Celebrity Kids Program

[BrooklynGirl2]

RichYak...we had late seating too. We usually eat around 7:30 dinner at home anyway so it wasn't too much later. I have a 5 year old. The kids dinner is at 6pm in the Cafe and then they have scheuled activities for them after that until 10 pm. Dropping him off at 6 pm worked well for us because we could still relax a bit at the pool and take our time getting dressed (especially on formal nights). On the nights we went to the late show (10:45 pm) or the party on the pool deck we signed our son into the kids P.J. party which goes from 10 PM until 1 A.M. He loved going so there was never a problem. By that time of night they are usually settled in watching a video on their mats. Since he watched no TV all day I had no objection to this "winding down" time.

 

 

On the 4 nights he ate with us in the main dining room we just gave him a snack to hold him over until 8:30 pm. Let's just say you are never hungry on a Celebrity cruise.;) :D

 

I know you will all have a wonderful time. Come back and write a review for us.

[RichYak]

BrooklynGirl2: Thanks. And I respect your opinion as I married a "Brooklyn Girl" myself.

[BrooklynGirl2]

RichYak...you are obviously a very smart man ;) :D .

[lauraleigh9mm]

We are traveling with our two boys (6&13) for this 13 night Hawaiian cruise. I have only found one other person coming with children. Anyone else? I would love to have my boys maybe have contact with someone before they board. Thanks!

[cruisebunny32]

Here are a few additions to the Fun Factory that I have noticed since I first posted this thread:

 

Celebrity is always making changes and really listen to what people say on the comment cards.

 

This past March we were on the Summit and they allowed my almost 3 year old to come in and play in the Fun Factory...the catch is that an adult had to stay with her. One time the little kids were leaving for some outside time. They allowed us to go also and we played some games such as "What Time is it Wolf, and Duck, Duck, Goose" It has been a while since I played these games! I don't know if they allow all ages to do this...my dtr is tall and talks very well for her age...so maybe they thought she was old enough. By the way...they do have a master list of all of the kids and their ages on board...they can easliy check for age and will ask for a birth cert/passport if they doubt the age.

 

They also had a Toddler room which they had on her first cruise in 2006. They had Toddler toys and cleaned them regularly.

 

This past year Celebrity has teamed up with Leap Frog and has quite a few of their fun but educational toys available.

 

The continued to have Family events on the ship including Family Bingo, A Talent Show, Scavenger Hunt.

 

We sailed over Easter and they had an Easter Parade and Egg hunt, complete with Easter Bunny, baskets and cool prizes.

 

The kids also get to visit the Bridge and Backstage in the Theater.

[cavkc]

We have cruised with our two boys who are now 16 since they were very young, so they have probably been in every age category.

 

They personally like the X and RCI kids programmes. They felt that X in particular were very organised and the activities very well run. They ate with us in the main dining room approx half the time, spending the other evenings eating with friends in other locations.

 

Our two are very sociable, so I would say the only downside is that you don't seem to get much 'family time' together, as they are always so busy with activities, meeting up with friends etc. That said my priority is that they have a good holiday and they certainly do.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to sail on X or RCI with children, certainly do not belief that X are not child friendly,as they most certainly are.

 

Obviously if you cruise outside of school vacation time, there will be less children and less activities; My parents did a transatlantic on Connie and there were literally about 20 kids onboard. We have never taken them out of school, so on Mille for example there were probably 300 children of various ages.

 

Be very very careful ....... our 2 are addicted to cruising and it's an expensive 'hobby'. I think they'll have an awful shock when they go back-packing etc in a couple of years :D

[oavcech95]

I just returned from the Connie and I figured I would post a review of the Kids program that Celebrity provides. I have not seen much on this topic in the past!

 

Before you board the ship, there is a table for the kids that you must visit. It is for the YEP or Youth Evacuation Program. Your children will recieve a hospital type bracelet with your Muster station Letter. If there is an emergency while your child is in the kids program, they will automatically take them to your muster station and meet you there! That is peace of mind!

