Discipline Aboard HAL Ships

[Constanze]

The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease......... So Squeak when you see something that's just not right. It's not just up to Hal do something... but it's up to us too....... If enough passangers complain, something will have to be none....

[pipedreams62]

And what do you do to adults who are totally obnoxious? Possibly a stockade in the atrium is appropriate, where every passenger and crew member disturbed and mistreated by them can come by and tell them how absolutely horrible they are. Cherie

 

 

How about a dunk tank?

 

or you have to have your photo taken like this

 

[cccole]

How about a dunk tank?

 

or you have to have your photo taken like this

 

 

I KNEW you would come up with something. I personally like the "dunk tank."

 

Cherie

[yogi2929]

Like the pix, especially the Walking the Plank!

 

Last year on the Volendam you could not get INTO the dining room or take a tray from the buffet without Purelling up. The year on the Westerdam it was the same thing for the dining room. They actually had the Purell bags handheld and squirted onto our hands.

[~Jo~]

We cruise with our daughters every year and we are proud of them and their behavior in public. One year, while sitting and waiting for the welcoming show to start ( Celebrity or Royal Car.?) I had to turn around and tell the two little old ladies behind me to please watch their language. Every other word that came out of their mouth was a swear. It was awful, the worse swear words you can imagine and here I am with my kids. I was going to move but also I didn't think it was appropriate for them to talk like that in a loud manner in a public place especially with children around you!

~Jo~

[simplelife]

My husband is not above telling the "little darlings" that they are ruining other people's good time. He has been known to speak sternly and get results. He has also castigated parents who allow their noisy obstreperous children to disturb everyone. The parents don't like it, but it gets results.

 

Frankly, this embarrasses me, but I sure do like it when the kids start behaving. We were on one cruise where the kids were running up and down the hall. He told them to stop it and they did. Several other passengers thanked him.

I have been in the education profession for over 30 years and can't stop the teacher in me from coming out when I see children behaving badly. I'm with your husband - though people are unconfortable with confrontation, they appreciate the results. If more people confronted such behavior, it wouldn't be nearly as common. The rude people who engage in such behavior depend on most people "being polite" and not making them accountable - they know thay can get away with it most of the time.

[cruzincurt]

Usually the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Probably no point in dealing directly with the kiddos or their parents. Lack of manners is not age related, the "me" attitude fostered by liberal educators and parents over the past couple of decades has come full circle.

[m steve]

tell (not ask) their children to behave and these new parents really get upset and hostile if another related or not adult repremands their kid. It's a different world today. What happened to our well behaved children who let their kids control their lives. And their answer is a TIME OUT. As for badly behaving adults, I just ask the nearest cruise employee to call security and let them handle it. Unfortunately because of the tipping situation many dining room managers look the other way about dress and other bad behavior. I bet that difficult guests end up not tipping anyway.

[norcal2]

This has nothing to do with HAL but is just my curiousity from cruising other lines:

 

Do you think that perhaps it is less an issue than it becomes when stories are told on popular websites like this? I ask this because it is a rare occurance for me to be on a cruise and see anything remotely close to the collective examples. Aside from perhaps one child or two acting up on one ship, or one adult being rude on another trip, honestly, every cruise I have taken has been a delight of positive fellow passengers (including children.)

 

Is this really a big problem? Am I just Lucky? :confused:

[Mary Ellen]

We've never had a problem with poorly behaved children until this last cruise. Adults, yes, but not children. All the children we've previously sailed with have been delightful. HAL is really working to draw the 'family cruiser'. The children/families causing the problems we experienced, were large (20+) multi-generational gatherings. The 'children' problems we've previously read about involved 'packs' of children. With a group of cousins, there was a built-in 'pack'.

 

Security did nothing. Yes, they were called when the 'little darlings' were having relay races across the mid-ships elevator lobby at 1 or 2 a.m.. That was one of the their first nights on board. Other than stopping the relay races at the time, nothing. Things went downhill from there.

