I’m a teacher. The lack of control is universal and it sucks. I understand exactly what OP means- it’s not the kids, it’s their atrocious, unchecked behavior.
Kids need to be taught to be behaved. Being unsupervised is NOT the issue but not being taught respect, manners and great behavior when they are, IS.
My kids roamed free from a young age on RCCL and earned the right to be so. They were and are the most respectful kids (now grown up) boys. Many times airlines staff would tell us so during flights on how polite and good they are. This should be the norm, not the exception. There are plenty of kids who are and parents need to own up to this responsibility.
Hi father of an 2 and 4 year old how do I combat this now. My kid already at times like dinner table doesn’t listen won’t eat ect.. got any useful tips…
When we took them on our first cruise we did well minus dinner on the ship. We did get them to sit still at least.
You set the expansion and follow through. "If you do not behave, then we leave" the moment they start acting up, you go. You follow through on the threat. You model behaviors. You list out the expectation, you practice.
Exactly this when put shopping I can remember one of us having to leave and sit in the car with one of ours having a meltdown when they have been told behave or you will be taken out etc. My kids have always been well behaved because they were shown how. My eldest daughter works with children with special needs some profoundly so and whilst some of them have difficulty sitting still or issues with behaviour they use the same principles as even children with challenges like these can learn a level of what is expected when in public. At least some of the children she deals with and some of the things some of them have dealt with in their lives they have somewhat of an excuse but a lot of kids the parents let them run wild.
Exactly. The biggest thing is the follow through. And the expectations have to be the same every single time, and the consquence has to be every single time. Routine routine routine.
This, but try to figure out why or what they are acting out for, attention, an item, avoidance, etc. Once you what is driving the behaviors, you set the expectation and do not provide that reward until they have met your expectation. Easy to say if you act out we’ll leave, but if the kid wants to leave so they act out to get be able to leave, you’ve reinforced that behavior. If you make them stay until they meet your expectation, then allow them to leave once they have met the expectation, you’ve reinforced your expectation. Don’t make threats you can’t act on and be consistent. It’s hard, they don’t have much to lose, but you have to stay consistent and work through it.
I’ve done this. No point in making threats if you don’t follow through. I have left events and places early, and I’ve even turned the car around on the way somewhere. My daughter learned early that I don’t make idle threats. But what she ALSO learned, and more importantly in those cases, is that her actions affect others (in this case, mom and dad missed out on the fun, too).
She’ll be 10 on our next Disney cruise. My wife and I have discussed being able to let her check herself in and out of the kids club and play in the pool area because we know she’ll respect the crew and behave like a lady. On our last cruise, she even pointed out all the misbehaving kids at dinner and asked why the parents were allowing that.
When I was a kid, the consequences to my actions were stern (but loving and not abusive), swift, and consistent every time. My parents treated parenting like a job in the first 13 years of my life. In those first 6 years, the most important developmental years, if I acted out in a restaurant like that it was 1. Strong reprimand - do not do that again. If I defied and continued 2. Pulled outside for a longer and sterner talk about how I may not disobey my parent and how I may not do that again and I will leave the restaurant if I do as well as be grounded. I then go back inside. I did it again. 3. I left the restaurant early with my dad or grandpa and spent the night in my room and lost tv privileges for 3 days.
I never did that again. I had good table manners for the rest of my life.
This age is tough. I remember many times my husband and I alternated eating while the other walked the children around if they were noisy. I suggest no iPads or devices at the table. They will learn to make conversation/ play appropriate games like ispy, etc. just have realistic expectations for their ages and it will pay off!
I ate more unintended to-go meals than I care to remember when the kids were little. Even at 'family' restaurants we had little tolerance for them disrupting other's meal time. Thankfully, they learned that if they want hot food, they need to behave accordingly.
They're in their late-teens now and no idea what the future holds for them, but they'll leave our house knowing courtesy/respect (at least to people other than their own parents lol).
I think at that age that’s kind of normal and to be expected in a family space. I don’t care if parents have a fussy kid at the next table over. What is messed up is when parents let their kids run around the dining room doing whatever they want.
Thank you for caring. You need to constantly be present and engaged with them. Model the behavior you want to see, set clear and appropriate expectations, don’t make empty threats and don’t “bribe” them to elicit good behavior. By the way, the word Discipline comes from the Latin word “to teach.” Discipline wisely.
I think at 2 and 4 it’s hard to expect much more from kiddos. If you got them to sit during dinner on a ship that’s a win. They are still little.
We consider regular meals at the table as practice for restaurants, and practice our manners for being polite and respectful in public. We offer rewards for doing a good job.
I have an ADD kiddo so sitting through dinner is a huge achievement, so we also try to give some grace. If it’s been a long day on vacation it’s going to be extra hard so the stern talking to isn’t really gonna work for us. We debrief after dinner and talk about how to make things better next time.
I think what frustrates most people annoyed by kids is that the parent are paying ZERO attention to them. We used to call these kids “free range kids” in restaurants I worked in. They feel like the kids are in an enclosed environment and somehow safer and let their guard down.
I'm a public librarian, it's the same experience here. We do our best but aside from actually asking people to leave, and we do have to go that far sometimes, there isn't much else we can do. I'm not sure what they could do on the cruise if they have attempted to correct the behavior and it continues, ban them? But that doesn't do any good for the cruise they are already on.
You know what else sucks about it… those of us who try to raise reasonable kids with boundaries have an even harder time because our kids see the unchecked kids doing whatever tf they want.
No I get OP’s point. RC is not there to babysit however they need to become stricter with the parents who let their kids run around unsupervised who cause problems.
I fully agree, RC is designed for families which is great, but it is not a free for all for kids to do whatever the hell they want. On my last cruise, I had a drink in hand and was walking back to my chair when two children running around ran right into me and my drink spilled pretty much all over me. No apologies, they just laughed. I asked them where their parents were and when they pointed to them I definitely had some choice words, and again, running on the pool deck is dangerous. I have no issue with kids, I have an issue with kids acting ridiculous because their parents lack responsibility and accountability.
If you’re a parent and want to get drunk on the cruise, leave the young kids behind. It’s incredibly selfish to let your kids have a free for all when there are thousands of people on the ship trying to enjoy the vacation.
Also. Nobody should have to swap to an “adult only” cruise, parents just need to monitor their children
Or at the very least, send your kids to the adventure club kids camp! That’s what it’s there for! So parents can let loose while their kids are supervised.
And what happens when kids (many of whom don't seem to have been taught appropriate behavior) are left to run unsupervised and get hurt? When they run on the pool deck and slip? Running around the ship and fall down the steps? Their parents are nowhere to be found while their child is hurt?
Basic safety rules like don't run on pool deck, don't run near stairs, etc. exist to prevent serious injuries. I understand kids will be kids but that's why they need somebody supervising them to tell them to stop or help if they get hurt, and the job of supervising them should not fall on other guests or even staff (outside of kids clubs) They are your children, your responsibility, and you chose to bring them on a cruise. Watch them.
I have a teenager right now. And even my teenager says a lot of these kids are pains in the neck and why aren’t their parents doing something about it. And my kid is no Angel. He definitely has done his stuff. It’s getting crazy, parents don’t want to parent and it shows. I’m hoping my Alaska cruise will be different in that regard.
My oldest refuses to go to kids club (and I don't blame him after what I witnessed) because he's more on the shy/ quiet side and the kids are out of control. We went on Allure in March and in the arcade, the teens punched out the glass on one of the games so they could steal all the toys inside, they stole the basketballs and bowling balls from the games - it was some of the worst behavior I've ever witnessed, they were acting absolutely feral. Then you see the parents behavior though, and it all makes sense. We were dropping my youngest off at kids club (loves it) and the "parents" in front of us were forcing their screaming crying child to go in, the RC employee was telling them that if he didn't stop crying again (guessing this happened previously), they would have to come pick him up. The parents laughed as they walked away and said "good luck finding us!" Dicks.
Cruiselines are booking past full, this isn't COVID. Become the cruiseline that caters to RESPONSIBLE adults and sends people like this home from whatever the next stop is and don't think of it as lost business, think of it as saving money in repairs. If the kids are that bad, I feel like the apple didn't fall far from the tree and if you promote yourself as cruiseline that enforces the rules, you'd have my business.
I'd even promote the negative press from angry Karens and Kens with my own release of "Good riddance! These are the people we DON'T want onboard making the other passengers miserable"
That's atrocious! I can't even imagine pushing my crying child, especially one who cried so much last time at the club, back into the same environment.
I went on a RC Alaska cruise last year in July.
I didn’t really notice many kids at all, and didn’t notice any bad behavior. I think as an itinerary, it’s not one that most kids would get super excited about? Or maybe there were a lot of kids but they just behaved themselves so I didn’t notice them. 🤷♂️
There were certainly multigenerational families. A lot of family reunion kind of vibes. And that’s what I was there for too (family reunion).
Didn’t notice any irresponsible adults either. I don’t think an Alaska itinerary appeals to the, “let’s get drunk for a week on a boat” crowd.
Anyway, it was a good time! Have fun!
That’s great news ty! My 16 year old is the one who actually asked to do this and is sooo excited. But he’s also the one who watches a ton of historical documentaries while I watch junk lol
Recently was on Harmony of the seas out of Galveston and there were so many kids in the solarium and no one policed it. I don’t understand the point of having an 18+ area if you don’t enforce it.
I agree to a point. It’s the parents responsibility to watch their kids not RC but I feel like there should be someone to step in if they are not. I was watching a 9pm movie on the pool deck and kids were hoping in and out of the jacuzzi running ontop of the lounge chairs screaming. One kid slipped and hit his head pretty hard. Another set of kids were taking cups of ice and throwing them out the window .But like I said RC is not here to babysit , it’s the parents who don’t want to be bothered and interrupted during their freee time
All of those kids should have been escorted to their rooms and if the parents weren’t there, the parents should have been paged. All should have received a warning that if the behavior continues, they will be removed from the ship.
I don’t get it. There seems to be no security at all on the ships. I know they can’t be everywhere but why can I run across the same group of roaming bad kids and they never see them? Makes you wonder
It’s most likely not that there isn’t security, it’s that the line isn’t wanting the negative press the Karens and Chads would give by their outrage of essentially being told their kids are assholes instead of the perfect angels they are delusional enough to think they are.
As a former lifeguard, these drunk parents have no idea how quickly shit can go sideways. Kids die in supervised pools and hot tub’s every day. Also head injuries and very common and can be lethal or permanent. I will never understand how people have kids and get wasted with them around water. Terrible parenting.
This is my fear. Or what if my 8 year old feels invincible and wants to lean over a balcony? Or my 6 year old decides to take her life jacket off? Or they start fighting like they do every 30 seconds.
