Celebrity with Kids

Hi everyone

We are considering Celebrity next year. It will be my husband and I with our 2 kids (8&11)

We have sailed Carnival and Disney in the past and are trying the new NCL Getaway this February.

I think Celebrity looks great for my husband and I and I love the concierge class cabins, but am worried that since my kids are used to characters and water slides that there will not be enough for them to do.

Any recommendations about whether Celebrity is a good cruise line for a family and what are the best family ships.

There are dozens and dozens of posts on this topic - do a search of Cruise Critic and you'll find many first hand reports.

Rather than asking which are the best Celebrity ships for a family (they are all basically the same in this regard) you had best look into which itinerary will be best. Do you have an itinerary and cruise date in mind?

If you do a Celebrity cruise, unless it's during a major school holiday time, there will be very few school age kids on board. As you must already know, Celebrity does not not have all the things that kids like and keep them occupied. If your kids can be happy with a basic kids club, then go for it.

Hi everyone

We are considering Celebrity next year. It will be my husband and I with our 2 kids (8&11)

 

We have sailed Carnival and Disney in the past and are trying the new NCL Getaway this February.

 

I think Celebrity looks great for my husband and I and I love the concierge class cabins, but am worried that since my kids are used to characters and water slides that there will not be enough for them to do.

 

Any recommendations about whether Celebrity is a good cruise line for a family and what are the best family ships.

We did a 5 day cruise on Constellation March 2014 with our 3 daughter (6, 8, 10). They enjoyed the pools, kids club, touring the kitchen, trying new foods, dressing up for dinner, they liked the shows at night, seeing what were the ice cream favors in afternoon, the towel animals, etc. The staff found ways to make our girls smile.

Our girls are also looking forward to a family cruise this March this time with grandparents.

Hi everyone

I think Celebrity looks great for my husband and I and I love the concierge class cabins, but am worried that since my kids are used to characters and water slides that there will not be enough for them to do.

 

Any recommendations about whether Celebrity is a good cruise line for a family and what are the best family ships.

You pretty much answered your own question. Celebrity is "great" for you and your husband, for kids it's average, not terrible, just average. There are no slides or characters on Celebrity. Kids prefer Disney, NCL, Carnival, RCL......Parents prefer Celebrity.

If you are looking for your kids to have fun and they are expecting ANYTHING like the experience they had on more kid friendly lines I wouldn't book X.

This topic comes up regularly... At least a couple times of week, here is a copy of a reply I did 2 days ago:

Welcome to Celebrity.

 

I warn you this is a very contraversial topic...

 

There are lots of other posts here on the Celebrity Board... That ask "Is Celebrity truly a family / kid friendly cruiseline ?"

 

You can do a Board Search to find past topics.

 

In truth...

Celebrity has very limited facilities for kids... Just a "kids club area"

 

And NONE of the exciting stuff found on other cruise lines (Kids Pools - Waterslides - Flo Riders - Ziplines - Rockwalls - Skating Rinks or Restaurants like Pizza Joints & Diners that kids enjoy)

 

Celebrity might be ok for really little ones, or truly sophisticated teens, ONLY YOU KNOW YOUR KIDS... But my kids would have been bored to death !!

 

Knowing this, I would have opted for a more Family Friendly / Kid Friendly Cruiseline (Disney, NCL, RCCL or Carnival)

 

As a Parent it is my experience that bored kids especially preteens & teens left to their own devices tend to get into things their parents prefer they would not (and bother others in the process... Lots of topics on that too here on the Celebrity Board)

 

Cheers!

Cheers!

Hi everyone

We are considering Celebrity next year. It will be my husband and I with our 2 kids (8&11)

 

We have sailed Carnival and Disney in the past and are trying the new NCL Getaway this February.

 

I think Celebrity looks great for my husband and I and I love the concierge class cabins, but am worried that since my kids are used to characters and water slides that there will not be enough for them to do.

 

Any recommendations about whether Celebrity is a good cruise line for a family and what are the best family ships.