 

NO doubt the apple didn't fall far from the tree. I can't imagine what the parents were thinking letting the children (ages probably ran from about 8 to maybe early teens) run around the ship at 1-2 a.m.

 

I get the feeling that some here seem to think we are anti children being on ships. Far from it. longtimecruiser (one of those most upset by the children's behavior and HAL's lack of appropriate action) selected an excellent screen name for herself. She has been sailing on HAL since she was 9 and is rapidly approaching 700 days on HAL. Her (young adult) daughter was also sailing with us and upset. She obviously was brought up cruising and is also a medallion holder. They are quite familiar with what is expected as a child, parent, and from HAL. The parents failed, as did HAL.

[longtimecruiser]

Hal DID NOT handle the kids running wild on our Edam cruise in July. In my opinion, Hal was "scared" to say anything and get the parents mad. They were just lucky that nothing happened and no one got hurt. I wrote to Seattle about the whole lack of discipline aboard the Edam after I returned. The kids were throwing food around the halls, even on the SUITE decks. Trays had been left in halls with food and the kids were going around and throwing the leftovers on the trays. Hal had such poor service on the EDam, that there were LOTS of trays that had not been picked up. The kids were running WILD at midnight and having relay races from one side of the ship to another. I saw elderly passengers being narrowly missed at being knocked down.Waiters carrying trays in the DR were almost knoced down as kids were NOT stopped at running in the DR. In my opinion, Hal was TOTALLY wrong in allowing ANY of this behavior. They should have disciplined the kids and if the parents objected, GOOD RIDDANCE!!! There is always Carnival and other linesthat may welcome this kind of behavior.

[AlbertaCruisers]

We just got off the October 24, 2008 sailing of the Maasdam. In my opinion the adults were much worse behaved then the few kids on board. We barely even noticed the kids, but there was constantly loud, annoying adults around.

 

At the aft pool, there was a group of adults that sat up on the 11th floor overhang and drank and got loud and rowdy and then would come down to the pool and do cannon balls and belly flops and yell, etc. I don't really care either way, I figure if I sit by the pool I risk getting splashed. There are lots of dry places to sit if you choose. These adults did this most days our of the two weeks and no one said anything. The second to the last sea day, two of the men came down and did a double belly flop that soaked just about everyone on the deck. I was three rows back and got soaked. One lady quietly pointed out to them that there was not suppose to be jumping, etc. in the pool and they started to yell at her and yell at everyone else "does anyone else have a problem...", "what are they going to do, throw us off the ship...", and continued cannon balls, etc. Again, other then the one poor lady who got yelled at no one said anything.

 

Again, I didn't care either way, I just mind my own business and leave if I want (there are plenty of other places to be), but what really bugged me was the next sea day (our last day on the ship), I was again by the aft pool, along with many of the same people from the day before, when a group of about 6 teenagers came to the pool. It was the last day and it was not as hot so the back pool area was not as busy and there were barely any people in the people that entire day. There was no one else in the pool at that time. 4 of the kids got into the pool and two were on the outside. The ones out of the pool were throwing a football to the ones in. Sometimes they wouldn't catch it and it would make a small splash (not leaving the immediate pool area). Right away some people behind me were very upset that there were kids in the pool - and stated that they were swearing loudly and splashing, etc. Interesting that with such loud swearing I heard none of it and I was closer to the kids then she was. So the man with their group went and got an officer who kicked the kids out of the pool. The man who got them kicked out denied being there the day before, but I know for a fact he was sitting behind me that day as well and could not have missed the much louder antics of the adults.

 

I don't have kids of my own but I find it interesting that people will put up with abusive, loud, obnoxious behavior from adults, and not say anything, but will immediately be up in arms and have kids kicked out of the pool when they are not hurting anyone.

 

As a side note, they were using the lido pool for pool games at that time, and during those times it was my understanding that kids are allowed in the aft pool.

[altosax]

to the offending Lil Darlings.

