Kicked Off Ship

[sagiv666]

I am a mother of 5 children. My oldest daughter is 18 and now a Freshman in college. We then have a 17 yr old daughter who is junior in high school, a 12 year old daughter who is 7th grader and twin 11 year old boys. We have discussed with them this thread and potential tramifications.

 

This will be my oldest two daughters seventh cruise and the younger ones fourth. They have all been cruising since they were 3 or 4. Every time we have cruised it has been during the school year. We enjoy traveling together as a family and frequently talk about our memories. Obviously, it can get expensive to cruise with a large family, so it is much cheaper to cruise in "off season". I am extremely lucky to have children who do well academically, but this year it will be tough for my Junior as she has a very demanding school schedule. She just brought home a 4.0 for her first semester and many people question why I would want to jeopardize her grade point and have her miss 5 days of school.

It is all about responsibility. She has known about this cruise (Explorer, 9 day, Dec 14th) and has spoke with all her teachers and has been planning accordingly, but it will not be easy. As for the younger kids, we have lived in 3 different school districts and every teacher has always been more than accommodating.

It has been consensus that these experiences, whether we are sitting on the beach, or visiting a museum to be the best experience for us personally!!! I believe that because of the care, forsight and responsibility that we take with our children is why they will sit with us for 2 hours every night at dinner and why they will be well-behaved on this and any other cruise....because we have instilled in them that same sense of responsibility.

I will admit, any child is capable of silly pranks and I am not above anyone to say my kids are not capable of switching 'do not disturb' signs. I do know that it was great to have this show up in such a timely manner for us as we are leaving in 18 days, and those twins are at an age where "boys will be boys".

 

Thank you everyone for contributing to this thread.

 

As a parent, as well as an experienced cruiser, I feel there is no excuse for any young people to make problems on a ship. I mean, if "boys will be boys" and they play pranks on their parents and no one else is involved, then it is between you and your young people. If their actions affect other people who have paid money -- and not a small sum at that -- for this vacation, I don't care if they are always on the Honor Society, Deans List, or are rocket scientists, off they go. and that goes for the parents, because it is your resposibility to bring up your young people the right way and/or realize that they are uncontrollable. If they are chronic pranksters to the deteriment of others, well...no cruises, no matter how many family get-togethers are ruined.:mad:

[scher]

Originally Posted by eetonaee

That's nothing

 

My parents had me circumcised when I was 8 days old and I couldn't walk for a year!

And that was supposed to be funny? why?Dang Right it's Funny....Enjoy cause I have the Feeling your Kids are or will be the little pain in the Arse TYPE....

Hey Arse Hill..........I did not understand it..........I was not being mean.........but since you are.........I still don't think it is funny. What did it have to do with the nasty remarks said to the person who stated they took the kid out of school when he was 8 to go on vacation....

[sagiv666]

We are going to Mexico in January and will be taking the kids out of school. I agree that it is up to the parents as to whether or not to take your children out of school. As said earlier - Family is more important than school. This cruise will be my kids 3rd, and we are giving them their own "keycard" for the room. We have gone thru the rules with them 3 times over the last 2 months, and we will be going thru the rules with them 50 more times before we leave! I want them to start realizing that we are beginning to trust them on their own for an hour or two, but behavior and respecting others is always first.

C

 

You mention "family is more important than school" as if they are mutually exclusive. We all know how important a good education is, so if your only argument is that phrase, themI am sure you will gladly wait until their school breaks and/or vacations before planning a family cruise.:)

[scher]

It is funny.:D Lighten up.:p

I guess I would have laughed if it was not put in with the quote about the person taking there kid out of school for vacation. The two did not seem to work together.

[SherriZ366]

As a parent, as well as an experienced cruiser, I feel there is no excuse for any young people to make problems on a ship. I mean, if "boys will be boys" and they play pranks on their parents and no one else is involved, then it is between you and your young people. If their actions affect other people who have paid money -- and not a small sum at that -- for this vacation, I don't care if they are always on the Honor Society, Deans List, or are rocket scientists, off they go. and that goes for the parents, because it is your resposibility to bring up your young people the right way and/or realize that they are uncontrollable. If they are chronic pranksters to the deteriment of others, well...no cruises, no matter how many family get-togethers are ruined.:mad:

Well said. I think the behavior that may have been viewed by parents as pranks may have been pretty disturbing or dangerous.

[Thing2]

Well said. I think the behavior that may have been viewed by parents as pranks may have been pretty disturbing or dangerous.

