Celebrity Edge with Young kids

[algorithmannie]

Hi Everyone! We will be leaving in two weeks for a Thanksgiving sailing, Western Caribbean, on Edge. Our family has been on many Celeb cruises and we love them, but now we have kids! We just couldn’t bring ourselves to switch to RCI or Disney. We will be sailing with “The Grandparents”, Daughter #1, husband, and kids aged 7 and 4, and Daughter #2 (that’s me!), husband, and our just-turned-two year old. Joining the gang will be our nanny! 
 

It’s quite the setup. We are not a family that “can’t care for our own child” - rather, I work full-time from home and we are incredibly grateful to have a loving nanny who is very close with our family. She will enjoy the vacation too (in her own inside stateroom) and we’ll be able to stay out in the evenings when the kids need to go to bed.

Of course I’m biased, but our kids are thoughtful, sweet, and well-mannered. We live in a city and they’re used to dining out and behaving. We’re quick to remove them if things go downhill, but we plan carefully to avoid over-tired or hungry kids. My hope is that other cruisers will enjoy (or at least tolerate) our children. We are older parents in our late 30’s and find such pleasure in the joyfulness of the kids - hopefully others do too!
 

Celebrity isn’t as popular for families and I haven’t seen many posts about Edge with kids, so I’ll be sharing our experience of sailing with a toddler (no ship childcare available), a 4 year old with special needs, and a 7 year old. Wish us luck and please reply if you have any questions about sailing with kids that I can scope out for you while onboard!

 

 

[dkjretired]

Celebrity has great children's programs, many have come on this board over the years saying their kids preferred Celebrity over Disney or Royal.  Just go and enjoy. 

[Bo1953]

a - we are traveling with a five (5) year old in our group of 13, the parents are really looking forward to taking her and seeing if she likes the Kids Camp at sea and they will arrange for a few days/nights of babysitting while there are activities which they want to participate in...

 

Maybe everyone will be able to meet.. are you a part of the RC?

 

See you soon aboard and bon voyage

[cruisestitch]

Beware of artwork that is appealing to a toddler’s little hands, like the pearl-strung sailing ship, too easy to grab.  Also beware of the dark and scary haunted forest passageway which could be frightening to small children.

[1025cruise]

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Just a thought I've seen on other threads. Make sure you have an arrangement with your nanny as to what your expectations of her are. This way there are no surprises. Some things to consider:

1. Who will be paying for her expenses (sign sail card, beverages, spa, etc)

2. What hours you are expecting her to be working versus vacationing.

3. What work tasks are you expecting her to do.

 

Just something to consider. Arranging this all ahead of time will make the cruise run smoother.