Children on Celebrity

[Harriet75C]

Although we've cruised a lot before we've only been once with the children and never with Celebrity.

 

I have had a look at the website and the FAQs but there are a few things I'm not clear on and I was hoping someone here could help!

 

It says that the in cabin babysitting is subject to availability of staff. Can this be an issue? We'll have an 18 month old and a 3 year old so the 18 month old can't go to kids club and it would be nice having the odd meal on our own in the evening.

 

Also, some lines let parents go ashore while the children are in kids club. Some don't. It's not clear to me from the website what the Celebrity policy is.

 

And do Celebrity offer any children's menus in the main dining rooms?

 

Thanks for any info. :)

[Tiggertastic]

Although we've cruised a lot before we've only been once with the children and never with Celebrity.

 

I have had a look at the website and the FAQs but there are a few things I'm not clear on and I was hoping someone here could help!

 

It says that the in cabin babysitting is subject to availability of staff. Can this be an issue? We'll have an 18 month old and a 3 year old so the 18 month old can't go to kids club and it would be nice having the odd meal on our own in the evening.

 

Also, some lines let parents go ashore while the children are in kids club. Some don't. It's not clear to me from the website what the Celebrity policy is.

 

And do Celebrity offer any children's menus in the main dining rooms?

 

Thanks for any info. :)

 

In room sitting is $19 an hour for upto 3 children from the same family in your cabin as long as they are older than 12 months old. It's arranged 24 hours in advance. They have the same staff on most cruises other than the school holidays so it depends on the number of children on board as to the demand, so they cannot guarantee every family to get time but you may be on a cruise with little demand.

 

They also do it in the kids club for $6 per child per hour but unsure of the minimum age.

 

Sorry don't know re getting off the ship but if something happened and you missed getting on the ship for some reason, risk is low but I suppose celebrity has rules to deal with that

Edited May 11, 2014 by Tiggertastic

[MicCanberra]

I don't know for sure but would suspect that parents would need to take the kids if leaving the ship, one parent may need to stay behind if you don't want to take the kids as well.:D

[6502programmer]

Also, some lines let parents go ashore while the children are in kids club. Some don't. It's not clear to me from the website what the Celebrity policy is.

 

 

 

And do Celebrity offer any children's menus in the main dining rooms?

 

 

We have gone on shore without our child. When you sign a child in to the kids club, you need to leave a location and if available a phone number. My wife was worried at first about leaving our four year old on the ship while we went ashore, but she warmed up to it.

 

And yes, there is a kids menu that includes favorites such as chicken nuggets, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, hamburgers, spaghetti, and others.

 

The Mac and cheese was outstanding. I loved having it with some bacon or pancetta if it was an ingredient in an item on that nights menu. If I didn't care for any appetizers, the Mac and cheese was an outstanding option!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cruisead]

If you do decide to leave a child on the ship while you tour, just make sure you don't miss the ship. We've been on cruises where parents left their kids, and they missed the ship, leaving the kids alone until they could meet the ship at the next port.

[Lois R]

If you do decide to leave a child on the ship while you tour, just make sure you don't miss the ship. We've been on cruises where parents left their kids, and they missed the ship, leaving the kids alone until they could meet the ship at the next port.

 

Hi Tracie, seriously?:eek:.....you have to wonder about some parents

these days:confused:....

"Lets go on a cruise honey.....we'll stay in port and the kids can

take care of themselves on the ship":eek:

Edited May 11, 2014 by Lois R

[parallax]

Hi Tracie, seriously?:eek:.....you have to wonder about some parents

these days:confused:....

"Lets go on a cruise honey.....we'll stay in port and the kids can

take care of themselves on the ship":eek:

 

Yes, this horrible. Let's call child services because they are leaving one of their children at the Kids' Club. Thankfully, "better people" like Lois are able to let us see the light. I think it is the law that you have to spend ever waking moment with your child when on vacation.

 

When we want a cruise a couple of years ago, we left our 4 year old at the Kids' Club so we could do a little shopping. I left my cell phone number if any issues arose. On that trip, we initially did not use the Club that much but it was apparent that as the trip went on my daughter wanted the opportunity to hang out with other kids and play. They run a very nice program.

[wwcruisers]

Hi Tracie, seriously?:eek:.....you have to wonder about some parents

these days:confused:....

