Celebrity - Kids Club/Fun Factory review

[croozen]

We sailed on the Silhouette over Christmas with our six year old son. He has partaken of both Disney and Holland America before, but this was his first time at the Fun Factory on a Celebrity Ship.

 

Conclusion: Celebrity has an excellent kids program. Well run. Nice bright facilities. And the counsellors actually work with the kids in a very organized and interactive way. Our son often returned with projects/crafts/drawings/face painting that he was very proud of.

 

B/c he was about to turn six, I asked the staff at the outset about him possibly being bumped up to the 6-8 age group. The Director very reasonably took the let’s wait and see approach, as she had an enrollment sheet indicating that many of the 29 kids in his age group were actually very close to his age. (4.5 or older) Turned out she was right, he loved the group of kids he was with and met two particular bosom friends who he is still talking about as his “LEGO brothers.” One day we were on deck chairs up above the basketball court and we could hear his age group out there playing racing games. It involved a lot of running but it was competitive and organized. It was nice to see them getting fresh air and exercise and they loved the games. They also took them around the ship on treasure hunts, scavengers hunts and for ice cream breaks. One thing I look for in a kids club, is a reasonable noise level i.e. kids engaged in actually doing something enough that they are not yelling and screeching and running amuck. Celebrity passed that test with flying colours.

 

Overall, I would say our son liked it enough that he participated quite frequently (he would always ask what was on the program and usually was keen about what was on the agenda) and he particularly looked forward to going in the evening. At the end of the week the kids had a talent show, that demonstrated to us the other age groups were also pretty full and active. It is neat to see how the kids form friendships over the course of the week.

 

In contrast we found that Disney has a tendency to rest on their laurels a bit – there is a feeling like hey you lucky kids are on a Disney boat with character visits and lots of Disney movies, what else could they need or want? The Disney counsellors, perhaps b/c there were so many of them, and so many children, seemed less engaged, if that is the right word. They were almost mechanical in the way they went about things, these are the rules, etc . Having said that, the facility on Disney’s private Island was breathtaking and we could hardly drag our son away from there. And he enjoyed some of the times he was there, just not as much as on Celebrity and HAL.

[Queen of Oakville]

Agree with everything you said!

 

of all the kid's clubs, my kids rank Disney as their least favourite.

 

They loved Fun Factory and on the last day, my 7 year old was in tears begging to go back to Fun Factory just one more time.

 

When we sail Silhouette- my daughter will be 9 and my son will be 8. I asked on Reflection if my kids will be separated. they said to ask when we get on board as much will depend on how many kids they have in each age group, but that usually (on a small sailing) it can be accommodated. On the sailing following ours (thanksgiving) they had some crazy number of kids on board and I was told they would likely have to stick to the age groups.

 

I personally, found some of the descriptions of the camp activities to be a bit on the juvenile side. IMHO, there is a difference between what stimulates an 8 year old vs. a 6 year old, and there can be a wide range of difference in maturity levels at that age. I think my kids at 7 and 8 might have better fitted into the next age group - but I had no complaints from my two and they loved their fun factory time. I'm sure when we sail Silhouette, they will have an even better time in the next age group.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Queen of Oakville

[mtn_couple]

TOTALLY agree - Celebrity's kids club is the only one my son wanted to go to. Other lines/ships he went once or twice and didn't go back. Celebrity he was constantly asking when the Fun Factory opened again and would count the minutes.

[Want2Cruise 701]

We need to keep this a secret, but I totally agree. My son loves the Fun Factory on the Summit.

 

Organized and Interactive sums it right up. And, that is what my 11 yr old said exactly.

[mtn_couple]

For my son part of the attraction is the lack of other kids. Only 9 kids on board our last cruise, perfect! So I agree, yes let's keep it secret! Perhaps OP should delete this post before too many see it??!!??

[wedding96]

Agree. Fun Factory is a great program with wonderful staff. Always impressed.

[Queen of Oakville]

For my son part of the attraction is the lack of other kids. Only 9 kids on board our last cruise, perfect! So I agree, yes let's keep it secret! Perhaps OP should delete this post before too many see it??!!??

