Anxiety over kid haters!

[OT2Be2004]

We are cruising in Carnival next month and I have been on thier boards quite a bit lately. It seems that there are a ton of anti-kid posts and how people hate kids on cruises! They have actually said they hate kids! Our daughter will be 16 mons old and I am dreading having an encounter with one of these kind of people! I am pregnant again and I have had some hormonal outbursts at times and I worry about chucking someone overboard! (kidding kind of) But I don't want our vacation ruined by someone giving us lip! Anyone ever encounter this? Am I worrying over nothing?

[seashell36]

I wouldn't really worry about the encounters onboard the ship with the kid haters. Most of the people that post on the boards griping about kids being rowdy or obnoxious won't say much in person. We haven't personally

cruised with a little one, our youngest was 4 on their first cruise. But, in our circle of cruising friends we have several that have cruised with babies as young as 6 months. I can think of one episode out of at least 15 cruises (that's among 5 families with a total of 13 kids) with a "kid hater". She wasn't chucked overboard, but she did recieve a lot of nasty looks and comments from other cruisers that witnessed the incident. She said that a toddler playing near her table between the pool area and the buffet caused her to trip and fall into the table. She berated the mother for letting her child "run wild". The little girl was sitting on the floor playing quietly with a doll. She was just an unhappy person who wanted others to be just as sour - in my opinion. Don't let it bother you! It's your (and your child's) vacation too!!:D

[allstarzz]

You will encounter a lots of people on your cruise. Majority will be kind and friendly. Kids are easy target on these boards so many GOF (grumpy old farts) pick on that category. People with or without kids become expert on how they should be and behave. Yes, there are people who hate kids and don't want them around. There are many, many, more who welcome their smile and laughter. I still get a knot in my stomach when I read the anti-kids, are they going to be around comments. I know from experience my kids have met some wonderful people on board. Like everything else take what's posted on a message board with a huge lump of salt.

[grumpyjr88]

Don't let the kid haters get you down and if they do give you trouble, tell them to stuff it. That said, even kid lovers (like myself!) don't appreicate parents who don't address their screaming kids. At 16 months old, there won't be a lot of reasoning with her but if she does have a melt down, just take her some place where you won't bother others until she calms down.

 

I have 4 sisters and I'm the oldest so I've seen it all! LOL Kids will do what kids will do so no point in getting worked up about it. :)

[RoadTripFanatic]

Don't worry about them! I swear some people just complain because they can. You have every right to cruise with your child and have a good time. I wouldn't worry about them! I think someday I shall start a thread about obnoxious middle aged drunks who stand outside my door and talk loudly for 2 hrs and how I hate to cruise with them. LOL! ROF!! :)

[drblue]

OT2be2004,

You should just enjoy your vacation without having to worry about what others might do. I have travelled with my son since he was just a few months old, and we never had any problems on cruises or land vacations.

It is true that some people do not enjoy kids, and do not necessarily like sharing a dining table with them either. These folks usually do not ask questions about how your child is doing and do not always enjoy the latest cute little story that each parent always has about their child. That is Ok. I also know that tons of families do not enjoy sharing a table with these grumpy old farts. We also do not enjoy listening to their usual conversations about getting older, the latest offer from AARP, the rising cost of their wart medication, and the effects of spicy food on older stomachs. As families, we have had to endure these topics for years and years. Now, we can just request a small table just for us.

Nowadays, most cruise companies have realized that families are a good demographic to target and the design of new ships reflect this trend. Most ships now offer a balance of free style dining that suits families better than the traditional dining, which also still appeals to many people on cruise ships. They offer formal dancing lessons for older folks like cha-cha-cha, but also include time in the dance areas (we no longer call them discos) for the younger generations.

So, go ahead and enjoy your vacation. Make the best of it for you and your family. If someone does not like it, well .... they can eat cake!

[tamsocal]

We are cruising in Carnival next month and I have been on thier boards quite a bit lately. It seems that there are a ton of anti-kid posts and how people hate kids on cruises! They have actually said they hate kids! Our daughter will be 16 mons old and I am dreading having an encounter with one of these kind of people! I am pregnant again and I have had some hormonal outbursts at times and I worry about chucking someone overboard! (kidding kind of) But I don't want our vacation ruined by someone giving us lip! Anyone ever encounter this? Am I worrying over nothing?