"Lets go on a cruise honey.....we'll stay in port and the kids can

take care of themselves on the ship":eek:

 

Lois -- I totally agree. Although our son did not cruise with us when he was a child, I don't we would have ever left him in the care of the cruise staff, while we went onshore. Just too many things can go wrong with that scenario. I can't imagine the horror of watching the ship pull away with my kid onboard -- with me stuck at the pier! :eek:

 

I always chuckle at diversity of attitudes among cruisers. There are so many posters on this forum who wouldn't dream of leaving their passports on the ship, when they go into port. But then, there are some folks who feel comfortable leaving a much more precious asset (their kids) behind. Just my $.02 ... :rolleyes:

Edited May 12, 2014 by wwcruisers

[NLH Arizona]

Hi Tracie, seriously?:eek:.....you have to wonder about some parents

these days:confused:....

"Lets go on a cruise honey.....we'll stay in port and the kids can

take care of themselves on the ship":eek:

Totally agree, Lois. You never know what could happen in port; what if there is an accident while off the ship and the parents couldn't get back. I wouldn't chance it!

Edited May 12, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[parallax]

I guess shopping at stores 300 yards from the ship makes me a bad parent. Yet, it is easier to make a gross generalization about poor parenting than understand that there is some sort of reasonable middle ground.

 

This attitude reminds me of an incident on New Years cruise we went on with friends and family on the Century in 2001. One of the people in our group, brought her six month old along. We were waiting to pay bingo and she decided to feed her baby. She took a body of Enfamil out and began feeding the child. Not one but two people (probably from the same group) came up to her and recommended that she breast feed her child. None of these nosey nellies had any right to make those comments. It was her choice and by the way, she had just spent the previous two months in chemo. She couldn't have breast feed if she wanted to.

[NLH Arizona]

I guess shopping at stores 300 yards from the ship makes me a bad parent. Yet, it is easier to make a gross generalization about poor parenting than understand that there is some sort of reasonable middle ground.

 

This attitude reminds me of an incident on New Years cruise we went on with friends and family on the Century in 2001. One of the people in our group, brought her six month old along. We were waiting to pay bingo and she decided to feed her baby. She took a body of Enfamil out and began feeding the child. Not one but two people (probably from the same group) came up to her and recommended that she breast feed her child. None of these nosey nellies had any right to make those comments. It was her choice and by the way, she had just spent the previous two months in chemo. She couldn't have breast feed if she wanted to.

Certainly hope everything worked out well for your friend. Not sure what it had to do with people voicing their opinions on leaving the ship without their children, but again, I hope all is well with her.

Edited May 12, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[Conshydot]

. She took a body of Enfamil out and began feeding the child. Not one but two people (probably from the same group) came up to her and recommended that she breast feed her child. .

 

So the nosy nellies have spectrophotmetric eyes and they could tell that the liquid in the bottles was Enfamil and not pumped breast milk? Those people should work for the NSA. Think of the government money that could be saved? Hair Gel? <glance of spectrophotmetric eyes> NO, it's gel explosives!

 

Reminds me of my friend's daughter, 9.5 months pregnant at her brother's wedding. Her doctor held out inducing her so that she could sing at and attend her brother's wedding. She going to be induced on Monday if the baby didn't come by then. The doctor told her (she didn't ask, he volunteered) that she could have a glass of wine at the reception to toast her brother and his bride. At the toast, as mommy to be was taking a sip of wine, a woman shouted out,"Don't drink that, you'll hurt your baby."

 

Happy end to story, mommy went into labor at the reception and had a baby boy five hours after the reception ended. Healthy baby, healthy mom.

[Lois R]

Yes, this horrible. Let's call child services because they are leaving one of their children at the Kids' Club. Thankfully, "better people" like Lois are able to let us see the light. I think it is the law that you have to spend ever waking moment with your child when on vacation.

 

When we want a cruise a couple of years ago, we left our 4 year old at the Kids' Club so we could do a little shopping. I left my cell phone number if any issues arose. On that trip, we initially did not use the Club that much but it was apparent that as the trip went on my daughter wanted the opportunity to hang out with other kids and play. They run a very nice program.

 

I guess you are attacking me and my post.:eek::(.....I never

said anything about calling "Children's Services" and certainly never

said anything about "spending every waking moment with your children".

I was making a comment on Tracie's post...I wasn't attacking anyone.

Do whatever you want.....and I am no better than anyone else......

