For most people, dinner on a cruise ship is a time to relax.

But when influencer couple Abby and Matt Howard decided to kick back with a dinner à deux, they ended up kicking up a storm.

The Arizona couple, who have 5.3 million followers on Tiktok, as well as 1.3 million and 677,000 Instagram followers individually, have had to furiously deny that they left their children alone on a cruise ship while enjoying their couple’s dinner.

Abby Howard posted over the weekend on Instagram that on a seven-day cruise, the couple had taken their kids – aged one and two – to dinner for the first five nights, but “it became apparent that they weren’t enjoying it and therefore we weren’t either.”

“So then we switched our dinner time to after their bedtime and FaceTimed the monitors while we ate,” she posted.

“And that worked out muchhhh (sic) better for everyone!”

Many followers understood her post as saying that they left the kids unattended in the cabin in order to go to dinner. When Howard deleted the post after a few hours, the suspicion only increased.

The couple have now posted a new video, in which they deny the children were left alone. They say that they were traveling with Abby’s extended family, including her grandmother.

“We had someone with our children at all times on this boat,” said Matt Howard, calling people’s suspicions “completely untrue.”

“We love our children more than anything in the entire world,” he said.

Abby Howard admitted in the video that she could see why the phrasing of her initial post caused people to believe the kids had been left alone. She deleted it because of the confusion, she said.

She said that their two children sleep in “blackout tents” even at home, each of which has a space to fit a monitor – which they use even if the couple are in the room with them.

Matt Howard had previously shared an Instagram video of his cabin, stating that the couple were sleeping in separate rooms, each with one child.

“We’re always concerned about them,” said his wife on the video addressing the controversy, adding that they “tag team” at family dinners so that one parent is physically with the children while the other checks the monitors.

The couple thanked their family for helping to watch the children during the cruise, and also thanked the public.

“Thank you so much to those of you that were concerned about the safety and wellbeing of our children,” said Abby Howard.

“We have not, would not, will not ever leave our children unattended, we would never ever want to put them in harm’s way in any way.”

CNN has contacted the Howards for comment.

It’s not known which cruise line the couple were traveling with, although Matt Thiemann, a cruise specialist travel agent and CEO of Everbliss Vacations, said he believes they were on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, which has a maximum capacity of 4,000 travelers, by the looks of their posts.

Cruise ship childcare

Many cruise lines offer childcare options.

Royal Caribbean offers group childcare programs as well as group-sitting for three to 11-year-olds from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. MSC Cruises has a kids’ club for tots until 9 p.m., with parents able to drop off their kids until 7 p.m., while Holland America Line states in its conditions that children must not be left alone anywhere on the ship.

Leaving a child in a locked room may seem relatively safe, but Thiemann advises against it.

“It is generally not safe for a child under eight to be left alone at home, and a cruise ship cabin is no different,” he said. “Parents might think it is a safe, locked space and while there are very strict procedures for accessing a cabin, there are cabin stewards, maintenance personnel and crew who can access the cabin. If it has a balcony there is greater risk of an accident or even becoming locked out on the balcony.

“Toddlers can be inquisitive, fall out of bed onto the hard floor or choke on something. There are just too many unexpected things that could happen when children are left alone in a cruise cabin or hotel room.”

Ariella Kimmel and Mandi Johnson were grabbing a bite to eat in Vienna, when their August trip to the Austrian capital was upended.

The Canadian duo had travelled to the city to see Taylor Swift in concert only to learn her shows would be cancelled because of two men plotting to launch an attack on fans outside the venue, Ernst Happel Stadium.

While Kimmel and Johnson were disappointed they weren’t going to be able to see Swift perform, they made the most of the remainder of their trip. However, the experience serves as a buyer’s beware for Canadians considering jet setting to see their favourite artists or teams.

“If you’re travelling to these concerts, it’s really hard to protect yourself,” said Kimmel, a Toronto-based vice-president at a public affairs firm who had previously travelled with Johnson to see Swift in Las Vegas, Nashville and Stockholm.

Such trips can make lifelong memories when they go off without a hitch, but cancellations and rescheduled events are common because of artist illnesses, poor ticket sales, security threats, unruly weather and natural disasters.

In the last year alone, Jennifer Lopez and the Black Keys scuttled touring plans after tickets had been sold, while Bruce Springsteen, Usher and Pink had to tell fans they couldn’t take the stage mere hours before show time.

