Oceania, it is time to establish a formal child policy

[esther e]

For example:

Oceania caters to the adult cruiser. While children are allowed on Oceania, only select cruises will have children's programming. Children are expected to behave appropriately at all times: no running, shouting, door slamming, or congregating in the halls will be allowed. While children are welcome to swim in the pools, no splashing or games will be tolerated. Children are not allowed in any hot tub. Children ages 14 and younger should be accompanied by a parent at all times. If these rules are violated, parents will be given a warning. Any subsequent violation will result in the child being confined to the cabin or the family being removed from the ship, at the discretion of the captain.

 

 

I think 17 or 18 is more appropriate than 14.

[aohkay]

Perhaps another rule should be that children under a certain age should not be allowed in any dining venues unless accompanied by an adult (adult being a parent or guardian not another 18 year old).

 

Even mainstream lines geared towards children have rules and regs. This is from RCI, specifically Oasis:

 

Q: Are children allowed to dine in our Specialty Restaurants?

 

A: Chops Grille and Portofino

All guests 13 and over are welcome and may be booked on-line. Children under 13 years may book only before 7 p.m. but must be booked onboard; based on availability and total party size. After 7 p.m. children under the age of 13 are not allowed. All guests under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

 

Q:How can I make a reservation including my child less than 13 years of age?

 

A: Children under 13 years may book only before 7 p.m. Reservations can be made onboard at the restaurant based on availability.

[sola7]

Interesting discussion. In my opinion, too much of a "sky is falling" reaction to some isolated anecdotes. Lots of children are well-behaved; lots of adults are unruly and obnoxious. Fortunately, Oceania still tends to draw the well-behaved crowd, both young and old. There's still a huge difference between an Oceania cruise, and a Carnival -- or even Celebrity cruise.

 

Here's my own anecdote. We (four adults over the age of 40) were on Riviera in June/July. There were a surprisingly large number of "minors" on board -- according to staff, over 100 under the age of 18. Of course you noticed the kids -- in the pool, at dinner, etc. They were also very well-behaved. No crying, no running and shouting. Good parents = good kids. It was a port-intensive itinerary, so there was lots to occupy their time during the day. That may have helped. But all in all it was a great experience for us, and probably for the youngsters as well. Travel instills culture and understanding so I wouldn't want to dissuade families from travelling together.

 

I think Oceania is trying to market itself more competitively. They'd be crazy not to. But let's not exaggerate the "crisis" of kids on-board. Oceania is not becoming Disney.

[gillianrose]

Interesting discussion. In my opinion, too much of a "sky is falling" reaction to some isolated anecdotes. Lots of children are well-behaved; lots of adults are unruly and obnoxious. Fortunately, Oceania still tends to draw the well-behaved crowd, both young and old. There's still a huge difference between an Oceania cruise, and a Carnival -- or even Celebrity cruise.

 

Here's my own anecdote. We (four adults over the age of 40) were on Riviera in June/July. There were a surprisingly large number of "minors" on board -- according to staff, over 100 under the age of 18. Of course you noticed the kids -- in the pool, at dinner, etc. They were also very well-behaved. No crying, no running and shouting. Good parents = good kids. It was a port-intensive itinerary, so there was lots to occupy their time during the day. That may have helped. But all in all it was a great experience for us, and probably for the youngsters as well. Travel instills culture and understanding so I wouldn't want to dissuade families from travelling together.

 

I think Oceania is trying to market itself more competitively. They'd be crazy not to. But let's not exaggerate the "crisis" of kids on-board. Oceania is not becoming Disney.

 

You are neglecting to mention that the ships are too full when there are so many children onboard. Also, areas that appeal to children most, such as the one lone swimming pool onboard each ship in Oceania's fleet will be full of children. Children love swimming pools, whether they run around them or not. Pools serve as gathering places for kids (especially tweens and teenagers), and that means it will be much harder to find a lounger and the area will be much less quiet. At least with Celebrity and Princess there are several pools, and areas that are completely off-limits to children, and their prices are much more favorable for suites, usually. (Celebrity offers butlers and Princess does not.)

 

It's quite possible that every O-class stateroom that will allow for four inside WILL have four in the stateroom, and those extra people, whatever their age, are getting a deeply discounted fare ($100 per person per day for many sailings), and that isn't fair to couples who have paid much more per person. Sure, it is better than "KIDS FREE", but a ten-day sailing in a Penthouse that might cost $10,000 for a couple (and solos!) costs only $1,000 per extra person as a 3rd and 4th on many of Oceania's upcoming cruises.

