Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley has said “it’s probably time” to think about ways to expand and enforce Royal Caribbean’s kids curfew.
Currently, the cruise line has a curfew of 1 am for all passengers 17 years and older. It is unclear in which ways the curfew might be expanded.
Bayley said: “It’s probably time for us to take a look at [the curfew]. I think the idea of curfews in some of the bars is a great idea.
“And you know what they say, everybody loves their own kids, but they’re not so fond of everybody else’s kids.”
The issue was raised by a travel agent at a talk on Utopia of the Seas. The agent claimed she’s received complaints, with some clients even leaving Royal Caribbean due to the amount of poorly behaved children.
She described scenes such as kids splashing drinks at the swim-up bar and crawling through people’s legs on late-night dance floors.
Cruise passengers themselves have long debated the issue. Tracy Strawbridge, for instance, said in a group: “We need a curfew, they are feral when not being supervised. Let us stress, not all children are feral and unsupervised when travelling, only those that are allowed to be!”
Another, Pepper Dickson, reported:
“My sibling’s family is being booted off of a ship 8 time zones from home. A child had an altercation with another child and is currently confined to the stateroom with a guard outside. One parent must be with the child at all times for fear the isolation would cause the child to self-harm.
“So this is an interesting turn of events and completely uncharted territory, particularly because this child is not a trouble-maker EVER.”
Some senior staff at the talk floated ideas of making the curfew earlier, especially for areas that are generally designed for adults.
Royal Caribbean has a free kid’s program on all ships, however, after 10 pm, there is an hourly charge.
This comes at a time when some cruise companies are promising adults only cruises. Virgin Voyages, Sir Richard Branson’s cruise line is geared to an 18+ audience, while Viking has long touted its policy of no kids on their ships.
Princess just this week announced that their family-friendly Park19 adventure area will not open, despite heavy promotion in the lead up to the launch of the new Sun Princess.
What are people saying?
Cruise passengers appear divided on the issue. While many have experienced behaviour from kids and teens that aren’t ideal, many others believe that Royal is a kid’s line and that cruisers need to accept that kids will be a part of their cruise.
Cruisers such as Rowan Humphries feel they have worn the brunt of bad behaviour on cruises.
“In March this year, my wife and I were on Quantum of the Seas and there were heaps of feral kids causing trouble by the staircases near the buffet, getting ice cubes and throwing them down the mid-ship elevator shaft, stealing do not disturb magnets from doors, forcing their way into the lifts before others come out.
“I confronted a few of them and warned them to show respect for others or I’ll find their parents. They didn’t like that and eventually, they were reported by others and their room was guarded until arrival back in Brisbane. From what we were told they have all been banned from RC ships for their behaviour. I think RC is doing a good job with that it’s their ship their rules. Phew, what a story!”
Marie Cochrane cruises with her daughter and says a curfew change would make her feel safer.
“Extremely happy with this, I travelled with a 16-year-old daughter and panicked when she wasn’t in the room at midnight, luckily, security found her pretty quickly once I raised the alarm. It children aware of curfews, and they don’t need to be out all night with the drunks anyway.”
Nathan Challis is another cruise fed up with noises from children.
“There were kids running up and down the hallway late at night on our cruise. It made a hell of a noise. The worst bit was the parents were there with them. We could hear them talking loudly. Some people are very inconsiderate.”
Sarah Rowlands Rayder is calling for an earlier curfew.
“Yep absolutely, it’s set now at a 1 am curfew, and for kids that is ridiculous. On our last cruise, there were kids running up and down the ship with parents nowhere in sight and they would run into you and run off. It was very frustrating.”
Lin Smithy has even witnessed kids getting escorted back to their rooms due to misbehaving.
“I saw a kid, about 10 years old, in wet swimming clothes was escorted back to his room (a few doors from mine) by a security and the security guy was warning his parent about “not allow kids roaming unsupervised”. Been on Quantum 3 times, Ovation once, and kids on RCI need a curfew.”
Howard Farthing says he’s experienced young kids running amuck late at night.
“We’ve witnessed teenagers, some about 12 – 13 roaming around, playing with the lifts late at night without supervision.”
Cruisers talking points
The general points coming out of the discussion are
- Should there be an earlier curfew for kids or is it simply on the parents to better supervise their kids?
- Should there be segmented curfews? E.g. 1 am for 16 – 18 year olds, but earlier times for younger children?
- Could Royal Caribbean help the problem by adding free after-hours childcare?
- Should curfews be ship-wide, or limited to particular areas?
I believe something needs to be done esp in Windjammer i have witnessed kids literally running in dining room in and out of people with plates of food and seen quite a few times kids nearly wiping out elderly with walking aids with hot beverages in there hands including myself almost loosing my hole plate food by kids running around and in and out of you carrying plate of food and pushing in and litterally witnessed kids taking tongs off people in serving areas to serve themself first.