 

agree w/Dr. Blue-- we have been on 9 cruises and have never had any issues- Princess/carnival/HAL-- you likely don;t need to stress about this and if the rare case does come up that you have a rude person approach you-- you will handle it in the same manner you do any day of the week on land--some of us smile & walk away, some of us speak up politely, some of us snap back.......

 

can it happen-- yes.

Is it likely- I don;t think so

 

enjoy your cruise!!

[dalitos]

We are cruising in Carnival next month and I have been on thier boards quite a bit lately. It seems that there are a ton of anti-kid posts and how people hate kids on cruises! They have actually said they hate kids! Our daughter will be 16 mons old and I am dreading having an encounter with one of these kind of people! I am pregnant again and I have had some hormonal outbursts at times and I worry about chucking someone overboard! (kidding kind of) But I don't want our vacation ruined by someone giving us lip! Anyone ever encounter this? Am I worrying over nothing?

 

Don't let some rude posters on this board scare you! People are very brave to say things when behind their screen, trust me it will not be the same while cruising.

Just think of the daily experiences you have with your daughter when going out with her on a daily basis, to the grocery store, restaurants, etc. Sure there are always people that are annoyed by little kids, although most would never make a rude comment, but most will just think she's cute and come say hi or just do their thing without paying any attention to you.

Don't worry about this, be a responsible parent (if she's crying or being really annoying go out of the dining room/theater, etc), but don't be afraid to annoy someone every time your daughter makes a peep.

[Keith1010]

I would ignore those who don't care for kids and plan to have a wonderful cruise.

 

Keith

[kittycat_26]

Dont fret about it. We've done 5 cruises (3 with one kid and 2 with 2 kids) over the course of their years. My oldest was 5 on his first and my youngest was only 11 months.

 

We've had one incident and before I even had a chance to tell the woman to buzz off (at least I hope that's what was going to come out), the nicest couple in the world defended me and the kids.

 

Have a great time. It's alot of work vacationing with kids as their schedules get out of whack but it is so much fun and they remember more than we give them credit for.

[cb at sea]

Oh, please! The ratio of "kid haters" is the same on land as on sea....

Folks just like to spout off on here about bringing kids.

[beachluvr65]

as a non parent, please allow me to put my two cents in.

 

I agree with most of the posters on this thread and if the kid haters really are, they will seek out cruises that may not attract the families with small children. that being said, I have been on several cruises where families were traveling with children and BY FAR, THE CHILDREN WERE BETTER BEHAVED THAN SOME OF THE ADULTS.

 

So, go and if someone does give you the impression of being a kid hater and says something to you, take a lesson from a poster here and use a great line

 

" I hope you win your lawsuit against the charm school, as obviously they failed with you.....

 

Rick

[snorkelman]

If you look down just a couple posts you see this has already been discussed in detail recently.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1256651

[allstarzz]

 

I agree with most of the posters on this thread and if the kid haters really are, they will seek out cruises that may not attract the families with small children.

Rick

 

Sadly they don't because their sense of entitlement is; they have a right to be on vacation when and where they want and kids be d@mned. These people are the ones who go to Disneyland and complain about kids, book the cheap deal at resorts that allow kids for free then complain, or worse book the 3 days Carnival cruise during Spring Break then spend their cruising life condemning the line. Kids are reading these boards and parents are paying dearly for the privilege to take their children on these vacation. It's about time we ALL say to kid hater, the ones who don't like them much....ENOUGH. I am not saying all kids are angels and bad behavior should be ignored. In each group of travelers there are individuals that tempt us to either jump overboard or throw them overboard.

 

I have yet to hear a child berate a staff while on vacation or read a review where they put down other people or cultures.

[Annieeee]

We are cruising in Carnival next month and I have been on thier boards quite a bit lately. It seems that there are a ton of anti-kid posts and how people hate kids on cruises! They have actually said they hate kids! Our daughter will be 16 mons old and I am dreading having an encounter with one of these kind of people! I am pregnant again and I have had some hormonal outbursts at times and I worry about chucking someone overboard! (kidding kind of) But I don't want our vacation ruined by someone giving us lip! Anyone ever encounter this? Am I worrying over nothing?

