“I can’t get near a hot tub because there are 25 kids in there almost constantly”

Cruise Passenger readers always have plenty to say about what’s going on in Australian cruise, and in the broader cruise community. In Your Say, Cruise Passenger looks at the issues our readers are writing to us about on our blogs, posts and newsletters.

For this edition of Your Say, we look to a survey that shows that 66% of cruisers say that kids should be banned form hot tubs.

Cruise Blogger Cruise Mummy ran a survey on the topic and revealed that 66 per cent of cruisers want to see kids banned from the hot tubs.

Beyond complaints of noise and splashing, some cruisers want to see kids banned from hot tubs for safety and hygiene concerns. For example, kids can spread germs by putting their faces underwater in the hot tub, or entering when they haven’t bathed beforehand. 

However, the main concern is that the relaxing purpose of the hot tubs is taken away by children, one cruiser wrote that they “can’t get near a hot tub because there are 25 kids in there almost constantly” and another wrote that “there are way too many kids playing in the hot tubs, jumping and splashing – not what hot tubs are for.”

Other cruisers believe that a ban would be too extreme, given that there are also many children who know how to behave and enjoy being in the hot tubs. Writing “Kids are people too and should be able to have fun and be respectful at the same time.“

Some cruisers, such as Jenni Fielding, the owner of Cruise Mummy herself, suggested in-between solutions, such as requiring adult supervision for kids when they visit, or having specific adults-only hours, so people can coordinate their time better.

“I think kids should be allowed in the hot tubs, as long as they’re behaving properly and supervised by adults. But there also needs to be space for adults to unwind – either in designated adult-only hot tubs or during specific kid-free times.”

The behaviour of young children aboard cruise ships is a commonly discussed topic, with cruisers generally wanting more rules or more enforcement of rules to ensure that kids don’t cause too much mayhem onboard.

This week a photo went viral of a young kid on a cruise ship standing on the balcony furniture right at the edge of your balcony railing, and cruisers had plenty to say.

One cruiser wrote: “A balcony is not for kids. Not mine. They can get the same view from the deck,” and another wrote, “My daughter and son-in-law won’t book a balcony. They have 3 little boys, they don’t trust them enough to act appropriately while on a balcony.  Oceanview only is what they book.”

Another added: “When we travel with Royal Caribbean with a young child our balcony’s don’t have tables and foot stools. It’s sad that it takes things like this to ruin it for others. Clearly there’s someone older on the balcony with the child, which makes it even more irresponsible for the people in the cabin. Unfortunately, common sense is clearly not applicable!”

Cruise Passenger readers also had plenty to say on the revelation that the majority of Royal Caribbean ship in Australia will likely be heading to Lelepa from 2027 onwards.

Matt Halloran wrote: “Not really unexpected, is it? You build an island for a captive audience, it only makes sense that you make sure you maximise your revenue by sending all and sundry there… Cruise lines are in everything for the money, not loyalty to destinations”

Nathan Mason was more focused on wishing that cruise lines would visit a bigger variety of public islands.

“I don’t understand why cruise ship don’t go to many islands in the Pacific ocean. 1000 to choose from. Should have round trip cruises out of Darwin to the islands of indonesia, Borneo, Philippines & PNG. You can do day tours to Lelepa island from Port Vila.

“Cruise ship companies have no imagination”

Please keep those comments coming!

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