Lifts i have never had a major drama.
Kids running up and down hallways knocking and running at all hours yes is a problem
Adult only pools are exactly that also seen groups of kids bombing in adults only area pools.
Yes mums and dads you are totally responsable for yr kids on cruises.
And if yr child baby is an early riser like 4am riser also do not let them do laps of cabins, people below like to sleep too you know.
I share with all of the previous comments about feral kids and their houso parents.
I have over 900 sailing days with Royal since 1998 and what I have seen would open your eyes.
I was in the main dining room after 8:30pm there were two tables below, one with ten adults the adjoining with 12 of their kids. Screaming, jumping and food fights no parental supervision. The buffet is another disaster area, kids handling food with unwashed hands and tasting and replacing food.
On Voyager a group of kids trashed the Concierge lounge, tables and lounge chairs up ended.
Once again on Voyager two kids with felt pens defaced many of the art works on display. Tens of thousands in damage and the parents were made to pay for the damage.
Lifts are not a playground, yet kids use them as their exclusive cubby house. they jam open doors on lower levels. They push adults aside and have no thought about wheelchair bound passengers who in some instances wait more than 10 mins to get a lift.
On Ovation the glass landing between decks 13 & 14 is another playground gangs of kids frequent this area.
Once again on voyager, kids using the seats overlooking the centre lifts, managed to dislodge a glass panel which crashed down to deck 7 just narrowly missing a woman who escaped death by inches.
Running around decks at all hours of the day and night, as late as 2:00am ringing the suite door bells. Mystery phone calls all night.
Royal needs to put parents upon boarding that they are responsible for their kids behaviour and the consequences that could be imposed. Curfew hours should be strictly be enforced. Kids under 16 curfew should be 10:00pm, the exception being those supervised in the kids and teenage club’s.
I personally have returned to Princess where there is more accountability and a more pleasant cruise, and I am not the only one doing just that.
We have not yet been on a Carribean cruise ship but we have been on P&O and Princess cruises.
It is not the kids, it is their parents. The parents go to bars and clubs and leave their kids to run around uncontroled.
However the cruise lines should also accept some responsibility. They offer cheap cruises (especially after covid) where families don’t pay for children. The adults have a great time and can’t be bothered (some of them) to control their children.
We pay full price for the cruise and sometimes can’t even get in the pool because of childrens behaviour in the pool.
Kids are running up and down the corridors at 11 pm at night.
I’m sorry if I sound like a miserable sod but I’ve had 3 children (all adults now) and I never let any of them behave badly.
Parents, “Take Control Of Your Children”
It is 100% the responsibility of parents to control their kids. They should receive the same sanction as their children and be confined to their cabins. Unfortunately we now live in a society where good manners and consideration for others is a rare thing. It’s all me me me
Just finished a cruise on the Rhapsody of the Seas and saw no misbehaving children at all.
Throw them and their shit parents overboard.
Maybe it’s time to introduce more adult only cruises. We gave just returned from The Explorer 2, A Marella cruise, and it was heaven.
We were on the Harmony of the Seas on a back to back. It was late April and there were 1800 kids on board. Total pax was 4800 plus.
Babies in diapers in hot tubs. Kids in hot tubs unsupervised. Kids throwing food in food fights in main dining rooms. Kids and adults in pajamas in dining room at dinner.
Running, screaming, eating ice cream in the pools, elevators over run with unsupervised Kids.
It was a nightmare for every adult except the parents of these 1800 kids.
Thank heaven there were only 200 kids the following week on the transatlantic cruise.
After 400 nights with Royal I am not so loyal…Celebrity may see a lot more of me.
When kids are given more rights than adults it is past time for Royal to re look at their priorities. Perhaps a few of their ships should be adults only..their smaller and mid size ships would make a perfect choice.
This is why we go with Saga…..no kids. No need for curfews. Transport from door to ship and back. Why wouldn’t ypamou?
I’m going to echo Bob Andersons’s philosophy. It’s the parent’s responsibility to parent their children, NOT the cruise line’s responsibility. If the parents let their children run amoke due to lack of supervision, the children AND the parents should be held accountable. Perhaps a supervised curfew for both with limited access for both to certain areas of the vessel. Prior to debarkation, notify them of their ban from the cruise lines. It’s not everybody else’s responsibility to monitor their children, all at the expense of the other cruise guests.
Parents/Guardians at check in should be made to sign a document saying they will be held accountable for their children’s behavior. With a list of things, areas and times children can and can not do and be.
A document should also be left in their staterooms as a reminder. A list of disciplinary actions should be included.
Each year the issue of feral children becomes more acute.
