Cruising with kids....I am concerned over some people and their reaction

[dp81796]

Hello! My DH and I, along with my 6 year old daughter and 1 year old son (16 months), will be taking our third cruise next month on the Sovereign of the Seas. My mother and father will also be cruising with us. My daughter has cruised with us when she was 2 on Disney and when she was 4 on the Mariner. We enjoyed both as well as did she. As I have been reading posts I am concerened over people and their dislike of children on a cruise. Will I see this on my cruise? I love cruising and love traveling with my family. I enjoy it! I understand that cruising with children and without is completely different. We want to cruise with them. I would never take them in areas that they are not suppose to be in. I am taking the suggestion of bringing a small inflatable pool for my . I would never expect him to be allowed in the pool. We are respectful of others and would not keep a unhappy baby in an area to long. I am just nervous on the reaction I will receive. Is this not a cruise line that encourages FAMILY????? Any suggestions? Also recommendations and tips for this cruise and ship would be great.:)

[Quilcruisers]

Hi,

 

I am cruising with my 4 yr old in August 08 on Carnival.

 

I have always cruised Carnival and have not had any animosity with cruising with children. on all of the cruises we have taken, never any problem with children and have always seen many children onboard.

 

Good luck to you, good luck with the childrens programs too.

 

Angela

[sunandseagirl617]

OK. I do not typically respond to threads of this nature.

 

We have cruised by ourselves... we have cruised with our children...I have only belonged to CC since May of this year!! You can see by my signature, I was hooked since 2001...

 

I can honestly say, even if I get beat to smitherines..., Forget what you read here........I would honestly never cruise again and the rest of my life if I read the threads here...Even in the supermarkets you get "the look.":(

 

With that being said, I have also learned stay far, far away (I do not work for Disney) from smoking threads, how to dress threads, Kid hater threads, or any thread that would NOT relate to you and your family! Why would opinions of others affect YOUR vacation? Cruisinmama06 and Celebrat have helped me tremendously, and unless they want to pay me, I do not work for them!! Thank you for helping us, by the way......After 8 yrs of cruising...I learn something all the time from CC.........

 

Reading all this stuff will never change my mind, but enhance my experience. Coming from a not rich, nor will ever pretend to be, background...why would you care what people think of you or your family?

Go on your cruise, take the family, have fun and FORGET about the negatives, remember the positives....

 

Its your vacation. It is your FAMILY vacation. Why do you care what others think of you or YOUR vacation???? Cruises are for EVERYONE, not just kids, families, seniors, singles, honeymooners etc...

you get the point.

 

Plan for you and your family....period. Have a great time. If you think you are doing something wrong, NO ONE is going to tell you to your face anyway...so you worry for no reason...!!:D

[MNfamilycruiser]

Hello! My DH and I, along with my 6 year old daughter and 1 year old son (16 months), will be taking our third cruise next month on the Sovereign of the Seas. My mother and father will also be cruising with us. My daughter has cruised with us when she was 2 on Disney and when she was 4 on the Mariner. We enjoyed both as well as did she. As I have been reading posts I am concerened over people and their dislike of children on a cruise. Will I see this on my cruise? I love cruising and love traveling with my family. I enjoy it! I understand that cruising with children and without is completely different. We want to cruise with them. I would never take them in areas that they are not suppose to be in. I am taking the suggestion of bringing a small inflatable pool for my . I would never expect him to be allowed in the pool. We are respectful of others and would not keep a unhappy baby in an area to long. I am just nervous on the reaction I will receive. Is this not a cruise line that encourages FAMILY????? Any suggestions? Also recommendations and tips for this cruise and ship would be great.:)

 

We have always cruised with kids (well, except for our Honeymoon :rolleyes: ) and never had any problems - or felt any dislike from any passengers. Never heard any negative comments. We started when my youngest was 10 months and the oldest was 2 1/2. On this trip they will be 9 and almost 11. They have been on 5 cruises so far. I think that as long as you are following the rules that apply to kids - you will have no problems what-so-ever!!!

It is really only when people try to circumvent the rules or let their kids run wild that others object. (And we know that you won't do that of course :D )

 

The staff frequently adores small kids - many of them miss their own families very much.

 

Don't worry - and don't let what you read here bother you! There are many posts in support of kids and families as well.

 

And I LOVE cruising with my family as well - just wait until they get a little older - it gets even easier and even more fun!! I have always said cruising is the one family vacation where MOM actually gets a vacation!

[mcfam5]

We too, have not experienced any negative reactions to traveling with our kids. I honestly think people who get the most negative reactions are those people who are allowing their kids to run around crazy. So don't worry ~ go and have a great trip!