 

Unfortunately in a lot of cases I think a lot of parents don't really know what their kids are up to. They think they do.....Little Johny might be an angel in front of Mom and Dad but get him around his buddies and it is a different story.

[SherriZ366]

Unfortunately in a lot of cases I think a lot of parents don't really know what their kids are up to. They think they do.....Little Johny might be an angel in front of Mom and Dad but get him around his buddies and it is a different story.

Some posts on this thread indicated that when the parents were confronted with the kids' actions, they blamed the cabin stewards. There is also an element of the parents fighting the kids' battles and denying that their child could do wrong. I have read reports about similar incidents in schools where this type of parent tells the teacher/principal that their kid could not have done something even in the case of clear evidence that the kid had committed the infraction.

[louanne93]

Couldn't they have gotten the same wonderful experience and learning while cruising when they were out of school. So was it not really a matter of the great learning for them but the price tag for you.

 

What do we teach kids by saying "You can miss school to go on a cruise" is this what hurts the work ethic of younger people today (not all) they call out when ever they feel like it to take trips or for "Down Days".

 

I was brought up to believe you had a job to do .... You did it. You took vacations and down time when it was given to you.

 

For us it is about the price tag (just being honest...I'm sure I will get flamed). We take our kids out of school to go on a cruise...but where we live you can do Independent Study.They get work to do while they are gone. When they turn in the work they missed they get full credit. The school still gets paid, my kids still do school work, and everyones happy.

If my kids were not 4.0 students and very well adjusted I would never take them out of school. I feel it is up to the individual family to decide.

I agree "If you had a job to do, you did it" but also if you have a job and you put in a request for vacation time and you are granted that vacation time then you go on a cruise:) . We put in a request for our kids job (school), with plenty of notice, and the teachers (the bosses) usually grant it. If they do not grant it...we would not go (or they would not go).

[CruisinKat]

What do we teach kids by saying "You can miss school to go on a cruise" is this what hurts the work ethic of younger people today (not all) they call out when ever they feel like it to take trips or for "Down Days".

I can pretty much guarantee you that taking a child out of school to accompany the family on a cruise is not what hurts the work ethic of younger people today. This is getting a little ridiculous. Parents don't need to defend their reasons for bringing their children on vacation.

[Puffinater]

That's nothing

 

My parents had me circumcised when I was 8 days old and I couldn't walk for a year!

 

This is an absolute riot! Thanks for thowing some humor into this thread.

[cary1306]

when i go on vacation i always bring my kids. first the education of different cultures and how other places live is a learning experience. not everything taught in life is out of a book. raising three kids ,missing a week of school is nothing,what happen when your kids are sick for couple days and get no education that alright?? your thinking is narrow minded...

[Mel8730]

What do we teach kids by saying "You can miss school to go on a cruise" is this what hurts the work ethic of younger people today (not all) they call out when ever they feel like it to take trips or for "Down Days".

 

I can pretty much guarantee you that taking a child out of school to accompany the family on a cruise is not what hurts the work ethic of younger people today. This is getting a little ridiculous. Parents don't need to defend their reasons for bringing their children on vacation.

 

 

Excellent response :)

[lovetocruise75]

What do we teach kids by saying "You can miss school to go on a cruise" is this what hurts the work ethic of younger people today (not all) they call out when ever they feel like it to take trips or for "Down Days".

 

I can pretty much guarantee you that taking a child out of school to accompany the family on a cruise is not what hurts the work ethic of younger people today. This is getting a little ridiculous. Parents don't need to defend their reasons for bringing their children on vacation.

 

 

 

I feel the need to jump in on this one. My parents owned a beach house when I was growing up, and we would take an off-season trip each March for a week. I was sent the school work that I would miss, I would complete it while away, and be caught up when I returned to school the following week. I am now a successful 32 year old businessman, my wife is pregnant with our first child, and I fully intend to take my children on vacations during the school year if it means a better price and fewer crowds! ;)

[Cruise_Couple]

What do we teach kids by saying "You can miss school to go on a cruise" is this what hurts the work ethic of younger people today (not all) they call out when ever they feel like it to take trips or for "Down Days".

 

Perhaps we are teaching them that quality time with family is also an important part of their education. It will help teach them the importance of family which is being forgotten all too often.

 

I just pulled my girls out from 3 days of pre-school to go on a family cruise to Bermuda... I guarantee they got more out of being with us than anything they would have learned in preschool in the 8 hours they missed.

