Kids and cruises

Hi. New to cruising. We will be on our first cruise in January on carnival Splendor. We are cruising with 5 children and I have a few questions about activities because they range in age from 4-17.

Can the younger children stay at the kids club while you do excursions at ports?

What kind of activities do they do with them at the kids clubs?

Is the club for teens decent or will my teens think it's not "cool"?

Can the teens attend shows in the evenings or is there an age limit?

Also any other advice for surviving this cruise with kids would be greatly appreciated [emoji51]

 

 

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Hi. New to cruising. We will be on our first cruise in January on carnival Splendor. We are cruising with 5 children and I have a few questions about activities because they range in age from 4-17.

Can the younger children stay at the kids club while you do excursions at ports?

What kind of activities do they do with them at the kids clubs?

Is the club for teens decent or will my teens think it's not "cool"?

Can the teens attend shows in the evenings or is there an age limit?

Also any other advice for surviving this cruise with kids would be greatly appreciated [emoji51]

 

 

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You might try the Carnival board for more specific information.

 

I don't cruise with kids, so I can't answer questions about the clubs. However, I can tell you that there are age limits for SOME of the shows. These are always clearly outlined in the Fun Times that you will get on a daily basis. Generally, these include the adult-only comedy shows (but do go to the PG shows, they are great) and late-night adult-only activities such as the piano bar (after a certain time), night club, the Love and Marriage show, and the adult game show Quest. In general, these activities are held late a night and are always clearly defined as adult only. There are a ton other shows and activities that your kiddos will love!

There is a Carnival Youth Program for age groups:

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1397/~/carnivals-youth-program

 

 

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There is a Carnival Youth Program for age groups:

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1397/~/carnivals-youth-program

 

 

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Thanks. That answered my port question. I already have them pre signed up for the kids clubs. I was just hoping to get some first hand reviews of what they actually do and if the kids actually enjoy being there vs what the company states. [emoji4]

 

 

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Thanks. That answered my port question. I already have them pre signed up for the kids clubs. I was just hoping to get some first hand reviews of what they actually do and if the kids actually enjoy being there vs what the company states. [emoji4]

 

 

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Nice to know. Enjoy your family cruise!

 

 

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Wishing you a wonderful Family Cruise.

 

We took our family on cruise for many years and they loved it. We did and do too.

 

Keith

We took our son on The Splendor for the first time when he was 13 and he LOVED it. Favorite ship so far. Make the teen go to the Teen Club at least the first night to try and meet some similarly aged kids. Once they hook up with a few other people they are usually set. We only saw our son when we had planned family events and meals. Otherwise he was always off with his friends. He loved that they showed movies at night on the deck under the stars and pizza available 24/7. I have heard good things about the younger kids clubs, but no personal experience. If you can get Spa passes (and don't have little ones that are not aged for kids clubs) do it! So far the Splendor had the best spa at sea that I have experienced. Some adult Down-Time! Enjoy your trip!

We took our son on The Splendor for the first time when he was 13 and he LOVED it. Favorite ship so far. Make the teen go to the Teen Club at least the first night to try and meet some similarly aged kids. Once they hook up with a few other people they are usually set. We only saw our son when we had planned family events and meals. Otherwise he was always off with his friends. He loved that they showed movies at night on the deck under the stars and pizza available 24/7. I have heard good things about the younger kids clubs, but no personal experience. If you can get Spa passes (and don't have little ones that are not aged for kids clubs) do it! So far the Splendor had the best spa at sea that I have experienced. Some adult Down-Time! Enjoy your trip!

 

Good post -- we had the same experience with our young teens way back when.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Once you all have taken that first cruise, your children will want you to book another one.

Enjoy!!

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Once you all have taken that first cruise, your children will want you to book another one.

Enjoy!!

 

This was my problem. It's a good problem to have. :)

 

this is a separate fee but a can't miss for families!

 

Splendours waterpark

 

 

teen alcohol free nightclub

I used to cruise as a child and a teenager and although teen clubs aren’t ever ‘cool’ they were a fab way to have some independence!

 

I really loved it.

 

 

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my son has been cruising since he was 3, and he loves cruising. However, he is not a social butterfly and does not want to stay at kid's club with strangers. It's his peculiarity.

 

My friends' kids LOVE the kid's club and beg to go first thing in the morning. They stay there (with breaks for lunch and dinner) all day till 10 pm. On a cruise last week we didn't see them even once.

A little google image searching should net you scans of the kids club activities. Dont limit your search to a particular ship and you will likely find more. That will give you samples of activities.

 

Click this google link and it will bring up a search . Once it loads the webpage, click on "images" at the top. Voila =)

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Edited December 2, 2017 by Athankfulheart
Adding link

A little google image searching should net you scans of the kids club activities. Dont limit your search to a particular ship and you will likely find more. That will give you samples of activities.