 

Later on sail away day, they had an open house so you could check out the Fun Factory and an orientation time. You must fill out a registration form which lists allergies, people who can pick up your child and a password you must use (until they get to know you). They do not allow kids under 10 to leave unless a parent or person you give permission picks up your child. They also have a phone number available if you need to check up on them.

 

The Fun Factory is very colorful and had LOTS of activities for the kids. There is a ball pit and slide area, A TV area, a craft area, a science area and a game area, complete with every board game there is, plus a row of playstations with all the lastest games.

 

It broken up in different age groups 3-6 (shipmates) 7-9, 10-12 etc. My son was in the 3-6 age group, but since there were only 60 kids on board, 42 of them able to attend the fun factory activities, I think that they may have combined the 3-6 and 7-9 groups. They have 13 staff on board, but only a few were there at a given time, since it was a small group. They told us that for spring break they have a week with 400 kids and 600 kids coming up. So I am sure that they enjoyed this week of relaxation! If the child is not 3 AND potty trained, they are not allowed to enter the Fun Factory. They do have toy chests available that they rent out for the week for the smaller kids. They also offer babysitting in the cabin for a fee. This week there were `18 toddlers on board, so they have several family events planned so they could attend as well.

 

Every day is broken up into 3 different sessions. The Fun factory opens each day at 9am and is open till 1am, or til the last child leaves. You could leave them there they whole time if you wish. They will feed them lunch and dinner and snacks. The sessions are 9am to 12noon. 12-2pm is lunch break. If you are in port, they charge $6 per/hour per child for this time period. then 2pm-5pm is the 2nd session. 5pm-7pm is dinner, which is usually free, since you are usually at sea. finally there is a session 7pm-10pm which works out great if you have early seating and you want to do some things on the ship at night without your child. At 10pm starts the slumber party. They wind them down and put them on mats to watch movies. It also costs $6/hour for this time frame. They gave us the first formal night free on our cruise. If you use the mealtimes, they ask that you sign them up ahead of time. For lunch they take them to the buffet area. For dinner they have a pre arranged menu of kids food. I am sure that they would deviate if necessary (since the pizza and grill are open).

 

The sessions all have themes. Pirates, spongebob, disney, be a star etc. They made several crafts and gave them all a backpack and a t-shirt to take home. They also made a video of the kids that they played the last day, but you cannot buy this!

 

My son had a blast! One day we planned to go to the beach and my son opted to go to the kids program instead (he loves the beach). That tell me a lot right there! He could not wait to get to the Fun Factory every day! They give you a daily program in your stateroom each night and he loved it when I told him what was planned for the next day. On the pirate day, they dressed up as pirates, complete with face paint, hats and swords and paraded around the ship. They were so cute! They also dressed up as aliens one time.

 

If anyone has any questions....feel free to ask! I really did not intend for my son to spend as much time as he did there, but it was his vacation, and that is where he wanted to be! It allowed me time to spend with my husband and our friends we traveled with, and I actually got to rest! Imagine that!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

Hi, cruisebunny, one question. Im travelling in December with my 8 years old daughter and my 12 boy. So if is sea day, Are the activities are free.

And what kind of activities are?

[nerysj]

Having done RCI and Princess with our two boys - do you think they will be catered for as well. I presume that there will be less children (not all bad) but what facilities are there for the older kids? We are on Constellation i25 July 09 visiting Scandinavia and Russia. Anyone else going? If so join our roll call?

 

Many thanks

[cruisebunny32]

I did write this review in 2005 and I just bumped it up since I noticed people asking lots of questions about the kids program.

 

oavech...They have themed programs every day. Each day is different. They may do a Disney theme with a recent movie release, or aliens, or spongebob, or pirates. Each day you get a Daily with the activities that will be going on that day. They can attend what they want. You just pick them up when you want. During Sea Days i think you have to pick them up for lunch. It is the island days that you can pay the $6/hour and they will feed them lunch.

