Is it just me….

[nearlyfallinstar]

Oh. And my take on the thong swimsuit...it's just a butt.

 

[cruisingtwins]

We cruised when our kids were 19 months old and it drove me crazy. We cruised on the fantasy which had a separate splash area for big kids but there were always big kids in nemo's reef. I think the area should be only for toddlers.

 

[kerry1379]

I haven't cruised yet-we are preparing for our first. I didn't realize there was an age restriction on Nemo's Reef. I have a disabled 11 year old son who is still in diapers. I know swim diapers aren't allowed in any other pool so I had hopes he could sit to the side of this one. I would be with him and he pretty much stays in one spot due to physical limitations. Would this be frowned upon?

 

[C6PT7]

I would hope it wouldn't be frowned upon @kerry1379. Your son should be able to enjoy that space if it appeals to him!

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I haven't cruised yet-we are preparing for our first. I didn't realize there was an age restriction on Nemo's Reef. I have a disabled 11 year old son who is still in diapers. I know swim diapers aren't allowed in any other pool so I had hopes he could sit to the side of this one. I would be with him and he pretty much stays in one spot due to physical limitations. Would this be frowned upon?

As someone who took my one year old and loudly complained about the same issue, I can promise you the toddler parents will not be concerned about disabilities.

I don't foresee your 11 year old running around knocking into kids and pushing toddlers away from the spray fish or turning sprayers onto young toddlers.

The problem wasn't so much the big kids playing, it was that they used their size to be mean. We were on the fantasy with the aqua lab splash zone for big kids. There were 7 year old boys going down a one foot slide and then trying to go as far as they could and knocking little toddlers. It was ridiculous! Especially since it was the couple of big boys and all the other kids were under 2.

I probably didn't handle it the best but I basically called them babies loudly to my husband. "I just can't imagine having boys who want to play on baby toys." But these boys were MEAN, maybe I would have had more patience if they weren't.

I'm back on the board because we were talking about doing another cruise. Only if my daughter is early to potty train, because I need my daughter to enjoy her time too.

 

[amanda ek]

I don't think anyone would have a problem with your son sitting and enjoying the water. It's the kids running, pushing, and shooting the littles in the face with the water sprays. We were constantly calling on the lifeguards to enforce the rules....didn't seem like they would do much unless a parent complained.

 

[kerry1379]

Thanks all for your input. I agree whole heartedly that there is no excuse for older kids hurting the young ones. I too am baffled as to why they would want to be there if they could be in a bigger kid space. But I will be following in your footsteps MinnieSweetheart-I have no problem speaking up if I see kids bullying other kids.

I guess I have to wonder-if it is a problem there, is it a problem in the kid's clubs too? Or perhaps it isn't a problem because the kids are under threat of their parent's being called and possibly being banned from the area. Sounds like the lifeguards need to have that same authority.

 

[bumbershoot]

If their parents aren't there and they are putting the kids in your party into danger, where is YOUR voice? YOU can be the change. YOU can step up and help the bigger, ganglier, kids control themselves.

I go to the YMCA nearly every day, and I have started helping younger kids figure out the world; if their parents aren't there and they are doing something crazy, I'll step in with a strong parent voice and let them know what they can do to change.

I really thought this was a family oriented cruise ship, why in the world do some women find it necessary to wear tongs to the children's pool area? Really? One lady had a thong on and her top barely covered her breast.

So...I haven't even worn thong underwear since the '90s, but I gotta say, there's nothing non-family-friendly about thong bathing suits. As was said upthread, it's just a butt. It's just skin. There are plenty of cultures who find nothing whatsoever wrong with showing "cheek" or even showing lots of breast, and since breasts are there FOR nourishing children, I especially find there to be nothing wrong about having some breast skin showing. I personally don't want to show much of mine, never have, but I don't care if others are showing it.

Well... they're not necessarily older, they could just be taller. This means that generally they have grown much faster than their peers and don't know where their limbs end. Just because they are tall enough for the big slides, doesn't mean that they are emotionally old enough for the big slides.

ALL the yesses in the world.

My son was 6.5 when we went to WDW first, and they had a HEIGHT limit on the water play areas at the pools, and he could not go in them. He was SO sad. 6 is still a kid. Heck, he's 11 and he's still a kid. When I was 11 I was, with all of my friends, still playing with Barbies and wanting to go on the monkey bars and the "rocketship" climbing structure...you don't turn a switch on in your head and stop wanting to play with and on things just because you're a certain age. And being tall when you're still very young, and encountering a height limit, is just heartbreaking.