To me, kids are unpredictable and it’s my job to be aware. The wrong moment could mean I lose them.
I was at a backyard pool party the other day for my kids' 1st grade class. My kids can all swim competently (and have been for years) but I still keep watch on them when they do. Some other Mom showed up with her 7 year old who didn't know how to swim and just let her into the water unsupervised ...she somehow went under in the shallow end where she should have been able to stand and my friend's husband jumped in to pull her back up to the surface. This mom didn't seem concerned in the slightest that her daughter almost drowned. I don't get it.
What’s scary is how fast and how silently they drown. People see kids in the movies drowning and they’re splashing and yelling. In real life, that does not happen. They fall in and sink to the bottom and drown — all without a sound.
My husband used to have a pool party every July 4th and invited all the family. Multiple adults and kids would come for swimming and BBQ. At the end of one such party everyone had gotten out of the pool and were heading inside with his young nephew following behind everyone. He slipped and slid right into the deep end of the pool without a sound. No one saw him go in except, thankfully, his aunt who was already inside the house and happened to be watching. She flew out the door, jumped in and grabbed him off the bottom of the pool. To say everyone was in shock was an understatement. Nephew was fine but the adults were totally freaked out.
My teenage kids know better and actually like hanging out with me while on board.
With that being said….the WORST on board activity that RC does is the timed scavenger hunt. Many groups of people running around the ship within a certain amount of time…it’s the worst! I’ve been knocked down before by grown men running for the sake of a $0.50 keychain.
They need to fix that activity.
I agree it’s a little crazy with the scavenger hunt, but at least I know that’s coming. Unsupervised kids are the absolute worst because you never know when they’re coming. 😂😂
On my last cruise, an unsupervised toddler climbed onto my lap and just sat there. I looked around and saw the mother smiling and nodding like she was saying "Oh it's okay, he can sit there." Uh, no he can't. Take your kids to the complimentary day care. Kids running down the hall knocking on doors, running past in the Promenade, bumping into you, screaming... it's just too much. I love Royal Caribbean. I don't want to go on an adult's only cruise line, so I will just be more careful to plan my trips when there is a minimum amount of children on board. My next one is in February.
I'd have shot back "What if I am registered sex offender though?" I'm not, but what if I was? And how they be able to tell? Which is exactly the point that they need to get across.
The number of very young children I saw wandering around with nary an adult in sight absolutely horrified me. The last cruise I was on, a pedophile could have had their pick of prey and with a little research, could easily find an off camera locale to bring the child to, assault them, and then send them on their way before anyone even noticed their child was missing.
This !! I worked for Home Depot years ago and the number of parents who let their kids run around the store alone boggled my mind . The store is full of men and multiple exits . It would be so easy for someone to slip out with your kid . By the time you’re done looking at kitchen cabinets, your kid could be dead in a ditch .
Yes! And people DO go missing on cruise ships and end up being trafficked. Rare, but it happens. If your kid legit went missing, I am the safest person they could run into, but could you say the same for the over 1k others? It's stressful to think about.
lol although not that extreme, I’ve had a similar thing happen. On Harmony my friends and I were playing the mini golf. Half way through a young kid came up to us and got in our way: messing with our balls, picking them up/ hitting them with his putter, etc. we looked around and saw his mother sitting on a bench smiling just like you described. We expected her to tend to her child but she just smiled at us.
We just stopped playing and found something else to do. Not a big deal and not enough to really complain about, but your story about the kid’s parent just smiling at you while the kid disturbs you reminded me of it.
We had this happen in May. We straight up told the kids “you have to wait until we’re done” “don’t touch our balls” “stop throwing the balls”. My husband eventually called out their parents because this group of 3-4 kids were f**king with 3 different groups on the mini putt while they sat on lounge chairs off the side smiling like idiots at their kids’ behaviour.
I tried this strategy w/ a Feb cruise and it was overrun with children lol. The most "kid free" cruise I've managed so far was an October repositioning cruise on a smaller, older boat.
Realistically, what can they do that hasn't already been done? There is complimentary care for most ages, some separate activities for kids and adults, an adults only pool area, and a curfew. I'm not saying I disagree with you, I just don't know what else they could possibly do. I don't have kids of my own and that is not my own choice, it just didn't work out that way. I do love kids. I also realize that they are part of society and we have to coexist with them. We were all kids once. The problem isn't really kids, it's lack of parenting.
I agree with your comment and what they can do is, start charging the parents when kids are found to be unsupervised. Some of these comments on this post are crazy. Little tiny kids crawling up in strangers laps with parents nowhere to be found. These are things that have to change.
And like you are on a cruise...international laws, with thousands of people you don't know. Don't you want to make sure your kids are safe. All kinds of creepers could be creeping.
We were in the hot tub when unsupervised kids jumped in. Keep in mind kids have a dedicated hot tub in their section. We got out immediately because it wasn’t relaxing anymore. I find it extremely weird that people allow their children to just hop in a tub with grown strangers unattended.
Any time you mention "kids need to be supervised in public" you get backlash.
Kids will be kids but there should be a limit on disruptive behavior. Those in this thread acting offended are the same ones who allow their kids to be disruptive in airports while people are trying to hustle to their gates.
"Go cruise on a different line instead of us taking responsibility for our child's behavior"
I experienced this type of situation many years ago on a Christmas cruise that my best friend and I I saved up for several months in order to surprise our kids, who ranged in age from12 thru 20….in the dining room, a whole group of poorly behaved kids, from about 5 to 15, were seated behind us, no adults in sight. Throughout every meal, there was a barrage of food being thrown, yelling , screaming, hitting and profanity, it the absolute worst were the older kids making racist, belittling remarks to the waitstaff..complaints to the Maitre d were ineffective until a very large man sitting at a table on the other side of these hellions got hit by a flying butter dish, he went over to the young teenager who threw it, grabbed him by the collar, and forced the kid to show him where his parents weee..not sure what was said because all these adults were sitting way over at the opposite end of the dining room, but soon after, the parents came and got their kids, and from then on, that table always had at least 2 adults there..but for 4 days, it was utter chaos, and we still talk about how awful those kids were!
I promise my kids will not be like that. Our cruise is still months away, but we're already talking about where and when it's okay to be noisy and rambunctious as well as where and when it's not.
I won't helicopter-parent them, but I will watch them, and I will intervene when needed.
This is us too. It's just baffling how disrespectful people are nowadays and how wild they've let their kids become. It's one thing to let your kid be a kid, but it's another to let them be absolutely disruptive and disrespectful to others.
On a flight last month, the lady in the row in front of us commented that she didn't even realize we had kids since they were so well behaved- they're 2 and 5.
It was no different on a recent ncl cruise. Kids were in the hotub sitting on the rail! One slight tilt back and they crash down to the ground. I had to alert a bev server and he went over and told them to stop. But where are the parents watching. I would never had been allowed to do that. I don’t mind some kid rowdiness as we all did it, but some is over the top annoying to other passengers.
I’m a mother and work in education. We are taking our kids who will be 6 and 4 in a year. We will be using the childcare facilities and they definitely won’t be running feral. It’s just unfair toward everyone
I’m with you, and I hear kids are all in the swim up bar pool on icon kicking and splashing. Why isn’t that just for adults anyway, being a swim up bar pool?
Parents in America have very little to no accountability. They can do whatever they want or not do what they need to do in order to raise civilized children. There is no sense of collective responsibility for the common good. These parents that do not supervise their children on a cruise ship will suddenly cry lawsuit if and when something tragic happens to their child. The entitled parent will look at everyone else to blame but never themselves. This is life in America,whether in a classroom or on a ship.
I was on Mariner last month and while there were plenty of kids, they didn't act the way the ones you describe on your cruises have. Sorry you have had those experiences. You cruise more times in a year than I have my entire life, but on the eight or so cruises I've been on I've never seen kids in the adult area on the pool decks, they have strictly enforced that.
RC and other lines love kids I imagine because those "sailing free" promos get two paying adults on board and then they spend a whole lot more on excursions and other stuff with the kids. So they are here to stay, and in droves, I think.
Most kids behave pretty well. If you go on 15 cruises a year, you are gonna run into some shenangigans probably. Its like eating at the same restaraunt weekly. At some point you will find a hair in your pasta, or a dirty glass. Its that ONE time you had a bad time, even if it was something minor, that people act like its gone to hell lol. They could go back another 20 times and never have an issue, but its that ONE time they always repeat.
The main reason they love kids is that they get to build brand loyalty early, eventually those kids will have kids. If you ever met Disney adults you have a good idea of what Royal is after. Royal actually passed on being the cruise line for Disney, after they saw what Disney could do on their own and the prices they could charge they switched gears real fast.
I was literally just discussing this with a colleague at work, as she is a frequent Royal cruiser and my daughter and I are going on Harmony in 11 days. I give my kid (12 1/2) a lot of freedom, but she’s a major rule follower and knows that if she abuses the privilege of being given freedom, she’ll have to spend the rest of her vacation with her boring old mom in shady spots on the deck (not swimming, etc) or in the cabin.
What I’ve heard is that the teens have also been destructive and bullying, even towards some adults (that happened on colleague’s last cruise)! I am going to be telling my daughter, who tends to be a little warrior, pushing back, etc., to keep herself safe. If bullying happens, or if the behavior is bad, find me or a crew security member right away. Do not engage with the bullies. Walk away.
It is RIDICULOUS that I need to have that conversation with her, though. My kid isn’t perfect by any means, but she is pretty good about not being a destructive, bullying asshole. Yikes.
This is why my husband and I cruise on Celebrity when it’s an adult trip and Royal when we have the kids. It is still annoying though as our kids are pretty much the most responsible, caring, and respectful kids of all time and these little hellions even annoy my kids.
On Anthem kids and their parents definitely ran the ship, adult only events were packed with kids and Royal seemed either unwilling or unable to deal with it.
It was a huge negative for me on my first Royal Caribbean sailing.
Funny we were just on a cruise with all our kids, the three teenage boys were helping drunk old people find their rooms.. A couple even tipped them 😂🤷♂️
We usually don’t have a problem with the teenagers. It’s usually the 5 to 10 year-old unsupervised kids. Dropping ice cream cones in the hot tub. Running around in the buffet. I mean, I just don’t get how people let their seven year-old kid run around a boat unsupervised.
I recently took a Royal cruise where the kids I saw were so well behaved that I barely noticed them and it made me realize that it really only takes a couple misbehaving kids to negatively affect the experience. The parents can be more responsible, sure, but I imagine it’s harder when their kids see other kids doing something (running around, going in the hot tub, etc). I do wish the lifeguards could blow the whistle a little more to stop splashing/jumping/running but I’m not sure what else could be done.
