How is Celebrity with children?

[roe2ship]

We are new to Celebrity and are considering a cruise on the Summit. I am mostly interested in what the Fun Factory and their staff is like for the 9 year old age group. My son has LOVED the RCI and Princess programs, will Celebrity be just as good? Have you had positive experiences with your kids on Celebrity? Any input is greatly appreciated.

[ciera123]

Our DS (9 at the time) loved the Fun Factory on the Constellation. We were on a Europeon 14 night and he was in there a lot. He'd want to stay when we'd go to pick him up. They had a lot of activities all over the ship for the kids to do and the staff truly seemed to enjoy their jobs. Can't wait to go back on Celebrity!!!:)

[Wayneair]

Our kids love it. We have a difficult time pulling them out of the programs. You truely get a chance to have a vacation.

[nancy591]

We are sailing on the Summit 6/27. My kids are 4 and 6. I am a worrier by nature. How safe is the securty in the fun factory? Ever hear of any problems?

[ciera123]

We are sailing on the Summit 6/27. My kids are 4 and 6. I am a worrier by nature. How safe is the securty in the fun factory? Ever hear of any problems?

 

I've never heard anything... I am also a worrier and I felt very comfortable. There was a very good staff to child ratio for the cruises we've taken. On the first cruise it was 12 to 3 and the next 10 to 3. These were European cruises so there weren't as many kids as there may be on a Caribbean cruise...And with the age of your kiddos, they will probably not be doing a lot of activities outside of the Fun Factory. :)

[roe2ship]

Thanks for the replies. I have been trying to gather some information on the boards and I read that they let the children do scavenger hunts on their own outside the fun factory....is this accurate? Sounds scary and unsafe to me.

[bonvoyagequeen]

If the Kids are 9 and over they may go out in a group and do certain activities. I too am a worrier and I only have one child. We were very specific with her about staying with the group and all the kids, at least her age group stuck together like glue. The Fun Factory gives them a time they need to be back and if they are not, they start looking for them. There were a couple of times where the older girls were running around the ship and she got upset because we did not allow her to go with them, one of us was always with her. She soon understood that the same rules from home apply on the ship. Here is were you see if years of repeating yourself work. My Husband secretly followed the first time they went out on a scavenger hunt and he was pleased that they all stayed together. I guess it's all in how comfortable you are with the situation. I don't let people sway me, if my gut is telling me something I go with it. Don't know if this helped.

[junglejane]

These scavenger hunts seem to be popular on most cruiselines as a kids activity, although when we were on the Summit in 2008, the 7-9 year olds were grouped together and didn't do the scavenger hunt. Also remember that they publish the day's activities in detail, so you can easily arrange not to have your kid in the program during the scavenger hunt.

[mahdnc]

roe2ship,

 

Celebrity does a great job with kids. Our 2 kids have been on 6 cruises with Celebrity and have enjoyed every one of them (including the scavenger hunts).

 

Coincidentally, last night I was sorting thru old backup CDs that have been gathering dust in our house, I came across a 2002 travelogue written on a PC by our then 9 year old daughter of our 7 night Infinity cruise out of Puerto Rico. It was titled "My Vacation on the Infinity". Here are some cut and paste excerpts straight from her file:

 

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Day 4

The ship was moving while we were asleep, so in the morning we were in St.Croix. Mom and Dad wanted to get off of the ship, but I didn't want to, because I didn’t want to get sunburned again (I got sunburned bad at the Hyatt hotel). So then we went to the ship's fun factory. It had a ball pit, about 11 Playstation 2's, a big arts and crafts room, and a big TV center with curtains and a Karaoke song place called the teen center with Karaoke and all. So Mom left me there and I had a great time. I also made great friends. The friend that I liked the most was Tiffany. Tiffany and I had great fun together. My grandparents picked me up at about lunch time. Then we had a delicious lunch and it was back to the fun factory. I was dropped off at 2:00 PM and I was picked up at five. I also had a hot dog for dinner and some delicious ice cream that was mint and had chips of chocolate inside. After I was full we went back to the cabin and had a good night's sleep.

 

Day 5

We were at St.Lucia in the morning. The ship once again moved while we were asleep. My mom took me to the fun factory at about 2:00 and picked me up at five . Then we had lunch and it was back to the fun factory. We had formal night, and I wore some really nice clothes. We also saw a Magician but I had to miss some of the fun factory, and de had some great tricks too. Then we went to bed.

