Crown kids program (3-7yrs)

[live4vacation]

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the kids club on the Crown Princess. We will be going in November out of San Juan with our 3 year old. I just read a horrible reivew of the kids program which has made me a bit nervous.:eek: We do not plan on leaving our child in there all day but maybe a couple nights during dinner. Any first hand experiences??

[mynextcruise]

We're going on the Crown on June 17th--with our 6 yr old DD, so if you don't get much response, I'll let you know what we thought after our cruise.

I read the same review--not very encouraging. There aren't very many reviews that talk about the kids program, so it's hard to see what the feeling of the majority might be. That being said, our DD has always loved the kid's programs & I'm betting she will this time too (at least I hope so:) )

[susanrobert]

We also were just off the Crown and had the exact experience with the kids crew as the family that posted the review. However, our negative experience surrounds one member of the staff. I have been on a number of cruises and never experienced anyone like her. She never interacted with the children. She just sat at the desk and basically looked miserable. We also were constantly paged. The 1st time that pager went off my husband and I flew up there as we thought there was an emergency as that is what they are given out for. When we got up there the kids were content. One night during dinner she paged us twice. By this time we were on to her and we called up there from outside the restaurant. She told my husband that my son wanted to say Hi.

 

There were 3 girls who were running the Pelicans on our cruise, Cherrylou and Karina were wonderful with our kids but Mary was NOT. By the end of the cruise we were referring to her as Miserable Mary. I saw her being rude to the kids and the parents.

 

When we returned I sent a letter off to Princess advising them of her behavior and I know of at least one family who complained about her at the pursers desk.

 

All in all our kids did have a good time but I do agree that RCI and NCL do have a better kids program. I will be happy to answer any questions.

[BrooklynGirl2]

Susan thanks for the offer. We are boarding the Crown in June with our 7 year old ds. He has been on 4 Celebrity cruises and he always loved the kids program. The Celebrity counselors were very professional and lots of fun. I am a bit worried now since hearing this. I thought Princess had a quality kids program.

 

Can you please tell me what kinds of things your kids participated in? What kinds of activities are planned for the Pelicans and did your kids eat with the kids club when it was offered?

 

Thanks.

[BrooklynGirl2]

Can someone provide a link or tell me where to find this horrible review of the Crown kids program? Thanks in advance.

[sailorJo]

Here's the link:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=29329

 

I happened to read it too and I don't think it's horrible. It's just stating how Princess caters to the older crowd and it's true. If you're looking for better kids programs Carnival is the way to go.

[BrooklynGirl2]

Thank you so much for the link.

 

The only part that worries me is that they are understaffed and bring in untrained crew members to pad the ratio. We sail in June and I'm sure there will be huge amounts of kids on our cruise. I hope they will be smart enough to be well staffed for the summer months. I will be very annoyed and disappointed if they page us for every little thing. And you can be sure I will let Princess know about my feelings. We are normally Celebrity cruisers and although they do not specifically cater to kids I found their programs very well run. I would never sail Carnival so that is out of the question.

 

I will be sure to report back on our experiences after our cruise.

[susanrobert]

Brooklyngirl2-- They had dinner twice in the Horizon Court. You signed them in at the HC at 7:00pm. The 1st time it was basic kid offerings hot dogs, hamburgers, mac n cheese. But it was NOT on the 1st formal night it was the night after. The 2nd time they took them to the Horizon Court was the 2nd formal night and they served pizza.

 

Activities were mostly arts and crafts, they made quite a few necklaces. It seemed that they were mostly geared towards girls (I have 2 boys). They made crowns and magic wands out of cardboard. On the 1st day they will give you a schedule for the entire time letting you know what was going on. The biggest hit for my kids were the playstations. They had about 6 set up with different games. Other than that they showed a lot of cartoons and movies.

 

The outdoor kids pool area is pretty nice. There is a wading pool for the real little ones with a canopy over it. There is no longer a slide in it. Then there is a circular pool that is for kids and there parents only which is nice. They also have a little track that goes around the small pool with tricycles that the small ones can ride.

