Misbehaving Children

[Lapidarylady]

Okay, I know it was a holiday cruise.....but just got back from our 7 day Mexican Riviera and hubby and I were talking once again about all the abuse the poor dining room stewards had to take from several different families' " Little Darlings". These were children in the toddler to age 6 range. Other than the screeching and yelling out in the Vista dining room ( frequently) these little squirts were allowed to run up and down the aisles and on more than one occasion ran INTO the dining room stewards. As this happened the little boy then loudly demanded, " GET OUT OF MY WAY!" After 3 different incidents of this marching/running around a parent FINALLY got up and attempted to get them under some form of control ( Not very effectively as all they did was escort the kids as they walked in and out of the dining area at least three more times.) These antics were repeated on several nights, it wasn't just one isolated incident. On another occasion I saw another group of kids, ages from about 5 to 12, running wild in the showroom where the magician was attempting to do a show in the afternoon. He had to stop his act and deal with them THREE TIMES as they were running in front of him, and were all gathered in a big noisy group playing and running up and down the balcony stairs. There were NO parents in control, so the kids were acting as if this were their playground. There was one approx. 5 year old boy who was attempting to climb everything, including the balcony railing, but thank goodness one of the older kids saw and pulled him down off it. Finally after the magician threatened to turn them all into toads, and some of the audience members were yelling, "WHERE ARE THEIR PARENTS?" a few sheepishly got up and collected their kids and left.

Now granted there were many other (Usually older) children who did just fine....although the teens didn't quite get the hang of what the Vista diningroom dresscode was all about. ( Girls in "Daisy Dukes shorts and bra straps hanging out, guys in baggy clothes ready to go hang out at the mall....I guess neither their parents or the diningroom steward had the strength to tell them this was not appropriate. (At least on formal night I saw less of this.) Now I realize that teens are what they are, but if they want to dress down the Lido buffet and hamburger grill by the pool are just fine for that kind of dress. Speaking of the Lido, they have a whole corner in the evening devoted to "Kid Cusine" with chicken nuggets, pizza, mac-and-cheese frenchfries ect. that I am sure would be more pleasing to the preschool set than what chef Rudy Sondheim was serving up in the Vista. From the kids point of view, a long drawn out formal dinner has got to be an ordeal to sit through too. I just wish that the parents would act like parents, and make more appropriate choices for their kids, and if they want to go out to a nice meal, take advantage of the babysitting service.

[nbevins]

We have done 5 or so holiday cruises.Our last on a celebrity ship was our last holiday cruise..The problems you mentionedf plus marijuana on ship and teens drunk>Sorry I will wait for cheaper rates when the darlings are in school.

 

Its not usually the kids fault as much as the parents

[RuthC]

Glad I wasn't there.

My next cruise is with a group of CC'ers who originally scheduled for winter vacation. That's been changed to late January---much better.

But then I'm taking my younger grandgirl during winter vacation week. She already knows we dress for dinner, but I guess I better have a chat re: behavior during the flight down (while she's a captive audience;)) just in case.

[michmike]

after 8 HAL cruises , buddy and I have this thing down to a science. We get a head count on day 1 of the number of kids onboard and then we divide that total by the number of days on the cruise. 50 kids on a 7 day cruise, we need to deal with 7 and a fraction each day.

 

Then we identify the most obnoxious and we lay in wait and when no one is watching, we snatch them by the scruff of the neck and seat of the pants and pitch them overboard. After the first 3 days, things quiet down quite a bit and we have to work harder to find the little darlins unattended... but by day 7 all is peace and bliss and we can find a quiet corner to read uninterrupted by the pitter patter of obnoxious little feet.

[timh111]

Stories like this absolutely DISGUST me!! These "Parents" with their "I paid for this cruise" attitude are a disgrace. How dare they think no one else is bothered by this on the ship. When they left the magic show with their little RUG RATS, I'm sure they just went somewhere else on the ship and let the little Crumb Crunchers bother others that they DIDN'T pay for the cruise for!!! I don't blame the kids (unless their 12 and up), I blame the useless , so called, Parents!! I took my 12 yr old niece on the Carnival Pride a few years ago. Before we went, and since she has never cruised before, I set down some "guide lines" for her to follow. AND SHE WASN'T EVEN MY CHILD!!! She was the best to have cruising with us and so well behaved!! I would take her again in a heartbeat. I work VERY hard for my money, and I sure as heck don't need these idiots kids interupting MY good time (which, by the way, I PAID FOR)!! Hope everything else was OK.:)

[RedmondCruiser]

This is why we take longer cruises and no holiday cruises. Seems that mom and dad will take the kids out of school for a 7 day cruise but they tend not to take them out for the second week, therefore a 10 day or longer tend to work well. The shame is that too many parents don't have any control over their kids and too many people are sheepish about saying anything. Heaven only knows what will happen on the S class ships when the aft pool is a wading pool.

