Celebrity Equinox for kids?

[Peaches’Beaches]

We just came home yesterday from the Equinox with our 10yo. This was her third cruise (with Disney being 1 of them) and she reports that she had an amazing time. She loved going to the Fun Factory even though there were very few kids there most of the time. Her age group (cadets 10-12) only had 5 kids on the ship and their activities were often combined with the teens. She spent lots of time in the pools with a few of the 8&9yo girls that she met. The ship definitely isn't geared toward the kids like other ships so it really depends on the child/family finding things to do. I think the 6 & 8yo would have fun with the activities, but there really isn't much for the 2yo.

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing. Yes it’s the 2 year old that’s a quandary.

 

 

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[Peaches’Beaches]

Yes! We saw many young ones out there! They loved it.

 

 

 

Wonderful!!

 

 

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[Want2Cruise 701]

Our son's first cruise was on Celebrity when he was 8. He is now 14. He has been on 4 Celebrity cruises and 2 Royal Caribbean. He much prefers X and the Fun Factory/X Club.

 

We agree as well. While the other ships have the bells and whistles for families with slides, rock climbing etc., we feel X has the best kids clubs. They are better managed and more interactive since they are smaller. Our son did not like the Adventure Ocean on RC. He said it was too overwhelming, and the staff wasn't very interactive and engaging.

 

On RC Freedom, I went to pick him up at the basketball courts one night. When I got there, there were so many kids I couldn't find him or a staff member. I finally found a staff member, and I asked where our son was. She had no idea who he was. Not comforting at all. I asked few kids if they knew where my son was. I did mention his name to them. They said he wasn't there. At this point I was almost in tears since Adventure Ocean was closed with a sign that they were on the basketball court. Finally, I found him sitting in a corner with a few other kids. As a parent, it was horrifying that there were so many children that they staff did not know who he was.

 

Funny but for a cruise line geared towards families, our son was with us the most on RC. We never saw him on any of our Celebrity cruises. We were just on the 12 night Eclipse for Christmas and New Years, and our son said it was his best cruise ever. On the Oasis, not one of us did the flowrider, zipline, rock climb etc. We were with our young adult children too. Only one of our children did the flowrider on the Freedom and that was it.

 

You will hear varying opinions as to which line is the best for families. Celebrity works the best for us. Only you can evaluate what is best for your family in the end based on your interests and what you want to get out of your vacation.

[medtech71]

Thanks for sharing. Yes it’s the 2 year old that’s a quandary.

 

 

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It's fine for people to say that RCCL or Norwegian are 'great for families'...but not necessarily all families. The difference between a 2 year old and 3 yr old is gigantic, at least in terms of what you can do. It may be the most important age difference aside from legal drinking age. Essentially, with a two year old, there is little possibility of a 'break'. You cannot just drop them off at Fun Factory and walk away. The cabin babysitting at night is a nice idea, but it's pricey. The mega Norwegian and RCCL ships look fun, but are geared to older kids it seems... like 8 to 16.

 

I would suggest booking on the line that appeals to you the most and accept that this is a 'working vacation' where you don't have to cook or do dishes.

 

PS My tip would be to bring your stroller! It was a huge pain dragging it through the airport, but it was a life saver.

 

We ran out of diapers/pullups on the last day (of course) and found that we could buy them from Splash Academy (NCL) rather than the Duty Free shop (nobody tells you this). $38 at the Duty Free shop and $24 at the SA for the same thing. $24 was still way too much, but it was a saving.

[RCKM43]

My kids have been sailing Celebrity since they were 2 and 4. They are now 8 and 10. They will be going on their 6th Celebrity Cruise, second on the Equinox in a few weeks. They have sailed to Bermuda, The Caribbean and Alaska. They call us mean at the end of the cruise because they cannot get back on. The key is to pick the shorter itineraries (7 days) and more common School breaks. We generally have 400-500 kids on our sailings. Our kids have made some nice friends they still keep in touch with a few. They are treated like princesses in the MDR. They don’t order off the kids menu, expect once they did try the fillet mignon, which was excellent. They normally order off the adult menu. They find their friends by the pool and pick and choose which fun factory activities interest them most and those are what they stick to. They have never been bored. In fact on our last two cruises they had fun factory staff who remembered them from past cruises. We don’t do any of the paid times or meals in the club as they prefer to eat with us. But some highlights over the week were the silent disco, campfire party on the lawn (face painting, DJ, hula hoops, bracelet making, s’mores), science challenges, talent shows, scavenger hunts. We celebrated Easter on the Reflection one year. They had a big Easter egg hunt party for the kids in the lounge, followed by cookie and cupcake decorating. Since kids pick and choose activities and time blocks you will find some activities busier than others. The staff work hard to keep the kids happy and they kids seem to love the staff. I will say the 2 year old will be harder. It will depend on your personal expectations. Mine was fully potty trained when we sailed so she was able to swim with me. They have supervised times you can sometimes bring them to the fun factory and toys you can borrow (we did neither that one trip). Mine was happy swimming and exploring the ship. In general diapered kids are hard on most cruise lines. And under 3 are too young for many kids programs. Something to think about. It was fine for us, some might not enjoy that. My kids also love getting their pictures taken and so we get the photo package and make sure to hit all the stops before dinner each night.