 

I didn't mean to scare anyone off I just wanted to make people aware of what happened to us. On the 1st day we were told that the staff to kids ratio was 10 to 1. On a few occasions did see "non" kids crew personnel in there and wondered why. After speaking with other parents we were told that they put them in there to meet the ratio. However, they were just sitting around. Then with the 3rd counsler just sitting at her post (throne) left only 2 counslers for all the kids. I think there were 60 3-7yr olds total on board.

 

With any luck, the "unhappy camper" will be replaced before you cruise.

[helenb]

We are cruising with our children (ages 4 and 6) on the Crown on 6/17. I am surprised to see these comments. We have sailed Princess with them before and they have really enjoyed the Kids Club. It sounds like there is one staffer who is a problem, but hopefully the rest of the staff are good.

 

One question: are the 3-7 year olds in one big group? Or do they separate them into two smaller groups?

[mynextcruise]

helenb--

We are also cruising the Crown on the 16th with our 6 yr old daughter....I see you have a 4 & 6 yr old...girls or boys? It's our 1st Princess cruise---our daughter she has loved the kid's clubs on Celebrity & Disney with nary a page, so I hope that won't be an issue. With any luck perhaps the staffing issue will be addressed by then; Zoe is so looking forward to being with the 'Pelicans'.

Cheers

[BrooklynGirl2]

Susan thanks for the response. My question would be how qualified are these "non" kids club crew members? Are they trained in child development, teachers in training, do they know first aid and cpr? Or are they just cabin stewards, waiters or guest relations people? Are they male or female? If "queen" Mary gives me any problems or does not get off her throne she will be reported immediately.

 

While my son enjoys arts and crafts, he does not use Playstations and we do not have one. He is also quickly bored with cartoons and movies and I certainly didn't bookt this cruise so he could sit in front of a TV all day. On Celebrity they had treasure hunts, books were read to them, they toured the Bridge and met the Captain, played hide and seek, made their own pizzas for dinner (dinner was available EVERY night), had a talent show, dressed up like pirates, had face painting and t-shirt coloring, learned about the sea and sea creatures, had parades etc. They were not parked in front of the TV until late in the evening during the slumber party time (11-1 am).

 

To say I'm disappointed in what I'm hearing about Princess' program is an understatement. It looks like he'll be spending a lot more time with us than I originally thought.

[susanrobert]

Brooklyngirl2-- I honestly have no idea if the "fill-in" counslers have any training what so ever. When I saw them I thought they were there fixing something I had no idea until after that it was to support the ratio. I never saw them interacting with the children.

 

The poor buggers never leave the Pelican room. There are no treasure hunts or parades. On RCI they had a pirate parade and did a cute little circus in the promenade. There was none of that on Princess. I did hear Cherrylou reading them a story and she was doing a good job she was very animated as she was reading. They did color T-shirts. On 1 night brought them to the disco and I think they painted their faces that night too. I only know they were in the disco because we got paged to pick them up early.

 

We never did the late night pick-up so I can't speak on it. We usually were paged prior to that time anyway!! Honestly, if Mary's behavior continues, I doubt Princess will keep her in there for much longer. I know of at least one other family who complained about her.

 

My 4 year old has some special needs (that she was aware of) and one night Mary was late opening the doors and my son knocked on it and she came out and told him that he was rude. That was the final straw for me and my letter to Princess was faxed as soon as we got home.

[susanrobert]

Helenb--on our cruise the 3-7's were all in one group. They had told us that there was a high amount of 3-7's on our sailing. So they were letting the 7 yr olds go into the older group if they wanted to. I think there was something like 60 3-7 yr olds and a total of 113 kids overall.

[Olwyn]

Yikes, we are on the Crown with my 3 year old niece next February, and I want her to have a Magical time! I hope things improve by then!

:(

I am sending the segment about the kids club, from the original review off to Princess and we'll see what they have to say!

 

I have sailed with Princess many times due to my past work, and I am booking this cruise for my family.

There are 8 adults on one toddler, Kate, so I feel responsible for choosing this sailing. Sigh.

Her parents really want a strong, and creative kids club program, as do I, and sailing with Princess allows us so much more in the way of cheaper deposits, connecting balconies, and a bit more luxe than Norwegian and RCCL for the adults!

