Screaming babies in specialty restaurants, should anything be done about that?

[Lena11033]

38 minutes ago, alexandria said:

 

It sounds like you and your husband are very considerate travelers.  Kudos to you and others like you who are mindful of the travel enjoyment of others.  😃

 

But permit me to digress a bit...I'm not sure when the trend of taking your infants and toddlers on cruises and international travel began.  Maybe it was around the time when the senior HS trip evolved from being a few days at the beach or other locale within a few hours drive to tours of Europe and other similar far-flung places.  When I was growing up (in one of the wealthiest counties in the US at the time), none of my contemporaries did that kind of traveling with their families.  And when we did travel, woe be unto me or my siblings if we were not well-behaved when dining out...it wasn't mom and dad taking turns taking the the offending child outside.  It was dad taking us outside (usually in search of a woodshed)!  😧  

 

Our own (now adult) children were raised to be well-behaved and respectful (even addressing other adults by "sir", "ma'am" and only by their last names "Mr...." and/or "Mrs....") and they were regularly complemented by other adults, including when we took them on cruises and other trips.  But times change and not always for the good.  Courtesy and manners appear to be completely unimportant to some who have a very self-centered "me first" approach to life.  It really isn't much different from those who engage in loud conversations on their cell phone in public settings where such is just not respectful of others who are nearby.  Some even insist on putting their phone on the loudest speakerphone setting so that all around can hear both sides of the conversation!  We encountered several instances of such boorish behavior in the Solarium on our recent Summit sailing.  Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do about such rude persons other than to strive to avoid them and the places they frequent.  🙂

 

I never travelled as a kid as we didn't have the money but my mum and dad would go to a restaurant for my mum's birthday and I wasn't even allowed to go until I was old enough to know how to behave in a restaurant 🙃

Things are very different now

[hcat]

1 hour ago, doghog said:

The dining staff aren't hired baby sitters. Nearby guests shouldn't have to complain to the staff either. That's all on the parents. 

What to do when parents do nothing.? .

Most staff are afraid to do the right thing..lest they get a bad review.

 

A night out at an upscale venue for anniv or birthday costs a bundle and should be  a special experience .  It's not a family night out at Applebees!

Edited January 16 by hcat

[patty1955]

2 minutes ago, hcat said:

What to do when parents do nothing.? .

Most staff are afraid to do the right thing..lest they get a bad review.

One of my least favorite parts of cruising is the staff's failure to enforce rules because of fear of angering the offending party.

People in general seem to have forgotten that it's okay to say "no" or enforce rules

[doghog]

12 minutes ago, mahasamatman said:

Epic fail on the part of the maitre d'.

Just like with the suggested dress guidelines, they aren't going to call out a rude and inconsiderate parents in fear that the parents will go to GS and pitch a hissy fit and slam him/her on the PCS. But those bothered by the screaming bawling kid could do the same. Catch 22.   

[doghog]

6 minutes ago, hcat said:

What to do when parents do nothing.? .

Most staff are afraid to do the right thing..lest they get a bad review.

Agree. Those bothered by the screaming bawling kid could do the same. Catch 22.   

[doghog]

6 minutes ago, patty1955 said:

One of my least favorite parts of cruising is the staff's failure to enforce rules because of fear of angering the offending party.

People in general seem to have forgotten that it's okay to say "no" or enforce rules

Damned if they do and damned if they don't. I'd be fired. 

[jshli]

Years ago, my husband and I were on a Royal Caribbean cruise on Anthem of the Seas having dinner at one of their restaurants and a man sitting at the next table was stone cold drunk. He was verbally abusive to his girl friend as well as the waiters. He tried to engage us in his rants which we uncomfortably ignored. When it became obvious the situation couldn’t be controlled and we were ready to leave without finishing our dinner, he was escorted out of the restaurant by the maitre’d and staff. Thankfully we did not see him for the duration of the cruise. 

[hcat]

6 minutes ago, doghog said:

Agree. Those bothered by the screaming bawling kid could do the same. Catch 22.   

but we would not sit through it..bad for digestion!

[lv2cruisgrl]

I would have complained to someone for sure!  

[doghog]

1 minute ago, hcat said:

but we would not sit through it..bad for digestion!

If were we ever in that position, I'll guarantee you I'd be at GS requesting to speak to the HD or whoever and politely describing to that person our horrible experience and if it was in a specialty restaurant I'd be requesting reimbursement for a peaceful meal we didn't get to have/finish.

[jshli]

We didn’t have to complain, his voice was loud and was heard by diners and staff alike. To their credit, the staff in the restaurant tried to resolve the situation but he was too far gone. They did remove him, otherwise we definitely would have left. The restaurant was not a specialty restaurant, so no refund to be had. 

[hcat]

we walked out of BLU once..cannot recall which ship... very unfortunate experiene.

 

Dining service was slowest ever so they were really pushing the alcohol.

Table of about 8 adults were seriously overserved and encouraged by the maitre d to have more.   Very loud, boisterous and disruptive folks..

 

  All of a sudden a physical altercation erupted.. men and women all in dress clothes..very ugly .

 

We  and others left.  No refund but we did lodge  complaint!

 

Say no to screaming babies and drunks!