 

You'll be more likely to hear how cute your kids are rather than how disruptive they are.

[dolphinwyo]

I can see where you are coming from. I was nervous after reading some comments before our last cruise with our 2 small children. However, I rec'd nothing but positive comments from the airport to the cruise and back. Even in dining room at lunch time (open seating) where we sat with older couples without children - they called my DD "princess" and were very nice. However - I did witness other people taking babies with diapers into pool and hot tub (which made me crazy!), kids running around buffet areas alone, etc., and it is that kind of thing annoys everyone. From what I have read - most parents on these boards are trying to educate themselves so they have a pleasant cruise - so more than likely you are not going to let your kids run wild. Just realize that some people do - and this is where these negative comments come from, don't take it personally. Have a great trip with your family!

[ioneblair]

yep just chiming in and agreeing with these posts and most specifically with what floridagirl68 says......we'll be cruising with 5 kids/youth......they are well-trained and mannerly but hey, they are children too......let's say during cruising I sense or actually see annoyance from a fellow cruiser towards the kids, or say they actually do something accidentally or just not thinking and considered inappropiate (bump into someone while not watching where they are going or too enthusiastic and cut someone off.....or the like, you know, childlike).......I'd do what I always do in normal life......if I can I'd offer a brief apology, give a reminder to the child and go on with my cruise......I'd assume the adult reaction would be to go on (get over it of course) with their cruise also.......

 

I don't care how many times this would happen, it would be the same scenario with me......

 

you are not an irresponsible or negligent parent, not heedless, and you are considerate of others as much as you possibly can be (I inferred from your post :D ) in regards to your children.......sadly some adults can be inconsiderate and intolerant of children......I hope you do not encounter any on your cruise but just in case you do, now is the time to formulate your own scenario that will leave you comfortable with the outcome (regardless of the adult's acceptance or not) I hope you know what I mean.......not trying to sound mean.......

[dp81796]

Thank you for all the responses. Traveling with my daughter, I never really seemed that it was a problem. I guess, I was just concerened because of some recent posts. Can anyone offer me some suggestions for the Sovereign of the Seas and cruising with a 1 year old (and 6 year old)

 

As I said in my first post, I plan in bring a small inflatable pool for my son. My daughter will also join the kids club. I am thinking of using a babysitter for the evenings. Other suggestions?? :rolleyes:

[gkrnjlr]

We've sailed both with our children and without our children and honestly? We did NOT get looks from people (or if we did I didn't see them!) nor did we get nasty comments. There are a lot of people that are quick to say that they don't like kids on cruises but c'mon people, really???? I CAN see that side of things but not all the kids on the ship will be throwing tantrums.

 

You'll have a great time! The inflatable pool is a great idea, too!

 

One thing that someone suggested to me that I thought of for you is....if your children watch movies you could take along a portable dvd player for them to watch movies in the cabin when settling down for naptime and bedtime? (If that's part of their ritual.)

 

Have a great cruise as a FAMILY!!!

[crusinmama06]

Awww thanks FloridaGirl (your check is in the mail) :D :D :D

 

dp81796 - Since you have cruised with your daughter and had no problems, I suspect the same on your next cruise with both your son and daughter.

 

FloridaGirl is 100% correct. Don't listen to the negative posters. I haven't had that kind of experience onboard the ships. The kids are treated like princesses, no matter the cruiseline.

 

Yes bringing the inflatable is a good idea for Sovereign. Since Sovereign is an older ship, your cabin will be smaller than you are used to with Mariner (unless you got a GS or something)

 

It *may* be a little rowdier too since it is a shorter cruise, pending on time of year.

 

There should be Fisher Price Aqua Baby sessions onboard. They are 45 minute sessions that you would attend with your son. It's just some unstructured time to play with the toys.

 

I am sure you will have a great cruise.

[dp81796]

Thank you all. I definitly will bring a portable DVD. That has been a life saver in the past. I am looking forward to trying out the play areas with him. I am really excited. You know what if people do NOT like it --TOO bad. Don't cruise on cruise line that caters to families then. YOU ARE ALL GREAT! Thank you so much. I have learned so much from these boards.

[BonnieVA]

We returned a week ago from our 1st cruise ... and without kids! It was our 1st week-long vacation since my 1st son was born over 15.5 yrs ago! We desperately needed to get away & not be parents for a week.

 

There were lots of kids of all ages on our cruise. I never witnessed any animosity. And when I saw the little ones, especially, it made me miss my littlest boy (4 yrs old)! Many of the passengers were interested in the younger kids (you know, how cute they are). I never was annoyed by the kids (well, a couple times the teens annoyed me ... another story!) ... I knew they were not MINE & I didn't have to hang around them, lol!

