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Big Easy

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But I'm sure that YOUR children and grandchildren didn't behave as some of the others have ...

 

I'm not a big fan of children myself, but I don't object to ALL children: just the ones who don't behave, and whose parents don't care to see that they do.

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Yes, I have cruised RCCL and Celebrity but also Regent, Silversea, and Seabourn and done so with my grandchildren where no childrens programs were offered and they and me had the best of times.

 

The overt and obvious disdain for children by the Oceania cruisers in this thread is surely not going to hold me back from experiencing with my grandchildren the supposedly outstanding cruisine and service offered by Oceania. I choose my vacations to please myself and my grandchildren, no one else.

 

Worldspan

131 cruises strong

 

I'm certain that your grandchildren are perfectly behaved. Probably you have instilled the same concern for others in them that you obviously have,which can easily be discerned from your posts.

 

What concerns many of the regular Oceania cruisers , is that many parents and grandparents think their children or grandchildren are "perfect" and do not control their children's behavior, no matter how unruly and disruptive it may be to others. They either ignore it, or think it's "cute".

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I'm certain that your grandchildren are perfectly behaved. Probably you have instilled the same concern for others in them that you obviously have,which can easily be discerned from your posts.

 

What concerns many of the regular Oceania cruisers , is that many parents and grandparents think their children or grandchildren are "perfect" and do not control their children's behavior, no matter how unruly and disruptive it may be to others. They either ignore it, or think it's "cute".

 

For as many children who don't behave accordingly, there are adults and yes senior ones at that whose behaviour is totally out of line. And yes that can be found on a luxury cruise like Seabourn or Crystal as well as a line like Carnival. Bad behaviour knows no age limits nor economic boundaries. And for these "poorly behaved" adults, what is their excuse ?!

 

Worldspan

131 cruises strong

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For as many children who don't behave accordingly, there are adults and yes senior ones at that whose behaviour is totally out of line. And yes that can be found on a luxury cruise like Seabourn or Crystal as well as a line like Carnival. Bad behaviour knows no age limits nor economic boundaries. And for these "poorly behaved" adults, what is their excuse ?!

 

Worldspan

131 cruises strong

 

You made nearly the same statement in a different thread...

 

"Your remarks would be fairly stated if they also referred to the often cranky, inconsiderate older folks (yes my generation) whose behaviour

can be as offensive to other passengers as any unconcerned parent might be of out of control small children."

 

Worldspan

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I don't think anyone who has posted has been hostile to children. Many of us are parents and grandparents. It is just that Oceania has been geared primarily toward adult guests, and in turn, the cruises have a special ambiance. There are so many cruise lines that encourage children, with lots of amenities for them, and that's great. Why not have an option to sail on a cruise line that does not?

Very well said. I still think that O is making a big mistake and opening a big can of worms for themselves and their very loyal customers. Once done, it will be pretty hard to go back and regain those people that they will have lost. Happy sailing to all, Hopefully without children.:mad:

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  • 1 month later...

Presently sailing on Riveria and extremely disappointed In The amount and behavior of the children (and even worse the children's parents disregard for the

Other passengers). Let's see splashing at the pool, sliding down the pool rails,

Running on the halls, etc. Unfortunately the parents of these children are

very self absorbed and disrespectful themselves. We love sailing on Oceania but not under these conditions.

Then there are the families with well behaved children- seems they are spending time with them and taught them how to act in public.

As I said before my grandchildren sail on RCCL.

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This is precisely why we didn't book the holiday cruise this year. After the terrible behavior of the young guests on last years holiday cruise, we booked in January. I hope we do not have a repeat of last year's experience, because if we do, it will be our last Oceania cruise (our FAVORITE line). I've read a lot of posts here on CC about this subject and I was glad to hear about programs geared towards these special guests. What happened??? I know that Oceania's President has a young family.....I really hope that they are not changing who their target market is!!!!

