Would you take a 2 yr old plus 2 of 5 yr olds on a Regent Navigator Cruise ?

[Rothko1]

33 minutes ago, boblerm said:

Frankly, I think that calling people selfish because they think that what works best for their families does not coincide with what works best for yours is a bit over the top.  But call me selfish if you’d like, I really don’t care.  However, I respectfully suggest thinking twice before passing judgment about other people’s choices, provided that it does not affect you.

 

 

The scenario in which I am calling grandma and grandpa "selfish" is the scenario that was presented to me:  "but when grandma and grandpa won't set foot on a big ship and offer to pay for all - all go."

 

This wasn't a case of:  Regent works best for the family because our grandchildren are all well-behaved and will enjoy the luxury ship experience.

 

It was a case of grandma and grandpa refusing to set foot on a mega liner ship and instead essentially offering a "take it or leave it" bribe to the parents and grandparents.  

 

And I call that selfish...

[lincslady]

Of curse 'kids' are not all alike, mainly in that 2 and 3 year olds bear no resemblance to 6 plus year olds.  It is not fair to expect toddlers to sit quietly and never yell; it is normal at that age.

 

My twins at 6 were interested enough and bright enough to be curious about everything, not so when they were only 2 or 3.  By 6 most of them can read, play games etc. and chat to other people they meet, and they can be really amusing company ( some of them), and sit through an evening meal fairly quietly.

[Pcardad]

5 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

The scenario in which I am calling grandma and grandpa "selfish" is the scenario that was presented to me:  "but when grandma and grandpa won't set foot on a big ship and offer to pay for all - all go."

 

This wasn't a case of:  Regent works best for the family because our grandchildren are all well-behaved and will enjoy the luxury ship experience.

 

It was a case of grandma and grandpa refusing to set foot on a mega liner ship and instead essentially offering a "take it or leave it" bribe to the parents and grandparents.  

 

And I call that selfish...

It really doesn't have to be like that. If grandma and grandpa are going on a Regent cruise and decide to bring the fam...that doesn't mean they are trying to bribe them. It also doesn't mean this is all that they do for their family. Sometimes gifts are always exactly what the recipient wants and sometimes they are not. Maybe their children are thrilled and the grandkids are too young to know the difference. I suggest there are many reasons why the gift is offered and I do not accept that selfish is the only or the most likely motive.

[Rothko1]

1 minute ago, Pcardad said:

It really doesn't have to be like that. If grandma and grandpa are going on a Regent cruise and decide to bring the fam...that doesn't mean they are trying to bribe them. It also doesn't mean this is all that they do for their family. Sometimes gifts are always exactly what the recipient wants and sometimes they are not. Maybe their children are thrilled and the grandkids are too young to know the difference. I suggest there are many reasons why the gift is offered and I do not accept that selfish is the only or the most likely motive.

 

Ah, but you are changing the scenario.  The scenario you offered me was Grandma and Grandpa won't set foot on a big ship.   So they offer to pay everyone to go on Regent, and the family goes.  Not because the family thought it was the best thing for them all.  Because Grandma and Grandpa refused to go on a bigger ship.

 

  

[Pcardad]

6 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

Ah, but you are changing the scenario.  The scenario you offered me was Grandma and Grandpa won't set foot on a big ship.   So they offer to pay everyone to go on Regent, and the family goes.  Not because the family thought it was the best thing for them all.  Because Grandma and Grandpa refused to go on a bigger ship.

 

  

No change in the scenario. G & G are going on a trip and decide it would be nice to have their family with them. Not having the entire family decide how to travel doesn't make G & G selfish...they just want the fam with them so they offer to pay. The rest of the family is not entitled to choose the gift, only if they want to accept it. 

[boblerm]

30 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

The scenario in which I am calling grandma and grandpa "selfish" is the scenario that was presented to me:  "but when grandma and grandpa won't set foot on a big ship and offer to pay for all - all go."

 

This wasn't a case of:  Regent works best for the family because our grandchildren are all well-behaved and will enjoy the luxury ship experience.

 

It was a case of grandma and grandpa refusing to set foot on a mega liner ship and instead essentially offering a "take it or leave it" bribe to the parents and grandparents.  

 

And I call that selfish...

Let me see if I understand this-

• Grandma and Grandpa do not wish to cruise on a big ship, only on Regent
• Grandma and Grandpa offer to take their children and grandchildren with them, and pay their way
• The children then have the opportunity to cruise on a first class line that they perhaps could not afford on their own, and have Grandma and Grandpa to help with the care of the grandchildren, maybe even babysit some nights so that the children can have a late night out on the ship
• Said children are very happy to be so accommodated

 

And this makes Grandma and Grandpa selfish?

[Rothko1]

I love how you guys keep changing the circumstances.