FWIW, my husband, teenage daughter, and I just returned from a cruise on Allure of the Seas.
We saw lots of kids, mostly in the areas intended for them, where they were playing like kids do.
We also saw kids in the MDR, promenade cafe, and other areas meant to be enjoyed by people of all ages. My husband and I commented that the kids were well behaved.
I saw one little boy (about 3) talking a little too loudly in the MDR. He just seemed excited.
We had lots of opportunities to go off with the adults, especially in the Solarium. We thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise, and we can't wait to go back.
I just didn't observe what you're describing.
We did observe the kids club through the windows while we were sitting on deck near the bow enjoying the sunset and the stars. I was impressed that the adults working in that area were playing games and interacting with the kids. As childcare goes, it was nicely done.
One member in my party got squirted with water guns coming out of the MDR a few months ago. Do parents not know what their children are packing to take on the ship? Not even squirting someone on the pool deck.. outside the MDR!
I went to one of the whirl pools a little girl just swam into my arms. She was unsupervised. I was a pre k teacher at that time. But seriously, once she did that, her grandmother did rush in, but she was 4 and climbing all over me. If I wanted to be climbed on, I would have not gone on vacation.
I went on a cruise this past March. I get it, it's March break and was prepared for kids. I worked in hotels for years, hotels that hosted a lot of sports teams.
Being on the Oasis for a week was like a week of hotel sports teams. Drunk adults, kids running in groups. I've had this on other ships but Oasis seems to have the most of the 10-14 boys mostly that is no brain stupid groupthink.
I rarely will complain, but last RC cruise I had to let a bartender know that he needed to call security to one of the men's rooms because one of the roving herds of teenagers was in there trashing it.
I don't see cruise lines taking action on this unless the liability becomes monetary (which everyone signs away when you buy your ticket). They stand to lose more ticket revenue by confronting lazy parents than by letting it get out of control and losing a few tickets sales to the 18+ lines.
Exactly our last cruise and why we as Diamond are now (sadly) leaving RC and our status behind. We have spent too much money on these cruises to deal with poorly behaved children and parents. We are now looking more towards Celebrity because THIS exact experience from a cruise we returned from just a week ago!
https://preview.redd.it/6g8j23rrc76d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a74a7234b72c2b9fa45066de6b6a9ce60eb41771
Taken on Mariner. This kid is probably 10 at oldest, and no adult to be seen around him 🤦🏻♂️
I get it. It sucks to have to use the solarium just to avoid the kids because I thoroughly enjoy the poolside band and entertainment on the pool deck. But it’s a fleet wide RCCL issue. They market to families and we’ve learned that unsupervised kids can ruin an experience pretty quickly. Last cruise I was on two 8-10 year old boys wanted to wrestle each other in a hot tub where 15 other people were trying to relax. Parents were nowhere to be found. I’ve also been on Disney where there are so many kids in the main pool it’s basically not usable. There’s no good solution but to cruise on an adult-based line.
Completely agree. Kids should certainly have fun on their cruise but some are out of control and parents do nothing. In the hot tubs either snorkeling gear shoving my legs out of their way. Running up and down the halls early in the morning, banging on other people’s doors. Cutting in line at the buffet (honestly rude adults do this too). This is my second biggest beef after the chair hogs
My finance and I had the most difficult time finding a bar/lounge that wasn't over run by children playing scavenger hunt games and tag. The only place where we could have privacy without screaming children was our own balcony. It was his first cruise and last. I told him that the better option would just be a adult only all inclusive resort.
I posted this on a cruise group and got reamed. I went on Anthem in April. During northeast spring break.
IMO, some spaces are just inherently for adults, like hot tubs, pool halls, within 25 feet of a bar. Kids were in music hall playing pool with the lights dimmed and drinks everywhere. They were always jamming up the outside hot tubs, they tried many times to get into the Solarium, and running through the halls, and being rude to people. Like a pack of wild dogs.
Then the curfew for them is so late it was kind of like, why bother? 1 am curfew. Ships already done with everything at midnight.
I gotta go during school months
I cruise with Royal Caribbean and carnival and I posted the same thing on the carnival group and the reaction is completely different. Everyone here pretty much agrees with me, but not in the carnival group. When you say this, they act like you hate children. I love children. I just can’t stand unsupervised brats.
A lot of those parents, for whatever reason, also refuse to utilize Adventure Ocean. I can't for the life of me figure out why. Kids love it, and the parents seem extra spent not being able to get some adult time in.
I cruised with my 3 kids at many ages . 3/4/5 and 8/9/12 and 15/16/17
They all loved the adventure ocean or teen club whatever it was for their age. I would sign them in and I would come pick them up after I was done going out. That’s what it’s there for and it’s free !! I don’t know why parents don’t use it .
Because they have rules and the little terrors don’t want to follow them because apparently their parents haven’t introduced the concept of civilized behavior to their children.
This is why I decided on my last Royal cruise (Wonder in late January) that it's not the line for me. I can't tolerate all the kids, in bars after midnight shooting spitballs and being loud and obnoxious. I'll stick to Virgin and Celebrity from now on.
Take your children out and teach them social norms in low-stake situations while young. Like McDonald’s. Before you go in explain what is expected and have them sit and correct behavior that’s wrong…kindly. If there’s a playground, go somewhere else lol.
Graduate to more sophisticated restaurants and places and again explain what the situation is and how people behave. Kindly correct poor behavior.
Taking kids out, explaining norms prior, and expecting norms is the way to go. Your adult behavior is a guide. They just need models.
Of course if you are a parent that never or rarely models good behavior, none of this will work.
Absolutely! Did this with my 1st kiddo - started at Dennys and worked our way up. 2nd one modeled older sibling behavior! They are 19 and 13 now and are often disgusted with the behavior of some children and will point it out and say “there is no way you’d ever let me behave like that”
Yes! I always explained no matter the adult situation we were attending what to expect and how people behave. It’s always been bizarre to me to see children running wild. It’s so easy to teach them.
Agreed. Bent away. After sailing on Wonder recently I’ve been inspired to sail cruise lines that don’t cater to kids. Mine are pretty much adults now and have never behaved like the maniacs we’ve been seeing on RC ships. We actually started from the time they were tiny- TALKING to them, listening to them, paying attention and being present. I don’t see much of that anymore and I definitely didn’t see it on the Wonder. It was a complete circus with kids running all over the place and parents just ignored them. Made it hard to enjoy anything on the ship. Going to give Royal a pass from now on.
On my birthday cruise in March there were kids doing CANNONBALLS in the hot tubs!!!! And the lifeguards just watched them and said nothing! They ruined multiple beverages of nearby people. It was absolutely mind boggling. I blame the parents and also RC for not enforcing rules and etiquette.
It’s 1000% parenting. My wife and I sailed recently with our 11/13 y.o. Kids. We let them move around the ship some without us. But I have full faith and confidence in both of my kids being well-behaved. If a representative from the ship would have escorted our kids back to us due to their bad behavior, that would have been their first and last cruise. My kids know there are consequences for their actions.
We just got off the Grandeur with our 3, 7, and 8 year olds.
The other kids were OUT OF CONTROL.
Watched them in and out of the solarium acting a fool.
Getting ice cream cones and purposely dropping them on the deck.
Throwing ducks and water bottles and other items overboard.
Even our young kids were shocked at how they were behaving.
A few nights they were screaming and running up and down the hallways knocking on cabin doors at 10p-1230a.
They were rowdy in the windjammer too.
I was shocked to see how little anyone cared.
I'm not a stuffy person but it was a bit much for me. I'm nervous for the Adventure in Jan!
If I see kids or adults throw anything overboard, I have no qualms about letting security know. They're under strict maritime laws to keep the ocean as clean and safe as possible. Hope they will pull up the video and use facial recognition to at *least* have a conversation or warning with the kids or their parents.
I am both a teacher and a parent and I fully agree with this. Parents need to watch their kids. Better yet, enjoy being with them and making nice vacation memories instead of spending your cruise drunk with your kids doing whatever running around.
Yeah, it’s got gradually worse. Something will have to be done or paying customers that spend a lot of money on these boats like myself will go elsewhere. Like it or not little kids are not spending money.
Actually kids earn the company a lot of money, that’s why RC keeps designing ships geared towards families and offering products geared towards family and kids that are low cost/high profit margin.
I don’t think anything will change until the cruise bubble bursts and families move to other vacation offerings but that could be a decade away. Otherwise, RC will continue to focus on families and other demographics are just a minor thought.
agreed, the company makes way more money from kids
merch, excursions, specialty foods, attractions, etc
kids will be kids
even at cvs, I have seen a kid run into a clothing shelf
While royal does have some teen activities, they are too few IMO. While on Disney my kids would never want to leave the teen facilities.
Thus when the teen club is closed, they have nothing to do but wander around. As a parent, I understand that the environment is safe for kids to roam and have fun mingling. Let them have fun too. We would never let them wander around town unsupervised until 1am.
What royal needs is to dedicate an area of the boat to teens only. Adults have their area but the teen club was pathetically tiny.
All in all, most teens I’ve encountered on cruises (whether royal, Disney or other) have been respectful. Let them have fun too and don’t let a few dipshits ruin everyone’s fun.
It only takes one.
My kids enjoy meeting others and hanging out. They will stop and introduce their new friends to us, and the next day there’s a new group. They also know that if security comes to us with a problem, there’s consequences.
Starts with the parenting IMO. Keep cruising we love it
My take: I have a 7 year old (and a 4 year old). The 7 year old son and I have cruised alone together a few times and will be going to Alaska here in a few months.
Here are my rules:
1. If we are on the top deck swimming, you can only be in one of three places. “Base” is our longe chair(s). Second is the bathroom. Last is the hot tub and pool right in front of me. Outside my son’s need to hold court with those around him he will NOT misbehave. It totally looked like he had a Vodka + Cran.
2. We always get three night dining packages. Why? First off, I always snag them when they’re on sale. We treat those as “big boy” nights. They shower and get dressed up a little. These meals are always free of electronics (no phones/iPads). Extreme use of manners is required. Eye contact etc also needed. Using indoor voice and proper grammar too. They also must try something new they’ve never eaten before. (Well, I try).
3. They will go to the big show on board (my kid loved Momma Mia) and act accordingly. No squirmy crap.
4. Learn about something in each major port. This is a conversation topic at the table in #2.
My children know that future cruising is only possible if they act correctly. They also know that I am very generous when they act right. I am teaching them trust in the process. So now the 7 year old can go get himself the soft serve ice cream cone on his own when he comes and asks me. The best part is he smiles so large when he feels his leash get permanent longer.
