Celebrity for kids

[cyndiehabs]

Thinking of doing Eclipse or Equinox Europe with older kids (11, 14) and wondering how Celebrity is with kids? Do many people sail with their children? Celebrity doesn't look like they are all that family friendly.

[jerin]

They're not family UNfriendly, a lot depends on your children. If they need someone to structure a lot of their time -- constant kids' programs, etc. -- then Celebrity might not be the best choice for them. We've seen plenty of pre-teens and early teens on Celebrity making up their own ping pong and Scrabble tournaments, etc. ... nothing the staff guided them in, just what they found on their own ... they were all having a great time.

[dhmjdds]

There will be tons of kids that age on Celebrity in Europe in the summer. We did Summit last year with 10-, 13-, and 18-year-olds, and are doing Equinox this July. More than plenty for everyone to do--and these cruises tend to be sooo port-intensive, you are really not lounging around the ship that much.

 

We found another family (through CC) that had children of very similar ages to ours, and did a lot of things together with them.

 

Diane

[junglejane]

We went to the Med on the Celebrity Summit in June 2008 and there were 300 kids onboard. Our kids were 7 and 11 and had a great time, although the 11 year old spent a lot less time in the kids program than the 7 year old.

 

On a port intensive European cruise, I wouldn't hesitate to book Celebrity. In fact, we are waiting for the summer 2011 itineraries to come out and Celebrity is our first choice (by then our kids will be 10 and 14.)

 

We just returned from going to Mexico on the Mariner of the Seas with our kids. Sure the rock climbing wall and ice skating rink are fun, but they are only open on sea days, and for limited hours. On a European cruise that would add up to only a few hours over the whole cruise, depending on the number of sea days.

[Onessa]

DD is 14YO - we've done Med cruises the past three years. Last November we did Solstice Eastern Med.

 

She met a few girls her age and they hung together. The teen program on our cruise was useless -- the counselors did nothing to encourage the kids to mingle and they allowed some younger kids to "age up" -- so my DD and her friends avoided the place like the plague.

 

They still found SO much to do. Swim, play the regular trivia games, lawn games, watch free on-demand movies, go to shows (including the Hot Glass Show which they all LOVED)

 

On most European itineraries, there is so much time in port.

[drblue]

We just did the Equinox to South America and the Panama canal in January 2010. Our son is 2 years old. He could not get away from the Fun Factory! The staff that works there is very child-orieted and do outstanding activities for/with kids; not just the typical coloring and painting activities. For example, kids put together a talent show and it gets done in one of the big theaters; they also take a special tour and cooking lesson in the main kitchen where they cook their own pizza; they also go to a special blown-glass show especially for them, and (a highlight for my son) was a specia tour of the bridge personally conducted by the captain! The staff working on the Fun Factory are extremely energetic, good with kids and work well with most ages. THe area for kids and teenages on Deck 15 is well-designed and has a variety of games, toys, and activities age appropriate. THis is or the Equinox; I am not sure of other ships are similar.

Another appropriate feature that we liked was the buffet stations. It is great for kids and they can try different things without waiting 30 minutes for their food to arrive.

We liked the Equinox so much that we just booked another cruise on the MEditerranean.

I will be avaiblable for more questions if I can help.

[kitty9]

Question: How did your child qualify for the kid's program when Celebrity's programs start at age 3? I know they have Toddler Time, but it's only for a short time every day, and the parent must be with the child?

[brazilgirl]

We have sailed on the Summit (Med) , the Constellation (Baltics) and the Infinity (Antarctica/South America).

 

We have 3 kids (currently 6 , 10 and 12)..the 3 cruises were taken in the last 2 years.

 

My kids all loved Celebrity. Loved , loved , loved! We had 8 sea days in a row on our Antarctica cruise due to bad weather (150 km winds , 30 foot waves) and our kids never complained , they were having so much fun.

 

The staff at the Fun Factory was excellent and very well supervised.

 

 

Here is my daughter with friends she made on the cruise , dressed up like a pirate to entertain the younger kids (including her brothers). The staff dressed them up ( on the Infinity).

 

You kids will love Europe and Celebrity!

 

BTW , we have also sailed on RCI , and the kids loved Celebrity just as much as the loved Ocean Adventure (we were on the Mariner of the Seas , Western Caribbean).

 

Kim

[williamsk]

Darcie,

Because of a recent change in babysitting policy by Celebrity, a lot of the staff likes to babysit in the kids club rather than private rooms. In room sitting now requires two sitters- or at least it did on Century. My dd at 18 months was in the kids club for a few hours with her sitter while DH and I went on a date to dance and dine. She had a sitter assigned only to her and they did age appropriate activities (coloring and stories). She would sometimes color by other kids but wasn't really part of a group if that makes sense.

Katie