Fun Factory, Celebrity kids club opening hours

I have read conflicting information as to when the Fun Factory is open and when it isn't.

The website states that it is open daily from 9am to 10pm. However, do some of these hours come with a charge?

Smoothy says the charges when in port and Wilson4 says it is free when in port but closes for some sessions on sea days. :confused:

Our sons ate supper with the kids most nights, while the ship was in port there was a charge of $6 per child per hour during the meal time (5pm-7pm) but at sea the meal was free.

On sea days the clubs run from 9am to 12noon, 2pm to 5pm and 7pm to 10pm.

When in port the club runs from 7pm to 10pm. There were other sessions you could pay for but we did not try those.

I am trying to find out the following:

1. Opening hours that are free? (port and sea days)
   
2. Any meals organised through club that are free?
   
3. Any restrictions about how many hours children are in club before a break?
   

many thanks :)

The kids club is open on port days, in fact they will open earlier if necessary if you are doing an excursion and plan to leave your child onboard. This is usually only with ship tours.

On port days it is free except for lunch (12-2PM) and there is a $6 per hour fee. So on port days if you leave your kids for lunch there is a fee of $12.00 as I recall. If you pick your kids up between 12 and 2 then there is no fee.

On Sea days they don't take the kids to lunch. Instead they ask parents to pick their kids up between 12-2PM to take them to lunch. That doesn't mean the FF is closed during these hours. They stay open during lunch. So for example,if you pick your child up at 12:30 and they want to go right back at 1PM (after they have eaten something) they can. The point is that the youth counselors don't take them to lunch on sea days- so they want to make sure the kids eat with the parents.

The hours are 9AM-6PM (then there is a $6 fee from 6PM-7PM when the counselors take the kids to dinner. You are supposed to sign up for this ahead of time). Then 7PM-10PM its free. After10PM there is a $6 per hour charge.

Celebrity brings on more help during the busy weeks onboard. So there is never really too many kids in the youth program. The children don't stay in the Fun Factory the entire time. Each age group has activities outside and in the disco and other places around the ship. Its important to have the daily schedule so that you know where the kids are at any given time.

The Fun Factory closes at 1AM

The kids club is open on port days, in fact they will open earlier if necessary if you are doing an excursion and plan to leave your child onboard. This is usually only with ship tours.

 

On port days it is free except for lunch (12-2PM) and there is a $6 per hour fee. So on port days if you leave your kids for lunch there is a fee of $12.00 as I recall. If you pick your kids up between 12 and 2 then there is no fee.

 

On Sea days they don't take the kids to lunch. Instead they ask parents to pick their kids up between 12-2PM to take them to lunch. That doesn't mean the FF is closed during these hours. They stay open during lunch. So for example,if you pick your child up at 12:30 and they want to go right back at 1PM (after they have eaten something) they can. The point is that the youth counselors don't take them to lunch on sea days- so they want to make sure the kids eat with the parents.

 

The hours are 9AM-6PM (then there is a $6 fee from 6PM-7PM when the counselors take the kids to dinner. You are supposed to sign up for this ahead of time). Then 7PM-10PM its free. After10PM there is a $6 per hour charge.

 

Celebrity brings on more help during the busy weeks onboard. So there is never really too many kids in the youth program. The children don't stay in the Fun Factory the entire time. Each age group has activities outside and in the disco and other places around the ship. Its important to have the daily schedule so that you know where the kids are at any given time.

 

The Fun Factory closes at 1AM

Thanks

The sea day set up sounds exactly like P&O where it is always open but you need to collect them and feed them.

I know I sent you several Fun Factory programmes for the Eclipse. Do they not have any information about opening hours/cost on them? I no longer have them as I mailed them to you, but I do have one from the Millennium last month and this is what it is says.

List of morning activities and then "Quiet Time 12-2PM"

Afternoon activities listed and then "5-7PM Dinner Party- please register for this event before 4PM.

Evening activities listed and then 1PM-1AM- Slumber Party * A fee of $6 per hour/ per child applies.

We did not do any lunch time or dinner times in the kids club. This daily programme was from the last sea day. There was no charge mentioned for lunch or dinner. I do remember a $6 per hour charge on port days for lunch time cover. Overall we're talking about very small amounts of money and little details here.

Each ship does it slightly differently, but the fundamental programme/program remains the same across the fleet.

I've sent you hard copies of Eclipse daily guides. I can e-mail you the Millennium one if you think it would help.

One more clarification.... There is an asterisk next to the dinner party as well as the slumber party, which means the $6 per hour per child fee applies to dinner and slumber parties.

This is according to the Fun Factory Ensign daily guide for the Millennium in April 2011. I am sure if you look at the Eclipse daily programs I posted to you last summer that they will be similar and will help to answer your questions.

