To those thinking of a Christmas cruise 2014 and beyond

[lawgirl]

I debated long and hard about posting, as any negative comment on X seems to draw criticism. But, I thought it may help others decide....

 

So, our Equinox 10 day December 20 to 30th cruise just ended. Caribbean out of FLL. Out of all of our cruises, it was in some ways the most disappointing. Food and service were good, ship lovely. But, X seems to have oversold the cruise so to speak with many cabins with 3rd and 4th beds full, meaning a VERY crowded ship. But it was the kids...we were told by staff there were 700 onboard. Staff also told us they had no idea what to do with all the kids.

 

This is what we dealt with for 10 days

 

Diapers and more diapers in pools

Pools so full of kids you couldn't move

Being kicked in face by kid in pool..hard

Being hit by a football in head

Cannonballs in hot tubs

Running from pool, to hot tub, back and forth again

Screaming in halls at all hours.

Yelling out crazy stuff during hot glass show

Using elevators as a game of racing

Constant yelling on balconies

Tag in the library.

Running through the solarium chasing each other

Screaming Tweens in the ladies spa changing area

A kid running smack into my husband and spilling his $12 drink on his tux, which the family of the kid thought was cute apparently.

And an exchange of gifts of thongs by teens at the dining room table next to us

Complaints to pool attendants and customer service disregarded.

 

I could go on.

 

Is this my fault..yes, in part, for booking a Christmas cruise. However, in my defense, our other cruises on X had maybe 25 to 50 kids. Did I think it would be three or four times that? Sure! I even did research and people said 10 days on X over Christmas, maybe 200 or 300. NOT 700.

 

Do I blame the parents? Yes...have some respect for others. You may think your screaming child is cute, but everyone paid for the cruise....this is not your personal yacht. And yes, i could go in the shady solarium -- where kids ran thru too-- but i paid for this cruise...cant i get some sun? And, btw, adults, seriously grabbing French fries with your hands instead of using tongs?? WHat?

 

Lastly, do I blame X? You bet!!! Why overbook like this (I know, short term money to the detriment of worrying if people like me will cruise with you again). More importantly, why book this many kids...limit it. You do NOT have the capability of entertaining kids well on X, with no children's pool or significant other children's area like Royal or Princess. In fact a ton of kids on X are worse than a ton on other lines because of this. You can't sell yourself as an upscale, enrichment, sophisticated line and then let kids stand and scream on chairs and climb in windows at late seating dinner.

 

And why can't they have pool attendants and security etc. control the situation better? You can't have a drink in the pool, but you can throw footballs or jump onto of adults? Or use huge baby floats and diapers? It's OK for 7,8,9 year olds to run the halls at midnight and race the elevators all night? Celebrity could, and SHOULD set limits, curfews on unattended kids, etc.

 

So, be warned, unless you want to feel like you are vacationing inside a Chucky Cheese or Daycare center, avoid Celebrity at Christmas.

[FRMPEI]

Thanks for taking the time to add your comments on your recent experience. Yes! 700 is a lot of kids.

 

Last year we did a March B2B on Silhouette week 1 maybe 50 kids 2 week yes! 700 Kids also it was the President's first cruise. Fortunately, our second week was great and never experienced anything like you. In fact the kids had reason to be stir crazy because the weather was terrible for the entire week except the last sea day. (See Gambee's Review about weather). About the only thing I noticed for the first time was children travelling the elevators and halls by them selves where normally escorted by parents.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

Edited January 4, 2014 by FRMPEI

[OuiOnboard]

The excitement!! It can be overwhelming!!We have experienced some of that to which you refer on holiday period cruises when our kids were younger. It is great that when we want holiday cruising now, we can now choose longer itineraries or lines which don't attract too many kids(ie, HAL) as a means of reducing our exposure to such conditions. Good luck.

Edited January 4, 2014 by OuiOnboard

[jgnova]

Wow - that really sounds horrible. I'm surprised to read this because we've taken two holiday cruises (2009 & 2010 on Mercury from Baltimore) and were telling everyone how well behaved the kids were and how well organized everything was. Admittedly, that was a smaller ship, but you'd think the kids would be less obvious on the larger ship. I'm also surprised that Celebrity sold what must have been a large number of extra passengers in the cabins. From what I've read on this forum, there's a Coast Guard safety limit on the number of passengers allowed on the ship- to the point that they leave cabins empty when there are too many 3rd & 4th pax, which I would think would be less revenue. Again, it sounds like another example of management not really doing its job in allocating beds - and the ship staff not controlling anything. Celebrity needs to focus more on the passenger experience.

