Aways Seems Hal Crusiers Against Kids.

[lawyerrose]

I goofed my quote (it michmike posted the comment about the drag queen, when in fact, it was turia). I fixed it, but not in time for you to quote me. Sorry about that.

 

Ooops!!:o I did, too.

[twinkletoes4445]

I live in the New Orleans area.... I've never met a drag queen whose sense of humor I DIDN'T like! :D

 

That's the truth. I have a good friend who went to a costume party as a bride and bridesmaids (him and his guy friends). They ended up having their car break down on the side of the road. I swear, I still split a seam thinking about that story. He can't keep a straight face when he repeats the events of that day. I won't even get into what happened when the police showed up to help. lol :)

[twinkletoes4445]

Ooops!!:o I did, too.

 

How funny! It must be the computer...it can't be us! :)

[CCCM]

michmike - You toss my DD overboard on our cruise....I toss your monkeys and chickens overboard. :p Remember I will know who you are before you know who I am. After all you carry chickens dressed in costumes. BTW how about a pilgrim outfit for your chicken......

 

See you back on the roll call!

 

PS...I love your sense of humor! Please keep it going. :D

[babyher]

We require a drivers license for people to drive a car, and hunting license for people to hunt, a fishing license for people to fish, a law license for people to practice law, a medical license for people to practice medicine, and a marriage license for people to get married. But there's no training or certification or licensing procedure to prepare people to be good parents. Is it just me, or does this seem wacko?

 

The problem isn't the kids ... it's the parents who refuse to take responsibility and properly parent their kids. :(

 

I could not agree with you more on that one.

 

Another thing that gets me is If a couple want to adopt a child, They have to go through forms and evaluations and background checks, and financial checks, and their home is visited and inspected , and more rigamorol than you can imagine.

 

But two whackos can just "do their thing" :) Have a baby 9 months later, and they are the parents, they have their rights and thats the end of that, and who the heck are you to tel them about their kids.

[cruzincurt]

Childless by choice, we adopted a road instead.

 

Those little darlins will be paying my SS in a few years. Made a big mistake one Thanksgiving by going on a cruise with 780 kiddos.

[michmike]

*lmao* I've been called a lot of things in my life, but a drag queen is a new one.. you have ANY idea how difficult it is to find heels in 14EEE ?

 

Thanks for the kind words of support from the others of you who apparently grew up reading MAD magazine as well..

 

which just happens to remind me of another totally tasteless joke (why not go for broke..) anyone know what the group D.A.M. is??

 

Mothers Against Dyslexia

 

(taking cover)

 

Celeste - I have no doubt that DD will be every bit as charming and well mannered as her mom.. I look forward to meeting her..

[hammybee]

I live in the New Orleans area.... I've never met a drag queen whose sense of humor I DIDN'T like! :D

 

 

So true.

 

( Is it me, or is the quote thing hosed on this thread?)

[babyher]

Turia - If you think I'm awful, don't ever tune in to Letterman or Leno. Rarely a conversation on these boards, esp the more heated ones, where a little levity isn't of value (at least imho).

 

That having been said, we were recently on vacation in the keys and were unable to use the pool most of the time we were there because of 2 children about 7 and 9 and their idiot parents who seemed to think that it was ok for the kids to be incapable of enjoying the pool w/o screaming at the top of their lungs the whole time they were in it. So , as I said in a previous post, we schedule trips when there will be as few kids as possible.

 

I raised my own little darlin, and trust me, there were numerous times twixt 15 and 22 that I wanted to drown him in the bathtub. But he escaped unscathed and actually turned out to be a fairly decent 26 yr old. So if I could endure his aggravation, I can likely stifle the urge to throw someone else's kids overboard

 

It was a JOKE. If you follow the boards at all you'll find that I have a perverse , twisted sense of humor that might not be everyone's cup of tea. But hey, you can simply gloss over my mutterings.. Just think about the poor woman who has had to LIVE with me for 33 yrs. *S*

 

 

Ruth - you continue to be the penultimate judge of character that you have always been.. *wink* Come pull up a chair and we'll share some chocolate and be irreverent together...

 

 

Boy if they didn't like your comments . I bet they would hate the fact that I kiddingly threathen to send my kids to the Neverland Ranch when they misbehave . :)

[hammybee]

*lmao* I've been called a lot of things in my life, but a drag queen is a new one.. you have ANY idea how difficult it is to find heels in 14EEE ?

 

Try eBay :)

[michmike]

babyher - haven't you heard? They changed the name of the ranch to "well.. maybe once or twice" land

 

Good to know I'm going to hell with a fun loving bunch..

[twinkletoes4445]

you have ANY idea how difficult it is to find heels in 14EEE ?

 

Hmmmm....I'm not touching that one! ;)

[twinkletoes4445]

Whoops...double post.

[babyher]

babyher - haven't you heard? They changed the name of the ranch to "well.. maybe once or twice" land

 

Good to know I'm going to hell with a fun loving bunch..

 

 

*LOL*

 

Oh yea there will be a whole group of us going. maybe we can get a discount rate *LOL*

[turia]

*lmao* I've been called a lot of things in my life, but a drag queen is a new one.. you have ANY idea how difficult it is to find heels in 14EEE ?