[kitty9]

You will NOT experience problems on your cruise, so don't worry. But, I might give you a few "suggestions" to make the experience a good one. First, don't let the kids run wild---some parents feel that once they get on the ship, they're parenting stops. Don't take the kids into any adults only areas. I'm on a cruise right now, and last night, at the late night comedy show, a couple brought in their 8 year old daughter, and sat in the front row. The comedian made a very snide comment that it was a "wonderful parent" that brings an 8 year old to a late night comedy show---they just continued to sit there. If the baby gets cranky in any public venue, take the child out and calm him/her down. You'd be surprised by how many parents continue to let their kids scream in the dining room and totally ignore them.

 

But in all honesty, kids that are well behaved are wonderful to cruise with. It's that very tiny 2% of really devilish kids that ruin it for every other kid.

[Julienatul]

We have cruised 5 times with our DD age 2 and have never experienced any negative comments. Its always the opposite, people love to talk on her on a cruise and staff dote on her. I think this message board is not a true representation of people you will meet on-board. In general people on a cruise are in great moods and relaxed because they are on vacation. On these boards, you are seeing people who are stressed out, at work or busy at home and love to gripe at any old thing, including children.

 

Go, enjoy and come back and tell us about your happy cruise!

 

Julie

[donaldsc]

If your kids are basically well behaved - you will have no problem. If they are not, you will get major stares and comments.

 

DON

[nybumpkin]

We've never experienced any remarks about our kids other than compliments when they dress for the dining room. And if you're on a cruise line that caters to families, and you're sailing in the summer when families have vacation - the folks that have a problem sailing with kids are sailing at the wrong time of the year! And just as kids should not be brought to adult-only areas, the same should go for adults. My jaw-dropping experience three years ago was when a twenty-something couple decided to cool off in the kids' pool while my youngest son was in the pool. Needless to say, he was afraid and left the pool. I should have told the adults to bug off, but at that point son wasn't going back in the pool anyway.:(

[boulders]

We were on AOS 4 months ago. This was ds' first cruise, my third. I doubt we will do much cruising in the near future, partly because of the negative comments/actions of other passengers towards my 3 year old. He was knocked to the ground by a running child as we were walking next to me to our dining table on our first night. The offender looked to be about 6 years old - parents were nowhere near. He never even said sorry. At disembarkation, a middle-aged woman threatened to run him over with her suitcase because he was in her way- he was walking quite nicely next to me down the gangplank.

 

DS is very well behaved. I've never received comments of that nature before about any of my children. I felt it was certainly a poor reflection of those two people.

 

So, yes, it is possible that you will get negative comments. I hope you don't though! :o

[VillaHappy]

Hello there! I just got off of the Explorer today from a 9 night Canada/New England cruise. We took my 8 yo son and my 4 yo daughter. We brought crayons to the dining room and everything! ;)

 

Not one negative comment was made to us. A lot of the servers have families/kids back home, and really enjoyed interacting with my kids. Many of the crew all around the ship seemed to know their names and also enjoyed giving them high 5's, etc. Several elderly folks struck up conversations with them, which my kids loved.

 

Now, there was a table near us with screaming kids who carried on. I'm not sure what was going on over there, but many of the people I spoke with blamed their parents for the disruptive behavior and not the kids themselves.

 

We did encounter one grumpy old man, who was almost plowed over when my 8 yo ran into the elevator before Grumpy could exit. I looked right at Mr. Grumpy and said "he's uncontrollable!" :rolleyes: Kids will be kids. You know, I saw lots and lots of adults behaving badly... and they have no excuse.

 

I sincerely hope you enjoy your cruise. Ours was one of our best vacations ever! Don't let a few grumpies, if they happen to be on your ship, ruin an otherwise wonderful time.

[VillaHappy]

Thank you for all the responses. Traveling with my daughter, I never really seemed that it was a problem. I guess, I was just concerened because of some recent posts. Can anyone offer me some suggestions for the Sovereign of the Seas and cruising with a 1 year old (and 6 year old)

 

As I said in my first post, I plan in bring a small inflatable pool for my son. My daughter will also join the kids club. I am thinking of using a babysitter for the evenings. Other suggestions?? :rolleyes:

 

Your daughter will LOVE Adventure Ocean! I couldn't get my kids out of there sometimes... they were addicted!! I didn't use the in-room babysitters... just my parents who were 3 doors down :cool:

[lovesublime]

Go on your cruise and forget about what a couple of negative people have posted. You'll find, as others have stated, that nearly everyone enjoys seeing kids on a cruise and will be friendly and polite to you and your children. Your fears are unfounded. It looks like you've let the comments of one or two 'kid haters' get to you. Forget it. Those people believe children should be banned from cruise ships. They don't want to see, hear or be around any kids. It's almost like they see children as sub-human or something and it's ridiculous. Go have fun!