 

nerysj...they do have a teen area on the Connie...and they will make one if they don't have one. They also have an arcade. The do a meet and greet the first night so they can all meet each other. They do not have as many programs. X does cater to kids...the staff usually have their own kids and miss them. We traveled with Teens in the past and they made friends during the week and still talk with these friends.

[CruisinNewb]

Hi, cruisebunny, one question. Im travelling in December with my 8 years old daughter and my 12 boy. So if is sea day, Are the activities are free.

And what kind of activities are?

 

Oscar:

 

My kids are 11 and 13 and we just got off the Infinity.

 

There were a wide variety of activities: Here is a typical day's sample for the 9-11 year old group:

 

9:30: Crafts: Lanyard and PS games

10:00 Ship Tour

10:30:Basketball Time

11:00 Cards

11:30 Learn about your friends

 

Then they have a lunch from 1200 to 200 if you want to sign them up

 

215: Family Bingo

3:00 Great State Search

3:45 Insanity

4:15 Snack and Assasin game

4:45 21 Dares and Wrap up

 

more activites in the evening

 

Plenty to do!!

[oavcech95]

I did write this review in 2005 and I just bumped it up since I noticed people asking lots of questions about the kids program.

 

oavech...They have themed programs every day. Each day is different. They may do a Disney theme with a recent movie release, or aliens, or spongebob, or pirates. Each day you get a Daily with the activities that will be going on that day. They can attend what they want. You just pick them up when you want. During Sea Days i think you have to pick them up for lunch. It is the island days that you can pay the $6/hour and they will feed them lunch.

 

nerysj...they do have a teen area on the Connie...and they will make one if they don't have one. They also have an arcade. The do a meet and greet the first night so they can all meet each other. They do not have as many programs. X does cater to kids...the staff usually have their own kids and miss them. We traveled with Teens in the past and they made friends during the week and still talk with these friends.

 

And how do I know the activities does they are going to give me a paper explaining me the things?

[oavcech95]

Oscar:

 

My kids are 11 and 13 and we just got off the Infinity.

 

There were a wide variety of activities: Here is a typical day's sample for the 9-11 year old group:

 

9:30: Crafts: Lanyard and PS games

10:00 Ship Tour

10:30:Basketball Time

11:00 Cards

11:30 Learn about your friends

 

Then they have a lunch from 1200 to 200 if you want to sign them up

 

215: Family Bingo

3:00 Great State Search

3:45 Insanity

4:15 Snack and Assasin game

4:45 21 Dares and Wrap up

 

more activites in the evening

 

Plenty to do!!

 

Oh thanks, but does the activities costs in seadays?

And what is Great State Search?

[cruisebunny32]

The kids get a daily program each night in the stateroom for the next day....just like the adult daily program. It lists all of the events for the day, the times ect. They can come and go whenever. If they are going to be out of the Fun Factory...it will list where the activity will be held.

 

The activities are all free. They only charge for 12pm-2pm and 5pm-7pm This is $6/hour/child. They also feed them as these are meal times. On sea days I think they require you to pick them up at least once during the day. It may be both times...now that I think about it.

 

The states thing is probably finding our about states, or state capitals. They actually may learn some things..which is also fun if they don't realized they are learning!

[oavcech95]

Oh thanks cruisebunny

[awinner]

The kids get a daily program each night in the stateroom for the next day....just like the adult daily program. It lists all of the events for the day, the times ect. They can come and go whenever. If they are going to be out of the Fun Factory...it will list where the activity will be held.

 

The activities are all free. They only charge for 12pm-2pm and 5pm-7pm This is $6/hour/child. They also feed them as these are meal times. On sea days I think they require you to pick them up at least once during the day. It may be both times...now that I think about it.

 

The states thing is probably finding our about states, or state capitals. They actually may learn some things..which is also fun if they don't realized they are learning!