Celebrity has absolutely wonderful childrens programs. I have been on this board for almost 20yrs. and when negative comments about children on a Celebrity ship are made, they are usually made by people who don't want Children on cruises period, don't want children on Celebrity cruises but more importantly are made by people who have never sailed on a Celebrity Ship with children. That is the only reason it is a controversial subject, it generally is not controversial among those who have actually taken their kids on a Celebrity Cruise.

Celebrity does not have limited childrens facilities, what that poster doesn't understand is that the counselors use the entire ship, galley tours, theater tours, etc. The whole ship is their facility. On all my cruises on Celebrity with or without children I have never seen children running around and causing trouble. Yes, you will see the occasionally one or two but you will see that on every line. Posters really need to get some experience with the children's programs and maybe be on more than two Celebrity cruises before continuing to make damning comments about something she knows absolutely nothing about.

My children have been on a number of Celebrity cruises with wife and I over the years that now that they are adults, they are elite cruisers. They have also been on Royal, Big Red Boat when they had the Disney characters, American Family Cruises, (now defunct). They much preferred Celebrity largely because of the more personalized children's programs than other lines. My son has learning disabilities and the counselors on every cruise were absolutely wonderful with him.

I just wish people would stop posting on things they know nothing about. I've never been to Ontario, Canada and would never come on any board and make negative comments about the city.

One last comment about teens, they will generally go off and be left to their devices because they CHOOSE to do so, they prefer not to be tied down to the childrens clubs, this is the way it is on all cruise lines. Its just the way things are with that age group.

Oh well, back to retirement....

Concur with Don, our kids love Celebrity :).

It amazes me that people post that their kids would be bored and there is nothing for them to do :eek:. Well in all of our Royal sailings (check my signature as the kids have sailed on every cruise), our kids have been on the ice skating rink once...yes, once! They have maybe attempted the flowrider a couple of times, yet have been to the kids/teens club on every sailing except Oasis (too much for us to experience as a family to venture into the clubs). We have cruised more on Royal ships, this is mainly due to the itinerary choices during the school holidays - obviously, dates and itinerary are more of a priority to us rather than just the ship - but we have also sailed on Celebrity too.

Our children like Celebrity because there are fewer kids and this allows them to actually use the facilities in the clubs (again, others will condemn them for this, however they prefer smaller groups and are respectful of allowing others to enjoy the facilities on offer). Additionally, they love to participate at places such as the Lawn Club Grill - we spent a fantastic evening there with our extended group: a superb family experience. Wish there was a LCG on Equinox for our next sailing as we'd all love to go back.

So for those posters that say 'kids prefer Disney or other lines', perhaps they have ulterior motives ;) and have yet to even take a child on a cruise. How they can quote that 'children' as a whole prefer certain activities is also beyond me - they are all different, just the same as adults (some adults love the shows, others would prefer reading books, listening to a lecture...it's exactly the same principle). Actually, on Solstice, I accompanied our eldest to a lecture because he was desperate to attend - he thoroughly enjoyed it, me not so much :p.

Furthermore, there are those that say X doesn't want children so doesn't cater for them - strange as they often have special promotions for 3rd & 4th pax travelling in the same cabin, or kids sail free promos :rolleyes:.

Only you can decide if Celebrity is right for your children; it helps to know what X provides, prior to booking your cruise, and if this is sufficient for your little ones. If they do spend lots of time with the Disney characters or on the water slides, then perhaps you need to look for lines/ships that provide those facilities. On the other hand, if they love the clubs and joining in with their fun activities throughout the ship, then they'll have a blast :D.

There was a heated debate a while back on another thread. I've posted the link below for your perusal - it's an eye-opener for sure.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2021425

Just as some parents are better suited to Celebrity as their cruiseline of choice (over say Royal or Carnival); so to, some children are better suited to Celebrity over DCL or Carnival or Royal.

Not all kids want waterslides and characters and flowriders.

You know your children best.

My kids rank HAL as their favourite ship/kid's club - over Carnival, Royal and Disney. They love cruising but have no desire to go on another Disney cruise.

Based on what I read here, I'm pretty confident my children will love X. We sail in 26 days!