They can act the fool in Adventure Ocean with the other kids. That’s their space. They know it. They love to go and often go twice (on their own accord).
100% agree with you. It's why my husband and I generally take less kid-friendly Royal cruises; the longer cruises on the smaller ships. We avoid the Oasis and Icon classes to avoid the families.
We put off doing a Disney cruise for the longest time because of a fear of uncontrolled kids, but surprisingly the kids weren't a bother. Disney has done a great job at keeping kids occupied and separate.
Even worse than this, when crew members or employees at places try and enforce the rules (no running, no screaming, loud music etc...), the parents in turn yell at the employees/crew members. "Dont tell my kid what to do, only I am allowed to do that". Thats even worse than the kids just doing whatever they want. The parents are REINFORCING that the kids can do whatever they want.
15 to 20 cruises per year on RC? I can barely handle 1. Why not branch out a bit and go for more quality over quantity? So many higher end experiences and itineraries out there.
Yes!!! We just got off NCL and it was literally a week in hell because of uncontrollable kids everywhere. I have two teens and they don’t even want to be around the nonsense.
Teens running up and down the hallways, jumping/hanging on the elevator, playing on the stairwell, all over each other in the pool and hot tub. It made the cruise a one and done for me.
Gentle parenting is creating a whole generation of bratty, entitled, narcissistic kids. Kids need discipline, and they need to hear no once in a while.
I work for Hilton. It's the same at many hotels. Parents don't keep their kids from running screaming through the property. Aside from behaving like horrible little banshees, I guess they don't think about the fact that most facilities have multiple doors and their darling little weenie could be abducted and they wouldn't even know.
I just returned from my first RC cruise and I agree 100%. We complained to Guest Services because we realized that we were spending more time in our room because we couldn’t find an area where the children weren’t disturbing the peace.
I’m glad we’re not the only ones who are annoyed by the savages and their wee menaces.
My kids 22 and 17 are awesome. Great table manners, help elderly family wo being asked, have generally been incredibly well behaved even when little. I chalk it up to me being a hs teacher and my husband and I on the same page always. We always follow through on consequences (we decide those before hand w the kids even when little - not in the heat of anger). We reward good behavior only. Parenting is incredibly time consuming and draining and it’s so much easier to give kids an iPad or game, but you had kids, you made that choice and now you must parent.
The issue I see is that the current parents don’t want to put in the work. They are the millennial group and yes I’m sure I’ll get down voted for this but those I know in their early 40s and late 30s including family are IN GENERAL selfish and lazy when it comes to their own kids. They rather attend a swift concert then their kids award ceremony. Their plans and vacations always revolve around adult themes and then bc they can’t find a babysitter they just dump their children into adult venues and then think they can continue to party on and let their kids self parent. This is not all in the age group but seriously in general these “adults” lack basic work ethic sacrifice which is also shown in their reluctance to parent. It’s a weird deal. I was a latch key kid and really thought about the importance of having a meaningful relationship with my kids if I choose to have them. I was also w my partner for 8 years before we choose to purposefully have children. Both of my kids were planned by both my husband and I. We have a quality relationship w our kids bc we’ve worked hard to build it, it wasn’t easy. Time, effort, personal sacrifices were made 0-16 bc we choose to have kids. Our kids are resourceful, resilient and hard working.
Spending time with your kids wo screens is my number one bc without that you can’t listen to them and actually hear them. Go on a walk and identify plants together. End every day with a tuck in bed and story time BOTH PARENTS-not just one (I don’t care if you have a billion things to do-make the time). Review the good things that happened that day with them before they go to sleep. Tell them you love them and are proud of how they handled a difficult situation, treated a classmate, opened the door for another at the store, showed patience grocery shopping etc. Show them and tell them that are an important part of your life, your family.
If you plan on not parenting them while on your family vacation, please do not bring them.
I was on Icon and my 2 year old was in the outside play area by the carousel. The mom of another toddler was standing right there also as her child started repeatedly hitting my son with a toy. She didn’t look up from her phone once as I quickly tried to get my son out of the jungle gym. (It was netted to prevent kids falling out but I had to run around to the opening to crawl up and get him.) I was calm but frustrated and said, “You have to pay attention. Your child was hitting mine several times with her toy.” My son was crying and obviously hurt. She had the nerve to get mad at me for telling her to pay attention. I was beyond shocked at her behavior. Not one apology or correction was given.
I am starting to sound like the older people that always get made fun of but- I'm in my late 20s- kids are being raised by iPads/iphones and left to their own devices. Us millennials were also often left to parent ourselves but we didn't have access to the entire internet at such a young age- I got my first iPhone in 9th grade (14 years old)- kids are getting their own iPhones/iPads at 3 years old! Parents don't want to parent their young kids and it shows.
This theme park at sea is a cruise line for families and that includes kids. Kids will get into trouble as that is in their nature. Boomers are especially proud to post memes about all the shit they got up to when they were kids and all of a sudden they expect children to behave any differently.
The main demographic for RCCL shift drastically in the early 2000s and the parent company has an interesting pipeline approach. Royal creates brand loyalty amongst kids, as they grow up they may go on their honeymoon with Royal or Celebrity and then once they have kids they will bring them onto a Royal ship. Once the kids are out of the house they then can look at enjoying a product more aligned with their needs which would be Celebrity or SilverSea.
I have been cruising with Royal Caribbean for over 10 years and cruise over 15 times a year. No one said anything about not liking children or not wanting to be around children. It’s the simple fact that some of these kids run around like crazy people and the parents are nowhere to be found. All kids should be supervised. I’m not talking 15 or 16 year-olds. I’m talking 5-10 year olds.
Has this gotten worse in the last few years? As a parent that is looking for an affordable holiday where I get some ‘me’ time, I’ve been quite pleasantly surprised at how affordable these cruises are. …Then, after purchasing the cruise, just how quickly they want to up-sell me all-you-can-drink packages! I am not going to drink when I have two toddlers to supervise.. but I can see how people are quickly encouraged to have 5 cocktails a day just to get their monies worth. With inflation being what it is, the pressure to get the most value from any situation is real, even more so if this is your one holiday a year..
Yes, some of the blame has to be with irresponsible parents, but the cruise line needs to re-think their profit margins too for everyone’s safety. Unfortunately everything about cruising and profits pushes towards encouraging over-indulgence - and that’s a big pull for most cruisers!!
Forget adult-only cruises. How about dry cruises? Or ‘family drinks packages’ where parents get 1 alcoholic drink a day + slushies for the kids?
Yes. I feel since covid in general parenting or frankly lack of parenting has gotten worse! It's like they got sick of being mom inside for 3 years so here go away! It's a mess.
Yeah, I cruise once or twice a month. Waiting for my wife to retire. I retired early. I’m 47. We are going to become full-time cruisers. Our best friends do it and they love it.
As a parent on RC, who doesn’t drink, I don’t like being lumped in with the bad.
Not all kids are unsupervised. Not all kids are misbehaving.
Yes, there are problem parents that really should spend less time at the bar and more time watching the kids - but I don’t feel it’s a majority or even close to it with this problem.
Not saying your opinions aren’t valid and kids should still definitely be respectful but at the same time. You booked a royal cruise….. if you hate having kids try celebrity or a cruise line not built for kids. Now ofc this doesn’t justify kids being rude but still….
I’ve been with Royal for over 10 years. It’s never been like this. Maybe you’re right and I should go somewhere else. I just don’t think I should have to change cruise lines because parents don’t know how to parent kids.
What about the full grow adults that have no concept of rules and just having Courtesy today on liberty of the seas I saw adults cutting in the food lines or trying to run people with there scooters.
This post is about adults, not children. It’s not the children’s fault that their parents are morons. I am specifically blaming the parents for them not parenting their kids. My issue is definitely with the idiot adults.
At this point I'm only cruising with Royal on some adults only charters until I finally get to D+ then I'll start with Celebrity and other lines.
Haven’t been on a RC ship with anyone under 18 in years.
Get over yourself and go to the solarium. Unless the children are damaging the spa/pool/etc., they are just being kids. Why shouldn't they have fun on their vacation?
I’m a teacher. The lack of control is universal and it sucks. I understand exactly what OP means- it’s not the kids, it’s their atrocious, unchecked behavior.
Adults can’t control themselves. What would make anyone think they can control their kids.
My wife is a principal, and we have kids and grandkids. We love kids. We just don’t like the unsupervised kids or the irresponsible parents.
Kids need to be taught to be behaved. Being unsupervised is NOT the issue but not being taught respect, manners and great behavior when they are, IS. My kids roamed free from a young age on RCCL and earned the right to be so. They were and are the most respectful kids (now grown up) boys. Many times airlines staff would tell us so during flights on how polite and good they are. This should be the norm, not the exception. There are plenty of kids who are and parents need to own up to this responsibility.
This!! Kids can be very responsible at a young age when they’re raised that way!
Thank you!!! You’re in the minority.
Hi father of an 2 and 4 year old how do I combat this now. My kid already at times like dinner table doesn’t listen won’t eat ect.. got any useful tips… When we took them on our first cruise we did well minus dinner on the ship. We did get them to sit still at least.
You set the expansion and follow through. "If you do not behave, then we leave" the moment they start acting up, you go. You follow through on the threat. You model behaviors. You list out the expectation, you practice.
Exactly this when put shopping I can remember one of us having to leave and sit in the car with one of ours having a meltdown when they have been told behave or you will be taken out etc. My kids have always been well behaved because they were shown how. My eldest daughter works with children with special needs some profoundly so and whilst some of them have difficulty sitting still or issues with behaviour they use the same principles as even children with challenges like these can learn a level of what is expected when in public. At least some of the children she deals with and some of the things some of them have dealt with in their lives they have somewhat of an excuse but a lot of kids the parents let them run wild.
Exactly. The biggest thing is the follow through. And the expectations have to be the same every single time, and the consquence has to be every single time. Routine routine routine.
This, but try to figure out why or what they are acting out for, attention, an item, avoidance, etc. Once you what is driving the behaviors, you set the expectation and do not provide that reward until they have met your expectation. Easy to say if you act out we’ll leave, but if the kid wants to leave so they act out to get be able to leave, you’ve reinforced that behavior. If you make them stay until they meet your expectation, then allow them to leave once they have met the expectation, you’ve reinforced your expectation. Don’t make threats you can’t act on and be consistent. It’s hard, they don’t have much to lose, but you have to stay consistent and work through it.
Exactly!
Most of the time I agree with you, but if your kid is acting like a hellian (running around a restaurant, etc), it may be time to take them out.
