turtleko

This past October was my daughter's second time in the kids club and she loves it. Since kids are in school in many countries, there were very very few kids on the ship and fewer in the kids club, maybe 10 total ages 4 to 12.

The 4 to 9 year olds had organized activities that were crafts, games and contests in the kids club area. Some were quiet artistic, thinking or creative activities but many were quite active. They could earn points to redeem for souvenirs at the end of the cruise. The staff was very flexible on activities, probably because there were so few kids, and when most of the kids weren't interested in an activity they picked something else to do. They did go as a supervised group to the buffet for snacks or to the sport court for more physical activity some afternoons. One time a chef brought them special freshly made cinnamon rolls to "taste test" (they appeared in the Oceanview at lunch the next day) All ages worked on a talent show for the parents.

Last summer we had 2 kids, 7 and 10 years old, on the Solstice in Alaska. I can answer some of your questions based on that trip.

1 - What do we need to do in advance to get the kids enrolled in Fun Factory?  Is that automatically done based on age? 

Go to the Fun Factory on the first day in the afternoon after boarding and fill out a form. You can do it later but they're all set up for sign ups at that time.

2 - I'm pretty confused on Kids VIP pass.  Is that basically a pass that lets you use the kids club without worrying about the hourly rate?  Does it cover things like the slumber party?  Is that purchased on board?

The VIP pass basically gets you all the meal time care and late night (slumber party) care that you want for a discounted price. You purchase it on board. There is never a charge for the kids club from opening-12pm, 2-5pm, and 7-10pm. There is never a charge for dinner on sea days or when you sail before 5pm. Unless you plan to leave your kids for every lunch and late night time, it's probably not worth it!

3 - Will the kids club facilitate the kids 6 and 8 going to the basketball court?  The arcade?  Shows?  Pools?

The 6-8 year old group did not leave the kids club except for meals and afternoon ice cream at the buffet. They do not escort your kids to or supervise them at any of the places you named.

4 - The X website cites "family events" such as archery tournaments, cupcake decorating, etc.  Are these family events included in the patter?  If so, does the patter call them out as a family event?   Does the Fun Factory have their own schedule that is available?

Nothing that exciting happened on our cruise! There were events like family games listed on the schedule and yes, the Fun Factory has it's own schedule that they will give you when you sign up on the first day.

5 - With the VIP pass and signing up in advance (or with additional charges), my read is that the Kids club is open 9:00 AM to 1:00 AM and is only closed 12-2 on sea days.  Is this correct?

Basically. The actual kids club space is closed and locked every day from 12-2 and 5-7, you cannot drop off or pick up during those hours as they are in the buffet eating. Also, you are not allowed to leave your kids for more than 6 hours before taking them away for at least 1 hour.

6- Our kids are social, but occasionally need some quiet time to draw or watch TV.  Does the Fun Factory facilitate this, or should we pack drawing supplies/movies/etc?

According to the 7 year old, if there was a special activity scheduled they had to do that activity. When no special activity was scheduled, they could choose what to do (read, color, play board games or video games, watch tv). She doesn't think they could choose what was on the tv. 

7- Does the kids space have access to a balcony or railing? 

Not on the Solstice.

8- Do you find any of the production shows inappropriate for young kids (6-8)? 

We only went to the naturalist talks which the 7 year old loved but the 9 year old was bored!

9- What's the etiquette in the MDR?  Our kids are normally good in restaurants, but we also pick kid-friendly restaurants at home.  I don't think of MDRs as especially kid-friendly and it's very important to me that we not disrupt other passengers.  If they start to get riled up, is leaving early and having the ordered food delivered to our room an option?  

The MDR is not kid friendly in the sense that they are expected to have proper dining manners and not be a disruption. There is a good kids menu and they can always order off the regular menu, too. I'm not sure if they can deliver the food on the table to your room, but room service is always an option. Our kids are used to dining with adults and had no problem with behavior but we did make sure to have books or electronics to keep them occupied since it was well over an hour before we got to dessert!

10 - Does the ship offer pool toys such as kick boards or anything like that?  If not, is it common or accepted for us to bring them?  On a related note, does Celebrity offer lifeguards at any of the pools?

Sorry, we did not use the pool. I don't remember seeing pool toys.

11 - What else should I know, or can I do to help our kids have an awesome time?  I've heard the first night is vital as an icebreaker, but anything else that we can do to help our kids have the time of their lives?

Our kids loved the cruise and can't wait to go again. However, they are the sort that don't need (or in the case of the 7 year old, don't want) large, loud groups of kids playing on water slides or running amok. One of the highlights for the 7 year old was sitting in the observation lounge looking out at the ocean while reading or playing handheld video games and occasionally spotting orcas. The 9 year old spent A LOT of time in the kids club. Depending on your kids personalities, my only advice is to let them decide if they want to stay in the kids club or relax with you in other locations.