 

 

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[Bribrittmom]

We are on the Silohuette right now and have been surprised at how many kids are on board. They all appear to be having fun. This is our first time on Celebrity but have cruised many times on Royal. We were afraid we would be bored on here after reading the Cruise Critic posts but there are loads of activities and the food is definitely a step above Royal. We love the warm water in the Solarium pool.

 

Also the average age would be about 40 I think, not nearly as old as I had read on here.

[dkjretired]

My kids have been sailing Celebrity since they were 2 and 4. They are now 8 and 10. They will be going on their 6th Celebrity Cruise, second on the Equinox in a few weeks. They have sailed to Bermuda, The Caribbean and Alaska. They call us mean at the end of the cruise because they cannot get back on. The key is to pick the shorter itineraries (7 days) and more common School breaks. We generally have 400-500 kids on our sailings. Our kids have made some nice friends they still keep in touch with a few. They are treated like princesses in the MDR. They don’t order off the kids menu, expect once they did try the fillet mignon, which was excellent. They normally order off the adult menu. They find their friends by the pool and pick and choose which fun factory activities interest them most and those are what they stick to. They have never been bored. In fact on our last two cruises they had fun factory staff who remembered them from past cruises. We don’t do any of the paid times or meals in the club as they prefer to eat with us. But some highlights over the week were the silent disco, campfire party on the lawn (face painting, DJ, hula hoops, bracelet making, s’mores), science challenges, talent shows, scavenger hunts. We celebrated Easter on the Reflection one year. They had a big Easter egg hunt party for the kids in the lounge, followed by cookie and cupcake decorating. Since kids pick and choose activities and time blocks you will find some activities busier than others. The staff work hard to keep the kids happy and they kids seem to love the staff. I will say the 2 year old will be harder. It will depend on your personal expectations. Mine was fully potty trained when we sailed so she was able to swim with me. They have supervised times you can sometimes bring them to the fun factory and toys you can borrow (we did neither that one trip). Mine was happy swimming and exploring the ship. In general diapered kids are hard on most cruise lines. And under 3 are too young for many kids programs. Something to think about. It was fine for us, some might not enjoy that. My kids also love getting their pictures taken and so we get the photo package and make sure to hit all the stops before dinner each night.

 

 

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FYI, keep your kids sailing cards so when they turn 18 they can get credit for the cruises they take. I know from experience that computer systems change and info can be lost.

[STIguy]

They’ll be fine.

[keesar]

On our recent cruise, there were staff monitoring the swimming pools. Some parents were disappointed that their children were asked to leave the Solarium pool as children are allowed in that pool. Diaper monitoring was taking place at the main pools. Some unhappy parents. Know before you go...

[STIguy]

On our recent cruise, there were staff monitoring the swimming pools. Some parents were disappointed that their children were asked to leave the Solarium pool as children are allowed in that pool. Diaper monitoring was taking place at the main pools. Some unhappy parents. Know before you go...

Good to know. The Solarium is for adults. No way these "parents" didn’t know. Glad to hear that staff was making the effort to keep the threat from fecal contamination to a minimum.

[medtech71]

Good to know. The Solarium is for adults. No way these "parents" didn’t know. Glad to hear that staff was making the effort to keep the threat from fecal contamination to a minimum.

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/01/how-much-pee-is-in-our-swimming-pools-new-urine-test-reveals-the-truth

[MamaAces]

We just got home from our Equinox cruise yesterday and sailed with our 2 and 4 year olds. You've already received good advice regarding the older kids, so I will focus on the two year old. My son is day time potty trained so he spent a lot of time in the "hot pool" since the big ones were too cold for his liking. He loved it and loved the sprinklers too! But he was out of his element and very attached to me (and ONLY me the whole time.) This made things complicated, as he even refused to go with his father. We booked baby sitting but because we were notified late regarding availability, we only used it once. It is quite expensive at $19/hr but the staff was very good with them. If you do plan to book a sitter, make sure to turn the form in early to try to secure the times you'd prefer. We did use the toddler area in the kids club a few times and he seemed to really enjoy it. Event though there wasn't a ton of things to do, it was enough. We also borrowed different books to take to dinner and try to keep them occupied. A big positive was that the rocking of the boat kept him napping 3-4 hours at a time so we got a bit of a break each day.