Not to mention, so often those little kid areas have things that would be better played on and with by older kids! The Ikea ball play area comes to mind. Kids are finally able to stand and walk and not pee accidentally in the ball pit, and then they age/height out of it! Ball play areas should be for *older* kids, not tiny kids.

I remember asking my mom why a man was wearing a thong at the pool once and she said: "because he thinks it's confortable". And that was the end of the story.

I adore your mom.

And, frankly, they can be more comfy. My son is a dancer and has entered the world of "dance belts" instead of plain underwear under his ballet clothes. After a week of hating it, his "T-back" dance belt now feels normal and comfy to him. I remember in my 20s wearing "T-back" underwear under shorts for hiking, and finding them to be fabulously comfy. Still don't want to expose MY cheeks to the world (same for DS LOL), but they certainly can be comfy.

I probably didn't handle it the best but I basically called them babies loudly to my husband. "I just can't imagine having boys who want to play on baby toys." But these boys were MEAN, maybe I would have had more patience if they weren't.

Next time maybe just talk to the kids? Help them? Instead of reverting to childhood *to kids*, be an adult and help them.

I too am baffled as to why they would want to be there if they could be in a bigger kid space.

Because they want to be there. My son was little and was slammed to the ground by a 13-year-ish old boy at a water play area at California Adventure. He's now 11 and nearly my size and he still wants to play in there. He won't, because he doesn't want to accidentally hurt anyone, but that doesn't make the yearning less. Doesn't make him wish they made places like that for older kids any less. At 8, when we took our first Disney Cruise, if he had known that he would be allowed to be in that area? I bet he would have wanted to go, because he's still a KID.

 

[Plaid Princess]

ALL the yesses in the world.

My son was 6.5 when we went to WDW first, and they had a HEIGHT limit on the water play areas at the pools, and he could not go in them. He was SO sad. 6 is still a kid. Heck, he's 11 and he's still a kid. When I was 11 I was, with all of my friends, still playing with Barbies and wanting to go on the monkey bars and the "rocketship" climbing structure...you don't turn a switch on in your head and stop wanting to play with and on things just because you're a certain age. And being tall when you're still very young, and encountering a height limit, is just heartbreaking.

Not to mention, so often those little kid areas have things that would be better played on and with by older kids! The Ikea ball play area comes to mind. Kids are finally able to stand and walk and not pee accidentally in the ball pit, and then they age/height out of it! Ball play areas should be for *older* kids, not tiny kids.

Yep. Nothing worse than having to tell a kid they are too tall to play somewhere that is age appropriate. Ironically, the first time I was discriminated against because of my height was at Disney. They do need to make all their policies for kids play areas based on age and not height, so the tall kids don't get left out (as they usually do).

 

[MinnieMouse64]

They do need to make all their policies for kids play areas based on age and not height, so the tall kids don't get left out (as they usually do).

The Nemo Reef is based on age and not height. I guess what I am trying to say is….I feel that an 8 year old seems a little to old to be playing in the Nemo Reef area (I feel that this area is more for the younger children such as toddlers and preschool age children). Just like I think my 3 year old grandson was to young to be sliding down on the Mickey Mouse Slide, even though he could do it because he was tall enough and made the height requirement. We let him do it a couple times thinking he would do okay, but he really didn't understand you had to wait on a green light before sliding down and he ended up coming down on the slide a few seconds after the child ahead of him. So at that point my hubby and I decided he was just to little to be on there (plus for safety reason for him and the other child) because he did not understand what he was suppose to be do and kept him in the Nemo Reef area. My hubby and I both supervised him in both areas at all times. Maybe it would be okay for an 8 year old to be in the Nemo Reef area if ALL the parents that had children in there (which there is a sign posted stating Children must be supervised) was watching their children. I think some parents think my little johnny or my little susie wouldn't knock down little children. I am not trying to start an argument on here, I was just wondering what other parents with small children that have gotten in the Nemo Reef area thoughts were. As far as the person that ask about their 11 year old son that was disabled getting in the Nemo Reef area, I don't think ANYONE would have a problem with that and shame on them if they do.

