Unruly children in the dining room
 

I just got off the Valor and the table directly across from us was a table for 12. The table had to be made into a table for 8 and then a table for 4. All the kids sat on the end table for four and then the separated table for four. Each night these children were acting up, and totally disruptive to everyone at the four tables around their party of 12.

The parents would be in deep conversation and not even care that their kids were running in the open area where the wait staff have to walk, and on one occasion almost took down a waiter with a tray full of plates. The asst matire d was walking around and politely asked the kids to not play in that area and that the area has to be free for wait staff to go through. It didn't work. I faced the table and you can count on a fingerless hand how many times they chastised the kids to behave....key here fingerless hand....None, zip, zilch. The one time the father stepped in was when the older one started to beat the younger one up and they screamed bloody murder and EVERYONE around looked....it didn't work once again...the kids went back to what they were doing...

I do no know why they didn't send them to cmp carnival for dinner with the kids as all of them looked to be between 5 and at best 10 years old.

Parents, please, do not be oblivious to your kids at the dining table, make the little buggers BEHAVE so everyone else has a peaceful dinner or send them to camp carnival...better yet, go to lido with the little angels with black halos!!!!

We had six at our table and after two nights three couldn't stand the brattiness of the kids and got another table assignment....

Speak up if you have and similar experiences!!

I would never take that behaviour. I would complain to Maitre D' first night. I would go to Hotel Director after second night. If family wasn't put ashore after third night; I would have been on phone to Corporate. There is no excuse for toleration of this type of behaviour.

Marc can we do that on airplane. We just give the little buggers parachutes and tell them to pull the cord.

On an airplane, I just ask the flight attendant for duct tape.

I have "accidentally" tripped a kid that kept running up and down the aisle. I have also asked for brandy to be given to the kid. Either the parent is considerate and takes the hint or they go ballistic.

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL Brandy should help. Duct and a rope would also work. But only for the unruly childern with the lazy parents. :wink:

I never knew people couldnt stand kids on crusies and airplanes as much as they do after reading this board along with a few others! I mean dont get me wrong kids Can be bad but you need to look to the parents for that not the kids. I am the mother of a soon to be 5 yr old daughter who is very well behaved and polite (i get compliments from other passengers all the time) I think that if there are alot of kids at one table the cruise line probably shouldnt seat couples crusing alone with that table.
And everyone should remember they were once a kid themselves and Im sure not everyone was a perfect angel all the time :wink:
I even read on one board "why do people even bring their kids on cruises" WELL not everyone can find a babysitter for 5,7,10+days! And isnt it a good thing that kids have a family that can not only afford to take them but for them to see the world and soak up the different cultures that are out there??

Also, it was a Carnival ship..though I have never cruised with Carnival it seems to me that more kids would be on that line then compared to a HAL or celebrity ship, and the time of year is also something else to consider. If you want a cruise with minimal amounts of children you may take those tings into consideration..

I too have been on several cruises where the parents were so involved in what they were doing that they didn't see their kids much less see what they were doing that was so bad---but then that is what is wrong with kids this day and time-----too many parents don't care as long as the kids is out of their hair----put them in front of the TV --pawn them off on someone else and never talk to them-----you have to talk to a kid to get them to understand what is expected of them and how they should behave----but I must admit I have seen so many very well behaved kids on the ship and then I see why----- the parents are very observent of what is going on and they talk to the kid about what is expected ------The last cruise we were on the kids below us were out all night running up and down the hall and we asked (mind you these were 7/89/ and 10 year olds ) we asked them where their parents were and they said the bar and or casino------ in my oppinion they were way too young to be by themselves--------this is why I like the area that kids are not allowed at the adult area on the RCL
my favorite place
kathy

I have been in church and have seen well behaved children. I have seen children starting to act up, but the parent steps in and the child settles down. I was in IHOP and there was a family with three little children. I thought uh oh here we go. However, I was wrong and happy to be wrong those children were very well behaved, The parents took the time to keep the children in engaged with coloring and playing games until the food arrived.

The reason these things are not talked about here is because this is the gripes board. So I'm sure I would not have a problem cruising with your child. But I would have a big problem being seated by this group.

