Teenagers causing damage to ship this week

[CruisingHogFan]

3 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

Let’s be honest, other than the teen club it is hard to determine who caused the damages. 
 

That said, whoever is found to cause the damages should be thrown off no matter their age. 
 

They know exactly who did it. There are cameras everywhere on this ship. This is why some family’s had to get off and others  have to stay in their room till Fort Lauderdale 

[twinmommy08]

That is horrible news. We sail on her in 2 weeks. I would be in jail if my kids acted that way. I don’t tolerate it. I had a healthy dose of fear what my parents would do to me if I misbehaved growing up. I like to think my kids are just afraid of me! I think we need more of that now a days. These kids are off the chain. 

[Mum2Mercury]

7 hours ago, CruisingHogFan said:

Currently on Odyssey. We have sailed Royal for 20 years and have done spring break cruises many times over the years with no issues. Yes, lots of kids but no problems other than crowds. The overall ship, shows, food, and service have been excellent!
 

BUT the clientele is changing. Lots of rude families and large groups of teenagers causing issues every day. Apparently several families were forced to disembark in Aruba (one with $12,000 damage bill) and others have been locked in their cabins. We have seen people pushing scooters and older passengers out of the way, verbally abusing the staff. Several elevators have had the glass shattered and are not working now, security cameras have been broken around the ship, and apparently the teen area has damage. I left the casino at 2 am and there are still groups of teens ignoring the security officers tonight and running around the ship.
 

It’s sad that parents let their kids behave this way. Royal should adopt a zero tolerance policy and immediately kick the entire family off the ship if their kids are causing issues like this. I understand teenagers will be teenagers (we have a 13 year old) but causing property damage and assaulting older guests is not right.

All this on one cruise?  WOW.  

 

But I don't accept that "teenagers will be teenagers", meaning they will misbehave.  I can count on one hand the number of times I had real trouble from my kids when they were teens -- and it was always about wanting to drive somewhere I felt they weren't ready to drive on their own.  

 

We did a 3-day cruise for the first time last December (couldn't resist the $99 price tag), and we did note a difference in our fellow guests -- but I'm glad to say we didn't see anything like you describe.  

3 hours ago, ZoeyVictoria said:

We were also asked for money from a random young teenage girl.  She would have paid us back later 😂. When did kids start asking strangers for cash?  Just wrong in so many ways!

In the last 5-6 years, my high school students have started asking for food at school -- and if they don't like what I have (for example, I almost always have packets of plain crackers and fruit cups), they'll say, "No, I don't like that.  Don't you have any protein bars or something sweet?"  So they aren't too hungry.  

2 hours ago, mickeygirl78 said:

That is terrible! I hope Royal cracks down on this behavior and holds all accountable (parents too). 

Agree 100%. 

And parents should be held accountable for their children's behavior.  We've all heard that we should assume we're on camera in all public areas on the ship, so it shouldn't be too hard to identify the culprits.  

2 hours ago, CFLRetired said:

I believe this is an exception vs the rule.  We've been on many cruises and have never experienced behavior like described above.   99% of the teens we've seen or encountered are respectful and are just having a good time.  YMMV

Agree that few teens are destructive, but it only takes a few to lead the others in a bad direction.  

43 minutes ago, rimmit said:

Part of it is also the shifting demographics

 

When talking with the security onboard RCI, they state they love working RCI than their previous post on CCL as things are so much calmer and significantly less theft, fighting, and and other onboard incidents.  They stated CCL ships came with a brig while RCI ships did not.

 

I have noticed more and more incidents of vandalism on ships over the last 5-6 years.  I wonder if RCI is now considering a brig in their upcoming ships or maybe they have already converted space and installed them in some refits.

Agree that a small brig would be a good idea -- even our local mall has a small jail! 

I only know because my daughter (when she worked at the mall during her college years) was frequently sent to the jail to identify /retrieve things shoplifted from her store -- she kinda liked going, and it became one of her special tasks.  She'd come home joking, "I went to jail today, Mom!"  