 

Day 6

We were at Barbados. Then I gathered the courage to go to the beach( because I got sunburned on the first day of my vacation). We got off the boat and we found a taxi and we drove to a rocky beach. Then we set up everything and we got our Guppy gear on and then we could run out in the water and go snorkeling. I went quite a few times and once I saw a whole school of small black fish. I saw thousands of different little fish and it was so cool. I also got scared of the coral for some reason. So I got out. We drove back to the ship. Mom took me to the fun factory as soon as we got dressed. Soon I found out that there was a sleep over that was going on. I asked mom if I could sleep over when she picked me up. She said it was okay. I slept over and soon when dad came to pick me up I found out that it was not a whole night sleep over, and I made a big deal over that, but I got over it soon enough. So we went back to the cabin and I went to sleep.

 

Day 7

We were at sea. We had a really nice breakfast at the restaurant. Then we went back to the cabin and then we went to the fun factory. I was dropped off at the fun factory. I played with Tiffany and it was fun but it wore me out. Soon I was picked up and I was excited about the talent show that was going on. I ate some lunch still excited and then it was back to the fun factory again. The counselors showed all the kids what it was like on the stage and what it could do. It was neat! The floor could go down to the next and there were nets to keep actors from falling in the hole if there was something wrong with the floor. If the actors had to change really quick their clothes had Velcro instead of actual buttons on their shirt. They also had trap doors and part of the stage would spin around in a circle. Soon it was time for the talent show after they showed us the stage. I played two piano songs, one joke and a card trick at the end and all of the cadets (Which is a certain class of kids in the fun factory.) participated in the act we called JCPenny. I went to go eat some lunch and then it was back to the cabin for a break. I waited in the cabin until 2:00 p.m..

Then I went back to the fun factory and I played some games on the Playstations and saw what games were played. I was picked up shortly and I ate dinner and I went to bed.

 

Day 8

We were at Antigua in the morning. I went to a beach when we got off the boat and we found a taxi to take us to the beach. When we arrived we were looking for shells and soon enough Christopher found a whole shell and I found one too. Mom asked if they were alive but we didn't know but they were. When we were walking back I sort of yipped mom asked me what was wrong I said that I saw something like a little tongue come out of my clams shell and mom said that that was believable. We put them in a puddle that was big and had plenty of sand. Christopher's dug and mine dug a little bit but mostly it put out the little tongue that I saw earlier and two little tubes that would come out the other end. Then we had an idea. We got our big shovel and we put a fair amount of sand and plenty of sea water in there and that’s where we put the clams. I also saw my counselor from the fun factory at the beach but we had to leave soon. So we had to release the clams and get into the taxi and get back to the boat. I went to the fun factory and I got to sleep over and I understood that it was not a whole night sleep over. I went back to the cabin and we went to sleep.

 

Day 9

It was the last day of the vacation and we were at St.Thomas. Dad told me that we were going snorkeling today on a boat that would take us to an island and then we would get off the boat and snorkel and see tropical fish. Our boat was called BEAR and it was neat. We sailed to an Island called Buck island. It took about an hour to get there. I got on Guppy gear as soon as we arrived. I saw lots of neat things and I also saw a stingray. When I got out because I had a headache my dad was playing with the sea turtles that they found. Soon dad got in the boat in about 15 more minutes. On the way back to St.Thomas We saw a sea turtle that was getting a nice breathe of air. We were in our cabin when we got out of the sailboat and on to the Infinity. I was so exhausted. We had some lunch and it was so good. I went back to the fun factory and then came dinner then it was back to the fun factory again. Then I went to sleep.

 

Day 10

We got off the ship and then we went on a tour of Sanwan and we explored an old fort. Then we got back on the bus. Then we visited a couple of shops. I got a dream catcher and a little clam thing. Soon enough we were at the airport and we got on the plane and I was sad I thought I'd never see Tiffany again and little invisible tears rolled down my cheeks. On our next flight I practically fell asleep. Soon we were home. When I went to bed I was wondering if I'd ever seen Tiffany again. I might and I might not it'll always be a mystery to me.