 

It drives me crazy on other threads when people insist that kids need ships with water slides, and rock climbing walls and flow riders. Some adults are better suited to Celebrity so it should be no shocker that our children are also better suited to Celebrity.

 

 

I totally agree that the # of kids has a part in why my kids like X better {they love HAL too}. My kids are mature, polite, well-mannered kids who are more comfortable in an environment where kids are not running wild and crazy. Disney was like a free-for-all. While they LOVED the Aquaduck, they had no interest in the kid's club. The "themed" areas had their interest for a little while {who wouldn't want to play in Andy's room?}, but after that that noise and chaos drives them crazy.

[mtn_couple]

It drives me crazy on other threads when people insist that kids need ships with water slides, and rock climbing walls and flow riders. Some adults are better suited to Celebrity so it should be no shocker that our children are also better suited to Celebrity.

 

 

I totally agree that the # of kids has a part in why my kids like X better {they love HAL too}. My kids are mature, polite, well-mannered kids who are more comfortable in an environment where kids are not running wild and crazy. Disney was like a free-for-all. While they LOVED the Aquaduck, they had no interest in the kid's club. The "themed" areas had their interest for a little while {who wouldn't want to play in Andy's room?}, but after that that noise and chaos drives them crazy.

 

Me too! How could people who post things like that possibly know anything about me/my son and what we like. The less kids, the better as far as I'm concerned (my son too!). Our son is the same, he loves attending the shows with us, sits listens, applauds etc, loves MDR and trying new foods (he orders from the adult menu - I think he's the only 4 year old I know who refuses to eat fries and unfortunatly the kids meals are stacked with then) but is scared of too many kids running around and making noise, he's also scared of the characters. We'll keep cruising Celebrity for this reason and hope others with kids don't catch on!

[villauk]

Me too! How could people who post things like that possibly know anything about me/my son and what we like. The less kids, the better as far as I'm concerned (my son too!). Our son is the same, he loves attending the shows with us, sits listens, applauds etc, loves MDR and trying new foods (he orders from the adult menu - I think he's the only 4 year old I know who refuses to eat fries and unfortunatly the kids meals are stacked with then) but is scared of too many kids running around and making noise, he's also scared of the characters. We'll keep cruising Celebrity for this reason and hope others with kids don't catch on!

 

My youngest is not keen on fries either, never has been and he's now 12 (let's see if the teen years change things :)). Both my children find it hilarious when we visit the States as whenever they ask for vegetables in restaurants, they know exactly what will be on the plate: broccoli and carrots. A good few years ago, my youngest DS asked a waitress if they only grew these two vegetables in the US as that's what was always provided with every dish - he added it was a good job they both liked broccoli and carrots :p :D. The waitress thought it was so funny and continued to tell him that it was quite unusual for kids to ask for any vegetables with their meal!

 

They love cruising and have been on every one of our sailings - can't imagine their faces if we ever said we were cruising without them :eek:! Now it's teen club and a whole different experience - both for us and them :D.

[Queen of Oakville]

They love cruising and have been on every one of our sailings - can't imagine their faces if we ever said we were cruising without them :eek:! Now it's teen club and a whole different experience - both for us and them :D.

 

 

I remember when my son was three. We had just taken them on their first (Carnival Dream) Cruise. Several months later, Dh and I booked Sovereign, and sailed without them. We told them we were going on a business trip. At 3, he watched me pack and said, "are you sure your going on a business trip, looks like you are going on a cruise!". That was the last cruise we did without them. We enjoy cruising with them. It's the perfect family holiday.

[cruiserjt]

We also cruise with our daughters and they enjoy their time with us more than the kids programs. They are now eleven and have cruised six times. Dressing up and hanging out with us - hopefully we can get a couple more cruises while they still like us!!

 

They were disappointed in the kids program on our recent Eclipse cruise - just not enough for their personalities. They made a couple of friends but didn't want to participate in the 'themes' of the day events.

 

Like another poster - they will be part of the teen program next year :eek:

 

I will avoid the mega ships and the water slides for a while longer!

[GOLDENBONNY]

I have to agree .kids club on Celebrity is very good and our DD loved it very much.