[Thing2]

I feel the need to jump in on this one. My parents owned a beach house when I was growing up, and we would take an off-season trip each March for a week. I was sent the school work that I would miss, I would complete it while away, and be caught up when I returned to school the following week. I am now a successful 32 year old businessman, my wife is pregnant with our first child, and I fully intend to take my children on vacations during the school year if it means a better price and fewer crowds! ;)

 

 

You have every right to do so and to your opinion as we all do. But IMHO it strikes me as what ever is best for Mommy and Daddy. I see so many families where Mom and Dad work leaving the kids with babysitters and daycares. It is said because they have to work to pay the bills...but in most cases I see it isn't cause they have too........it is because they want bigger houses and expensive cars and fancy vacations. It can be justified all people want but sometimes raising children is about sacrifice. JMHO you do what you feel is best.

 

Please don't get me wrong I am not saying anyone is wrong to take there kids out of school it is just my take on it.............

[grvdggr71]

My wife and I were on this cruise and witnessed much of the behavior others have mentioned. From the Solarium, I watched as one of a group of five teenagers picked up a shuffleboard puck and threw it overboard. I advised the closest crew member (a pool attendant), but I do not think they were caught.

 

From what the captain had said, seven people were disembarked in San Juan (saw them with their luggage in the morning). There were rumors that at least one of those people was kicked off for getting into a fight at the Viking Crown Lounge.

 

The captain also talked about the family that was disembarked in Haiti. The rumor we heard about this one was a teenage boy (16-18) stole a bottle of liquor from one of the bars and ran it back down to his stateroom. Security followed him, and upon confronting him, he became very belligerent (the belligerent part was confirmed by the captain). The same rumor also said that the boy's father became belligerent as well. We had also heard that in Haiti, the family would be flown by helicopter (at their own expense) to the capital of Port-au-Prince. At the captain's corner on the last day of the cruise, someone asked the captain how difficult was the procedure for kicking off a family from the ship. The captain replied that in this case, the boy "made his decision quite easy".

 

As a bit of a sidenote, I must say that in general I have noticed on the cruises I have been on that most of the bad behavior on the ships seem to come from the adolescents about 14-20 years old. I know this is a generalization and does not apply to every person in that age group, but especially because it was a Thanksgiving cruise, I wonder how many were there that didn't really want to be there?

[SherriZ366]

My wife and I were on this cruise and witnessed much of the behavior others have mentioned. From the Solarium, I watched as one of a group of five teenagers picked up a shuffleboard puck and threw it overboard. I advised the closest crew member (a pool attendant), but I do not think they were caught.

 

From what the captain had said, seven people were disembarked in San Juan (saw them with their luggage in the morning). There were rumors that at least one of those people was kicked off for getting into a fight at the Viking Crown Lounge.

 

The captain also talked about the family that was disembarked in Haiti. The rumor we heard about this one was a teenage boy (16-18) stole a bottle of liquor from one of the bars and ran it back down to his stateroom. Security followed him, and upon confronting him, he became very belligerent (the belligerent part was confirmed by the captain). The same rumor also said that the boy's father became belligerent as well. We had also heard that in Haiti, the family would be flown by helicopter (at their own expense) to the capital of Port-au-Prince. At the captain's corner on the last day of the cruise, someone asked the captain how difficult was the procedure for kicking off a family from the ship. The captain replied that in this case, the boy "made his decision quite easy".

 

As a bit of a sidenote, I must say that in general I have noticed on the cruises I have been on that most of the bad behavior on the ships seem to come from the adolescents about 14-20 years old. I know this is a generalization and does not apply to every person in that age group, but especially because it was a Thanksgiving cruise, I wonder how many were there that didn't really want to be there?

Thanks for the details. Sounds like the belligerant father contributed to the problem and the captain's decision to "land" the family. (this reinforces parental behavior described in my last post). Think it was great that the family had to pay for the helicopter to Port-au-Prince in addition to paying the airfare back to the U.S. Loved how the Captain said his decision was made easier by the boy.

 

As to the kids who were there that didn't really want to be there, I can't feel sorry for spoiled adolescents that don't want to be on a nice cruiseship going to great ports. Maybe the Grandeur does not have the bells and whistles of the Voyager and Freedom class, but any kid should be appreciative of their parents taking them on a pricey vacation. Of course, many kids today are ridiculously spoiled.

[hermang]

You have every right to do so and to your opinion as we all do. But IMHO it strikes me as what ever is best for Mommy and Daddy. I see so many families where Mom and Dad work leaving the kids with babysitters and daycares. It is said because they have to work to pay the bills...but in most cases I see it isn't cause they have too........it is because they want bigger houses and expensive cars and fancy vacations. It can be justified all people want but sometimes raising children is about sacrifice. JMHO you do what you feel is best.