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Presently sailing on Riveria and extremely disappointed In The amount and behavior of the children (and even worse the children's parents disregard for the

Other passengers). Let's see splashing at the pool, sliding down the pool rails,

Running on the halls, etc. Unfortunately the parents of these children are

very self absorbed and disrespectful themselves. We love sailing on Oceania but not under these conditions.

that would be disappointing:eek:

Do they have any program organized for the kids on your cruise?

I know they were doing some on the Alaska cruises but maybe they need programs on the other routes

Better still go adult only ...sorry just dreaming;)

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No kids programs on this cruise. The problem is the parents who apparently have a cultural difference to ours in raising their children. I don't want kids programs because unless the parents take responsibility I don't want kids on Oceania.

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There were a lot of childern on our Riviera cruise last month. It's a shame that the parents did NOT control their chidren and hence the pool was off limits most afternoons for any sane adult.

 

The kids were out of control, running all over the ship.

 

One father even had his kids in the pool during the muster drill!

 

We were on deck 12 and the family there with 3 kids let them run and scream in the hall. Thank goodness when we closed our door we were not able to hear them, only trip over them on our way in and out of our suite.

 

If O continues to book families with young children the need for a childrens program is a must. Everyone on board deserves a quiet restful vacation.

 

We have cruised Regent at holiday times twice, and the Voyager was loaded with kids (100+ once) and the kids program was great, we hardly knew there were children on board.

 

We have 12 grandchildren between us, and we love to travel with them. We only go to places that are age appropriate therefore we are all comfortable and content.

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What a shame that some people do not control their children it happens everywhere these days

 

Maybe O should have an age limit like 18 :D

 

Maybe I will have to look at P & O they now have an R-ship and it is adults only ;)

 

I am old & crabby so I like peace & quiet on my vacations :p

 

Lyn

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A kids program is not a full solution. As long as there are parents who want to bring children on a cruise that has been crafted as an adult experience there will be problems. If one were to speak to the parents of the "hall runners", they would insist the kids were well behaved. In June on the Riveria the mother of a disruptive child was about as loud as the child. A kids program may create more problems rather than solving one.

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Sorry Lyn, but I must disagree with you on this. I don't consider it old and crabby to want peace and quiet on vacation! Quite the contrary! I have kids and grandkids, and was even one myself. Love them all! I feel that bad behavior (kids AND their parents) is running rampant. Not sure what the problem (or the solution) is other than to say that IMHO many parents are not parenting. Kids will push the limits. It is the nature of the beast (been there, done that). Do they think they need to be their friend? Are they afraid of scarring them for life with a little discipline? Not saying corporal punishment, just some consequences. Do they think their vacation is more important that everyone else's?

Have been in the company of some well behaved children and my husband and I often comment to the parents on the good job they are doing. On the other hand, some are out of control and a horror to be around. Putting up with that for length of a cruise would be a PIA! No place to hide.

So no, you are not CRABBY expecting some peace and quiet. The reason we don't cruise family friendly lines is to avoid crying, whining and diapers in the pool. On second thought, some adults may be guilty of these things as well and we would distance ourselves from that also!

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Sorry Lyn, but I must disagree with you on this. I don't consider it old and crabby to want peace and quiet on vacation! Quite the contrary! I have kids and grandkids, and was even one myself. Love them all! I feel that bad behavior (kids AND their parents) is running rampant. Not sure what the problem (or the solution) is other than to say that IMHO many parents are not parenting. Kids will push the limits. It is the nature of the beast (been there, done that). Do they think they need to be their friend? Are they afraid of scarring them for life with a little discipline? Not saying corporal punishment, just some consequences. Do they think their vacation is more important that everyone else's?

Have been in the company of some well behaved children and my husband and I often comment to the parents on the good job they are doing. On the other hand, some are out of control and a horror to be around. Putting up with that for length of a cruise would be a PIA! No place to hide.