 

 

Please don't concern yourself over this. Please don't let meanies ruin your cruise vacation. You have a toddler, gee how can anyone be annoyed that you have your child with you. What could a little 16 month old toddler do that would annoy some old grump? Kids are kids, babies are babies and they cry, and make a little bit of noise, but how annoying can that be. People have to stop and think that most of us had kids at one time or another and no, not one of them was ever perfect! Not one!!!!! And that includes your kids, my kids, and yours too, and oh yes, you over there inthe corner, yours too!! I think most people are referring to the teens, they sometimes roam the halls, push all the buttons on the elevators and stuff like that.

I think lots of folks just vent here because they can do so anonymously.

Please go and enjoy. Oh yes and when you exit the elevator, hit two extra buttons for me!

Annieeee

[MamaParrotHead]

What's to worry about? A.) you can't change their POV. B.) if they choose to say something, tell them exactly where to go and how to get there, C.) go along your merry way enjoying you vacation on the FAMILY cruise ship. Most of those handful of bullies and big mouths over on the other board don't have the jewels to say anything to anyone face-to-face.

[onthelake]

These threads about the 'anti-kid' movement' really have me thinking back. My DS is about to turn 17. He has been cruising all his life. When we lived in Florida, we did multiple cruises per year. Now, we may not cruise as often but have done some 'big' ones - 24 day Med, Vancouver to Bangkok, Seattle to Sydney, etc. Over the years, we have heard many comments - not really on his behavior but on his presence. Yes, there are people that for some reason find the fact that there are children on ships to be an outrageous imposition. They find it necessary to sit near by and talk loudly about how inappropriate it is because . . .

 

Unfortunately, this is what sticks in my head because, truthfully, we have had more people stop us and tell us how important travel is for young people, how well behaved my son is, how wonderful it is that we managed to make family time, etc.

 

However you choose to parent or vacation is no one's business unless you infringe upon their rights/enjoyment. Certainly, Carnival is a family cruise line and kids are the norm rather than the exception.

 

My personal gripe is smokers - I find a nice spot on the beach and we settle in, a group sits down near by and someone lights cigarrette (perfectly within their rights) but I have to pack up and move on because of my asthma. We all have something that bugs us or inconveniences us - that does not mean there is a right or wrong.

 

Take your kids and enjoy your trip! Happy sails!

[Julienatul]

Dont worry at all, I used to be that way and after 10 cruises with my kids most as infants/toddlers I have learned that

1) the kid haters are minorities on cruises

2) most people feel comfortable bashing kids on here but never would in person

3) everyone is generally happy on vacation and their mood translates into their actions, seeing a child makes them smile and their tolerance levels are very high because they are on vacation

4) the dining room is very, very loud to begin with just with clattering of dishes, conversations,the amount of people, music etc. unless they are seated at the same table or very close, they wont even hear your child much less notice them ( not an excuse not to remove them but just saying relax it will be ok even if they act out some)

 

I used to cruise with my heart in my throat in such fear that my kids might act out and disturb someone or ruin someone's enjoyment of something. Guess what it rarely if ever happened. I am very conscious of others and promptly remove them whenever they act up. After the 3rd cruise I learned to relax some and after asking countless people in the dining room if my DD was bothering them I learned they hadn't even noticed her before I could remove her.

 

So deep breath, go enjoy your cruise. You will see everyone will be very happy to see you child not the other way around!!

[Jennanarine]

I agree with PP. Have an amazing cruise...we're cruising next month for DS's first birthday!!

[EmiGirl826]

As a person without a child (by choice) I'll say this. I love kids. I'm a big kid person. The next cruise I'm going on is with a group and there's a small child coming with us. Nothing makes me grin like watching a little kid have fun. That being said, I don't like rude kids in general (even the ones who are in my family and I love dearly) when they obviously haven't been parented. Then, I mostly blame the parents for being irresponsible. Of course I'm even more intolerant of rude adults who should know better that to act like heathens. I've found that most of the so called "anti-kid" people feel the same way as I. I feel I'm more anti-rude than anti-child. Of course as far as a screaming child goes, I know how hard it can be to get a child who does not want to calm down, to calm down. I've helped raise plenty of younger cousins to have learned this very quickly. I think that it would be common sense though that after seeing that this is the case a parent would excuse themselves with the child until the child calms down. But of course only you know your child and her temperment.

 

As for what someone said about people not caring about your child's latest milestone or achievement - just be mindful that if the people you're dining with don't have children they might not want to hear about how awesome and amazing and perfect your child is all the time. I'm more than willing to talk about somebody's kid for a while, but not forever. On the same token I try not to talk about my dogs and cat (my children) to people who have shown me that they're not animal people. I'm a fairly decent conversationalist so finding a mutual topic of conversation comes pretty easily for me.