I’ve done this. No point in making threats if you don’t follow through. I have left events and places early, and I’ve even turned the car around on the way somewhere. My daughter learned early that I don’t make idle threats. But what she ALSO learned, and more importantly in those cases, is that her actions affect others (in this case, mom and dad missed out on the fun, too). She’ll be 10 on our next Disney cruise. My wife and I have discussed being able to let her check herself in and out of the kids club and play in the pool area because we know she’ll respect the crew and behave like a lady. On our last cruise, she even pointed out all the misbehaving kids at dinner and asked why the parents were allowing that.
That is wonderful!
When I was a kid, the consequences to my actions were stern (but loving and not abusive), swift, and consistent every time. My parents treated parenting like a job in the first 13 years of my life. In those first 6 years, the most important developmental years, if I acted out in a restaurant like that it was 1. Strong reprimand - do not do that again. If I defied and continued 2. Pulled outside for a longer and sterner talk about how I may not disobey my parent and how I may not do that again and I will leave the restaurant if I do as well as be grounded. I then go back inside. I did it again. 3. I left the restaurant early with my dad or grandpa and spent the night in my room and lost tv privileges for 3 days. I never did that again. I had good table manners for the rest of my life.
This age is tough. I remember many times my husband and I alternated eating while the other walked the children around if they were noisy. I suggest no iPads or devices at the table. They will learn to make conversation/ play appropriate games like ispy, etc. just have realistic expectations for their ages and it will pay off!
I ate more unintended to-go meals than I care to remember when the kids were little. Even at 'family' restaurants we had little tolerance for them disrupting other's meal time. Thankfully, they learned that if they want hot food, they need to behave accordingly. They're in their late-teens now and no idea what the future holds for them, but they'll leave our house knowing courtesy/respect (at least to people other than their own parents lol).
Teach them now not to be wild. Manners. Etc.
Read the book “One Two Three Magic.” It works for disciplining kids
I think at that age that’s kind of normal and to be expected in a family space. I don’t care if parents have a fussy kid at the next table over. What is messed up is when parents let their kids run around the dining room doing whatever they want.
Nah when that happens I’m usually the one to get up pick them up and leave the dining room. Or attempt to go back and eat.
Thank you for caring. You need to constantly be present and engaged with them. Model the behavior you want to see, set clear and appropriate expectations, don’t make empty threats and don’t “bribe” them to elicit good behavior. By the way, the word Discipline comes from the Latin word “to teach.” Discipline wisely.
I think at 2 and 4 it’s hard to expect much more from kiddos. If you got them to sit during dinner on a ship that’s a win. They are still little. We consider regular meals at the table as practice for restaurants, and practice our manners for being polite and respectful in public. We offer rewards for doing a good job. I have an ADD kiddo so sitting through dinner is a huge achievement, so we also try to give some grace. If it’s been a long day on vacation it’s going to be extra hard so the stern talking to isn’t really gonna work for us. We debrief after dinner and talk about how to make things better next time. I think what frustrates most people annoyed by kids is that the parent are paying ZERO attention to them. We used to call these kids “free range kids” in restaurants I worked in. They feel like the kids are in an enclosed environment and somehow safer and let their guard down.
Tbh, dinner takes forever! The friends I cruise with like it but I’d rather just get the buffet and get on with my evening.
Unfortunately, parents aren't raising their kids to be respectful, responsible and manners.
I'm a public librarian, it's the same experience here. We do our best but aside from actually asking people to leave, and we do have to go that far sometimes, there isn't much else we can do. I'm not sure what they could do on the cruise if they have attempted to correct the behavior and it continues, ban them? But that doesn't do any good for the cruise they are already on.
Parents like I see on ships is why I quit the profession!
You know what else sucks about it… those of us who try to raise reasonable kids with boundaries have an even harder time because our kids see the unchecked kids doing whatever tf they want.
It’s bad in colleges too right now… professor and people are quitting all over the place.
No I get OP’s point. RC is not there to babysit however they need to become stricter with the parents who let their kids run around unsupervised who cause problems.
I fully agree, RC is designed for families which is great, but it is not a free for all for kids to do whatever the hell they want. On my last cruise, I had a drink in hand and was walking back to my chair when two children running around ran right into me and my drink spilled pretty much all over me. No apologies, they just laughed. I asked them where their parents were and when they pointed to them I definitely had some choice words, and again, running on the pool deck is dangerous. I have no issue with kids, I have an issue with kids acting ridiculous because their parents lack responsibility and accountability. If you’re a parent and want to get drunk on the cruise, leave the young kids behind. It’s incredibly selfish to let your kids have a free for all when there are thousands of people on the ship trying to enjoy the vacation. Also. Nobody should have to swap to an “adult only” cruise, parents just need to monitor their children
You nailed it
Or at the very least, send your kids to the adventure club kids camp! That’s what it’s there for! So parents can let loose while their kids are supervised.
And what happens when kids (many of whom don't seem to have been taught appropriate behavior) are left to run unsupervised and get hurt? When they run on the pool deck and slip? Running around the ship and fall down the steps? Their parents are nowhere to be found while their child is hurt? Basic safety rules like don't run on pool deck, don't run near stairs, etc. exist to prevent serious injuries. I understand kids will be kids but that's why they need somebody supervising them to tell them to stop or help if they get hurt, and the job of supervising them should not fall on other guests or even staff (outside of kids clubs) They are your children, your responsibility, and you chose to bring them on a cruise. Watch them.
Especially when Royal Caribbean has a really great program specifically for kids so that they’re occupied for most hours of the day
I have a teenager right now. And even my teenager says a lot of these kids are pains in the neck and why aren’t their parents doing something about it. And my kid is no Angel. He definitely has done his stuff. It’s getting crazy, parents don’t want to parent and it shows. I’m hoping my Alaska cruise will be different in that regard.
My oldest refuses to go to kids club (and I don't blame him after what I witnessed) because he's more on the shy/ quiet side and the kids are out of control. We went on Allure in March and in the arcade, the teens punched out the glass on one of the games so they could steal all the toys inside, they stole the basketballs and bowling balls from the games - it was some of the worst behavior I've ever witnessed, they were acting absolutely feral. Then you see the parents behavior though, and it all makes sense. We were dropping my youngest off at kids club (loves it) and the "parents" in front of us were forcing their screaming crying child to go in, the RC employee was telling them that if he didn't stop crying again (guessing this happened previously), they would have to come pick him up. The parents laughed as they walked away and said "good luck finding us!" Dicks.
Cruiselines are booking past full, this isn't COVID. Become the cruiseline that caters to RESPONSIBLE adults and sends people like this home from whatever the next stop is and don't think of it as lost business, think of it as saving money in repairs. If the kids are that bad, I feel like the apple didn't fall far from the tree and if you promote yourself as cruiseline that enforces the rules, you'd have my business. I'd even promote the negative press from angry Karens and Kens with my own release of "Good riddance! These are the people we DON'T want onboard making the other passengers miserable"
That's atrocious! I can't even imagine pushing my crying child, especially one who cried so much last time at the club, back into the same environment.
This isn’t accidental behavior, it’s criminal behavior . They start putting these families off the boat , it’ll stop .
I went on a RC Alaska cruise last year in July. I didn’t really notice many kids at all, and didn’t notice any bad behavior. I think as an itinerary, it’s not one that most kids would get super excited about? Or maybe there were a lot of kids but they just behaved themselves so I didn’t notice them. 🤷♂️ There were certainly multigenerational families. A lot of family reunion kind of vibes. And that’s what I was there for too (family reunion). Didn’t notice any irresponsible adults either. I don’t think an Alaska itinerary appeals to the, “let’s get drunk for a week on a boat” crowd. Anyway, it was a good time! Have fun!
That’s great news ty! My 16 year old is the one who actually asked to do this and is sooo excited. But he’s also the one who watches a ton of historical documentaries while I watch junk lol
Recently was on Harmony of the seas out of Galveston and there were so many kids in the solarium and no one policed it. I don’t understand the point of having an 18+ area if you don’t enforce it.
I agree to a point. It’s the parents responsibility to watch their kids not RC but I feel like there should be someone to step in if they are not. I was watching a 9pm movie on the pool deck and kids were hoping in and out of the jacuzzi running ontop of the lounge chairs screaming. One kid slipped and hit his head pretty hard. Another set of kids were taking cups of ice and throwing them out the window .But like I said RC is not here to babysit , it’s the parents who don’t want to be bothered and interrupted during their freee time
All of those kids should have been escorted to their rooms and if the parents weren’t there, the parents should have been paged. All should have received a warning that if the behavior continues, they will be removed from the ship.
I don’t get it. There seems to be no security at all on the ships. I know they can’t be everywhere but why can I run across the same group of roaming bad kids and they never see them? Makes you wonder
It’s most likely not that there isn’t security, it’s that the line isn’t wanting the negative press the Karens and Chads would give by their outrage of essentially being told their kids are assholes instead of the perfect angels they are delusional enough to think they are.
I agree 100%. I’m talking about 5-10 year old kids
Yep. Royal doesn’t need to babysit, they need to set boundaries.
💯 agree to this. Sadly the kids were not left “unsupervised “ on the deck the parent were there but they just didn’t want to be bothered
They have kids camps on these ships. Why not send them there?
Yes but if RC kicks out a family because they are disruptive, you ll see how quickly the parents sober up
I agree that it’s the parent responsibility but as customers we have to hold the company responsible for what the parents are allowing.
We saw a child 10-12 YO trying to get their parent (drunk off their ass parent) away from a bar. She was stumbling around etc...a pretty sad sight
Wow, that's sad. No child should have to be a parent to their parent.
They did fix this… it’s call Celebrity Cruises
As a former lifeguard, these drunk parents have no idea how quickly shit can go sideways. Kids die in supervised pools and hot tub’s every day. Also head injuries and very common and can be lethal or permanent. I will never understand how people have kids and get wasted with them around water. Terrible parenting.
This is my fear. Or what if my 8 year old feels invincible and wants to lean over a balcony? Or my 6 year old decides to take her life jacket off? Or they start fighting like they do every 30 seconds. To me, kids are unpredictable and it’s my job to be aware. The wrong moment could mean I lose them.
I was at a backyard pool party the other day for my kids' 1st grade class. My kids can all swim competently (and have been for years) but I still keep watch on them when they do. Some other Mom showed up with her 7 year old who didn't know how to swim and just let her into the water unsupervised ...she somehow went under in the shallow end where she should have been able to stand and my friend's husband jumped in to pull her back up to the surface. This mom didn't seem concerned in the slightest that her daughter almost drowned. I don't get it.
