Kids Club Comarison Wanted - RCL versus Celebrity

[hawt1]

We have done RCL a couple of times and our kids love going to Kid's Club. Can anyone give us the pros and cons of switching to Celebrity.

 

We will be going on a 10 day in January so we know that thee will be fewer kids than at other times.

 

Hours of operation, things to do, etc.

 

Any other differences in the lines in general that would make you cautious of making this change.

 

We are looking at the Constellation and have sailed Splendour and Explorer so far.

 

Thanks.

[rebeccalouise]

I love the Kid's Program on Celebrity. Have utilized it 3 times in the past three years and it is great. My son begs to go there. It is open from 9AM-1AM and they even take the kids to dinner at night for a $ 6.00 charge. I have been consistently impressed and it is nice when your child begs to go there!

[Flipflopsnfrozendrinks]

Hi,

I can't help you out, but we are in the same situation. Our kids love RCI Adventure Ocean, but we are doing an 11(?) night on Constellation in Feb. I was also very concerned about the kids club, but have heard many great reviews from friends/family who have used it before, so we are going for it.

Good luck with you decision!

Kim

[dkjretired]

I think the real difference in the programs depends on which ship you would be on. The Voyager and Freedom class ships obviously have many things for the kids such as the rock climbing, ice skating and the water parks on Freedom ships. The Celebrity ships have excellent children's programs which as someone stated run all day. Celebrity also has a program set up with Leapfrog learning programs for the kids. See the below link...The only problem that I would envision is if you go at an odd time and there are not a lot of kids on board.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/aboutceleb/pressDetails.do;jsessionid=0000m6ZQYEkVQLWaFKv7m2jeaqd:1028etrd4?pagename=press_room_details&event_date=2006-11-14&event_type=press_release&sequence_code=B

[jmsevens]

I have not taken my kids on RCCL but we just went on the Constellation in November. There were a lot, for Celebrity, of kids on board since it was Thanksgiving week. I think they said around 200 on the ship.

My 8-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son were in different groups in different parts of the ship. My 10 year old was allowed to sign himself in and out. We gave him VERY specific limitations and he handled the responsibility well. His group did several scavenger hunts, casino night, played games and went to the show as a group a few times.

My daughters group did crafts, played video games and just generally played in the playroom. They did more supervised scavenger hunts. Both groups did bridge tours and behind the scenes at the theater. They also had “family” activities like bingo and karaoke. There were usually 5-8 kids in their group at any given time. This let the staff get to know them very well and they made friends with the other kids their age.

My kids loved going to the kids clubs. They were usually more interested in going there than going ashore. You can leave them there for lunch when the ship is in port but on sea days you have to sign them out at some point between 12-2 and feed them yourselves. In the evening they have optional dinner parties, some cost a few dollars. My kids went to a few but they really enjoyed going to dinner because of Menino, our fantastic waiter. My daughter would practice ordering with me every night so when he came to her she was perfect. He really got a kick out of her ordering for herself and never once corrected her request for an “entry” instead of “entrée” .

If you do not pick the kids up by 10 PM there is an hourly charge until 1 AM, just sign up in advance.

Not only would I not hesitate to take them on another Celebrity cruise, they keep asking when they can go again.

If you have any specific questions, just ask!!

[dkjretired]

Also, to add to the above post, the period between 10P.M and 1 Am is usually their slumber party and my kids loved it. They had a party, watched movies and dozed off to sleep.

[Flipflopsnfrozendrinks]

Well, I am not the OP, but I am certainly convinced that our next cruise will be on the Constellation. Out last cruise was a 10 night during school, so there were only about 30 kids in the program, but my kids prefer the small group.

Thanks to everyone! Kim