It is summertime and the kids are back...

[hazeleyes46]

Just now, Blauelini said:

Takes a village for what? Their your kids, your problem, not mine. 

Agreed, the village should not be other vacationers having to watch your children. That pertains more to people who help raise your children on an everyday basis, not strangers trying to enjoy their time off. Time off they might not have had for years.

[Mapleleafforever]

1 minute ago, Blauelini said:

Takes a village for what? Their your kids, your problem, not mine. 

Not once did I mention kids are a "problem" but thanks for your input, much appreciated. Royal doesn't believe they're a problem either thankfully. 

[hazeleyes46]

1 minute ago, Mapleleafforever said:

Not once did I mention kids are a "problem" but thanks for your input, much appreciated. Royal doesn't believe they're a problem either thankfully. 

For some, they really should. 

[Mapleleafforever]

5 minutes ago, hazeleyes46 said:

Agreed, the village should not be other vacationers having to watch your children. That pertains more to people who help raise your children on an everyday basis, not strangers trying to enjoy their time off. Time off they might not have had for years.

Bit of a leap there but ok.  Good thing is there are cruise lines that don't allow children at all so there are options for everyone. 

[Mapleleafforever]

3 minutes ago, hazeleyes46 said:

For some, they really should. 

Goes the same for every age demographic. 

[queenfrostine22]

The last few years have been especially hard on the kids. Now they are acting like, well, kids.

Cruising as a teen or tween can sometimes be boring if there is not teen or tween things going on to interest them. (especially at night). On our last Symphony cruise we saw quite a few kids bored out of their minds at the house band evening show at Dazzles. Most of those kids had no idea about the music being played. Why would they? Some of those songs are 30 years old!

We watched a few try to get into the RED nightclub as well. I felt bad for them. (I remember trying those same tricks when I was underage.) They are just looking to be entertained like the adults. 

I'm not defending making bad choices, such as screaming out the lyrics to "Golddigger" by Kanye West while running down the hall (This really did happen and if you know this song, it is NOT acceptable to be screaming out the lyrics like a fool) But I do try to cut the kids some slack. It's not easy trying to figure it all out in this world today.

[Sea Dog]

I've seen some adults act worse than some kids.

[baelor]

24 minutes ago, queenfrostine22 said:

Cruising as a teen or tween can sometimes be boring if there is not teen or tween things going on to interest them. (especially at night).

They can read a book.

 

24 minutes ago, queenfrostine22 said:

Why would they? Some of those songs are 30 years old!

This seems like holding kids to really low standards lol.

 

Signed, 30-ish-year-old

[ATG]

While I understand that things were very difficult for children the last few years, I think that the impact on us seniors was also significant.  For all the years I worked, I dreamed of retirement and traveling.  I was 66 when this mess started.  I hoped to have 20 years of traveling.  I lost 2 of those years- or 10% of my travel time.  I’m not saying children were not impacted, but they weren’t the only ones.

[queenfrostine22]

50 minutes ago, baelor said:

They can read a book.

 

This seems like holding kids to really low standards lol.

 

Signed, 30-ish-year-old

Some of the 30 year old songs are still pretty good.....

Metallica, Nirvana, Mariah Carey, TLC, Guns N Roses, the list goes on.

 

A book? What is? HAHA!

[fair-winds39]

31 minutes ago, ATG said:

While I understand that things were very difficult for children the last few years, I think that the impact on us seniors was also significant.  For all the years I worked, I dreamed of retirement and traveling.  I was 66 when this mess started.  I hoped to have 20 years of traveling.  I lost 2 of those years- or 10% of my travel time.  I’m not saying children were not impacted, but they weren’t the only ones.

We couldn’t agree more. Thank you!!!

[cruisewiththekids]

I have a cruise booked at the end of August.    School is back in session in my area by then.   Should I expect the number of kids onboard will be fairly low, or are there still a fair number of schools in parts of the country that start after Labor Day?

[twangster]

I think it's great that kids are back.  This is their season.  The summer, spring break and holidays have always seen more kids.  This is a sign that we are returning to normalcy.  The travel industry needs that.  It's a great thing to see.   

 

Those junior cruisers today will be the guests booking and paying for cruises later in life.  Let them sail.  

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by twangster

[OCSC Mike]

37 minutes ago, queenfrostine22 said:

Some of the 30 year old songs are still pretty good.....

Metallica, Nirvana, Mariah Carey, TLC, Guns N Roses, the list goes on.

 

I think I still have CD's of that whole list except for Mariah. 🤣

[allie3490]

1 hour ago, ATG said:

While I understand that things were very difficult for children the last few years, I think that the impact on us seniors was also significant.  For all the years I worked, I dreamed of retirement and traveling.  I was 66 when this mess started.  I hoped to have 20 years of traveling.  I lost 2 of those years- or 10% of my travel time.  I’m not saying children were not impacted, but they weren’t the only ones.