 

[Constanze]

I think we'll just lock ourselves up in our suite and not come out except to visit the islands and disembark in Ft. Lauderdale.:eek: Room service, the case of wine we being onboard and watch the movies we have loaded into our computer. It's tooooooo scary out there.....:D

[Constanze]

I would make packing so much easier.....:D

[Jade13]

I have never of run into this on a HAL ship. I have mostly cruise with them in Europe.

[CowPrincess]

We've seldom seen ill-behaved adults on cruises, with one notable exception, and they were the extended "Entitled" family. Lucky us, their cabins surrounded our cabin. Boors. All of them. About 14 or 16 of them. And the little "Entitleds" were even more obnoxious than the rest of the family, and that's saying a LOT. Only once have I ever complained to the staff about other passengers, and the Entitleds pushed me to that point. Even the ship staff couldn't control the Entitleds. My friend and I wanted to push them overboard.

 

If I meet any of them or their cohorts, I will not be silent. Their right to a good time stops EXACTLY where it affects MY right to a good time.

[tuggers]

norcal, on Maasdam this month we had a family with either four or five children (it seemed like a dozen!) who allowed them to 'skate' all over the ship on those wheelies. Through the Lido, the Crow's Nest dance floor, you name it. They were in Crow's Nest and 11 PM horning in on kareoke and singing such kid friendly songs as 'stick it to me, stick it to me one more time' while the proud parents sat in the bar. The dove in both pools (isn't one supposed to be adult?), ran up and down the halls (they were on our deck) and stole door signs.

The parents seemed always to be in another world as if they were wearing both blinders and ear plugs.

It's a wonder someone was not seriously injured by the little darlings skating very fast through some of these areas. They certainly never looked where they were going.

On the other hand there were a couple of very well behaved children onboard who were a joy.

In times past you could gauge when to cruise by the school holidays and avoid children. Now, because there is so much home schooling (and in Georgia you can home school without even a high school education:eek:) the little darlings can be onboard anytime and pretend it's education!:rolleyes:

I'm not anti-children cruising but I am anti-children cruising who have no true 'parents'. The ones I object to are the ones who rule the roost in their families and the parents say nothing! Of course maybe karma will get them in the end because, contrary to what they think, once they become of age the world is not going to put up with their behavior!

[CowPrincess]

The parents seemed always to be in another world as if they were wearing both blinders and ear plugs.

 

sarcasm ON

Well it's their vacation too y'know

sarcasm OFF

[Q.E.D.]

Ok, so what should passengers do when they experience/notice something dangerous (like kids with heelie sneakers "skating" through the ship at high speed) or just incredibly obnoxious (like drunk adults doing cannonballs and using foul language at the pool)?

 

It's been mentioned that crew members hoping for a tip aren't to be counted on to do anything. Which is fine, as long as there are other crew members who CAN be counted on to intervene.

 

So...who are those crew members? For instance, let's say a "pack" of wild kids is running up and down the halls banging on cabin doors at 3 am. If I only get one phone call, who could I call that has the most likelihood of getting this behavior shut down?

[kryos]

tell (not ask) their children to behave and these new parents really get upset and hostile if another related or not adult repremands their kid. It's a different world today. What happened to our well behaved children who let their kids control their lives. And their answer is a TIME OUT. As for badly behaving adults, I just ask the nearest cruise employee to call security and let them handle it. Unfortunately because of the tipping situation many dining room managers look the other way about dress and other bad behavior. I bet that difficult guests end up not tipping anyway.

I think as for the dress, it depends how many are not dressed appropriately. Let's face it. HAL is a service business. They provide not just a product (the cruise) but a service (the cruise experience). They have to bend to the wishes of those onboard, and I think that if a lot of people are not properly dressed, no dining room manager in his right mind is gonna start enforcing dress codes. Clearly the voice of the "people" has spoken in that case, and they don't want no parts of "formal."

 

Now, if you are on another cruise, where most of the people do come to the dining room dressed appropriately for the evening, but a handful don't, betcha they will be politely sent back to their cabins to change, or directed to the Lido.