 

Overall, we would do it again but preferably after the little one turns three. He had fun but it was a lot of work for me. To be fair, this has nothing to do with Celebrity, we would have felt similarly on any line. My four year old absolutely loved everything. The staff was incredible with them and it seemed everyone knew them by name by the third day. They really went above and beyond to make the kids smile. My daughter walked off the boat telling everyone she would see them next cruise so I guess she approves!

 

 

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[phoenix_dream]

We are on the Silohuette right now and have been surprised at how many kids are on board. They all appear to be having fun. This is our first time on Celebrity but have cruised many times on Royal. We were afraid we would be bored on here after reading the Cruise Critic posts but there are loads of activities and the food is definitely a step above Royal. We love the warm water in the Solarium pool.

 

Also the average age would be about 40 I think, not nearly as old as I had read on here.

The average age of Celebrity cruises varies dramatically by length of cruise and time of year. You are entering Spring Break season. Some universities/colleges have already started their spring breaks. Not sure about younger kids. If you go on cruises at other times there will be fewer kids. If you go on longer (than 7 night) cruises the age level definitely rises substantially. On our cruise in January on Eclipse we were in the younger minority (and we are in early-to-mid 60's).

[Peaches’Beaches]

FYI, keep your kids sailing cards so when they turn 18 they can get credit for the cruises they take. I know from experience that computer systems change and info can be lost.

 

 

 

Great idea!!

 

 

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[Peaches’Beaches]

We just got home from our Equinox cruise yesterday and sailed with our 2 and 4 year olds. You've already received good advice regarding the older kids, so I will focus on the two year old. My son is day time potty trained so he spent a lot of time in the "hot pool" since the big ones were too cold for his liking. He loved it and loved the sprinklers too! But he was out of his element and very attached to me (and ONLY me the whole time.) This made things complicated, as he even refused to go with his father. We booked baby sitting but because we were notified late regarding availability, we only used it once. It is quite expensive at $19/hr but the staff was very good with them. If you do plan to book a sitter, make sure to turn the form in early to try to secure the times you'd prefer. We did use the toddler area in the kids club a few times and he seemed to really enjoy it. Event though there wasn't a ton of things to do, it was enough. We also borrowed different books to take to dinner and try to keep them occupied. A big positive was that the rocking of the boat kept him napping 3-4 hours at a time so we got a bit of a break each day.

 

Overall, we would do it again but preferably after the little one turns three. He had fun but it was a lot of work for me. To be fair, this has nothing to do with Celebrity, we would have felt similarly on any line. My four year old absolutely loved everything. The staff was incredible with them and it seemed everyone knew them by name by the third day. They really went above and beyond to make the kids smile. My daughter walked off the boat telling everyone she would see them next cruise so I guess she approves!

 

 

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Thank you for your in depth review. I totally understand your opinion. How much of a “vacation” will it be for us when there isn’t enough to occupy the interest of the under 3’s. Good to know about the babysitting. Pricey but would be worth it for one date night lol.

 

I’ve read some other threads and there seems to be a definite “thou shalt not take your kids on a cruise” vibe with some individuals. I wonder why that is? Could it be because historically cruises were for retired folk and were very regimented? Either way, some cruise lines should look into “adult only” sailings, I think they would do well with that.

 

 

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[dkjretired]

 

I’ve read some other threads and there seems to be a definite “thou shalt not take your kids on a cruise” vibe with some individuals. I wonder why that is? Could it be because historically cruises were for retired folk and were very regimented? Either way, some cruise lines should look into “adult only” sailings, I think they would do well with that.

 

 

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Its been that way for 20 years but seems to worse on this board. There is the “thou shalt not take your kids on a cruise” crowd but on the Celebrity board there is the "thou shalt not take your kids on a Celebrity Cruise." You will find that most of those complaining have never taken kids on a cruise or a Celebrity cruise. My kids who are now adults, grew up on Celebrity cruises and enjoyed them better than other cruise lines they were on.

[Peaches’Beaches]

Its been that way for 20 years but seems to worse on this board. There is the “thou shalt not take your kids on a cruise” crowd but on the Celebrity board there is the "thou shalt not take your kids on a Celebrity Cruise." You will find that most of those complaining have never taken kids on a cruise or a Celebrity cruise. My kids who are now adults, grew up on Celebrity cruises and enjoyed them better than other cruise lines they were on.

