X Club Reviews

Hi everyone,

We're prepping to go back to Alaska on the Infinity in early August for our anniversary.

This time we're bringing our 12 year old son, and I'm beginning to worry about the sea days.

I scoured the internet looking for info on the X-Club, but the pictures I've seen make it appear it's just a room with some beanbags and gaming consoles. Is that really it?

The website is very vague, I'm hoping some of you who have cruised with Jr. High age kids recently can give me your feedback. Were there plenty of activities? Did your kids actually enjoy and want to participate in those activities?

Thank you!

Hi there! We were on the Celebrity Solstice round trip Seattle with our boys (at the time 7 and 9 yrs) for Alaska. They loved X Club and the activities. I remember there were both activities there (plenty of arts/crafts, Xbox, movies, card and board games, various contests) and the staff took the kids around the ship for organized activities too.

These included basketball court, scavenger hunts, pirate themes, various sports and game activities, etc. The boys met a few friends their age and kept wanting to go back again. The schedule of activities was posted and parents/kids can choose which ones they are interested in.

As your child is 12, they may have check in/check out privileges. I would think with meeting friends his age, they would have a great time. Also, if a bridge tour is available the last day of the cruise... make the reservation& go! It was one of the highlights (fantastic views and insight) of the cruise and many families were there too, including one of their friends from XClub.

They've talked about the bridge tour and how cool it was... long after the cruise was completed.

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Thank you so much for the idea! I'll check with them when we arrive.

It's such an in between age, hard to know what's going to work or not.

DS -13 - really enjoyed his time at X club on Connie this Easter. Sea days were his favourite!

He met a small group of teens (4-8 of them usually) aged about 12-15 & they mostly just hung out together, played cards, a little x box, a few scavengers etc, but he really enjoyed chatting/bantering with kids of all nationalities. He checked out the timetable every day & turned up when he wanted & skipped the things he didn't. He went every night after dinner without fail.

I'm curious, how did you all mange sea days with the young teen / tween (I hate that word) kids?

I've read of a post it note method where parents and kids alike go back to the room and leave an updated post it with current location. I just imagine he and his new cruise friends would probably really love roaming the ship, and I'm not sure he'd be able to keep up with them and leave post it notes.

We have long range walkie talkies I was considering, or pre-planned check in times (every 2 hours or so?)

I'm just not sure, and would also love to hear what worked well for your and your families.

In my opinion, 12 is too young to be allowed to roam on their own without strict rules. Please remember that the ship has thousands of strangers on board. You do not have the benefit of the same standard of care that you might expect from the police at home on board. These are all strangers. It isn't hard for an incapacitated kid to disappear

When I traveled with my kids as young teens, we learned to follow these rules:

- child had to wear a watch synched to the time on board (no public clocks on board)

- upon embarkation, we walked around the ship and identified a central emergency meeting place

- every morning we took the time to identify where we would likely be at any given time and child had a marked up daily with him

- child had to bring any friends they were hanging around with to meet us, give us their first and last names and cabin numbers, (they inevitably form a little group after a day or two

- they had to join the kids/teen groups and if not participating in their events, let us know where they were going

- had to check in every three hours or so based on the dailies and agreed upon meeting times/places,

- they were NEVER permitted to go into anyone else's cabin

- they were NEVER permitted to get off the ship without one of us

- they were NEVER permitted to accept an unsealed drink from anyone except a bar tender/ship server

- they were NEVER to go into the "staff on;y" parts of the ship, not even accompanied by anyone who works on the ship

- they were NEVER to go anywhere with an adult we didn't know and give permission to

- attach a magnetic white board onto your cabin door. If you miss each other, then they had to leave a note and tell me exactly where I could find them.

- When in doubt as to whether could do something, the answer was "no" unless they got it direct from me. Another parent could not give permission on my behalf.

Also, the walkie-talkies do not work well on board, and the kids wont carry them without a fight.

I took my then 12 year old on a cruise and absolutely feel this age group are still candidates for being signed in and out by parents. I think of the ships as floating cities and wouldn't let my kids roam around a city at that age on their own.

Now at 14 and 16, I feel like now that my 2 boys are cruising together they will have each other's backs and can have freedom to go and come to activities. They just do grow up so much between start and end of middle school and into high school.

As a safety net, they will carry their phones and can text me via WhatsApp using wifi whenever needed. We have internet packages and WhatsApp is perfect for wifi texting anywhere in the world.

I know kids mature at different rates and not meant to be a judgmental post - but sharing my experience.

X is not really a line for the young ones.

 

When I traveled with my kids as young teens, we learned to follow these rules:

 

SO MANY EXCELLENT RULES

 

These are excellent rules, and I like them a lot. A few I had already decided on, but that's just a great list all around. I let him roam around our neighborhood, but a cruise ship is really more of a city than a neighborhood. I was thinking of it wrong. I don't know these people, they aren't my neighbors and don't have a vested interest like our neighborhood does.

I don't feel judgement, I really appreciate the advice, that's the entire reason I asked.

While I'm aware Celebrity isn't marketed towards the kids, this vacation is our 10 year anniversary, and itinerary (SITKA!!!) came before all other considerations. I think HAL was the only other cruise line that even stopped in Sitka anymore.

He's mature for 12, he's an only child and has always just done well on his own and with adults, but, free range of the ship is probably a bad idea. I was trying to get a baseline for what that typically looks like on a ship. It's hard to know without experiencing it, you know?

Thank you all, any other gems or ideas for the big kid young teen range are very welcome.

We are going on Solstice to AK next week and I will report back to you on their X club experience!

All I've heard about it is that on Alaska cruises more families go so there are more teens to meet, that it is important they go first night to meet other kids at the first meeting time, and that if they hit it off with other kids they have fun.

I actually used to work for Celebrity in the kids program and that was my favorite group to work with. They are correct about sign in and out though that is only with you having signed a form giving them permission. Most did and almost never had any issues. The best part about the group is that is helps them find the others their age and provide some structure, but not so much that they feel like they are being treated like little kids. Best thing to do is for them to show up earlier in the cruise especially the first night and meet others. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I will do my best to answer them.

Last year on a fjord cruise , we weren't sure whether to give our ( very responsible ) 10 year old permission to sign herself out .

So we didn't ....

So , night four , after dinner we went to pick up younger child from the club. To find tween daughter all alone in the ensign area playing on the X box ( and very sad ) . All the other ensign age kids were all allowed to sign out . As she wasn't permitted she had to remain . TBH , that age group in the evenings only went to the cafe to eat ice cream and have sodas .

So .... we decided to amend her permissions , and allow her to go with her friends to the cafe , but nowhere else .....and the following evening , we met up with her and her gaggle of friends on one of the big round tables scoffing ice cream ,all looking sooooo happy and contented . She didn't abuse the privelage whatsoever , and this year I know she's looking forward to that little bit of freedom again .

Of course each child is different , but I think that they do need a little bit more freedom

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