Crown Princess for Family

[McFamily]

I am having a hard time finding specifics on kids activites on the Crown Princess. Will be sailing with 5,8 & 9 yo next summer. My kids are not big on the kids club type stuff. We did 2 DCL cruises and they did very little kids club activities. What is there for families with children to do together on the ship? I see other new ships with ice skating and rock walls, etc but I don't see any of that on CP. Is there a pool area disigned for kids? I thought I read shallowest pool is 5 ft. That is too deep for the little ones. If I am missing something please advise or point me in the right direction for info. Am I on the wrong ship for my family? (We are still in full refund stage, we want to sail out of NY area)

 

Thanks

[BrooklynGirl2]

I, too, would love to hear more about the children's activities on Crown Princess since I am thinking of sailing with a 6 year old. My son has already done 4 cruises and does like to participate in the children's program but we have always cruised on Celebrity.

 

Thanks.

[momasita]

Hi, we cruised the Crown in September. There honestly was not A LOT to do for my ds10, and dd7. It was offseason for children however. They did enjoy the clubs, especially my daughter. There were a lot of arts and crafts, and this is up her alley.

 

There is a mini putt onboard, my son did this 2x. He would have done it more, but it quite honestly was small, and boring. They are both good swimmers, so the pools were fine for them. The adults, however did not enjoy the kids around. There really is not much to do, and I would NOT book again with these young ones on the Crown. We have done Disney 3 times, and they are growing older for this. I would definitely look into RCCL next time, the freedom looks fabulous.

 

Don't get me wrong, my kids loved the cruise. There were just not A LOT of children or family activities to do..

 

Hope this helps some..:)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I am having a hard time finding specifics on kids activites on the Crown Princess. Will be sailing with 5,8 & 9 yo next summer. My kids are not big on the kids club type stuff. We did 2 DCL cruises and they did very little kids club activities. What is there for families with children to do together on the ship? I see other new ships with ice skating and rock walls, etc but I don't see any of that on CP. Is there a pool area disigned for kids? I thought I read shallowest pool is 5 ft. That is too deep for the little ones. If I am missing something please advise or point me in the right direction for info. Am I on the wrong ship for my family? (We are still in full refund stage, we want to sail out of NY area)

 

Thanks

 

Royal caribbean is the only line with ice skating and rock climbing.

 

Bill

[Toto2Kansas]

One thing to keep in mind when booking with Princess as a family.

They do not offer the 'amusement type activities' that you can find on other lines like RCI.

If the family is used to, and enjoys things like water slides, book Carnival. Ice skating and rock climbing walls, book with RCI.

If kids don't enjoy the orgainzed childrens programs, or are not big enough to swim in the pools, the only other option is to enjoy a family vacation with the entire family spending time together.

 

Princess is more of a cruising type cruise line without the bells and whistles that some of the other lines offer. It is what brings us back time and time again and keeps us away from the others.

[willysgrandma]

We were given a tour of the Crown in August and were impressed with the kids areas when we toured.

 

On our Nov. 4 cruise, we became friendly with a couple with two kids, ages 6 and 12. They told us there were not enough activities for the kids on the ship - a lot of the activities were around the pool and they felt they could have kept the kids with them.

 

The kids themselves said they were bored with the kids activities as well.

[teach21566]

We went on the Carribean Princess with our two children 6 and 4. We spend alot of time with our kids, and the kids club was adequate for them. We would enroll them in the club for a couple of hours a day, for a little adult time. They enjoyed being with us more. They also enjoyed coming to alot of the shows and game type activites with us. The only place they cannot really go is into to the casino. As for the child that is only 5, we brought along a life vest for the pool. He was able to float around the pool without any problems. We have done Princess and Carnival, we are going on the Crown in nov 2007. We look forward to the muts, and returning to Princess. Good luck with your decision, I would not worry about the Crown.

[rebeccalouise]

I think that all the kids programs are very good. My son has been on eight cruises (he is 6) and his favorite, shocker, was Disney.

Having said that- my favorite was Celebrity (because the kids can dine with the other kids).

We got off a wonderful two week cruise on Millenium last year and boarded the Sapphire Princess. My son liked Princess better- probably because it was the most recent. In any event- my son has loved all the kids programs- is eager to participate and loves cruising.

Have a great time- the kids will have more fun!:)

[Eskwire]

We were given a tour of the Crown in August and were impressed with the kids areas when we toured.

 

On our Nov. 4 cruise, we became friendly with a couple with two kids, ages 6 and 12. They told us there were not enough activities for the kids on the ship - a lot of the activities were around the pool and they felt they could have kept the kids with them.

 

The kids themselves said they were bored with the kids activities as well.

