Kids on Equinox

Looking into bringing an 8 an 12 year old on the Equinox, and would love to know if there is enough to do for kids on there for them. What is the Wet Zone, for instance?

Looking into bringing an 8 an 12 year old on the Equinox, and would love to know if there is enough to do for kids on there for them. What is the Wet Zone, for instance?

If you as an adult would like to cruise on Celebrity, you would have a great time. However, there is not enough to do for children your age. I have asked children when I have seen them aboard. The consensus is that they are "bored".

You will get opinions from the same people who will say "Celebrity is my child's favorite cruise line." They will chime in. However, there are much better choices to take pre-teens for a cruise.

1. Only you know your kids. What do they like to do? Are they social? shy? Do they like to read and do puzzles? Or are they looking for lots of physical activities?

2. When are you looking to go? During school breaks or during the school year? You'll find more kids during vacation times, obviously. Do they need to be around other kids or would they rather hang out with family?

3. Have you looked at any of the posts that show the kids' club dailies and the samples of activities there? Have you showed them to your kids to see their reaction to the daily offerings?

4. What itinerary are you looking at? What are the options on those locations for shore excursions? Beaches? Catamaran rides? Hikes? What are you willing to spend on shore excursions? Have you gone over some of the options with the kids to see if anything piques their interest?

5. Do they get along with each other and entertain each other? Or would you be looking for things for them to do individually?

My granddaughter is 7 and she has been on 3 celebrity cruises and is looking forward to her 4th cruise later this year. She loves the kid clubs and really enjoys her time there. I would think that as she gets older she my want more of the bells and whistles on other lines. However so far she has thoroughly enjoyed her time on board celebrity.

While I won't argue that RCCL, and of course Disney have more attention devoted to their various kids clubs, X has one as well. There is also something called Camp at Sea. I don't know much about it, but here's a link to a short video: https://www.celebritycruises.com/ca/things-to-do-onboard/family-fun

It's impossible to say whether or not your kids would like what is available for them without knowing their particular interests. X cruises don't generally attract a lot of families with younger kids, except during school vacations and even then , it's more often on 7 day or shorter cruises. If you find yourself on such a cruise with a lot of kids, yours will likely have a great time even without the kids clubs.

The Wet Zone is a small area beside the main pool where jets of water spray up through holes in the deck at intervals. It's not a splash pool, if that's what you were wondering.

The wet zone is an area near the pool where there are sprinklers that shoot jets of water, randomly. It's designed for toddlers. Your kids would lose interest in that rather quickly. There are kids clubs where the children are divided by age for appropriate activities. I'm not sure what the age divisions are, but it's possible that your two children would be assigned to different groups.

Wet zone is often "off", covered with sun loungers!

Looking into bringing an 8 an 12 year old on the Equinox, and would love to know if there is enough to do for kids on there for them. What is the Wet Zone, for instance?

Just did Equinox 2 months ago, there was maybe less than 6-8 kids onboard. Celebrity is an older cruiser venue I find. I would say mid 30-40s and older. I started with Carnival...way to kid friendly, NCL still very family oriented. RCL lots of kids and activities...but the boats are huge and I found an adult only area to hang in.

I have kids but they are grown. So as a empty nester I prefer adult oriented cruises so when I found Celebrity I hit the jackpot. No more choking on indoor smoke at casino or on balconies. No more kiddies fingers in the buffet although I have seen some filthy adults act worse than children.

Heads up if you have never cruised with this line before...tons of scooters and longer than normal waits for elevators because of more cruises with mobility issues.

Celebrity has great, underrated children’s programs, my kids grew up on Celebrity. You will find that those who complain about kids on Celebrity, have no experience taking children on a Celebrity cruise.

Some parents convince themselves that their children had great times on Celebrity. Well, our child just had 2 others their age on our cruise and it was a school vacation week. "Too many old people" and that is so true. Better choices out there if bring kids aboard.

Some parents convince themselves that their children had great times on Celebrity. Well, our child just had 2 others their age on our cruise and it was a school vacation week. "Too many old people" and that is so true. Better choices out there if bring kids aboard.

I agree , there are more family oriented cruises besides Disney obviously. My Nephews preferred Carnival when they were wee guys, NCL as they got older and when they were around 13 -17 RCL they loved the programs and activities , rock climbing and WaveRunner...etc

Some parents convince themselves that their children had great times on Celebrity. Well, our child just had 2 others their age on our cruise and it was a school vacation week. "Too many old people" and that is so true. Better choices out there if bring kids aboard.

Don't have to convince myself of anything, I saw it and my children were on other lines and preferred Celebrity.

Some parents convince themselves that their children had great times on Celebrity. Well, our child just had 2 others their age on our cruise and it was a school vacation week. "Too many old people" and that is so true. Better choices out there if bring kids aboard.

A family vacation is what you make of it. Bored kids are probably part of a boring family.

Adults with good parenting skills can ensure their family has a good time wherever.

Celebrity has great, underrated children’s programs, my kids grew up on Celebrity. You will find that those who complain about kids on Celebrity, have no experience taking children on a Celebrity cruise.

