Lot of rambunctious kids on board?

[debbiebones]

This is a delicate question but one that has crossed my mind, especially since we're bringing my parents with us on our cruise.

We've been on plenty of RCL cruises where the majority of guests are adults, therefore the atmosphere is pretty tame. Having never been on a Disney cruise, I'm wondering, is the atmosphere really high-spirited? I guess what I'm possibly picturing is the kind of atmosphere you see at the mall on a Saturday when all of these kids are running around "being kids". I know that it will most certainly be different than a RCL cruise but has anyone ever felt that there were problems with misbehaved kids ruining things for everyone else?

Thanks in advance and hope this question doesn't offend anyone. Our kids are only 2 and 4 and we deal with plenty of "tantrums" so I'm sure there will be moments when I want to crawl into the bowels of the ship because I'll feel like my tot is disturbing fellow passengers.

Deb

 

[Deb in IA]

OK, I'll take a stab at this question. But first, let me preface this by saying that many of you know that I am a pediatrician, so naturally, I like kids . . .

BUT, yes, especially if you cruise during the summer (as we just did) or during any school holidays (Winter or Spring break), there will be A LOT of kids on the ship. Now, last year, we did the 3-day Wonder cruise, and I did not notice it to be so much a problem. But this year we were on the 7-day Eastern, and I think as the week wore on, the kids felt more at ease in roaming around the ship by themselves. Many of them were nice, considerate, and well behaved. But a few were obnoxious (ie. kids that get on the elevator, push all 10 floors, then get off; kids cutting in line, etc.). No major crimes, but they were definitely rambunctious. JMHO, of course.

Deb, if your kids are only 2 and 4, I would suggest that you cruise during the school year. I do think you will be happier.

 

[debbiebones]

Thanks for the info. Deb! We're actually on the 7-day Eastern which leaves January 25th.

Yeah, I was a bit hesitant about asking this question for fear people would think I had something against kids and shouldn't be taking this cruise. On the contrary, I too love kids and someday our 2 and 4 year olds will be rambunctious "bigger kids" themselves!

I was just curious as to how much Disney tried to keep the obnoxiousness down to a minimum (even thought it should be up to the parents to control their kids).

Thanks again!

 

[wovenwonder]

DCL does pretty much leave it up to the parents to control their kids -- and I've never seen a CM step in and reprimand a child. You also do see pretty many kids roaming free without any parent guidance. With that said --- I feel that they provide so many activities for the kids that unless you are frequenting a high volume kid area you will be able to get some nice peace and relaxation. Now -- go by the Mickey Pool at 12noon --- and that may be another story. - your parents will probably enjoy the numerous adult activities available throughout the day also --- and DCL does a good job of keeping the adult activities child free.

 

[DawnL]

We were on the 7/6/02 Western and the ship was filled to capacity and lots of kids. We had 5 in our groups from ages 6 -13. I must say that we never encountered any problems with kids anywhere on the ship. The only time you saw a lot of the older kids in groups, were at the evening deck parties, where they were having a great time hanging out, dancing, etc. I think Disney cuts down on potential problems by offering great programs and counselors for all the age groups keeping everyone busy, happy and out of trouble.

 

[MrsG]

We were also on the 7/6 Western and saw no high-spirited behavior (and believe me I am very attunded to this as I am a jrHS teacher). We sailed without our kids, so we did avoid high-kid areas like the Goofy pool. Occassionally, as the week wore on and kids made friends, you did see more groups of teens, sometimes running (a little loudly) up the stairs. By the last night, there were many sad faces as the weekly romances were about to end. But when you think of the number of kids on the cruise, we were shocked at how kid-pleasant the atmosphere was!

We did encounter 5 yr olds while we were on line at the excursion desk who decided to play tag around us. It was slightly annoying and the dad finally corrected them, but for heaven sake, I'm even embarrassed to mention it as it is so trivial. I know older people or people without children may not be used to having children around, but we enjoyed our cruise so much, we are taking our Aunt who never had children with us next summer (plus our adult children).

If you are cruising when most children are in school, I am sure you will have no problems.
Enjoy!

 

[#1Mouse]

Debbiebones -My Dh's Aunt and Uncle went on a Disney cruise (they are in their late 60's). They have been on many cruises (other than Disney) so when we found out they were going on a Disney cruise we were "amused". After they got back, they said it was the best time they ever had and would actually go again. They thought it was extremely well organized and could tell that there was plenty of stuff for the kids to do. They actually spent time at the kids pool, but had the luxury of going to the adult pool area if they wanted to. Obviously the kids pool area was swamped with kids doing kid things, but nothing out of control. I'm sure your parents will have a great time.

 

[The Disney Family]

When we sailed in Dec. we didn't encounter any major problems.

One night the movie playing, "Legally Blonde," got a little crowded with teens, but they settled down shortly into the movie. Then one night my DH and I were walking the ship and we encountered a big teen hangout, which was the front of the ship, on I believe deck 9.

