Just back, concerns about children and pool safety....

[Aly]

Just wondering....is there a rule that says children under a certain age must have adult supervision???

 

[trishy]

Jellymoon,
The boy was with his sister (looked to be around 10 - definitely a little bit older than him) - she seemed to be as annoyed as the rest of us. Mom & Dad never showed up for the performance. DCL allows for kids to be unsupervised in the theatre performances.

Wishing... glad you liked my post. I honestly believe hitting these parents in the pocketbook would help. As long as the policy is known at the time of cruising, there should be no problem. I believe the CMs like Disneygator would be in support of that since it would be a benefit for them, too. In fact, with all the extra money that would come pouring in, they could put it in a "CM Pot" to be split up for Xmas bonuses .

It would be nice to hear anybody else's proposals for changing the situation.

Edit to Aly: There is no rule on DCL that says a child must have adult supervision. In fact, the lab automatically gives children 10-12 sign out privileges. If you want a courtesy page, you can "request" it, but the lab will not hold the child there until you arrive. A child in the 8-9 group can have sign out privileges, also, if the parents request it. My dd will be 10 on the cruise next year and I'm already trying to plan how to handle this. She's a great kid and she's already promised me she would just wait at the lab until I got there. That is the best I can do at this point.

 

[inkkognito]

I too think a fine would be an EXCELLENT idea.
Also, if you see a CM enforcing the rules, get his or her name and MENTION IT ON YOUR COMMENT CARD. Enforcing rules is usually a thankless job that too often earns them a lambasting by angry parents who think their little darlings should be able to do whatever they want. Make sure the CMs get some recognition...it's a big encouragement to know that someone notices and cares.
Sounds like there are some really bad instances on some cruises. I like to think they are in the minority, since we've been on over two dozen Disney cruises and have had minimal problems considering the amount of time we've spent on the ship. It would be nice to think that the authorities would think of unsupervised children as "neglected," but I did my internship at a social services agency near Chicago, and that pales in comparison to the kind of horrors that go on daily...any of the DCFS people I know would laugh at someone with that kind of complaint when they are dealing with kids who are molested, burned, beaten, and worse.
We have had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful parents and children, and I like to hope that they are the majority. Unfortunately, it tends to be the bad ones that we all notice, since they are the ones creating a disturbance and inconveniencing others.
Barb
Visit the Platinum castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[DISNEYGATOR]

YES!!! Please comment on great service and job performance. CM's get little recognition sometimes.. no, most of the times.. most cast members love their job (I do!!!) love the company (I do!!!) and love to hear when we do something to make your vacation more enjoyable. I don't want to sound like I am fishing for compliments, but it really does help!!

 

[inkkognito]

Disneygator, I understand exactly what you mean. On so many cruises, we have had the pleasure of getting to know many of the crew members. They are such a wonderful, dedicated bunch, and it never ceases to amaze me how they maintain such a cheerful attitude every day, particularly knowing about some of the things they have to deal with. I know I sure couldn't! People are fast to complain...while I'm not saying that's wrong, I also think they should be just as fast to compliment. I know that the good feedback does get back to the right parties and the people they earned it, and it brightens their day to know that someone notices. I always bring a box of thank-you cards on our cruises and write little notes for the CMs who make it extra special (and there's never been a time when I haven't used those cards). They can't be everywhere all of the time, but overall I think they do an excellent job. I try to take notice and comment on it, and I hope that others will do the same.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[jellymoon]

Originally posted by disvaclub92
Jellymoon,

I was on the 9/28 cruise. The kids that were climbing on the slide when it were closed were being videotaped by their mother who thought that it was so cute.

My six and four year old DG were over there yelling at the kids telling them not to do it. It is a shame that people just let their kids run ragged all over the ship. I even got stuck in "elevator tag" lucky me.

Wow. That is REALLY disappointing to hear. I can't imagine videotaping it!!!! If it was one of my kids, they'd be back in the cabin and probably losing their slide privileges for the rest of the trip.

Jelly

 

[Aly]

Bump. Is there a rule that says you must be a certain age to be by yourself on DCL???? I think that a complimenting the cm's for their work is very important......it must take a lot of hard work to be nice all the time and to everyone.....so for all of the cm's that read this THANK YOU!!!! You make my day extra special!

 

[dmfuru]

Yikes! I was getting excited about our cruise in Jan'03 on the Magic, but now I am having doubts about cruising at all.

I understand about being excited, but that is no excuse for bad behavior. My DSs are already extremely excited and we are already reminding them of what behavior is appropriate and what is not. Everyone on the cruise paid the same if not more $$ for the cruise and are entitled to enjoy their vacation.

As for parents giving free rein to their kids... I think it's because they feel they have permission to from DCL's "self check-out" policy. Also is there any kind of conduct code for unsupervised kids on the ship? If not, there should be and all parents should be reminded of it when they are doing the safety drill. Maybe there should be a policy where it states that if a child is unsupervised and is disruptive to other passengers, the child will be removed to a holding area until the parents come to pick them up. In having to pick up the child, it would disrupt whatever the parent is doing to go and get the child. I think a couple times of having to pick up your child should be enough for the parent to remind the child what is proper behavior and what is not. Might I add the holding area should be the most unconvenient area on the ship.

I read a trip report where the parents went off the ship onto one of the ports and left DD on the ship because she wanted to go to the kid's club. Another report said the parents fell asleep in the cabin one night and the kids were banging on the door at 1am because they had forgotten their key. The parents didn't even hear the kids and a CM let them into the cabin. This is just unacceptable to us.