[roe2ship]

The Fun Factory gives them a time they need to be back and if they are not, they start looking for them. quote]

 

Wow....start looking for them??:eek: Very surprised that they would even think of doing this. Your husband had the right idea.:)

 

These scavenger hunts seem to be popular on most cruiselines as a kids activity, although when we were on the Summit in 2008, the 7-9 year olds were grouped together and didn't do the scavenger hunt. Also remember that they publish the day's activities in detail, so you can easily arrange not to have your kid in the program during the scavenger hunt.

Yes, most cruiselines do offer this as part of their kids programs but the staff would be right there with them. I will definitely be looking specifically for this activity now as I am not comfortable with it at all. Thanks.

 

roe2ship,

 

Celebrity does a great job with kids. Our 2 kids have been on 6 cruises with Celebrity and have enjoyed every one of them (including the scavenger hunts).

 

Coincidentally, last night I was sorting thru old backup CDs that have been gathering dust in our house, I came across a 2002 travelogue written on a PC by our then 9 year old daughter of our 7 night Infinity cruise out of Puerto Rico. It was titled "My Vacation on the Infinity". Here are some cut and paste excerpts straight from her file:

.

Thank you for sharing your daughter's notes.....it certainly was adorable! No doubt she enjoyed that cruise....thanks again!

[Scrapchick]

We've done 4 cruises with Celebrity and our DD has absolutely loved her time in the Fun Factory. We were on the Equinox over Easter when she was 8 and she will turn 9 on the Eclipse next month. The Fun Factory is fabulous, with great staff and a well designed program. Can't say enough good things about it. The staff are professional, flexible and have a great sense of fun. They do a wonderful job with the kids.

 

We haven't done scavenger hunts on Celebrity yet and will deal with that next month. I believe the kids go in groups or pairs and never by themselves. I have confidence in Celebrity when it comes to safety! They run a great operation in the kids club.

[bonvoyagequeen]

Wow....start looking for them??:eek: Very surprised that they would even think of doing this. Your husband had the right idea.:)

 

These are children who are 9 and older. I would assume that parents have a grasp on the ability of their child to be able to follow rules or not. The Staff at the Fun Factory does a wonderful job of watching the kids. The children get a Daily program every evening listing the activities for the following day. It is the parents responsiblity to see if their child is prepared to do the activity, if not then they can leave instructions that their child is not to participate in that activity or just pick them up at the specific time. Following our daughter is just a precaution, WOW that sounds bad! Oh well she'll get over it.

[Wayne79]

Anyone know how the staff are with children who have medical needs ? just asking as my eldest son (7) is a type 1 diabetic, just he is starting to ask about the kids activities on the boat.

[dannysmom]

We just got off of the Summit yesterday and my 5-year-old didn't want to leave the ship. He LOVED the Fun Factory. The ladies who were in charge of his age group were just wonderful.

 

The 3-to-8 year old group had a Family Scavenger Hunt on Saturday. A parent or guardian was required to go with the child.

 

I brought home each day's Fun Factory schedule and will post them later this week.

[fgc15527]

10 yr. old girl-12 yr. old boy- Both had a great time participating in kids programs on board. 10 yr. old insisted on leaving dinner before dessert was served so she could get back to the program. Was surprised to find such a great agenda for kids. Have sailed Royal Carib many times. This was the best.

[roe2ship]

We just got off of the Summit yesterday and my 5-year-old didn't want to leave the ship. He LOVED the Fun Factory. The ladies who were in charge of his age group were just wonderful.

 

The 3-to-8 year old group had a Family Scavenger Hunt on Saturday. A parent or guardian was required to go with the child.

 

I brought home each day's Fun Factory schedule and will post them later this week.

I guess they grouped the kids 3-8 because there wasn't that many?? School in NJ is not yet over so I am guessing that might have been the reason. I will be looking forward to reading the schedule when you get a chance to post them...thanks!:)

 

10 yr. old girl-12 yr. old boy- Both had a great time participating in kids programs on board. 10 yr. old insisted on leaving dinner before dessert was served so she could get back to the program. Was surprised to find such a great agenda for kids. Have sailed Royal Carib many times. This was the best.

Great to hear your kids really enjoyed their cruise.

[CruisinNJ]

The kids can not leave the fun factory without a parent or designated person signing them out (you list the authorized people on the registration sheet on day one) unless you specifically indicate that you are allowing them to be "self sign out" and / or are authorizing them to leave for a scavenger hunt.

 

If you do not want them to leave, then you dont sign-off on that line item on the registration form.