Edited March 18, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[A&L_Ont]

14 minutes ago, CruisingHogFan said:

They know exactly who did it. There are cameras everywhere on this ship. This is why some family’s had to get off and others  have to stay in their room till Fort Lauderdale 

No, they don’t know who caused all the damages. Who caused the $12,000 dollars of damage to the cabins? Where there cameras in the cabins? 
 

Throw off the guilty parties like I said.  I don’t care about their age, I care about their idiocy. Treat them as needed.  Young and old can be destructive.

Edited March 18, 2023 by A&L_Ont

[allyfree]

It's all part of the RCCL culture to turn cruising into a holiday camp afloat ... we are D cruisers who went on Anthem last year (first time on a Quantum class) and hated it. So many of the amenities are geared towards a younger clientele which encourages them to become over-enthusiastic and wild ... and we're by no means old !

[melbur]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

what the heck? It's only for kids 12 and under. KSF has nothing to do with the hoards of teenagers.

 

Plus, it's so dang limited that it's extremely, and I mean it, extremely difficult to apply it to any cruise that working parents with kids in school could possibly go on. KSF definitely doesn't apply to any school breaks.

It's not just teens,  I've been seeing this behaviour on 8-12yr also. And I wasn't talking about spring break, 5 weeks on Oasis over Jan/Feb. 

[SE fla]

Damaging elevators and cctv cameras puts everyone at risk.
 

With facial recognition and key entry systems for cabin doors, bar purchases etc.. threw out the ship, a good security team can locate the people who are not well behaved and where all the rest of your family is and what exactly you’re doing at that given time.

 

This is Exactly how people are removed from ships and presented with large bills. 
 

 

[ARandomTraveler]

The kids sail free might not work for teenagers, but it's probable that the families who have these teens also have younger children who that promo did work for, and made it so their family vacation was less expensive. And with younger children to tend to, these parents are probably not paying close attention to the older teens.

Edited March 18, 2023 by ARandomTraveler

[Sigyn]

3 hours ago, melbur said:

Kids sail free..., please stop this promo.  I've never experienced so many kids in the months following Xmas break as I have this year. Misbehaving, rude and pushy. I had 2 young teens at 4am harass me for any cash I had on me cause they wanted to go back to the arcade and had no money left.

Hellooo, parents?

the free kids are 12 and under, so it doesn't sound like those are the ones causing problems. 

 

This is very disturbing. I'm traveling with my 15-year-old son in two weeks, and I will have him read this, and use it as an object lesson prior to our cruise. He's a well-behaved kid who attends a strict school where "sir" and "ma'am" are part of the lexicon, but you never know what will entice even a good kid to misbehave when they're around larger groups of teens. Lord of the Flies as reference. As a parent, I do supervise and I have many ways of preventing any disobedience, but I know that all parents do not follow the same guidelines. 

Edited March 18, 2023 by njsmom

[nelblu]

16 minutes ago, allyfree said:

It's all part of the RCCL culture to turn cruising into a holiday camp afloat ... we are D cruisers who went on Anthem last year (first time on a Quantum class) and hated it. So many of the amenities are geared towards a younger clientele which encourages them to become over-enthusiastic and wild ... and we're by no means old !

I've sailed on the Anthem many times and I don't understand your thinking.  Every ship that I know and sailed has areas that attract the younger generations as you say.  Whether it's the rock-climbing wall, I fly, sports deck, flow rider, slides, etc.  By the way, this applies to most of the cruise lines.

[poocher]

30 minutes ago, twinmommy08 said:

That is horrible news. We sail on her in 2 weeks. I would be in jail if my kids acted that way. I don’t tolerate it. I had a healthy dose of fear what my parents would do to me if I misbehaved growing up. I like to think my kids are just afraid of me! I think we need more of that now a days. These kids are off the chain. 