That’s a very general assumption. I have ample experience taking my children on X and other lines and found RC to be more accommodating for extroverted and introverted children. I would not choose X for a family vacation.

That’s a very general assumption. I have ample experience taking my children on X and other lines and found RC to be more accommodating for extroverted and introverted children. I would not choose X for a family vacation.

I'd never buy a car made by Ford or GM as I think they're all complete pieces of crap, but I wouldn't fault others who do. Nor would I feel the need to force my opinion on others to not buy them.

I'd never buy a car made by Ford or GM as I think they're all complete pieces of crap, but I wouldn't fault others who do. Nor would I feel the need to force my opinion on others to not buy them.

I drive a Ford and love it. Used to own an import and it was a complete lemon. But I respect your opinion and would kindly expect the same in return.

I also wouldn’t make a general statement that all posters who recommend not bringing children on an X cruise either dislike them or have not cruised with them on X.

I drive a Ford and love it. Used to own an import and it was a complete lemon. But I respect your opinion and would kindly expect the same in return.

 

I also wouldn’t make a general statement that all posters who recommend not bringing children on an X cruise either dislike them or have not cruised with them on X.

Well as far as what you would consider imports I'd add Citroen, Renault, Peugeot and Fiat to the list if that helps... :D

Where have I said that anything about people who have not cruised X don't recommend children?

Lets be honest, there are plenty of people who don't like kids onboard. It's the stories they make up and poor reasons given to try and persuade others not to bring children onboard that cause my eyes to roll into the back of my head.

But as I've said before, Celebrity allow kids onboard and accommodate them. A fact that really seems to annoy some of those opposed to kids onboard.

Well as far as what you would consider imports I'd add Citroen, Renault, Peugeot and Fiat to the list if that helps... :D

 

Where have I said that anything about people who have not cruised X don't recommend children?

 

Lets be honest, there are plenty of people who don't like kids onboard. It's the stories they make up and poor reasons given to try and persuade others not to bring children onboard that cause my eyes to roll into the back of my head.

 

But as I've said before, Celebrity allow kids onboard and accommodate them. A fact that really seems to annoy some of those opposed to kids onboard.

Allowing them and tailoring a vacation experience to them in my opinion is different. If I can save a family some money from wasting it on a cruise they may not like based on my own personal experience then I’ll kindly provide my advice. It’s up to them if they fell it’s applicable or not.

Small children do great. When there are school breaks and lots of kids, they seem to do fine.

A couple of years ago, we sailed in February during the week of president's day. There were some families on board, but only a few. A couple of the moms complained that there was nothing for their kids to do, no water slides, go carts, skating rink, climbing wall, etc. These parents had not done their research and their kids were bored.

Mine are bookworms. They are just fine on Celebrity.

That’s a very general assumption. I have ample experience taking my children on X and other lines and found RC to be more accommodating for extroverted and introverted children. I would not choose X for a family vacation.

Not an assumption, based on over 20 years on this board and stand by my statemen

That’s a very general assumption. I have ample experience taking my children on X and other lines and found RC to be more accommodating for extroverted and introverted children. I would not choose X for a family vacation.

Not an assumption, based on over 20 years on this board and stand by my statement. I have never said that other lines are not better suited for kids.

Allowing them and tailoring a vacation experience to them in my opinion is different.

The pertinent point is that it's not relevant to families that wish to sail on Celebrity. They make their decision and people should respect that.

If I can save a family some money from wasting it on a cruise they may not like based on my own personal experience then I’ll kindly provide my advice. It’s up to them if they fell it’s applicable or not.

Believe me, they'll make up their own mind. They're also far more likely to pay attention to those who actually sail with their kids.

Not an assumption, based on over 20 years on this board and stand by my statemen

Let me clarify what I meant Don by my use of the word assumption. In your previous post When you wrote

“ You will find that those who complain about kids on Celebrity, have no experience taking children on a Celebrity cruise.”

I took that to mean that you are “assuming” posters who complain about children on X have no experience taking children on a celebrity cruise.

We are taking our grandchildren, 5 and 7, on the Solstice to Alaska and I am sure the kids' club will be fine. They don't need a million kids. A few their age will be enough. The success depends on how good the counsellors will be.

The pertinent point is that it's not relevant to families that wish to sail on Celebrity. They make their decision and people should respect that.

 

 

 

 

Believe me, they'll make up their own mind. They're also far more likely to pay attention to those who actually sail with their kids.

I’m sure our dialogue could go on for countless hours. Sadly Though I need to get moving or I will be late for my excursion. Off the ship I go :)

To the OP, there will be many posters on this thread with opinions and suggestions as to whether this is the right line for your family or not.

A suggestion is to do what I should have done the first time my family cruised on X and obtain advice from an experienced travel agent who should be able to provide you with an accurate account of the demographics, activities, and general ambiance of the ship and the cruisers you will encounter on each line. It will save you a lot of good memories.

Again, this advice will be just a general account as each cruise is unique.

Enjoy your day i’m Off to soak in the sun! :)