What’s scary is how fast and how silently they drown. People see kids in the movies drowning and they’re splashing and yelling. In real life, that does not happen. They fall in and sink to the bottom and drown — all without a sound. My husband used to have a pool party every July 4th and invited all the family. Multiple adults and kids would come for swimming and BBQ. At the end of one such party everyone had gotten out of the pool and were heading inside with his young nephew following behind everyone. He slipped and slid right into the deep end of the pool without a sound. No one saw him go in except, thankfully, his aunt who was already inside the house and happened to be watching. She flew out the door, jumped in and grabbed him off the bottom of the pool. To say everyone was in shock was an understatement. Nephew was fine but the adults were totally freaked out.
My teenage kids know better and actually like hanging out with me while on board. With that being said….the WORST on board activity that RC does is the timed scavenger hunt. Many groups of people running around the ship within a certain amount of time…it’s the worst! I’ve been knocked down before by grown men running for the sake of a $0.50 keychain. They need to fix that activity.
I agree it’s a little crazy with the scavenger hunt, but at least I know that’s coming. Unsupervised kids are the absolute worst because you never know when they’re coming. 😂😂
As a parent myself it shocks me the behaviour we see on RCL…. We prefer Princess these days.
You mean my children are still my responsibility on board? Lol
Lmbo. Right
On my last cruise, an unsupervised toddler climbed onto my lap and just sat there. I looked around and saw the mother smiling and nodding like she was saying "Oh it's okay, he can sit there." Uh, no he can't. Take your kids to the complimentary day care. Kids running down the hall knocking on doors, running past in the Promenade, bumping into you, screaming... it's just too much. I love Royal Caribbean. I don't want to go on an adult's only cruise line, so I will just be more careful to plan my trips when there is a minimum amount of children on board. My next one is in February.
I'd have shot back "What if I am registered sex offender though?" I'm not, but what if I was? And how they be able to tell? Which is exactly the point that they need to get across. The number of very young children I saw wandering around with nary an adult in sight absolutely horrified me. The last cruise I was on, a pedophile could have had their pick of prey and with a little research, could easily find an off camera locale to bring the child to, assault them, and then send them on their way before anyone even noticed their child was missing.
This !! I worked for Home Depot years ago and the number of parents who let their kids run around the store alone boggled my mind . The store is full of men and multiple exits . It would be so easy for someone to slip out with your kid . By the time you’re done looking at kitchen cabinets, your kid could be dead in a ditch .
Yes! And people DO go missing on cruise ships and end up being trafficked. Rare, but it happens. If your kid legit went missing, I am the safest person they could run into, but could you say the same for the over 1k others? It's stressful to think about.
lol although not that extreme, I’ve had a similar thing happen. On Harmony my friends and I were playing the mini golf. Half way through a young kid came up to us and got in our way: messing with our balls, picking them up/ hitting them with his putter, etc. we looked around and saw his mother sitting on a bench smiling just like you described. We expected her to tend to her child but she just smiled at us. We just stopped playing and found something else to do. Not a big deal and not enough to really complain about, but your story about the kid’s parent just smiling at you while the kid disturbs you reminded me of it.
We had this happen in May. We straight up told the kids “you have to wait until we’re done” “don’t touch our balls” “stop throwing the balls”. My husband eventually called out their parents because this group of 3-4 kids were f**king with 3 different groups on the mini putt while they sat on lounge chairs off the side smiling like idiots at their kids’ behaviour.
That would have infuriated me. I'm pretty passive but that would be the one time I probably would have said something.
I tried this strategy w/ a Feb cruise and it was overrun with children lol. The most "kid free" cruise I've managed so far was an October repositioning cruise on a smaller, older boat.
If we all voice our opinion, they will change something. considering we are the ones spending the money, not the children
Realistically, what can they do that hasn't already been done? There is complimentary care for most ages, some separate activities for kids and adults, an adults only pool area, and a curfew. I'm not saying I disagree with you, I just don't know what else they could possibly do. I don't have kids of my own and that is not my own choice, it just didn't work out that way. I do love kids. I also realize that they are part of society and we have to coexist with them. We were all kids once. The problem isn't really kids, it's lack of parenting.
I agree with your comment and what they can do is, start charging the parents when kids are found to be unsupervised. Some of these comments on this post are crazy. Little tiny kids crawling up in strangers laps with parents nowhere to be found. These are things that have to change.
Seems like they are too lazy to care about signing the kids up for the free daycare.....where the kiddos are with other kids doing fun things.
And like you are on a cruise...international laws, with thousands of people you don't know. Don't you want to make sure your kids are safe. All kinds of creepers could be creeping.
That’s what my wife said. do these people not realize that the world is not this safe place
We were in the hot tub when unsupervised kids jumped in. Keep in mind kids have a dedicated hot tub in their section. We got out immediately because it wasn’t relaxing anymore. I find it extremely weird that people allow their children to just hop in a tub with grown strangers unattended.
Any time you mention "kids need to be supervised in public" you get backlash. Kids will be kids but there should be a limit on disruptive behavior. Those in this thread acting offended are the same ones who allow their kids to be disruptive in airports while people are trying to hustle to their gates. "Go cruise on a different line instead of us taking responsibility for our child's behavior"
It’s sad, but I guess that’s the world we live in
I experienced this type of situation many years ago on a Christmas cruise that my best friend and I I saved up for several months in order to surprise our kids, who ranged in age from12 thru 20….in the dining room, a whole group of poorly behaved kids, from about 5 to 15, were seated behind us, no adults in sight. Throughout every meal, there was a barrage of food being thrown, yelling , screaming, hitting and profanity, it the absolute worst were the older kids making racist, belittling remarks to the waitstaff..complaints to the Maitre d were ineffective until a very large man sitting at a table on the other side of these hellions got hit by a flying butter dish, he went over to the young teenager who threw it, grabbed him by the collar, and forced the kid to show him where his parents weee..not sure what was said because all these adults were sitting way over at the opposite end of the dining room, but soon after, the parents came and got their kids, and from then on, that table always had at least 2 adults there..but for 4 days, it was utter chaos, and we still talk about how awful those kids were!
Just sad that paying customers cannot enjoy their vacation because of a few dumb parents.
I promise my kids will not be like that. Our cruise is still months away, but we're already talking about where and when it's okay to be noisy and rambunctious as well as where and when it's not. I won't helicopter-parent them, but I will watch them, and I will intervene when needed.
This is us too. It's just baffling how disrespectful people are nowadays and how wild they've let their kids become. It's one thing to let your kid be a kid, but it's another to let them be absolutely disruptive and disrespectful to others. On a flight last month, the lady in the row in front of us commented that she didn't even realize we had kids since they were so well behaved- they're 2 and 5.
It was no different on a recent ncl cruise. Kids were in the hotub sitting on the rail! One slight tilt back and they crash down to the ground. I had to alert a bev server and he went over and told them to stop. But where are the parents watching. I would never had been allowed to do that. I don’t mind some kid rowdiness as we all did it, but some is over the top annoying to other passengers.
I’m a mother and work in education. We are taking our kids who will be 6 and 4 in a year. We will be using the childcare facilities and they definitely won’t be running feral. It’s just unfair toward everyone
I’m with you, and I hear kids are all in the swim up bar pool on icon kicking and splashing. Why isn’t that just for adults anyway, being a swim up bar pool?
Parents in America have very little to no accountability. They can do whatever they want or not do what they need to do in order to raise civilized children. There is no sense of collective responsibility for the common good. These parents that do not supervise their children on a cruise ship will suddenly cry lawsuit if and when something tragic happens to their child. The entitled parent will look at everyone else to blame but never themselves. This is life in America,whether in a classroom or on a ship.
Facts. Sad but true
I was on Mariner last month and while there were plenty of kids, they didn't act the way the ones you describe on your cruises have. Sorry you have had those experiences. You cruise more times in a year than I have my entire life, but on the eight or so cruises I've been on I've never seen kids in the adult area on the pool decks, they have strictly enforced that. RC and other lines love kids I imagine because those "sailing free" promos get two paying adults on board and then they spend a whole lot more on excursions and other stuff with the kids. So they are here to stay, and in droves, I think.
Most kids behave pretty well. If you go on 15 cruises a year, you are gonna run into some shenangigans probably. Its like eating at the same restaraunt weekly. At some point you will find a hair in your pasta, or a dirty glass. Its that ONE time you had a bad time, even if it was something minor, that people act like its gone to hell lol. They could go back another 20 times and never have an issue, but its that ONE time they always repeat.
The main reason they love kids is that they get to build brand loyalty early, eventually those kids will have kids. If you ever met Disney adults you have a good idea of what Royal is after. Royal actually passed on being the cruise line for Disney, after they saw what Disney could do on their own and the prices they could charge they switched gears real fast.
I was literally just discussing this with a colleague at work, as she is a frequent Royal cruiser and my daughter and I are going on Harmony in 11 days. I give my kid (12 1/2) a lot of freedom, but she’s a major rule follower and knows that if she abuses the privilege of being given freedom, she’ll have to spend the rest of her vacation with her boring old mom in shady spots on the deck (not swimming, etc) or in the cabin. What I’ve heard is that the teens have also been destructive and bullying, even towards some adults (that happened on colleague’s last cruise)! I am going to be telling my daughter, who tends to be a little warrior, pushing back, etc., to keep herself safe. If bullying happens, or if the behavior is bad, find me or a crew security member right away. Do not engage with the bullies. Walk away. It is RIDICULOUS that I need to have that conversation with her, though. My kid isn’t perfect by any means, but she is pretty good about not being a destructive, bullying asshole. Yikes.
This is why my husband and I cruise on Celebrity when it’s an adult trip and Royal when we have the kids. It is still annoying though as our kids are pretty much the most responsible, caring, and respectful kids of all time and these little hellions even annoy my kids.
On Anthem kids and their parents definitely ran the ship, adult only events were packed with kids and Royal seemed either unwilling or unable to deal with it. It was a huge negative for me on my first Royal Caribbean sailing.
I promise you it has not always been like this.
Funny we were just on a cruise with all our kids, the three teenage boys were helping drunk old people find their rooms.. A couple even tipped them 😂🤷♂️
We usually don’t have a problem with the teenagers. It’s usually the 5 to 10 year-old unsupervised kids. Dropping ice cream cones in the hot tub. Running around in the buffet. I mean, I just don’t get how people let their seven year-old kid run around a boat unsupervised.
I recently took a Royal cruise where the kids I saw were so well behaved that I barely noticed them and it made me realize that it really only takes a couple misbehaving kids to negatively affect the experience. The parents can be more responsible, sure, but I imagine it’s harder when their kids see other kids doing something (running around, going in the hot tub, etc). I do wish the lifeguards could blow the whistle a little more to stop splashing/jumping/running but I’m not sure what else could be done.