Yup, a healthy dose of fear.  Be a brat at home.  When we are out in public you BETTER BE ANGELS!!!  But this isn’t new behavior.  I remember being on a cruise in 2018 watching drunk parents getting buckets of beer for their equally drunk underage kids.  You need a license to drive, fly a plane, get married but any bozo with the right equipment can produce offspring.

[nelblu]

While we are on the subject of violence has anyone read this post from a passenger on the Ovation.

Certainly, not a teenager.

[George C]

 I love entertainment on rccl but prefer celebrity since it’s more of a adult cruise, currently on a music charter on celebrity that is adults only, great cruise. 

[A&L_Ont]

Just now, poocher said:

You need a license to drive, fly a plane, get married but any bozo with the right equipment can produce offspring.

Exactly.
 

The children of the 90s who had little discipline are now raising their own children.  That said, there are great kids out there. I unfortunately don’t like how the good kids are being lumped in with the bad ones. 

[Sigyn]

4 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

Exactly.
 

The children of the 90s who had little discipline are now raising their own children.  That said, there are great kids out there. I unfortunately don’t like how the good kids are being lumped in with the bad ones. 

I adopted my son and had to go through months of police and FBI background checks and visits from social workers before I was permitted to become a parent. My son's pediatrician, while filling out the paperwork during one visit, before the adoption was final, said he wished that all parents had to go through such a strict regiment before they were allowed to have children. 

[Mum2Mercury]

29 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

No, they don’t know who caused all the damages. Who caused the $12,000 dollars of damage to the cabins? Where there cameras in the cabins? 
 

Throw off the guilty parties like I said.  I don’t care about their age, I care about their idiocy. Treat them as needed.  Young and old can be destructive.

Well, it seems obvious that if your cabin is damaged, you're the one to blame.  Either you did it, or you allowed someone in who did it.  If your kid did it, you're still responsible.  

 

Agree that anyone responsible -- regardless of age -- should be kicked off at the next island and banned for life.  If I were a big wig in a cruising company, I'd push for coordination between companies to ban these people from all cruise lines.  These aren't customers anyone wants.  

16 minutes ago, SE fla said:

... With facial recognition and key entry systems for cabin doors, bar purchases etc.. threw out the ship, a good security team can locate the people who are not well behaved and where all the rest of your family is and what exactly you’re doing at that given time ... 

I think anyone who's been through the new passport facial recognition system has been amazed, and if the passport people can do it, so can the ships.  Good security is good for their reputation and their financial security.  

14 minutes ago, njsmom said:

the free kids are 12 and under, so it doesn't sound like those are the ones causing problems. 

 

This is very disturbing. I'm traveling with my 15-year-old son in two weeks, and I will have him read this, and use it as an object lesson prior to our cruise. He's a well-behaved kid who attends a strict school where "sir" and "ma'am" are part of the lexicon, but you never know what will entice even a good kid to misbehave when they're around larger groups of teens. Lord of the Flies as reference. As a parent, I do supervise and I have many ways of preventing any disobedience, but I know that all parents do not follow the same guidelines. 

Yes, when our kids were teens we talked to them about the behavior we expected -- and we were very exact about those expectations.  I made sure they understood that their behavior could lead to the family being kicked off the ship.  I never thought they'd be the kids to destroy things or be rude to others -- but I told them to walk away from kids who did behave this way, lest they find themselves caught up in something not of their own making.  

[mandyleighflies]