 

Please don't get me wrong I am not saying anyone is wrong to take there kids out of school it is just my take on it.............

 

This past October we took my daughter and her family ( Grand daughter age 6 1/2) to Hilton Head during the normal school year. With the exception of Columbus day - she missed 5 days. Ok so it's first grade BUT, Teacher assigned her "homework" to write a journal of what she did and saw, We added pictures of her in Savannah, Beach, Childrens Museum etc - Teachers loved it. There is formal education and informal education but every trip is a learning experience

[nw indiana]

I thought this thread was about passengers getting tossed. If you want to discuss taking kids out of school start a new thread titled so

[SherriZ366]

I thought this thread was about passengers getting tossed. If you want to discuss taking kids out of school start a new thread titled so

Agree

[SDPadreFan]

Isn't it always amazing that virtually everyone you run into always claims what good kids they have. Kinda goes along with the "I have the cutest baby in the entire world" crowd.

 

And yet, kids still get into trouble. How come we never hear from the parents who say their children are just plain evil. Where are these parents hiding. Come on, speak up. Your virtues are that you are not naive, and you are amazingly honest.

 

I have 4 children. Two of my own from my first marriage and 2 step-children. They are all grown and out of the house. Sometimes they were great, caregiving, honest, truthful, respectful, (you know, that whole boyscout/girlscout thing). And at other times, they were mean, dishonest, hurtfull, ... Guess what, it's called the human condition and we are all capable of all of it.

 

When I retired from the Navy. For awhile, I considered becoming a school teacher. The more I thought about it, the more I decided it would be a bad career choice. It wasn't because I didn't want to deal with kids. At 6'3" and 250#, I'm not worried about the kids. I didn't want to deal with the parents. Who have, by their own claims, perfect kids and I'm just too stupid to see it.

[SherriZ366]

I have 4 children. Two of my own from my first marriage and 2 step-children. They are all grown and out of the house. Sometimes they were great, caregiving, honest, truthful, respectful, (you know, that whole boyscout/girlscout thing). And at other times, they were mean, dishonest, hurtfull, ... Guess what, it's called the human condition and we are all capable of all of it.

 

QUOTE] And from posts about the parents' behavior (ie getting belligerent when confronted rather than correcting their kids), it is apparent that much of the blame falls on the parents' heads. When kids are "mean, dishonest, hurtful" etc, it is the parent's responsibility to correct them. Testing limits is part of growing up and setting and enforcing limits is the parents' responsibility.

[Onessa]

Question - Do I just lead a sheltered life, or am I lucky in my choice of cruises, or is this awful behavior more common on the Caribbean itineraries?

 

We've cruised AK, Canadian maritime provinces, Baltic, Med, Hawaii (some multiple times) -- I've never been on a cruise where I've heard of anyone getting ejected from the cruise.

 

We just came back from a Mediterranean cruise from over Thanksgiving. The only controversies I even heard tell about was from one of our table mates (a 5YO girl) who complained that one of the "little" boys in Adventure Ocean was "bad" because he did not want to color in his bandana for pirate night :D

[Roboat]

...I will admit, any child is capable of silly pranks and I am not above anyone to say my kids are not capable of switching 'do not disturb' signs. I do know that it was great to have this show up in such a timely manner for us as we are leaving in 18 days, and those twins are at an age where "boys will be boys".

 

Wow, I want you for MY mom! So, if your boys DO switch the "Do not Disturb" signs, and your family is thrown off the ship, you will just chalk it up to "boys will be boys" as you are pulling out your Visa for the $3400 chopper ride. Cool! ;)

[nmcrzer]

Roboat, that is a leap of logic. I took cookie's post to mean she was going to be more aware of what her children were doing.

 

As for the beach not being educational... We live in a land-locked, desert state. There was a lot my daughter learned at the beach about geography, weather, and biology.

 

Another (off topic) factor in taking kids out of school for vacation is visitation. I have sole physical and legal custody of my daughter, but her father has visitation with her over school breaks like the winter holiday, spring break, and a good chunk of the summer. If we want to go on a family vacation, it has to happen sometime when school is in session.

 

We took a cruise last month, and DD learned a lot on that cruise. It just so happened that her class was studying early explorers and their transatlantic voyages. It worked out well for us, but, yes, this was just a coincidence.

 

My daughter isn't perfect. Thanks to the OP for posting this and others for straying off topic. I have received a lot of information about the possibilities of what children can do while backs are turned. I also learned about how others feel regarding children traveling. Thank you.