Edited January 16 by hcat

[phoenix_dream]

3 hours ago, Mimiya11 said:

Babies and children are not common on any of the Celebrity cruises we have been on over the years.  

 

Agree though, that is a parenting fail and they should have left with the baby.  

 

If you haven't cruised lately things have changed.  Not tons of kids but a lot more than there used to be for sure, especially cruises 7 days or less

[Lemons4Days]

My question is...what the child actually screaming for 2 hours straight? Or was the child babbling, making loud noises occasionally, playing at their seat and just otherwise being a child? Many people who haven't been around kids in 20+ years (or who maybe never had children) are really unaccustomed to how young humans behave and what is normal behaviour for a kid - and then report back said child "screamed for two hours and everyone's meal was ruined".

 

If the kid isn't mine, I don't notice the noises they make but even so, I generally think these sorts of reports need to be taken with a grain of salt. I was just on a Disney cruise and literally never noticed any child screaming or crying the whole week. 

 

I would say if the noise of any fellow guest is bothering you, ask to move to another table. 

[Mimiya11]

49 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

If you haven't cruised lately things have changed.  Not tons of kids but a lot more than there used to be for sure, especially cruises 7 days or less

Actually have been on two Celebrity cruises in the last year.  Both were 7 plus days. Handful of kids the most but not over a school break where I would expect more. 

Besides am used to kids and agree with what Lemons4Days said 

Edited January 16 by Mimiya11

[dlh015]

Sorry, I don't see why I should have to change my location and/or adjust my dining expectations because of someone else's lack of respect towards others.

 

If I am going to change my location, it will only be to go out the door never to return to that venue during that cruise. You may be sure that I will then hunt down whomever is necessary to assure I get a credit on my account. 

[Stockjock]

The only cruise line where I've personally seen really bad, drunken behavior was, wait for it, Carnival (shocker).  Physical fights, hammered passengers, rude behavior, yelling matches, etc.  Won't say we'd never sail on CCL again, but we try hard to avoid it.

I think the best comments so far is that the Maitre D should have asked them to quiet Junior down or leave.

This isn't quite the same, but we were on MSC about a year ago, and they do enforce no shorts in the MDR on Gala Night.  So one young man, in shorts, was refused entry by the Maitre D.  The guy snuck in through a different entrance and sat down at the dinner table   The Maitre D saw him and practically dragged him out by his ear, physically escorting him to the door.  I must admit that I did enjoy that.

[hcat]

no objection to kids..but a fancy restaurant should be for adults in the evening.

 

.there are other venues like the cartoon show. X  Used to have a great place..all a la carte,  shared dishes, ordered on I pads,   similar to Alice in Wonderland decor.. great for families and kids but was discontinued.  sorry cannot recall the name!

Edited January 16 by hcat

[mayleeman]

2 posters seem mystified as to why OP posted this. Maybe 1) the cruiser is not a CC user, or might be trying to enjoy the cruise; or 2) the OP thought it was an interesting story about a friend's unhappy Celeb experience, and he wanted input from Celeb forum regulars (as indeed he asked for).

 

I am mystified that anyone finds it strange to have posted it. Are we not allowed to relate other people's Celeb experiences, especially a problem that soured someone trying X out?

Edited January 16 by mayleeman

[mrgabriel]

6 hours ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Am I wrong, but wasn't there an age requirement (12 yrs?) in Specialty dining at one time?  Probably several years ago I think.

Yup. Used to be that you could only get a 6 pm reservation if there were children in the party. 

[NMTraveller]

This does not surprise me at all.  Why?

 

We had kids running through the hallways in the evenings.  This was on Millie a week and a half ago.  Someone on the ship should enforce some discipline like they used to.

 

We also had kids in our resort hotels and we did not have any issues there.  Better management...

 

Booking a resort hotel for my next vacation.  The pre and post hotels were managed better than the cruise.

 

 

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

If I were in a specialty restaurant and I witnessed a screaming child and it persisted I'd likely go to the family and offer to hold/entertain the child. It's unlikely the parent(s) would entertain the offer, but at the very least they'd recognize the disruption the crying child is causing and maybe do something about it. If they took me up on it, no problem, I love kids.

 

These types of reports wouldn't be so common if the dining staffs' employment wasn't so dependent on positive guest feedback.

[hcat]

58 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

Yup. Used to be that you could only get a 6 pm reservation if there were children in the party. 

that makes sense.   then adults time after!  no one excluded and no one potentially annoyed

[hcat]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

no objection to kids..but a fancy restaurant should be for adults in the evening.

 

.there are other venues like the cartoon show. X  Used to have a great place..all a la carte,  shared dishes, ordered on I pads,   similar to Alice in Wonderland decor.. great for families and kids but was discontinued.  sorry cannot recall the name!

It was Q sine..best ever!

[Stockjock]

3 hours ago, mayleeman said:

2 posters seem mystified as to why OP posted this. Maybe 1) the cruiser is not a CC user, or might be trying to enjoy the cruise; or 2) the OP thought it was an interesting story about a friend's unhappy Celeb experience, and he wanted input from Celeb forum regulars (as indeed he asked for).

 

I am mystified that anyone finds it strange to have posted it. Are we not allowed to relate other people's Celeb experiences, especially a problem that soured someone trying X out?

I just ignored the question, as I thought the answer was obvious.