 

 

 

It is what it is. I loved the cruise on the reflection that I took years ago and thought it would be fun for a family as well. Research is key though. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

 

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[Peaches’Beaches]

I think it will work out for you and your group! At least you will know what to expect and make a final decision based on everyone's input as well as what you like. Whatever you decide, have a great time!!

 

 

 

Thank you! I’m excited for this birthday trip :-)

 

 

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[keesar]

There are two extremes on this topic. There are those parents who will say that Celebrity is the favorite cruise line of their 2 year olds. Then you have those who feel children should not be on board. The important thing is that you know your children best and whether they can occupy themselves and whether the ship offers age-appropriate amenities for them. Do your research.

[the_dylaness]

I’m sure you will have a fantastic time. If you over prepare with extras for the kids I think you will be fine. I’m most worried about my toddler who can’t even go for a swim. Tough decision.

 

 

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I've cruised several times with my kids, starting from age 8 months. (What was I thinking?!)

 

The toddler who couldn't get in the pool was hard. Luckily we were on Disney Fantasy which does have a Nemo's Reef splash park designed for swim-diapered children. It wasn't exactly fun chasing him around there (there is nowhere to sit down) but he thought it was AWESOME and then he wasn't so upset that he couldn't go in the pool with his older sister. If we hadn't had that option i think I truly would have gone berserk.

 

Traveling with kids is hard and a totally different experience than going alone. I've learned that trying to be a square peg in a round hole doesn't work well- choose an itinerary and a ship that will make it easy on your kids (and thus easy on you.) We choose totally different cruises when we are going with our kids (save trying Reflection in November!) If I had it to do over again, I would have chosen a different land based vacation when my youngest was about 22 months rather than a cruise even if it DID have the splash park.

[VAcrew]

Some of the posters here have given great advice. My 8-year old son has been on 5 Celebrity cruises and has loved them all, as have we. His first crise was at 18 months, and that was more of the working vacation another poster wrote about. That cruise was a 12-night and we brought a large toy bag for him onboard. We did use in-cabin babysitting 2 or 3 nights. Our dinners were a mix of MDR, the buffet, and in-room dining (for him, on babysitter nights). If you do MDR, I'd suggest fixed time seating, and if not then make reservations for the same time each night and try to sit at the same table each night. The advantage to having the same waiter each night is they'll learn your cadence, and have the highchair and milk cup waiting. For entertainment, the Fun Factory 3-5 year old area was open for toddlers and their parents an hour each morning (I think 8-9 am). it gave our son a chance to play with Fun Factory toys and other kids his age, in a safe, clean area, and gives you a chance to chat with other parents. The stroller someone mentioned is a great idea - we just had our big "mall" stroller, not the umbrella one, but should have done that! We also spent a lot of time wandering around the ship, and walking up and down hallways. He played with the toys we brought both in the cabin and in public lounges.

 

After he turned 3 he spent a lot of time in the Fun Factory, because he begged to go. Their day is divided into 3-hour chunks of activities, separated by 2-hour meal breaks. The activity periods are 9am-noon, 2-5pm, and 7-10pm. Each activity is different, so for example the Pirate activity won't be repeated later in the week. Most of our cruises have been during the school year, so there may be 25 kids in his age group, half of whom would show up for any given activity. That is superb, because if your kid loves the blocks odds are he'll always get to play with the blocks - there won't be 100 other children fighting for the same toy. Your kids get a lot of attention in the Fun Factory, and the staff is not overwhelmed. I've never sailed during a 500-kid week so I can't speak to those times.

 

What is amazing is what a rock star your kids become on Celebrity. We had 2 cruises when he was 4 years old, and I remember the waiters all greeting him as we walked through the dining room in the evenings, making funny faces, making anmal sounds, doing tricks. The shop keepers onboard would hold him, and talk to him, and pay attention to him. The babysitters are superb. Everyone was just so kind!!

 

Other MDR advice - request a table by the kitchen. One cruise that was our assigned table during early seating, and he was mesmerized by the constanly opening door. We'd keep track of how many plates were stacked on the waiter trays, and one waiter gave him a special pen that he insisted was a magical door opener. It was very cool. The best dinner toy I brought from home was a stack of small paper muffin cups (for the mini muffins). Our son stayed busy spreading them out on our table, then stacking them up again.

 

Book the cruise and enjoy it!

[dkjretired]

I've cruised several times with my kids, starting from age 8 months. (What was I thinking?!)