 

j

[Sillyjilly]

I NEVER book holiday or summer cruises for that very reason. You certainly can't blame Celebrity.

[BosoxI]

I recently wrote a rather sarcastic comment about a passenger on the Constellation who, I felt, was nit picking and blaming Celebrity unfairly. When I read the OP's post, however, I come away with the feeling that this was not written by a cry baby with no legitimate complaint. If half of what was written is true, it would be intolerable. DW and I were on the December 9 Connie and the December14 Eclipse cruises and encountered no trouble at all, but we were spared hoards of unsupervised children. We've done Christmas cruises the last five years on Princess and Celebrity and all was well. The children on board were well mannered and posed no problem. Were we just lucky? Parents who allow this behaviour should be keel hauled at a minimum. Celebrity should be ashamed to have allowed this. OP, be prepared for some louts to say you hate kids or are a snob for criticizing anyone who eats from the common trough with his hands. They paid for their vacation and they'll darn well act and dress as they please. :(

 

I am tracking 2014 Christmas cruises, all of which are outrageously expensive. This post is enough to convince me to look elsewhere, and for that I want to thank sincerely the OP for saving me a ton of money and a lot of pain. Happy New Year.

Edited January 4, 2014 by BosoxI

[lawgirl]

I recently wrote a rather sarcastic comment about a passenger on the Constellation who, I felt, was nit picking and blaming Celebrity unfairly. When I read the OP's post, however, I come away with the feeling that this was not written by a cry baby with no legitimate complaint. If half of what was written is true, it would be intolerable. DW and I were on the December 9 Connie and the December14 Eclipse cruises and encountered no trouble at all, but we were spared hoards of unsupervised children. We've done Christmas cruises the last five years on Princess and Celebrity and all was well. The children on board were well mannered and posed no problem. Were we just lucky? Parents who allow this behaviour should be keel hauled at a minimum. Celebrity should be ashamed to have allowed this. OP, be prepared for some louts to say you hate kids or are a snob for criticizing anyone who eats from the common trough with his hands. They paid for their vacation and they'll darn well act and dress as they please. :(

 

I am tracking 2014 Christmas cruises, all of which are outrageously expensive. This post is enough to convince me to look elsewhere, and for that I want to thank sincerely the OP for saving me a ton of money and a lot of pain. Happy New Year.

 

Thank you! Truly, I have nephews and Godchildren and like kids. And to be fair, we did excursions with some lovely children and our dinner mates included some great teens. I can tell you that adults, both with and without kids, complained about the number of children and lack of control. And, truly, our room attendant, the wait staff, sommelier and bartenders were great on this cruise and we enjoyed the food. It was just hard to relax or enjoy the common areas, our balcony, and at times our cabin due to the kids. For what it's worth, my best friend went on the Summit Dec. 28 and said they had few kids....maybe New Years is better than Christmas? Or maybe we were just unlucky. Fortunately, we still love to cruise and have the next one booked to Russia in July.

[beachchairs2]

I have experienced cruises from hell like that on celebrity and it wasnt during holiday time...but it was one partricular cruise that comes to mind.... a promotion for mexico, where they were allowed to bring children on for free.....

 

no wonder, when I see a topic here having to do with babies, todlers and teens, I shudder.....

 

 

celebrity should add in fine print to their sales *

 

* holiday cruises and maybe some others as well, may have as many as 700 or 800 children aboard, so be prepared not to use any of the pools, elevators, library, game rooms, etc...also be prepared to get little sleep due to running in hallways and indescriminate knocking on doors...etc.....oh and yes, as for the buffet, well all the food may be touched by little fingers ....and the formal dining room...well not so formal....be prepared to step around strollers and other paraphenalia....and oh yes diaper changes may occur everywhere around the ship....the kids may also be climbing onto the stage during the performances and they also may be spitting onto the level below in the dining room....bottles of liquor will be grabbed out of the bars...and any art work that has tiles, may have them chiselled out....expect all kinds of initials carved into the elevators and of course all the buttons pushed.

 

yes we experienced all that and more....there was a honeymoon couple at our table as well...together we went to the hotel manager....

 

yes we were given a generous obc for the next cruise.....

 

make sure you let celebrity know how disappointed you were..holiday or not....