 

Personally, I don't like where Oceania appears to be headed with regards to this new practice (don't know if it is really a policy), and I predict that many of Oceania's best customers will jump ship if the prices remain high for couples but the per person price is reduced for families or groups of travelers in the same stateroom.

 

Maybe Oceania intends these promotions to be "just until the economy gets better," but once you lose a customer, it is much more difficult to get them to come back to you, especially if they find something that is as good at a lower price.

[Paulchili]

Interesting discussion. In my opinion, too much of a "sky is falling" reaction to some isolated anecdotes. Lots of children are well-behaved; lots of adults are unruly and obnoxious. Fortunately, Oceania still tends to draw the well-behaved crowd, both young and old. There's still a huge difference between an Oceania cruise, and a Carnival -- or even Celebrity cruise.

 

Here's my own anecdote. We (four adults over the age of 40) were on Riviera in June/July. There were a surprisingly large number of "minors" on board -- according to staff, over 100 under the age of 18. Of course you noticed the kids -- in the pool, at dinner, etc. They were also very well-behaved. No crying, no running and shouting. Good parents = good kids. It was a port-intensive itinerary, so there was lots to occupy their time during the day. That may have helped. But all in all it was a great experience for us, and probably for the youngsters as well. Travel instills culture and understanding so I wouldn't want to dissuade families from travelling together.

 

I think Oceania is trying to market itself more competitively. They'd be crazy not to. But let's not exaggerate the "crisis" of kids on-board. Oceania is not becoming Disney.

 

You were fortunate to have such a large number of well behaved children/minors; others were not.

Some people can cruise only once every year or two (or even less frequently) and if their "special" and expensive cruise is ruined by unruly children, that is a major problem for them (IMO); substatially more so than a just bad experience at an expensive restaurant where you can go home after your meal.

It's like playing a Russian roulette - how many children will there be? How well behaved will they be?

Some people do not want to play that game (at those prices).

If some cruise are adults only, for example, with other cruises open to all, everyone would be able to choose the right cruise for them.

JMO.

[tryber]

Thank you for your post, cruisewmn. Those are my feelings exactly. My 12-year old son loves luxury cruises, and has been on 2 Crystal cuises. He loves to have good service and good food. He doesn't mind at all having a quiet day to read or watch movies in the room. He is more polite than most adults I know.

To the rest, it is one thing to advocate for an adult-only cruise if that is what YOU want. But please stop telling us that you are only doing what is best for the children. I can assure you that I know what kind of experience my children will enjoy better than you do.

[titong]

[quote name='tryber']Thank you for your post, cruisewmn. Those are my feelings exactly. My 12-year old son loves luxury cruises, and has been on 2 Crystal cuises. He loves to have good service and good food. He doesn't mind at all having a quiet day to read or watch movies in the room. He is more polite than most adults I know.

To the rest, it is one thing to advocate for an adult-only cruise if that is what YOU want. But please stop telling us that you are only doing what is best for the children. I can assure you that I know what kind of experience my children will enjoy better than you do.[/quote]

Interesting. Humm, what job does your 12-year son have that he can afford to pay to go on those Crystal cruises and enjoy that "good service and good food?" With all due respect it sounds like your 12 year old son has already made his first million and is ready for retirement. But hey, if you are paying for it. Fine, its your money.

[Pirouette]

If all those well behaved children did not monopolize pool areas, the dance floor and music selection in Horizons, play in the elevators etc, then I doubt this thread would still have "legs" some four days and 3500+ views later. I too have raised very well behaved children who have enjoyed extensive international travel. That being said, at certain times of the day, some places, especially on a confined cruise ship, should be reserved for adults only. I fail to understand why this is such a complicated concept.

[pacheco18]

[quote name='sola7']Interesting discussion. In my opinion, too much of a "sky is falling" reaction to some isolated anecdotes. . . . Travel instills culture and understanding so I wouldn't want to dissuade families from travelling together.

.[/QUOTE]

For many of us the proverbial sky is falling if we are to expect 100 kids (well behaved or not) on an Oceania cruise. That is not what I want on a cruise. I am not interested in "sharing" experiences with other people's children to improve their life experiences, as some have suggested. I want peace and quiet, adult conversation and freedom from children.

Ten children is too many for us, particularly on a R ship. We want the luxury of adults only in a country club atmosphere. We do not want a camp atmosphere.

I do not think these are isolated anecdotes any more. There have been way too many reports of large numbers of children, poorly behaved, on many different cruises. Veteran O cruisers are canceling reservations.

