Just in case this comes off as harsh, let me preface this by saying that I love children. I have two boys of my own, and I’m having a hard time letting them be adults as they turn 24 and 20.
But this is about small children, minors if you will, and I vividly remember what a handful my boys could be when they were much younger.
Celebrity Cruises has decided to open the adults-only Solarium venue to guests under the age of 16.
This is not a good idea. Something tells me that Celebrity might end up losing customers over this decision.
Granted, there are restrictions. Kids will only be permitted in the space during certain hours on certain itineraries. But it’s still not a good idea. Cruise ships have been described as floating hotels. To me, they are floating sanctuaries. They are a respite from everyday life. Nobody wants to have their respite taken away by unruly children. Some might say that this is the chance you take. But why bother introducing the chance at all?
And, no, it’s not the same as I once wrote about airlines creating a children's zone. In that column, I wrote that adults should be able to suck it up on an airplane for a few hours.
It’s quite a different story for three, four or five days—or longer.
They are called adults-only spaces for a reason. A lot of cruise ship attendees look forward to that quiet time. It’s all part and parcel of taking a cruise. Why threaten that? And the Solarium is a glass-enclosed luxurious space that includes a pool and hot tubs. It should be a relaxation area that adults are looking for because it sounds like that’s the reason why it was constructed in the first place.
The cruise line said, "To accommodate guests under the age of 16 during colder weather, Celebrity Cruises' adults-only Solarium will offer Solarium Kid hours on select sailings in Alaska, The Baltics and Antarctica from 5-7 p.m. daily."
That’s all well and good, but most cruise lines offer children their own space. It’s called a video game room or a bouncy house or something like that. I don’t invade that space, no matter how cold it gets. It’s sort of like ordering off the kid’s menu.
There are bound to be supporters and detractors of this. It’s going to be a divisive and controversial issue. Here’s one vote against it.
It reminds me of a line of dialogue from an old Al Pacino movie. In theory, it might be a good idea, but in practice, it’s going to stink.
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