[Stede Bonnet]

Hi

Do you know if you HAVE to sign up for the party pass on the first day

 

I am interested in the tours included but I am also now thinking about the dinner period as well

[Cruisin' With The Fam!]

Hi! Do you know if they served food in the Fun Factory? We are cruising in March and our daughter has food allergies. I know for meals they go out of the factory, but are there snacks at other points in the day? Thank you!

[mtn_couple]

Hi! Do you know if they served food in the Fun Factory? We are cruising in March and our daughter has food allergies. I know for meals they go out of the factory' date=' but are there snacks at other points in the day? Thank you![/quote']

 

They take the kids to the buffet for afternoon tea and also for supper. My son would say he had fruit, cake, ice cream. They can choose what they want to eat. You'll need to discuss food allergies with the staff or (if old enough) make sure your child knows what he/she can/can't eat.

[nomad098]

When given the choice between RC Allure and Celebrity Constellation in the Med. Our boys (they will be 13,8 & 8 in August 2015) looked at the pictures, activities and itinerary, asked us how many kids would be on both ships, so we told them that we thought the numbers would be about the same as last time on Celebrity but there would be more kids on the Allure and they unanimously voted for Celebrity.

[SuzanneA]

We sailed on the Silhouette over Christmas with our six year old son. He has partaken of both Disney and Holland America before, but this was his first time at the Fun Factory on a Celebrity Ship.

 

Conclusion: Celebrity has an excellent kids program. Well run. Nice bright facilities. And the counsellors actually work with the kids in a very organized and interactive way. Our son often returned with projects/crafts/drawings/face painting that he was very proud of.

 

B/c he was about to turn six, I asked the staff at the outset about him possibly being bumped up to the 6-8 age group. The Director very reasonably took the let’s wait and see approach, as she had an enrollment sheet indicating that many of the 29 kids in his age group were actually very close to his age. (4.5 or older) Turned out she was right, he loved the group of kids he was with and met two particular bosom friends who he is still talking about as his “LEGO brothers.” One day we were on deck chairs up above the basketball court and we could hear his age group out there playing racing games. It involved a lot of running but it was competitive and organized. It was nice to see them getting fresh air and exercise and they loved the games. They also took them around the ship on treasure hunts, scavengers hunts and for ice cream breaks. One thing I look for in a kids club, is a reasonable noise level i.e. kids engaged in actually doing something enough that they are not yelling and screeching and running amuck. Celebrity passed that test with flying colours.

 

Overall, I would say our son liked it enough that he participated quite frequently (he would always ask what was on the program and usually was keen about what was on the agenda) and he particularly looked forward to going in the evening. At the end of the week the kids had a talent show, that demonstrated to us the other age groups were also pretty full and active. It is neat to see how the kids form friendships over the course of the week.

 

In contrast we found that Disney has a tendency to rest on their laurels a bit – there is a feeling like hey you lucky kids are on a Disney boat with character visits and lots of Disney movies, what else could they need or want? The Disney counsellors, perhaps b/c there were so many of them, and so many children, seemed less engaged, if that is the right word. They were almost mechanical in the way they went about things, these are the rules, etc . Having said that, the facility on Disney’s private Island was breathtaking and we could hardly drag our son away from there. And he enjoyed some of the times he was there, just not as much as on Celebrity and HAL.

 

Thanks for the info. We are sailing in April with my 6 year old. I think he will like this better than our last Disney cruise (and I know I will!). Thanks again.

[luvpiano]

We just returned from a 7 nt. Alaska cruise on the Infinity. This was cruise #31 for my DH and me, but the first for our son, his wife, and their 4 yr. old son. We were expecting to help out a lot with childcare, but also to make use of the Fun Factory facilities. An incident the first day made short work of that! We signed our grandson in, and left, only to be called back in a panic by our son an hour later. Our grandson had asked to go to the bathroom, so one of the workers took him, closed the door on him and left him alone. Predictably, he 'pooped his pants,' because he couldn't get up on the adult sized toilet by himself, and nobody had shown him the footstool (on the other side of the bathroom!). He also had no idea how to open the door,plus the floor was wet and slippery. By the time we were called, it was too late and we had a real mess to clean up. We asked the workers why he was left in there alone, and were told it is Celebrity policy. They are NOT allowed to assist or accompany any child into the bathroom, even if they know the kid needs help. It would have been really nice if they'd told us this on our initial tour of the place! I had earlier observed a worker open the bathroom door for another (sobbing) child, who obviously couldn't figure out how to open the door either! IMHO, their policies are not suitable for 3-4 year olds.

