Beverage Increases

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ Don't get me wrong, some jokes are super offensive. I try to avoid those jokes, but you have to make a little fun to make it funny. You have to be pretty cleaver and witty to be a comedian. I avoid talking about races or gender roles or politics. Those things can easily become offensive, but anything else should be fair game. Eventually, I will get to a stage in my life where I don't care if it offends others, but for now I try to take precautions. The goal isn't to upset anyone but rather make others around me laugh and feel joy. Particularly in seasons where life gets rough or hard, it's better to bring joy and not keep everything so serious all the time. Laughing is important! Some people are wired to enjoy a joke and others need to learn to have some fun! 

[LukeJ]

Yes @Cruising Caribbean there are far too many people that are offended and sensitive to everything these days. You can't say a word anymore. It really is quite soul destroying when someone makes a point of it not being funny and slate you for offensive attitude. And all you did was make a slight quip just to get the laugh and lighten the atmosphere. I don't tend to bother with people like that after that, and feel that they have ruined would would have been a playful conversation where banter between people was the only intended outcome.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ I'm not sure when it was when people started taking everything so personally. I tend to have a really good filter, but when you are joking, you have to poke fun at something! You can't please everyone. That's what is all boils down to. Someone will always take offense to something you say. I understand always trying to be better and self-improving but I don't see the reason to constantly take everything so literally. The new generation has a very different approach and outlook on life. It's very self-satisfying, self-gratifying, easily triggered, overly self-aware, and quite honestly weaker than past generations. I can't say being sensitive is a bad thing, but past generations were a lot tougher than these younger generations. I hope that our society doesn't weaken even more and become more recluse. There is something to be said about someone who is outspoken and works hard for what they have. Those character traits have seemingly diminished over time unless you are protesting or making a TikTok video. Have you noticed that trend or is that just my perception? 

[LukeJ]

I certainly have seen a difference, and it's over I just simply don't understand. We were a lot tougher back in the day, and I can accept that there may be certain subjects that are taboo that you can't joke about if you are easily offended. I personally wouldn't find subjects insulting, but not everyone feels that way. But as you say, it's the self satisfying people that just want the world to know they're not happy is what I don't like. The people that are offended by a certain show on TV for example, and their need to complain and prove a point. Here's an idea: stop watching that show then. Turn it over. Because some people will enjoy that show. This world now caves in to the minority. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ The younger generations have definitely evolved to become more tech reliant. I'm a product of this too in some ways. I happen to be very GPS dominant. Even if I have been somewhere 20 times, I still end up using my maps for peace of mind or to check traffic patterns as I drive to my destination. I grew up in the era where my parents would print out directional maps before a road trip from point A to point B. My childhood car also had an Atlas in it. My children don't even know what an atlas is! I actually only know like 3 phone numbers off the top of my head. My mom got a new phone number a couple years ago and I have yet to memorize it. I also think the younger generations are easily bored. I happen to check my emails at red lights, constantly switching songs while I drive or checking social media. The accessibility to everything has changed the game! My children use OK google for spelling things or answering any question and they don't even have to type it in. It's the new era of I need it, I get it. There is constant instant gratification with less work or effort involved in anything! This tech dominant culture has changed the game for the cruise industry too.

[LukeJ]

Yes the technology has definitely made the current generation lazier. Everything they need is at a touch of a button or voice controlled. A friend of mine was showing off his new voice controlled light, and I couldn't believe it. What was the matter with a light switch? Honestly, nobody does anything anymore. People's attitude is that they can't be bothered. I hear those very words all the time. It does grate on me. 

[PaulB]

Yes even though I'm a fan of technology, it does seem to have taken over our lives. My family have all the gadgets necessary, and even though we are not as bad as most people, it does make things easier, and I guess lazier even though we don't see it like that. My son has a voice controlled light, and he likes to read at night and then turn off with a command when he's ready to go to sleep. So it saves him getting out of bed to switch it off.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ The latest technology is super cool, but it can be overwhelming. Keeping tabs on my children all the time as their accessibility broadens is challenging. It takes constant monitoring because the content isn't always good and the accessibility seems to be indefinite and endless. I have had to turn off my devices like Alexa because the kids have too much access to everything. This can hinder them from using their own brain too. I don't want my children to get all answers from the internet and not use their brains. How are children supposed to problem solve and strategize with all the technological devices taking care of those skills for them?