 

Willysgrandma, didn't you also say on another thread that there were not a lot of kids generally on the November 4 sailing? I bring this up because regardless of which line the OP chooses, it will definitely be the number of other kids on the ship that will determine the activity level of the kids club. I would think any child would find any ship boring if there were not a lot of other kids to play with, and any kids club will be boring on a slow kids week. That being said, to the OP, if you do travel on a slow week, RCI or Carnival might be better as there are things outside the kids club to pass the time.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I think that all the kids programs are very good. My son has been on eight cruises (he is 6) and his favorite, shocker, was Disney.

Having said that- my favorite was Celebrity (because the kids can dine with the other kids).

We got off a wonderful two week cruise on Millenium last year and boarded the Sapphire Princess. My son liked Princess better- probably because it was the most recent. In any event- my son has loved all the kids programs- is eager to participate and loves cruising.

Have a great time- the kids will have more fun!:)

 

I think that is the secret. It all depends on the kids. If you have a shy introverted child then they might not enjoy the kids programs. My son falls into that category and has never gone to the kids programs as much as we have tried. He's now 17 and it doesn't matter but when he was younger he never gave them a chance.

 

If your child is outgoing they'll probably love the programs.

Bill

[tsj]

I agree with SS Ocean lover, my girls were reluctant to join in the kids club on their first cruise, but by the end of the cruise we could barely drag them away! They spend lots of time in the club whether we sail Carnival or Princess. I think it helps to get them to the club the first day and encourage them to give it a try, the staff is excellant at helping break the ice. We love to vacation as a family and going to the club is optional for my girls, we would be glad to have them hang out with us any time, it's just that at their age 12 & 14 they do enjoy hanging out with people their own age so we have family time and club time, works for us. Teri

[Cruisin' Chick]

Willysgrandma, didn't you also say on another thread that there were not a lot of kids generally on the November 4 sailing? I bring this up because regardless of which line the OP chooses, it will definitely be the number of other kids on the ship that will determine the activity level of the kids club. I would think any child would find any ship boring if there were not a lot of other kids to play with, and any kids club will be boring on a slow kids week. That being said, to the OP, if you do travel on a slow week, RCI or Carnival might be better as there are things outside the kids club to pass the time.

 

I agree that if there are a lot of kids onboard, the kids programs forthe most part have more activities. My girl's experiences for her first three Princess cruises point this out: in February, fewer kids and not as much going on. Her next two were when summer was out and there were the science activities and a much fuller program. Probably this way on most ships.

 

The OP said "summer" so I would think anytime between mid-June and late August would have a lot of kids. Unless they're very shy, they should be able to make lots of friends to hang out with, even if they don't spend a lot of time in the kids' area.

[turbo46032]

What is there for families with children to do together on the ship?

 

5, 8, and 9 may be a bit too young for our kids' favorite activity - people watching :eek: Depends on parents' attitude I guess :confused:

 

My kids have access to all the rock climbing, structured activities, camps, and so on on dry land. On a cruise ship it's a great opportunity for them to 'catch up' with good ole' Dad and Mom, and keep their eyes open for things they would not see otherwise. They're girls, age 14 and 9. They had a great time in our last cruise with the usual 'adult' fare, i.e. formal night dress ups, afternoon tea, etc. Basically it was a great opportunity for them to NOT be treated like children, but like little adults. They loved it.

 

Now, if they would only have a passenger Xbox tournament...

[willysgrandma]

Willysgrandma, didn't you also say on another thread that there were not a lot of kids generally on the November 4 sailing? I bring this up because regardless of which line the OP chooses, it will definitely be the number of other kids on the ship that will determine the activity level of the kids club. I would think any child would find any ship boring if there were not a lot of other kids to play with, and any kids club will be boring on a slow kids week. That being said, to the OP, if you do travel on a slow week, RCI or Carnival might be better as there are things outside the kids club to pass the time.

 

That is quite possible.

[Love Boat Dream]

We were on the Crown from NY at the end of August. My son is 7 (had his birthday onboard and they made quite a fuss over him!) He loved the kids program although I think there were too many kids. he has had more fun on ships where there are less kids and he gets more attention. There were plenty of interesting activities though.

 

When he wasn't in the Pelicans club (3-7) he also enjoyed Movies Under the Stars, the pool (he is a good swimmer) and watching some of the game shows and contests. He also really enjoyed the entertainment in the Piazza. He was never bored.

 

He liked the putt putt golf, but it was very small. There is also a court area where you can play basketball or badminton (I think. I saw a net in there) and golf simulator (for a fee)

 

As someone else said, it depends on the kid and their interests. If a child does not like group activities, then they most likely wouldn't find a ton of things to do.