[Roz]

I've never had to deal with unruly children on a cruise (thank God!), but time of year definitely factors into it. I think part of it is with so many families at the holidays, you get a "critical mass" and the herd mentality takes over :eek:. When there are only a few children, they tend to be well-behaved and welcomed by both crew and passengers.

 

Roz

[nana51]

I'm a retired elementary school librarian, I will, and have said something to ill-behaved children. If the parents say something to me I always politely answer them. I also paid good money for my trip and most people around me are grateful I spoke up. I do it at movies too.

[jhannah]

This is so sad. I'm sorry you had to put up with that nonsense. Seems some folks just don't get the drift of "parenting."

 

What do you want to bet that if one of these little dears got hurt performing their antics that the parents would raise bloody thunder because the ship wasn't "protecting" their offspring. Sheesh! :rolleyes:

[Cruising-along]

Thankfully I've never observed unruly children on a cruise, but if I did, I'd have NO problem saying something to them AND their parents.

[English_in_Spain]

I wish cruise lines would have a couple of cruises a year which are designated 'adult only'. I would be happy to pay more for a cruise with no children onboard.

[PCruzer]

This is why we take longer cruises and no holiday cruises. Seems that mom and dad will take the kids out of school for a 7 day cruise but they tend not to take them out for the second week, therefore a 10 day or longer tend to work well. The shame is that too many parents don't have any control over their kids and too many people are sheepish about saying anything. Heaven only knows what will happen on the S class ships when the aft pool is a wading pool.

 

I have to agree with you that the longer cruises attract fewer families with children. When my husband and I first started cruising in 1989, we had to travel during school recess periods because he was a teacher. We usually would cruise with HAL every February recess. Back then there was only a handful of kids onboard, even though schools were not in session that week. Over the years as HAL started marketing to families, we saw a big change in the number of kids onboard during that week. Many of them were ill-behaved. Many of them were not supervised at all. They had the run of the ship. The parents were either not around or didn't choose to correct their behavior.

 

We were on a NY to Bermuda cruise once (another cruise line) and were on line to check in. In front of us was a family with a teenage boy, maybe around 15. I was absolutely stunned as I heard the mother tell her son, "I don't want to see your face except at dinner for 7 days." She told him, "This is my vacation too, and I want to have a good time." How very nice of you!! Shirk your parental responsibilities and let your kid run amok and ruin everyone else's vacation!

[ME Guide]

It is indeed sad that some parents seem to "ignore" the behaviors of their children. I would not hesitate to say something if the parent was nearby.

 

Michmike, your response about pitching children overboard was not funny. I'm sure you did say it in jest but often words like yours are quite disturbing and possibly very scary to hear from a CC member.:confused:

 

No matter where you go in this world, there are well behaved people and those who just are clueless. This includes children and adults.

 

Let's hope this happens only once and awhile!

 

This teacher wishes all of you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR and a year filled with cruise dreams that come true!

[usha]

HAL evidently needs more appropriate equipment in the kids club for some of these little darlings....:rolleyes:

[Bobs cruising]

Don't get me started with children running amuck on the ships. I see this very often and stop them in the midst of their unruliness. I then tell the parents to either control your child or I will. Sometimes I get a lot of back talk but I am used to that, they only get a few words in.

I also ask them if they would like some parenting lessons from a Law Enforcement Officer, I usually do not hear any more about it. The children seem to be a lot better when I see then again.:cool:

[cruisecrasy]

I wish cruise lines would have a couple of cruises a year which are designated 'adult only'. I would be happy to pay more for a cruise with no children onboard.

 

I hear u loud & clear and I second & third the motion!!!!

 

Sad though isn't it that a society has disintegrated to the point that a few are ruling so many - time perhaps we did a whole society 'turnaround' and make the parents (who are the real culprits here) feel unwelcome and 'freaks' for producing such little 'miseries'. Imagine what type of adults they will become - UGH!!

 

So lets the rest of us speak up instead of ignoring it - enough folks speaking up just might make a difference, hmmm maybe?? And if someone does speak up, support them - do not ignore the situation... We already know where ignoring and not saying anything have gotten us and I do not only refer to unruly children! :(

 

Have happy cruisin' all!

[cruisecrasy]

after 8 HAL cruises , buddy and I have this thing down to a science. We get a head count on day 1 of the number of kids onboard and then we divide that total by the number of days on the cruise. 50 kids on a 7 day cruise, we need to deal with 7 and a fraction each day.