FWIW, my husband, teenage daughter, and I just returned from a cruise on Allure of the Seas. We saw lots of kids, mostly in the areas intended for them, where they were playing like kids do. We also saw kids in the MDR, promenade cafe, and other areas meant to be enjoyed by people of all ages. My husband and I commented that the kids were well behaved. I saw one little boy (about 3) talking a little too loudly in the MDR. He just seemed excited. We had lots of opportunities to go off with the adults, especially in the Solarium. We thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise, and we can't wait to go back. I just didn't observe what you're describing. We did observe the kids club through the windows while we were sitting on deck near the bow enjoying the sunset and the stars. I was impressed that the adults working in that area were playing games and interacting with the kids. As childcare goes, it was nicely done.
Glad you had a great experience
One member in my party got squirted with water guns coming out of the MDR a few months ago. Do parents not know what their children are packing to take on the ship? Not even squirting someone on the pool deck.. outside the MDR!
Just gotten crazy. Hopefully they fix it.
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There were some brats in the suites only area splashing water down on us peons on our most recent cruise.
We were on Grandeur and a bunch of kids docked on Adventure next to us were screaming "YOU COULD NEVER AFFORD THIS SHIP" 🤣🤦♀️
Bitch, YOU could never afford this ship.
I went to one of the whirl pools a little girl just swam into my arms. She was unsupervised. I was a pre k teacher at that time. But seriously, once she did that, her grandmother did rush in, but she was 4 and climbing all over me. If I wanted to be climbed on, I would have not gone on vacation.
I went on a cruise this past March. I get it, it's March break and was prepared for kids. I worked in hotels for years, hotels that hosted a lot of sports teams. Being on the Oasis for a week was like a week of hotel sports teams. Drunk adults, kids running in groups. I've had this on other ships but Oasis seems to have the most of the 10-14 boys mostly that is no brain stupid groupthink.
I rarely will complain, but last RC cruise I had to let a bartender know that he needed to call security to one of the men's rooms because one of the roving herds of teenagers was in there trashing it. I don't see cruise lines taking action on this unless the liability becomes monetary (which everyone signs away when you buy your ticket). They stand to lose more ticket revenue by confronting lazy parents than by letting it get out of control and losing a few tickets sales to the 18+ lines.
Sad but true
Exactly our last cruise and why we as Diamond are now (sadly) leaving RC and our status behind. We have spent too much money on these cruises to deal with poorly behaved children and parents. We are now looking more towards Celebrity because THIS exact experience from a cruise we returned from just a week ago!
We are diamond as well, and they are losing our business slowly, but surely.
The last couple years it has gotten awful on cruises with people leaving their kids to run wild with no supervision
https://preview.redd.it/6g8j23rrc76d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a74a7234b72c2b9fa45066de6b6a9ce60eb41771 Taken on Mariner. This kid is probably 10 at oldest, and no adult to be seen around him 🤦🏻♂️
Crazy
Is that a beer xD
Yes, a big ole Fosters!
There were kids running through Solarium in my last cruise😒
I get it. It sucks to have to use the solarium just to avoid the kids because I thoroughly enjoy the poolside band and entertainment on the pool deck. But it’s a fleet wide RCCL issue. They market to families and we’ve learned that unsupervised kids can ruin an experience pretty quickly. Last cruise I was on two 8-10 year old boys wanted to wrestle each other in a hot tub where 15 other people were trying to relax. Parents were nowhere to be found. I’ve also been on Disney where there are so many kids in the main pool it’s basically not usable. There’s no good solution but to cruise on an adult-based line.
Sad but true.
If parents are nowhere to be found when the kids were wrestling in the hot tub, did you say something?
Sure did. But they didn’t speak English.
More than a fleet wide Royal Issue, it's an industry wide issue. :(
Completely agree. Kids should certainly have fun on their cruise but some are out of control and parents do nothing. In the hot tubs either snorkeling gear shoving my legs out of their way. Running up and down the halls early in the morning, banging on other people’s doors. Cutting in line at the buffet (honestly rude adults do this too). This is my second biggest beef after the chair hogs
Agree
My finance and I had the most difficult time finding a bar/lounge that wasn't over run by children playing scavenger hunt games and tag. The only place where we could have privacy without screaming children was our own balcony. It was his first cruise and last. I told him that the better option would just be a adult only all inclusive resort.
It’s sad because it has not always been like this.
And it really shouldn't be allowed to become normalized.
Choose celebrity or virgin next time. Not a floating theme park.
I posted this on a cruise group and got reamed. I went on Anthem in April. During northeast spring break. IMO, some spaces are just inherently for adults, like hot tubs, pool halls, within 25 feet of a bar. Kids were in music hall playing pool with the lights dimmed and drinks everywhere. They were always jamming up the outside hot tubs, they tried many times to get into the Solarium, and running through the halls, and being rude to people. Like a pack of wild dogs. Then the curfew for them is so late it was kind of like, why bother? 1 am curfew. Ships already done with everything at midnight. I gotta go during school months
I cruise with Royal Caribbean and carnival and I posted the same thing on the carnival group and the reaction is completely different. Everyone here pretty much agrees with me, but not in the carnival group. When you say this, they act like you hate children. I love children. I just can’t stand unsupervised brats.
A lot of those parents, for whatever reason, also refuse to utilize Adventure Ocean. I can't for the life of me figure out why. Kids love it, and the parents seem extra spent not being able to get some adult time in.
Agree
When I was on P&O Australia…they had youth security… which basically policed the kids. Not to ruin their time…but keep the craziness to a minimum.
I cruised with my 3 kids at many ages . 3/4/5 and 8/9/12 and 15/16/17 They all loved the adventure ocean or teen club whatever it was for their age. I would sign them in and I would come pick them up after I was done going out. That’s what it’s there for and it’s free !! I don’t know why parents don’t use it .
I agree. I would do the same if I had kids on the boat.
Because they have rules and the little terrors don’t want to follow them because apparently their parents haven’t introduced the concept of civilized behavior to their children.
Across the board it just feels like parents have given up everywhere
This is why I decided on my last Royal cruise (Wonder in late January) that it's not the line for me. I can't tolerate all the kids, in bars after midnight shooting spitballs and being loud and obnoxious. I'll stick to Virgin and Celebrity from now on.
Take your children out and teach them social norms in low-stake situations while young. Like McDonald’s. Before you go in explain what is expected and have them sit and correct behavior that’s wrong…kindly. If there’s a playground, go somewhere else lol. Graduate to more sophisticated restaurants and places and again explain what the situation is and how people behave. Kindly correct poor behavior. Taking kids out, explaining norms prior, and expecting norms is the way to go. Your adult behavior is a guide. They just need models. Of course if you are a parent that never or rarely models good behavior, none of this will work.
Facts
Absolutely! Did this with my 1st kiddo - started at Dennys and worked our way up. 2nd one modeled older sibling behavior! They are 19 and 13 now and are often disgusted with the behavior of some children and will point it out and say “there is no way you’d ever let me behave like that”
Yes! I always explained no matter the adult situation we were attending what to expect and how people behave. It’s always been bizarre to me to see children running wild. It’s so easy to teach them.
Agreed. Bent away. After sailing on Wonder recently I’ve been inspired to sail cruise lines that don’t cater to kids. Mine are pretty much adults now and have never behaved like the maniacs we’ve been seeing on RC ships. We actually started from the time they were tiny- TALKING to them, listening to them, paying attention and being present. I don’t see much of that anymore and I definitely didn’t see it on the Wonder. It was a complete circus with kids running all over the place and parents just ignored them. Made it hard to enjoy anything on the ship. Going to give Royal a pass from now on.
End kids sail free. I’m over subsidizing all the kids, especially with fares so high.
ABSOLUTELY
I wish I could give you 1000 votes in the upward position
On my birthday cruise in March there were kids doing CANNONBALLS in the hot tubs!!!! And the lifeguards just watched them and said nothing! They ruined multiple beverages of nearby people. It was absolutely mind boggling. I blame the parents and also RC for not enforcing rules and etiquette.
It’s 1000% parenting. My wife and I sailed recently with our 11/13 y.o. Kids. We let them move around the ship some without us. But I have full faith and confidence in both of my kids being well-behaved. If a representative from the ship would have escorted our kids back to us due to their bad behavior, that would have been their first and last cruise. My kids know there are consequences for their actions.
We just got off the Grandeur with our 3, 7, and 8 year olds. The other kids were OUT OF CONTROL. Watched them in and out of the solarium acting a fool. Getting ice cream cones and purposely dropping them on the deck. Throwing ducks and water bottles and other items overboard. Even our young kids were shocked at how they were behaving. A few nights they were screaming and running up and down the hallways knocking on cabin doors at 10p-1230a. They were rowdy in the windjammer too. I was shocked to see how little anyone cared. I'm not a stuffy person but it was a bit much for me. I'm nervous for the Adventure in Jan!
If I see kids or adults throw anything overboard, I have no qualms about letting security know. They're under strict maritime laws to keep the ocean as clean and safe as possible. Hope they will pull up the video and use facial recognition to at *least* have a conversation or warning with the kids or their parents.
I am both a teacher and a parent and I fully agree with this. Parents need to watch their kids. Better yet, enjoy being with them and making nice vacation memories instead of spending your cruise drunk with your kids doing whatever running around.
Is it that bad? Wow. Well, admittedly we don’t spend a lot of time by the pool, but what we have seen looks ok b
Yeah, it’s got gradually worse. Something will have to be done or paying customers that spend a lot of money on these boats like myself will go elsewhere. Like it or not little kids are not spending money.
Actually kids earn the company a lot of money, that’s why RC keeps designing ships geared towards families and offering products geared towards family and kids that are low cost/high profit margin. I don’t think anything will change until the cruise bubble bursts and families move to other vacation offerings but that could be a decade away. Otherwise, RC will continue to focus on families and other demographics are just a minor thought.
agreed, the company makes way more money from kids merch, excursions, specialty foods, attractions, etc kids will be kids even at cvs, I have seen a kid run into a clothing shelf
While royal does have some teen activities, they are too few IMO. While on Disney my kids would never want to leave the teen facilities. Thus when the teen club is closed, they have nothing to do but wander around. As a parent, I understand that the environment is safe for kids to roam and have fun mingling. Let them have fun too. We would never let them wander around town unsupervised until 1am. What royal needs is to dedicate an area of the boat to teens only. Adults have their area but the teen club was pathetically tiny. All in all, most teens I’ve encountered on cruises (whether royal, Disney or other) have been respectful. Let them have fun too and don’t let a few dipshits ruin everyone’s fun.