 

Olwyn

[helenb]

helenb--

We are also cruising the Crown on the 16th with our 6 yr old daughter....I see you have a 4 & 6 yr old...girls or boys? It's our 1st Princess cruise---our daughter she has loved the kid's clubs on Celebrity & Disney with nary a page, so I hope that won't be an issue. With any luck perhaps the staffing issue will be addressed by then; Zoe is so looking forward to being with the 'Pelicans'.

Cheers

 

My 6 y.o. is a girl and my 4 y.o. is a boy. If you see us (all blondes) in line at the club, say hi!

[CaribbeanCruisers]

Wow! I'm actually surprised by what I am reading. My son is six, almost seven. He has partcipated each year in Princess' kids programs since he was three. He has loved his time there. In fact, he often cries when he has to leave.

 

On each cruise with Princess that we've been on he has done some of the following:

 

Disco/Dance in Skywalkers

 

Casino Night in the actual casino

 

Movie night at M.U.T.S where they served pizza, popcorn, juice and soda

 

Talent show

 

Games - hide and seek, board games, PS2, etc.

 

Pajama Party

 

Dinner every night, if you choose to do so. They'd usually take them to the buffet

 

Coloring Princess Pelican T-shirts

 

Treasure Hunts

 

Sing - A- Longs

 

Arts and Crafts

 

Stories

 

Princess Olympics

 

They learned about Sea creatures

 

Pizza Party

 

Pirate Night

 

Face Painting

 

Ice Cream social

 

These are just a sampling of the activites on board for children. My son has been on six cruises and he has enjoyed ALL of these activites and more. Also, if you're making a trip to Princess Cays they have a special area there for the kids as well. If anyone wants/needs more info, let me know. I always keep the Pelican Patters. :)

 

On another note, I totally agree about the comments that have been made about "Mary". I would have reported her myself. I will say that we have never encountered a problem such as this. In fact, the children's program has always gone way beyond our expections. So much so, we've been sure to leave each counselor a nice tip!

 

 

Happy Sails to all!

[AliceJ]

We were on the Crown in April, and our 7 y.o. daughter attended the kids' club. She had a great time! She did lots of crafts, played games, went to the disco, had a pajama party...... she really enjoyed herself. We had a very port-intensive itinerary (she went with us in each port), so she may have been happier with a more low-key evening than other kids.

 

She was also in the Princess kids' club on the CB 2 years ago and really loved it as well.

 

Both times she had great counselors and couldn't wait to go back each day!!

 

Enjoy!

[susanrobert]

I wish I'd kept my Pelican Patters from our 5/12 cruise as we only had a small fraction of those activities!!! I did hear that they scale the activities back during off peak times so maybe that is why. But I am surprised that they were scaled back so much. We always sail off peak and never had activities omitted because it was considered slow season.

 

Our experience was definitely soured by one member of the crew. We probably wouldn't have even noticed the scale back if she was doing her job and out there playing with the kids and making them feel special. I hope for all future cruisers on the Crown that she is reassigned. The other 2 girls were wonderful, they always made the kids feel welcome and cared for but they were definitely overwhelmed.

[BrooklynGirl2]

Big thank you's to everyone who contributed to this thread with information. It does seem as if it's the counselors that will make or break the kids club experience. We sailed 4x on Celebrity and on one of the cruises the Kids Manager was changed and he did not do such a good job as the previous manager. He relied more on the video games/videos/TV to keep the kids busy. I will pay close attention to the Kids Patter and if I see they are not fulfilling what they promised I will speak to the counselors and escalate my complaint upwards if I get no satisfaction.

 

Susan it seems that Mary was the rude one and not your child. I do hope she has been replaced or perhaps switched over to the teen center. I am glad to hear that you let Princess know about your experience. I'd be interested to know what kind of response you will get. Ratios are important to me and I will be keeping an eye on that too.

 

Don't get me wrong, my 7 year old son will not be with the Kids Club all the time. We never leave him on board when we are in port and we have excursions and beach days planned that will be suitable for a child. It's just the ocassional sea day afternoon and a few dinners that we like to enjoy sans child ;) . Part of the reason we enjoy cruising is that we all get to do our own fun things and also spend quality time together. It keeps everyone happy.