So no, you are not CRABBY expecting some peace and quiet. The reason we don't cruise family friendly lines is to avoid crying, whining and diapers in the pool. On second thought, some adults may be guilty of these things as well and we would distance ourselves from that also!

 

Count me in with the old and crabby group. The reason these kids are poorly behaved is that they are unsupervised. They are because their parents want to get away from them and relax. DUH. If their parents don't want to put up with them on vacation, why should the rest of us? I hope O is listening.

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Do you think each ship could use a specialized person to handle children's issues.

YCL "youth cruiser liason"

Oceania customers could page the person when they experience disruptive behavior. Maybe a retired elementary school principal with a calm personality.;)

 

Children running and yelling in the halls on 9?

YCL approaches the children to convey the rules of the ship.

"So sorry kids, running is not allowed in the halls. Let's find something fun to do instead".

( Depending on their ages, the kids might be redirected to the sport area etc. making sure the parents are notified)

 

Children often don't abide by a rule because they are not aware of it. Did the parents tell the children, "Do no run and yell in the halls you will disrupt other cruisers"?

 

I believe parents will accept the authority of a well trained person put in place by Oceania. This person should be in uniform with name tag and introduce him/herself to parents and children on the 1st day. Information about their role/services should be provided to cruisers with children on-board

"Guidelines for giving your child a wonderful cruise experience" should be written. This brochure would outline safety rules/expectations in a fun and positive way.

The 1st rule should be an age threshold before which children may not move about the ship unaccompanied by an adult.

 

So many times parents do need a bit of guidance to establish discipline. If approached with kindness and respect by a person in authority parents are usually very responsive.

 

This would be a worthwhile addition to the staff to ensure the atmosphere most Oceania cruisers have grown to expect can continue on-board.

 

(I have been an educator/administrator for 11 yrs)

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GRAMMIEK

I am only including myself & DH in the OLD & CRABBY group

If others want to join us feel free ;)

 

We sail Oceania because of the lack of children & so far the ones we did encounter (with 1 exception) were all well behaved & their parents were present with them

 

We are not "foodies" like many that sail O .we sail for the ambiance & small ships with no children's programs & up until now limited # of children but that is changing so we may have to change also :( to another line or give up cruising:(

 

We can cruise other lines for the itinerary & a lower price point but we chose Oceania for the above reasons

 

Having a YCL or programs would only be encouragement for parents to bring kids in the 1st place :eek:

 

If they are running amuck the Hotel manager should nip it in the bud with a warning to the parents ...calm them down or get off in the next port

 

I have said this before ..they have zero tolerance for smokers so why not for unruly behavior by ANYONE even children:mad:

 

JMO

Off to get my bunker gear ready ;)

 

Lyn

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This is the first that I've read about children being encouraged to join the Alaskan cruises. We specifically sail on Oceania (about to go on our 6th cruise) because we love the peace and quiet as well as the wonderful service, the great food and very limited smoking policy. It's been our haven, but we will not consider another Oceania voyage if people are encouraged to bring their children. Setting up special programs for children does exactly that. I agree with previous comments that once the flood gate opens, people will assume that all the ships and all the itineraries are suitable for kids. Can someone who has sailed on both lines tell what is Azamara's policy on children? We may have to change to them. I love children, but not on a small ship that has deliberately set itself up as an adults-only cruise line. I hope this change in policy doesn't ruin Oceania because, seeing all the blogs so far, many of us will switch to other lines if this policy continues. Bad, bad idea!!!

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I don't think it makes you old or crabby because you want peace and quiet on vacation. Does anyone remember Ren? No one under 18.

 

I sure do. But in truth, Ren was going to lower the age limit (not as far as O has, however) -- they just declared bankruptcy before that could go into effect.

 

On our May 2001 cruise on Ren we saw a teen who we swore could NOT have been more than 16 ... but she could simply have looked very young. However, she was beautifully behaved so I doubt that anyone cared.

 

Mura

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