PE - Upstairs or Downstairs with a 3 year old?

Hoey I don't think the OP helped himself when he used the phrase

...would give him more room to cause havoc.

Hoey???? :#

In honesty tonty I took that phraseology as a bit of humour.... as opposed to picturing a father letting loose his little one to destroy the plane from inside out ii)

Sarcasm and humour don't always come across on posted forums... simple case of a passing comment to loosen the mood being misinterpreted. Still doesn't mean we can't play nice though

Because as a father trying to do the best for my family I'd deliberately go on a very respected forum and ask for advice on the best way to enable my 'unruly' toddler to cause the most disruption...

I must confess it could be part of an evil plot to keep the plane awake and on edge for someone with a psych background to study development of claustrophobia with a variety of stress factors

And yes I am kidding..

Well done a11p0rt,I don't know about you but I found this a very entertaining topic with some great replies!,once again enjoy the flight and hols
Blacky

[Darren Wheeler]

I must confess it could be part of an evil plot to keep the plane awake and on edge for someone with a psych background to study development of claustrophobia with a variety of stress factors

And yes I am kidding..

Just get an announcement saying they have run out of coffee.

Come on people, let's be friends here. The OP is just looking for a bit of guidance upper or lower deck to keep a kid entertained...

Hoey I don't think the OP helped himself when he used the phrase

...would give him more room to cause havoc.

I think this was taken too seriously, if the child was going to be let run wild, the parent wouldn't have been worried about posting on here to get try and get good information and be as well informed as possible.

Have a good flight.

Hoey???? :#

In honesty tonty I took that phraseology as a bit of humour.... as opposed to picturing a father letting loose his little one to destroy the plane from inside out ii)

Sarcasm and humour don't always come across on posted forums... simple case of a passing comment to loosen the mood being misinterpreted. Still doesn't mean we can't play nice though

Whoops soeey Joey ! blame fat-paw syndrome!

All the more reason for people to be careful what they write - especially on such an emotive topic as kids on planes !

Yes I know in later posts the OP mentioned they would have games etc

I just returned yesterday from Orlando with a 2 1/2 year old. We were also in PE. On the outbound flight we went for seats 23A&C and 24A&C upstairs (new config). We put junior in seat 24A so that if he did throw a tantrum then the pax in front were family. We had various (but not loads) of toys and a portable DVD played with his favourite Cars DVD. He was very content the whole journey. He slept 4 hours and played/watched DVDs the rest. One couple did roll their eyes when we boarded, however, when we were waiting to disembark the same couple praised him on his behaviour.

On the return we had the A330 and selected the centre 3 seats in row 24. Again, we had no issues at all (although he did sleep for almost 6 hours).

This was junior’s third trip to Orlando but it was the first time we had the bubble. I would definitely go for the bubble again if available.

Just a couple of things to consider:

1. If you are in the bubble you will be in separate rows (Assuming you are a couple and 1 child)

2. The toilets upstairs do not have baby changing. You will need to go downstairs (no big deal).

You will probably find that you are not able to do OLCI. It was told to proceed to the airport as normal. I called FC and they said it was because of the child. However, I did get the seats I had chosen.

Don’t let the negative comments on here deter you. After all, the child’s ticket in PE is only around £120 less than the adults. I wouldn’t exactly call that a massive reduction (10%??). You’ve paid for it – enjoy it.

Have a great holiday (wish I was still there).

John

John, thank you so much for your very informative comments. I'll bear that in mind tomorrow at OLCI.

Nick

Now, consider that MOST passengers requesting seats upstairs have done so because they believe that will result in a more peaceful and relaxing experience.

Personally, I'd stick to downstairs until the "unknown" is definitely known. Not only for your sake, but for others.

Sorry cannot see that is a fair comment. Firstly this is an Orlando flight. It's normally very busy and noisy with excited kids and adults.

Secondly, Unless 'upstairs' has suddenly become an 'adult only' area, I would encourage the OP to sit exactly where he wants. He has paid out for a PE seat for his family so why on earth should he be advised to sit downstairs in order to appease other PE passengers.

Babies and kids travel in all classes and to my knowledge parents are not expected to sit in specific areas on an aircraft.