 

I remember seeing somewhere something where you can prepay $100 or something and that will cover all those additional hours:confused:

[cruisebunny32]

Yes...you are correct. On our last cruise you could pay an upfront fee that covered all of the "off times" that you would pay the extra money. That is only valuble if the kid is there every time. You just have to weigh when they will be there, and decide if that is right for you.

[cruisebunny32]

Just bumping this up. Some things have changed a little, but it is a good picture of the M-class kids program.

[awinner]

Just bumping this up. Some things have changed a little, but it is a good picture of the M-class kids program.

what things have changed? please expand.

[Riksha]

Just bumping this up. Some things have changed a little, but it is a good picture of the M-class kids program.

 

Thanks for bumping this up, I was trying to get more info myself. We have 2 boys (8 & 11) and are booked on the Solstice in March. While the kids clubs sound great, we try to spend most of our time doing activities together as we only do one big vacation a year. Do you think there's enough for us to do together outside of the kids clubs? We did NCL last year and there was tons, I booked this cruise more on impulse (got a good deal), and am getting worried that there might not be enough. What do you think?

[cruisebunny32]

Most of the things are the same and what I typed is a pretty good picture of what you will find on M-class ships. This year they had a Wii.

The things that have changed include...there has been a toddler area on the ship the last few years. You can take your toddler to the fun factory when it is open and they have various toys to play with. You have to stay with them. This past March 2008 on Summit I took her to the toddler area and since she was just shy of being 3, they allowed us to join the 3-6 group. I had to stay with her, but she had fun. We played Duck Duck Goose and What time is it witch. She had a blast and it was fun for me to hang out with her.

 

Things to do besides the kids program...most of the events are geared towards the adults..where the kids program is geared towards the age groups. They have trivia, games, ping pong, shuffleboard, basket ball court, swimming. I am sure they will have fun with whatever you decide to do!

[Riksha]

Most of the things are the same and what I typed is a pretty good picture of what you will find on M-class ships. This year they had a Wii.

The things that have changed include...there has been a toddler area on the ship the last few years. You can take your toddler to the fun factory when it is open and they have various toys to play with. You have to stay with them. This past March 2008 on Summit I took her to the toddler area and since she was just shy of being 3, they allowed us to join the 3-6 group. I had to stay with her, but she had fun. We played Duck Duck Goose and What time is it witch. She had a blast and it was fun for me to hang out with her.

 

Things to do besides the kids program...most of the events are geared towards the adults..where the kids program is geared towards the age groups. They have trivia, games, ping pong, shuffleboard, basket ball court, swimming. I am sure they will have fun with whatever you decide to do!

 

Thanks for the info. When I was on the website, I read that the basketball court was by the kids club, and guess I assumed that it was part of it. As long as they have their sports, I think they'll be fine - thanks, I feel much better!

[cruisebunny32]

The Basketball court is for anyone to use...doesn't have to be just the kids club! I have seen guys up there playing as well.

[daveyal]

Hi

We will be on the Feb 15,2009 Solstice cruise with our 11 year old daughter and we're looking for some information about their kids program?

The ships web site calls it the Fun Factory for her age group.

 

Dave

 

Next Celibrity Solstice Feb/09

RCL Freedom of The Seas Feb/08

Disney Wonder Feb/05

[dixcy]

Hello

 

Thanks for posting this we are doing our first ever cruise with celebrity next year and our taking our little girl with us at first we ruled out celebrity as we didnt think they did a kids thing as its not well advertised over here (or maybe we didnt look hard enough).

 

She is now looking forward to going on the big boat for her holiday and dressing up and doing lots of fun things, we would like her to enjoy her holiday as much as we do and it seems they do a lot of things for children.

 

So will let you know what we think when we come back

 

Thanks again

[cruisebunny32]

Daveyal...the program is cruiseline wide. I am sure it will be similar to what I have described here. I sail the Soltice in April, so you will know more before me. I am sure your daughter will have fun!

 

dixcy...I am sure your daughter will love the cruise!