Between airfares, hotels, travel expenses and tickets, last-minute cancellations can leave globe-trotting eventgoers out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

“Regrettably, unpredictability has always been a reality of the industry but it’s increasingly common that there might be things that are going to interrupt your plans, especially plans that you’re really excited about,” said Jenny Kost, the Calgary-based global director of strategic sales initiatives at Corporate Traveller Canada.

“It’s a tricky one because the airline or hotel understands the reason behind your travel but its likelihood of happening or not happening is a little bit outside of their purview.”

Because Swift is known to power through shows even when sick, Kimmel never imagined a concert she was headed to would ever be cancelled, but she always booked plane tickets and hotels that could be rescheduled or refunded — a move she recommends to others travelling for events.

“It’s like common sense, you never know what’s going to happen,” Kimmel said.

However, making use of the rescheduling and refund options her hotel booking and airline tickets had weren’t an option for Kimmel this time because she had already been in Austria for a few days and had very little of her stay left when Swift cancelled.

Had the show been nixed before Kimmel left home, the flexibility baked into the bookings would have been useful, though Kost said such arrangements aren’t cheap.

“There is a cost associated with that that’s not insignificant,” she warned, estimating these kinds of bookings can add hundreds of dollars to your bill and have lots of quirks in the fine print.

The better bet is travel insurance, Kost said. It’s often cheaper than flexible fares and hotel bookings and can reimburse customers for accommodations and flights they have to drop or swap when an event gets cancel or an emergency strikes.

Kost opted for such insurance when she journeyed to Paris to see Swift over the summer and bought it again in a cab on her way to Mexico for a wedding. The insurance cost her about $150 for a week, but when she had to extend her stay because she fell ill, it covered the cost of all of her accommodations.

She doesn’t encourage people to wait until the last minute to buy the insurance like she did because buying it early can provide some reprieve when an event you’re travelling to is cancelled well in advance.

Travel costs aside, people heading out-of-town for events that wind up cancelled also have to consider whether they will get the money they spent on entry fees and tickets back.

In Kimmel and Johnson’s case, they paid Ticketmaster about $300 per seat. They learned just after the cancellation that they would be refunded — but not for an $85 transaction fee they were charged when purchasing the tickets.

“We paid $85 to not see her but I guess that in the grand scheme of what we were going to pay, it’s not a lot at all,” Kimmel said.

They did not opt to buy insurance on their tickets, which Ticketmaster offers through Allianz Global Assistance for $8, plus tax. Allianz’s vice-president of marketing and insights Dan Keon said the insurance offers coverage up to $1,000 per ticket.

In addition to offering refunds if an event is cancelled by a venue or promoter, the coverage can provide a reimbursement for a variety of situations. Those include if you are facing a serious medical issue or death, have a family member in life-threatening condition, are summoned by the military or are delayed in arriving at the venue because of a common transportation carrier.

If you’re going to opt into the insurance, Keon said review the terms ahead of time, so you understand exactly what scenarios you will be covered in.

The insurance, for example, can’t be used in the event of a pandemic, war or natural disaster.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024. 

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 Deciding on Your Focal Point
Do you have a magnificent bay window with an incredible view?  Is there an ornate mantle that is the reason you fell in love with your home? Or is there something you absolutely MUST HAVE in the room? Situate your furniture around your chosen focal point to create balance and equilibrium. If your room does not already have an existing focal point, create one with oversized art or add an accent point like a free-standing fireplace, they come in a variety of sizes and styles. Symmetrically balance the room evenly so that both sides mirror one another.  This will help your chosen focal point stand out all the more! Use matching accent tables to flank your sofa or use different pieces of furniture to create a copacetic visual impact, like two similar armchairs to balance a sofa.
Repetition for Rhythm
Rhythm creates a flow and helps direct the eye to the differing visual elements in your room. Just as the notes of a favorite song repeat to create the rhythm, repetition in decor will create a rhythm throughout a home. Establish visual interests with a rhythm throughout your space by placing similar colours or patterns at intervals and repeat in artwork, cushions or area rugs.

Perfect Proportion and Suitable Scaling
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Have your room humming harmoniously
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What is the focal point in your room?  What is your best tip to find harmony and balance through your home?