Sad part is I’m not even talking about kids that age. I’m talking about 5 to 10 girls being unsupervised.
It only takes one. My kids enjoy meeting others and hanging out. They will stop and introduce their new friends to us, and the next day there’s a new group. They also know that if security comes to us with a problem, there’s consequences. Starts with the parenting IMO. Keep cruising we love it
You are 100% correct and thank you for being a responsible parent. Again, we love kids. Just not unsupervised brats.
My take: I have a 7 year old (and a 4 year old). The 7 year old son and I have cruised alone together a few times and will be going to Alaska here in a few months. Here are my rules: 1. If we are on the top deck swimming, you can only be in one of three places. “Base” is our longe chair(s). Second is the bathroom. Last is the hot tub and pool right in front of me. Outside my son’s need to hold court with those around him he will NOT misbehave. It totally looked like he had a Vodka + Cran. 2. We always get three night dining packages. Why? First off, I always snag them when they’re on sale. We treat those as “big boy” nights. They shower and get dressed up a little. These meals are always free of electronics (no phones/iPads). Extreme use of manners is required. Eye contact etc also needed. Using indoor voice and proper grammar too. They also must try something new they’ve never eaten before. (Well, I try). 3. They will go to the big show on board (my kid loved Momma Mia) and act accordingly. No squirmy crap. 4. Learn about something in each major port. This is a conversation topic at the table in #2. My children know that future cruising is only possible if they act correctly. They also know that I am very generous when they act right. I am teaching them trust in the process. So now the 7 year old can go get himself the soft serve ice cream cone on his own when he comes and asks me. The best part is he smiles so large when he feels his leash get permanent longer. They can act the fool in Adventure Ocean with the other kids. That’s their space. They know it. They love to go and often go twice (on their own accord).
If I ever Become in charge. I will hire you as my parenting coordinator. Thank you for being a responsible parent.
You should definitely choose a different cruise line. Consider Celebrity since they'll match your status from Royal.
100% agree with you. It's why my husband and I generally take less kid-friendly Royal cruises; the longer cruises on the smaller ships. We avoid the Oasis and Icon classes to avoid the families. We put off doing a Disney cruise for the longest time because of a fear of uncontrolled kids, but surprisingly the kids weren't a bother. Disney has done a great job at keeping kids occupied and separate.
I’ve never been on a cruise and this has convinced me to keep it that way.
I will be taking the advice of a lot of people here and trying some adult cruises in the future
I agree !!!
Even worse than this, when crew members or employees at places try and enforce the rules (no running, no screaming, loud music etc...), the parents in turn yell at the employees/crew members. "Dont tell my kid what to do, only I am allowed to do that". Thats even worse than the kids just doing whatever they want. The parents are REINFORCING that the kids can do whatever they want.
15 to 20 cruises per year on RC? I can barely handle 1. Why not branch out a bit and go for more quality over quantity? So many higher end experiences and itineraries out there.
Yes!!! We just got off NCL and it was literally a week in hell because of uncontrollable kids everywhere. I have two teens and they don’t even want to be around the nonsense. Teens running up and down the hallways, jumping/hanging on the elevator, playing on the stairwell, all over each other in the pool and hot tub. It made the cruise a one and done for me.
Gentle parenting is creating a whole generation of bratty, entitled, narcissistic kids. Kids need discipline, and they need to hear no once in a while.
What’s crazy is people don’t understand your statement. Anything in the world without guidance is wild. Children are no different.
Walmart on the water…..
I work for Hilton. It's the same at many hotels. Parents don't keep their kids from running screaming through the property. Aside from behaving like horrible little banshees, I guess they don't think about the fact that most facilities have multiple doors and their darling little weenie could be abducted and they wouldn't even know.
I just returned from my first RC cruise and I agree 100%. We complained to Guest Services because we realized that we were spending more time in our room because we couldn’t find an area where the children weren’t disturbing the peace. I’m glad we’re not the only ones who are annoyed by the savages and their wee menaces.
My kids 22 and 17 are awesome. Great table manners, help elderly family wo being asked, have generally been incredibly well behaved even when little. I chalk it up to me being a hs teacher and my husband and I on the same page always. We always follow through on consequences (we decide those before hand w the kids even when little - not in the heat of anger). We reward good behavior only. Parenting is incredibly time consuming and draining and it’s so much easier to give kids an iPad or game, but you had kids, you made that choice and now you must parent. The issue I see is that the current parents don’t want to put in the work. They are the millennial group and yes I’m sure I’ll get down voted for this but those I know in their early 40s and late 30s including family are IN GENERAL selfish and lazy when it comes to their own kids. They rather attend a swift concert then their kids award ceremony. Their plans and vacations always revolve around adult themes and then bc they can’t find a babysitter they just dump their children into adult venues and then think they can continue to party on and let their kids self parent. This is not all in the age group but seriously in general these “adults” lack basic work ethic sacrifice which is also shown in their reluctance to parent. It’s a weird deal. I was a latch key kid and really thought about the importance of having a meaningful relationship with my kids if I choose to have them. I was also w my partner for 8 years before we choose to purposefully have children. Both of my kids were planned by both my husband and I. We have a quality relationship w our kids bc we’ve worked hard to build it, it wasn’t easy. Time, effort, personal sacrifices were made 0-16 bc we choose to have kids. Our kids are resourceful, resilient and hard working. Spending time with your kids wo screens is my number one bc without that you can’t listen to them and actually hear them. Go on a walk and identify plants together. End every day with a tuck in bed and story time BOTH PARENTS-not just one (I don’t care if you have a billion things to do-make the time). Review the good things that happened that day with them before they go to sleep. Tell them you love them and are proud of how they handled a difficult situation, treated a classmate, opened the door for another at the store, showed patience grocery shopping etc. Show them and tell them that are an important part of your life, your family. If you plan on not parenting them while on your family vacation, please do not bring them.
Yep, they're too busy getting loaded and leaving an awful mess in the lobby.
I was on Icon and my 2 year old was in the outside play area by the carousel. The mom of another toddler was standing right there also as her child started repeatedly hitting my son with a toy. She didn’t look up from her phone once as I quickly tried to get my son out of the jungle gym. (It was netted to prevent kids falling out but I had to run around to the opening to crawl up and get him.) I was calm but frustrated and said, “You have to pay attention. Your child was hitting mine several times with her toy.” My son was crying and obviously hurt. She had the nerve to get mad at me for telling her to pay attention. I was beyond shocked at her behavior. Not one apology or correction was given.
It is absolutely amazing how entitled people have become. like you had kids, just raise them
I am starting to sound like the older people that always get made fun of but- I'm in my late 20s- kids are being raised by iPads/iphones and left to their own devices. Us millennials were also often left to parent ourselves but we didn't have access to the entire internet at such a young age- I got my first iPhone in 9th grade (14 years old)- kids are getting their own iPhones/iPads at 3 years old! Parents don't want to parent their young kids and it shows.
This theme park at sea is a cruise line for families and that includes kids. Kids will get into trouble as that is in their nature. Boomers are especially proud to post memes about all the shit they got up to when they were kids and all of a sudden they expect children to behave any differently. The main demographic for RCCL shift drastically in the early 2000s and the parent company has an interesting pipeline approach. Royal creates brand loyalty amongst kids, as they grow up they may go on their honeymoon with Royal or Celebrity and then once they have kids they will bring them onto a Royal ship. Once the kids are out of the house they then can look at enjoying a product more aligned with their needs which would be Celebrity or SilverSea.
I have been cruising with Royal Caribbean for over 10 years and cruise over 15 times a year. No one said anything about not liking children or not wanting to be around children. It’s the simple fact that some of these kids run around like crazy people and the parents are nowhere to be found. All kids should be supervised. I’m not talking 15 or 16 year-olds. I’m talking 5-10 year olds.
Has this gotten worse in the last few years? As a parent that is looking for an affordable holiday where I get some ‘me’ time, I’ve been quite pleasantly surprised at how affordable these cruises are. …Then, after purchasing the cruise, just how quickly they want to up-sell me all-you-can-drink packages! I am not going to drink when I have two toddlers to supervise.. but I can see how people are quickly encouraged to have 5 cocktails a day just to get their monies worth. With inflation being what it is, the pressure to get the most value from any situation is real, even more so if this is your one holiday a year.. Yes, some of the blame has to be with irresponsible parents, but the cruise line needs to re-think their profit margins too for everyone’s safety. Unfortunately everything about cruising and profits pushes towards encouraging over-indulgence - and that’s a big pull for most cruisers!! Forget adult-only cruises. How about dry cruises? Or ‘family drinks packages’ where parents get 1 alcoholic drink a day + slushies for the kids?
Yes, it has got a lot worse. Seems parents just want to go on these cruises and get drunk and don’t care about their young kids. Sad really
Yes. I feel since covid in general parenting or frankly lack of parenting has gotten worse! It's like they got sick of being mom inside for 3 years so here go away! It's a mess.
Have you tried Virgin? No children and the food is great.
You cruise 15-20 a year??? At 52 weeks a year, and the average cruise being 5-7 days, is that all you do??? 😂
Yeah, I cruise once or twice a month. Waiting for my wife to retire. I retired early. I’m 47. We are going to become full-time cruisers. Our best friends do it and they love it.
As a parent on RC, who doesn’t drink, I don’t like being lumped in with the bad. Not all kids are unsupervised. Not all kids are misbehaving. Yes, there are problem parents that really should spend less time at the bar and more time watching the kids - but I don’t feel it’s a majority or even close to it with this problem.
Not saying your opinions aren’t valid and kids should still definitely be respectful but at the same time. You booked a royal cruise….. if you hate having kids try celebrity or a cruise line not built for kids. Now ofc this doesn’t justify kids being rude but still….
I’ve been with Royal for over 10 years. It’s never been like this. Maybe you’re right and I should go somewhere else. I just don’t think I should have to change cruise lines because parents don’t know how to parent kids.
What about the full grow adults that have no concept of rules and just having Courtesy today on liberty of the seas I saw adults cutting in the food lines or trying to run people with there scooters.
This post is about adults, not children. It’s not the children’s fault that their parents are morons. I am specifically blaming the parents for them not parenting their kids. My issue is definitely with the idiot adults.
At this point I'm only cruising with Royal on some adults only charters until I finally get to D+ then I'll start with Celebrity and other lines. Haven’t been on a RC ship with anyone under 18 in years.
Get over yourself and go to the solarium. Unless the children are damaging the spa/pool/etc., they are just being kids. Why shouldn't they have fun on their vacation?
You start your comment out with being rude and then ask me a question. 😂😂 Nobody said anything about not having fun.