Fewer Kids?

deep1 · April 4

I don't mind kids in moderation but my last two sailings that should have been small numbers were jammed. Each were during the school year, off peak, 7 and 8 nights. I have no objection to them having a good time. I have a daughter and even grand kids, Yes, I cruise with them. My concern though with large groups of kids is hygiene related. Hey, kids will be kids and I get it but the last two cruises I got a bad case of RSV and my fiancé got a real bad dose of Noro. Both of us didn't get ill till debarkation day so likely our exposures were during the trip. My grandson had to be airlifted from Coco Cay due to a really nasty respiratory infection. Same thing.... Late in the trip and likely contracted the bug during the cruise.

I mentioned above that our trips were on what should have been relatively "kid reduced" times of the year. Instead, they were the most kid busy cruises we have been on. I fully understand Royal is a business and its cruises are more targeted at "families". That can be seen in all these "amped" ships or the jumbos that are basically theme amusement parks at sea.

I don't see as many youngsters on Celebrity which we have been leaning towards, but we really want to stay loyal to Royal. Are there ships within the fleet that aren't amped so glaringly or perhaps itineraries that might be less kid friendly. Being Diamonds we enjoy the four drinks a day perk. We don't drink alcohol but its nice for a mocktail or soda or smoothie in the health spas. I know our status is "Matched" on Celebrity making us "Elite" but I don't see that perk in their status description. Its not monumental but 2 x 4 x8 days adds up. Yet another reason I would like to stay loyal to Royal.

Thoughts?

Traveling Mike · April 4

You have cruised enough and been on this blog enough to know your answer. Little ships, longer trips and in off season. Your best bet is Celebrity. Their free drinks are in the evening around dinner time for a couple of hours. As much as you can drink on a limited drink menu. When on Celebrity just go to a couple of different bars and load up on canned sodas for later at night or during the day. You can now put your points to RCL when you cruise with Celebrity.

Ampurp85 · April 4

I honestly think maybe longer cruises/Celebrity is the key. I normally cruise the shoulder season(Sept-Oct and Jan) and until KSF became a thing, the children on sailings were reduced. Now when I sail it doesn't matter the season or ship size, full of children in Jan. This past Jan even on Radiance there was a high number of children. But also it's not just the children who can make you sick, adults are just as ill-mannered. I often see many avoid handwashing and coughing/sneezing straight into the air.

smokeybandit · April 4

It's a family cruise line, so unless you're going the handful of 9+ nighters, there are going to be lots of kids.

WAAAYTOOO · April 4

3 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

it's not just the children who can make you sick, adults are just as ill-mannered

^^This^^

skywalk640 · April 4

Your best bets are repositioning cruises (transatlantic, transpacific, etc) and cruises 9+ nights. We did a 9 night Canada/Northeast cruise during the Fall and out of 4200 passengers, there were only 100 kids.

Matt · April 4

I don't think kids are any more responsible for the spread of highly communicable diseases than adults. Stand by the Windjammer for a few minutes and watch how many adults zoom past without washing their hands.

I could also point out the CDC reports of norovirus outbreaks on Princess, HAL, and other traditionally "old people" lines.

It sucks when you get sick anywhere, including on a cruise. But I don't think the fact there are more kids on Royal is the issue.

deep1 · April 4

3 hours ago, Matt said:

I don't think kids are any more responsible for the spread of highly communicable diseases than adults. Stand by the Windjammer for a few minutes and watch how many adults zoom past without washing their hands.

I could also point out the CDC reports of norovirus outbreaks on Princess, HAL, and other traditionally "old people" lines.

It sucks when you get sick anywhere, including on a cruise. But I don't think the fact there are more kids on Royal is the issue.

On these two cruises there was a notable increase in their numbers coming in contact both with food and crowding in elevators. I understand it can source from older passengers as well. Not trying to slam kids . Just wondering which chips and/or itineraries that that might limit that exposure....