 

[seacruise]

Didn't bother me at all to have the older kids in the Nemo's reef area. Our kids are 3yrs + apart in age and having a larger age range makes it possible for them to both be in the same place at once so we can actually supervise them rather than letting them run amok. I think requiring a parent to be present supervising the child is a lot more affective than a arbitrary age range.

 

[Trera]

Honestly, I think 8 year olds are to old to be playing in an area with little children. I think the cut off should be 6 or so.

Our 2 year old DD loves the slide but between the older kids pushing her out of the way to get on it, and then running right infront of it when she is coming down (our last cruise she got kneed in the head).............it is too dangerous for her.

The best thing they could do to get the big kids out of Nemo's reef would be to remove the slide. I see the older kids getting bored quickly of the water jets.

An Aqua lab being constructed on the Dream would help also.

Just my opinions.

 

[MinnieMouse64]

The best thing they could do to get the big kids out of Nemo's reef would be to remove the slide. I see the older kids getting bored quickly of the water jets.

I agree, if the slide wasn't in there then older kids would get bored being in there.

 

[MinnieMouse64]

I think requiring a parent to be present supervising the child is a lot more affective than a arbitrary age range.

I agree, 110%.

 

[Minniemiss]

We pointed out to the bigger kids that there were kids in swim diapers and they often leaked liquids. They quickly exited.

 

[insureman]

Oh. And my take on the thong swimsuit...it's just a butt.

Just an observation, I would probably take down the the family pics in your signature with the names and ages of your children. No flames please just a security issue with any type of public social media.

 

[llachance]

Agree that it should be on the parents - and there were a ton of kids that were too big playing with the littles when my grandson was playing there! More then once I admonished children - and I actually feel that it should be a height requirement rather then an age requirement because it is more about the room available and the size of the play toys.

 

[MunFam]

I found in general, the kids on Disney Cruises (and this is a very broad statement) run very wild...I have no clue where the parents are...or if they just don't care. At the Frozen Deck Show, my husband ended up playing body guard/bouncer (and let me tell you, he bounced a few) so our 4 year old would not get kicked, punched, sat on, elbowed by the rowdy 8-13 year olds that thought it was their God-given right to have front row viewing despite the fact that the crowds were already like 6 deep. There was even one kid...maybe 3 or 4 that was up running ON THE STAGE during the show...no parents anywhere trying to get him off. Same kids running the hallways like wild beasts making noise at night or cutting lines at the buffet. Its not just a Nemo's Reef problem...

If they were being rowdy at the pool, I would straight up say " look around, you are disrupting a lot of people with your behavior, take that $hit elsewhere". One mom confronted me because I cursed at her kid (after he tattled on me) and I said...were you here? Did you see what was going on? No? Okay then, don't come over here trying to tell me how to handle rowdiness in the pool when it affects my child. How about you supervise your kid so I dont have to and next time we wont have an issue! She huffed off, but her kid stayed in check the rest of the trip.

...now, there were some amazingly kind kids on the cruise too...and I made it a point, if I saw them with their parent(s) to go over and compliment them on how wonderful their child(ren) were, even when they were not around.

 

[MinnieMouse64]

I found in general, the kids on Disney Cruises (and this is a very broad statement) run very wild...I have no clue where the parents are...or if they just don't car

Sounds like you were on the same cruise I was on…LOL But, we have done a Carnival cruise as well, and parents let their kids run wild on them too. On both cruise lines, I have asked my husband where their parents were and why they didn't watch them. I guess I am was an overprotective parent and now grandparent.

Same kids running the hallways like wild beasts making noise at night

While on our Disney cruise last week, there were kids running up and down the hallways late at night with no parents (a couple times I opened our cabin door to look who was running and screaming..kids no parents around). A few times we got on the elevators and found young girls (and boys) riding on there all alone. Parents need to google things such as crimes on cruise ships. Just last year a Disney crew member was accused of molesting a 13 year old girl (he was charged with the crime). Just because they are crew members that work for a cruise line doesn't mean they can't do something to one of your children. Or even a guest cruising can pull one of these kids into their room and do something to them as well. I am not saying everyone that cruises or works on the cruise ship will do this, but parents need to watch or know where their children are at all times, so that it doesn't happen (even at home).

 

[perditax]

If there are kids screaming up and down the hallways late at night on my cruise I'm going to be on the phone with guest services so fast you won't even see my hand move.

Edit: I just remembered a recent review I read on another site where the poster was mad that any adults only areas even existed on the Disney ships.