Well said, everybody. Here's how it looks:

9am - 12am Activities -- Free

12 - 2pm "Lunch Party" on port days ($6/per child/per hour)

~ ~12 we take the kids to the cafe,

~ ~1pm they're back in the Fun Factory

or

12 - 2pm "Quiet time" on sea days, no food served

2pm - 5pm Activities -- Free

5pm - 7pm "Dinner Party" ($6/per child/per hour when in port, free on sea days)

~ ~ 5pm, quiet time in the Fun Factory

~ ~ 6pm, we take the kids to the cafe

7pm - 10pm Activities -- Free

10 pm to 1am "Slumber Party" ($6/per child/per hour)

A VIP pass is also available allowing you to pay up-front. It offers a 40% discount if you were to bring a child for every charge session (there are some who do!), but if you even average a couple hours of charge a day, it's worth it because it also includes back stage and bridge tours plus a goody bag of prizes. Check the ages for the tours - they were recently changed (not our fault!) not allowing under 5 on the bridge.

Everything is on a drop-in basis, people leave them anywhere from 20 min to all day. We ask that the children be picked up after 6 consecutive hours for at least a one hour break, rest and time with family. Of course, if you're in port on an excursion for the day, we make exceptions to this! Otherwise, it's a long day, esp for a tiny child without Mommy and Daddy. Even the bigger ones get tired, though they beg to stay with us.

The activities vary from ship to ship depending upon the manager and itinerary, but all the ships will mostly have Pirate Hunt, Alien Night, and Dino afternoon (etc) for the 3-5 and 6-8 yr olds plus Family Disco, Bingo, Talent Show for all ages.

Hope this info helps. I'm one of the seasonal staff, brought in during school holidays. I've been a teacher at home for 25 yrs, began working for Celebrity when my own kids flew the coop, 5 yrs ago. Love it, great facility, great coworkers, great kids. Just got off of Solstice last week, I'll be on Equinox all summer.

Any questions, just ask.

Artdreams,

Thank you so much for posting! This is incredibly helpful to have this "official" information and I am going to reference your post every time someone wants info about the Celebrity kids clubs on these boards. The same questions come up repeatedly, so this is enormously useful. There is a lot of interest in the Fun Factory but not a lot of people post about their experiences. Your information is great to have available.

We have been on several X ships and enjoyed them all. My almost 10 year old is now getting very picky about if she goes to the kids club and for how long, but Celebrity clubs are by far her favorite. We have always found the staff to be absolutely fantastic- flexible, sensible, professional and reasonable. Our daughter has wonderful memories of the various Fun Factories she has spent time in. Her favorites remain the M Class however, because of the ball pit/slide area... I do wish they had kept those on the S Class ships...

Thank you so much for posting here and please tell your fellow counselors that some of us CC members come back here and rave about the Fun Factory on these boards, so their efforts to look after our kids do not go unnoticed and are remembered long after we get home. We truly appreciate the wonderful way you entertain our children on their vacations.

I agree- I personally like the Millenium Class ships better in general. I did Equinox and it was new, huge and nice but I still prefer the size of the M class ships and the design of the FF. However, my son loved both FFs. He still likes Celebrity the best.

We're thinking of a cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette in Nov 2013.

By then our kids would be 7 and 8.

I hope they have a good time in the Fun Factory!

Great info posted by the others and I agree with what has been said so far. On our Eastern Med cruise last summer on the Equinox, our younger DD was 10 and enjoyed the Fun Factory. There was one day when she was sick of touring ruins and asked to skip the excursion and stay behind in the FF, which would've exceeded the 6 hour rule. I talked to the youth staff and they were helpful and willing to make an exception.

One note that I would add. On Princess, if you gave your kid sign-out privileges, those privileges were automatically revoked on port days. This was not true on Celebrity. You have to be sure to tell the staff if you didn't want your kid signing herself out while you are in port.

We are booked on the Silhouette for Spring Break next year, and for the first time both of my kids will be too old for the Fun Factory (sniff, sniff). My youngest will actually turn 12 on the second day of the cruise. This presents a new set of issues for me. I don't feel as comfortable about letting her roam the ship as I do with her sister, who will be 16. I sure hope there are enough teens onboard for them to break the teens down into 12-14 and 16-17. I don't really think she belongs with the older teens, and I'm sure her sister agrees and doesn't want her tagging along.:rolleyes: And no more opting out of the shore excursions for her. I'll be keeping close tabs on where she's going and what she's doing.

This was the daily from our last day in Bermuda (Friday). This was last Summer DD was in the 3-5 group - she was 4 at the time. I just typed up exactly as it was written.

SHIPMATES

Ages 3-5

Friday, September 2, 2011

9:00 am - 12 Noon Activities

- Bear Tag @ 9am sports Deck

- FUN IN THE SUN!!

-Chalk Designs Under the Sun

-Beach Picture Frames

-Story Time: Bats at the Beach

- Sand Bottle Necklaces

** 12:00pm - 2:00pm Lunch Party

Make your own Sundae!