A lot of it depends on the child of course. My 9 year old daughter thinks that Celebrity is great. She actually prefers it to Disney BECAUSE there are less kids and therefore the counselors interact more with the kids and the kids have more say in the activities.

She took her first X cruise one week after her third birthday and now has about 10 under her belt with another in a month.

You just need to know how much "stuff" your kids need.

Celebrity has absolutely wonderful childrens programs. I have been on this board for almost 20yrs. and when negative comments about children on a Celebrity ship are made, they are usually made by people who don't want Children on cruises period, don't want children on Celebrity cruises but more importantly are made by people who have never sailed on a Celebrity Ship with children. That is the only reason it is a controversial subject, it generally is not controversial among those who have actually taken their kids on a Celebrity Cruise.

 

Celebrity does not have limited childrens facilities, what that poster doesn't understand is that the counselors use the entire ship, galley tours, theater tours, etc. The whole ship is their facility. On all my cruises on Celebrity with or without children I have never seen children running around and causing trouble. Yes, you will see the occasionally one or two but you will see that on every line. Posters really need to get some experience with the children's programs and maybe be on more than two Celebrity cruises before continuing to make damning comments about something she knows absolutely nothing about.

 

My children have been on a number of Celebrity cruises with wife and I over the years that now that they are adults, they are elite cruisers. They have also been on Royal, Big Red Boat when they had the Disney characters, American Family Cruises, (now defunct). They much preferred Celebrity largely because of the more personalized children's programs than other lines. My son has learning disabilities and the counselors on every cruise were absolutely wonderful with him.

 

I just wish people would stop posting on things they know nothing about. I've never been to Ontario, Canada and would never come on any board and make negative comments about the city.

 

One last comment about teens, they will generally go off and be left to their devices because they CHOOSE to do so, they prefer not to be tied down to the childrens clubs, this is the way it is on all cruise lines. Its just the way things are with that age group.

 

Oh well, back to retirement....

Don, please follow your OWN ADVICE and stop posting that others who post about this have no experience with cruising X with kids. You have NO IDEA of anyone else's cruise experiences nor with whom they bring on their cruises and I stand by my comments that kids will have MUCH more fun on Disney, NCL, Carnival or even RCCL than on X.:rolleyes: BUT I do concede some kids would prefer X but overall the other lines are MUCH more kid friendly with lots more for them to do.

We have sailed mostly on HAL and once on Carnival and are trying Celebrity this winter. My kids are 8 and 13. They're not rock climbing, flow rider, water slide, character interaction type of cruisers. They just love to chill and hang with us mostly and take it all in. They're never bored. They liked the HAL kids club over Carnival (though they didn't go to either much). More kids/kids activities doesn't translate to a better time for many kids - mine included.

We're really looking forward to trying Celebrity.

Don, please follow your OWN ADVICE and stop posting that others who post about this have no experience with cruising X with kids. You have NO IDEA of anyone else's cruise experiences nor with whom they bring on their cruises and I stand by my comments that kids will have MUCH more fun on Disney, NCL, Carnival or even RCCL than on X.:rolleyes: BUT I do concede some kids would prefer X but overall the other lines are MUCH more kid friendly with lots more for them to do.

If you would read my post, I said usually have never taken their kids on Celebrity ships and I stand by that 100%. In the case of the individual that I cited, I know for a fact that that poster has not been on any cruises with their children and have actually only been on two Celebrity cruises. Remember that people can ascertain things from previous posts which are readily available on this board.. I actually do have a good IDEA and am posting from past experience on this board.

If you would read my post, I said usually have never taken their kids on Celebrity ships and I stand by that 100%. In the case of the individual that I cited, I know for a fact that that poster has not been on any cruises with their children and have actually only been on two Celebrity cruises. Remember that people can ascertain things from previous posts which are readily available on this board.. I actually do have a good IDEA and am posting from past experience on this board.

I will give you that you said "usually" in the sentence prior to this one......

" but more importantly are made by people who have never sailed on a Celebrity Ship with children"

BUT knowing ONE individual being that way doesn't even make it worthy of posting the sentence above implying most everyone not that one person IMO

but in the big scheme of things it really doesn't matter, everyone should see for themselves.