 

Then we identify the most obnoxious and we lay in wait and when no one is watching, we snatch them by the scruff of the neck and seat of the pants and pitch them overboard. After the first 3 days, things quiet down quite a bit and we have to work harder to find the little darlins unattended... but by day 7 all is peace and bliss and we can find a quiet corner to read uninterrupted by the pitter patter of obnoxious little feet.

 

Giggle for the day - thanks - needed it :D...

[wander]

On a Christmas cruise two years ago most of the kids were very well behaved, or at least appropriately behaved for their age. When difficulties arose, 99% of the parents either settled things immediately or removed the child from the situation (like the showroom or dining room). One evening (about 10 PM) in the Piano Bar during the evening Music Trivia session a family entered and sat at a nearby table. The about 5 yr old was just sitting there but the about 1 yr. old began to scream at the top of his lungs.

 

Now this happens at times with most children. However, most of us would whisk the child out of the room as quickly as possible. But, in this case the mother and father decided that the thing to do was to ignore the child. The tantrum screaming continued and the poor pianist tried to continue the Trivia. Then adult friends of the couple entered the bar and started a very loud conversation (necessary to be heard over the screaming.) I very gently said to the loud talking woman, "could you please talk elsewhere, we are trying to play scheduled Music Trivia. Well, the mother of the screaming child turned to me and then to her 5 year old son and said "You see, I warned you that there would be nasty old people on the ship who did not like children."

 

I was fascinated by her comment as I had said NOTHING to or about her screaming child. After I was able to close my jaw I quietly said to her about 5 yr old - "No honey, she is wrong. I love kids, but I do not like parents who think we all enjoy hearing a baby screaming in a bar at 10 at night." With that she gathered-up the family and went huffing out of the bar. Music trivia resumed.

[Travalerie]

Speaking of the Lido, they have a whole corner in the evening devoted to "Kid Cusine" with chicken nuggets, pizza, mac-and-cheese frenchfries ect. that I am sure would be more pleasing to the preschool set than what chef Rudy Sondheim was serving up in the Vista.

 

This sounds terrible!! I am sorry there were such misbehaved kids on your cruise. Its really a shame that these parents do not take responsibility of their kids better. With that said, I was on the Eurodam with my 1 and 4 year old. We ate in the DR 5 nights and had no problems. We did try the Lido and found that experience the worst out of our entire week. They had no kids selections at all available. I even asked if they could get nuggets from the DR and they said no. As for the me and DH, having everything on the plate at the same time meant we did not get to enjoy things as much before it got cold, and felt rushed through our meal. Not to mention that our one year old was extremely cranky. We joked and said that she just liked the DR better:).

[peaches from georgia]

Don't forget that if you are taking a b2b you may be on the ship for 14 days, but you are not taking an official 14 day cruise. You are taking 2 7 day cruises, so if it near a holiday or school vacation period you will have plenty of kids, just different kids each week. :eek:

[MamaMicki]

. Well, the mother of the screaming child turned to me and then to her 5 year old son and said "You see, I warned you that there would be nasty old people on the ship who did not like children."

 

I was fascinated by her comment as I had said NOTHING to or about her screaming child. After I was able to close my jaw I quietly said to her about 5 yr old - "No honey, she is wrong. I love kids, but I do not like parents who think we all enjoy hearing a baby screaming in a bar at 10 at night." With that she gathered-up the family and went huffing out of the bar. Music trivia resumed.

That is AWESOME!! I am a Mom with a 5 year old and a 7 year old. We are actually going on a 10 day on the Noordam in March. We have been on 2 cruises with the kids and they have never darkened the door of the dining room.lol I am to worried about the kids acting up and bothering people. I know how annoyed I get when kids are acting up while I am at dinner. I get a balcony stateroom and when the kids were really little I actually brought a small blow up pool for them to play in on the balcony. It worked great and we didn't have to leave the room.

[COLLEYBERRY]

On Holland American cruise ships do children wear ID braclets . If so what age are they required to do so ??

[mamaofami]

I have worked with children and parents for many years. I think that as more parents are in the work force and they employ nannies and au pairs, they really don't know how to take care of their children. The day to day tasks fall to their nannies . I've seen these parents out in restaurants in vacation spots and truly, they don't even know how to relate to the kids. Children need boundaries to make them feel loved and safe, and they're not getting them from parents who don't know how and when to set them. It's very sad.

[cccole]

It's really too bad you had SO many children and young adults "out of control." It is a good thing that all of the adults on your cruise were not obnoxious, loud, or rude! It would have been very difficult to deal with all ages behaving with a total lack of consideration for their fellow passengers. Cherie

[knitlady037]

On Holland American cruise ships do children wear ID braclets . If so what age are they required to do so ??

children are required to wear ID bracelets that correspond with their lifeboat station. I think they wear them up till age 14. These are mandatory and not to be removed before the end of the cruise.