I think it’s safe to say EVERYONE was impacted by the pandemic. Young, old, and everyone in between. No one’s story is more important than another’s. 

[rudeney]

6 hours ago, queenfrostine22 said:

I'm not defending making bad choices, such as screaming out the lyrics to "Golddigger" by Kanye West while running down the hall (This really did happen and if you know this song, it is NOT acceptable to be screaming out the lyrics like a fool) But I do try to cut the kids some slack. It's not easy trying to figure it all out in this world today.

 

When I was a kid, there were no song lyrics that could have screamed out that that would have been "unacceptable".  Maybe that is part of the problem.  

[baelor]

45 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

When I was a kid, there were no song lyrics that could have screamed out that that would have been "unacceptable".  Maybe that is part of the problem.  

I highly doubt that.  Lucille Bogan was making pornographic songs in the '30s (check out Till the Cows Come Home), and the trend has persisted until now, for better or worse.

[rudeney]

Just now, baelor said:

I highly doubt that.  Lucille Bogan was making pornographic songs in the '30s (check out Till the Cows Come Home), and the trend has persisted until now, for better or worse.

 

Those were not songs played on the radio or on records I could buy as a kid.  As I recall, you said you were 30 years old?  What you call "oldies music" is "new crap" to me. 🤣

[baelor]

2 minutes ago, rudeney said:

Those were not songs played on the radio or on records I could buy as a kid.  As I recall, you said you were 30 years old?  What you call "oldies music" is "new crap" to me. 🤣

Hopefully not, since Bogan was active in the 1930's.  🤣  But you are absolutely right that radio hits have gotten way more explicit over time...

[ReneeFLL]

14 hours ago, Mapleleafforever said:

As a parent of 2 young kids I agree 100%. It's gonna take some time though as they have all just been set back over 2 years in their development. It takes a village.......and that village needs to have some patience and empathy. 

The past 2 years is an excuse imo. Were they locked in their room or house? Couldn’t they go out and play even if it wasn’t with others? Buy them a basketball and a hoop or something else to use up some energy. It takes parents raising their children first before expecting the village to. I don’t have issues with kids onboard, it’s just the unruly and obnoxious ones. We try to avoid cruising during certain times because there are more kids and often the parents let them do whatever they want and don’t control them.

 

Since January I think I have seen more polite kids/young adults than before, except for spring break. It was terrible.

 

[ReneeFLL]

14 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

As a parent of two educators (one is a principal) and a grandparent of two young ladies I can only go by how they handle their students and children.  I can only say my granddaughters would have NEVER been allowed to act like that under any circumstances.  
 

They are many different ways of guiding and helping our young people to adapt from the previous two horrible years other than letting them conduct themselves inappropriately.  
 

It is our job to always guide them and help them find those ways…

👍🏼
 

8 hours ago, hazeleyes46 said:

How long are we going to be able to say this though before it turns into just kids being brats? Most kids outside of school were with their friends this entire time. I get the online school though as my kids did horribly but outside of that, life was pretty normal.

👍🏼 Agreed, the covid excuse is very old. Parents should have seen to it that the kids had activities to do.

 

8 hours ago, Blauelini said:

Takes a village for what? Their your kids, your problem, not mine. 

Very well said. To bad more parents don’t think like you.

[vjmatty]

16 hours ago, Mapleleafforever said:

LOL. One person's looking for offence is another person's calling out overly dramatic hysterics. 

 

 

 

But she wasn't being hysterical or dramatic..... she said "horrified at first", then spent the entire remaining post saying she was wrong and how the experience was pleasant.  I don't know if it is selective reading or selective memory, but some people focus on the tiny part that bothers them and don't see anything else.  To me, that is being dramatic.

[vjmatty]

16 hours ago, hazeleyes46 said:

16 is STILL considered a kid to me and they can be worse at this age with the fooling around, annoying people.

 

Except most teens aren't interested in the solarium, especially the trouble makers... they'd rather be at the outside pool with the music and activities.  The solarium would be boring, which is why I've never had issues with 16 year olds being a problem there.

[vjmatty]

15 hours ago, hazeleyes46 said:

Agreed, the village should not be other vacationers having to watch your children. That pertains more to people who help raise your children on an everyday basis, not strangers trying to enjoy their time off. Time off they might not have had for years.

 

No phrase is more misunderstood than "it takes a village".... I agree with your definition, it means those in child's life providing influence, guidance, education etc.  It does not mean the world around you is responsible for watching your child at any given time.

[Mapleleafforever]

39 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

But she wasn't being hysterical or dramatic..... she said "horrified at first", then spent the entire remaining post saying she was wrong and how the experience was pleasant.  I don't know if it is selective reading or selective memory, but some people focus on the tiny part that bothers them and don't see anything else.  To me, that is being dramatic.

LOL I still laugh at the use of the term "horrified" when seeing kids boarding a family cruise line.