Here’s what cruise lines do to tame the behaviour of children onboard – is it enough?

• A letter notifying a passenger that one of their children onboard was caught out after curfew has gone viral.
• The letter clearly spelled out that fines and even sailing bans would apply if the child kept staying out too late.
• Cruise lines undertake a range of activities to try and ensure a smooth sailing experience and limit the misbehaviour of children on board – but are they doing enough?

One topic that never quite goes away in the cruising world is that of kids and their behaviour on ships. 

Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line are made for families, and every detail is designed to maximise family fun, but the reality of thousands of children on ships isn’t always so pretty.

It’s common to hear guests complain about noise in the hallways at night, constant splashing in the pool, public tantrums and all sorts of other complaints. 

While cruisers have always been in agreement that it’s the fault of the parents, they also express that they want to see cruise lines do more to rein in this behaviour. When cruise lines do crack down and introduce things like strict curfews, harsh fines or even lifetime bans, cruisers generally come out in agreement with these decisions. 

This happened most recently with a Carnival Cruise Line incident that went viral. A note sent to a cruiser did the rounds on social media, which outlined Carnival’s firm response to a child being caught out of their cabin after curfew hours. 

The line responded to the incident very firmly, letting the family know that if their child was caught out after curfew again the punishment would be a USD$500 fine, and if they were caught out again after that, they would be placed on a no-sail list. 

While on the surface this could sound harsh, cruisers came out strongly in support of Carnival’s decision, with many even believing that rules and punishments should be even more strict for misbehaving kids. 

Cruiser Michelle Sangster said: “Good, one thing I’ve always liked about cruising is they are strict with their rules, which is for the safety and comfort of all on board.”

Another cruiser Sharon Bosworth mentioned: “Safety at sea is paramount. Good on Carnival for giving them a warning. Thumbs down to the parent/s who don’t have a leash on their brat.”

Renee Woodruff added: “I think it isn’t too harsh. They have to staff people to ensure safety. If something happens to the child a lot of people would blame the cruise line. They made their expectations clear and it wasn’t followed.”

Other cruisers even mentioned that they think the curfew should be earlier.

Naomi Harper wrote: “1 am? Even that is generous, especially if they’re annoying other guests. Let alone if they disappear and noone knows.”

Fran Baker said: “I’ve always thought 1 am is ridiculously late. Do you allow your kids to be up at that time?”

With cruisers clearly appreciating the efforts that cruise lines go to trying to rein in the behaviour of children, here’s a quick rundown of what cruise lines currently do.

What do cruise lines do to keep children’s misbehaviour to a minimum?

Cruise lines undertake a range of activities to try and keep kids’ behaviour under control such as 

• As mentioned, cruise lines institute curfews for younger passengers. Generall,y this will mean that passengers under 18 can’t be out after a certain time, which for most cruise lines is 1 am, for NCL it’s 1:30am. 
• Cruise lines run free kids clubs during the day, meaning you can leave your child in the care of trained workers who can not only keep kids out of trouble, but also give them an entertaining day and help them make friends with other young people on the ship. 
• Cruise lines will hand out bans and punishments to misbehaving kids. Last year, Carnival made headlines for banning a young child for life after the kid caused property damage on the ship, and hurt another child.
• Royal Caribbean has been piloting a wristband tracking system that allows parents to track their children and see where they are on the ship. This can help parents make sure the kids are where they agreed to be, don’t enter parts of the ship where they’re not allowed or that they stay in the kids clubs and don’t leave on their own accord.

What more could be done to control kids onboard? 

• Some cruisers have suggested they would like to see an earlier curfew, such as at midnight, so kids aren’t out too late on the ships. 
• Extending the free kids clubs’ hours into the night would mean that kids have somewhere they can be, under supervision, until later in the night, and parents don’t have to worry about incurring extra fees. 
• Making more facilities child-free, such as certain pools, venues or sections of the ship would mean that adults have more areas to relax without having to worry about children. 

What would you like to see cruise lines institute or enforce in order for a more tranquil experience at sea?