Overall, I was quite surprised at how good everyone, adults included, behaved!! MrsG we saw those sad faces too.

Good Luck!!

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

I'd have to concur with most of these postings on behavior. For the most part the kids are pretty well behaved. There are exceptions of course. I did see one fairly minor situation on one of the cruises where a couple of tweenish aged girls were having a bit of a melt down and giving mom a hard time. One of the CMs came by and delicately intervened (heads were turning a bit towards them) and suggested that they might enjoy the activity in the kids programs. She even offered to take them to the part of the ship the program was presently operating in - they rotate around.

They trotted off and it seemed to solve the problem and that is the only incident I can recall. But then again I have kids in that age group so perhaps I am a little bit numb!

Deb

 

[candleonwater]

I have to say, the worst I saw were the kids who pushed all the buttons in the elevators...

I was actually REALLY surprised at the wide range of ages of those children allowed to roam free... but then again, I AM an overprotective mother!

 

[pouncingpluto]

My boyfriend and I will be doing seven nights at the end of April (April 24-27 at Wilderness Lodge, then April 27-May 1 on Disney Wonder). My boyfriend is worried about kids on spring break, but I think it's too late for that.

Anyone have an opinion?

 

[shmoogrrrl]

When my Hubby and I were on our Honeymoon, we were on the "secret" part of Deck 7 while in Nassau and there were about 6 drunk teens there. They were pretty obnoxious and asked us to buy alcohol for them. They then proceeded to annoy my DH and I to the point that we finally left. They were VERY drunk and two of them were making out on one of the deck chairs.

That being said, it was the only incident that we have seen on our three cruises that we thought was a problem (other than the usual things like kids in the adult pool which was usually fixed by the CM's pretty quick.) We saw MUCH worse behaviour while we were at the parks!

Kathy

P.S. Just in case anyone is wondering, we obviously *DID* decline to to purchase alcohol for the kids.

 

[inkkognito]

We are childless adults who are veterans of 23 Disney cruises, and I'm pleased to say that overall the behavior of the kids and teens is very good...I have seen adults who were MUCH worse (in particular, I'm thinking of a couple of cruises where there were large company groups...they seemed to think the cruise was an excuse to drink to excess every night). There have, of course, been some wild and unruly kids, but they are the exception rather than the rule. I think that the fun of vacation tends to bring out the best in people. We've heard some horror stories about teens but have never witnessed any personally. I have seen them in groups late at night, but always just sitting around talking...never causing a disturbance. There were some racing like maniacs through the stateroom halls once, but a crew member quickly intervened. We have had kids or teens at our dinner table on a few rare occasions, and it has always been a pleasure...they have always been so mannerly. There was one little girl who was only three, and she was such a little lady! And we had one little boy once who told us about his day each evening...he was totally serious, but his stories were so funny that it was all I could do to keep a straight face. There will always be some bad apples, but thankfully they seem to be few and far between. We actually saw more out-of-control kids on RCCL's Radiance than we've ever seen on Disney.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[disneyholic family]

yes there are unruly kids on the ship....
but considering the number of kids, it could be much worse...
we were on the july 4th cruise that seemed to be about 70% kids...(possibly an exageration, but there were lots and lots and lots of kids on that cruise)....
however, the number of unruly kids i witnessed was maybe 3 or 4......not bad considering.....
they were teenagers (who tend to roam free more than the little ones)...
but it wasn't a nuisance.....i only encountered them once and all that they were doing was playing with the elevators....not really a big deal...
i've seen much much much worse at the resorts we've stayed at....

and the only really disturbing incident involved 4 very very very very very drunk adults....unfortunatly, you can and will encounter stupid drunks everywhere...on any ship....at any resort....
someone should videotape these people when they're drunk and then show it to them later...maybe they'd be so embarrassed they'll think twice before doing it again...

 

[TeensMom]

I heartily agree with most of above posts that the kids on the ship are generally VERY WELL BEHAVED. There are always exceptions - some parents have never taught them now to behave or have taught them that they are priveleged and can behave any way they want! One day I "yelled" (as my kids say) at some 7-8ish boys who were running on the stairs. They settled down immediately, at least as long as they were in my site. I figure, if their parents haven't taught them, the rest of us have to be extra vigilant!

The worst I saw on our 7-day Magic Western were two moms in the Rockin' Bar-D on Thursday night (I think). I said to my husband "Look, we brought some hookers on board in Mexico". They were obviously bombed, underdressed and "dirty dancing" to the crowd - they were somewhat overweight so it wasn't even sexy. I saw several Disney crew looking at each other like "what should we do?" Around mid-night the folks from the kids programs brought their children to the dance (I guess the kids programs were closing). We thought "great, now they will leave". Instead, they told the kids to sit on the floor outside the bar while they finished their drinks and continued to dance. I felt sorry, and embarassed, for the kids. I just hope those moms woke up to major hangovers and shame.