively affects me, my recourse is limited to addressing that specific behavior.  However, Celebrity can choose exactly what rules to have, and further exactly what rules to enforce.  If I dislike that, my issue is with Celebrity, not with children or their parents.  Seeing a child on a ship on a specific date, and coming to the conclusion that their parents are substandard because - in my assessment - that is a school day would be the height of arrogance on my part. 

 

Perhaps on the Solstice class ships, that have the lawn feature; Celebrity could introduce a scheduled activity: "Get off my lawn!  Those of us of a certain age could go there, and practice trying to enforce our will on strangers.  🙂

 

Harris

Denver, CO

As a parent and fellow passenger, Thank you.

 

3 hours ago, smtcan said:

In 30+ Celebrity cruises I have been fortunate not to encounter any unruly children.  This may be because we take longer cruises and do not travel in school holidays.  I am a retired teacher and for many years had to vacation then, so now we are happy to cruise at non peak times.

I am not concerned about designated times for children to use the solarium in inclement weather as long as those times are clearly defined and posted so adults can move to another location if they so wish.  I am however concerned about parents who are teaching their children that rules can be broken if it suits them.

Agree with above.  Many school districts such as ours, now have year round schedules with only 6 weeks in summer, one week off in September and February and 3 weeks at Christmas so there are opportunities for both students and teachers to vacation at less expensive times.

[Vagabond Knight]

YOUR BUSINESS:

• Kids being where they are not supposed to be on the ship and staff not enforcing the rules.
• Cruise line advertising an adults-only area and then setting "family hours" that are not advertised when you booked the cruise and don't appear anywhere in the advertising.

 

NOT YOUR BUSINESS:

• Whether someone took their kids out of school to take them on a cruise.  They may be home schooling (or not), and seeing other parts of the country/world can be a welcome part of their learning. For all you know, they could be doing lessons during part of the day.  If not, still not your business.  One of my grandsons is five years old and reading and doing math at a 3rd grade level, can identify most of the dinosaur species, knows all the bones in the body, and can tell you details about many aspects of the space, including the planets, constellations and nebulae.  He's partially home schooled and goes to a supplemental "enhancement" in-school program three days a week. Will he really suffer to miss a week of his in-school program?  Again, doesn't really matter.  Not your business. Not trying to being rude by saying this... it just really isn't.

[zitsky]

29 minutes ago, Vagabond Knight said:

YOUR BUSINESS:

• Kids being where they are not supposed to be on the ship and staff not enforcing the rules.
• Cruise line advertising an adults-only area and then setting "family hours" that are not advertised when you booked the cruise and don't appear anywhere in the advertising.

 

NOT YOUR BUSINESS:

• Whether someone took their kids out of school to take them on a cruise.  They may be home schooling (or not), and seeing other parts of the country/world can be a welcome part of their learning. For all you know, they could be doing lessons during part of the day.  If not, still not your business.  One of my grandsons is five years old and reading and doing math at a 3rd grade level, can identify most of the dinosaur species, knows all the bones in the body, and can tell you details about many aspects of the space, including the planets, constellations and nebulae.  He's partially home schooled and goes to a supplemental "enhancement" in-school program three days a week. Will he really suffer to miss a week of his in-school program?  Again, doesn't really matter.  Not your business. Not trying to being rude by saying this... it just really isn't.

This is Celebrity not Viking.  I don’t see many people complaining about kids out of school.  It becomes my business if kids are disruptive.  I can imagine the next post.  They’re not my kids so not my business?  

[Ex-Airbalancer]

If you don’t want to see many children on Celebrity , book longer cruises, book spring or fall 

Or no no children just book Viking or Virgin cruises 

it is that simple 

[zitsky]

11 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

If you don’t want to see many children on Celebrity , book longer cruises, book spring or fall 

Or no no children just book Viking or Virgin cruises 

it is that simple 

I think that’s good advice.  But it doesn’t mean we have to put up with any shenanigans because we booked Celebrity.  

[highway180]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

I think that’s good advice.  But it doesn’t mean we have to put up with any shenanigans because we booked Celebrity.  

Best advise yet....STAY HOME, don't cruise, there you only have to put up with kids if you choose.

Kids will be kids, and honestly I've never had any issues with them on any of my sailings with Celebrity.

 

[zitsky]

12 minutes ago, highway180 said:

Best advise yet....STAY HOME, don't cruise, there you only have to put up with kids if you choose.

Kids will be kids, and honestly I've never had any issues with them on any of my sailings with Celebrity.

 

Who is staying home?  The people with kids?  Or the people without?