Enjoy your holiday 11ap0rt and stay put in your allocated seats if you're happy with them

My grandkids have been travelling in PE since the youngest was 2years old and he's 13 now. Our biggest regret on the first outward journey was forgetting to bring child size earphones. We got some in Orlando for the journey home but then he slept for 8 hours ii)

Thanks to Hev60, joeyc and all others sticking up for those with families and wishing us well for our holiday.

We are very much looking forward to our first family holiday and won't be deterred by these or any other comments!

[preiffer]

Any thoughts on whether it is better to be upstairs or downstairs with my 3 year old son? Am thinking row 81 as there are 5 of us (4 adults) would give him more room to cause havoc.

Hmmm - well, you asked for peoples thoughts. You received peoples thoughts (I'm pretty sure mine did not attack your viewpoint or position, it just made my own thought process clear) - and we now have an apparent divide where anyone challenging whether kids are best placed upstairs or down are being criticised....

...which is exactly what you asked people to discuss.


If you only wanted one sided adoring answers, I do wish that had been made clear from the beginning... :w


Yes, kids of course have the same (perceived) "right" to travel as adults. Yes, they can be extremely well behaved - but they can ALSO be disruptive (99% down to how the parents handle the situation). For that reason, you're receiving comments from both people with children (who have clearly travelled on best behaviour) but also from those who have been on the receiving end of an unruly child for 10+ hours.

It's great to see parents asking for advice on how to best handle what could be a challenging situation before finding themselves in one. But you didn't ask for adoring praise or confirmation that you were the perfect family : you asked for comments and open thoughts.

Just as those without children have to accept the thoughts and actions of those with - it works both ways.

Hmmm - well, you asked for peoples thoughts. You received peoples thoughts (I'm pretty sure mine did not attack your viewpoint or position, it just made my own thought process clear) - and we now have an apparent divide where anyone challenging whether kids are best placed upstairs or down are being criticised....

I'm fairly sure I haven't said that you did attack my viewpoint or position as I have made no direct reference to anything you have said!

I agreed with those who mentioned that travelling with an uncontrolled child is no fun for anyone and that a lot of that is down to parental responsibility.

For that reason, you're receiving comments from both people with children (who have clearly travelled on best behaviour) but also from those who have been on the receiving end of an unruly child for 10+ hours.

Which is perfectly fine as advice on looking after children is well received.

Please also note that it wasn't me who brought up the issue of whether a child can even sit in PE with the 'adults' who pay full fares for their 'peace and quiet'! Being told to sit downstairs for the sake of others is frankly ridiculous.

But you didn't ask for adoring praise or confirmation that you were the perfect family : you asked for comments and open thoughts.

No but I also didn't expect to be badged up as an irresponsible parent with a difficult child just because a few of you have had that experience!

preiffer I don't know what it is that makes you think you can attack my character or family but I find it completely inappropriate and offensive. Objective comments are one thing but you make this personal which is totally unacceptable.

[preiffer]

No but I also didn't expect to be badged up as an irresponsible parent with a difficult child just because a few of you have had that experience!

preiffer I don't know what it is that makes you think you can attack my character or family but I find it completely inappropriate and offensive. Objective comments are one thing but you make this personal which is totally unacceptable.

Errrr.... Pretty sure that was my point?!

Nobody (from what I have read here) attacked your character, family, or parenting skills - least of all me.

Seriously gents??? n( n( n( n( n(

Simple misunderstanding isn't it. Why dig it up!

Nick, I am certain preiffer did not intend to attack your character or parenting abilities... just giving his opinion on a clearly volatile subject, whatever that may have been

I hope you enjoy your flight and let us know if you nab SEQ1

@joeyc OK fair comment. Seems I may not be able to even check in online according to another comment in this thread so SEQ1 is unlikely at the moment!

@preiffer apologies if I misunderstood your comment.

Thanks all for your replies, bon voyage!

[Scrooge]

Enjoy your trip, please remember, if the little one starts causing havoc, just take him down to the back of the Y cabin, put him in an overhead bin, tell him it's a game called "solitary confinement" and you will be back in a couple of hours to see how well he has played the game.


And for those of you that can't seem to see the sarcastic note in some of the posts, the above is totally serious.........