- A nine-year old has been given a cruise ban banned for life by Carnival Cruises after property damage and fighting with other guests.
- The mother was informed at the end of their cruise that her son would no longer be welcome aboard with Carnival.
- Many cruisers feel that the parents should be banned as well when situations like this arise.
The classic debate about children’s behaviour on cruise ships has been revived, along with much we should be blaming parents, after a nine-year-old spectacularly found himself banned for life from Carnival Cruises.
Cruise YouTuber Just Don revealed the case on his channel, saying a young traveller has ended up on a permanent ban list for continued bad behaviour onboard his cruise.
He explains how, when the child was on his own, he found himself in all sorts of trouble.
“He did get into some trouble. Including damaging one of the machines, a major damage, apparently. As well as getting into a fight with one of the other children.”
He said his parents were told: ” ‘Look, if you’re going to remain on this cruise, and not get kicked off, your child cannot leave your side for the rest of this cruise.'”
But it didn’t work. “On the final night of their cruise, a letter was delivered to the stateroom, saying not to leave the cabin in the morning until further instructions.”
Then the next morning, the bad news was delivered.
Two Carnival employees came with a note on Carnival letterhead, signed by the captain and the chief security officer, saying that the child, because of his destructive behaviour on board, has now been banned by Carnival Cruise Line for life.
One Cruise Passenger reader has the inside scoop on what went down.
“His parents allowed him to wander unsupervised all over the ship- during that time he damaged gaming equipment and assaulted another child onboard. When the parents were advised they said he has ADHD and they had not taken his medication with them in the trip. Makes you wonder if this is the case why you allow him to wander unsupervised?”
Harsh bans are not unheard of in the world of cruise, often for unexpected reasons.
One cruiser on NCL became extremely friendly with crew, even getting their personal email addresses in order to thank them personally for their services.
She was then surprised to find out she was banned from future sailings, and NCL released this statement.
“Our crew members are friendly, outgoing and helpful, and they will do their very best to make your holiday as enjoyable as possible. Please do not misinterpret their friendliness. Crew members are prohibited from engaging in physical relationships with guests.
“Crew members are not permitted to socialise with guests beyond their professional duties, and are not permitted to be in guest staterooms, except for the performance of their shipboard duties. Guests are expected to respect these policies and are similarly prohibited from engaging in physical relationships with crew members.”
Another Carnival cruiser once went partying with his sister, and says two men were treating her inappropriately and struck him, to which he fought back.
After the altercation he was banned for life, despite excessive efforts to apologise, and writing letters to the cruise line, reiterating that he was only defending his sister.
On a cruise, in these cases the best thing you can do is simply go straight to security or other crew members, as engaging in any physical dispute could see you unable to board a ship again.
What are people saying about the nine-year old banned from cruise?
With the child in question being so young, most commenters appear to be pointing their finger at the parents.
One user wrote: “Who lets a nine-year-old roam a cruise ship by themselves? Says a lot about the parents.”
Another wrote: “Why aren’t the negligent parents banned? Aren’t they responsible for the actions of such young children?”
Other users specifically noted that they felt the ban was justified: “If a nine-year-old is that bad, the cruise line is well within their rights to ban this person. Probably the parents should be banned as well.”
Another commenter echoed a call to ban the entire family: “Ban the parents also. A nine-year-old should never be on their own on a cruise ship or anywhere in public. This parent should be reported to social services.”
Other users report experiencing unfavourable behaviour from children on their cruises.
“Just got done with a cruise from Hale last week, and numerous kids acted like this. Dropping shoes off the balcony onto the elderly, for three days, we couldn’t use the pool, as they were puking in the pool every day. They were commandeering the hot tub for five hours and fighting with other passengers. We were disgusted. Never again!”
Another commenter agreed, hoping this ban is a sign of a crackdown on this type of behaviour.
“Noticed a lot of unacceptable behaviour from children on my last Carnival cruise; worse than I’d ever seen. Time to crack down on this and send a clear message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.
“Carnival has recently changed the age limit when it comes to proximity of children staying in their own cabins, so it’s a problem onboard with kids lacking adult supervision.”
Other cruisers offered their own perspectives on what constitutes good behaviour on a cruise.
“My kids were 9 when they went on our first cruise with us. They stayed with us the entire trip. The parents are to blame for letting their kid run free. I hope they learned their lesson for the future. Perhaps banning for life is extreme in this case but I guess they are getting stricter.”
What do you think? Should the child have been banned? Should the parents? Tell us in the comments below.