[LukeJ]

Yes @Cruising Caribbeani tend to agree with you there. It can be consuming, and my wife and I are both aware of that, so we won't allow him to have that much control. We are thankful that he still is creative, loves drawing and designing things as well as reading every night. A proper book, not on screens, so he still tends to keep that old fashioned mentality about him. He has screen free time every day, not just computer but TV as well, and has many hobbies that we take him too. So I like to think he has a bit of a balance about him.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ It's such a hard balance! It's impressive that your son chooses to read and draw instead of using electronics. It's hard to convince kids to do that in this generation. For my family there has to be removal of electronics for those sorts of creative activities to happen. In the future, those habits and traits will really benefit him. There is something to be said about a child that has limited electronic time. Today, it's quite common that children don't have limitations. It can become quite addicting! It seems like your son is very well-rounded and you are doing an excellent job! 

[LukeJ]

@Cruising Caribbean thank you very much. It's important that we do give him a good start in life. I am extremely artistic and I'm glad he's following my creative route. In fact I say his artwork is far superior to mine already, especially when I was his age. It's important also that we allow him to be creative and express his ability, so we encourage his art and his play. An hour playing with toys a day is good in my opinion. And we do enjoy spending time outside of the weather allows, so we go and ride bikes, or play golf and any other activities we see fit. 

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ I love that you support your son's creativity! So many different families I know don't support creativity. It seems being robotically productive and working in a money-focused career is more important to many parents instead of supporting natural talents and interests! This mindset has died of some, but it's important that parents support their children in their interests and gifts! I put my kids in lots of recreational sports. None of them are super stars and honestly I don't care if they are. I cheer them on and encourage them to participate the best they can while most importantly having fun. When I see a parent that's so overly competitive with their kids, I laugh. There is no reason to force your kids to outperform others in a recreational sport! If it's a competitive league, it's fine to have that perspective, but otherwise, just let them have fun!

Playing golf in the wintertime must be a challenge! Do you have an indoor range you can go to during the cold months?

[LukeJ]

@Cruising Caribbean thank you for your kind words. I will always support my family if they wish to do something. Even if it's a far fetched idea, I will certainly sit down and have a think about it. When I was growing up, it was always a no to certain extent, so I'm happy to give him his moment. I agree with you in some parents do push their children. I see that when I coach rugby and soccer. They expect too much. We all want to win, but allow them to develop and learn and more importantly have fun. If they are enjoying, they are engaging with others. Not isolating themselves away, and if they are enjoying them they will have confidence. 

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ I love that! Your willingness to support your family under any circumstance shows your true character. The no or constant negativity is no good! Some people will live up to those standards/expectations and others will take it as a challenge, choosing to prove everyone wrong. The pushing the kids thing is all fine within limits. Some parents just take it over the top and it ruins it for the children. I understand wanting your child to do their very best, but I don't think it's right to push them to the point of hating the game. I remember when I was young being an excellent ballerina. By the time I was 10 I quit. I didn't want to be there 3 days a week performing and I didn't want to do that as a career either. My mom even contemplated sending me to a school for ballet where I lived there! I completely lost interest in ballet after that. If it wouldn't have been so rigorous, I probably would still be dancing till this day. 

[LukeJ]

@Cruising Caribbean I agree it really is a fine line. What you want is for your child to enjoy any games or hobbies that they participate in. All the want and see is mostly playing with their friends. If they begin to excel, the parents try to push that because they can "see" the potential and believe they can go far. I tell people just to leave them develop at their own pace. If we leave them alone, let them learn their mistakes as they go along, they will naturally develop for the good, not robotically going along.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ I guess I'm the parent that doesn't care if my children are the best at sports. I feel like sports is mostly about having fun, building muscles/skills, and making friends/working in a team setting. I don't even think my children should feel bad if they don't score any points or if they loose. It's more about having fun. I agree that some people have more potential than others, but if you push kids too far they will quit and hate the game. I want my kids to play for fun on a cruise ship, not have to be sent away to a boarding school to make it to the top. Learning from mistakes and being comfortable with making mistakes is really important. You shouldn't be shamed for making any mistakes! When parents do that, it drives me nuts! 