2:00pm -5:00 pm Activities

SUPER HEROES!

- Become a Super Hero

-Display your Super Hero Powers

-Super Hero Intensive Training

-Super Hero Parade

- Super Snack@3:45 Waterfall

-Superman Moves

**5:00pm-7:00 pm Dinner Party

(sign up before 4:45 pm for this event)

7:00-10:00 pm Activities

PJ Party

-Best PJ Contest

- Pig Cushion

- What's under the blanket?

-Late night star gaze

-Sleeping Little Bunnies

**10:00pm-1:00pm Pajama Party

**A fee of $6/hr per child applies

Hi,

My husband and I will be doing our first cruise on Celebrity Eclipse this May with our nearly 2 year old daughter, I know she will be to young to be left at the Fun Factory but is it true that we can take her there & sit & play with her with some of the toys?

Thanks!

Bumping up the thread. Thinking about taking my 3 years old on Celebrity next year. Interested in any recent kid club reviews from the Solstice. Also What are the exact differences between M class and S class as far as kid club is concerned.

Thanks

The youth program "Fun Factory" is a bit larger on the Solstice than on the M-class ships but both programs are great and you'll be very happy. We sailed Solstice last May and are going again this May. Loved it. What itinerary are you considering and what time of year?

This is great information on the Celebrity kids club as I have booked a med cruise on the Reflection I will be taking two kids and I have a question about the port days, is it ok to leave my 8 year old in kids club for the full day on some of the port days as some of those excursions he will not cope with and would be a lot happier just hanging out in kids club. Thanks

Yes- it will be fine to leave your child in the youth program. If you are doing a ship sponsored excursion, they will even open up early to watch your child. You just have to let the youth staff know in advance. There is a charge for lunch ($12) and dinner ($12)

Hi,

this info is great, thanks... We go in November for 10 day Thanksgiving, do you think there will be lots of kids activities then?

How is the teen program?

Well said, everybody. Here's how it looks:

 

9am - 12am Activities -- Free

 

12 - 2pm "Lunch Party" on port days ($6/per child/per hour)

~ ~12 we take the kids to the cafe,

~ ~1pm they're back in the Fun Factory

or

12 - 2pm "Quiet time" on sea days, no food served

 

2pm - 5pm Activities -- Free

 

5pm - 7pm "Dinner Party" ($6/per child/per hour when in port, free on sea days)

~ ~ 5pm, quiet time in the Fun Factory

~ ~ 6pm, we take the kids to the cafe

 

7pm - 10pm Activities -- Free

 

10 pm to 1am "Slumber Party" ($6/per child/per hour)

 

A VIP pass is also available allowing you to pay up-front. It offers a 40% discount if you were to bring a child for every charge session (there are some who do!), but if you even average a couple hours of charge a day, it's worth it because it also includes back stage and bridge tours plus a goody bag of prizes. Check the ages for the tours - they were recently changed (not our fault!) not allowing under 5 on the bridge.

 

Everything is on a drop-in basis, people leave them anywhere from 20 min to all day. We ask that the children be picked up after 6 consecutive hours for at least a one hour break, rest and time with family. Of course, if you're in port on an excursion for the day, we make exceptions to this! Otherwise, it's a long day, esp for a tiny child without Mommy and Daddy. Even the bigger ones get tired, though they beg to stay with us.

 

The activities vary from ship to ship depending upon the manager and itinerary, but all the ships will mostly have Pirate Hunt, Alien Night, and Dino afternoon (etc) for the 3-5 and 6-8 yr olds plus Family Disco, Bingo, Talent Show for all ages.

 

Hope this info helps. I'm one of the seasonal staff, brought in during school holidays. I've been a teacher at home for 25 yrs, began working for Celebrity when my own kids flew the coop, 5 yrs ago. Love it, great facility, great coworkers, great kids. Just got off of Solstice last week, I'll be on Equinox all summer.

 

Any questions, just ask.

We're heading to Bermuda on the Summit. We are confused about the operating hours and days of the fun factory. Will it be open on port days? Fee or free? Our DD just needs the use of the facility, no meals, no "baby sitting", no special tours or programs. Can anyone she'd some light on this? X's website is a bit confusing on this.

From what I have been informed, it is open 9am -1pm lunchtime, then 2pm - 5pm in the afternoon and then 7pm - 10pm in the evening...all these are the free sessions.

Anyone know what kind of training or background they do on the kids club staff? my daughter is five and has never been to daycare or anything like that, I don't know how comfortable I feel leaving her with some random person the cruise line saw fit to hire... any advice would be appreciated.

The cruise staff does have childcare experience prior to being brought on the ship. I've been on various lines and have only encountered a couple of counselors that weren't very good (that was on Holland America) but on Celebrity you'll feel comfortable with the staff.