Who’s Watching the Kids? Frustrated Cruiser Dishes on Unwatched Children on Recent Sailing

Family-friendly cruise lines offer all kinds of activities and amenities for the entire family to stay busy and happy.  And while kids’ clubs, waterparks, and sports courts can help keep the younger cruisers occupied, not all parents—well, parent the same way.

A social media post recently highlighted the issue of children “wandering the ship alone” with no parents in sight.

The post, which has already racked up more than 140 comments, comes from a passenger who just finished a sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas. While they praised the crew and the overall experience, they couldn’t ignore one frustration in a post titled “PSA: Watch your kids”.

“The ONE annoying thing throughout the 5 days was watching parents NOT watch their kids,” they wrote. They then gave a string of examples of what happened on the ship, and these struck a nerve in the comment section as well:

• A three-year-old repeatedly pressing elevator buttons while his mom “stood by and did nothing.”
• Three kids, about seven to ten years old, wandering the ship alone near railings that “aren’t as high as you would think.”
• An eight-year-old girl crying in the elevator after her dad left the pool without telling her—leaving her to wander the decks alone looking for him.
• Children running through the buffet, bumping past passengers and “throwing themselves against the windows.”

Passengers Weigh In

The comment section was filled with a mix of humor, frustration, and serious concern. One person said that unsupervised kids “revert to feral in short time,” and suggesting traps baited with chicken nuggets.

Others shared stories that were much more serious. One recalled watching “a group of tweens knock an older gentleman down the stairs,” resulting in the man being hospitalized. Another described long cruises with sleepless nights thanks to children “screaming at 1 am and playing games to see who could push the other one off the elevator.”

Stories from the buffet area of the ship were particularly common on the comment section. One popular comment stated: “I don’t need Jaxxonn, Braxxton, and MaKynleigh grabbing straight from trays of food with their nasty hands. Help them build a plate—it’s not the staff’s responsibility.”

Parenting on Vacation or Just Checked Out?

The debate perhaps reveals a deeper frustration for cruisers just trying to get away. There’s the idea that some parents treat a cruise as a vacation not just from work, but from parenting itself.

“We have come across many people who think just because they are on vacation, parenting goes out the window,” one comment complained.

Others noted that the issue isn’t always absence but inaction: “Some of them ARE watching them and still don’t do anything.”

The thread included examples that showed some of the dangers of this passiveness as well. A passenger described parents letting their eight-year-old sprint on a treadmill at full speed—he quickly fell off. Another noted kids crowding into the adult pool because “their parents want to drink and there isn’t a bar by the kiddie pool.”

Where’s the Line?

The common theme from many commenters was clear. Cruise ships are not playgrounds with no rules. “There are tons of places where kids can ‘go wild’—pools, play spaces, outside decks,” one person wrote. “But in bars, lounges, or dining areas? People need to control their kids.”

Others suggested that cruise staff be given more authority to intervene when children are disruptive or unsafe, while some took it further, joking about “banning parents who don’t watch their children appropriately.”

Tips for Parents Cruising with Kids

While the comments were filled with venting cruise lovers, it also raised some important reminders for families traveling with children. A few simple steps could make life easier for both kids and other passengers:

• Use the kids’ clubs and activities. Most cruise lines have supervised play areas and programs designed for different age groups. Kids often have more fun when entertained by staff and peers.
• Set boundaries early. Before boarding, explain to your child where they can and can’t go alone, and remind them about safety near railings, pools, and elevators.
• Stay close in crowded areas. Buffets, busy decks, and lounges can become chaotic with children and stressful for those around them if kids are out of control.
• Be mindful of adult-only zones. Many ships have quiet spaces for passengers looking to relax without kids. Respecting those areas helps everyone enjoy the vacation.

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, most passengers agree: families need vacations too (maybe even more so) and there’s plenty of room for kids to have a great time on a cruise.  But when a parent lets an unruly child’s behavior disrupt another passenger’s vacation, it’s gone too far.

For cruisers who truly want a kid-free vacation there are some great options out there with Viking and Virgin Voyages.  Even Carnival has recently offered some adult-only cruises that are for passengers 21 and up since they are casino cruises.  You can see more about that here.