I think the "VIP Pass" is fairly new but it sounds similar to the "Party Pass" option we were offered last year except instead of a 40% discount, the cost included all lunch, dinner, slumber party times plus a tour of the ship for $105. 

Lunch and dinner was by sign-up if you wanted them to attend. Lunch was on port days only from 12:00 - 2:00 pm, dinner was every day 5:00 - 7:00 pm, and they were taken to the Oceanview Cafe. Not exactly a party!

Dinner was free on sea days and when the ship sailed from port by 5:00 pm. Otherwise there was a $6/hour charge for lunch, dinner or 10 pm - 1 am "slumber party". There was a note that if there weren't enough children, we might have to sign up for meals the day before but that didn't happen.

The kids program did close from 12:00 - 2:00 and 5:00 - 7:00 except for those signed up for lunch and dinner. There was also a rule that they could only stay in the program for 6 hours before taking a minimum 1 hour break.

Overall, our kids (7 and 9) enjoyed the kids program a lot. The 6 to 8 year olds had organized activities that were crafts and contests in the kids club area. They did go as a supervised group to the buffet for ice cream in the afternoons. The 9 to 12 year olds had activities like scavenger hunts where they went around the ship in small groups on their own. All ages worked on a talent show for the last day of the cruise. 

My daughter and nephew, 7 and 9 at the time, enjoyed it last summer. There were not very many kids and that worked well for them. My daughter tends to be very mature for her age and gets along best with older kids and adults but she still found friends and is looking forward to going to the kids club on our next cruise.

The 6 to 8 year olds had organized activities that were crafts and contests in the kids club area. They did go as a supervised group to the buffet for ice cream in the afternoons. The 9 to 12 year olds had activities like scavenger hunts where they went around the ship in small groups on their own. All ages worked on a talent show for the last day of the cruise.

Our daughter and nephew received daily towel animals on the Solstice in Alaska last summer. Our nephew's room steward was a true towel animal artist while our's was clearly trying his best 🙂 

The closest place I can think of is Tamura's Wine across Ala Moana Blvd in Waterfront Plaza. Pier 2 doesn't really have shops or anything like that.

These are beaches I went to when growing up in Hawaii and took my child to swim at when she was little and more of a splasher than a swimmer. You will need a car, taxi or bus to get to them from the cruise port.

In Honolulu, Magic Island at the east end of Ala Moana beach park and Kaimana/San Souci east of Waikiki are protected by sea walls and have shallow, calm water with sandy bottoms. Both have restrooms and showers to rinse off. Kuhio Beach, as scottca075 said, is also calm. Kailua beach is beautiful but can have good, strong waves and has super fine sand that will get everywhere, especially when the waves pound it into your swimsuit!

In Kona, Keiki beach is at the Old Airport and very calm and shallow. The problem with Kona beaches is they are not completely sand so you will find rocks with sea urchins on the bottom. Restrooms are a walk from the beach.

Hawaii does get box jellyfish, not a reason to skip the beach but something to be aware of before heading out. The Waikiki Aquarium has a calendar you can check and info on beach conditions for Oahu: http://www.waikikiaquarium.org/interact/box-jellyfish-calendar/

Omamori are small charms sold at shrines and temples, they are easy to carry, easy to find and very Japanese. There are hundreds of different kinds for protection or luck of specific type.

Not only do those angled balconies have wind protection, they are great for shade. As long as you are a little back from the edge, people on the other balconies won't be able to see you, despite the angle.

We were on the Solstice in Alaska last summer with a 7 and 10 year old. It was the end of August so there were not a lot of kids on board (looked like 3 to 12 kids in each age group whenever we stopped by) but they still held a full kids program except the 3-5 and 6-9 year old groups were sometimes combined.

Lunch and dinner was by sign-up if you wanted them to attend. Lunch was on port days only from 12:00 - 2:00 pm, dinner was every day 5:00 - 7:00 pm, and they were taken to the Oceanview Cafe.

Dinner was free on sea days and when the ship sailed from port by 5:00 pm. Otherwise there was a $6/hour charge for lunch, dinner or 10 pm - 1 am "slumber party". There was a note that if there weren't enough children, we might have to sign up for meals the day before but that didn't happen. There was a "Party Pass" option that included all lunch, dinner, slumber party times plus a tour of the ship for $105.

The kids program did close from 12:00 - 2:00 and 5:00 - 7:00 except for those signed up for lunch and dinner. There was also a rule that they could only stay in the program for 6 hours before taking a minimum 1 hour break.

We will be on the Millennium in October in Japan and hope that will be a similar experience!