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Bad behaviour by children onboard cruise ships is getting worse by the year and worse still nobody, is
doing anything to address the problem.
If your child suffers from ADHD why take them on a cruise, to run amuck and ruin every ones holiday.
Children cruising during school hours should be limited. I have witnessed up to 1500 children of school age cruising during school term. Why are they not at school.
In my 30+ years of cruising I have seen it all, from food fights in the main dining room, running the elevators, trashing the concierge lounge, destroying art works with felt pens, ringing door bells at 02:00am, taking over hot tubs and pools including adult only pools, jamming lift doors open on lower decks, taking over major thoroughfares including lifts. The worst being a glass panel being kicked out by a group of children on deck 9 and crashing down into the atrium on deck 5, narrowly missing a female passenger, this could have resulted in death or serious injury.
What is the answer, well as part of the muster drill, parents and their children must attend a compulsory briefing before sailing, outlining doo’s & don’ts whilst onboard the ship. A confirmation letter (declaration) must then be signed by both parents or guardian before being allowed to sail. Tagged electronic devices must also be worn at all times whilst out of the stateroom, A breach after signing this declaration allows the ship to disembark the offending parties without further warning. A failure to sign would be considered a breach with automatic removal from the ship before sailing.
Just a final note, the cruise line is responsible for the safety and welfare of all passengers and it is their responsibility to enforce their regulations.
As someone who works with children with additional needs, ADHD being one of the common ones. The parents should be held to account and not permitted on carnival for life. It was their neglect that led to this child’s behaviour. He should’ve been medicated and he should’ve been supervised. Parents banned for sure. Child until they are 18.
Parents need to be banned also… they knew what the child was like in an unstructured environment. And without medication.They should also be liable for any damages for allowing their child to be unsupervised. The parents probably needed a relaxing vacation since they put up with this child’s behavior problem all the time. Which I feel for them …. But should have left him at home with family if they weren’t going to have this child stick to them like glue. It was not fair to the other passengers and to Carnival.
The parents should be banned and the child should be banned until he’s 18. He may grow up to be a very nice, and respectable young man. Only time will tell.
The boy and the parents should be band for life they should have been watching him began with!
The 9 Year old boy and parents should be band from ship
Since the parents (and no one else) are responsible for their child’s behavior, no matter where they are, they should also be banned. Their lack of supervision represents extremely irresponsible behavior, so in my opinion, they are to blame for allowing this child to wander all over the ship unsupervised. Today’s parents appear to be clueless as to how to discipline their children. This was NOT the case when I was growing up. If we acted out, we knew darn well there would be consequences and appropriate punishment. We need to hark back to the “good old days” when children behaved themselves; but that is absolutely the responsibility of the parents.
Carnival should ban the parents as well. These children are way out of hand. They should enforce the NO CHILDREN in the hotel tubs AND in the adult pools in the back of the ship. You get in the hot tub, these kids looking at you like YOU the adult don’t belong in there and they’re going back and forth trying to aggravate you so you can get out. I told this child, if you run across my foot one more time, watch what happens and he ended up getting out. The pool in the back for adults, no child should be in. If the adult has nobody to watch the child, let them sit in the chair until you’re ready to get out or send them to camp ocean.
Yes. The child and his parents should be banned for life. That responsibility of making sure your kids behave rest in the parents. I’ve been on Carnival cruises where I’ve witnessed kids running wild all over the ship and playing on the stairs and parents no where in sight. It’s really a problem with these kids misbehaving, unsupervised.
Banning a 9 year old for life seems childish in itself. 20 years from now he may be a perfectly behaved adult. They should not be banned for things.He did as a child.The parents should be banned for like and he should be banned until he is eighteen or twenty one but not for life. That is an extreme overreaction on the part of carnival.
His parents should have been banned as well.
Regarding the 9 year old – parents should DEFINITELY be held accountable – banning them as well along with charges for damage done by son.
Yes the parents should be ban for life and the 9 year old child should be given another chance when he is 21. Them ships are terrible over crowded as it is then you have to put up with parents not watching there child. I ban myself for life because I will never go on another cruise again.
Banning a 9-year-old child for life is utterly ridiculous! I’m not excusing what the child did, but he is not grown yet. He still has a lot of maturing and learning to do. If carnival wants to ban him until he’s 18, that would make sense. But once he is 25, 30 35 years old, he’s not going to be that same child and could actually be a very well-mannered adult. The parents are the ones who should be banned for life. The child is not completely responsible for his actions, if in fact, he does have ADHD like the parents said.