 

Click this google link and it will bring up a search . Once it loads the webpage, click on "images" at the top. Voila =)

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I did a lot of internet searching and was able to find a lot of information about the kids club from the companies perspective. I was more so hoping fellow cruisers could also provide me with personal opinions that were honest and not skewed for advertising purposes. Thanks everyone for the input.

 

 

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I did a lot of internet searching and was able to find a lot of information about the kids club from the companies perspective. I was more so hoping fellow cruisers could also provide me with personal opinions that were honest and not skewed for advertising purposes. Thanks everyone for the input.

 

 

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I gotcha. I thought that I read that you were looking for types of activities. My bad.

 

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I gotcha. I thought that I read that you were looking for types of activities. My bad.

 

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Sorry, was in a rush when I replied. My kids have always enjoyed the kids clubs and I have never had any uneasiness about leaving them there. I have not left toddlers/preschoolers at camp mostly because we didnt have family cruises fall during those times. I only remember one time with preschoolers actually and that was on NCLs Pride of Aloha (now Sky) but mine were older when we started sailing with Carnival. I like Carnival's clubs better than NCL and we have been sailing exclusively Carnival for our last 9 or so cruises. I wasnt with my kids at the time I responded to ask them for examples of activities, but I can tell you that they have had great fun and enjoyed the mix orlf organized activities. They generally attend more at those times than for free play. One thing about my kids is that they dont really participate in the O2 level club. There are far fewer organized activities (which they really like) and more hanging out and video games (which they like, but can do at home!) So the older teens tend to do shipwide activities and hang out together with family.

 

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Sorry, was in a rush when I replied. My kids have always enjoyed the kids clubs and I have never had any uneasiness about leaving them there. I have not left toddlers/preschoolers at camp mostly because we didnt have family cruises fall during those times. I only remember one time with preschoolers actually and that was on NCLs Pride of Aloha (now Sky) but mine were older when we started sailing with Carnival. I like Carnival's clubs better than NCL and we have been sailing exclusively Carnival for our last 9 or so cruises. I wasnt with my kids at the time I responded to ask them for examples of activities, but I can tell you that they have had great fun and enjoyed the mix orlf organized activities. They generally attend more at those times than for free play. One thing about my kids is that they dont really participate in the O2 level club. There are far fewer organized activities (which they really like) and more hanging out and video games (which they like, but can do at home!) So the older teens tend to do shipwide activities and hang out together with family.

 

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Thank you [emoji4]

 

 

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Hi. New to cruising. We will be on our first cruise in January on carnival Splendor. We are cruising with 5 children and I have a few questions about activities because they range in age from 4-17.

Can the younger children stay at the kids club while you do excursions at ports?

What kind of activities do they do with them at the kids clubs?

Is the club for teens decent or will my teens think it's not "cool"?

Can the teens attend shows in the evenings or is there an age limit?

Also any other advice for surviving this cruise with kids would be greatly appreciated [emoji51]

 

 

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Ok so I can answer a few, as I am an alumni of many kids clubs:

 

The teens can attend any show for free with no need to be accompanied by an adult.

 

Teens usually don't spend a lot of time in the teen clubs. They go there on the first night, meet friends, and then do their own thing after that. However, that being said, there will be activities in the teen club for them throughout the cruise.

 

I'm not sure about the port question. Activities for kids will still be offered, albeit, less in number.

 

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I almost forgot about the types of activities. There will be socials for the kids, crafts, and various games. Sometimes they can even participate in a show!

 

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I have my two girls (9 & 10 years old) booked into the kids club for our cruise. But they're not to be going in and out by themselves. So how will I know how they're going, if they choose to hang out there for ages? Do I need to continually check in to see what's happening? Or are they able to call your room or somehow otherwise let you know when they want to come out? I don't anticipate them spending a huge amount of time there, but if they really enjoy it, I'm not sure how best to manage this without checking up on them all the time, or worse, neglecting them when they want to come out.

My son has been on 4 cruises, and all have been while he's of the 12-14 age, so in the middle kid club. He can come and go as he pleases, he does a variety of activities, etc... We always go on the first night so they can check in, get signed up and meet other kids. But after that, he meets up with the group of kids he enjoys and does a variety of things. They usually play video games, or go to the pool, and eat! He loved having some of that freedom to hang out. We did have rules on when he needed to check in, where he could/couldn't go, and he knew there were consequences.

I have my two girls (9 & 10 years old) booked into the kids club for our cruise. But they're not to be going in and out by themselves. So how will I know how they're going, if they choose to hang out there for ages? Do I need to continually check in to see what's happening? Or are they able to call your room or somehow otherwise let you know when they want to come out? I don't anticipate them spending a huge amount of time there, but if they really enjoy it, I'm not sure how best to manage this without checking up on them all the time, or worse, neglecting them when they want to come out.

 

Just set a time with them when you drop them off to go check on them.