I have always been strict with my kids in regard to their manners and behaviors. Ever since they were little I knew I was raising future community citizens and I wanted to make sure they were respectful and responsible human's at any age. Working with/among the public has proven to me that very few parents respect those around them or even their own children. I always had headphones for my kids electronics in public, when they had tantrums I took them aside to address it promptly. When my kids are upset and acting unusual for themselves, I talk to them and see what's going on and if I can help or just listen to them. No kid is perfect, mine have messed up before and had to pay the consequence's, if you break it you buy it sort of thing. My kids know all actions have consequence's and I made sure of that and am lucky I have an ex-husband who parent's the same way (if not harder) on our kids and we co-parent together. HOWEVER from what I have seen in public and continue to see is astonishing. These ''parents" just let their kids run loose on vacation as they allow them to run loose in life. I am so sorry y'all are dealing with that sort of behavior onboard, I would also be angry and honestly, so would my kids who would also be dealing with it on a different level than we do. I hope your cruise improves and maybe all these price hikes will "weed out" some of the clientele we are seeing right now...send some of them back to the "fun ships" they are more accustomed to sailing. The Fun Ships are an excellent example of what happens when you become the lowest bidder. We sailed them in tandem with RCCL for years in the late 90's early 00's....now unless it's a TA on a new ship...you wouldn't catch me even looking twice and that's sad, we had great times and fantastic memories under those whale tails.  

Edited March 18, 2023 by mandyleighflies
extra words

[voyager70]

28 minutes ago, George C said:

 I love entertainment on rccl but prefer celebrity since it’s more of a adult cruise, currently on a music charter on celebrity that is adults only, great cruise. 

That sounds wonderful. We haven’t sailed X since 2002, only Royal as we love the ships and entertainment. Now that we’ve made it to the half-century club I think it’s time we start looking hard at making the change back to Celebrity. Nothing against kids (well behaved ones) but the more adult environment sounds much more to our liking.

 

28 minutes ago, George C said:

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, DriftinAlong said:

I am sailing for spring break, and we booked Kids Sail Free - its possible! (2 working parents, with 3 kids, in school, traveling during Chicago's Spring Break.)

so are we (sadly for the last time, since DS turned 12 this month), but it was an error on RCI's side. They accidently released the promotion with the Easter week being eligible for KSF. I snatched it up right away since it's our school break, but within mere days RCI realized what they had done and added the Easter week to the ineligible times. I kept an eye on the T&Cs and that's what I saw.

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, robmtx said:

 

Unfortunately this is parenting in 2023. It's not to say all parents are raising their children this way, but I feel like it's flipped to that of the majority of parents are more hands-off than ever before.

The same has een happening since I started cruising in 1996.it has not changed.  When there are a large number of teens onboard they gang together. As for the parents they let the teens have the run of the ship.. That is whay I avoid Caribbean cruises at spring break times and the summer. This is nothing new.

[RRTcruiser]

We live in a world where 15th place trophies and no accountability are now the norm. We all see the effects of “free range children” in our everyday life.

One of my greatest cruise moments ever was on the Serenade of the Seas this past January. In the windjammer cafe a young male (probably about 11) ran through the crowd bumping into everyone. A crew member yelled no running and the boys mother turned around angrily and said he is just trying to catch up….

The crew member then said “I wasn’t talking to him”

everyone who witnessed this burst out in applause, with a head shake and an eye roll…. mom walked away

Edited March 18, 2023 by RRTcruiser

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Agree that few teens are destructive, but it only takes a few to lead the others in a bad direction.  

That is exactly what happens. On a cruise 15 years ago one teen started heckling a singer not because she was bad but because it was opera. The other nine teens joined in. There were no adults with them at the show. If the teens were not a pack it would not have happened. It only takes one who wants to show off.

[island lady]

Two words:

 

Viking, Virgin.  

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, CruisingHogFan said:

They know exactly who did it. There are cameras everywhere on this ship. This is why some family’s had to get off and others  have to stay in their room till Fort Lauderdale 

This type of behavior, no matter what age the person is, is disgusting!  Happy to hear they threw off a couple of families and locked others in their cabins.   IF it was their children (and not the adults) causing problems I hope those parents reprimand their children while stuck in a cabin with them.

I cannot believe teenagers are harassing/begging other passengers for money for the arcade in the middle of night...WOW!!!   

I board Anthem next Sunday and sure hope we don't experience this type of behavior.   

[DaniDanielle]

I have said before, parents and kids board the ship and the parents tell them see you in a week😳