Is 'Celebrity' any good for children?

[MawganTr]

Looking at ideas for next year and I fancy trying Celebrity however we shall be taking our 11 and 14 year old and need to choose a line that they will enjoy too. Have sailed on Cunard & P&O before but without children.

[floridianny]

You will get a variety of responses to that question. I can tell you our experience with two boys ages 17 and 11 has been very positive. They have sailed twice with us on Celebrity. Both times on a Solstice class ship with a 7 night Caribbean itinerary. Once this past February and a couple years ago as well. They are not the type to care about rock climbing walls, etc and have no other cruise lines to compare Celebrity to yet, but they really enjoyed both vacations. My 11 year old has been in the Fun Factory a few times when they have an activity that interested him. Its well run but the X Club for 12 and up appeals to him more so I think he'd utilize that facility more in the future.They do have a sports court and do outdoor activities as well. I did scan and post the daily schedules from the Fun Factory after our last cruise in February. If you do a search for "Reflection Fun Factory Dailies" it should come up if you're interested.

The crew on the ships is very kid friendly and seem to love to give them a bit of extra attention whether its showing them a little trick in the dining room or leaving a towel creation in their cabin or showing interest in a video game they're playing. Our boys have been to all the specialty restaurants (except Murano) and have been very welcome. Our oldest is a picky eater but our youngest is very adventurous and the wait staff always love giving him dishes to try:)

It all comes down to knowing your children and if they need a lot of action or if the activities on Celebrity will suit them. We have found them very welcoming to kids.

[gergles]

There is a kids' program the poster above me described, but there aren't a ton of "kid-oriented" activities throughout the rest of the ship.

 

If your kids will be happy hanging out with other kids and doing organized activities with a chaperone, it sounds like they'll be well-accommodated, but there aren't lots of things for an independent kid to do; there is a (tiny, expensive) video arcade, and then there are the pools, of course, and a basketball court - but there aren't like, rock climbing walls and waterslides and other kid focused public areas that some of the other lines have.

 

IMO, kids the ages of yours would enjoy being onboard as long as they are reasonably independent and can entertain themselves, or if they'd enjoy the kind of organized 'camp' style activities in the Fun Factory/Club X.

[OCruisers]

Our granddaughters loved cruising on Celebrity when they were young and still love Celebrity now that they are older teens. :)

 

LuLu

[cruisestitch]

there are many, many threads about this, here is one:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2253013&highlight=good+for+children

[rjrpar]

My opinion is RCCL has more to do for kids.

[lakelorain]

We took our grandchildren, ages 3, 11 and 13, on the Summit in July. They enjoyed the smaller groups in the kids area and made friends easily. Our ship had 400 kids, from infants to 18 years old. If you ask them, they'd say they had a great time.

[LadyLion_AP]

there are many, many threads about this, here is one:

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2253013&highlight=good+for+children

 

 

There were some very audacious posts on that thread! This one, so far, seems to give much more respectful opinions!

[nomad098]

It's really down to what your kids enjoy

 

Our kids are 12, 8 & 8

 

The kids prefered Celebrity kids club to RCI and NCL but loved the activities

outside of kids clubs, slides, flow rider and ice skating, available on these lines

 

Celebrity seem to make up for not having all the whistles and bells by providing

an outstanding kids program.

 

Less kids on Celebrity allowed the staff to really get involved with the kids and

they seem to do more activities outside of the kids club, Pizza making in the

buffet,games on the sports court, escorted scavenger hunts for the twins

Go Pro video, pool party and deck party for the eldest. Also activities for the

family to get involved with we had great fun doing a photo scavenger hunt

with the boys all over the ship.

 

After the first 3 Cruises RCI, NCL, then Celebrity we asked the kids which

cruiseline they wanted next and it was a resounding vote for Celebrity.

 

You know your kids best :D

[dkjretired]

My children grew up and sailed with Celebrity for many years, they are adults now. I believe what you will find is that children receive more individualized attention on Celebrity. Many parents have stated this in other threads.

 

You will also find that those who tell you to go to other lines usually have never sailed with children on a Celebrity ship. For some reason this has been common for many years on this board. rjrpar in this thread is very respectful and not like the usual posters.

[kitty9]

A lot will depend on two things: when you're cruising and if your children will be entertained by a more low key approach to the kid's club. If you're cruising when US schools are in session, or if your cruise is longer than 7 days, the number of school age kids on board will be quite low. We cruise on Celebrity when school is in session, and we take longer cruises, and you can count on one hand the number of school age kids on board.

 

If your kids need to be super entertained all the time with things like fancy swimming pools, in line skating, flow riders and the rest, you won't find any of those things on Celebrity.

 

In the end, it all depends on what you and your children want for their cruise.

[OCruisers]

Our granddaughters liked Princess and Celebrity.

They did not like RCCL or NCL.

Only the older one did a HAL but was a bit old to give a real opinion.

[Got2Cruise]

Look at the pool situation. On the Summit there are 3 pools, ONLY 1 is available for kids. The other 2 are Adults ONLY. The one for kids is small. From what I read the other Celebrity ships have a similar setup.

 

When other lines cater to the entertainment for children, i.e, water slides, special kids only pools and play areas, rollerblading, rock climbing, surf rider, rock climbing, kids characters entertainment, I wouldn't choose Celebrity if I had children who enjoy doing those activities, especially for the same itinerary and price points. jmo.