A curfew pf 10 pm for anyone between the ages of 14 & 18, another of 8 pm for those 13 and under is far from unreasonable.
If parents want to be on holiday from parenting,bring a child minder along.
Offer adult only cabin sections of the ship to travellers without children.
Require parents to have adjoining cabins.
Yes, I think definitely bring on the curfew. Our most recent cruise from Brisbane on Quantum was definitely disappointing. The children/teenager’s behaviour was confronting. Throughout the night the groups were constantly yelling & running around the ships lifts & stairwells.We have 2 children 6 & 14. They both enjoy the kids club, however our oldest son would get picked on in the hallways for going to kids club. It was quite surprising to see groups of furries in and out of the lifts & access ways, crawling around.
I think the crew should have the power to discipline these groups & remove them from the ship if necessary. Perhaps parents would act more responsibly if they had the risk of paying the cost of return tickets.
We have booked an ‘Adults Only’ cruise with P&O.
Best way to avoid other ppls Children/Feral Offspring.
Children shd not be in bars/restaurants etc after 9.30pm and shd be supervised at all times!
The behaviour of kids on Quantum in March 2024 was enough for us to swear off RC cruises for good. It isn’t just late at night though so an earlier curfew is only part of the answer. Put simply, parents need to be actually held accountable for their children’s behaviour.
We were on Ventura last year and it was terrible with kids in the next cabin, they were kicking and thumping the partition between the cabins, screaming and one was climbing on the balcony chair to see over . Parents should have respect for other cruisers, and discipline their children, other than that a grest cruise.
Cruise lines simply need to make parents responsible for their own kids. Children should not be roaming aimlessly or causing havoc around the ships, they need to be under parental supervision. Kids caught misbehaving should be confined to their room for 24 hours (with a parent forced to stay in there with them too), this will greatly annoy the parents, the chances of it happening again is unlikely. I travel with my child. He doesn’t like the kids club and stays with me. He doesn’t roam alone. We enjoy family time, at trivia, in the pool, at bingo, watching shows etc – after all it is our family holiday, but we too seek our lines with less kids (Princess/Celebrity) because despite bringing my child (who behaves more like an adult than many adults), we don’t want to deal with these misbehaving kids either.
We experienced this on Quantum of the Seas last December. There were 8 boys who got together like a gang and were running amok throughout the ship at all hours knocking on doors, shouting and just being rude and annoying. They verbally abused my granddaughter in the teens club, we reported it and their parents were notified to come for a chat. 2 lots of parents were too drunk to come and were in the bars and their response was” whatever!” My granddaughter was in tears and the staff said that the boys were banned from the teens club. That made it worse because then they were bored and caused more trouble around the ship until security stepped in and they have been barred from the cruise line now. I’m sure they’ll just move onto P&O and Carnival now ☹️
We won’t do Royal Caribbean anymore because of the amount of kids onboard and also the size of the ships. At least some of the cruiselines do limit the amount of kids they have onboard but I don’t believe Royal or Carnival do.
I work in hospitality in a family friendly club in Australia and am costenly amazed how parents allow their children to misbehave while on licensed premises. When the misbehave is pointed out the respones range from “oh their just being kids’ to “why do hate kids?”. So I can only imagine what a nightmare it must be for a week or so on a cruise with parents more interested in their sav blanc than supervising their brats
Many years ago on Fairstar, the cruise director would say Goodnight boys and girls at 9.30 pm and all children were sent to rooms.:.
We have paid good money for our cruise and expect it to be satisfying. My son and wife got a free cruise on RCI a few years ago as they were next door to kids. Parents had booked their cabin well away, and although one parents name was on next door cabin( as must be), as soon as they got on board they swapped keys and kids left to run amok. My son called security every night, due to noise. Father would be called, come and scream at kids and then leave, This went on most of cruise. My son was given free cruise credit by RCI for another trip! But not RCI fault…it’s irresponsible parents. I often try to get a cabin with only 1 neighbour. After 200 cruises, I take no nonsense!, I’m off again today for a B2B.
I definitely agree that earlier curfews should be in place for younger children. I am shocked that parents these days seem to treat the whole ship like a child minding centre!. The questions have to be asked continually “Where are the parents”??
We have decided to avoid the school holidays for now on, as we love to sail on Royal Caribbean but alot of kids are out of control. So although its not the responsibility of the cruise lines to control unruly kids, its obvious that rules have to be put in place to ensure everyone enjoys their cruise and that there’s some accountability by the parents.
