Celebrity Summit and kids programs

[timcar]

I am looking at a Celebrity cruise and I was wondering how the kids program and this cruise line is for kids. My kids will be 9 and 11, we have been on Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Thanks

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The program on Celebrity is very similar to Royal Caribbean. My son likes Celebrity Fun Factory the best. He likes it better than RCL, Disney, or Princess.

[alj1208]

We took our 4.5 year old DS on Celebrity Eclipse this March, and we were really happy with the Fun Factory. They were excellent-- very professional, caring, trustworthy. They kept the kids busy and gave lots of individual attention.

 

I believe that Celebrity is great for families who want a quieter cruise experience with a kids' club that is not crowded. You won't find anyone in costume, and there won't be any waterslides, but for us, that was all positive. We wanted an upscale experience that we adults would enjoy while our child also had a good time. We weren't looking for something centered on our child.

 

That said, I do remember thinking that if my child were older, he might have been bored. There's not a whole lot to do for kids on Celebrity beyond the kids club and the pools. If your kids are the type who go along with the adults and don't need lots of extra "kid" entertainment, Celebrity is perfect. If you are taking a cruise with lots of port days, then you can take advantage of the beaches, etc.

 

I am a huge Celebrity fan and would choose them as often as possible-- with or without kids. However, I would also be tempted to try one of the big Royal Caribbean ships like Oasis.

[kitty9]

When are you planning to cruise? The reason I ask is, if it's when school is in session, the kid's club can be very limited. I usually cruise Celebrity when school is in session, and you don't find many kids on board, especially school age kids. For instance, I cruised right before Christmas break and there were 12 kids total on board, mostly infants and toddlers. The kid's program was very, very limited. But my friends cruised the same ship the next week, and there were 576 kids on board and their kids LOVED the program.

[sarahc78]

Does anyone have a break down of what hours the Celebrity fun factory operates? Are they open all day? What time do they close in the evenings? What time do you start incurring a fee.

[brazilgirl]

We were on the Summit and my kids really enjoyed the Fun Factory ( as they did on the Constellation and Infinity). We´ve been on the ships with over 100 kids and less than 30 kids , and every time the children have had a fantastic time. Lots of attention from the staff , well organized , art activities , treasure hunts , games ....

 

My kids always want to go to the Fun Factory and sometimes it´s hard to get them to leave! (they are currently 13 , 11 and 7)

 

Kim

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The fewest number of children I sailed with on Celebrity was 30 kids (age 1-18). This was a 14 day Transatlantic cruise in May of 05. I also sailed on an 8-night cruise in October of 2004 and there were at least that many children onboard. So I doubt that there were only 12 children as one of the other posters stated. But anything is possible.

 

Numbers aside- the Fun Factory is open whether is one child or 1000. Naturally if there are only a few in each age group they will sometimes combine the age groups to make it more fun.

 

The hours are 9AM-10PM free of charge. It is $6.00 per hour during dinner (6PM-7PM) and after 10PM-1AM. Also, they do have early hours (8AM) by arrangement for people going on early morning ship excursions. They also offer a VIP package, which is a good value.

[sarahc78]

The fewest number of children I sailed with on Celebrity was 30 kids (age 1-18). This was a 14 day Transatlantic cruise in May of 05. I also sailed on an 8-night cruise in October of 2004 and there were at least that many children onboard. So I doubt that there were only 12 children as one of the other posters stated. But anything is possible.

 

Numbers aside- the Fun Factory is open whether is one child or 1000. Naturally if there are only a few in each age group they will sometimes combine the age groups to make it more fun.

 

The hours are 9AM-10PM free of charge. It is $6.00 per hour during dinner (6PM-7PM) and after 10PM-1AM. Also, they do have early hours (8AM) by arrangement for people going on early morning ship excursions. They also offer a VIP package, which is a good value.

What is the VIP package?

[kitty9]

The fewest number of children I sailed with on Celebrity was 30 kids (age 1-18). This was a 14 day Transatlantic cruise in May of 05. I also sailed on an 8-night cruise in October of 2004 and there were at least that many children onboard. So I doubt that there were only 12 children as one of the other posters stated. But anything is possible.

 

The hours are 9AM-10PM free of charge. It is $6.00 per hour during dinner (6PM-7PM) and after 10PM-1AM. Also, they do have early hours (8AM) by arrangement for people going on early morning ship excursions. They also offer a VIP package, which is a good value.

 

Excuse me, but I've been on more than 30 Celebrity cruises and I do not make up numbers. As a matter of fact, I always make a point of asking the counselors about the number of kids on board just so I can post here and help those with families who want to cruise Celebrity. I've been on a few where there were less than 5 kids total on board. Last year on Solstice, the week before President's week, there were less than 20 kids on the ship. The next week, President's Week, there were more than 300 kids. I've done four Panama Canal cruises on X, and you could count on one hand the number of kids over the age of three. Just because you haven't experienced what another has, doesn't mean it isn't true.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

V.I.P. Passes for Kids

Celebrity's V.I.P. Party Pass includes behind-the-scenes ship tours; big-screen movies with popcorn; afternoon, dinner and slumber parties; all kinds of VIP souvenirs and a goodie bag. An additional charge applies to purchasing a V.I.P. Party Pass, but it also entitles parents to savings of up to 40% on nighttime babysitting. Parents can also give kids a SeaPass® Card, which gives them ship-wide charging privileges, with parental control.

 

Children's products and services are not available on Celebrity Xpedition®.

Note: Children fully toilet trained and pull-up/diaper-free are able to utilize pools onboard. Children must be 3 years old, toilet-trained and pull-up/diaper-free to enter youth program facilities and activities, unless accompanied by a parent. However, families are welcome to borrow toys for their children's entertainment.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Darcie- didn't mean to offend you.

 

Most passengers have no idea of the number of kids on Celebrity because they are all being entertained in the Fun Factory. But if you asked then I stand by you comments.

 

This cruiser is doing Summit and I suspect in the summer. There will be lots of kids.

[kitty9]

Darcie- didn't mean to offend you.

 

Most passengers have no idea of the number of kids on Celebrity because they are all being entertained in the Fun Factory. But if you asked then I stand by you comments.

 

This cruiser is doing Summit and I suspect in the summer. There will be lots of kids.

 

In summer, you can expect loads of kids, especially because of where the port of embarkation is.

[Scrapchick]

We were on the Constellation in September 2005 and our DD was one of only TWO kids on board!

 

The Fun Factory was open regardless and the staff did a great job.

 

We have ALWAYS had a great experience with the kids programs on Celebrity and leave tomorrow night on the MIllennium, sister to the Summit and Constellation.