Ryan79 · April 5

Transatlantic and cruises more than 7 nights during off peak will be your best bet. Also smaller ships might offer better luck as Icon/Oasis class are marketed specifically to families with kids.

deep1 · April 5

2 hours ago, Ryan79 said:

Transatlantic and cruises more than 7 nights during off peak will be your best bet. Also smaller ships might offer better luck as Icon/Oasis class are marketed specifically to families with kids.

I'm partly to blame. We chose late October, 8 night , So. carib, thinking that would be a safe bet, It WAS Oasis though. Turned out to be the most kids ever. They were for the most part well behaved, just having a good time types. We did have a couple incidents where we were packed like sardines in the elevator with a couple expressing urgency to get to their floor so they could use the bathroom. In another case I noticed a couple in the Windjammer thinking serving tongs were "for other people" and using bare hands to stack their plates.

Matt · April 5

19 hours ago, deep1 said:

Just wondering which chips and/or itineraries that that might limit that exposure

Winter is definitely "flu season" so I'd look at summer cruises for less of a chance of running into those typical exposures

Last2Know · April 5

On 4/3/2026 at 11:40 PM, deep1 said:

"kid reduced" times of the year.

A couple of observations:

Just off Icon yesterday (4/4) and there were over 3000 children of various ages. Many school districts throughout the mid-Atlantic and Midwest had Spring/Easter Break this past week. The younger children were actually better behaved than some of the older teens.

COVID changed how parents approached educating their children. We see school-aged children on all the cruises, regardless of length. Home schooling grew significantly due to COVID shutdowns and we have seen many parents incorporating education time into their cruises.

GatorCruiser · April 5

Agreed with above. On Star my observation was the teens were the most wild/rambunctious. Young ones were no issue.

deep1 · April 5

2 hours ago, Matt said:

Winter is definitely "flu season" so I'd look at summer cruises for less of a chance of running into those typical exposures

These were early fall. But good point.:D

deep1 · April 5

1 hour ago, Last2Know said:

A couple of observations:

Just off Icon yesterday (4/4) and there were over 3000 children of various ages. Many school districts throughout the mid-Atlantic and Midwest had Spring/Easter Break this past week. The younger children were actually better behaved than some of the older teens.

COVID changed how parents approached educating their children. We see school-aged children on all the cruises, regardless of length. Home schooling grew significantly due to COVID shutdowns and we have seen many parents incorporating education time into their cruises.

I agree the little ones were far better behaved than the teens and tweens. Even the teens and tweens were pretty well behaved as a whole but they were the ones handling food and sneezing or coughing in the elevators in large groups...

barjpoe · April 5

What about the napkin waving in the MDR? Doesn't that motion activate any thing that was in napkin that was used for wiping the moutn?

deep1 · April 5

43 minutes ago, barjpoe said:

What about the napkin waving in the MDR? Doesn't that motion activate any thing that was in napkin that was used for wiping the moutn?

Good point... Or the Maire' dit in the main Shaking everybody's hand asking if service and food were good?

Jolly Ogre · April 6

17 hours ago, barjpoe said:

What about the napkin waving in the MDR? Doesn't that motion activate any thing that was in napkin that was used for wiping the moutn?

I hate that part about the MDR and try to avoid it at any cost.

Doug_Texas · April 6

On 4/5/2026 at 2:09 PM, barjpoe said:

What about the napkin waving in the MDR? Doesn't that motion activate any thing that was in napkin that was used for wiping the moutn?

That self-congratulation ritual needs to be eliminated just for the annoyance factor.

AandD · April 6

9 hours ago, Jolly Ogre said:

I hate that part about the MDR and try to avoid it at any cost.

Us too. We usually leave when it starts, even if we have not finished our dinner.

smokeybandit · April 6

Maybe I'm just lucky. Rarely do we have any song and dance in the MDR. Then again we eat quick and get out, so maybe we just miss it.