[VegasMark]

I blame the parents for this situation on two accounts. First, they should not have booked this cruise knowing they have unruly kids who need more diverse facilities. Secondly, they don't control their own kids. I should point out that I don't paint every kid and parent with this brush. I'm sure there were well behaved kids and responsible parents. The rest should get their acts together.

[Algebralovr]

Wow! Thanks for the warning! The last two years, I have tracked holiday cruises after final payments were due and seen some really nice prices. I've been tempted, but decided on other things. We are seriously considering a holiday cruise next year after final payment, if the prices drop to where they have the last couple of years. I bet that is part of why there were so many kids on board.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Sounds ghastly. If that's where Celebrity is headed, I don't want to be going with them.

[4cats4me]

On Princess we've had 550 kids on the Alaskan cruises before, but Princess has Youth Security, and they are quite conspicuous with their bright yellow jackets with Youth Security written in them. The kids were always well behaved.

We don't have kids, and we had no problem with the presence of kids, but if we'd been on your cruise dec 20th we would not have been happy. Princess has more swimming pools and designated adult pools.

 

I can't believe how some parents don't keep an eye on their kids. Shame on them

 

We book 10 day cruises, too hoping that that will solve the too- many kids problem

[bigeagle12]

If you are going to cruise in the summer, holidays, or spring break .... you are going to have lots of KIDS

[hulamoon]

Wow. I am forever grateful I exited the ship on the 19th.

[ljk76]

If you are going to cruise in the summer, holidays, or spring break .... you are going to have lots of KIDS

 

500 plus kids on the Summit to Bermuda several years ago was not much fun. I spend all day, every day, with 18 - 26 six or seven year olds and I love it! They are delightful when they know there are limits. I knew we were in trouble when the grandmother across the hall from our stateroom let her grandchildren plaster the door with hundreds of foam stickers. Needless to say they were there a week later for someone else to scrape off. Screaming down the corridors was how this family communicated. The staff was simply burned out towards the end of their Bermuda runs. I suspect the OP experienced the same. I will time my cruises with these experiences in mind.

[20pluscruises]

I debated long and hard about posting, as any negative comment on X seems to draw criticism. But, I thought it may help others decide....

 

So, our Equinox 10 day December 20 to 30th cruise just ended. Caribbean out of FLL. Out of all of our cruises, it was in some ways the most disappointing. Food and service were good, ship lovely. But, X seems to have oversold the cruise so to speak with many cabins with 3rd and 4th beds full, meaning a VERY crowded ship. But it was the kids...we were told by staff there were 700 onboard. Staff also told us they had no idea what to do with all the kids.

 

This is what we dealt with for 10 days

 

Diapers and more diapers in pools

Pools so full of kids you couldn't move

Being kicked in face by kid in pool..hard

Being hit by a football in head

Cannonballs in hot tubs

Running from pool, to hot tub, back and forth again

Screaming in halls at all hours.

Yelling out crazy stuff during hot glass show

Using elevators as a game of racing

Constant yelling on balconies

Tag in the library.

Running through the solarium chasing each other

Screaming Tweens in the ladies spa changing area

A kid running smack into my husband and spilling his $12 drink on his tux, which the family of the kid thought was cute apparently.

And an exchange of gifts of thongs by teens at the dining room table next to us

Complaints to pool attendants and customer service disregarded.

 

I could go on.

 

Is this my fault..yes, in part, for booking a Christmas cruise. However, in my defense, our other cruises on X had maybe 25 to 50 kids. Did I think it would be three or four times that? Sure! I even did research and people said 10 days on X over Christmas, maybe 200 or 300. NOT 700.

 

Do I blame the parents? Yes...have some respect for others. You may think your screaming child is cute, but everyone paid for the cruise....this is not your personal yacht. And yes, i could go in the shady solarium -- where kids ran thru too-- but i paid for this cruise...cant i get some sun? And, btw, adults, seriously grabbing French fries with your hands instead of using tongs?? WHat?

 

Lastly, do I blame X? You bet!!! Why overbook like this (I know, short term money to the detriment of worrying if people like me will cruise with you again). More importantly, why book this many kids...limit it. You do NOT have the capability of entertaining kids well on X, with no children's pool or significant other children's area like Royal or Princess. In fact a ton of kids on X are worse than a ton on other lines because of this. You can't sell yourself as an upscale, enrichment, sophisticated line and then let kids stand and scream on chairs and climb in windows at late seating dinner.

 

And why can't they have pool attendants and security etc. control the situation better? You can't have a drink in the pool, but you can throw footballs or jump onto of adults? Or use huge baby floats and diapers? It's OK for 7,8,9 year olds to run the halls at midnight and race the elevators all night? Celebrity could, and SHOULD set limits, curfews on unattended kids, etc.