 

Thanks for the kind words of support from the others of you who apparently grew up reading MAD magazine as well..

 

which just happens to remind me of another totally tasteless joke (why not go for broke..) anyone know what the group D.A.M. is??

 

Mothers Against Dyslexia

 

(taking cover)

 

Celeste - I have no doubt that DD will be every bit as charming and well mannered as her mom.. I look forward to meeting her..

 

I did not call you a drag queen I said your sense of humor could be compared to one.

 

No I am not homophobic but have been called a faghag as many of my friends are samesex friendly.

 

As for shoes in size 14E if one of the cruises take you to Vancouver you can stop off at the Royal Pub on Granville and I'm sure one of the girls (boys) can direct you in the right direction.

[babytraveler]

Stepping way back here, I was the person months ago who was going on a command performance cruise on HAL with a 2 year old and 5 year old and was not only dreading it, but was thinking of leaving my 2 year old home, since HAL was so reputed not for kids.

 

I combed this boards and others and definitely got the impression (despite a few kind souls who not only assured me all would be well but offered to drive me shopping in Seattle for supplies so I wouldn't have to lug so much on the plane) that a family stepping onboard a HAL ship was anathema and would be treated rudely by fellow passengers. Some posts warned that passengers would be openly rude directly to my children.

 

Now, I would never let anyone do anything TO my children, so I went on the cruise with my dukes up, ready to be the mother bear defending the cubs.

 

But it truly was a command performance so off we went, and this was what we found in personal real life experience.

 

We got there very early. The first funny was that true to many HAL reports, the entire waiting area was filled with people over 70 years old. And guess what. They were fun and friendly and jovial, and when my 2 year old wiped out on the concrete, were very sympathetic.

 

Next, we were welcomed enroute by the CLUB HAL team, asking if my 5 year old would like to join them for activities and welcoming my 2 year old to "toddler time" on sailing days. My feedback for HAL was please more toddler time hours. 2 year old loved it and was mad that 5 year old got more CLUB HAL time without her.

 

There was a portacrib in our room. The only problem with that was that their was a tear in the mesh, that could have been deadly to a true baby, but at 2 my child agreed not to put her head through it. I hope HAL had spares for people with really little vulnerable kids.

 

Club HAL was fantastic. The leaders were very much like preschool teachers. My daughter had so much fun that she probably liked it better than any of her subsequent summer classes.

 

There were 80+ kids onboard. Both girls found friends to play with.

 

99% of passengers and staff were friendly and kind and tolerant. They had booster seats and high chairs, and staff learned that 2 year old only drinks apple juice and had it waiting for us. Staff carried my tray so I could hold hands with 2 year old.

 

Both girls were fascinated by the decor, especially the guitars on display. They ate in all restaurants, including the Pinnacle Grill (because we had to attend a formal dinner there--no choice) and were as well behaved as kids can be.

 

There was lots to see and do, and the kids both had a good time.

 

If I were booking a vacation myself, I probably would have chosen Disney because I would want the vacation to be all about them, but since we had to go, it was fine, and if a trip like this is what a family wants, it was absolutely fine.

 

My 2 year old got a hairy eyeball from someone as we were entering the theater, but she turned right to him and said "I see show!" He ended up laughing with her. 2 year old loved the musical reviews. She sat and drank her infamous apple juice.

 

One man stepped way out of line to criticize me for controlling my kids in the lobby. He felt kids should be free. He was out of line, but in the opposite way of what I expected.

 

One woman behind me in line muttered under her breath about loud kids (not mine) then proceeded to tap her nails on her tray and sing. Then I couldn't hear the loud kids.

 

Okay, so HAL was fine, and we're hoping to find a nice cruise out of NYC for spring break.

 

HAL is actively marketing to families. While some of HAL's long-time customers would prefer adult clientele, HAL is inviting families. I do agree there should be adult-only cruises so that people who really don't want to be with kids should have that option so they aren't all grumpy at families.

 

Next issue.

 

I am truly horrified by what I read on these boards. Can you think of any individual group of people in America that would tolerate having such horrible things said about them as kids, parents (there's a lot of blaming the parents on this board, I think as a cover for kid hating), and families.

 

Can you imagine if people freely wrote that they didn't want to be onboard with old people because they move slowly and talk loudly if they wear hearing aids and that we should "throw them overboard" (as previous poster said about children). Can you imagine if we singled out groups because they are gay, or for race? But it is fine to say you don't want to be near children and plan on giving the family a dirty look or an actual hard time, or would like to "throw them overboard."

 

Hey, when I was a kid I lived in an apartment building, and the guy below didn't like hearing my footsteps, threatened to cut off my feet, put in writing and mailed it, and seemed to intend on following through. There's a kid hater for you. Unfortunately, his actions crossed into "crime" and he was removed from our lives.

 

Have a heart people. We're all on this planet together, and let's not single out any group to be the icky people we wish weren't there.