 

Now it's:  G&G are going to help with the care of the grandkids.  Maybe even babysit them some nights...  And the children are so very happy to be so accommodated.

 

You forgot to add:  And Grandma and Grandpa will hire nannies and staff to accompany the family.  And fly in the finest tutors and instructors to enrich the grandchildren.   LOL

 

Oh yes.  I completely retract my affront against good old Grandma and Grandpa.  What was I thinking? They are the most unselfish people I've ever heard of.

[forgap]

Am I the only one anxious about a child falling overboard?  A 3 year old running and climbing…a 2 year old toddler with distracted parents.  And then there is the balcony in the cabins. ….

[Pcardad]

4 minutes ago, forgap said:

Am I the only one anxious about a child falling overboard?  A 3 year old running and climbing…a 2 year old toddler with distracted parents.  And then there is the balcony in the cabins. ….

It is extremely rare for a child to fall overboard. I think the top 3 reasons a person goes over the side are drunkenness, suicide and murder....hopefully a 2 or 3 year old isn't involved in those activities.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Pcardad

[boblerm]

1 hour ago, Rothko1 said:

I love how you guys keep changing the circumstances

The circumstances have not changed one bit. The circumstances have always been that G&G do not wish to cruise on a big ship (or as Pcardad would state it, wouldn't set foot on a big ship), and offers to take the family. Nothing more, nothing less. 

 

1 hour ago, Rothko1 said:

Now it's:  G&G are going to help with the care of the grandkids. Maybe even babysit them some nights...  And the children are so very happy to be so accommodated.

Seriously? Is there a grandparent alive that does not relish in spending time with their grandkids?  I think most grandparents think of an occasional babysit to go with the territory, but let's assume that isn't on the table, that one of the parents has to retire on the earlier side each night . So now this constitutes selfishness? 

 

1 hour ago, Rothko1 said:

You forgot to add:  And Grandma and Grandpa will hire nannies and staff to accompany the family.  And fly in the finest tutors and instructors to enrich the grandchildren.  

???? Hah? 

[fizzy]

This thread is fascinating. We traveled as a family to learn new things and see the world. We weren't dropped off at an amusement park while Mom and Dad sipped cocktails nor was it ever expected that Grandparents were going to take over their jobs. There were certainly times that I would have rather been playing at the beach but it wasn't my call.  I agree with Pcardad that whether you are 8 or 80. if you can't follow the rules then you shouldn't be on the ship. Nannies!   Babysitters!  Give me a break.

[mariners]

In 2006, we took a multi-generational cruise to Alaska on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner with our grandchildren (2 and 7), daughter and son-in-law, and my in-laws.  Regent was a perfect fit for us as everyone could be accommodated in a way that worked well for them. 

 

My father-in-law required a wheelchair most of the time and needed a fully accessible cabin.  We required two cabins that would allow our grandchildren to move between their parents' cabin and our cabin depending upon where they were spending the night.  (We made this arrangement with Regent before boarding.)

 

We had many family meetings regarding different scenarios that we might experience, and to ensure that we had plans for anything that might interfere with other passengers' enjoyment of their cruise.  My father-in-law could be quite cranky when he was frustrated and/or tired.  My grandchildren could be quite cranky when they were frustrated and/or tired.  So, it became obvious during the cruise, could their parents, and their grandparents :). 

 

It was a fabulous time, and we have the photos and a daily log that I kept to help the youngest remember their great-grandparents and the trip.  They, in turn, created multi-photo frames for their grandfather and me of their favourite photos from the cruise.

 

Since that time, we have had the pleasure of multiple cruises with our grandchildren (Princess, Celebrity, and Oceania), and another cruise where their parents also joined us (Celebrity - Asia - fantastic).    

 

To end this long ramble, IMO, there is no one right or wrong answer as to whether one should take a 2 and 5 year old on Regent; nor is there a right or wrong answer as to whether any unknown individual should sail on Regent.  

 

 

 

 

[red1head]

We were just on Voyager for 19 nights from Barcelona (Tarragona) to Southhampton, disembarking July 17. Though the cruise was sold as a single cruise, it was also sold as two segments: Barcelona to Lisbon for seven nights, and Lisbon to Southampton, 12 nights. The first segment had 701 passengers, of which approximately one quarter were children and teens. Yes, that's correct. There were three generation families and also parents-only with their children. There were also some of the crew's children aboard. The Mariner's Club was open and had kids there during the day.. 

 

Sitting at the pool grill after lunch and looking out at the pool area it seemed like an upscale family resort with kids playing (nicely) in the pool. On one excursion in Jerez de la Frontera to visit a villa and take a tapas cooking class, five of the 20 people on the excursion were youngsters or teens (three were under 10). It wasn't uncommon to see strollers on excursions or parked at the entrance to La Veranda in the morning for breakfast. We never saw any misbehavior or acting out by any child. In our tapas class a brother and sister (about 9 and 7) were able to participate and excited because they liked to cook at home.