Nathan adams · April 7

We did a Tampa to Panama and back cruise on seranade. And there were no kids. Mater of fact we changed the name of the schooner bar to the scooter bar. Lol

asquared17 · April 8

26 minutes ago, Nathan adams said:

We did a Tampa to Panama and back cruise on seranade. And there were no kids

i think the longer cruises or the repositioning ones tend to garner less kiddos — FWIW, we have seen the amount of smalls drastically reduced on our celebrity sailings and it’s been enjoyable.

as i often say — it’s not the kids i have issue with — it’s the parents who are often nowhere to be found while their offspring roam and freely cause chaos.

kids/teens who are respectful and don’t go knocking down vintages like bowling pins are always welcome in my book

Jolly Ogre · April 8

Also it really depends on the school year.

So when we go it is in the spring but after spring break.

In the summer we do longer sailings on older ships.

In the fall it is just after school starts so they are jst getting back and parents are less likely to pull them for a cruise.

For the holidays we go the week after Thanksgiving and before Christmas so the kids are back from one break and not yet out for the next.

Of course there are kids on board but the amount is lessened by our cruise dates and ship and itinerary choices.

xaza · April 8

kids don't bother me when they are well behaved. their parents bother me when they are not. One of my favorite places on the ship is the climbing wall. I love cheering on the kids and seeing them having so much fun.

Reigert2008 · April 8

I don't think you can really plan for "fewer kids" any longer. So many people will now take their kids out of school for the savings, there's a lot of homeschooling and online learning, and of course there are the "odd weeks" where some schools are out for local events like Boston Marathon, KY Derby, and probably a lot more. You always hear people says that "tomorrow is not guaranteed" and I think a lot of people have been taking that to heart since the COVID times. I know we have and we don't even have kids. We used to be those people who would say we'd do it eventually, but after COVID, family health issues, and family members passing on we are now of the mindset that if we want to do something, we do it. No more lollygagging around on it.

I cannot think of a time where a kid has disrupted my trip, but I can think of many times where an adult has not been as polite as they should be.

My fun fact about cruising is that I have only ever seen one person get asked to go back to their room to "sleep it off" after drinking too much. And that happened in the adults only area on a Disney cruise

ChessE4 · April 8

Agree. We take cruises on smaller vessels, and small children can clog the Centrum if parents don't parent. But we haven't had a problem with the behavior of children in years. We enjoy seeing families cruise.

Crusin Joel · April 15

Analysis: Carnival Cruise makes a move Royal Caribbean must copy - TheStreet

I have never cruised Carnival and don't plan to. But I thought this was a decent idea that some loyal RCL customers would appreciate.

CruiseRoyalDad · April 15

It's been said but if you need fewer kids on the cruise it might be time to look at Celebrity. It's not an indictment on not liking kids, just the need for a lower energy feel with general calm. Children don't facilitate that environment. Royal Caribbean markets almost completely to the family.

DuckHunter · April 15

On 4/5/2026 at 9:16 AM, Last2Know said:

A couple of observations:

Just off Icon yesterday (4/4) and there were over 3000 children of various ages. Many school districts throughout the mid-Atlantic and Midwest had Spring/Easter Break this past week. The younger children were actually better behaved than some of the older teens.

Woah. Even at MAX capacity, "over 3000 children" would mean 1.5 children for every adult. Really???

Considering that in the US, the child to adult ratio is about 1 child to every 3.5 adults, 3000 seems alot.

Just sayin'

WAYNO · April 15

Just maybe, we ought to limit the amount of fun-hating old codgers on a ship.

.

Mike n Ky · April 15

24 minutes ago, DuckHunter said:

Woah. Even at MAX capacity, "over 3000 children" would mean 1.5 children for every adult. Really???

Considering that in the US, the child to adult ratio is about 1 child to every 3.5 adults, 3000 seems alot.