Jen and Rich-do not get me wrong, I have been on ships where I have seen children so well behaved I wold have thought they were stepford children!!! There was one toddler perhaps at best 16-18 months old and we saw this family all over the place, I never heard a peep out of that little girl every, even during the production shows!

There is always good, bad, and ugly scenarios on the ship. The good was a mom scolding her deaf son and he truly was listening to what she was saying. The bad was the little bastard that was bored and riding the elevator and pushed every floor from Deck 1 to Deck 10 when I got on at Deck 3 (and he got off at deck 3-I got out and waited for another elevator). The ugly was the kids in the dining room...

I can say an ugly about teens when we I was eating lunch and a teenaged on asked his father for a drink of the day and the father bought it for him...alas, he wasn't 21....

Someday when you are old, hard of hearing, getting a little senile and you are talking too loud out in public because of it, is it ok if someone trips you when you walk by or should they walk up to whoever you are with and ask them to keep you quiet? If I saw anyone "accidentally" trip ANY kid, I hope they enjoy it because its the last time they'll ever do it.

Looking forward to meeting you on my next airplane ride. :D

Oh are ya now? The "comfort zone" special where there are nothing but perfect behaving adults enroute to their vacation destinations and they expect to be treated like royalty at all times or they whine to everyone who pretends to care? You mean that flight?

Oh yeah, you forgot to answer my question about when you get old.

I guess I am in the minority, because I have never been bothered by children in the dining rooms, on any of my cruises.

Now have I been bothered by adults....Oh yes:(

As long as neither was acting rudely why would that be your concern?

Cheers, Aidan

This is interesting, because it brings me back to a poll I set up on the Carnival thread; entitled what would you do. At that time 64% said they would do nothing. feel free to vote if you want.
http://www.cruisemates.com/forum/vie...erage+drinking

Keelhaul the little rascals. OK, don't keelhaul 'em but at least keep em in the brig for a day or two until they learn to act like proper shipmates! Arrgh!! LOL

Ah, Katlady, but the situation posted is very different from the poll question. Smuggling is a blatant attempt to avoid the rules. Ordering a drink for an obviously teenaged person is a request to waive the rules. After all, all the waiter had to do was say no. If a cruise line rep agrees to waive the rules, then there is no harm or damage to anybody.

Cheers, Aidan

I agree that there are a lot more ill behaved adults on airplanes. Of course, eight years of flying in and out of Orlando almost every week and I saw plenty of misbehaved adults and kids. Nothing worse than that rerouted flyer who gets put up in first class and trys to drink his plane fare in a two hour flight.

As for your question, I am already "older than dirt." :D

I agree it's a different situation, however, it's the parent that wavier the rules not the Cruise line. Here is the quote.The cruise line would get in big trouble if they served an underage kid. I do remember reading something about a parent's wavier (for 18 and above) if the cruise is to Europe where the legal drinking age is 18, I'm not certain which cruise line.

I would not step in at all here because the father bought his son the drink of the day. Misguidedangel how old would you say the teenager was? To me there is a big difference between a 14 year old drinking and an 18 year old drinking.

As a person who was first drunk when he was two, I have nothing against a parent providing a drink to a 14 year old kid. My parents offered alcoholic drinks to my at home when I turned 16 and I was drinking shabbas wine all my life. WRT to the waiter potentially being in trouble for serving to father and then father passing to kid; I don't think so. There is a lot more leeway with "legal guardian" rights than if waiter served to someone else who provided drink to kid.

Now, if kid started harrassing guests or causing damage, punish him whether he had been drinking or not.