I traveled with my children last November and they and myself were horrified with the behaviour of some children one child had removed the door from the wardrobe and was walking it around the ship not a parent in sight . I think a change in time would be a great idea also maybe a limit on the amount of children they allow onboard on each trip in each age group. My children got to the point where they didn’t want to go out of the cabin because of how rude some not all of the children would be. This ship was from Brisbane
I’m so shocked to hear this happening. We are about to take our kids on a cruise (first time we kids we have cruised before) and I can’t imagine allowing my kids to be roaming around a ship unsupervised at night in the middle of the sea with a couple of thousand strangers on board – have parents left their brains on the dockside when boarding – so bloody dangerous above anything else
Luckily not experienced this first hand but surely the threat of being removed from the ship at the next port after one warning you would hope would stop this behaviour.
we were on odysee, kids were in the hot tubs throwing water on fully dressed elderly people below and wipe boogers on the glass. they would come to elevator light up all the floor panel so it would stop at every floor. they would throw duck into metal art work that went up 8 stories by elevators. The parents just seem to just say ok see you at the end of the week and let the go and do what they want for the whole week
we were on odysee, kids were in the hot tubs throwing water on fully dressed elderly people below and wipe boogers on the glass. they would come to elevator light up all the floor panel so it would stop at every floor. they would throw duck into metal art work that went up 8 stories by elevators. The parents just seem to just say ok see you at the end of the week and let the go and do what they want for the whole week
No need for a curfew, particularly if children stay in their designated zones on the ship where an abundance of supervised entertainment and activities are available for them. I think the key terminology here is for children under a certain age to be appropriately supervised at any point during the cruise day and night.
Parents or delegated carers on the ship have a duty of care not other random holiday-makers. Who in the right-mind would have children running riot around in the small hours of the morning unsupervised?
Not a perfect solution but a good meet in the middle option.
Children should be eaten and not seen.Parennts should pay a deposit for children removed for bad behaviour
Our last cruise out of Brisbane in March 2024 on RCI Quantum of the Seas was a real eye opener.
Kids running up and down corridors at 3am in the morning playing knock and run.
Throwing food on the floor in front of stateroom doorways (obviously not their own) early in the evening.
It was awful to watch little ones (under 7) still running amok outside the bars at 10-11-12 pm whilst their parents made the most of their drinks package.
I know the parents have paid a lot of money to take their families on these cruises …. BUT SO HAVE WE!!
Totally agree with the general theme here but everyone is missing the point that the children are the parents responsibility – parents are opting out as soon as they get on board and the kids run amok – lifts and stairwells are becoming no go zones for normal people as these kids take control.
I asked one group where their parents were at 11.30pm and they said “in bed asleep”
This is totally outrageous and parents booking cruises with children should have sign an agreement that children will be supervised or parents face the rude or unruly behavior charges that apply for general bad behavior in everyone’s cruise contract.
Royal Caribbean must respond to this growing menace or start losing patronage.
I was on Royal Caribbean island cruise last Christmas. Teenagers running riot up and down the passageways and stairwells. Need heavy security. It’s shocking. Will definitely look for adult only cruise ships.
I have cruised with 6 different mainstream cruise lines that have all allowed children. I have found that Disney Cruise Line (from the USA) did NOT have FERAL kids running around at night. The kids over there are much better behaved than the ones I have encountered from cruises in Australia. Yes, a curfew needs to be much earlier. I prefer Celebrity Cruises now, the few kids on there don’t have much choice but to behave for lack of buddies to find to make mayhem.
We travel on smaller ships, I.e: Seabourn, Silversea where they don’t cater for kids. Believe me, it’s well worth the money. If parents don’t control and supervise their kids, by all means kick them off and/or ban them.
IF you have to take children on a cruise take them on a princess cruise, they will get that bored they will not go again, if they still want to go cruising take them on P&O and give us adults a break.
We concur! Is it something we said! Our insta video on this very topic went viral! https://www.instagram.com/p/C5ijbd4h_b4/
@cruisingwithkids 🙂
Haven’t cruised on R.C. but have seen kids running amok during daytime hours on Princess and P&O. Running up and down corridors, wrestling on poolside, in and out of lifts etc. Also in the spa pools, primary age without an adult.I am a retired swim instructor and life guard so I stay away from the pools most of the time except in the Adult only areas. Security patrols at night are regular on our cruises.
I totally believe there should be curfews that are aimed at specific age groups. I don’t believe it should be the responsibility of a cruise line but clearly some parents are not setting boundaries and limitations, so the need for cruise lines to do so. On a recent cruise on carnival, we faced children racing up and down hall ways screaming at all hours and generally found this to be ages under 16. For this reason we will now choose cruise liners targeting an older audience. Mind you, I love children and it is my field of employment but there must be boundaries. It is not a free for all.
I have experienced this on P & O and not happy at all have not struck it on other ships as yet.
Must have curfew at 10 Pm
Seriously
All travelers need to enjoy there cruise
& Parents need to act like parents
Can see why so many travelers are
Going on Child free cruises