 

I had a dining room manager tell me in his exact words that his hands were pretty much tied on some cruises. The ship had just finished their Alaska season and on those sailings it was very difficult for him to enforce dress codes because so many people were not following them. But on our cruise, a 35-day sailing, he said he had very little trouble with dress codes because pretty much everyone was at least reasonably following them.

 

He said it's basically a matter of "dammed if you do, and dammed if you don't" ... enforce the code, and you anger the people you turn away. Don't enforce it, and you anger everyone else who follows it. So pretty much he let's the majority of the passenger complement of any given cruise determine just how strictly it will be enforced.

 

To be honest, that makes sense to me.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[AlbertaCruisers]

Ok, so what should passengers do when they experience/notice something dangerous (like kids with heelie sneakers "skating" through the ship at high speed) or just incredibly obnoxious (like drunk adults doing cannonballs and using foul language at the pool)?

 

It's been mentioned that crew members hoping for a tip aren't to be counted on to do anything. Which is fine, as long as there are other crew members who CAN be counted on to intervene.

 

So...who are those crew members? For instance, let's say a "pack" of wild kids is running up and down the halls banging on cabin doors at 3 am. If I only get one phone call, who could I call that has the most likelihood of getting this behavior shut down?

 

 

The officer responded very quickly when a guest went and complained about the kids. The guy went into the lido area and came back with some random officer - the first one he saw. Find anyone in the white officers uniforms, I think they are less worried about tips and more worried about keeping people happy. As for making a call, I think you would call the pursers desk.

[Q.E.D.]

norcal, on Maasdam this month we had a family with either four or five children (it seemed like a dozen!) who allowed them to 'skate' all over the ship on those wheelies. Through the Lido, the Crow's Nest dance floor, you name it.

I hate those stupid Heely sneakers. Almost every mall and grocery store in our town has signs prohibiting them. Doesn't matter. The redneck parents just ignore the signs and let the kids zoom all over the place endangering everyone anyway. Last summer, one kid was racing all over the grocery store propelling an empty grocery cart and smashed right into me. I reported it to the store manager who came and talked to the brat's mother. She gave me a hateful glare and...the kid.was.allowed.to.keep.doing.it. :mad::mad::mad::mad:

 

Please, please don't tell me HAL allows these things onboard...please? :mad:

[altosax]

Ok, so what should passengers do when they experience/notice something dangerous (like kids with heelie sneakers "skating" through the ship at high speed) or just incredibly obnoxious (like drunk adults doing cannonballs and using foul language at the pool)?

 

It's been mentioned that crew members hoping for a tip aren't to be counted on to do anything. Which is fine, as long as there are other crew members who CAN be counted on to intervene.

 

So...who are those crew members? For instance, let's say a "pack" of wild kids is running up and down the halls banging on cabin doors at 3 am. If I only get one phone call, who could I call that has the most likelihood of getting this behavior shut down?

 

 

Is there a Security Department phone number on board? That's what I would look for.

[lilrainy]

sailing on the westerdam, first HAL cruise and you are all making me nervous, ok gonna put my two cents in here, first of all I live in Fl with a lot of senior citizens and I have seen lots of rudeness and an attitude of entitlement as if they own the state and shouldn't have to be bothered with children even when they are doing nothing wrong. I have sailed on carnival many times with lots of children and have never seen what is mentioned here but then again I go to late seating dinners and late shows. I guess peoples attitudes are just different I would really enjoy watching kids sing karaoke, maybe what they were singing was inappropriate but horning in? maybe HAl just needs to do a better job with children on their cruises I have read many reviews where parents and kids were really disappointed in the activities offered, maybe that is why I never saw this kind of behavior on carnival they work really hard to keep kids amused and they have programs which run late so the parents can have some fun too,if HAL isn't going to make the same kind of effort then they shouldn't advertise the HAL club and maybe parents with kids would cruise other lines. lets face it kids need to burn off some of that tremendous energy they have and the parents cant always be blamed.