Unsupervised children ruin vacations. They should not be allowed to run rampant around the ship. As soon as an errant child is identified, they should be given a warning. Second offense they should be restricted from common areas on the ship. Third offense, drop the family off at the next port of call.
The entire family should be banned.
Absolutely ban the parents & definitely report the situation to the social service dept in the community where they reside
Well I’ve been. Cruising 30 years plus and I’ve never seen all of kids behaved if I think that’s the extreme but rules are rules
where are the youth security officers that i usually see roaming ? if he isnt in kids club then he is the parents responsibility. And ABSOLUTLEY the parents should be banned also
I agree with Carnival Cruise Line. The parents should have also been banned for life also. While I understand he has ADHD they are using this as an excuse fit his bad behavior. What parent leaves their nine year old child alone on a cruise line.
Parents more so as child may change in years to come, child should have a 15 year ban parents life ban as at the end of the day they are responsible
Holy Shit! I ain’t ever going on a Carnival cruise. Feral kids and even feraller street gangs
Parents are totally responsible for their children anywhere they go on holiday and particularly on cruise ships. If these parents didn’t want to look after their child, why bring him? If you can afford to pay for a cruise then get someone to loom after your child especially if you are in need of respites if the child has a medical issue.
Ban the parents also. They knew that their child had ADHD and decided not to bring his medication. They are equally to blame for the problem if not more so.
Yes, But ban the parents as well.
The Parents should be banned, they are the ones required to care for their child. We have just cruised with Carnival for the first and last time. It was horrendous on Carnival Splendor, lining up like cattle at the buffet, when it eventually opened. Drinks very expensive. Entertainment very lack lustre and some extremely rude passengers with minimal security to control them.
Hi maybe shouldn’t have been given a life ban but certainly a fine like not travelling till the child was 12years old when the child should be acting more responsibly. The parents have a lot to answer to as well as the story also said he was ADHD and his parents left his meds behind. They sound not very caring as parents. Letting a. child wander around at night is a big no no! Hope they all learnt a lesson from all this
My cruise was very average will not go with them again the teenager were as bad
My cruise was very average will not go with them again the teenager were as bad
The parents should be banned as well! A child’s behavior is a DIRECT reflection of their parents behavior, so yes ABSOLUTELY with no question the parents should be banned!
In addition, they should be reported to their local Child Protective Services, ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE for leaving the child’s medication behind.
The parents knew their son had a problem and didn’t have his required medication. Allowing him to run free is ridiculous!! The parents are irresponsible and should be banned as well!
The parents should be responsible for the repair of the gaming machine, if they are not going to ban them too!
Otherwise ban the entire family.
The parents should be banned as well. They knew he was ADHD and forgot to bring medication…that’s an excuse and not acceptable, you do not just forget medication for this type of aliment. Ban the parents as well and they should reimburse Carnival for the damaged equipment.
i went on a carnival cruise last christmas all the kids on board were running riot the crew did nothing said they are only children parents proping up the bar
THIS APPEARS TO BE THE RESULT OF NEGLIGENT PARENTS. RESPONSIBLE PARENTS WOULD NOT FORGET THE MEDICATIONS OF SUCH A VUNERABLE CHILD. THEY TOO SHOULD BE BANNED FROM CRUISING.
Parents should be ban from all cruise ship if there children can not behave. Also cruise ship is not a child minding centre where they can do what they want when they want and the parents could not care less. Maybe the cruise company’s can change the time children has to be in there with an adult.
I think the adults should be banned as I never in my life let my Child or Children out of my sight if they are not an Adult as it’s like taking them to a shopping centre and leaving them to wander ! No parents would ever let them roam alone , too many paedopholies
Took 5 of our grandies along with parents
on 10 day cruise
Never were they left unsupervised, also warned if they did play up would be put ashore with parents
Child is definitely wrong but believe parents should also be banned for live
Sounds like they didn’t care that much to begin with
It’s just carnival but royal caribbean as well. School suppose to be in but over 800 kids on board. Cruise ships need to limit school kids when they should be in school
The parents should be banned too. Does the ban include all of the ships under Carnival eg Princess, HAL, Cunard? It sounds like it does.
We found it worse during holiday season cruising, children in theatres for late shows, going into dining room/restaurants for late dinners, crying, screaming cos they are tired.
We found teenagers roaming around the ship we were on, Princess cruise line, causing mischief especially at night. Never will we cruise over a holiday season again!
Absolutely ban the parents as well, for life
Why didn’t the parents take the child’s ADHD medication