We are vererans of 12 cruises and I'm always amazed at the number of young couples who can afford to cruise with 2 or 3 children. We could only afford to go camping when my 3 were young :-? I'm also amazed at how well behaved most of these children are, especially in the dinig room. I suppose they're used to eating out and the parents have taught them to act accodingly. However...Last Feb. we sailed on the Constellation. Booked 8 months in advance and requested a large table. The first night we were shown to a table for 2?? We would have been okay with that except for the location-upper level at the top of the staircase behind the piano where the waiters enter and exit. It was our 5th.Celebrity cruise and we expected better so spoke to the Head Waiter after dinner, who was most accomodating. He had a table for 6 on the lower level in a good location with room for 2 more. Sounds good. Not. We were seated with a couple and thier 2 children-a girl 7 and a boy12. The daughter was an attention getter-kept making weird faces at me but really no problem. But the son :evil: He was overweight and easy to see why. Every night (that we were there)he immediately ordered chocolate milk and ate half the dinner rolls. Then, we ordered more rolls and he ordered more chocolate milk. Sometimes more BEFORE the entrees had arrived. And when he did get his dinner, he wanted the ketchup, the mustard, more rolls, more choc.milk. He would eat about 2 or 3 fries and then announce that he was full and wanted to leave the table. No kidding! I wonder why? All this may sound petty but the waiter and asst. waiter were run ragged and everyone at thier tables suffered. We were last to leave the dining room every night. We ate at the buffet 4 nights just to escape. It's too bad that kids get a bad rap because of a few but then that's the way with everything,isn't it?

The cure for all this is just another reason to ask for late seating. other advantages are:

1. Always have an opportunity to watch the sailaway at your leisure.

2. Never rushed to get cleaned up and changed in time for diner after a day ashore.

In 15 or so cruises, and probably. 4.5 or 5 months at sea, I don't think we've ever had kids under 12 in the dining room at dinner time.

And of course, don't cruise during holidays, and take longer cruises.

Katlady--the two ladies (from the dining room) were sitting with me at the Lido open deck area on the smoking side (no seats on the non-smoking side). One said he looked younger than her youngest who is still in high school. The kid was also smoking with his parents. Age, heck, I am not a good judge, but he looked like he was still a teenager....Who knows, maybe the parents did sign a waiver that would allow them to buy drins for their kids. I was there to eat and have a good time. There was plenty of security everywhere, so if the guard noticed it he or she might have asked their age.....The security did a great job keeping the kids out of the adult only pool/whirlpool...

Not so, Katlady. The reason "underage" drinking is such a hot topic is because the cruise line can't get in big trouble for it. On the high seas, it is perfectly legal.

(On a side note, a parent serving his child alcohol is also legal in many states in the USA),.

Cheers, Aidan[/i]

I stayed in Aruba for a week.

The most fun I had was playing Bingo by the pool with some children who were well behaved.

That was the most relaxing, spending time in the sun by a pool with intelligent people who were eager to learn and play with others who were willing to enjoy their company.

Never have I enjoyed so much time as playing games with children with (properly taught) manners.

Now, for you other folks...Spend time with your kids, teach them some manners, and they will excel in life where you could never dream possible.

I think everyone misses my point. LOL Here is the quote I disagree with.
The cruise line waiter didn't serve alcohol to the son; he served it to the son's father (over 21). The father chose to give the drink to his son, there was no cruise line rep waiving the rules. Most cruise lines have the policy of only serving people over 21. So the waiter may have got fired if he served someone under 21. That is why I don't believe the waiter knew the father was going to give the drink to the son. But I wasn't there so just to clear this up misguidedangel what exact happened? Did the waiter know the drink was for the son? Or was the drink given to the son after the waiter left?

Misguidedangel, this whole idea of inspecting your fellow passengers and chatting about their looks smacks of creeepiness to to me. If they were't acting rudely, why were you even looking? I honestly don't get how this is your business.

Cheers, Aidan

I often hear this, but I am skeptical. I doubt any waiter on a cruise has ever been fired for serving a drink to a person under 21. If you disagree, can you provide a name, date, cruise line?

It is no differernt than saying "lounge chairs by the pool are never saved for hours with a book or other personal item, because that is against the rules. Any cruise employee who allowed that would be fired. Therefore, it does not happen."

I think the cruise employees fired for serving alcohol to persons under 21 ranks right up there with those fired for allowing deck chairs to be "saved".

Cheers, Aidan

The OP made it quite clear that it was obvious the drink was for the underage son. If it was obvious to her from somewhere else in the dining room, then certainly it would have been clear to a person standing at the table. No?

Cheers, Aidan

Okay I disagree: the ship was Costa Magcia the cruise was from Jan. 2-8th, 2006 a bartender was fired or serving alcohol to 15 year old girl from Ireland. Since the girl is a minor her name is not available.