I do not want to "dissuade families from traveling together." I want to encourage them to travel on a [B]family-oriented cruise line[/B]. Oceania has never been that cruise line and I do not want it to become that cruise line. I fear that unless the powers that be address this issue many of us who are devoted O fans will be considering other options.

Again, I wonder if anyone is listening.

[wannaberetired]

Every kid is different - some are well behaved and mature beyond their years. Some are not. The issue is not with the one or two well-behaved kids. However, if Oceania wanted large numbers of kids on their ship, they would have structured activities for them and they would advertise as a "kids friendly" cruise line. They don't - in fact, they specifically say they do not have activities for kids. This leads others to bellieve they are a more adult-oriented cruise ship and creates bad feelings when they get on the ship and it is not what they expected it to be and what they thought they paid for. I guess I just don't understand why someone would want to bring their kids on a cruise that specifically states the following (from the Oceania website and their cruise booklet): "although oceania accepts guests of all ages, the unregimented lifestyle and upscale ambiance onboard are designed for adults and do not provide for the care, entertainment, or supervision of children." To me, this means they are saying - very nicely - that they don't encourage kids. If Oceania decides to change this policy, then they need to change this statement so that people who don't want to cruise with kids will know and can choose another adult-only cruise line.

[CB BOARDER]

My first post so be gentle. I just booked a 2013 Alaskan Cruise on O for 3 (wife, daughter and I). We'll be joined by my parents, brother and his daughter. At time of cruise my daughter and niece will be 18 and 15 respectfully. Both very well behaved (due to strict parents). Should I be concerned about the girls being treated differently by some of the passengers because they're young adults? We choose Oceania not because of it's demographics but for it's size and luxury. We've cruised Royal and others with 2000+ guests, it's not our thing. If not O, then who?

Many Thanks!

[globevest]

cb border,
I predict that you and your family will have a wonderful cruise. The two young ladies will be welcomed by the 'older crowd' (I am certainly one). As long as the young ladies can entertain themselves and I suggest from what you have posted that they can, they will have a vacation to remember. Best wishes.

[cruisecountess]

Welcome to CC. I don't think you will have to worry about your daughter and niece. They will have each other for company, although they will need to create their own activities, i.e., movies in room, reading, just talking and lazing poolside ~ no splashing in the pool, though ;) I don't believe you need to worry about them being treated differently; those who don't like young people on board will just avoid them while those who like all demographics will engage them in conversation. Most days you will be in ports and enjoying the scenic beauty. Enjoy.
Harriet

[dundeene]

Absolutely not.
We have found all the Oceania cruisers to be polite and well mannered.
The Alaska cruises were the first to announce children's programs.
Cruisers [I]should[/I] expect a higher number of children in that area.

If your child is doing something to disrupt another passengers such as cannon-balling into the pool and soaking there reading material. . . . . they may get more than a few looks of disapproval.

15 and 18 are also not the age to push all the buttons in the elevator etc. You seem like the type of parent who is concerned about everyone on the ship enjoying themselves, rather than thinking only of your needs. I am sure you and you well behaved older teens will have a pleasant sailing.

Grandma always used to say: well behaved children are welcome almost anywhere, ill behaved children are welcome nowhere;)

[cbb]

Since I'm all about teaching young people, what better place for your girls to learn about excellent food and dining, being quiet in the halls and being respectful of others than on a luxury line like O. Get them to try one new food every day! (The Terrace is a great place to do that.)

Perhaps they will realize how hard the crew works in order to send money back home or to save to start a business or education--a wonderful lesson for the young women in your family. Make sure your girls talk to or listen to crew members.

Your young people will also absorb the "gentle living" aboard O. There is no loud music at the pool, no "contests", few announcements, and many cruisers enjoy the library, classical music and quiet time. It is an adult world and that fact will help prepare them for their careers.

The ports you will visit are wonderful, and can be as vigorous or sedate as you wish. Make your girls a part of the decision-making process of what you will see and do and really listen to them. Read a little Alaska history before you go so you can appreciate what you're seeing (says the history teacher!)

Have a wonderful cruise with your family. Take lots of pictures. Your memories will only grow sweeter the more you remember this trip.

[gillianrose]

[quote name='wannaberetired']However, if Oceania wanted large numbers of kids on their ship, they would have structured activities for them and they would advertise as a "kids friendly" cruise line.[/QUOTE]

They might just do that, and that is our concern. You realize that the President of Oceania is only 39 years old and has two kids of his own, don't you?