 

Carnival is usually pretty good about seating families with other families. When I went with my mom and dad we were seated with another family with a daughter who was about my age.

 

I wouldn't stress about it too much with a child that young. I know I go around fussing over how cute all the little kids are. And I'll admit that I've only been on one cruise where the kids were obnoxious. Even then we're talking about 8-12 year olds literally running wild unsupervised all over the ship and pushing and shoving and all that mess. I remember one boy who was probably about 12 (but he was a really tall boy, of course I'm only 5'4 so there are quite a few 12 year old boys who are quite a bit taller than me!) actually shoved me out of his way to get somewhere. But I highly doubt that your little one will be doing that. :)

 

Take a deep breath and enjoy the countdown to your cruise. Most everyone will be spending too much time telling you how cute your little one is - crew included. From what I've heard they really dote on babies since a good portion have children back home they don't get to see.

[harryfat1]

For what it’s worth, the moderators on cc zapped that entire anti kids thread on the Carnival boards as it was inflammatory and hotly debated. I applaud them for doing so as that type of thread is not helpful. Regardless of what anyone writes on the pro–kids side, there will be people that will not want kids on the ship. You can’t change people’s bias with just some email posting. So why bother to start such thread?

 

As #13 already pointed out, someone already started a similar discussion and I already added my thoughts there. Just enjoy your cruise with your kids.

[tiff123]

How funny - I just came here looking for this type of topic because I saw an anti-kid type of post and other type of posts over the course of time in the NCL forum. Wow... something is just soooo wrong with people.:mad:

 

I've been on two Carnival cruises and I don't remember a single kid-hater! In fact, all I remember are that the dining staff loved our kids! And I remember a couple of grandparent types that we'd run into a couple of times that would talk to the kids and seemed amused by them. They seemed to like the kids. If there were kid haters we didn't notice them.

 

However, I am mindful if the kids get rowdy, loud, whiny or crying no matter where we are we remove them to somewhere private until they are fit to go back into public. That way everyone can have a good time! :D

[Onessa]

As I've stated in other threads, there are some folks who just love to complain - and kids are an easy target. Than said, we've had no real issues travelling with our DD (she's now nearly 15YO and has travelled with us - land and sea - since she was born). One or two rude comments over 15 years, I can live with.

 

Yesterday, seemed to be loud child day -- I went to Target, Home Depot and the grocery store -- all three spots there were a number of very loud very badly behaved kids and very inattentive parents. There were also a greater number of well behaved "fun" kids -- nothing makes standing in line at the checkout more fun than making funny faces at an 18MO!

[akcruz]

We were out to dinner the other night. At the table next to us was a mom, dad and their 3 kids. The one young girl, probably about 6, was asking why they had to sit in that section instead of another she liked, the mother stated very loudly "It doesn't matter, SHUT UP!". During the time we were seated there the mother made twice as much noise as the 3 kids put together. My kids were commenting on how loud she was, and my son almost passed up on dessert so we could leave to get away from her!

 

It's not always the kids that are annoying.

 

To anyone looking to take your kids, don't worry about the other passengers, your kids have as much right to be there as they do. Just realize how sounds can carry sometimes and be aware of your surroundings. Most people don't make any more noise with kids, but it is often the kids that are blamed, regardless of who is making the noise.

[k8ster72]

Another childless person (by choice) here:

 

I would never bash people with kids bringing them on cruises. I don't particular enjoy being around kids but I don't mind them as long as the parents are courteous enough to remove them from dining rooms, theaters, etc if they throw a huge fit. Other than that, simply respect the rules regarding adults only areas and we'll get along just fine.

 

I do tend to avoid summer/spring breaks and holidays so I don't encounter very many kids. I have very rarely had any negative experiences, maybe only one or two. I would not say anything unless the kid is being extraordinarily obnoxious, and at that point I would not likely be the only one. This happened once on RCCL, in Johnny Rockets. This toddler was screaming and the parents were ignoring him. Just about everyone in the restaurant (even other people with kids) said something and the parents finally took him out of there.

 

That is really the only time that has happened and other than that I have absolutely NO complaints about kids of any age on board.

 

I hope your family enjoys your cruse and don't let the really grumpy people bug you!