 

@helenB....I'll look for you at the Kids Club since our kids will all be together. DH and I are dark haired and son is dark blonde.

[Cruisin' Chick]

One thing to be aware of is if you're going when there are few kids onboard (while many kids are in school), the kids program will tend to be limited. Even for the younger kids (many families are going to avoid taking a vacation when they have kids middle school or older for sure). If you take a cruise between June and August, late December, and during spring break (ours, the second biggest school district in the US, is always the week prior to Easter), you will usually see many kids, and many activities. The exception may be the longer cruises.

[Olwyn]

Hi All!

To CaribbeanCruisers, yes I would love to see those Pelican Patters! How can we do this? Your note has made me feel better! I hope the first week in Feb, next year is a busy one for pre-schoolers!

I did send a question off to Princess about Mary, with a clip from the original post, but have not heard back yet!

Look forward to hearing from you!

Olwyn

[mynextcruise]

Nice to read some more positive comments--and see the list of activities--by our sailing date (6/17) there shoud be quite a few kids, so hopefully the activities offered will reflect that. Helenb, it's likely our 6 yr old daughters will run into each other...and Brooklyngirls son, too. I'm dark haired, hubby is--well--pretty much no haired & daughter is light-brown haired.

Thanks for everyone's input.

[scooterzidel]

We're cruising with our 6 yr old son and 9 yr old daughter on July 14 - I assume that the ship will be filled with kids and hopefully they'll both make some friends and want to hang out with them at the kids club. I had heard that the kids pool was closed for some reason until the ship drydocked - but I see from previous reviews that is is now open?? Can we leave the kids there to swim with their friends in the kids club, or do we have to stay and swim with them there? Any tips would be appreciated on how to make this a great trip for the kids. By the way, has anyone visited any caves in any of the ports that our kids would enjoy? Thanks

[cynbar]

We're cruising with our 6 yr old son and 9 yr old daughter on July 14 - I assume that the ship will be filled with kids and hopefully they'll both make some friends and want to hang out with them at the kids club. I had heard that the kids pool was closed for some reason until the ship drydocked - but I see from previous reviews that is is now open?? Can we leave the kids there to swim with their friends in the kids club, or do we have to stay and swim with them there? Any tips would be appreciated on how to make this a great trip for the kids. By the way, has anyone visited any caves in any of the ports that our kids would enjoy? Thanks

 

We did the Crown cruise last summer, and Bermuda has some really nice caves as I recall. You could either take the ship's tour or do what a lot of passengers do, buy the all day bus and ferry pass for $13 (or at least that's what it was last summer.) Your best bet would probably be to take the ferry over to Hamilton (it leaves right across from the ship) and then walk a block or so to the main bus station, where you could catch a bus to the caves. A taxi would be rally expensive, it's a long way by land from the Dockyard.

[yarlenna]

We also were just off the Crown and had the exact experience with the kids crew as the family that posted the review. However, our negative experience surrounds one member of the staff. I have been on a number of cruises and never experienced anyone like her. She never interacted with the children. She just sat at the desk and basically looked miserable. We also were constantly paged. The 1st time that pager went off my husband and I flew up there as we thought there was an emergency as that is what they are given out for. When we got up there the kids were content. One night during dinner she paged us twice. By this time we were on to her and we called up there from outside the restaurant. She told my husband that my son wanted to say Hi.

 

There were 3 girls who were running the Pelicans on our cruise, Cherrylou and Karina were wonderful with our kids but Mary was NOT. By the end of the cruise we were referring to her as Miserable Mary. I saw her being rude to the kids and the parents.

 

When we returned I sent a letter off to Princess advising them of her behavior and I know of at least one family who complained about her at the pursers desk.

 

All in all our kids did have a good time but I do agree that RCI and NCL do have a better kids program. I will be happy to answer any questions.

 

I am confused. It sounds to me like the parent doesn't want to be paged. I don't think that is miserable. If my child wanted to talk to me - I too would page them. I would only think it was rude if the child could not talk to the parent.