 

The toddler who couldn't get in the pool was hard. Luckily we were on Disney Fantasy which does have a Nemo's Reef splash park designed for swim-diapered children. It wasn't exactly fun chasing him around there (there is nowhere to sit down) but he thought it was AWESOME and then he wasn't so upset that he couldn't go in the pool with his older sister. If we hadn't had that option i think I truly would have gone berserk.

 

Traveling with kids is hard and a totally different experience than going alone. I've learned that trying to be a square peg in a round hole doesn't work well- choose an itinerary and a ship that will make it easy on your kids (and thus easy on you.) We choose totally different cruises when we are going with our kids (save trying Reflection in November!) If I had it to do over again, I would have chosen a different land based vacation when my youngest was about 22 months rather than a cruise even if it DID have the splash park.

 

You are so right that traveling with kids is hard. When our kids were young Celebrity had very strict dress codes and the children were expected to dress the same as adults. New dresses for the daughter, suit or rent a tux for our son. We have some nice pictures.

[villauk]

You are so right that traveling with kids is hard. When our kids were young Celebrity had very strict dress codes and the children were expected to dress the same as adults. New dresses for the daughter, suit or rent a tux for our son. We have some nice pictures.

 

Don,

 

Our kids have been on all our cruises and they still dress in their suits for Chic night; even after wearing suit/blazers for school all week, they still like to dress up for dinner ;). I also often look back at their ‘formal’ photos from over the years.

 

We’re planning on them not wanting to come with us in a few years time - yeah, right, I know we can hope ;p. We’ll probably only miss them anyway ;).

[dkjretired]

Don,

 

Our kids have been on all our cruises and they still dress in their suits for Chic night; even after wearing suit/blazers for school all week, they still like to dress up for dinner ;). I also often look back at their ‘formal’ photos from over the years.

 

We’re planning on them not wanting to come with us in a few years time - yeah, right, I know we can hope ;p. We’ll probably only miss them anyway ;).

 

Good for you, our son still comes with us and he’s 32. Him and I did a Bermuda trip last year without Mom. Don’t forget to save those sign and sail cards, computer systems change and info is lost. Son is almost E+ but one cruise they wouldn’t credit.

[Iamthesea]

I have been following this thread with interest. We would like to take our grandchildren on a cruise someday. Right now, they are 5 and 18 months. Thanks to this thread, we are thinking Disney for their first cruise, and waiting until the little one is 3.

 

Disney was also our children's first two cruisescruise. Yet, they were teens at the time. Their next cruise was on Celebrity. Now they all say that Celebrity is their favorite cruiseline. :D

 

Our son's first cruise was on Celebrity when he was 8. He is now 14. He has been on 4 Celebrity cruises and 2 Royal Caribbean. He much prefers X and the Fun Factory/X Club.

 

We agree as well. While the other ships have the bells and whistles for families with slides, rock climbing etc., we feel X has the best kids clubs. They are better managed and more interactive since they are smaller. Our son did not like the Adventure Ocean on RC. He said it was too overwhelming, and the staff wasn't very interactive and engaging.

 

On RC Freedom, I went to pick him up at the basketball courts one night. When I got there, there were so many kids I couldn't find him or a staff member. I finally found a staff member, and I asked where our son was. She had no idea who he was. Not comforting at all. I asked few kids if they knew where my son was. I did mention his name to them. They said he wasn't there. At this point I was almost in tears since Adventure Ocean was closed with a sign that they were on the basketball court. Finally, I found him sitting in a corner with a few other kids. As a parent, it was horrifying that there were so many children that they staff did not know who he was.

 

Funny but for a cruise line geared towards families, our son was with us the most on RC. We never saw him on any of our Celebrity cruises. We were just on the 12 night Eclipse for Christmas and New Years, and our son said it was his best cruise ever. On the Oasis, not one of us did the flowrider, zipline, rock climb etc. We were with our young adult children too. Only one of our children did the flowrider on the Freedom and that was it.

 

You will hear varying opinions as to which line is the best for families. Celebrity works the best for us. Only you can evaluate what is best for your family in the end based on your interests and what you want to get out of your vacation.

 

Want2Cruise - We had a similar experience to your son's "disappearance." It was on our first Disney cruise. One of the scariest moments of my life! We have also taken the kids on several RCCL and Carnival cruises. Again, they say they enjoyed Celebrity the best. As adults, they are choosing Celebrity. :)

 

BTW - I wonder if you could email me privately at ccshipmates @ hotmail . com. I read a post where you were to stay in Sky Suite 2114 on the Eclipse. After further investigating, I read that you had a flood in that stateroom. We have it booked for our upcoming Eclipse cruise. Would you mind telling me what happen and what you thought about the location, noise, etc. before you had to vacate? :eek: Thank you!