 

This was an unexpected but not surprising experience since the first segment was seven days in the Mediterranean in the summer. There were teens and even college-ages young people on board, too. The second segment from Lisbon northward had on'y a handful of kids and teens, but nothing like the Med. segment.

[forevertravel]

We got off the Voyager in July. We went from Lisbon to London. There were several children on board (more than I had seen on our Alaska cruise). These children were so well behaved you didn't know there were kids on board. I spoke to several of them and they had a great time. Regent had the Mariner's Club with activities for two age groups and they children had a blast. I wouldn't take them on a cruise not in the summer or when school is out, but otherwise I see no issue with it. Naturally, it's up to the parents.

[mrstanley]

We were on a cruise from Stockholm to South Hampton. There was a young couple with a 2 year old little girl. They were in Pacific Rim seated in the middle of the restaurant. The child cried and fussed the entire time. Everyone was annoyed!

 

[Pcardad]

3 minutes ago, mrstanley said:

We were on a cruise from Stockholm to South Hampton. There was a young couple with a 2 year old little girl. They were in Pacific Rim seated in the middle of the restaurant. The child cried and fussed the entire time. Everyone was annoyed!

 

Unfortunate. Are you suggesting that children should not be allowed because of this incident or just tossing out a data point? Can we put this thread to bed by agreeing that all people, without regard to age, should behave properly while on board?

[Kwaj girl]

3 minutes ago, mrstanley said:

We were on a cruise from Stockholm to South Hampton. There was a young couple with a 2 year old little girl. They were in Pacific Rim seated in the middle of the restaurant. The child cried and fussed the entire time. Everyone was annoyed!

 

 

Too bad the parents didn't actually "parent" in this instance. I may have been tempted to speak to the maitre d' to explain why we were leaving in the middle of our dinner.

[A Tucson Guy]

1 minute ago, mrstanley said:

We were on a cruise from Stockholm to South Hampton. There was a young couple with a 2 year old little girl. They were in Pacific Rim seated in the middle of the restaurant. The child cried and fussed the entire time. Everyone was annoyed!

 

I think that people with small children that behaved themselves are the ones posting their opinions on this forum. I don't see one post from parents/grandparents that had children that didn't behave, posting about their experience on this forum. I think you will only get one side of the story on this forum. That's my story and I am sticking to it!!

[Rothko1]

Everyone's own children are all delightful, well-behaved younglings, who would be treasured company in the Main Dining Room, and everyone would coo and smile at the sweet cherubs throughout dinner.

 

 

 

 

[Pcardad]

10 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

Everyone's own children are all delightful, well-behaved younglings, who would be treasured company in the Main Dining Room, and everyone would coo and smile at the sweet cherubs throughout dinner.

 

 

 

 

Nope, they certainly are not. But Regent's criteria is behavior, not age...a factor that applies to guests both young and old. 

[Rothko1]

Just now, Pcardad said:

Nope, they certainly are not. But Regent's criteria is behavior, not age...a factor that applies to guests both young and old. 

 

I'm being facetious, of course.  And I agree with you, the criteria is behavior.  If the child starts acting up, the parents' responsibility is to either re-adjust the child immediately, or remove the child from the room.  Even if that means Mom and/or Dad don't get to finish dinner.

[seasickphil]

The bottom line is that Regent allow children onboard their ships and if the parents or grandparents can afford to pay the fare, then it is not for me or anyone else on this thread to tell them how or what they should spend their money on. I would assume that they, like anyone else, would research Regent's product before deciding if it would be right for their family. They certainly would know their own children better than any of us on here do, therefore should be more than capable of deciding what cruise line would suit them best, after all it is their holiday as well.

[RachelG]

As grandma to 2 2 year olds, boy and girl, I do hope to take them on a cruise on regent someday.  I think they are a little young now, though we are working on table manners and sitting through a meal without making a fuss, and both are doing great.  I could even see possibly taking one of them now, but not both at the same time.  I think I will wait a few more years.  But you can be assured, they will not be allowed to run around like wild children.

[rcandkc]

I think this topic will hopefully be useful for those considering doing this.  It is a question asking opinions…there is no definite right or wrong answer.  Each opinion is just as worthy as the next but hopefully will give parents some insights. 

[bitob]

I am on the second leg of a silversea cruise. 

the first leg had toddlers with Nannie’s. The toddlers ran around the restaurants, screamed etc. as the parents sat as far away as they could. I did say something but they will never offend a guest. 

 

second leg. They are gone. What a pleasure 

 

there are no bad children

only bad parents

Edited July 27, 2023 by bitob