[sailinglisa]

We did encounter one grumpy old man, who was almost plowed over when my 8 yo ran into the elevator before Grumpy could exit. I looked right at Mr. Grumpy and said "he's uncontrollable!" :rolleyes: Kids will be kids. You know, I saw lots and lots of adults behaving badly... and they have no excuse.

 

 

If your child did this and you did not make your child apologize, but said "he's uncontrollable", you were so in the wrong! You should have made your child apologize and taught him that persons exiting the elevator have the right of way. If I had been "almost plowed over" by an 8 year old kid who was with his parents, I would expect an apology. Kids will be kids is just a cop out! What better place to have a "teachable moment."

[VillaHappy]

If your child did this and you did not make your child apologize, but said "he's uncontrollable", you were so in the wrong! You should have made your child apologize and taught him that persons exiting the elevator have the right of way. If I had been "almost plowed over" by an 8 year old kid who was with his parents, I would expect an apology. Kids will be kids is just a cop out! What better place to have a "teachable moment."

 

Oh believe me, dh and I did have quite the discussion with him once we got into the elevator. And although my son did not apologize, my dh did. But Grumpy kept on mumbling and would not be placated, and my son did hear Grumpy say "damn kids" a few times. My son is well aware that the word "damn" is a bad word and we don't say it in our house.

 

So my point is, adults can criticize an 8 yo's behavior, but kids are also taking notes and observing us as adults. I think he learned something on this cruise, if he hadn't realized it before, sometimes there are adults out there behaving badly!

[susan123]

I enjoy being around children, and I don't have a problem with energetic, excited 8-yr. olds. However, I feel it is a parent's responsibility to teach their children manners and safety. Labeling this man "Grumpy" is disrespectful on your part. Many older people have problems with balance and/or walking. Being almost plowed over can be frightening and painful for some people. I try to set a good example for children, and children do learn best by seeing good behavior modeled. You can't expect all adults to be role models for your children, but you can expect your children to behave with maners and respect for others. There are adults who behave badly, but you have no control over the behavior of other adults. You do, or should, have control over your own child.

[CanadianTwosome]

You would think that with the animosity that sometimes rears its ugly head here on CC, there would be more 'real life' issues on board ships, but I have honestly never seen any issues with kid-hate on ships. Our daughter is very well behaved, mind you, so if we have encountered kid-haters, I'm sure they were disappointed not to have an opportunity to be 'proven right'! ha ha The worst thing anyone has ever said to me is, 'Shouldn't she be in school?'

 

I think people are much more likely to say nasty things when they've got the anonymity of their computer to hide behind. As I was mentioning in another thread, as well, there are all kinds of 'haters'. On today's cruise ships, with thousands of passengers, you're guaranteed to have kid-haters, racists, misogynists, and all kinds of other bigots, but chances are they won't say anything to you either.

 

The bottom line is that you have no control over other passengers, but as has been pointed out, you're the parent and you can exert some control over your children. Before our daughter's first cruise, we tortured the poor girl by expecting perfect manners at EVERY meal!! Can you imagine? ha ha ha She already knew the 'let others off the elevator first' rule because her grandma lives in a building with an elevator. :) That being said, at the university I attend, the number of students who are clueless in that regard is astounding. It's bizarre to me, too, because I can't imagine how they think they're going to get on when it's packed with people who have just gotten out of class... :confused:

[sailinglisa]

Oh believe me, dh and I did have quite the discussion with him once we got into the elevator. And although my son did not apologize, my dh did. But Grumpy kept on mumbling and would not be placated, and my son did hear Grumpy say "damn kids" a few times. My son is well aware that the word "damn" is a bad word and we don't say it in our house.

 

Perhaps Mr. Grumpy would have been placated if the person who ran into him was actually the one who apologized to him instead of the child's parent. And maybe if you hadn't said "he's uncontrollable" it might have made a better impression on the elderly gentleman. I know that when I was a child, if I did something wrong, my parents made ME apologize face to face. No excuses were made for my behavior. And if the person who I apologized to was not exactly accepting of the apology, I still owed the person I wronged that apology. My parents made me realize that I was in the wrong, not the other party. I quickly learned that if I made the apology without any prompting by my parents when I knew I did wrong, my apology was much more readily accepted as being an honest apology.