I just figure if a parent is leaving their kids on the ship? They would

make the effort to get back on board before the ship sails. Call me crazy.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Lois R

[parallax]

Do you know how long they are going to be gone or what they or going to do? They might just want to get off the ship in the morning and walk to the duty free shop. I'm sure that they are cognizant of the issues of leaving a child on a ship, we were. We purposely did not go far from the ship.

 

It is easier to make gross generalizations, provide snippy answers and provide parenting advice than get all the information.

[Lois R]

If you read the post I was referring to? Tracie clearly stated the parents missed the ship......and I still didn't attack anyone.

[dkjretired]

If you read the post I was referring to? Tracie clearly stated the parents missed the ship......and I still didn't attack anyone.

 

Hi Lois:

 

Don't apologize for anything you said, you didn't insult anyone and you are absolutely correct. As you know Jeanne and i took our kids on many cruises as they were griowing up and we would never, never even think about leaving our kids on the ship when we went ashore. All it takes is one auto accident or one broken down car and you may have a real problem.

[Lois R]

Hi Don:)...thanks....and tell Jeanne hi from me too:)

Actually, I never apologized for anything since I didn't feel like I said

anything wrong...but thanks for the having my 6;)

[cruisead]

Do you know how long they are going to be gone or what they or going to do? They might just want to get off the ship in the morning and walk to the duty free shop. I'm sure that they are cognizant of the issues of leaving a child on a ship, we were. We purposely did not go far from the ship.

 

It is easier to make gross generalizations, provide snippy answers and provide parenting advice than get all the information.

 

Aren't you protesting a little too much here? Not one single person said anything about your parenting skills, but yet, you're taking offense. My post was to point out to a newer cruiser who asked about keeping their two young children that they must be cognizant of the fact that ships will leave on time, and that we were on a cruise where one family kept their kids on the ship, and the ship left without the parents, who lost track of time and missed the ship. Where in any of the comments did either Lois or I say ANYTHING about parenting choices??????? And where did anyone question the OP's parenting? YOU'RE the one reading comments and putting your own spin on them. Again, I was pointing out that one needs to be back on the ship on time if one decides to go off on a tour to the other side of the island, or to a shop on the dock.

[sprockie]

Lois -- I totally agree. Although our son did not cruise with us when he was a child, I don't we would have ever left him in the care of the cruise staff, while we went onshore. Just too many things can go wrong with that scenario. I can't imagine the horror of watching the ship pull away with my kid onboard -- with me stuck at the pier! :eek:

 

I always chuckle at diversity of attitudes among cruisers. There are so many posters on this forum who wouldn't dream of leaving their passports on the ship, when they go into port. But then, there are some folks who feel comfortable leaving a much more precious asset (their kids) behind. Just my $.02 ... :rolleyes:

I absolutely agree. We missed our ship in St. Thomas about 10 years ago before we had kids - lots of traffic, couldn't get back to port in time.

We were told not to bring our passports, just ship cards and we had a Visa. Long story short, hard (and expensive) lesson learned, we would never leave our passports on the ship and we would never ever consider leaving our kids on the ship. It is true - you NEVER know what can happen. I can't imagine my state of mind seeing the ship pull away with my kids on it and my kids would be inconsolable beyond words.

[Harriet75C]

I didn't realise it was going to be such a controversial issue! Sorry!

 

I spoke to Celebrity about it and they said fine to get off ship but need to be contactable. And if going away from the immediate area then the excursion needs to be an official Celebrity excursion so no danger of missing ship. Seems reasonable to me.

 

Having just got back from a P&O cruise I know my 2 year old way preferred the time she spent in kids club to the time we spent off ship. They did face painting and plays, rehearsed acts for a performance they gave on the last day and there were loads of exciting toys and playmates.

 

I don't see the harm in leaving her somewhere she's having fun while dad and i pop off the ship for a nice lunch in a restaurant that does local food which she would hate, or a spot of shopping, while she spends time somewhere she'd enjoy more.

 

I'd make very sure i was never in danger of the ship leaving without me though!

[dbowe5]

Hi all

 

Whilst on the subject of children but not abandoning them in the kids club (only joking)!!

We've cruised mostly on RCI and once with Carnival with my son - who is 3 and are looking at the 11 night Reflection cruise out of Rome in August.

 

Now, my son comes with us to the bar in the evenings for a drink - he is tee-total so only drinks apple juice - but I've heard reports that there are lots of death stares and tutting when a child is in the bar on an evening on Celebrity ships - does anyone have any experience of seeing small children in the bar and what the general perception of this was.