[LukeJ]

Yes I embrace the mistakes. As long as they learn from them. I understand the kids frustrations, but I make the realise that it's a good thing. If I explained a scenario in a game and told someone not to do it, they are just taking my word on it, they don't really know themselves. If they did it in a game, they would always know that was the incorrect way of doing it, so they would mentally be aware the next scenario it comes up again, to do it differently. They would learn faster than me telling them no. If they keep doing it however, well they will forever be frustrated and not learn.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ You are clearly an awesome parent! Many people wish they has such a supportive parental figure growing up! Once you are a parent, you know that it's not a job for the faint of heart. I feel like you don't really know what the job is like until you do it. I babysat tons of children but I didn't really get it until I had some of my own. Your tone of voice, the words you choose, the way you phrase it, all of those factors are so important. I feel like they become even more important as the child get's older! They say, bigger children, bigger problems. Also the bigger your children, the bigger the gifts are that they want. Now my children are getting older they are starting to ask for cruises for their birthday! I don't blame them, but that's a big and expensive ask. I wish they were back in that "I want to play blocks with you and ride my bike for my birthday" stage. 

[LukeJ]

Everyone has their own way of parenting. I've learnt as I've gone along like we all have. I don't have all the answers and made mistakes myself along the way. My wife has taught me a lot, and she's been an amazing mother. I remember when he was born, and I was petrified. The first week had passed, and I remember thinking we've managed to keep him alive for a week, and just took it week by week ha ha.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ That's right; to each their own. One thing most parents can agree on, the kids club onboard a cruise is awesome. When a cruise line has a strong kids program it can make your family cruise so successful! Not only are the kids happy, but the parents actually get a second to unwind without their children! At least in my home, that rarely ever happens. There really aren't any other vacations that offer the same amount of children activities and services. A kids club can even feed your kids and watch them through the evening hours! That alone makes cruising with your family unbeatable. The keeping your kids alive factor is really relatable. Kids are fragile and their minds don't always make the best choices. It's a constant effort to keep them alive and well. I heard it's even harder to do when they are teens. They still have child-like brains with adult leveled independence and interests. Teens and driving scares me. I'm not ready for that stage. 

[LukeJ]

That's good that adults can unwind with the kids in the kids club. It means that they can do whatever they want and really enjoy. I do like the fact that they can obviously play as much as they want, but I also like him to be with us as well as it's a family vacation. So a nice mixture of the two would be ideal. Yes there are times when it's going to unnerve me seeing him go out. With friends and beginning to drive is one. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ The kids club onboard cruises are excellent! That's typically when the parents enjoy their beverage packages the most, when the kids are cared for and entertained! One perk I hope is never taken away is the free childcare onboard. There really aren't any other vacations that include childcare in the "all-inclusive" pricing. I see many guests complaining about certain crowds like kids running wild on certain cruise lines. If you are cruising on a family-friendly, child-friendly cruise line, you have to expect to see an influx of families and children onboard. If you cruise on a line with little to no childcare offerings, you can expect an older crowd!

[LukeJ]

@Kendall James-Vargas yes very true. Don't expect to stay away from screaming children if you're on a family cruise. Most of the time, I found them well behaved enough. There have been a few screams, which is something I simply do not understand why anyone would scream like that, but in general they have been fine. I understand there are people that don't like that and want to relax more, but it's a family friendly ship and cannot be helped. And you mostly find that the adults are worse than the kids.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ It's hard to understand those with unrealistic expectations. If everything about the cruise line is geared towards kids and families, I think it's important to expect that to be the prevalent group onboard. When parents let thier kids roam free (particularly teens/preteens) with no boundaries, I have an issue with that. I expect that parents will care for their children and monitor their children, despite their ages, onboard a cruise ship if they choose to bring them along. If you don't want to take responsibility for your kids on vacation, don't bring them along. It's not kind to others onboard to have to be subject to children doing whatever they want whenever they want. I'm thinking of the example of children running down the halls yelling at 1am which others are trying to sleep in their staterooms. 

[LukeJ]

Without being one of those people that point the finger and blame, but I can guarantee there will definitely be parents on board that will just let the children roam free and not care. It happens all the time, and although majority in general will obey to the etiquette of the ships, a small irresponsible parents will spend their days doing what they want and allow their brood to cause mischief. It's happened on most cruises I've been on, when these types of behaviour has gone on. As you say screaming kids early in the morning.