Just sayin'

On Star, 3/15, the concierge in the CL said there was over 2,400 kids. They also announced that there were over 3,600 first time cruisers.

Jolly Ogre · April 15

2 hours ago, CruiseRoyalDad said:

It's been said but if you need fewer kids on the cruise it might be time to look at Celebrity. It's not an indictment on not liking kids, just the need for a lower energy feel with general calm. Children don't facilitate that environment. Royal Caribbean markets almost completely to the family.

If they would merge the D benefits and the casino programs, I would gladly go on X.

WAAAYTOOO · April 15

1 hour ago, Jolly Ogre said:

If they would merge the casino programs, I would gladly go on X.

Amen

Ampurp85 · April 15

3 hours ago, DuckHunter said:

Woah. Even at MAX capacity, "over 3000 children" would mean 1.5 children for every adult. Really???

Considering that in the US, the child to adult ratio is about 1 child to every 3.5 adults, 3000 seems alot.

Just sayin'

In Jan we had almost 3k children, I think it was like 2500/2600 or so. Many foreign families of 4+ children, plus various other groups with multiple children. It is not unheard of for Icon to have 40-50% children on a sailing.

DuckHunter · April 17

On 4/15/2026 at 1:30 PM, Ampurp85 said:

In Jan we had almost 3k children, I think it was like 2500/2600 or so. Many foreign families of 4+ children, plus various other groups with multiple children. It is not unheard of for Icon to have 40-50% children on a sailing.

That is alot of children, but 2400 to 2600 and "over 3000" are still a huge difference. I can certainly see a family of 5 with 2 parents and 3 kids or even one parent with 3 kids. anyways, its a family oriented cruise line, so I don't know if complaints about the number of children is really a big issue. I totally get the perspective because I have also seen kids being rowdy and such, but that is the demographic of current times.

PhillyLady · April 18

RC passengers have to realize by now that RC is promoted as one of the best FAMILY cruise lines, maybe even ahead of Disney, as RC has more of an all-ages appeal. Therefore, children will always be expected--the fact that folks are trying to find RC cruises when children are limited is a bit humorous! If you do not want to sail with children, choose another cruise line!

Yes, Celebrity is a great option-- a bit more upscale and sophisticated than RC IMO, but still welcoming to children. Another option also owned by RC Group is Silversea--more of a splurge, but they do NOT promote children, so hopefully the ship experience would be much more relaxing (?).

Of course, I like to cruise hop and try lots of different ships and lines, so I am always prepared for cruises with children--or without!

Tony Crawford · April 18

On 4/5/2026 at 12:54 PM, deep1 said:

Good point... Or the Maire' dit in the main Shaking everybody's hand asking if service and food were good?

Time for a good 'fist bump'...

wordell1 · April 18

11 hours ago, PhillyLady said:

RC passengers have to realize by now that RC is promoted as one of the best FAMILY cruise lines, maybe even ahead of Disney, as RC has more of an all-ages appeal. Therefore, children will always be expected--the fact that folks are trying to find RC cruises when children are limited is a bit humorous! If you do not want to sail with children, choose another cruise line!

Yes, Celebrity is a great option-- a bit more upscale and sophisticated than RC IMO, but still welcoming to children. Another option also owned by RC Group is Silversea--more of a splurge, but they do NOT promote children, so hopefully the ship experience would be much more relaxing (?).

Of course, I like to cruise hop and try lots of different ships and lines, so I am always prepared for cruises with children--or without!

I still think it makes sense to provide adults only areas within the family friendly environment. Royal does a reasonably good job of this in my opinion.

Last2Know · April 18

On 4/17/2026 at 10:01 AM, DuckHunter said:

It is not unheard of for Icon to have 40-50% children on a sailing.

Agreed. This plus we sailed Icon during peak Spring Break (Holy Week/Semana Santa). The lesson learned for us was to look closer at the Casino Royale Signature cruise dates.

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