[HappiTravels]

We are booked to take our daughter who turned 13 last week on her 6th Celebrity Cruise. She has special needs and the staff treat her like a VIP and she absolutely loves it. We don't sail during traditional school holidays but there are still always a good number of children on board. Personally I think that it is the staff that make the cruise so memorable for the kids.

[dkjretired]

We are booked to take our daughter who turned 13 last week on her 6th Celebrity Cruise. She has special needs and the staff treat her like a VIP and she absolutely loves it. We don't sail during traditional school holidays but there are still always a good number of children on board. Personally I think that it is the staff that make the cruise so memorable for the kids.

 

Same here with a special needs child

[nomad098]

Look at the pool situation. On the Summit there are 3 pools, ONLY 1 is available for kids. The other 2 are Adults ONLY. The one for kids is small. From what I read the other Celebrity ships have a similar setup.

 

When other lines cater to the entertainment for children, i.e, water slides, special kids only pools and play areas, rollerblading, rock climbing, surf rider, rock climbing, kids characters entertainment, I wouldn't choose Celebrity if I had children who enjoy doing those activities, especially for the same itinerary and price points. jmo.

 

They must do things differently on the Summit as in Europe both the Silhouette

and Constellation allowed kids in both outdoor pools only the indoor was 16+

and even then the teen club used the indoor pool for their pool party one night.

 

We found Celebrity to be an excellent fit for our family as it is the kids prefered cruiseline

 

Our next cruise is on NCL and this is because it is the only cruise line sailing out of New York at the time we want.

[debandbruce]

There were some very audacious posts on that thread! This one, so far, seems to give much more respectful opinions!

 

I think you get a lot of hostile posts from people who have had bad experiences with kids on ships. We did on the Freedom of the Seas and I will tell you I wanted to jump ship. The fact is the issue wasn't the kids so much but lack of supervision by parents. You can have 500 well behaved kids whose parents aren't letting them just run the ship and do whatever they want regardless of others. Or you can have 10 kids whose parents are letting them do so. I know people will say it's their holiday too, which is true but leaving manners at home on a holiday is not an option.

Having said this I agree with other posters who say it depends on the children and what they like to do. I have seen many kids on Celebrity that are having a great time. On the Eclipse a group of young children came to the hot glass show. They had drawn ideas for the artists to make. One little girl had her turtle picked and was able to take it home at the end of the cruise. The kids had a great time and their enthusiasm was fun to watch.

To the OP: all you can do is give Celebrity a try, if it's not for you and your children then you know. Have fun whatever cruise you choose!

[soxfan2013]

Look at the pool situation. On the Summit there are 3 pools, ONLY 1 is available for kids. The other 2 are Adults ONLY. The one for kids is small. From what I read the other Celebrity ships have a similar setup.

 

When other lines cater to the entertainment for children, i.e, water slides, special kids only pools and play areas, rollerblading, rock climbing, surf rider, rock climbing, kids characters entertainment, I wouldn't choose Celebrity if I had children who enjoy doing those activities, especially for the same itinerary and price points. jmo.

 

The pool for kids is too small, too wimpy, even for 8-9 year colds. Kids should be allowed in either outdoor pool.

[melsuli]

No reason why they cant have a wonderful time. You as parents are best placed to know how best their needs are catered for. Those groups who rather cruise without children probably book times/dates the kids are in school?

[Queen of Oakville]

Asking "which is the best cruise line for children" is like asking "which is the best cruise line for adults".

 

Depending a number of factors; the answer could be carnival, royal, celebrity etc.

 

You have to look at what the ship offers and decide if that is best for your family.

 

My children are 8 and 9. They have sailed on HAL, Royal, Disney, Carnival and Celebrity - Celebrity is their favourite.

 

Celebrity definitely offers a more adult environment but my children prefer this. They enjoy formal nights and the evening entertainment. They LOVE the exceptional service one finds on Celebrity. My children would rather be on a cruiseline with 10 kids in the kid's club and lots of adult interaction then they would on a Disney kid's club with hundreds of kids and no interaction from the camp counsellors.

 

Just as some adults are better-suited to some cruise lines over others - the same goes for children/teens. If your kids want/need lots of children to be social with, waterslides, minigolf, rock-climbing, zip-lining etc.; then they may be better suited to another line.

[norwegianwood57]

NO, Celebrity is NOT the best cruiseline for babies, tots or kids in general.

[Queen of Oakville]

NO, Celebrity is NOT the best cruiseline for babies, tots or kids in general.

 

Clearly this is your opinion. Posting it repeatedly doesn't make it true. I really wish you would stop posting your opinion as fact.

 

My kids love Celebrity and rank it as their favourite. That doesn't make the best line for all kids.

[quiltingdiva]

Clearly this is your opinion. Posting it repeatedly doesn't make it true. I really wish you would stop posting your opinion as fact.

 

My kids love Celebrity and rank it as their favourite. That doesn't make the best line for all kids.

 

Well said Queen. I wish there were a like button!

[jsf]

To the OP, remember you are asking advice on a Celebrity forum some of the answers might be a little slanted.

J.

[Queen of Oakville]

Well said Queen. I wish there were a like button!

 

: )

 

thanks QD!