 

And in summary, HAL is fine for children and families. The people who post anti-child stuff on the internet seem to be internet-specific, and perhaps trying to steer families away from HAL to keep it adult, despite HAL's marketing efforts.

 

I'm done. Signing off.

[mommybunny21]

this thread is very disturbing to me in that I can't follow the theory that some people have that HAL is not the line for children.If you follow that theory then the only places to ever take a child would involve rides and furry character and water slides. That's leaving out a whole lot of the world. HAL seems to me to be no different from any luxury hotel in the world- beautiful surroundings,fine food, a pool and a children's program. We frequent hotels like that all around the world-go to any Four Seasons and that's what you'll find. So what's the big deal??Why shouldn't my son be welcome there. i know that some children are terribly behaved and that's why I don't stay at Nickelodeon hotels etc. But as far as i'm concerned my son is welcome anywhere that is not Adults Only resort.HAL is not Adults Only and my son will enjoy the children's program, the pool, the games, wearing a tuxedo,all of the ports. How is that different than any other top notch vacation you may take?? i'm sure most of you will be charmed by my little boy , who knows how to behave, and those of you who dare to snarl at his mere presence on your cruise ship should think about the aforementioned Adults only resort.

[hammybee]

this thread is very disturbing to me in that I can't follow the theory that some people have that HAL is not the line for children.

 

Oh mommybunny21 ( btw-love your screen name) don't take this to heart. Those who prefer not to sail with children tend to sail during the school year and/or take longer cruises and those with kids are tied to the school calendar.

 

Some kids will do better on RCCL and others will prefer HAL. And RCCL has more than its share of adults who avoid sailing during school breaks. We are so fortunate that we have so many choices.

[kakalina]

I feel that many of the previous posts are unfair. If I or anyone else is going to get lambasted for our opinons then this is no longer a forum for open discussion, but has become a politically correct place where no one wants to hear what you have to say. An opinion is not right or wrong. My feelings are no less valid then your feelings. That is what makes the world go 'round.

 

For anyone to consider changing their minds simply because a very small minority who post here have a different opinion has a lack of forethought. On our last cruise there were approx. 1250 souls on board, of those 18 were CC members. I would call that a microscopic portion of the cruiser on board.

 

I choose a cruiseline becase it offers more of the things I want on my vacation then another one does. This is my choice. If the cruiseline I choose does not meet my expectations I will choose another. That is what choice is all about. It works for all of us.

 

Sorry all but my buttons got pushed on this one.

[bankerbabe]

The thing I dislike the most about cruising with kids is . . . . it makes me miss the sweet little ones that I left at home.

[RevNeal]

THANK YOU babytraveler for giving us a report on your HAL cruise experience. I had been wondering how things went, how you were received, etc., and I'm pleased to read that thing went well (as well as can be expected).

 

THANK YOU for reporting back!

[bepsf]

babytraveler

 

Congrats on your successful and enjoyable HAL cruise!

If all kids were as well behaved as yours and all parents were as caring as you obviously are, we wouldnt have this type of discussion.*

[dakrewser]

I am truly horrified by what I read on these boards. Can you think of any individual group of people in America that would tolerate having such horrible things said about them as kids, parents (there's a lot of blaming the parents on this board, I think as a cover for kid hating), and families.

 

Can you imagine if people freely wrote that they didn't want to be onboard with old people because they move slowly and talk loudly if they wear hearing aids and that we should "throw them overboard" (as previous poster said about children). Can you imagine if we singled out groups because they are gay, or for race? But it is fine to say you don't want to be near children and plan on giving the family a dirty look or an actual hard time, or would like to "throw them overboard."

 

I think you'll find very few people who specifically say that it's children they abhor. It's the behavior they abhor, and it doesn't matter if the person so behaving is 9 mos, 9 years, or 90 years old. Or white, brown, black or green. Or male, female or "not sure". Rude behavior is rude behavior and it should not be tolerated.

[lawyerrose]

I think you'll find very few people who specifically say that it's children they abhor. It's the behavior they abhor, and it doesn't matter if the person so behaving is 9 mos, 9 years, or 90 years old. Or white, brown, black or green. Or male, female or "not sure". Rude behavior is rude behavior and it should not be tolerated.

AMEN!

[ceejay2sail]

i rarely post here, but i religiously read these forums, planning my first cruise to celebrate my 30th anniversary next year, and assisting my daughter in planning her honeymoon cruise, also in 2007 (busy year for our family). i've watched this thread with interest, and it amazes me that those of us who have raised our children and who only want the adult areas on the ship to be enforced are termed as child haters. i've raised my children, i adore my children, and i enforced rules of behavior. if i wish to go to certain parts of the ship where children are supposedly not allowed, i don't want to feel like a total witch if i point that out to parents who feel that it is their right to allow their child to go anywhere and do anything. yes, you paid for their cruise and it's their vacation too. i paid for mine as well and i don't wish to raise your children. hello, i raised mine. you need to do the same.

 

so to read that parents who are not enforcing the same level of behavior are being dissed...well, yeah, they probably are. i don't care if you're on vacation or not, you are still a parent and you are still responsible for your children. if your children are running wild, well then, YOU need to stop that behavior.