Families are, were
and shall remain Royal
Caribbean’s main target market, with its latest megaships offering a seemingly
endless supply of onboard diversions for youngsters and adults alike. But, it
seems that some grownup guests are finding it difficult to enjoy themselves
around an ever-increasing number of unruly children aboard their voyages.
At least, that was
the word during a Q&A session for travel advisors held during Utopia
of the Seas’ preview sailing this week. According to Royal
Caribbean Blog, one advisor told CEO Michael Bayley and Vicki Freed, Senior
Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service that she’s receiving a notable
number of complaints from clients on the subject.
This advisor said
that, particularly aboard Icon
of the Seas, which is geared toward families, adult guests are disgruntled
about the raucously disruptive behavior of the kids around them. "Icon is
fantastic, but [at] the swim-up bar, there's kids splashing into your drinks,"
she said. She also reported being at Bolero’s at midnight and watching children
crawling through adults’ legs as they attempted to dance.
The advisor
alleged that grownup guests are beginning to abandon Royal Caribbean for
calmer, quieter cruise lines that have more of an adult focus. She suggested
adding more areas targeted toward adults or imposing curfews for kids at the
onboard bars. Currently, the line’s curfew for children is 1:00 a.m., at which
time they are supposed to be back in their staterooms.
Bayley acknowledged
the issue and said that the cruise line has, indeed, been receiving an increasing
number of complaints about kids’ behavior in public spaces and that he would be
willing to revisit its curfew policies. While he emphasized the fact that Royal
Caribbean will remain a family brand that welcomes children, he also added that,
“we do need to make sure that we respect the adults.”
The line’s guest
conduct policy specifies that parents and guardians are responsible for the
actions of any minors or young adults that might accompany them on their
vacation. Rather than leave children unattended, parents are encouraged to take
advantage of Royal Caribbean’s free onboard kids’ club, Adventure Ocean, designed
for those aged six months to 11 years. There are different groups and
activities available for kids that fall into different age ranges. Tweens and
teens also have dedicated lounge areas that they can go to.
Kids playing in a cruise ship's pool area. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Microgen)
We asked some
travel advisors who were onboard Utopia of the Seas’ inaugural sailing what
impact they thought a kids’ curfew change might have on bookings and whether it
might deter the types of guests that Royal Caribbean currently serves.
“Ultimately,
change is always hard, so I’m sure there will be pushbacks. However, I feel
that the decision to put a curfew for the bars would be beneficial to adults,”
said Kristy Kompanik Mosolino of Wishes Travel. “Although Royal is a family-centric
product, we do tend to have quite a bit of other groups of travelers, such as
bachelor and bachelorette parties [and] girls’ getaways, to name a few. By the
time they get to the evening, they would prefer to have it be more of a kid-less
environment, where they can let down their hair and have fun! I would applaud
the decision to make the bars kid-free after 9 p.m.”
Shayla Ivey
Northcutt of Northcutt Travel Agency says she doesn’t fault Royal Caribbean’s
existing policy, but also that she doesn’t bring her own children into the bars
and doesn’t see any reason why anyone needs to do so. “I don’t think limiting
the true bars to +21 should even be an issue at all,” she opined, adding, “There
is no reason for a child to be in those spaces—my kids would be bored to tears
if I took them there.”
Northcutt said she
believes the types of complaints mentioned in Tuesday’s discussion come from
couples or adult-only groups who want to enjoy the party atmosphere, but don’t
want to be around kids. She pointed out that there are adults-only venues available
to those who want to avoid the commotion that accompanies the underage crowds,
such as the Solarium. She argued that there are so many activities and
attractions designed to keep kids entertained, plus a dedicated kids’ club and
teens’ lounge, there shouldn’t be an issue with keeping kids occupied.
Northcutt’s take
on the situation is that guests who don’t want to be around kids might be
better suited to another cruise line anyway. “This goes to qualifying the
client and not every ship is going to be right for every traveler,” she said. “I
don’t think it is a fault of the cruise lines providing the right outlets. I
think advisors doing their due diligence in qualifying the client about the
date of their sailing and the ship, that should be a win-win for anyone who
decides to sail, regardless of the cruise line.”
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