[philpcruiser]

Hi! Do you know if they served food in the Fun Factory? We are cruising in March and our daughter has food allergies. I know for meals they go out of the factory' date=' but are there snacks at other points in the day? Thank you![/quote']

Hi, Crusin':

You mention that your daughter has food allergies. So does our DD. We will be heading out on our first Celebrity cruise in a few days. Can you let us know how Celebrity handled the food allergy situation? Any suggestions or recommendations?

[CanadianDee]

Me too! How could people who post things like that possibly know anything about me/my son and what we like. The less kids, the better as far as I'm concerned (my son too!). Our son is the same, he loves attending the shows with us, sits listens, applauds etc, loves MDR and trying new foods (he orders from the adult menu - I think he's the only 4 year old I know who refuses to eat fries and unfortunatly the kids meals are stacked with then) but is scared of too many kids running around and making noise, he's also scared of the characters. We'll keep cruising Celebrity for this reason and hope others with kids don't catch on!

 

LOL. Our granddaughter's favourite meal of our last trip was frog's legs - she ate two plates full. Also only ate from the adult menu (she was 4 when we last cruised).

 

And she insisted on dressing up every night for the MDR - I'm the one who grouses about dressing up for dinner. :) We live in the landlocked Canadian prairies and try to escape south every winter. Said granddaughter prefers cruising over Disneyworld.

 

I have a question for families that actively cruise Celebrity. We like to re-discover our inner child when vacationing with our granddaughter. Does the Fun Factory have a lot of activities that allow the parents/grandparents to participate? I know they probably have Bingo and scavengers hunts that include the whole family. Any other activities that do?

Edited August 17, 2015 by CanadianDee

[6502programmer]

Can you let us know how Celebrity handled the food allergy situation? Any suggestions or recommendations?

 

Did you fill out the special needs form? They have it online now instead of needing to fax it in to Miami.

 

We have a child with a dairy allergy, so the accommodation has always been a menu review the night before. Dinners have been chosen and are ready and waiting when we have dinner the next evening.

[philpcruiser]

Did you fill out the special needs form? They have it online now instead of needing to fax it in to Miami.

 

We have a child with a dairy allergy, so the accommodation has always been a menu review the night before. Dinners have been chosen and are ready and waiting when we have dinner the next evening.

Yes, the forms have been submitted and we are prepared to discuss the next day's menu with both the waiter and head server/DR manager.

Did you feel confident with Celebrity's handling of allergies?

[CanadianDee]

Yes, the forms have been submitted and we are prepared to discuss the next day's menu with both the waiter and head server/DR manager.

Did you feel confident with Celebrity's handling of allergies?

 

Queen of Oakville had a post about her experience here.

 

In a (pea)nut shell, a very positive experience. :)

[philpcruiser]

Queen of Oakville had a post about her experience here.

 

In a (pea)nut shell, a very positive experience. :)

Glad to hear X takes food allergies seriously. Hope we experience the same on our upcoming trip.

[6502programmer]

Yes, the forms have been submitted and we are prepared to discuss the next day's menu with both the waiter and head server/DR manager.

Did you feel confident with Celebrity's handling of allergies?

I'm pretty sure they've seen and heard EVERYTHING. Only their passengers want anaphylactic reactions less than Celebrity does. If a food allergy is that severe, make sure everyone possible is aware of it. I'm pretty confident they can arrange whatever needs to happen. The dairy is really just an intolerance evidenced by GI distress, rather than an allergy with serious health and life consequences.

 

Typically, the AMD stopped by the night before, he'd drop off the menus, we would consult and pick appropriate choices, and after dessert he'd stop back and take the choices. We asked a gal who had some fairly serious food allergies to join us in Qsine after a chance encounter at the host stand when we heard she had showed up to eat her specially prepared menu solo after her mother had not felt well enough for dinner that evening, and she raved about how well Celebrity had done with handling her multiple allergies.