DD at 5 and her cousin at 6 loved the Kid's Club. We cruise again in December at ages 8/9 and will be happy to report how they liked it this time. We are going on the Reflection this time, though I am pretty sure the club is the same as on the Eclipse.

I will say, that when at sea during the day, the girls just wanted to swim so our extended family just took turns with them by the pool. We used the club in the evening while we were getting ready for dinner (late seating) and they often ate with staff since dinner was so late. There is a charge for dinner time hours now, $6 an hour?, but there wasn't in 2011 when we went before.

Will post again in December after our return!

I get what DKJRETIRED is saying.

On every thread asking for advice on sailing Celebrity with kids .... there are a few posters who are quick to post, "Celebrity is not for kids" and that "kids need to be on a ship with a flowrider and/or Disney characters or waterslides."

The thread that Villauk linked to is a perfect example. Some seem to think if they post often enough that X is not for kids, that those of us who sail with our children will choose another cruise line.

However, those who have actually sailed X with their children seem to report that their children loved it.

I will give you that you said "usually" in the sentence prior to this one......

 

" but more importantly are made by people who have never sailed on a Celebrity Ship with children"

 

BUT knowing ONE individual being that way doesn't even make it worthy of posting the sentence above implying most everyone not that one person IMO

 

but in the big scheme of things it really doesn't matter, everyone should see for themselves.

Know more than one individual, as I said I've been reading this and much, much, much worse than you could imagine for almost 20 years. Any controversy now is tepid compared to years ago.

Our two grandchildren loved Celebrity as young children and it's still their favorite now that they are older teens!

LuLu

DD at 5 and her cousin at 6 loved the Kid's Club. We cruise again in December at ages 8/9 and will be happy to report how they liked it this time. We are going on the Reflection this time, though I am pretty sure the club is the same as on the Eclipse.

 

I will say, that when at sea during the day, the girls just wanted to swim so our extended family just took turns with them by the pool. We used the club in the evening while we were getting ready for dinner (late seating) and they often ate with staff since dinner was so late. There is a charge for dinner time hours now, $6 an hour?, but there wasn't in 2011 when we went before.

 

Will post again in December after our return!

Just a little hint, kids loved the slumber party, gave mom and dad a chance to stay out a little later.

Know more than one individual, as I said I've been reading this and much, much, much worse than you could imagine for almost 20 years. Any controversy now is tepid compared to years ago.

Well that much we can agree on as I have perused these pages since 2003 BUT how long I/we have read these threads is irrelevant to the topic at hand! :D

We love Celebrity. My cruise line of choice now. But I wouldn't take my younger children on it. I'd just rather find a cruise that really appeals to them, at least at their current ages (4 and 5, lol). I would consider it for a cruise a few years down the line to Europe when itinerary is much more important than the line but for now we're sticking to the Caribbean and Alaska with them.

stick to characters and waterslides...

celebrity is for adults....

wishful thinking on my part...

everyone here knows my views on people who bring kids on celebrity....

I do my best to sail when the darlings are at school...but even that is NO guarantee....

one kid on board, is too many....

have a couples cruise and keep your marriage healthy, your kids will be happier that you did.....

stick to characters and waterslides...

 

celebrity is for adults....

 

wishful thinking on my part...

 

everyone here knows my views on people who bring kids on celebrity....

 

I do my best to sail when the darlings are at school...but even that is NO guarantee....

 

one kid on board, is too many....

 

have a couples cruise and keep your marriage healthy, your kids will be happier that you did.....

All I can say is Wow!

My children are grown but not enough for me to be a grandparent yet so I have no

plans to bring kids.

However, I have no problem when others bring theirs.

Quality family time is far more important than a few water slides or characters on board.

You better stick to longer cruises that have less kids on board.

Our kids (5 & 7) love Celebrity and prefer the kids club areas on Celebrity ships over RCCL.

Celebrity does a fantastic job catering to families and can not wait to go to on Reflection next month.