 

So, be warned, unless you want to feel like you are vacationing inside a Chucky Cheese or Daycare center, avoid Celebrity at Christmas.

 

WOW!!! I'm so glad this cruise was sold out when we booked the Reflection.

 

For the most part the the kids yelling and screaming were mostly n the pool area. Hey, it's outside and I'm okay with that. However, the 5 or 6 boys, ages 8-11, trying to drown each other by chocking and holding each other under the water for long periods of time was very upsetting to see. Where the heck were the parents?

 

One group of pre teens were running through the casino and kept pulling the arm of my machine. I oh so bady wanted to grab him and walk him right back to Mom and Dad.

 

The baby/child in Blu had fits of yelling here and there and all of us in that area had to hear the video they had playing for him...a real mood killer.

 

Diapers in the pools and hot tubs was my steaming point... and as you also found on Equinox, security could give a crap. They didn't even care that the parents blatantly broke the rules dozens (yes, dozens) of times each and every day. Not to mention, whom I believe were the cruise ship emlyoyee babysitters of Celebrity, changing the diapers of these children right in the middle of the pool deck on the lounge chairs.

 

I'm with you...we won't be doing any Christmas cruises in the future.

[lindy sails]

Wow! I was on the Eclipse 14 day & we did not have many children on board. Although most kids were still in school on the 14th. You are so right Celebrity is

not set up for all those children like RC

& NCL. I 'm concerned I booked next Christmas &. New Year on the Eclipse

Eclipse. Plan now Celebrity !'

[lovemylab]

If you are going to cruise in the summer, holidays, or spring break .... you are going to have lots of KIDS

 

 

True. However, regardless of when one cruises, other passengers and the crew shouldn't have to deal with obnoxious behaviour coming from kids. If the parents are too oblivious to do anything about it that is when ship security should be stepping in.

 

Just because it's a holiday or the summer shouldn't be a free pass for parents to let their uncontrollable children run wild.

Edited January 4, 2014 by lovemylab

[teecee60]

If you are going to cruise in the summer, holidays, or spring break .... you are going to have lots of KIDS

 

I NEVER book holiday or summer cruises for that very reason. You certainly can't blame Celebrity.

 

There you have both the problem AND the solution...

 

...because unfortunately, some parents... shouldn't be.

 

If you want to experience the opposite end of the "kids-on-cruise-ships bell curve" try a transatlantic. Reflection, on November 1st from Rome, had a total of 12 passengers under the age of 18. EXQUISITELY relaxing.

Edited January 4, 2014 by teecee60

[ReneeFLL]

I debated long and hard about posting, as any negative comment on X seems to draw criticism. But, I thought it may help others decide....

 

So, our Equinox 10 day December 20 to 30th cruise just ended. Caribbean out of FLL. Out of all of our cruises, it was in some ways the most disappointing. Food and service were good, ship lovely. But, X seems to have oversold the cruise so to speak with many cabins with 3rd and 4th beds full, meaning a VERY crowded ship. But it was the kids...we were told by staff there were 700 onboard. Staff also told us they had no idea what to do with all the kids.

 

This is what we dealt with for 10 days

 

Diapers and more diapers in pools

Pools so full of kids you couldn't move

Being kicked in face by kid in pool..hard

Being hit by a football in head

Cannonballs in hot tubs

Running from pool, to hot tub, back and forth again

Screaming in halls at all hours.

Yelling out crazy stuff during hot glass show

Using elevators as a game of racing

Constant yelling on balconies

Tag in the library.

Running through the solarium chasing each other

Screaming Tweens in the ladies spa changing area

A kid running smack into my husband and spilling his $12 drink on his tux, which the family of the kid thought was cute apparently.

And an exchange of gifts of thongs by teens at the dining room table next to us

Complaints to pool attendants and customer service disregarded.

 

I could go on.

 

Is this my fault..yes, in part, for booking a Christmas cruise. However, in my defense, our other cruises on X had maybe 25 to 50 kids. Did I think it would be three or four times that? Sure! I even did research and people said 10 days on X over Christmas, maybe 200 or 300. NOT 700.

 

Do I blame the parents? Yes...have some respect for others. You may think your screaming child is cute, but everyone paid for the cruise....this is not your personal yacht. And yes, i could go in the shady solarium -- where kids ran thru too-- but i paid for this cruise...cant i get some sun? And, btw, adults, seriously grabbing French fries with your hands instead of using tongs?? WHat?