Oceania built its reputation and loyalty catering to the 55+ market, yet there may be executives trying to change that. I hope not, because everyone I have met and know who loves Oceania will leave. They are not planning to bring their grandchildren on board and stuff the rooms. Lots of people are empty nesters, and happily so. They want to get away on a romantic vacation just the two of them and meet up with similar-aged friends they either travel with or know from previous cruises or from places like Cruise Critic.

There's a reason many beautiful and luxurious active adult retirement communities are sprouting up everywhere. It's not for old fogies, but active people who enjoy nice amenities, traveling the world and enjoying excellent food in an adult environment.

[wripro]

I am always amused by those who cite unruly adults as a way to overcome the objections to kids. If you take 100 adults and 100 kids chances are that 98 percent of the adults will be well behaved and courteous to others whereas 98 percent of the kids will be unruly, loud and oblivious to others' needs. Yes, there are the exceptions who love to read, sit quietly, dote on the pearls of wisdom coming from their elders yada yada yada but they are few and far between. Typically, put together a group of kids and they will be.....surprise....KIDS.

[pacheco18]

[quote name='wripro']I am always amused by those who cite unruly adults as a way to overcome the objections to kids. If you take 100 adults and 100 kids chances are that 98 percent of the adults will be well behaved and courteous to others whereas 98 percent of the kids will be unruly, loud and oblivious to others' needs. Yes, there are the exceptions who love to read, sit quietly, dote on the pearls of wisdom coming from their elders yada yada yada but they are few and far between. Typically, put together a group of kids and they will be.....surprise....KIDS.[/QUOTE]

+1
These posts from people with wonderfully mature kids who love cultural activities, formal dinners and quiet activities are not instructive. Is O going to "interview" kids before allowing them to book to see if they fit that mold. LOL

I have seen a few unruly adults on Celebrity. I have never seen an unruly adult on O.

[ruppert18]

The unruly adults on our july 19 cruise were the parents of the unruly children.

[Paulchili]

[quote name='ruppert18']The unruly adults on our july 19 cruise were the parents of the unruly children.[/quote]

Really? That's hard to believe - now I've heard everything :D

[wripro]

Where do you think the unruly kids picked up their behavior?

If Oceania does decide to implement a kid's program one of the features should definitely be THE PLANK!!!!!

[Paulchili]

[quote name='wripro']Where do you think the unruly kids picked up their behavior?
[/quote]


I didn't think I was being too subtle. :D

[calvin81]

It is all well and good that this thread has received so many posts, and I am sure the FDR has been made aware of it. Might I also suggest that cruisers make their feelings known onboard? We had wonderful results with our mid-cruise comment cards on both of our O cruises. (A worn loveseat was replaced the day after I mentioned it.) If I was on the deck with the unruly children running in the halls, slamming doors, etc. I would have been calling nightly and demanding the staff dealt with the problem. Both of our cruises had a small number of children and they were well behaved fortunately. I travel with my daughter (age 18 and 19 on our cruises) and have to go when she is home for the summer from college. We are on Riviera next summer and I am hoping that the larger ship doesn't attract more children, but am confident that the staff will deal with major issues. I wonder if the OP took their concerns up the chain of command? The staff at Horizons was obviously not handling the problem to the satisfaction of the majority of the adults I'm assuming.

[pacheco18]

[quote name='calvin81']It is all well and good that this thread has received so many posts, and I am sure the FDR has been made aware of it. Might I also suggest that cruisers make their feelings known onboard? We had wonderful results with our mid-cruise comment cards on both of our O cruises. (A worn loveseat was replaced the day after I mentioned it.) If I was on the deck with the unruly children running in the halls, slamming doors, etc. I would have been calling nightly and demanding the staff dealt with the problem. Both of our cruises had a small number of children and they were well behaved fortunately. I travel with my daughter (age 18 and 19 on our cruises) and have to go when she is home for the summer from college. We are on Riviera next summer and I am hoping that the larger ship doesn't attract more children, but am confident that the staff will deal with major issues. I wonder if the OP took their concerns up the chain of command? The staff at Horizons was obviously not handling the problem to the satisfaction of the majority of the adults I'm assuming.[/QUOTE]

You make a good point but Oceania has to be proactive, not merely reactive. If they are going to welcome hoards of kids they had better have a plan before the kids become unruly.

[ruppert18]

If they welcome hoards of kids they will lose the hoards of adults that were Oceania loyalists. If I choose to cruise at vacation times in the future it will be on smaller ships that attract less families or at least have plans in place to prevent the problems.