 

I love the idea of sailing out of Rome so we can have a post cruise day there and the itinery is great, but I don't want to go with Celebrity if we will have issues taking our son out with us on an evening. It's his holiday too and lord knows we will pay enough for the privilege of taking him, but if we have to go with another cruise line then so be it.

 

Thanks in advance for the replies

[cruisestitch]

It depends on the location (the outdoor Sunset Bar vs. the indoor Molecular Bar, as examples), the behavior of the child and parents, and the other cruisers. You don't have any control over the other passengers. Some may find it odd that a three year old is in a bar, most won't. You often see children in the Passport Bar area, for instance, which is next to the Atrium and most evenings is the site of live music -- kids will sometimes get up and dance. Most bars on Celebrity are open areas people will be walking through on their way from one end of the ship to the other (Michael's was the exception but it is no longer a public venue).

 

If it's late at night, that might make a difference, too. I wouldn't avoid Celebrity, just be aware that you might be the only parent taking a child to one of the bars and staying there.

[cruiserjt]

We travel with our twin daughters - their first cruise was when they were 6years old. They still want to be with us - they want to dance with their father and be swung around. They want to sit all dressed up at a table and drink their frosty strawberry daiquiri and listen to Mom and Dad talk about the "oldies" that are playing.

 

This year they will be eleven and cruising for their fifth time - they still want to do this - I am sorry if they are taking up a space and enjoying family vacation time with their family, I am sorry that they don't want to go to the kids club and dress up like an alien on formal night. We were blessed with these girls and know someday they will not want to be together with Mom and Dad on a dance floor - we are older parents and these times are precious and to be cherished - having lost two children before in "a previous life" - time cannot be spent being grumpy about kids. (By the way - I am a nurse specializing in geriatrics - I enjoy time spent with all generations).

 

Please be patient and if you are on a cruise - enjoy the fact that a 10 year old can cheerfully co-exist with an 85 year old. Say Hi and compliment each other on their jewelry or dress. Smile a little more often and even giggle once in a while. We have so much to learn from each other.

 

.

[sprockie]

We travel with our twin daughters - their first cruise was when they were 6years old. They still want to be with us - they want to dance with their father and be swung around. They want to sit all dressed up at a table and drink their frosty strawberry daiquiri and listen to Mom and Dad talk about the "oldies" that are playing.

 

This year they will be eleven and cruising for their fifth time - they still want to do this - I am sorry if they are taking up a space and enjoying family vacation time with their family, I am sorry that they don't want to go to the kids club and dress up like an alien on formal night. We were blessed with these girls and know someday they will not want to be together with Mom and Dad on a dance floor - we are older parents and these times are precious and to be cherished - having lost two children before in "a previous life" - time cannot be spent being grumpy about kids. (By the way - I am a nurse specializing in geriatrics - I enjoy time spent with all generations).

 

Please be patient and if you are on a cruise - enjoy the fact that a 10 year old can cheerfully co-exist with an 85 year old. Say Hi and compliment each other on their jewelry or dress. Smile a little more often and even giggle once in a while. We have so much to learn from each other.

 

.

What a sweet post. Our kids and I have the same attitude as your family. If I can make a generalization, I think us "older" parents have a great appreciation for how incredibly fast time goes by and how precious these moments really are.

[parallax]

Aren't you protesting a little too much here? Not one single person said anything about your parenting skills, but yet, you're taking offense. My post was to point out to a newer cruiser who asked about keeping their two young children that they must be cognizant of the fact that ships will leave on time, and that we were on a cruise where one family kept their kids on the ship, and the ship left without the parents, who lost track of time and missed the ship. Where in any of the comments did either Lois or I say ANYTHING about parenting choices??????? And where did anyone question the OP's parenting? YOU'RE the one reading comments and putting your own spin on them. Again, I was pointing out that one needs to be back on the ship on time if one decides to go off on a tour to the other side of the island, or to a shop on the dock.

 

I overreacted and for that I apologize, Lois. I was glancing through the comments while at work and loss track of the discussion and read your initial comment out of context. There are a vocal minority on this board who hate the thought of having children cruise on Celebrity. Some within that minority make backhanded comments about the parenting skills of those who are asking questions about taking their children on a Celebrity cruise.

 

Also, I have had the unfortunate experience of witnessing people questioning parent skills while on a cruise. The worst was the experience with the friend who was providing baby formula (she is still cancer free at this moment). I couldn't believe the gall of these people.