 

Lastly, do I blame X? You bet!!! Why overbook like this (I know, short term money to the detriment of worrying if people like me will cruise with you again). More importantly, why book this many kids...limit it. You do NOT have the capability of entertaining kids well on X, with no children's pool or significant other children's area like Royal or Princess. In fact a ton of kids on X are worse than a ton on other lines because of this. You can't sell yourself as an upscale, enrichment, sophisticated line and then let kids stand and scream on chairs and climb in windows at late seating dinner.

 

And why can't they have pool attendants and security etc. control the situation better? You can't have a drink in the pool, but you can throw footballs or jump onto of adults? Or use huge baby floats and diapers? It's OK for 7,8,9 year olds to run the halls at midnight and race the elevators all night? Celebrity could, and SHOULD set limits, curfews on unattended kids, etc.

 

So, be warned, unless you want to feel like you are vacationing inside a Chucky Cheese or Daycare center, avoid Celebrity at Christmas.

 

I have been lucky to not have been on such a cruise. If I had been, believe me the staff and the cruise line would hear from me. Depending on how bad and annoying the kids are I will make a comment to the parents, but I usually do this after the kid has been a total terror. I can't stand unruly kids when they are like that all/most of the time. I think one of the problems is that the parents don't take the time to discipline them. It is to much work to do it. Sometimes they let the kids run all over them. When I see parents like this I think they are pathetic. My thoughts are - you had them so be responsible and take care of them. A lot of parents just tune the kids out and don't care and then wonder why they are so bad later.

 

I am very sorry this happened to you. I hope you complain to Celebrity.

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

I NEVER book holiday or summer cruises for that very reason. You certainly can't blame Celebrity.

With all due respect, some people, like teachers, have jobs that only leave the summer or holidays for vacations. And I certainly CAN and WILL blame Celebrity or any other cruise line for not enforcing the rules for all passengers.

[uktog]

A wise post Lawgirl, inevitably there will be a higher number of families on board at holiday times and not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to avoid cruising at these times of the year so cut some posters some slack guys!

I think we can all agree the cruiseline should do more to manage the impact of these high numbers particularly where there are antics going on that affect the overall enjoyment of others. Sadly in the past I have seen parents "tip" or I might even call it bribe pool butlers each day and surprise surprise no action was taken when later in the day their little darlings became pains in the posterior. Human nature but so so annoying

[Jane2357]

The only way that I would every cruise over a holiday/spring break/summer vacation would be if the price was dirt cheap - and that never happens. We were on Solstice for her 1st New Year's - NEVER as in EVER again. Over run with loud, disrespectful families with their multitudes of same minded children/tween/teens in tow. We learned our lesson and I've shared that experience on cc many a time, usually getting flamed from those that disbelieve how bad an experience it was.

[Cindy]

Sometimes it's just the luck of the draw. I spent my career as a teacher and a principal, so I was limited as to when I could cruise when I was working. All of my cruises before June of 2012 were at peak times -- Spring Break, holidays, or Summer.

 

We cruised at Spring Break 8 years in a row on three different cruise lines, and only had problems on one trip. Yes, the ships were crowded with around 1,000 children under 18, but for the most part they enjoyed family time while we did adult things. The one year we had a problem was when a whole slew of parents of 13-17 year olds decided their little darlings were old enough to be completely unsupervised while they took a vacation from parenting.:(

 

Those teens really made life miserable for the rest of us...playing elevator tag, leaving food trash everywhere, pushing people out of the way, commandeering the stairways, etc. Things came to a head the last evening when a person from our Roll Call had a Coke thrown at her because she had the audacity to ask the pack of hoodlums to stop blocking a doorway, and then my husband got told to perform a sex act on himself!:rolleyes:

 

After that cruise, I had a pretty long conversation with Crown and Anchor (we were on the Voyager) about what had happened and what they were going to do about it. With much trepidation, we took the same cruise the following Spring Break. There were just as many kids, but it was a totally different and delightful experience. Everyone (children and adults) respected their fellow passengers and all were able to enjoy the ship.

[wedding96]

On the 2 week Xmas cruise last year, there were also 700+ kids, and pools were overcrowded. But did not feel kids were especially unruly, nor did they spoil my opportunities for relaxation. On a 10 day Med cruise this summer, I would say it was the adults who were worse than the kids (and this cruise was packed with families who had kids of all ages). Really luck of the draw.