Even on family-friendly cruise lines, kids can be a polarizing issue.
That's because when some children are left unsupervised, they can create havoc.
Some parents get on board and decide that their kids can have free rein on the ship. That's fine for some kids, but it's not uncommon to see unruly teenagers running in the hallways, knocking on doors late at night, and even stealing or disrupting items on people's cabin doors.
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Most parents are, of course, responsible and keep an eye on their kids. Many kids know how to behave and are not disruptive. But just a few unruly kids, however, can create big problems that disrupt the vacations of other passengers.
It's a challenging situation for the cruise lines because the line between annoying and actionable is a bit grey.
When security should step in and when it would be overstepping is hard to know. Parenting other people's children rarely goes well, so ship personnel get involved only when a serious violation occurs.
Passengers, however, are never shy about their opinions. Thousands of them have spoken out on a controversial topic that involves the youngest kids on Carnival Cruise Line ships.
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Image source: Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival's brand ambassador takes on a tough topic
Carnival has a number of rules regarding kids on its ships.
"Infants must be at least 6 months of age at the time of embarkation in order to sail," the company says. "Children must be at least 12 months of age at the time of embarkation to sail on transocean crossings and remote itineraries, where there are more than two consecutive sea days."
Once a child reaches six months, they can sail on most cruises. That has led to situations that some passengers find controversial. And Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald addressed the matter on his Facebook page.
"Is it wrong for a guest to walk around the Lido deck this morning on Carnival Sunrise with a baby, in a sling/scarf while it is breastfeeding?" Heald wrote. "One chap wrote to me most upset about this. Surely it's OK...right?"
Where it's appropriate to breastfeed has become a hot-button political topic, but Carnival passengers seem remarkably united on the issue. More than 3,200 people commented publicly on Heald's post and most had the same opinion.
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Carnival passengers speak out
While Heald's post responded to someone who was offended by the idea of a woman breastfeeding on a public deck, most passengers were very supportive.
"I have no problem with it," Judy Morris wrote. "Used to breastfeed my daughter ringside at dog shows back in the 70s. I am sure some people were appalled, but I didn't and don't care. Oh, she grew up to breed top-winning show dogs. Maybe that baby on Carnival will grow up to be a brand ambassador in 30 or 40 years."
Many commenters pointed out that the pool deck is not exactly a place noted for modesty.
"I doubt that he saw anything more offensive than some of the swimsuits on board. I’m sure she had the baby's face covered," Linda McLain posted.
Jennifer Harrell shared a variant of that same idea.
"I once saw a woman at the bank breastfeeding with no sling, no blanket, nothing. Babies need to eat too. I was more offended by the old gentleman in his skimpy speedo at the pool than by someone feeding their infant," she said.
Many posters were fully supportive and noted that covering the child was not a requirement.
"Even if it uncovered it's fine to breastfeed. I doubt any of us eat with a blanket over their head," wrote Terri Lynn.
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Amanda Martin echoed that sentiment with more force.
"Anyone saying cover-up, please turn the heat to a crisp 98 degrees and throw a blanket on your head next time you eat," she added.
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